NEWS IN BRIEF.

Otago Witness, Issue 2805, 18 December 1907, Page 52

NEWS IN BRIEF.

Owing to the telegraph lines having- been blown down communication between Sydney and Melbourne was interrupted on Monday last. The weather In New South Wales at the end of last week was extremely hot and dry. - Mrs N. Lqngworth, the daughter of President Rsoseveit," has undergone a successful operation for appendicitis. j A 'kite, invented by Mr Alexander j Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, lifted Lieutenant Selfridge, at Halifax, 100 ft into the air. Mr H. T. Eve, K.C., the Liberal member for Ashburton, succeeds the late Mr Justice Kekewich as judge of the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice. Mr Thomas Stanford, a brother of the late Mr Leland Stanford, the founder of the 'Leland Stanford Junior University (California), who has been a resident of Melbourne for 47 years, has formulated a scheme of endowments to enable Australian students to attend the Stanford University. He will set aside in his will £50,000, which will yield sufficient interest to permit six or eight students attending the university anually. The details will be left -in the ! hands of the University Trustees. . I No satisfactory arrangement ac to the distribution of charitaMe aid has yet been ! arrived at between the Otago Charitable ■ Aid Board and Benevolent Institution True- ! tees. The 'allegation is made by- the Wellington paper, the Dominion, that owing to ' the scarcity of boys the Post and Telegraph Department is employing quite a number of boys Who are below the standard of exemption;, both *s regards age and examination. The Deacon's Court of First Church has j agreed to -accept £75 from the Dunedin City Corporation in settlement of the clajm made for damages to the First Church Manse by smoke from the tramway powerhouse. Mr Slinger, the Drainage Board engineer, has submitted the report for the drainage of that portion of the drainage dis- \ trict known as The Flat, on the " com- j bined " system. It involves the paying of j 8.69 miles of pipes. He estimates that with | what has already been done the total cost will not exceed £44,000. The Auckland Harbour Board proposes to increase the salaries of its officials. It is suggested that the engineer should be j paid £1250 per annum, Mr Bingham, secre- ! tary and treasurer, £800, and other salaries i proportionately. , It is alleged that there is a timber ring In existence in Wellington. A project is on foot among a number of builders to secure ] a piece of tush and cut timber for them- ] selves. i As the result of the AH Saints' Guild sale £175 163 4d net profit was realised. Of this £150 has been voted . to reduce the debt .on {he r&reonage, -<£10 to the organ fund, leaving £15 16s 4d in hand. The bazaar held in Burns - Halt in connection with, the First Church -was so successful that considerably over £1000 will be available for the building fund, after paying all expenses. Speaking -at the opening of" the new infirmity ward at Che Ccstley Home, Auckland, Mr Eowlds said it had been a . blot j on' the hospital administration of the Do- \ minion for a good many years that in I practically every hospital a considerable number of chronic cases were kept there because there were no other places suitable in which they could be housed. Admiral Evans" started on the 16th on his 140-days' voyage, with 53 American war vessels, 16,000 men, and- 850 battleship) guns. It will cost two millions sterling to send the American fleet to the Pacific, via Magellan Strait, and 14 millions to complete the new naval programme. Eight hundred Zulu headmen attended an indftba at Nogoma, and signified the final submission to the royal tribe to the' white authorities', . ■ Colonel M'Kensae warned the headmen that he was aware they possessed 100 guns. Twenty-five ancient firearms .were surrendered, but more are promised. x The low price of lead has resulted in the shutting down of the Broken Hill Junction mine. Some of the other mines are reducing hands. - The- Times's Tokio correspondent says that the success of Japanese steamers in trading to Bombay is wholly due to their contracting with the Japanese spinning companies for the transport of raw cotton at cheap rates and to regular supplies. . During five weeks of November and December 120,000 steerage passengers '.eft American Atlantic ports for Europe, with five millions sterling in their possession. During the same period last year only 54,000 left. Burglars visited Barleythorpe Hall, Lord Lonsdale's Rutlandshire seat, and secured much booty, including many Jockey Club relics and royal gifts. The burglars overlooked a packet containing £2000 worth of property. Lord Kelvin's condition is reported to be worse. Lord Tweedmouth, First Lord of the Admiralty, speaking at, Liverpool, said that the navy must be sufficiently strong to secure the supremacy of the seas despite everybody. The Go\ernment had no intention or desire to attack" any Power, but their commerce must be protected. If his colleagues found it hard to make considerable demands in doing what they were I obliged to do, they must ask the country to support them. Turkish troops are massing on the Persian frontier. The Sydney Morning- Herald re-esti-mates the wheat yield at eight million bushels, with an average of five bushels to the acre. The compensating feature of the small harvest of grain is that, without exception,- it is of prime quality. There was an explosion in the Dmas colliery, Gilfeachgoch, Glamorganshire, Wales, while the bulk of the men were being paid their wages^ Out of 12 in the nit, seven were killed through burns and shock, one was injured, and the rest were resoued.

The Thomas W. Lawson, a seven-masted schooner, the largest in the world, declined fchft assistance of two lifeboats, but accepted tke aid of a pilot, who, however, was drowned. The vessel dragged her anchors, and drifted close to the Annette Rocks, where she turned turtle. The lifeboats, when returning, saw the captain clinging to the rocks with his wrist broken. The oilot's son heroically swam through the breakers, amid the jagged rocks, and resoued tihe captain. Ligulenswti Shackletoo. Ie delighted with

the news that the Government of New Zealand has decided to give £1000 in aid of his Antarctic expedition in the Nimrod.

In the cricket match against Canterbury, the Auckland team won by an innings and 136 runs, And thus become holders of the Plunket Shield.

In a letter received at Auckland from the footballer acting as secretary to the New Zealand professional team "in England, it is stated that the tour will probably result in a profit of £10,000.

Mr A. Armour, at present first assistant of the South School, Invercargill, has been appointed an "assistant master at the Otago Boys' High School.

A lumper named Donald M'Kenzie, while working coal "on the Waipori at Gisborno, was struck on the head by a basket and had his neck dislocated.