OMNIUM GATHERUM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2623, 22 June 1904, Page 4

OMNIUM GATHERUM.

The Wesitport Coal Company's output of coal last week was 12,014 tons. A recent tangi held at Parihaka (Taraoaaki) is alleged to have cost the Narivcs

£300. There are 164 registered sharebrokers carrying on business in New Zealand at present. Six tenders have bc&n received for the

kasa of one of the Milton hotels for" a tern* of two years. Flour is advertised by an, Ashburton retailer : 2001b sacks, 16s ; 1001b, 8s 6d ; 501b,

4s 6d ; 251b, 2s 6d,

The prosperity of the pipe-making industry in Birmingham is beii.g threatened by a famine- in amber.

The Kick' Chronicle is the title of a new Liverpool journal. It is published I><; the Street Arabs' Institute.

At a meeting at Dunback on Saturday night it was decid-ed to form a collie dog club, to b& called ths Waih-em-a County Collie Dog Club.

Six owners of smoke-stacks in Wellington are being proceeded agaiinel by tha City Council for creating a nuisance.

Sycamoro is an exceedingly durable wood, and a statue from it, now' in an Eastern museum, is reported sound and natural in appearance, though it is nearly 6000 years

Although tenders have not yst been invited, the loan recently outhori=pd by the ratepayers of Avenal, Southland, has already been offered from three cr four quarters.

The Wellington city engineer has been authorised to expend £300 in laying th-e foundation, for the Queen's statute opposite the post office.

Included in the prosfiamme of a welcome social to be tendered to new settlers on Edendale Estate on Friday next is a tug-of-war, Old Settlers v. New Settlers, 12 men a-side.

Tito New Zealand Times states that it is probable that a conference will be held in Wellington during the coming session of Parliament with tho object of forming an association of harbour boards.

John Oldham, a Salt Lake City bachelor, 70 years old. and a multi-millionaire, has married a waitress of Toledo, O. On their wedding trip to Scotland Oldham transferred his bank account to her.

A baby in Salt Lake City swallowed a nail. In order <o withdraw it from the baby's stomach a steel wire, with an electromagnet attached to it, was thrust down the child's windpipe, and the current switched on. The wire was then withdrawn with the nail clinging to it.

When the Gore jailway station and Jester's buildings are started in the course of a few weeks the total amount upon expenditure in public 'buildings, shops, offices, etc., under construction will not fall far short of £40,000. This amount does not include private residences and small shops. The local paper states that a resident of the Tai-eii hag green peas — well developed, succulent, and equal in all respects to spring ppas — growing in hij, garden. The tame resident has also strawberries growing in his garden, and he states that strawberries are also growing in other parts of the Tai-pri.

A sad accident happened to a little girl named Henries at Gilgandra, New South Wales the other day. Her father had been burning off a tree that had fallen down. The stump had burnt into tho ground, leaving a hole, into which the child fell. She was terribly burned, and died in Dubbo the following night.

A spiritualistic medium in Paiis contemplates taxing the brain power of residents in the invisible world more than has hitherto b&en attempted. He announces his intention of bringing out a monthly publication, which will be edited by Victor Hugo, Zcla, and other literary celebrities wh.-> have gone over to the majority. In Germany every domestic servant has a charaoter-book, in which the mistress must enter the dales of the coming and leaving of the servanT, with her character while in the service. This the girl is obliged to take to the nearest police station and have it dated with the official stamp, thus preventing the manufacture of bogus recommendations.

Lecturing at Napier on Tuesday night last on Maori legends. Mr A. L. D. Frager,

M.H.R., said if we travelled to the Cook Islands, Samoa, or Fiji we found peoples who in many respects were similar to the Maoris and many words in the different languages were alike, and the same result was found in the land of the Incas, and also in tho Laud of the Setting Sun.

A number of Southland competitors at public gatherings contemplate a visit to the North Island, whore they will compete at the more important meetings. The names of those likely to make the trip arc : Messrs C. M'Glashan (piper), A. Sutherland (dancer), H. Mitchell (chopper and sawyer), Frank Forde (athlete), Robertson ißiverton), und W. Black (runners).

The Taranaki News has started a campaign against local " labour- hat ing husbancb who are to be seen loafing about tho streets, or, maybe, just doing sufficient work at odd times to keep them in tobacco and liquor; whilst their wives, with tho caies of a laigo family, have to leave hom-e and children and slave from morning to night in order to k&6ii body and soul together and a roof above the heads of the family." At Alexandra on Saturday evening last, at an adjourned meeting of householders, the following were elected as a School Commirtee :— Messrs H. Schaumann, A. Ashworth, A. Williamson, P. Campbell, A. Kennedy, A. Bruce, snd P. M'Kellar. At a meeting of tho nowly-formed committee, held subsequently, Mr H. Sehaumann was ■elected chairman, and Mr F. Young was appointed clerk of the committee.

A recruit in a Ohristchurch Volunteer corps, while being drilled in the orderly room on Tuesday night (says the Press), pulled the trigger ot his rifle, which he believed to be unloaded. A loud report, followed by a considerable commotion in the next orderly room was the result. It was then found that the rifle had beo-n loaded accidentally with a ball cartridge, and the bullet had penetrated the wall separating the two rooms.

The Coromandel correspondent of the New Zealand Herald states that on Monday last a couple of live frogs of a rare species were found embedded in quartz when breaking-down the reef in the Monto Christo mine, Tokatea. Two of the same species were found in the same locality some years ago, and were presented to the Auckland Museum, and a specimen was also found in quartz in a mine at Thames in the early days.

The district constable at Halfmodn Bay recently reported thit a family at Ruggedy Island, consisting of man, wife, and two children, had beon without a supply of food for about two months, and it wa-s believed that they we<re starving. Captain Hanniug, of the ketch Anna, reports that he passed the looality on Wednesday night and that a schooner was lying off from which supplies might b© obtained. It was also pc63iblß to walk round to Halfmcon Bay. The Clutha Leader says it is stated that the following will in the course of a few days be gazetted tk» new Licensing Committee for Bruce:— Messrs W. Noble, J. C. Anderson, J. Tough, Dr Fitzgerald, and Mr R. Peattie (who has consented to fill the place of Mr R. Craig, dec&ased). These constituted the Moderate ticket at the election early last year, the voting for the candidates being as followy:— No-license Committee: Rev. P. B. Fraser 1794, M'Skimming1793 A. Dunlop 1792, J. Adam 1772, and H. H. Fraser 1760. The unsuccessful candidates, who are opposed to no-lioonse. were: J. Tough 1163, Dr Fitzgerald 1157, W. Noble 1157, J. 0. Anderson 1149, and R. Craig 114-1.

The prize-wina&ra in *he sixth photographic competition promoted by the Auckland Weekly News have been announced, and out of six first prizes two have been secured by Mr Guy Morris, of Dunedin, against the rest of the colony. Mr C. W. Sundstrum, of this city, is also a successful competitor, having been awarded a second. The. pictuie submitted by Mr Morns -which gained first in the class for the best New Zealand land or sea scape is a photograoh of the head of Milford Sound, with Mr Sutherland's house in the foreground. Mitre Peak, with its summit half concealed in mist, is to tha left, and the great merit of the picture lies in the way the photographer has cauarht the atmospheric effect produced by passing clouds. The other fust r>rize is in the yachting class, the subject being a cutter with all her sails set, and almost becalmed. There is nothing remark-

aLle about the '.e^sel, but the skill with which it is treated is shown by the way the shadows on the wat&r are brought out, and at the- same time the background has not been sacrificed. It was in this class that Mr Sundsrruni got second prize.