OMNIUM GATHERUM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2499, 5 February 1902, Page 4

OMNIUM GATHERUM.

The Queen's statue fund in Wellington now amounts to £1649 14-s 9d.

It would be much better for a man to lave leprosy now in Dunedin than to be suspected of pro-BoerLjm.— Free Press.

So long as the Labour party allies itself with the present orthodox parties, so long will its efforts prove futile, declared Mr Hutcheson at Mr Mann's " social " in Wellington the other evening.

It is currently rumoured that there is a likelihood of two large and thoroughly up-to-date hotels being shortly erected in Greymouth. Something like £20,000 is the sum mentioned as likely to be required for their erection.

Mr T. Latham is the successful tenderer for the erection of stores and officer at Gore fo- the Southland Farmers' Co-operative Association. The buildings will be prected on a section at the corner of Ashton and Gorton streets.

The employees of the Otago Daily Times ha\e arranged to hold their annual picnic on Saturday, February 15, when they will proceed to the Maori Kailc by the f-.s. Express. Given fine weather, the function should prove equally as successful as that of last year.

The Wellington Amalgamated Society of Painters and Decorators has notified the Clerk of Awards that it intends to apply for tho enforcement of the Arbitration Court's award against Robert Martin, of Manners street, who, it is alleged, has been paying a sign-writer a smaller wage than the court has prescribed. — Post.

Dr Mason, chief health officer, hi)', left for Nelson in connection with an infect' us disease hospital which the local authorities are taking steps to provide in connection with the present institution. Dr Mawn will also interview the Xolson Borough Council on the subject of a drainage scheme in winch they are moving.

The warm weather during the past week in Canterbury and North Otago has had considerable effect in the ripening' of the giain, and binder? are at work in many district 5 . In many instances the ripening has been premature, the ears not having had time to fill properly, and in consequence the grain will be light.

The •tuuuiil training camp of the Mackenzie Mounted Rifles, which commenced on Tuesday, 21ft, was brought to a rather abrupt close on Saturday morning. In view of the fact that only about a quarter of the strength of the corps put in an appearance at the camp during the first two days, instructions were, received from headquarters to break it up. — Timaru Post.

In the latest Gazettp the Premier, as Minister of Labour, gives notice that, in exercise of the powers conferred by the Shops and Shop Absistants Act and in terms of the notice from the chairman of the conference of delegates from Dunedin and suburban local authorities, he appoints Wediicday- as the day upon which all shops in the Dunedin district shall be closed as pro- \ ided by the act.

With reference to a health officer's remark that in Gisborne. with proper people should only die of old jtce a loeil paper mentions that . oine pr o[jle on the outskirts of the town find it hard to get rid of thoir li\e=. There are now three people awaiting trial on charges of attempted su'cido — one foi rutting his throat, another for trying to poison himself, and the third by trjinjr to chown h'm->clf. The paper adds that the p-UiiM- are all progressing towards recoioiy.

During a tliunder-tonn at Mu-htvellhrook [Victoria} Qn January 21, Jamut Cujbtrry*

the son of a- dairy_farmer, was Jdlled. He was driving home cows, when he wa3 struck by lightning. His hair was singed, and death was apparently instantaneous. The saddle on the horse he was riding was torn in pieces, and the animal was killed. Two members of a hare-hunting party were also struck by lightning. One of them, a boy named Paskinson, had a powder-flask in his pocket, and the powder ignited, setting his clothing on fire. He was burned about tile body and face. Both were stunned for a time, bub suffered no injurious effects. Owing to recent heavy rains melting the snow in the back country, Southland rivere have been in flood. Some bridges have suffered, but otherwise no damage is reported. Some delay in the cartage of wool in the Wjnton district has been occasioned recently by the Oreti being in flood.— News.

The King of Sweden has offered £500 to the finder of a cradle with a curious history. In 1720 (says "The Jeweller") a German Prince sent to Queen Ulrica Eleanora of Sweden a cradle of solid gold as a christening present for her child. The ship containing the present was driven by n terrible gale on the shores of the island of Tjorn, where it became v total wreck. The inhabitants of the island massacred the shipwrecked mariners and pillaged the ship, but the cradle, by a curious chain of circumstances, was saved, and now lies buried in a lonely part of the island. The story hating been by some means revived, the King is now offering the aforesaid reward. Tho scientists, for the nourishment of plant life, have tried to get nitrogen in a foim easily assimilable as plant food from the atmosphere at a very cheap rate, and employ it for making the soil more fertile. Now it is, reported from Paris that Professor Le Bon, the well-known scientist, has made a dis-covery which is expected to revolutionise the chemical science of the world. By a new method of resolving water into its component parts, he claims to be able to procure indefinite quantities of hydrogen and oxygen at an insignificant expense, while the very process itself creates an energy which can be substituted for oxidisation of zinc in making electricity.

A Wellington journal reports an instance of the riding abilities of some of the contingent meu. An Sxceidenc, fortunately unattended with serious results,, befell a trooper whilst taking some horses -to water at camp on Sunday. The horse he was riding became suddenly frightened, and before the rider knew what had occurred he was sailing along at racehorse speed over some very rough ground. Thinking discretion was the better part of valour, he alighted from the flying steed upon a none too soft piece of ground, with the result of receiving bruised 1' <s from the knee downward? The horj' was subsequently caught, and both are l j\v " doing well."

At a parish meeting held at Leithfield it was decided to endeavour to build a new Anglican Church. The old church, which was built of sun-dried bricks 40 years ago, is in a bad state of decay, and the recent earthquake so seriously damaged the east end that it is no longer safe. The window arch and part of the wall were completely wrecked hv the earthquake, and rendered incapable of repair. Xo doubt much nractioal sympathy with the vicar and his parishioners in the trouble which has befallen them by this calamity to their church will be shown when the effort to rebuild is actually made. Leithfield Church is one of the h:storic churches of the diocese, enshrining a host of association 1 - with the early life of North C intei bury. — Pri s =

A case of " riinniMT nraok ' with a gun is reported by the Melbourne pa.p*rg. A

man named Tom Brown had forcibly taken, possession of a pea-rifle from, a lad named Cantlon, together with 40 cartridges, and was firing at people promiscuously. .Constables went to the outskirts of the town, and there found Brown, who is apparently out of his mind. As soon as the police approached Brown fired at them, but missed. Senior Constable Haydon then rushed tho man, at the same time receiving a blow from the rifle, Brown not having time to reload. Both constables had a severe struggle to get the demented man into the lock-up. When searched he had 20 cartridges in hi 9 possession, having fired 20 shots at people who came within sight. A lad named Bates was nearly shot before the police arrived.

The chairman and director of the Technical Instruction Committee pt the" Wellington Education Board has been requested) to formulate some ' scheme by which *the financial position of the Technical School' may be determined (states the New Zealand Times). The committee has aproved the discontinuance of the first grade drawing examination, an additional inspector being substituted. The primary drawing scholarehips are to be- divided amongst the city and suburban schools proportionately, in accordance with, the attendance. Action regarding the attendance of children from, the -Catholic schools for' cookery- has been deferred petoding the placing of the whole matter fully before the Education department. The following resolution was agreed to : — " That, with a view to more effective working, the Technical School should ha brought under clause 3 section 4 of "Th© Manual and Technical Instruction Act, •1900." A concert was given at Caversham on Friday evening to help to raise money with which to buy uniforms for the cadet corps that is attached to the Caversham Rifle Volunteers. The residents of the district patronised the concert freely, and bestowed liberal praise upon the performers. . The Rev. D. . Dutton, chaplain of the parent corps, took the chair, supported' by the Mayor (Mr Sidey). Captain Loasby, and other officers of the Caversham Rifles. Songs were sung by Miss C. Pearson, Miss Sunderland, Mr Herbert Moss, Mr T. Hus3ey, and Mr T. Oliver, the accompaniments being played by Miss Mina Caldow. Miss May Donaldson contributed a muchappreciated violin solo ; Miss M. lies gavei a pianoforte solo : Ldttimer brothers played on tho mandolin and banjo ; Mr Birkett recited " The "Vagabond "; and Mr F. Raynor agreeably diversified the programme with a series of clever lightning sketches. Captain Loasby moved a vote of thanks to the performers, and, on behalf of the cadets, thanked the audience for their patronage. Mr Tom Mann was welcomed by the Wellington branch of the Society of Amalgamated Engineers at its meeting last week. Mr Mann, in the course of a short speech, said that for a time Germany and America had been outstripping England, not in general engineering, but in specialties such, as milling tools. American superiority in these specialties was not due to the ignorance of British workmen, but frequently they had been made in American shops by men from British workshops. It was due to the lack of proper information and training on the patt of .employers.^ pnt'^ these "captains of industry" were now improving in their education, and with the stimulus that had been given during the last 10 or 12 years to technical education for the employee, Britain was " all right " so long as the competitive system existed. Mr Mann urged the development of the system of trades unionism towards the widest and moat fraternal form of co-operation, so that all workers might co-operate for their own good, instead of competing against one another, as they were now often compelled l to do. He also advocated the closer federation of the Engineering Society with kindred 1 trades. Mr A. J. Park, patent and trade mark agent, Manse street, Dunedin (authorised by the N-5W Zealand Government), supplies the folowing list of New Zealand applications for patents gazetted on the 24-th inst. :' Auckland — A. M'Leod, stump extractor and branding ; R. Ball, sawguard ; J. Mackay, kettle; R. Whitson, condensor. Canterbury — Hardley and Hardley, spoufcing bracket ; Brunt and Pitt, tyre ; M. Lister, target : A. Wolff, packing-case ; E. Derrett, fencing dropper ; -M. Peryer, cleansing composition. Hawke's Bay — J. Neagle, leadbag. Nelson — A. Hewetson, cycle bracket. °~ Otago — F. Kettle, woolscourer; G. Challis, stump extractor ; Wales and Fahey, brooms ; J. Mason, grading table; Mason and Watt, driving dredges : W. Borlase, wire-strainer ; A. Murray, coalscuttle and can-handle ; W. Kennedy, wire strainer. Southlafrd — J. Pomeroy, bat-fastener ; A. Storrie, roller and seed-sower ; F. Marisco, dredging ; A. Todd, seed distributor. Wellington — G. Thomas, bread toaster; D. Herlihy. milk measurer; J. Bishop, dredging; T. Brown, fuel ; firoome and Langstone, waterproofing ; Marriott and Bcnham, match-striker. All Question relating to patents and trade marks may be^addressed to A. J. Park, patent agent, Manse Btreefc. Dunedin ; 53 Esk street, Invercargill. 208 Hereford street, Christchurch; and 26 Shortland street, Auckland....