OMNIUM GATHERUM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2516, 4 June 1902, Page 4

OMNIUM GATHERUM.

Birmingham turns out five tons of hair- ' pins every week. [ Birthdays were kept even as far back as ' the time of Pharaoh. Tho New Plymouth Borough Council has approved plans for public baths, to cost about £1250. A town in America has an ordiaanoe prohibiting vehicles from passing a place of worship at a rapid pace on Sundays. A Wanganui Hospital patient got leave to go to the races. He was found drunk on the course, lying on the wet ground ! A porter in a Palmerston North hotel named Edward Bingham has just received a windfall in the shape of a legacy of £5000. The Lawrence Borough Council propose to celebrate the Coronation of the King by tho erection of public baths in the town. Tho people of Alexandra, Riversdale, Waikouaiti, and Mosgiel, like those of the Bluff, j have prematurely celebrated the proclamation of peace. The Mosgiel School Committee have decided to close the school in honour of the Coronation from the 23rd June to the 27th June inclusive. Hailstones the size of pigeon's egg 3 fell at Wanganui early yesterday morning. The weather now seems bright after this week's almost incessant rain. The Christchurch City Council intend to make a charge of 9d per load for the destruction of rubbish sent in to the city destructor from outside boroughs. At Rangiora on Friday morning (says the Press) booming noises were heard, which were not explained as being due to any apparent cause during the day. The Southland Daily News states that a movement is on foot to have an accommodation house established at Waimahaka, a centre of the sawmilling industry. A device for giving first aid to the injured in street accidents has been tested in Paris. It is not unlike a. letter box on a pillar, and contains a small medicine case and a stretcher folded compactly. By a signal apparatus an ambulance can be called. A slight sensation was caused (cays the Mastei-tou Age) a few days ago by tho disappearance from Pongaroa of a settler's daughter, who was found late iv the day heading for Makuri with her swag. She was brought back safe home again to Pongaroa. | It is expected that the establishment of | si permanent infectious diseases hospital near I Uhristchurch will have the effect of relieving the fever ward at the general hospital, ana allowing it to be used by chronic patients, thus meeting the difficulty of dealing with those cases. The Southland Daily News 6tates that the residents of the Bluff celebrated the proclamation of peaoe on Monday, 26th. All shipping and work generally was sufcpended, and everyone had had a " real good time " before it became known that no definite official news had been received on the subject. As two boys were going to Lawrence about 9 o'clock on Sunday morning, 18lh, and when somewhat down the Wetherstones road, a bullet from a pea-rifle struck a telegraph post, glanced off, and passed close behind the boys. It was supposed to come from some young men who were shooting rabbits, on the flat. "They are asking what they like for rooms," said a lady who waited on the Benevolent Trustees, Wellington, on Wednesday. Sho instanced the case of an old woman who was paying 5s a, week for a room without a fireplace in Kent terrace. A single room with a fireplace in the same house brought 9s 6d a week. Some person in Auckland has lately circulated a considerable amount of pro-Boer literature, including leaflets, containing slanders on the British troops, amongst the Maoris in the Waikato and the King Country. The chiefs to whom the parcels of literature were sent, however, took very little notice of them. ' The Gore Standard states that a number j of the dredges throughout the district j were compelled to stop dredging last week , owing to the roads- being in such a state that it wa3 impossible to Cart coal over them. In Waimumu the slush is almost axle-deep, and in places in Waikaka the roads are ncarlv as bad. The Ensign's Mataura correspondent states i

tramline from Mr Jas. Duthie's coal pit afi Waimumu to. the dredges in the valley. Thqi line is to be completed in a week's time, and when everything is in running order, tha company expects to be able to supply, at a very low cost, the fuel for all the dredges in the immediate locality.

Apropos of the purchase of American locomotives by the New Zealand Government the following paragraph from a Bloemfontein paper is of interest: — "Forty new locomotives have been ordered for Orange River Colony. The head of the locomotive works states that experience has shown that the American engines brought here cannot be compared with English ones."

The Greymouth Star understands that the debenture-holders of the Greymouth-Poinfc Elizabeth Coal Company have decided ta retain and work the Brunner mines them- 1 selves. This, our contemporary adds, is a pretty good indication that all we have heard about it being worked out has but little foundation to rest upon, an offer of £20,000 having been refused for the property. - -% The Union Company have received advice that their new steamer Aparima, 5660 tons, left.Fiume on the 18th inst. with 830 horses for the Cape, where she is due on tho 13th June. She is expected to reach Calcutta on the Bth July. A full load has been" secured at the latter port for New Zealand, and she 'is expected to . sail again early fa August, reaching New Zealand" a montbj later.

" If ever smallpox does break out in thecolony, it will claim a terrible toll, for about 75 per cent, of the children are unprotected, and the disease is most infectious.— I cannot say too much, but in my official capacity I am aware of risks being run of __ smallpox being introduced into the colony," which would greatly disturb the self-satis-faction of the people if known." — Extract from remarks by Dr Mason at Nelson, as reported in the local papers. According to the Wellington Times, the borough engineer of Masterton recently refused to grant a plumber's license to a man; who served his indentures as long ago as 1853, and has been in business as a plumber in Masterton for the last 24- years. The engineer explained that plumbing in 1853 as compared with the trade now was as different as chalk from cheese, but the council considered 24- years' practice sufficient to keap any tradesman up to date, and re-> quested the engineer to grant a permanent license.

A somewhat serious accident befel one of the crew of the s.s. Corinna at Oamaru yesterday morning. He was working the steam! winch, and in some inexplicable manner appears to have got entangled in the rope and to (have been revolved round the drum, with the result that one hand was badly lacerated and tho arm crushed and his chest badly injured. After being attended] to by Dr Douglas, the unfortunate man, who was rendered unconscious, was removed! to the hospital.

Last Tuesday morning, at Fairfield, a young woman named Sarah Mills and her infant had a narrow escape from being; burned. The young woman is in service with Mr Jas. M'Laughlan, miner, of Fairfield. Waking up at an early hour, she found the room to be full of smoke, and with • the child in her arms she rushed to the door, only to find it in flames. Without waiting to open the window, she hurled the baby through, and quickly followed herself. Both were more or less burned and out' with the glass, the young woman's legs being bo severely burn-ed that she had to be removed to the Hospital. Mr M'Laughlan, with assistance, managed to subdue the fire before it had spread to the. other rooms. AfMr James M. Drummoiul; a Christehureh' journalist, formerly of Gore* has just completed a useful educational' work of aboufe 200 pages. The book, which is entitled '• Nature in New Zealand," deals with the remarkable natural history of the colony, special reference being 'made "to- the extinct moa, and to many notable living^ birds. The work contains a cEapter" on native insects, shells, fish, etc. ; others on. -introduced animals, geology,, and plant life.' One section of the volume is devoted to the Maoris, their ancient ceremonies and customs, their 1 origin anrf arrival in New Zealand/ Every chapter will be illustrated, Messrs Whitcombe and Tombs, the -publishers, having supplied a large number of the illustrations. The book, which has been edited by Captain Hutton, while the chapter ,on plant life lias been reyjsed by, Mr G. M. Thomson, o£ Dunedin, will appear in the'eourse of a few. days, j^ ■*,*-- The great discomfort experienced, through! the want of some efficient means of- making door 3 of private houses, or, for "the^matter of that, of public offices, perfectly -weather tight, ia likely to be obviated by a recent invention of Mr J. "W. Rooney. His contrivance for keeping out rain, draughts, on dust is exceedingly simple, consisting as it does of a hinged flap at the foot of the door, which, when the door -is shut, ia brought close down to the floor, throughL its coming in contact with the jamb, or vertical batten against which the door comes when closed. Below *he flap are a couple" of springs, whioh have the " effect, immediately the door is opened, of making the flap, as before-mentioned suspended by hinges, stand out at an angle to the door, thus giving lots of clearance between its lower edge and the floor. This flap is of! either wood or brass, the latter giving quite a handsome appearance to a front door. Messrs Laidlaw and Gray are agents for the new invention, the efficiency of which there seems no reason to doubt.

_ iWlien the decision in a stowaway case ?ras announced at Westport the other day he captain of the vessel vowed that he Sfould not bring another luch case before gustices. He would bring the corpse ashore and let them hold an innuest. — Weitporfc Jin*

I It is suggested (says the Press) that the i ektill found on. Monday on a section near the Mile road, Avonside, is that of a Maori, colour being given to this supposition by the fact that in the same vicinity the remains of a Maori oven and some shells were •***» found about the came tim%