OMNIUM GATHERUM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2456, 10 April 1901, Page 2

OMNIUM GATHERUM.

The North Otago Times Ftates that there are several cases of scarlet fever in Oamaru.

In the whole of New Zealand there is only chip woman engaged in the saddlery trade.

A band contest will be held next year at New Plymouth, in 1903 at Nelson, and 1904at Gisborne.

The Oamaru Mail says it has been decided to sell the yacht Ariadne as she lies on the beach at "\7aitaki.

Constable Russell, who has been stationed at Christchurch since he joinod the foice in 1897, has been transferred to Dunedin.

Auckland fruitgrowers are very doubtful of the correctness of the statement that the codlm moth is being eradicated by some natural enemy.

District Judge Kettle expressed the opinion in the District Court at Masterton that racing w&b becoming quite a commercial undertaking in New Zealand.

A rather smart shock of earthquake was experienced in Blenheim at about 8.45 a.m. on Monday. A loud rumbling noiae preceded the shock.

Owing to floods in Cooktown district, 30 aboriginals had a trying experience. They were cut off for several days by water, and were in an exhausted condition when discovered by the police.

At a meeting of shop assistants held at Alexandra on Monday evening la&t, it was decided to form a branch of the Shop Assistants' Association. Mr Barratt was elected secretary and treasurer.

According "to a legal opinion supplied to the Palmer^ton Borough Council by Mr Maitin, solicitor of the Municipal Association, a person is entitled to stand for the offices of both mayor and councillor.

Regulations under "The Government \~oluation of Land Act, 1896, and the Amending Act of 1900" appears in last week's Gazette. Regulations under " The Land and Income Assessment Act, 1900,' are also gazetted.

The- Adelaide City Council proposes to spend £1000 in erection of an arch across King William street in connection with the Duke of York's visit, and the Government intends to spend £10,000 in celebrations.

The magisterial inquiry into the circumstances attending' the wreck of the Ariadne at Waitaki Mouth has unavoidably been postponed until the 10th inst , owing to the absence of the captain of the vessel. — Oamaru Mail.

An Order-in-Council appears in last week's Gazctto revoking the delegation of powers under "The Cemeftriea Act, 1885," to the Vincent County Council in respect to the Gladstone, Cardrona, and Alexandra cemeteries.

The BrighUvater correspondent of the Nelsoa Mail states that the hop-picking is now over. There is a fair average yield throughout, and the samples are clean and good, the weather having been very favourable during the picking season.

The Coningham divore2 case must have cost a pretty penny. Tow ards the close of the second case the lury were being paid at the rate of £1 per day. It is also said that Mr Want's (counsel for Dr O'Haran) daily refresher was 75gs.

It is stated that Mr T. Fitzgerald, of circus fame, endeavoured to purchase the native carved vvhare at Table Lands, Martinborough, fiom Tamahau Mahupuka. Although it is behoved that £4000 was offered for it Tamahau refused to sell.

Detective Macmanamy left Melbourne for Sydney en route for Fiji on March 26, having a wan ant for the extradition to Melbourne of Joseph Henry Grey, a defaulting Geelong solicitor. Grey has been under surveillance at Suva for some days.

On Monday last (says the Marlborough Times) Mr J. Conolly, solicitor for the trustees m the estate of the late Thomas Carter, paid probate duty on the estate amounting to £9172 15s sd. The total net value of the estate as proved v.as £85,94-2 16s 9d.

Mr W. J. Napier, M.H.R., has received a telegram from the Hon. \Y. Hall-Jones, Minister of Public Work?, stating that the large gang of men put on the Stratford lailway are doing good work, and that he will complete six miles before December next.

An International Medical Congress is to bo held in London in July next for the lnupo^e of considering measuies for combaliiiK tlt£ S&\^g©M tf .cuu,?4tU£tiQU »&d other

tubercular diseases. Every British colony and dependency is to be invited to send a representative.

A very old Forest Hill resident. Mr John Popenhagen, died at his daughter's (Mrs R. Sands) residence on Monday morning (saya the Winton Record). The deceased, who had reached the old rge of 82 year*, was much lespected by a large circle of friends in the district.

As no person has taken out administration, the Public Trustee has filed an election in the Supreme Court, Wellington, to administer tho intestate p-tates of the following deceased persons: — W. Murrish, Qiioersstovvn ; James Dobbin, Warrington ; Robert Lawrence, Waimatua.

The Hon. J. Carroll will visit Rotorua next mouth to arrange about the Maori reception to the Duke and Duchess of York. The annual meeting of the " kotahitanga," or union of tribes, vv hich was to have been held at Rotorua in April, has been adjourned to June 1.

A rather gruesome discovery was made by an Indian in Bendo road, near Gundagai (N.S.W.), last week. He noticed a dog some di c tance from the road, and on going to the place found the headless body of a miner named Ryan. The head was lying several yards away.

Tlie Australian Agricultural Company's Borehole pit, one of the best-known collieries at Newcastle, is to be closed down permanently, having been worked out. It was opened in the sixties on the seam from which it took its name. For some years the pit has been worked with only a few hands.

A grim tragedy occurred on March 29 at North Carlton (Vie ), when a young man named John Harrington, who arrived from Ireland by the Omrah two days before, thiew himself flat on the railway line in front of a passing train. He was killed on the spot, and the body was frightfully mutilated.

At the Adelaide Criminal Court, Charles Waller Chandler was sentenced to three months in Adelaide Gaol and was fined £50 for a defamatory libel respecting Emma Bowden. The libel complained of was contained in an article entitled "Darkest Adelaide," published in accused's paper, the Free Lance.

Mr Martin Smith, the Crown lands ranger in Poverty Bay, has been instructed to furnish the Government with a report as to the extent and value of the Motu forests. Mr Smith is to accompany the Minister of Lands and the Native Minister when they make their inspection of the Motu eaily next month.

The Rev. C. C. Harper has received an encouraging letter from Napier as to the manner in which the funds are coming in for the Queen's Memorial College for Maori Girls. Mr J N Williams, of Hawke's 13ay. lias offered to give £1 tor every £1 donation contributed by the Maoris whose land he leases.

The Hot Lakes Chronicle says: — An eruption occurred near the Puarenga Creek, where it flows into the lake, and quite close to the Ngapuna settlement. A column of thick mud was thrown up about 200 ft. accompanied by a quantity of very black smoke. A similar eruption took place at this tame spot four years ago.

The Masterton Racing Club was required to deposit a gum of £40 with the Railway depaitment before the latter agreed to run special trains for the late meeting The ie=ult is (says the Star) that the club has sustained a, loss of about £25. As the department discouraged the " special '' trains by conveying the bulk of the visitors in the main train, the club intends asking for some concession.

At the Wanganui Police Court on Thursday morning, before Mr J. Paul, J.P., an incorrigible lad, nine years of age, who can neither read nor write, was remanded to be dealt with by a magistrate. The lad is the victim of unfortunate circumstances. His father's whereabouts are unknown, his mother is ill in the hospital, and he has been living with his grandparents, ,ay ho, however, are unable to control him.

Mr Coleridge Farr, who is supervibing the work in connection with tho Magnetic Obser\atoiy to be erected in the Chribtchurch Domain, slates that the Public Wuiks deli»\.e almost completed the pltuis

for the oob-oratory,v atory, :>nd the v ork of buildn it, it s-liorld he piu n 1 I.Mid H(n. Vt P.rr ha« brought one of tho in Ft: I'mcm- fui the ob°eiv,i!.oiy vrh him. 'I t' n icnaipdir are bo ; nr lrwau fac taied m I>.c,lo"<-1.

A ihild. NpUlc, the 17 nioalh , old daughter of Mr Caailos Maitm. Ma'msbury (Vie ), was t'lo victim ot ;> peculiar accident on Match 21. The In tie girl vas misled for ? few minutes. n>id on a scairh Lemg made her body was fourd tangled in the icpe of 'a swing. She hac' cvidu.t'y been sv\ irgino:. a^d by some means had got the icpo tv.i^Lpd round her neck. When the body was chjcovered life was extinct.

The Fiim of £75,000 was set a3ide in Victoria foi old-age pensions for fk months raiding June 30. This amount, however, is likely to bo largely exceeded. Up to March 25th 12,000 pension.-* had been granted, and with the nayment for the whole month £50 000 will have been expanded. The average for the succeeding months is likely to be largely increased, and it is anticipated that considerably over £100,030 will be required for the half year.

A veil-known Goie rcMcinit. who was cycling on the Wccimea Piams on Wednesday, had a rather unpleasant experience (Ba3's the Ensign). The cyclist hr.d pas=ed a mob of cattle, and a young bull cantered up from ''the rear unknown to the rider and, executing a "=mart flanking movement, tossed the cyclis-t off his machine into mine tussocks along the edge of the road The frisky bov.np was content to pllow the incident to temiiiale at that, and no groat c\image res'iltec 5 .

Mr liorchgrev ink, the Antarctic explorer, was. fucoidiijg to the latest Xi ropean files, invited to spe?k in Par> bi fore the Scr'ote do Geo:>i t ,phie on Fehuwry 22. raid aceppted ths invitation. On February 2 he sjnke in Berim before a very laige audience. la March he was expected to return to Norvav His book " Fir=t on the Antarctic Continent " is dedicated by permission to j_ his Royal Highness the Duke of Cornwall 'and York, v\ho presented the expedition with the Uivon JpcL.

Tho Alcxardra Her-ilu says that Mr A. J. Thompson, who has acted as accountant at the Alexandra branch of the Bank of New Zc-aland for the past 18 month-, has been promoted to the charge of the Cycle branch, which will be opened next week. Mr Winche=te'-, of the Roxburgh branch, takes Mr Thomp-jn's placo at Alexandra; Mr J. IVirco. of O)hi'\ pomg to Roxburgh ;■ while Mr Sumpti-r. of the Sf. B\rhans branch (uh'Vh is to be closed), succeeds Mr Poaics at Op mi-

Thare a-p again rumours of a gold discovery in the Hot Lakes district, it beins stated (says the Bay of Plenty Times) that the precious metal hap been found in the Waiotapu neighbourhood, and a member of the Upper House is mterctinfr hi.nself :n the matter, having gone to the &pot to investigate. It may be remombeiod that for years past there have been reports occasiorallv of gold finds at Horohoro, which is in the same neighbourhood, but nothingpayable has yet been discovered.

One r^ult of the enormous extent of: rourtry tr i\ crsed within the wast few weeks by bu=h fires along the bluo blocks and border di°tricts has been to ciuse a perfect plague of crows, and gieen parrots to settle among the orchards at Casterton (Victoria). Mr VVedd, of the Ardno nurseries, has had 10 acres of araple trees, which promised to yield well, literally stripped of fiuit. Shooting wa« tried, but abandoned. In one tree 25 parrots were shot before the rest of the flock could be dislodged.

In one of the senior classes, in a school not a hundred miles from NNcrw r Plymouth tho boys were trying to establish a record of attendance for the week All went well till the Friday morning, when one boy was found to be missing, having badly sprained his ankle His companions, however, determined not to be beaten, and, borrowing a handcart, they waited on the missing boy, tumbled him into tho cart, and carried him off triumphantly to school, his arrival being greeted with cheers by his classmates. A sad accidenL happened to Allan Sutcliffe, a lad about nino years of ag-e, at Bulls lately. It appears that the boy was driving a foal away from its mother when ho received a kick in the eye fiom the foal. The lad shortly commenced to show signs of weakness, and a dazed feeling crept over him. Severe symptoms developed, and further examination by a doctor revealed the fact that lockjaw had set in, wh.ch ultimately caused his death. The suffsrer endured frightful agony prior to his death. A special meeting of the Greymouth Ilarbonr Board was he'd on Thursday (says the Argus) to consider an offer of the Kaitaiigata, Coal Company to lease boring rods of 2000 ft and a diamond drill, with a boilerj if necessary, for the purpose of boring for real. The charge for four mouths or less is £250. the charge to be computed at this rate if the plant :s kept for a longer period. The offer wa=! accepted, and the secretary was instructed to telegraph to have tbo plant tent on at once. A man will also be sent in charge of tho plant.

At the last meeting of the Vincent County Council the question of tho water supply for Clyde wa" brought up for consultation. After some di«cu=sion it was decided, on the motion of CV Navlor — "That ps tho present method of <-ny>r>lvmsr Clvilo -with water for 'domestic and irrigation purprses i^i insanitary, inadequate, find nncaitam and a« the county engineer lias devised a pcheaie for making the sunply a fairly sanitary one at an estimated cost of £2211 7s, this council respectfully a^ks the as-istance of the Government to bring the scheme into operation."

Some of the scttleis in the Meanee district (Hawke's Bay) have taken n very dec.'ded and emphatic method of objecting to certain county works (s>ays the Namer Telegraph). In carrying out repairs and improvements to Copter's, road the County Council proposed to fill in a creek to avoid the expense of bridging it. and as the settlers fear the effects v\ould be disastrous in time of flood, they threatened to ehoofc the contractors' horses if the work was gono on vwth. As they were [rrrpared and evidently determined to put their threat into execution operations have, we understand, been suspended for the time being.

The cost of the Commonwealth celebrations was disclosed by Sir William Lyne in a speech at Lockhart (New South Wales) recently. The total m~t was £92.000, but, of that amount no le=s ib.an £60,000 had licpti returned in the shape ol increased lailwav receipts. Sir William said the Government had considered it their duty to inaugurate the Commonwealth in a manner bciitling such an important event, and although the sum expended vrab undoubtedly large, yet. when everything was taken into account, and the revenue from all c </iiices incidental to the celebiutioiis i it would be found that the mau^maUuii of Uie Commons callli Ix^4 reali/ coat tlis iitato very little.