OMNIUM GATHERUM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2668, 3 May 1905, Page 12

OMNIUM GATHERUM.

Mrs Amos Milford, of Harcourt (Vie), who was severely stung by bees on April 7, died at midnight on the 13th.

The Colonial Secretary of West Australia has refused a request by the Labour members of Parliament that the police be allowed to farm a union.

Three bookmakers were fined £50 each, with 'the option of three months' imprisonment, at Lismore (N.SiW.), for betting at the athletic sports meeting.

"I am 76; I would like to live to be 86," said General Booth between the verses of a hymn at Christchurch on Monday morning. "When I am no use, the Lord take me to heaven."

The North Ofago Times states that the the Hon. T. Y. JJuncan who attended the Hibernian sports on Monday received a . wive which necessitated his return to W&lr lington at once by the second express. Counsel for the ' claimants in .the .Flaxbourne case informed the Chief Justice, president of the Compensation Court, that the costs of his clients amounted to between £8000- and £10,000. The court awarded £2000 for costs.

I A handsome communion set in solid i silver, - purchased by the congregation of I the Church of the Epiphany, Mandeville, l 'by voluntary: contributions, was used for the first time on Easter Day.

From inquiries the Lyttelton Times has ascertained that the yacht presented to the Australasian Methodist Foreign Missionary Society is the Privateer, formerly owned by Mr J. M. Burke, of Christchurch.

, "It is all very fine," said General, Booth during the course of his lecture at Christohurch on. Sunday afternoon, "to commit the refuse of society to the Salvation Army and then leave us to go round the world, cap in hand, to get funds to pay th* j.iper." Scarlet fever,^in a mild form, is prevalent in Oamajru, and as far as we can learn (says the - North Otago Times) the disease has been allowed, owing to- neglect, to spread to an extent which proves that ordinary precautions have not been taken. The South School Committee has decided to close the school till May 1. A teacher from the south, who was appointed to a school in Taranaki, promptly declined the appointment, as a protest against the character of the house accommodation provided for him. The living apartment (according to the Taranaki Herald) consists of a couple of small rooms

partitioned off from the schoolroom.

At' the Criminal Court, Perth, on April 10, Morris Finklestein, who was found guilty of having set fire to his husiness premises in Murray street, Perth, for the pur pose of recovering insurance money, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment. His wife, who was found guilty of acting as an accomplice, was released as a first offender. An unusual accident happened at Kyabram (Vie), when the Misses Llewellyn were driving in a gig. When about- two miles out they met a traction, engine. The horse took fright, and dropped dead immediately after passing it. -'The two young ladies were thrown out of the gig, and one ' of them was injured about the head and face.

The following prize was awarded at the Waikouaiti Collie Dog Club meeting : — Messrs Thomson and Co.'s special (case of xsordials) for dog.. scoring most points at meeting: Mr T. D. M'Leod's 'Don, 56 points. The winners of the Dressed Weight of Sheep Competition were H. Carson, T. Allcock, and T. Chatham, who guessed the correct weight (921b). " Honesty brings its own reward." So thinks a man who (says the Manawatu Herald) a day or two ago, picked up a purse in Foxton containing over £60 in hard.cash, and returned it immediately to its owner. A curt " Thank you " ' made him feel that next time he finds a wandering purse and £60 no Diogenes will discover him even if he invoke the aid of a Niagara Falls Electric light supply. According to the Carterton correspondent of the New Zealand Times, Martinborough has been visited by a millionaire deerstalker-, who, it is said, had ajcod luck stalking. He made an offer of £100 for a deer head, but the owner asked £120. The millionaire then withdrew the offer of £100, and left the owner lamenting. The visitor, however, was very liberal, and besides paying his guides extremely well, made several presentations before leaving the district. Mark M'Moran, a greengrocer at Torwood (Queensland), was recently the victim of a serious assault, being wounded in five places on the chest and shoulder by some sharp instrument. A stranger entered his shop, and made a demand with whioh M'Moran declined to comply, and the man left, and returned with two female

relatives. The women set upon M'Moran, and inflicted the wounds mentioned, which were of a serious nature. The three parties concerned were detained by the police. A number of theNaseby business people and otliers received an unexpected windfall last week in the shape of a cheque- from a gentleman whom misfortune compelled to go bankrupt over 20 years" ago. Mr Joseph Lory, the gentleman in ruestion, has since be&n more fortunate in his occupation (farming), and decided to pay his old creditors what was due them, and acoordinglv on Wednesday surprised them with cheques for amounts representing 5s in the £ on . their odd accounts. The total amount paid out, understands the Chronicle, will run i over £400.

Owing to a report that a number of Maoris were behaving in a threatening manner towards the occupier of a property at Upokongaro leased -from Mr John M'Gregor, Inspector Eiely, Sergeant Norwood, Mounted Constable Fitzpatrick, and Mr E. Barnes (interpreter), paid a visit to the scene of the trouble on Wednesday week (says the Wanganui Chronicle). As a result of the visit the Natives, who had been dancing hakas and were armed, went back to their homes. The ringleader has been summoned to appear before the court to answer for his conduct.

The death took place at Melbourne recently- of Mr Edward Davis, an old c-olonist, aged 85. He was an ardent believer in cremation, and in his will, which disposed of property valued between £60,000 and £80.000, he directed his remains to be cremated at Springvale necropolis, and, in accordance with Oriental custom, ,the ashes scattered to the four winds of heaven. The cremation was carried out in 'a hastily improvised crematorium. The whole ceremony was most impressive, and free from anything repellant.

When the- police were making their " rounds " of the boarding-houses in Gore the other day (says the Standard), three men were surprised in ono house in the act of having a whisky in the portion of the building formerly used as a bar. One of the men stated that he had brought the liquor from Woodlands that morning. It was his own, and he was treating his friends, the boardinghouse keeper supplying the glasses and water alone. Detective M'Uveney took the names of the trio, but whether their explanation has been accepted or the police intend prosecuting we cannot say.

A raid was made by the Auckland police on a " three-up " school at Devonport on a recent Sunday afternoon, and the officers of the law managed to capture nearly a dozen of the players, including the " banker," who had his pockets full of small cash, and was in possession of the "kip" and betting-board. The constables were able to secure the names of about 30 of the participators. It is stated that, as a result of the school's operations, a number of boys have lost their vrages, one of those captured, for instance, paying that while he had £2 8s when he started he only had 4d when the raid took place.

Mr George Robertson's letters on New Zealand, which appear from time to time in the columns of the Independence Beige, are drawing favourable attention to this colony, and, in fact, the latest inquiry about us is from the distant island of Cyprus (says the Auckland Star). One of the head merchants in Larnaea, the capital of the island, has written for full information about New Zealand and the possibility of opening up trade with the Levant. The writer expresses the pleasure he has derived from perusing the letters which appear in the Independence Beige, and mentions being specially struck with the marked progress of the colony." as indicated by trade statistics which Mr Robertson freely quoted in a recent issue of the Belgian newspaper.