OMNIUM GATHERUM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2437, 28 November 1900, Page 2

OMNIUM GATHERUM.

A settler in the Forty-mile Bush clears quite a large sum annually by breeding" turkeys for the Wellington market. In the Hauraki Handicap at Coromandel, in which Kempt paid the substantial dividend of £40 ss, the owner of the winner had all the tickets on him in the " tote." .^ Mr E. G. Allen, M.H.R., appears to have a heavy loser by the recent severe M'eaer. The Palmerston Timos hears that he lost 120 out of 200 sheep that had just been. , 'lidrn at Dunback. week was the anniversary of the , <rst hoibting of the British flag on the coast •j£ the Auckland district 131 years ago, that ceremony having been performed by Captain Cook at Mercury Bay on November 15, 1769. Mr D. L. Poppehvell has presented a Union Jack to the East Gore Convent School, a suit'ablo staff for which has been presented by Mr ipwen Kelly. ._ • -' A gentleman- who travelled through the King Country, a few days ago, and whose testimony is unimpeachable, informs the Hamilton Times that one cai get grog " anywhere" — in fact, as" he- expressed it, one" could swim in it. An extraordinary request was received by the^Grey Education Board from a Mrs Hansen, who asked " that no gambling or sale of intoxicating liquor be allowed in any public school under the board' 3 jurisdiction." The , astonished board referred matter- to the Secretary for Education. A piece of ambergris weighing 6oz, found on the Opunake beach (says the Egmont Settler), is to be sent from. Wellington to the London market to obtain a better price. Forty pounds an ounce was the best offer by the Wellington buyers, but this was not considered good enough by the Owners. At the Petone railway workshops there is a painting machine in use, worked by compressed air, by means of which a waggon can be completely painted in about 10 minutes. The machine is said to do its work excellently, and is a wonderful laboiir-saver, being also capable of very easy manipulation. The baptism of children in water brought all the way from the River Jordan was made a feature of the service of one of the Wellington churches on Sunday (says the Wellington Post). A member of the congregation had brought the prized liquid in returning from a tour that had included a visit to Palestine. Some days ago Alfred Maurice Stevens (an accountant) disappeared mysteriously from his home at Moonee Ponds, Melbourne. A week later his body was taken out of Saltwater River, and in one of his pockets a slip of notepaper was found containing the following ! message: — "I feel that my brain is going, j Better this than the other." At the inquest on the body of Mr W. Blay, the victim of the railway accident at luvercargill on Wednesday, the jury found that the deceased met his death accidentally vhile shunting, and that no blame was attachable to anyone. A rider was added to the effect that sufficient evidence was not forthcoming to show that the yard was sufficiently lighted. A meeting of the executive committee of the Harvey memorial fund was held last Friday (says the Clutha, Leader), when the secretary reported that subscriptions were coming in freely, there being about £100 on theJists and in hand. It was resolved that a mixed sports meeting be held on the day of the arrival of the local members of the first contingent. A four-year-old boy fell out of a train between Baddaginnie and Violet Town (Victoria). The youngster was picked up five miles from Violet Town, having started to walk back to Baddaginnie. He was none the worse for his fall, with the exception of having received a few scratches. Water has been tapped in No. 6 bore at Dunda, Cloncurry (Q.), at a depth of 780 ft, the flow procured being the phenomenal one of 9ft Bin over the 6in casing. This is believed to beat the record for the colonies, the nearest to it being the Savannah Downs bore, where water flows 9ft over the easing. At a conference of grazing farmers and settlers' associations in Brisbane for the purpose of securing remedial legislation owing to the drought, it was resolved to ask for the remission of rent for 1901. It was also decided to ask the Government to introduce amended land legislation in accordance with suggestions to be approved by the conference. The timber industry in Hawke's Bay has '"never been, so busy within the last five years as it is at the present'time (says the Herald)., The mills throughout the district find it very difficult to supply orders. The spurt in dairying pursuits in the North island has caused a great demand for white pine for butter boxes, the Sydney trade in addition taking all the timber that can be exported from. Hawke's Bay. Rata, the Ngapuhi chief, of Whangarei, who lately, died at Whatitiri, wa£ buried at the Maunu native burial ground. There was a large" number of Natives present from all parts of the north. Rata was a very good Native, and always assisted the Europeans in the old days when they were in the minority at Whangarei. He is the last of the .old chiefs in the district/Ruamanga being the next? pure Ngapuhi of high rank. . The progress made of late years- by Russia in the iron industry has been a notable one. The best proof of 'the development of this industry is found in the production of iron ore, which, during the period extending between 1883 and 1892, only increased at the rate of 3,500,000 poods ' annually, whereas from 1893 to 1896 this increase was 5,500,000 poods a year, and in 1897 it rose to 112,000,000 poods, being a sudden rise of 15,000,000. The Japanese torpedo boats have received names entirely out of keeping with thenmodern style and destructive purposes. These names are. very poetical and picturesque, and belong to .the vocabulary of pure old Japanese words, which, are rapidly passing out of common use. The following are examples : Dragon Fly. Full Moon, Moon in Clouds, . Sea Beach, Peewit, Lightning, Dawn of Day, Clustering Clouds, Daybreak, Ripples, Evening Mist, Dragon's Lamp, Falcon, Magpie. A serious disagreement has taken place in the tobacco trade between the masters and men at Adelaide. It is understood that the employers asked the hands to do a «ertain class of work for a less amount than had previously been paid. The hands declined to do it, and the masters then told them that they would have to accept the price, or the factories would not be able to continue working. The consequence was that the men left their employment. At piesent- there are about 73 employees idle. A bit of a record was put tip last week by a young man. hailing from Pembroke. While in Uroimvell on Wednesday '(says the Argus) he received a ticket at 12.30 for a ball that night. His best clothes were at Pembroke, but, that was nothing. Mounting Hs I bike he pedalled off, went to Pembroke, got ' I his clothes, and was back in Cromwell in timo to change' and be in the ballroom half an hour before the £>rand march was led off. In ( spite of his 80-mile ride, he danced vigorously t all night and was fresher than some of those who hadn't walked 100 yards to 2:0 to the ball.