OMNIUM GATHERUM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2686, 6 September 1905, Page 12

OMNIUM GATHERUM.

George Kitchen, of Avoea (Victoria) was attempting to kick a football, when his legs went from under him, and in falling one of the kneecaps split. A return published in last week's Gazette > f by the Railway Department shows that the ! total cost of the opened railway lines in the colony is £21,701,572, and of the unocened lines £1,302,132.

Tho Bruce roll is "now almost completed, and tenders have been called for printing same. It is expeoted (says the Bruce Herald) that the new roll will contain about 4600 names of electors. On the last roll there wore 4105 names. It is understood that the automatic tablet system (which is an improvement upon thaf already in use in various parts of the colony) is to bo installed shortly at the railway stations on the InvercargillClinton section..

On inquiry at the Bruce Woollen Mill, we find (says the Milton Mirror) that the night shift lias not heen stopped, r>or is there any intention of doing so, as plenty of orders are on hand .to keep' running full time right through the season. - Archbishop Murphy, of Hobart, who completed his ninetieth year on June 18 last, is the oldest prelate in the world. His diamond jubilee as a bishop is to be celebrated in October by the completion of the Diocesan College at Hobart.

Herman Grun, a watchmaker, living at Bingon, Germany, has boon sentenced to a month's imprisonment and ordered to pay £220 damages to the family of a labourer whose brain became affected by a box on the ears which Grun gave him. ■ Heart failure caused by joy at having found work after long unemployment is believed to have caused the death of Charles Henry Webbe, a Brentford labourer, who fell dead in his wife's arms as she opened the door of their house. There are »new five patients in the consumptive annexe at the New Plymouth Hospital. Everything is now in smooth working order,- and patients and staff alike are loud in their praises of the convoleteness with which the arrangements have been carried put. — News. The rise hi the prices of copper and lead is reported to have caused inquiries to be made as to the terms the owners of the various mines in the Tui district, Te Aroha (Auckland), includinsr the Xi&. Ora group, "would be prepared to accept for their interests in the properties.

A somnambulist had a -terrible fall at Mullingar Barracks, England, recently. Private Healey, bf the Connaught Rangers, while walking in his sleep, stepped throtieh a window left open for ventilation, and fell to the ground, 40ft below. He was seriously injured, and is in a critical condition.

The Victorian Police Department is iuiable to decide how the reward of £200 for the information leading to the capture of Edwards, who was convicted o£ manslaughter in the Waranga (Girgarre) affair, shall be distributed. The department is urging the Attorney-general to appoint a board-

Satisfactory progress is being made with the rock base for the Campbell statue at the main -entrance to Cornwall Park, though there- -is not much- to show at present for a large amount oE very hard work (says the Auckland Herald). Some of the stor.es used in the work.^ which have been nut in position, weigh several tons. In granting an order nisi pt Melbourne for .the dissolution cf a marriage on tho ground of desei-tion, Mr Justice Hood said that Zi ,nn infant in law — that is* a person under 21 years of age — cannot chsngo his •domicile from that of his parents even though he be a married m?n." Tl'e husband was only 18 years of age at the time of his marr'age.

Buring tho stay of the British squadron in Algiers (writes La Der<echo Alger'onna) the excellent conduct of the men wh«n on snore was niviph comnjfiitcd upon. No ca.so of diun'kenness. nor <■{ disore'erly .conduct, occurr-ed. This rcfi~cfcs sreat rvedit on Admiral Berrsforcl and his soua.dron, and loft a very srocd improssimi upon tbe inliabitanre.

The present pcsiiicn regarding the appli--oaron fco Mr Car-^ie Tor a arani, io the .Temuka Mechanics' Instituto. has been furthered a step 'says tho Timaru Pest) by ' a communication just received frum tho. | millionaire, who asl:s for further particikis ' as to upkeep, revenue and expenditure. Th's ' was forwarded him by the lust outgoinw»San I Francisco mail. i " JSven Jcho *ah cannot guide a cross- ! eyed Christian, or one who looks iwo ways ; at the name rin-o' 1 said Mr Wooilrv in jhe course of ar n'.'l'^* a* Tims 1 "!, whrr^ im- '' pressing upon hi.) am'-ienco that ''p± 'iibi-

tion religion" and "licensing politics" were about as awkward a team as was ever hitched up, and could not possibly bo made to run together in double harness.

During the visit of tho Prince and Princess of Wales to India the system of giving and receiving presents is as far as possible to be abolished. Their Horal Highnesses expect to te in England again in March. The Royal party will be accompanied by Mr Sidney Low, once editor of the St. James Gazette, and now on the staff of the Standard, who will write a history of the voyage.

A Hankow letter reports the Arrival there of some 25 Chinese young ladies who are on their way to study for a few years in Japan. These young ladies belong to the literati class of Hunan Province, and are daughters or sisters of officials and literary men of high social standing. It is stated that there are already nearly 150 young ladies from the various provinces of China now studying in Japan.

" There is much talk about the Bible in schools. Why does nok- somebody get up an agitation for tho Bible in churches?" " The Spectator " asks this question in his notes in the Outlook's September literary supplement. He goes on to say that he has kept bis eye on many congregations, and he should judge that not a tenth part of the people have Bibles, or at least use them when the lessons are being read.

A record in house-removing was accom-'H plished >it Mount Roskill, Auckland, a few days agd. The building in question, a six- ] roomed house, had bsen erected on the j wrong section, and it was found necessary j to move it a distance of 40ft. This was successfully accomplished, the whole build- i ing, chimneys and hearths complete, being moved to its new position without either the removal of furniture or pictures from , the walls. j

! At the last meeting of the Christchurch | Burgesses' Association the following resn- ; iution was carried — " That in view of the ; danger of infection, and for .many other ! reasons, known to the members of the oom- , milfceo, this association is of the opinion i that bakers should make no exchange when I bread has been received from the hand of j the deliverer, and that the exchange of stale bread for fresh, while Efoinq from lions© ! to house, should at once be discontinued." | An applicant for an old-age pension at LyHelton recently, who had sold a proi party and obtained £200 for it. stated that the money had nearly all boen spent in ; funeral expenses and " paying just debts." ; It appeared (says the Lyttelton Times) that \ one of the items was £42 for a gravestone. The news c£ the mutiny in the Black Sea reached the Russian army through the Japanese, who fired night shells charged with proclamations conveying the information into the Russian advance posts, scattering the proclamations broadcast. A sad case of early marriage, speedily followed by divorce, came before the Supreme Court at Melbourne on tho 10th inst. It was a case in which the bride was only 15 years of age. and now. only a year having- clan c od since she was led to the altar, "tho husband, wbo is 25 years of age, has been granted a divorce on fh-e ground of miscorjiduct. It was stated that there were " a gareat many co-respondents." It was also alleged that thre^ men had be?n convicted on charges of assaulting xh-3 you Hi ful bnd'C. The coolie ship Virawa left 3?j.ji for Calcutta recently with 341 time-expired^ Indian immigrants. They took a considerable amount of money with them, and a large quantity of gold and silver jewellery, and, in their smart garments, offered a great contrast to the replacing contingent of Indian coolies who were disembarking in I the colony. Tn the shape of money, jewellery, and passage money the colony is something like £20.000 poorer in matprial wealth by the departure of the=e people. A$ volcanic eruniion occuried on t.ho island of Bavaii, San-oa, on Ihr> nisiht of August 7. A small cutter, which re-ached Apia on tho mcrring of the £th, reported t.hat the volcano on the island had broken out into eruption, which continued ; or several day?, throwing out smoke an'l flames for sevoral hurdred feet into the air. and presenting a mesb brilliant sportacle vi'rei from a distance. It is now about tht-ee year-s since the volcano at tie island was in eruption. So far as was known at Apia thc-re had been no casualties among.-t 'the white residents and natives. Tr> show what harm may result from the in=irnrri'-e hab'i aiacn? young children of piAiag things in il-eir months. it_ may be mentioned (says the TsJafiura En?isn^ that sk mont'is ?.<io a ! ; tt'e boy, =on of a wellknown local resident oontraeted spparently v.liat was <-?nie duoass of the luius. The

doctor who had the case in hand could make little of it, concluding finally that the trouble had arilen "from hydatids. On Friday, however, the child had an unusually severe coughing fife, and coughed ut- the fully-developed head of a cocksfoot plant, which had apparently been swallowed by him six months ago.

A North Carolina girl of 11, named Nannie Gibson, has just realised her chief ambition through an act of bravery and presence .of mind. She lived in a little hut with her father and ihoiher . in the Black Mountains. A- big slide occurred on the mountain while she was at K^ne alone. She ran down the railroad faack, waving her red petticoat. A heavy train was stopped by her, 10ft from where the mountain had caved. Below was an abys3 several thousand feet deep. She averted a terrible wreck, and saved the liEe " of a score of passengers. -1 She 'has since received a letter from the Southern Railway Company undertaking to give her a. college •education and see that she is well provided for.

The Melbourne police arrested several persons on August 8 under somewhat exciting circumstances. That morning two men were arrested at a house at St. Kilda, but a third escaped. After an exciting chase over numerous fences, he w,as, however, subsequently located at a houss in Windsor, and at night detectives surrounded the plade. They forced several, of the doors, and on. obtaining an entrapjep, they found a couple - of women. The man' at first was nowhere to be seen, but a search revealed the fact that he had got through* a manhole into a garret. He also had a companion with him. Both declined to come down, and threatened' to brain anyone who attempted to approach,' them. Officers were ihen cent , <jn to th,© roof, with a view of removing s]Utes, while the police also threatened toy smoke the men. out with sulphur*. As -operations were about to commence the men surrendered, and, with- the women, were locked up. The men are 'alleged to be notorious characters, and are supposed' 1 to have been connected with the numerous robberies that have taken place in Melbourne during the last few •weeks. , ri ,- The. president (Dr W7 H. Nichols) and the members of the Society of Chemical Industry of tihe British Empire and America, as part of the. programme of their convention in London paid a. visit o£ inspection to the works of Burroughs. Wellcome, and Co. After inspecting the "Kepler" and "Tabloid" buildings th© party was ioined by a number of distinguished medical and other guests, amongst whom were Sir Patrick Manson, -Xiadv Manson, Sir James Dick. Professor H_ B. Armstrong, and Mr R. A. Bobinson, L.C.C. (president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain), and adjourned to the Wellcome Club and Institu-te, founded for the benefit of the firm's employees. Here luncheon was served to 2000 guests in a special marquee, affcsr which a fete i/aa held in commemoration of the completion, of the firm's quarter century of work. Cablegrams of good wishes to the Society of Chemical Industry and congratulation to the firm were received from its branches and agents in Sydney, Capetown, Milan. Constantinople, Mannheim, Waldhof, West Indies, Vienna, Berlin, Charlottenburg,Switzerland, Montreal Calcutta, Shanghai, Persia, Amsterdam, New York, Brussels! Liege.