OMNIUM GATHERUM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2427, 19 September 1900, Page 11

OMNIUM GATHERUM.

I S ' I The ttroamor Port Victor, which left Melbourne for Dm ban, took 28,300 bales of hay. Last week the wife of a resident on the Akavt.si Peninsula presented him with his ,lv.*cnly-eiglith child. There are over a million, arid a-half acres. nf Crov«n landn in the Cook and Waiapu Counties not yet taken up. - Mr Jamej jjymes, a resident of the Braidv.'ood (N.S.W.) district for the past 7,0 years, has died at the age of 102 year?. ' .Fifty miles of the Chillagoe (Q.) railway have been completed, and the line will probably be opened for traffic shortly. Premier Lyne has given definite instructions to the Inspector-general of Police to enforco the early-elo&ing la\v*in Sydney. • The prohibition of the importation of rags into Victoria threatens to cause the closing of borne- of the Melbourne paper mills. It is reported ivi Hokitika that the Chinese in the district are mtiking arrangements to send Jjo.ek Yee, the Chinaman just discharged on the double charge of murder, back to China. - - - - It is rumoured that work on the Jacksons and Otira part of the Midland railway will soon be discontinued, and Mr Wilson, the engineer-, in-. charge, will, be .removed -to the North Island. The friends of Mr E. T. Wilson (son of the latQ.JVlv .Robert, JWjJpon) will be pleased to learn that he has been appointed to a good position in the firm of Messis Sparks and Young, Durban (S.A.). Mr J. R. Shore, M.A., who has completed his course in the Theological Hall here, leaves next week for Home (says the Outlook).' Ho travels through America, and intends to study for a session in one of the Scottish Theological Colleges. The Taupo volcanoes have been very active lately, writes the correspondent of the Auckland Star, the crater of Ngauruhoe being particularly so, large columns of black smoke being steadily^ ejected from the crater, forming a grand spectacle. The Gisborne-Karaka railway is being steadily pushed forward, and upwards of 50 men are. employed on the formation works. It was thought that the fir&t section would iiave been opened by January, but Mr Carroll now fixes the time as March. Owing to the prevalence of Sunday football at Mangaweka and otfeer parts of the Kangitikei district, the JRangitikei Football Union recently passed a resolution to the effect that in future any union matches played on a Sunday would not bo recognised. The numerous friend." in Otago of Mr Alec Laurenson, wpl! known in athletic circles, more especially as an ex-intevprovrncial footbailer, will be pleased to learn that ho has been appointed malinger for Mr C4eo. T. White, jeweller, of Wellington^ «. A few days ago t , a. record .train .of trucks, was sent from the mines at Mokihiiiur, Grianity,and Dennigton, the total number Tieing 95,- exclusive Vf tyiro guards' vans. Hitherto the record was 86 trucks. The weight of the train-was estimated at 712 ton?. A very enjoyable social was 'hold in the Mosgiel Baptirit Church on Tuesclfiv evening (says the Advocate), when Miss Heath, who' has bean organist at the church for some time-, was presented with a silver teapot and cake dish on the occasion of her inafriage. The work of stripping- and romo^ing ihe valuable parts of the steamer Douglas,, stranded some iiine bark o:i tl>« Mokau bar. has beon completed. 1L i-, rrpcrtod. thnt ihe wooden hull of the vessel wa- not woith much, as the timbers had been considerably vorn. ' The American barque Alice was gaily decorated with bunting at Wellington in honour of her being the first ve»»el to discharge a cargo of kerosene in New Zealand duty free. Captain Swain, who commands the Alice, has been in command of that vessel ever since she was built — 19 years ago. The Timarii Post says that Mr Veal, the stationmaster at St. Andrews, is about to be transferred to Edondale, on the Invercarqill section of railways ; and Mr Wai- m, stationmaster at Studhoime Junction, has received notice that he is to go to Invercargill as relieving stationma&ter at that station. The domestic tragedy which occurred at Brunswick on July 16 last, when John Pridmore, a wood-splitter, shot his wife dead, and afterwards attempted to take hi& own life, was inquired into by Coroner Morrison. The jury returned a verdict of vilful murder,' and Pridmore was formally committed for trial. At Palmerslon North, on the 6th inst., the mayor and a few prominent citizens waited on Mips Rutherford at the telephone exchange in order to make her a presentation on behalf of a number of the subscribers to the exchange (prior to her departure for Dunedin. The presentation consisted of a valuable seal purse, suitably inscribed, containing a sum of money. An unusually large lot of %reenstone from the south was landed on the Greymonth viharf on the 6th insl., ready for shipment (bays the Grey River Argus). One magnificent lump weighs Ocwt, and seemed of first-class quality. The smaller pieces are all carefully bagged. OX late years! the demand for greenstone was

not so active at it was at one time ; but a mora favourable condition of the trade seems to have again set in. According to the latest files of Sydney papers, Trooper Duncan Sinclair, of Palmerston North, who is serving with the Australian Bushmen in South Africa, has beew •promoted to the rank of lieutenant. It will bo remembered that a few days ago we (says the Mauawatu Evening Standard) stated thafe he had been specially mentioned in Lieu-tenant-General Baden-Powell's despatches, and doubtless the promotion is the result of that General's recommendation. Considerable additions a~re to take place in' the defence forces of Queensland. Three additional first class and 20 second class instructors are to be appointed. The mounted infantry will be increased by 437 men, and the infantry by 739 men. , The volunteer force is to be rearranged, and will include a cyclists' corps, while 80 rifle clubs arc -to be provided for and three new companies of the Naval Brigade. Altogether £100,000 additional is to bo spent on the defence?. At the weekly practice of the Dunedin Liedertafel, held on Monday, 10th inst., Mr G-. T. Palmer, who lias received an appointment in the Nelson College, was the recipient of a ill easing case from the' members of the society, on the occasion of his leaving. Mr W. Ibbotson -made the presentation, and on he-* half of lnfttibers wished Mr Palmer every success in' his. new position. Mr Palmer,- in responding-, referred to the pleasure and instruction that he had received during hitf-con.-' nection with" the society. r While some people at Hokianga, • Bay of Islands, were cutting up a puriri log for firewood they came upon an old stone axe that had apparently been embedded in the tree centurieo ago. Tha wood had grown completely round tho axe, hiding it from view. The axe must have thus been embedded in the tree when it was very young — probably 400 year-i ago. The portion' of tho Jog containing the axe has been presented to the Wellington Museum, and it is interesting to note tho manner in which the fibrous tissue of the tree has accommodated itself to the shape of the stone.

As showing the possibilities of development in the production of ostrich feathers and plumes, it may be mentioned that in 1898 the Gape, of Good Hope exported ornamental feathers to the value of £750,559, the United Kingdom 'in the same year importing £1,440.000 worth of these goods. At the present there are (says the Hawke's Bay HeFald) between 500 and 600 ostriches in the Auckland province, and bo highly is the colonial article thought of and s® great is the demand for the products from these farms that a Na-, pier firm's order hr.d to be placed several months beforehand to ensure its being executed.

After the first of next month freight-wag-gons will not be attached to the passenger trains running between Milton and Lawrence, fins will allow of a 'better and more regular speed being attained by the passenger trains and will, also obviate the waggon shunting ad 'tho intermediate stations, which is at present the cause of so .much delay. After the new arrangement comes into ' force goods trains will be despatched from both Lawrence and Milton s.gmc time after the departure of tha regular passenger train, and should the necessity arise for sending goods by passenger trains it will be only to an extent that "will not cause delay on the journey. — Tuapeka Times.

Mr German Hodgkinson, one of the earliest settlers in New Zealand, fKed at Nelson recently at the patriarchal acre of 98 years. Tho deceased gentleman landed in'Nelaon in 1842 in the ship' Thomas Harrison, and-may be said to have grown with the province. He had all ihe trials of an early settler to endure, and. amongst his experiences was a time when seed potatoes had to be dug up to prevent starvation, and the only cloth for tailoring was sacks, of which trousers had to be mantffactured. Mr Hodgfcinson is survived by 10 of a family, besides 60 grand children and 40" great giandchildrcn. Amongst his sons were Mes-srs G. and E. Hodgkinson. who first tookup Benmore station, on the Waitaki River. A man named Hall had a rather rouah experience a short while ago (says the Westport Times). He went from Collingwood to the Grow, at the head of the Karamea River. He had determined to return to Collingwood, and v.as caught in a snow storm. Night coming on, lie>lit a fire and camped under a tree. In the morning he could not tell where ha was, and started to wander found. He cama .across a creek, which he followed, and which brought him to the Karamea River. When found by Mr J. Scarlett, he was too weak to call for assistance. The hoots were worn off hifi feet, on which were fearful sores. During the fortnight )Vc,was wandering about - tiie only food he had to eat was Maori hens. But, .for ,thq kind treatment of' Mr Elaine* Hall wpulS.iiot have, recovered. . >> An " interesting- discussion took place in the Hokitika Sxiprcme Court as to wjietfter there was anything in tho Chinese la'hTjuage to cofres.j)or>d_}vith our word '" police." It rll hinged on whether the man /accuse'! '< r murder . Lock ~¥ec, a*'<ed. wh}' -the " men. • or tho\"'p6lir < emen '' had comc/'thcre being r. nigaevtion ~by the defence that the police had improperly endeavoured to ''obtain evidence under a cloak. The' learned judge said he had been in Canton aecently, and found- there was noihinccin that city to correspond with oui- police force. The Was! Coast Time? be- * 3ipvc.-> it id r> fart, Ih/\vp\ er, that they hav>p. term.' '"Lock Yeo " (Blun Coat), which orisrinated Jvom tho colour of the uniforms oi the police at Hongkong. , It seems, therefore, that the term "Lock Yee"" is usually applied by the Chine-se to police officers in this and the neighbouring colonies. A sensational encounter took place at Perth vecenily between a constable and some disprdrrlv character 0 . Constable Sparke spoke J.Q eight men, who were behaving in a dis"orderly manner. They turned on him. and when the coiir table . drew his baton they wrested it from him. Sparke blew his whistla for help, but none was forthcoming, and after being seriously mauled he drew his revolves and fired two shots. One of the men (William Reid)', aged 30, was wounded in the calf of the leg. He was captured by Sparke, while Plainclothes Constable M'Arthur secured another man (William Hayes). Reid was taken to the Perth Hospital to have the wound, which was only a flesh one, dressed. Hayes was charged at the Police Court witF: having assaulted Constable Sparke, when th« magistrate said had the constable not been armed he might, if not killed, have been injured for life. He sentenced accused to two months' imprisonment with hard labour, and fined him 40s, or seven days in gaol, fo* creating a disturbance.

Who beat the Englishmen al cricket? Who taught. them how lo play? Who played the deuce with every wickefe? Australia leads the way ! ' « What plays the deuce with cough or cold'.t What, makes consumptives fewer? Oh! what is that worth more than gold'.<f Woods' Great Peppermint Oure.

and all other initial expenditure, was 31,730,659. The tenderers are to undertake to manufacture and lay the cable, provide and erect cable houses, make surveys, and keep the cable working for 30 consecutive days. It is understood other expenses, amounting to £180,000, include station buildings, staff quarters, instruments*, engineer.?' fees, and one maintenance ship costing £80,000. These are not included in the tenders. General Sir William Butler, in command of the Western Division of the British army, has been appointed to succeed General Moore in command at Aldershot. Thei-e is a boom in the currant market. The present quotation for provincials is 50s per cwt. September 12. At the tallow sales 1125 casks were offered, and 825 were sold. Mutton : Fine, 27,s 3d; medium, 255. Beef: Fine, 26s 9d ; medium, 25s 6d. Mr Borchgrevink will read a paper before the British Association on liis Antarctic expedition, and Mr W. P. Reeves a paper on colonial Governments as moneylenders. Towns challenges the world to a contest, Gaudaur preferred, for £500 a-side. September 13. The Earl of Hopctoun has been entertained by his tenantry. In the course of Ills speech he said tha* 'lie contemplated with pride and satisfaction the great trust confided in him. He had the greatest affection for Australians. Lord Salisbury has reached Brussels on hi*, way home from Vosges. The New Zealand and Australian Land Company have declared a dividend on their oidinary shares of 5 per cent. September 14.. Mr E. G. Jellicoe, solicitor, lias, arrived, and is moving the Privy Council to rehear his appeal against the Wellington Law Society. Lord Salisbury has reached Hatfield House. He is much improved in health. Goss, late clerk at Parr's Bank, has been sentenced to seven years' penal servitude for his connection with the robbery of notes from that institution. A .fire did severe damage in the main hold of the ship Hinemoa, which arrived from Lyttelton on August 1. The ship was in the Poplar Docks at the time of the outbreak. . September 16. The Confectioners' and Bakers' Internotional Exhibition, now being held in the Agricultural Hall, London, have awarded the New South Wales Government a grand diploma for honour 'for their wheat and flour exhibits. NEW YORK, September 14-. One hundred thousand anthracite coal miners in Pennsylvania have struck for an advance of wages. The masters refused to submit the question to arbitration.