OMNIUM GATHERUM

Otago Witness, Issue 2736, 22 August 1906, Page 2

OMNIUM GATHERUM

In Japanese mills the hours are from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., and there is no Sunday off. The proportion of blind people in the world is 800 to every 1,000,000, or one in 1250. Tho famous Alabama was afloat 22 months. In that time . e he destroyed 51 vessels. The Prime Minister of Australia (Hon. A. Deakin 1 ' completed his fiftieth year on the 4th inst. The banana is 44 times more productive than the potato, and 131 times more so than wheat. An English factory hand is said to produce £224 worth of goods in a year, a German only £120. The total number of clergy of the Church of England is about 24,000. This is exclusive of missionaries. In order to further the development of the fruit industry canning works are to be established in Auckland. The Labour Department assisted 114 married, and 547 single .men to secure employment during last month. The deepest well in the world is situated in the village of Speremberg, about 20 miles from Berlin. It has a depth of 4194 ft. The Victorian Cabinet has decided to spend £35 000 on a new lunatic asylum, and 7500 ;n; n improvements on the Sunbury Asylum. Aitificial legs and arms were in use in Egypt as early as i;he year 700 B.C. They were made by the priests, who were the physicians of that early time. The Bruce Herald states that a number of -men from Kaitangata passed through Milton to Lawrence on Monday, 13th, to take on Tailway construction work. From -the end of the fifteenth up lo the seventeenth centuries boars were commonly domesticated and used as watchdogs and as beasts of burden in Scandinavia. It is estimated that over a million sterling found its way to the pockets of Louden and Paris dressmakers lor finery to l>e displayed during Ascot weekIsaac James, a Halesowen (Worcestershire), tradesman, was charged wjth setting his house on fire. He said 'he did it to .-rop a family dispute over the propeity. The new battleship Dreadnought will have only a foremast, the mainmast having been done away with. She will be fitted with lifts, the compartments having no doors. The game of billiards was brought into fashion by Louis XIV of Franfe in the seventeenth century, because his doctor ordered him to take exercise after his meals. Last month was the wettest month yet recorded in Waikafo. The rainfall, as observed by Dr Douglas, at Hamilton, was 11.13 in, and it fell on every day but one. Tlie French League for the Defence oi Animals has produced a small parasol for horses, which all horse-owners are urged to fix abov« their animals' heads during the hot weather. There is one lighthouse in the world that is not placed on any mariner's chart. It is in the Arizona desert, and marks the spot where a well supplies pure fresh water to traveller?. Indiarubber trees which are tapped every other day continue to yield sap for mor-e tlian 20 jear", and it is a curious fact that (he oldest and most frequently -tapped trees produce the richest sap. Mrs Elizabeth Walker Wonderly, of PLilacleljjhia, wlm kas just pf .labiate d her ,

one hundred and third birthday, attribute! her great ago to the" fact that she has , "'always kept cool and cheerful." The Pukerau Public School has been closed owing to the prevalence of measles in the district. Drarin? 24 hours 12 families were reported as having been attacked by the epidemic. The presentation to Mr Michel, the defeated candidate at the recent by-election for Westland, will take the form of a purse of sovereigns and an illuminated address. The subscriptions amount to more than £230. The best-paid Biitish Ambassador is Sir Francis Bertie, whose ireprosentation of Britain in France brings him £9000 a year. , Viscount Gough, as British Minister resident in Saxony, receives the lowest pay — £950." One of the applicants for manager of the Woodville gasworks advanced as a qualification that he had been manager of a-n < opal mine, and another was a good timekeeper, and had been employed in a grocer's shop. The canvass for the Gore-Waikaka railway is meeting with a fair amount of success in Waikaka. A great many farmers have been induced to increase their number of shares, and some new subscribers have been secured. All the timber mills about; Dargaville are working full time. The local paper 1 re-ports that the vessels in harbour aro loading ■five million and a-half feet of timber, and those to arrive early will take away a similar quantity. A Victorian midwife named Ellen Syke3 has been convicted on a charge of manslaughter, the allegation being that by her negligence, she caused the death of a young married woman whom she attended in her confinement. Mr L. J. Beaehy. an aeronaut, had a miraculous escape from death at Cleveland, Ohio. The airship became disabled, and fell 1000 ft to earth, and beneath the wreckage the spectators found Mr Beaehy a'.ive and absolutely unhurt. It is remarkable that none of the three British peers who ha\e won their titles on a battlefield has a son. Lord Roberts lost his heir in South Africa. Lord kitchener is unmarried, and Lord Wolseley's only •child is a daughter. In the next report of the Health Department -will be an interesting series of analyses of tjie water supplies of different municipal bodies is New Zealand. The analyses are being made by Mr Makgill, district , • health officer for Wellington. ■ Tlie Christchurch Press states that Mr H. W. Bishop, S.M.. will hold ihe inquiry which the Government has ordered into the , allegation made by a labourer attached to . the Burnham Industrial School as to illtreatment of one of the male inmates. Giving evidence before the committee of tha Ifouse of Lords on juvenile smoking. Dr M'Namara, M.P.. proved that specially designed packets of cigarettes for children were sold at Id, including a box of matches i and a small clay cigarette holder. • During the month of July 54 estates were ■placed in the hands of the Public , Trustee for administration. One of the 1 deceased persons is described iv the " identity column" as " Cohner or Garner. James (otherwi&e Walter England or Billy the Spud)." Some of die Government inspectors in the FeiMmg district have received a notice to the effect that the Government will not refund any money given in tips to '. waitresses, etc., and that in future all tip 3 must he fiaid out of their travelling allowances ' ( A New York flat-owner has a clause in his leases under whicli his tenants, families, and servants alike, are compelled to wear rubber liefls, he bearing the expense. The result is that he never lias any vacant flats, owing tp the fact that everybody is noiselessly shod. There are many evidences of an early spring (tsay6 the Gioborne Times). The. ■ willows are already in leaf, and the plum ' trees are in blossom. The sharp frost of ; last week in some case* did considerable ; damage to the potatoes which were above , the ercund. I John Walker, a Scottish locomotive drher. who recently retired, aged 75. had * been on the footplate for 53 years. 48 of , them as driver. It wai computed that he had travelled two million miles, and no passeriL'ei' had Ixvn injured by his default. Walker is still hale and hearty. While dressing in his houee on Sunday afternoon (says the Milton Mirror) Mr H. (t Coombe had a narrow escape from being , shot. A bullet from a pea rifle fired in the \ iciDJty crashed through the bedroom window and lodged in the wall, having iaken a course most uncomfortably near his head. The Brucfl Woollen Company has decided to reduce its capital by the sum of ; £4571 16s, tie reduction to bo effected by the cancellation of capital which has been lost or is unrepresented by available assets to the extent of 4s per share and by reducing the nominal value of such shares from £1 to 16s per share. The depredations of a sneak* thief are causing some oonstcr nation amongst j poultry-keepers in Oamaru (says the Mail). | Soveral yards have been scisited, those 1 selected being apparently known. lor, k^eo,-

ing the better class of breeds. Evidently the thief has a fair idea of the marketable value of well-bred poultry. Mr F. W. Quaife, of Halswell (Canterbury), has received a very favourable reply to an application mad« to Mr Oarnegie for a library and hall for the Halsweil district. When the form received from Ms Carnegie has been filled up and returned it is confidently anticipated that the hall and library will be supplied. Mr P. Sheridan, of the Native Land Parriiase Department, has (says the Napier lelegraph) been paying out money to those Waimarama Natives who have- consented to sell their lands, and, as a result, there is a considerable amount of floating capital amongst the Maoris, a percentage of whicji is being freely spent % in Hastings. A meeting held in Waihi a few days ago resolved to form a " Seddon Policy Continuation League," its object being tho promotion and enactment of the policy of the late Premier* acting in sympathetic accord with the Liberal and Labour Federation in advancing beneficial legislation.. Mr E. Davies was appointed secretary. It -seems that, in spite of hie. fcerribls sufferings, Major Dreyfus is capable oJE continuing his military career. Messages to the Cape Times state that he has been appointed to the command of the 12tli Battery of Artillery, and that the colonel of his regiment s*ys that he will be well corned as a good and excellent comrade. Mr Stephen Moulder, for many years connected with the New Zealand Railway Department, died at Auckland a few days ago, aged 82. He was one of the leaders, of the procession which presented the celebrated petition to the House of Commons during the Chartist riots in 1839. For 28 year 3 he had been a prominent Oddfellow m Auckland. Amusement -was caused in the South Melbourne Court recently by -* honeymoon couple, whode combined ages totalled 338 summers. Henrietta Moore, a rather feebJe old woman, charged her husband with having assaulted her. The parties had been married only 10 days wlien the aasault took place. The defendant, who is 70 years of age, was fined 10s. , A very decided rise has taken place m the price of Waihi shares, but upon inquiry the Waihi Telegraph has ascertained that there is nothing new in the mine. The low levels, however, are looking exceedingly well, and are daily augmenting to a considerable extent the vast oro reserves already in hand. There has apparently been very firm buying at Home* A Nevis correspondent informs the Cromwe'l Argus that quite a record has been established this year in the way of carting to the Nevis, as the carriers havo been crossing over the hill without » stoppage all through the winter. There has been very little t>now so far this winter, and should the weather continue hne the dredges will scon bo starting again. At the end of June last 7640 men wer« engaged on co-operative works in Jiew Zealand, 256 of the men being artisans. The Public Works Department employed all the artisans and 4954 labourers, and the remainder were under engagement to the Department of Roads. The North Island Main Trunk railway works absorbed 2299 men, and the Midland railway 842. The Southland News understands that' arrangements have been completed in connection with the installation of the Imercargill and suburban tramway service. Rir ioseph Ward's hurried departure from flndon before negotiations had been finally concluded with Home firms and the sjrk* occupied in his journey back to (he co'ony delayed matters somewhat. A sur\cy of the route will be made immediately. An old Bible, recently purchased f:,p 4s at a second-hand shop in' Pari?, was found to coma/n bonds to the value of £3500, payable to the bearer, and sijpoed by a land -owner, who died «ork> yeaaa ago. I The British Museum has books written on bricks, tiles, oyster shells, bones, antl flat stones, together with manuscripts on bark, on leaves, on ivory, leather, parchment, papyrus, lead, iron, copper, and wood. A lady joined a well-filk-d car going: northwards at St. Andrew street about 6 o'clock the other evening. ' She desired to travel to Union street, but when that street was reached she had not been called upon for a fare, although portions of two .sections were traversed. In going out tho passenger handed the conductor a token, and was amazed to have five pennies given back t« her as change. The mistake was, of course, not taken advantage of. The purchase of a portion of the Waimarama Block of 35.000 acres, situated on, the East Coast south of Cape Kidnapper, has been completed by the Government, and •negotiations for the acquirement of the interests of additional Native owners are in progress. Tho Government intends* !to reserve a considerable portion of th& block lor the use -of the Maoris, and it will- - do all in its power to encourage them to cultivate the land on up-to-date European lines. The Maori is great at imitation. Recently & Maori -nahine observed a iiakoha ! housewife carefully etan-hincf some l<nen ! clothes. On reaching home tho dusky lady immediately washed the only pair of sheeia | she owned, and, having made a bowl o£ liquid starch, immersed the sheets. Of course, when the sheets dried, they were as crisp as brown paper. Nevertheless, the old lady put them on the bod. Hubby'a remarks on " turning in " for the nigihti cannot be recorded in the English language. A male patient, who was suffering from pneumonia, disappeared from the Ashburton Hospital very suddenly on Tuesday evening, and, after the nursing staff and others had "been searching for him for nearly two hours, it was found that he had mad« his way to m boarding-ijonse in the town, about a mile distant. The nna ; who had left his sick bed in a fit of delirium, and was soaked through, was made as comfortable as possible till the arrival of the hospital authorities. He is reported at present to be little the iroree -for bis advcn« ture.