OMNIUM GATHERUM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2685, 30 August 1905, Page 12

OMNIUM GATHERUM.

" Nowadays," said a prominent magutrate the other day, " people apply for separations as they would for penny railway tickets." . For cursing the corpse of a negro which he had been called to measure, Benjamin Jones, sexton at Jackson. Mississippi, has bean heavily fined.

At the suggestion of the Mayor (Mr Ii Hotop), the Quieenstown Borough Coune-'l is asking the Government to run the weekend excursions throughout the year.

A fire brigade of, 10 members has been organised among the staff of the Timaru Railway- Station, and the brigade has been equipped by the department with gear and uniforms.

It is stated (says the Bruce Herald) that Mr M'ALLster is about to bore for coal on Mr Young's property at LoveD's Flat. This is the land uiion which the Burnweil mine is situated.

Hauporoa v Hiroti, a young Wanganui Maori, has been granted a scholarship by the Government for the purposes of studying law. He will commence his course at Victoria College next year.

From 15th May to date (says the Southland Times) seven bankruptcies have been dealt with at the local office, and it is a significant comment on the flax business that five of the bankrupts were directly or indirectly interested in that trade. A duel which took place at Eagle Pass, Texas, between two suitors for the hand of iliss Ijecita Gonzales, resulted in the ■death of both principals. " Why didn't they ask nic?" said the girl when she heard of the occurrence. '' I love somebody else."

A woman with a very bad record was before the Wellington Police Court last woek to answer a charge of " drunkenness." "Three months" was the pronouncement from the bench. The woman began to argue, and the sentence was reduced to 14- days.

Application on behalf of a syndicate was made on Thursday evening to the North Invoreargil] Council (says tbe Daily News) for tramway concessions within the borough. The writers stated that probably either electricity or sbeam would be the mode of traction used. The letter was referred to a sub-coinmitteo for report.

The Hawera Star says if the whole question of the administration of the Waimarino Block, of the Wanganui River service, of the hardships the settlers are suffering under, of the disabilities they have to struggle against, were made the subject of inquiry by an independent commission the result would be such as would a&tonish the oolonv.

The Southland County will (says the Daily Xe-xs) shortly proceed against a traction engine-owner for the recovery of the £10 license foe, and it is the intention of the association formed a few weeks ago to make a test case of the action, legal advice having been obtained" by it that the imposition of the charge is beyond the County Council's poweis.

Among the passengers who left Wellington by the lonic on Wednesday week wore Messrs A. B. Wiles and D. L. Gibson, two young Queensland sugar-planters. Their reason for leaving- that State, emphatically expressed, is the great depression n-hieh exists in the su<ja.r-ca.ne raising industry, consequent upon legislation regarding the employment of black labour in the plantations.

Having made the necessary arrangements with the Tasrnanian Government, within whose iurisdiction the island comes, Mr Joseph Hatch is about to resume oil-gettina 1 operations at the Macquaries. The schooner Jes=ie Niccol is now fitting out at Port Chalnip-rs, and will take down a party ot" cil-gathorers for that purpose. It is ex-i-ippj-^'l +]ia>t she will sail in th« course of a few days.

Aceird'ng to evidence given in a case at the Auckland Police Court a few days as'o drunken quarrels aro of frequent occurrence on board fishing smacks on Sundays. One witness stated that on Satur day night last he took off to a fishing boat 10 bottles of whisky, half a dozen small bottles cf beer, and three kegs of beer, all of wlwch was drank on Sunday by about a dozen men.

It is asserted on first-class authority (says ihe correspondent of the Waikato Argus) that owing to the failure of the potato crop and other causes, the Maoris at Waahi and Rakaumanga are experiencing a very bad time, fcod being very scarce, in fact almost non-existent. The departure of a considerable number of Natives on a trip to Rotorua, while tending to relieve the pressure pn the commissariat, will, hewever, not add to the food supply. A "N'anaanui hairdresser experienced

rather a surprise last week. On being called to attend to a customer he left his hat on the counter in the front shop. Be fore he had finished lathering his customer the landlady of an adjoining hotel came in with, the hat, and remarked that it had been, offered as payment for a pint of beer. It was a remarkably " swift" incident ir many ways, and the owner of the hat is wondering whether it was a joke or a steal.

Feeling over the no-license campaign is already beginning to run high in Ranyiora. On Saturday night the Rev. T. Fee addressed an open-air meeting at the junction of High and Victoria streets, and met with a good deal of opposition. The meet ing was prolonged until nearly 11 o'clock, and at times became of a rowdy character. Ultimately the police prohibited further speech, threatening to arrest anyone who mounted the box doing duty as a platform. The crowd then dispersed.

A visitor who has just returned from Rotorua states that for w-eeflcs past thft Waiotapu mud geyser, situated close to the great mud volcano, has been in an unusual state of activity, exploding at intervals of from 10 to 25 minutes, and throwing mud to a height of from 30ft to 60ft. On the sth iror. a very good " shot " was witnessed at 10.15 a.m., and at 11 a.m., when, without warning, a huge column of mud rcse to a height of about 150 ft. A second and larger " shot " took place a few minutes later, and a third followed closely.

Lately a rouple of "Hawsra settters have been through the country lying between the Waneanui River and the Main Trunk lino of railway, and they give quite a deplorable account of the waste of timber which has occurred and still is going on in connection with settlement, or so-called settlement, on the Waimarino Block. They speak not from hearsay, but from what they have actually seen and heard during a journey (mostly on foot) through the land, and thj story they have to tell is simply one of scandalous waste of immense quantities of the most valuable timber in the colony.

In this district (says tb« MJlton. Mirror) at nresont there is a dearth of servant girls, and- housewives experience great difficulty in filling vacancies. A farmer, living about seven miles from Milton, after advertising for a fortnight, made a personal canvass of the fair ones who he had heard were out of employment. He was finally successful, but met many excuses and refusals. One maid, with an air of independence, said she would not go so far iruf>o the country ; another would not go a-milking; too much to do, said another, and so on. The relief of Mafeking v.-as as nothing compared to the satisfaction the farmer felt when ha received an affirmative reply. " Aftar this-." be says, "the wife will have to take on the canvassing '."

Considerable amusement was caused at thp lssc mcet'ng of the North Canterbury Board of Education when the replies, of the different Education Boards of the colony on th-s centralising policy of the Education Department were read. The West Land Board replied that as the needs of the Westland district wifcli regard to new buildings ware very small, and — here was the point at which the members of the board laughed heart'lv — " have uniformly b.°en provided by l,h& Education Department," it had no obioction to exisfrinn 1 conditions. When it is considered that the Premier, whose penchant jv,,. \rv.s+lo"»l is wll k'-own, is the Minister for Education, the inference is obvious. "Rood, old Westland! ' interjected one of the irreverent membcis of the board.

Having made an automobile tour of the world, traversing 24 countries and visiting 8000 towns and citiee, Mr and Mrs Charles Glidden, of Lowell, reached their home in Ne'Tv York on tht? 22nd June, thus completing- 25,000 miles cf motoring:. They describe Java (writes a ODrr-esptondemt) as a most interesting country for touring-, with roads as fine as those of England. They crossed both the Arctic Circle and the Equator in their car, and ir.&t with delightful experiences amongst all sorbs of strange people. Antipodean potentates were extremely aaxious to taste the delights of automobiling, and were very hospitable. An experienced chauffeur, who w.as also an exnert mechanic, accompanied Mr and Mrs Glidden. In some parts his services were constantly in request, but the entire 25,000 miles was accomplished without serious mishap to the tourists.

A representative and influential committee lias been formed at Winchester for the purpose of raising funds with the object of excavating, preserving, and enclosing the remains of the ancient Abbey of Hyde, the burial plaos of King Alfred, his wife Queen E'switha, and his son King Edward the Elder. The remains of the abbey are within, a short distance of the spot -where the

fine statue of King Alfred, by Mr Hamo Thornycroft, R.A., was erected in 1901. to eoirmeanorate the one-thousandth anniversary of his death; but up to the present time no proper care has been taken for their preservation. The object of the committee is: — (1) To remove the surface soil, the accumulation of centuries, and carefully uncover the foundations ; (2) to provide for the safe custody cf any relics which may |be found ; (3) to secure ihs preservation o£ such of the remains of the abbey as still exist; (4) to purchase that portion of the site which is not already owned by the corporation ; (5) to fence round the entire area of "Hyde Mede." The committee feels | sure that not only the British public, but , their brothers in the colonies and their

cousins in the United States, will be interested in this effort. Subscriptions may be sent to the hon. treasurer, Mr ■ Alfred Bowker, Lankhills, Winchester, or may be 1 paid to the account of tha Hyde Abbey Remains Preservation Fund at the Union and Smiths Bank, Winchester and London. The authorities of Holy Trinity Parish, Plymouth (England) have unanimously decided to piece. .a memorial window in tha church in memory of the late vicar, the Rev. ■ F. Barnes, who died recently after serving . the parish for 52 years with conspicuous success, his work being characterised by untiring fidelity and zeal. The late Mr Barnes was wonderfully successful in his ■ efforts in the divecricn of social reformation, I and his ministry was unique ir> many rraspects. When he entered unon his work in the parish it was noted for ite. squalor. ■ misery, and wickedness, but that order of thmg3 has been swept away, and now there is not a disorderly house in the parish. There was scarcely a baptised child in tha parish when the deceased took charge ; whei he laid aside his vicariat© he had baptised

33,000 children, and he joined in holy wedlock 5000 couples. It was a nroud boast of the aged yigar that be had preached to 273,000 emigrants, baptised 3000, administered the sacrament to 19,000, and distributed 4-.113.000 tracts to those bound to distant lands. For church work. Mr Barnes raised over £70,000. St. Saviour's Church was built by him in 1870, and the new parish created to relieve the pressure of work in his own parish. The cost of building Holy Trinity Vicarage was almost wholly defrayed out of his private means. Thousands of the emigrants referred to came to the co^nies, and the church authorities feel sure that many oj; those to whoni^ he ministered would like be associated with the memorial.