OMNTUM GATHERUM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2665, 12 April 1905, Page 4

OMNTUM GATHERUM.

A new Roman Catholic Church was opened at Bald Hill Flat on Sunday last.

A statue that cost £800 has been erected at Port Elizabeth (South Africa) in commemoration of the services rendered by horses that perished in the British-Boer '

It was stated at a meeting held at Inver- ; cargill on Wednesday evening that the Rev. j Father Hays would deliver 50 addresses in New Zealand, four of them to be given in Southland.

During a thunderstorm at Bombala, New ( South Wales, on March 24, a Miss Leonard, j who was on a visit to Cranke's Plains, ■ four miles from the town, was killed by lightning.

A sharp frost was experienced at Christohurch on Tuesday morning, 4-th, and had a bad effect on the vegetable and flower , gardens, tomatoes and kidney beans suffer- ( ing severely

Two boys were charged at the Te Awa- ] mutu Police Court with stealing apples to . the value of Is from an orchard. They ! were each fined 10s and costs, in default 14 • days' hard labour in Mount Ed-en. |

The only feminine blacksmith in the United States — perhaps in the world — is ] Miss Clara Medlin, who has her forge at Wingo, Kentucky. Not only can she shoe a horse, she is also an expert carriage painter.

The Winton Record is informed upon good authority that diphtheria has again broken out at Drwmmond. and that a child from a family which suffered in the last outbreak has had to be sent to the Riverton Hospital. I

It is probable that the proposed ladies' bowling club at Thames will remain in abeyance- for this sea#cn. Next year, however, the ladies interested intend to redouble their energies in this direction and share the iionours of the bowling green. Two seamen belonging to the Tyser liner Miniiro were sentenced by Dr A. M 'Arthur. S M.. at Wellington last week to six months' imprisonment on a charge of the larceny of eight pairs of boots valued at £+, which were amongsl; the vessel's cargo.

A New Plymouth resident went to Waitara last week to meet his brother, whom he only remembers seeing onoe in his life, and that was 45 years ago. Yet only 100 miles have separated them, one living at New Plymouth and the other at Raglan.

It is stated that a number of New Zealanders who have become converts to the creed of Mr Dowie, of " faith healing" fame, are selling up their belongings and intend leaving Auckland for San Francisco en route for Zion City by next mail boat.

The month of March was a particularly heavy month in l'egard to the shipment of flax from the various ports in the colony for the Home markets. Port Chalmers and Dunedin have this season doubled their output, whilst satisfactory increases are shown at the other ports.

The influence of the tohunga has surely invaded the pakeha. A Hawera resident being unwell, was told that the blossoming of the aloe in his garden wns a sign of death, whereupon the invalid aro-e stealthily at break of day, and cut the tree to the ground.

Messrs A. Thomson and Co. have agieed, at the request of the Government, to show samples of their aerated waters, etc.. at the Indian and Colonial Exhibition to be held at the Crystal Palace, London, in May next. The Government undertakes to ship and return the exhibits.

The steady growth and prosoerity of Greymouth is evidenced clearly "(says the local Argus) by the great increase of buildings which have been erected of late years. Since 1901, a period of four years, no lo^s than 145 new places of business or private residences have been built.

There arrived at Oamaru on Thursday for the Catholic Basilica from Raffe, Paris, two handsome statues in iron representing fc»t. Patrick and St. Columba. The figures are of handsome proportions, standing Sft #In~high. and will be placed in the niches in the front of the Basilica. The Rose Casey, with the mutton-birders on board, which left Riverton on Friday week, was detained at Halfmoon Bay, Stewart Island, for a week on account of the bad weather. The Maoris w ill be teavy losers owing to the time lost, as. the

birds will have flown before they can be procured. The Mayor of Wellington is an optimist concerning* that city's future prospects of prosperity. At the Commereiai Travellers' Club a few days ago he told his hearers that Wellington was bound to go ahead — there was nothing that could keep it back, — and in time to come it was sure to be the Glasgow or the Liverpool of this colony.

A man who was sentenced to a term of imprisonment at the Masterton Police Court last week received the sentence with somewhat mixed feelings. He was afterwards heard to remark that the treatment "in Wellington "' was all right, but he had been there before, and they— evidently meaning the other guests of Ins Majesty — had him " set,"' making things rather unpleasant for him.

The treasurer of the Free Kindergarten Association acknowledges receipt of the following subscriptions: — Mrs W. E. Sargood, £3 3s; Mr J. Sneight, £2 2s; Mrs P. R. Sargood, £2; Mr J. J. Connor. Mr Walter Hislop, Mr Thomas Burton. Mr Andrew Todd, and Mrs Dr Martin. £1 Is •each ; Nimnw and Blair, 10s 6d ; Massey, Harris and Co., 10s; Mrs Searlo, ss; F. G. L.. 2s 6d

The last Rugby football season in Auckland was a record one financial"}-. The net profit on the Feason's workings was between £700 and £800, which exceeds the previous best by fully £100. This is a matter of congratulation for the Rugby Union, and more especially because the figures quote-d do not include the Auckland-British match, the whole of the proceeds of which went to the New Zealand Union.

The Wanganiii Chronicle, is informed that what is suspiciously like a case of leprosy exists at Raorikia. The sufferer is a Maori man, who is said to be in a terribly emaciated condition. As far as can be gathered nothing is known of the matter *by the authorities of the Wanganui County or the Hospital Board, and it may be, of course, that the complaint from which the Native is suffering is not leprosy. The intention of the Anglican Bishop of Auckland to consecrate a portion of the, Waihi Cemeter.v for the exclusive use of Church of England members has met with opposition from the ]or>al Borough Council, and it has been decided that the trustees absolutely declined to allow the Bishop to perform the. consecration ceremony as requested, and al*o that the trustees would not allow any portion of the cemetery to be handed over for the exclusive, use of the members of his Church.

Quite a number of thefts lias been reported in Masterlon recent'}-. 'ut the latest is of a rath&r unusual nature. Mr E. Jones had a fine patch of potatoes growing on his property at Kurupuni. and a few days ago sent a man down to dig them, when it was found someone had been there beforehand and had ducr and removed the lot. The thief must have gob away with probably three-quarters of a ton of tubers, and at present prices the loss to Mr Jones is considerable. It is surmised thai the surroptiiious divine was done Ly moonlight. The alleged fact that the members of a South Canterbury firm, who were desirous of extending their operations t-> Ashbu'-ton, had four businesses under offer to them, three of them doing a lari?e turnover, ha* been << a lie. ing some speculation in local commercial circles (says the Christchurch Press), especially as the owners of two of the businesses are understood to be strong ad\ocatea of no-license, and believers in the material and moral advantages which they hold follow the exclusion of licensed houses from a district.

James Lick, the founder of the Lick Observatory, which is once more prominent in astronomical discovery, maJe an immense fortune by land speculations in the eariy years of San Francisco. He is buried beneath the great telescope in the observatory th^t bears hi? nam" He. bequeathed 7C0,000d0l for the erection of the oHcnatory. winch i« built on the top of Mount Hamilton, 50 miles south of San Franc. to. Another of lik bequo-ts was 60.C0Cdol for a monument in Golden Gate Park. San Franci'«eo, to the author of the "Starspangled banner. "' A daring «afo pobhorv at Colin Bro« ' "Victorian Brewery. Bendiao. took place on Maich 27. The burskre. finding theycou'd not open the bi.r llMn^r =-a f e. Meigliing nearly a lon ; got it out of the budding iuto

a light clelhe'-y cirt, took a pony from ihe stable, and <!rtr>c ay. it with tlioir boot^* to the bi;=h, v I'erc the 'afo was broken open. A'logoiJior £117 in c-jl*\\ and tv, o small e'loques are mi-^niLf. Other cheques for £215, slid AninaHe documents, we/c found scattered about, and the pony v. as tied up to wheel of the ca'-t. CJeorgs Whitaker has been arrested at Talbot nn. suspicion of being concerned in the robbery. Mr G. W. Rvssell gave notice of motion us follows at the last mteting of thp Board! of Governors of Canterbury College: — ' (1) That the Board of Governors of Canterbury College, recognising the responsibility of the European to the Maoi-i races resohes that as from July 1, ISOS. it will ctevote, say £250 per annum for scholarships to t-iudcnts of the Maori race; (2) that correspondence be opened with -the Native. Minister and other Maori experts as to whether such scholarships can most coiiven.^ntly be provided for high school or univers.ty training or both; (3) that the College. Committee consider and repoi-c at next n-ccting upon this matter.