OMNIUM GATHERUM

Otago Witness, Issue 2676, 28 June 1905, Page 12

OMNIUM GATHERUM

The total value of Mr Carnegie's known gifts up tc the end of 'April is 121,252,000 J oii., r « (-R24,270.400). Mr F. Mansell, treasurer of the Rangifrikei Racing Club, has been presented wiih a diamond ring in recognition of his services to the club since 1£96.

The 3\ew South Wales Cabinet has seriously considered the advisableness of abolishing justices of the peace, in favour of the appointment of commissioners to witness documents and sweaf affidavits. Joseph Fitzgibbon, who was found in possession o£ an illicit still at St. Peter's, New South Wales, was fined £500, and ordered to be imprisoned until the fine- was paid. He has been- three times previouslyconvicted. At a meeting of the Mosgiel Borough Council on Monday evening it was decided to take steps to raise an additional loan of £4000 for completing the drainage and water works, and for repairing and metalling or gravelling streets and roads. It is rumoured in Westport that a candidate -will be forthcoming at the general election for the -Buller seat, whoso support of the Government will depend solely on its undertaking to proceed expeditiously with the construction of the Wcstport-Keefton f both ->d

railway from ootti enas. A Bradford wcolsorfcer named Howson, who wished to clean out the barrel of an old muzzle-loading gun, took the stock oft and placed the barrel in the fire. An evplosion followed, and Howson's sister, who , had been sitting by the hearth, was so badly , hart that she was not expected to recover. " I know places in the North Island where women on the land have been three years -without seeing, another woman," said Mr J. G. Wilson in giving evidence before i the Land Commission on Friday. Such I hardships, he thought, oxtglit to entitle the back-blocks settlers to every consideration. Charles Hyatt, who left Essex, Connecticut, 12 years ago, and was supposed to bp dead, has returned to find his wife married . again and the- number of her children in- | creased by four. Hyatt is again the head | of the household, for the wjcond husband | has left the town with two of his

children. " Though gambling in hotels or clubs is strictly forbidden, our statesmen may gamble to their hearts' content in ' Monte Carlo ' at all times arcl at all hours ; another oversight," r-eraarkod Mr A. W. Rutherford, describing "The Lights and Shad«s of Parliamentary Life at Amberley on lTrida

y. Information has been received in Me!- ( bourne that a pension of £150 a year his been gi anted by the British Government to the Rev. Dr Lorimer Fison, of Es;endon, for distinguished scientific services in ethnology. Dr Fison began this work when he was stationed as a Wesleyan missionary in Fiii man year- ago.

j xy _ r> | Mr Horace G. Brmsmead, of the famous firm of pianoforte manufacturers, who is j at present in Wellington, says the largest j order " for immediate shipment " he ever ! received was obtained in New Zealand. It | was an order for 370 pianos from Messrs Hoffman and Sons, of Auckland, then in a very big way of business. The Department of Labour la«t month ( found employment for 258 single' and 134 i married men. Seven wives and three chil- | dron were also assisted in finding-work. Of I those persons assisted. 189 men were from the North Is.lnnd. 133 from the South ( Island, 26- from Australia, 37 from Great ( Britain, and 7 from other countries. I

" I tell you straight," said the chairman of the Timaru Harbour Board to the Mayor at Saturday's conference on the Drainage Rill, " I tell you straight that, this is going to be wade a test case, and the strength of parties is ro be tried en the floor of Parliament The rights and powers of municipalities cornier 'ed with harbours arc - « t b* f o-ht I."

jiOms io <. .on arm ou j A strange incidcnr •OLcniTod in connection with the recent fiv-e at the Brian Born Hotel, Thame*. A young man named Clark "was sleeping in cuie of tho rooms devn^rans. and was not aw-i'-cone:! , hut elopt through all the eor-usion. although the water aa? pouring down on him from the coiling. Ho was wsi thioug'h when lie awoke botwocn . 7 and 8 o'clock on Sunday morning. , A spefsker at t!w tnoetipg of the Christchurch Political Labour League lasi Tlnusday \va? strongly opposed i? persons reoelting technical instruction in trades that they were act employed at, and cited an instance whore ? young man who was about to be married had attended a c'asfo p-bcain instruction in cabinetmaking, so thrift he fto;;ld make his own furniture. < T&a ?cal which n?c-3 ilia blocd cf trw . ;

earnest footballer is well illustrated in a

member of the Christchurch Old- Boys' seriftr team. For the honour of playing in a match every Saturday afternoon he rides 10 mi'-es on a horse, fording the Ashley en route, to Rangiora. and is transported by railway to town, after his game he has a rush to catch liis train, for the return

journey commences at 5.15

A lady had a rather startling experience at Tayloryille last week. She was standing- near the bridge waiting for someone, when suddenly the ground gave way from 1 under her, and she disappeared down a hole some 7ft or Bft de-ep. Fortunately the accident was observed, and assistance was quickly at hand, the, lady being hauled up to terra firrna, litlle the" worse for her mishap except for the fright sustained. A young man. John Cramond, was found guilty at Sydney on June 6 on a charge of housebreaking. The evidence agairot him was certain, finger-prints found <oa a window. Judgs 'Heydon said that identification by finger-printo was a deadly one] and ii was apparently a much safer thing for a man to have his photograph taken in various positions and hand the pictures over to the pqlica than to let them get hc'.d of his finger-prints. The prisoner was lemanded for sentence* One of the smartest mpn m the Wairarapa I1I 1 d ■

tens a story of a caddis who proved too many for him. Ho engaged the said caddie to carry his paraphernalia round the links, and when he- paid him for his services the youfcb offered for sale to him a ball for 6d. The ball was a good one and well worth the money. It was di7ly purchased, but when the smart man got home he found that a ball wns missing out of his own bag, and identified his purchase with tlie one abstracted. The gnile'ess caddie had sold him his own ball ! There was consternation in the ranks of publicans at tlis Sydney Licensing Court on the 71h.in.st. wlieh it was announced that urJess a licensed housei was reported as "well conducted"' and "well furrrshed " no renewal would be granted. Hitherto the court has b-een in the habit of granting- the renewal of a license unless there was an adverse report Consequently the decision of the court eanspd dismay among publicans. The present result was that seme 60 a Hen-

i a-, .«... - ppiica tions v/eve postponed for a week pending further reports from the 3301109. I Speaking at Newtown on Thursday night I Mrs Harrison B"e referred in scathing terms I to a recent action by the Lioonsinsr Comj mitlee of Westland. There we*e in that I province 9000 inhabitants and 91 licenses. jor one to each 51 voters on the roll. The

proportion for the colony was one to pach 172. Ye+. the Westland Committee on Juno 5 granted two new licenses, and announced that it would revert to 11 o'clock licens-os for each house whose licensee had made application for extension. It was tim-e, sho said, that suoli a committee was swept out of oxisfcr-nre.

On behalf of M. Philin Buna-Varilla. M. d'Arsondal explained to the members of the Arademv of Science on May 8 febe former's scheme for the construction of the Panama Canal. It would bo fir=t on the 100-k system, which would occupy four years, and then there would bo a transference into a sealevel canal, the operations for which can be completed within 15 years. M. BunaVarilla's scheme was definitely accepted by Piesident Roosevelt on March 27, ]905. The work of transforming the canal will be> accomplished without any hindrance or suspension to the shipping traffic. A peculiar accident occurred at the Ballavdt Tennis Club ball on the 6th inst. An elderly waiter was taking around the

room a tray laden with liquid stimulants, including a number of bottles of sodawater. Suddenly several loud explosion? were heard. The ladies and gentlemon engaged In the dance, on looking round, were alarmed to ' observe that the unfortunate waiter was enveloped in an effervescent spray, caused by the bur««fcine of nearly all the bottles of sodawafpi hils-fc blood fl « f

sociawatpv, wnn»u was 0 rom a wound on his nc-e. caused by his being; struck by a piece of the broken glass, which was sent flying in all direcfons. The sodawater was affected by the heat of the room and the mct'on of the tray. \ unique oa=-e of a baby being seized for debt occurred at SmuUi Melbourne vec-antly. A v.Ciiiaii am! her fanii'y were booked <o lo.iye at 4- p. m. by ihe Trnamincka for Aci«!aide to m-'d her hxi^bard th-ere. It appf«rs iltp oomau o«'ed a nurse a balance 9f 17s 6d for foes for attending her. The nuree ii,cari:io- that 1:lm- patient was about to Leave the S!;ile, so zed the baby during the mother's absence', and subsequently refused fco produce it or stato where it was hidden until >ho got be>- money. Tb-e mother sought tho aid of the polica. So did the EUP3O, satl *be was got ebaksa is has dafc-sr-

I' minatiou by information that she was liable to be prosecuted for stealing the baby. The ■mother pleaded that all the money she had in the world was lls 9d, and eventually th« ' nurse agreed to accept 10 3 6d as a compi-^> misc. The mother had just time to clasj* her baby, and run down tbe wharf and reach the steamer, where the other children were waiting, when the steamer's lines were cast off.

In connection with the death of a man named Thomas Chambers at OraTi recently the Minister of Justice has informed Mr Flatraan, M.H.R. for Grerakline, that a. most diligent and exhaustive inquiry shows mest conclusively that the case in question was— en« of suicid-c, there beins; no motive for murder and not the- slightest suspicion of foul play. Commenting on the case, the Thr.aru Herald says: "The Minister has not explained why medical evidence was not called at the inquest, ancj that is the sore point with the public. Members of the jury are unanimous that the cue in the man's throat was a 'deep one, and some even go so far as to say that the head was almost severed. There is still a great deal of talk in the district concerning the casa, and until the body is exhumed the matter will not rest. Mr Matman has again telegraphed to the department. . stating that the general public is not satisfied, and in his opinion the most satisfactory way of determining the matter for all concerned is to have the body exhumed and medically examined:" c At its meeting last week the Auckland Boa-rd of Education considoroel a forceful ksttor from an Irishwoman wanting to know wh/ her children had not certain educational facilities provided for them. She aocu&ed the board of tfceing' '■ lyingscoundrels, robbers of ' mtiocent children." " I will be> .at your next meeting'," she aSTded. Mr I/. J. Bagnall aiked : "Is sho outsido?" On being assurod that the writer was not in- attendance the board! breathed freely once again, and the secretary went on reading the letter, which described the members of the board- aa "murdering scoundrels." The lady went on to say that sh-e would give the board '" a rally in the morning.

. . . . "Where would your army ' be, you ' British dogs, without Irishmen? I lost four brothers on the battlefield, fighting for you British. — two in the Zulu war and y t\yo in the Boer war." The board seriously discussed the matter, with the intention oE meeting the writer's wishes, and referred her application to ihe local commiitee and inspector for report.