OMNIUM GATHERUM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2842, 2 September 1908, Page 4

OMNIUM GATHERUM.

A silver "«oin remains in currency for an average period of 27 years. In 12 marriages out of every 100 one of the parties has been married before. Scotland is connected with Iceland by a submerged bank, at a depth- of 500 fathoms. Tie work of printing the Consolidated Statutes, consisting of five volumes, oosb £12,000. There are always at least £1000 worth of oigers in the cigar-room at the House' of Commons. The depth of Scotch lochs is astonishing. Many are 500 ft <ieep, and Loch Maree was found to exceed 1000 ft. * It has been officially announced that bayonets are not to form part of the equipment of the British Yeomanry Q/i^Sf «oW yield of Victoria for July was 54^62302, valued at £215,986, an increase of 3799 c* on the yield 'for July, 1907. A Japanese is liable to military service *t the age of 17; but he is not enrolled * Jfc c 1S 20 ' exoe Pt time of war. A Timaru plasterer recently came into a fortune, and he has now severed his 60 *^ 11 , with *fe» w^s of the workers. Ihe Bank of England is paid £325 per million for managing the National Debt tne minimum not to be less than £160,000 It is proposed to paint the gunports of the Victory yellow, «heir colour at Trafalgar, and to rerig the ship as she was in WeJson s time. In the roof of the old church at Dantzig «^h an^ b 5 rr i of ? annon balls ; and beneatH £3 Vtt^&r* wW ** ™ c »* » funeral, and preside at a meeting m the evening - The Kaiser has prohibited the unveiling of a statue of bis grandfather in Berli£ aeoause it bears the inscription "William I, instead of « WiUiam the Great." Seven brothers of the Sutherland family were present at the Onehunga Cycling Olubs socia,! one evening last week, six of whom contributed to the programme £^6,400 import duty on a pearl necklace f valued at £68;000 before he^d deW York castaer ' who resided in New ! \rt &?* P o3 * o *™ l <> f a main street in ' that more than. 50 per cent, of the male pedestrians had their hands in SeS ■ The only convicted murderer ' who has ever refused a free pardon was John Garner, a Lincolnshire man. The sentence fot S life mm *° ° M ° f penal Bervi *wd« of T^^^7J? 0 J ?ÜBrh - Counoil has * «urn of £7300 outstanding in rates. If these rates were all collected the council would be able to reduce its overdraft to vanishmg point. In Germany perch are oaught and carried alive to market ; should there be no demand, the fish are brought back and put into a tank or pond until the next visat to market. An ordinary lighthouse, with electric light, costs only £350 a year, but a big lightship, requiring a staff of 11 men, costs ±»1050 per annum. The Napier Working Men's Club has carried a proposal to invite competitive designs for plans fox a new building, to T'V,^ moT * than £1 0.000. A premium of £100 is offered for the best plan. As an indication of the volume of trade done by some of the big hotels in Auckland during "fleet week," it may be mentioned that the brewers' bill of one hotel usually about £100 per week, was £450. The medals the Government has had struck to commemorate New Zealand's change of status from a colony to a Dominion will be distributed to the State schools on Dominion Day— September 26 A Chinese, about 30 years of age, who entered the mail train a* Murrurundi, New boufch Wales, on a recent Saturday evening, was found hanging dead in a secondclass carriage, when the train reached ijuirindi. Twenty years ago " the wages of Not-* fcingham Lacemakers were as high as £6 and £7 a week, and the profits of the employers ranged up to 100 per cent. To- I day. if a man i* working- full time, he j may earn from £2 lOft-to £4 a week. The number of emigrants ,who left Germany, via Hamburg, in June was 4838, as compared with 19,520 in June last year. The number of emigrants in the first six months of the year was 30.267, as against 196,647 in the corresponding period of Lion 3, tigers, and other beasts of prey ai zoological gardens and menageries follow- the example of mankind in eating by day and sleeping by night. In their native state these animals eleep aw-^ the hours of day'irrVi. ... i hunt £<_■■ t'.eu food at nifflit. ' Whilb"- • ' iii ' h Muft in .^oaieh of water at P' ' i tTiV. Pa> (Jj Calais, a pefcro- ' i ■ -> »fi-u<-k. TLo o.t (states a ' • ■ t < • ind-^nt.i ha- been subjected o oilivi. 1 • i ination, and pronounced ungwub/t L. .>© raw petroleum of fair

several hundred eggs have iust been claimed [ from the United States Government by a I poulbryman of Jersey. He claims that his eggs, which were in incubators, were ruined by the concussion of the b.'g guns of the harbour forts. A Police- Court case arose at Adelaide because a number of persons witnessed a football match from vehicles outeide the I enclosure. A gentleman of 18st weight, who was a witness for the appellant had admitted that he saw the match on what < small boys call a "sparrow ticket." Already whitebait have found their way into the Ashley and Waimakariri, where small quantities have been taken. It we* stated at a meeting (says the Christchurch Press) that the reappearance of the white- . bait would settle the difficulty of finding • work for some men for at least three , months. "I am against the establishment of a Hostel m any European centre for the accommodation of Natives," remarked the ■ Hon., James Carroll in the House of Representatives. As one who had the interests of the Maori race at heart, he did not wish to do anything that would attract them to large centres of population. The degenerate who rips ladies' dresses with a sharp instrument was in evidence at the matinee at the Wellington Opera House on Saturday One or two dresses Z~? Tts* 6 **; T**.* o**.0 **. (say» the New Zealand Tames) was identified by one of the sufferers, aad gie police are in hopes ' of .being able ■& tfy hands on bom. A squad of Parisians thought it would be good fun to sleep out in a thicket on the banks of the Sejne. They had a nice supper and an alcoholic night-cap, and ultimately went to sleep with a revolver ready for intruders on their rest. By morning they found that thieves had gone through their pockets and carried off every--thing useful? including their revolvers. . * lowers having been removed from graves m Haywards Heath parish onurohvard, the vicar, the Rev , T X Wyatt, caused a watch -to be m.l- j ** waa discovered that blackbirds came and plucked the flowers from the zinc vessels and scattered •2. &h ° ut - T ll6ll the birds had a dip > m the flower-scented water, enjoying the bath immensely. x>-£ l 001"l 001 "^ 117 , has Ju st be «n- formed at Pittsburg for the purpose of manufacturing tombstones of a novel description. The company is constructing memorials of glass and, by means of a patent process, a pori of r™ the decea sed person is blown into glass. There are already indications that the idea is likely to become popular, the company having received a large number of orders. Respect for the dead, and sympathy for sorrowing relatives of the dead, are very primitive and easily cultivated virtues', .but. it appears that there are some residents of Timaru (says the Herald), old or youn*. who have not acquired the^n. The proof of this is the frequency of complaints about the despoiling of graves in the cemetery, the uprooting of flowers, and the stealing of plants. The number of doctors in the world has just been estimated at 228,234. Of this number 162,234 are in Europe, the distribution in the different countries being «^i aUo^ : ~ Great Britain and Ireland 34,967, Germany 22.518, Russia 21,489 France 20,967, and Italy 18,245. For every 100,000 inhabitant* in Great Britain there 78 medical men, in "France 51, and m Turkey 18. Cremation as . a method of disposing of the bodies of the dead has been making considerable progress in Germany, but now runs up against a decision "from the highest court in Prussia that the practice is without any sanction of Prussian or imperial law; and may be forbidden by the.. police power of any locality. This decision of the court is not likely to stand as a final word on the subject. It was stated at the annual meeting o? ths Napier Cathedral; parishioners on Monday that Mr J. B. Fielder has put up a record for services to the Church of England in New Zealand. For 42 years he has been a vestryman, and he has been elected lor still another year. During that period. Jhe has been for over 20 years a churchwarden, representing either the vicar or the parishioners. A Chrifttchuroh contractor states that the building trade is quieter in that city now than, it has been for 12 or 13 years. He says that if it were not for the rebuilding of the premises destroyed by the big fire some time ago there would be a very serious "slump." About 400 men are employed on those buildings, and if they had been thrown on the market there would have been a small army of unemployed carpenters in Christchurch. v One of the deserters from the American battleships has made his appearance on the Thames goldfielda. In his opinion about 100 deserted at Auokl&nd, as they resented the severe treatment of the patrol. The mar. in question was carried on board uncoTssciutw two nights in succession. " Wlion a <iilor gets ashore he always c<? '< rljuiik/' i..- -orts, "but the way tho-»> J Li'owf f j o'i out is too much!" j 'I S-iine i\ . > *.. pleasant stories Luc Lerii ' b vu-! of '" i r h,^ ' at %he Wangamu ("<m- it . J&L ■ g*"-'— ->ojng stated th%t .-'jin* f -„,e been making tih ■'".-< ~

of certain day boys anything bui o plea 1 -".!"^! to them. One parent has remove^ his 'oy from the school, while another^ boy crly 6 bis tormentors by going to sci -■* at the very last minute, "and clearing oui the moment the hour ol dismal arrive?, extent^ fc r °i M «*?<»«* ble to sojie extent tor the change of sc^W -the ne^v proprietors believing that thoffol te able rf twu ore advantA^-^ frjr £ po^ an applicant .who lmgton B«ieVolent True «*« £ as a w "JVS^S* her » q r v : # "«SaK land to Wellington. "It U ch cheaper: tp live hero than in Aucku S£!she added! 1 have lived there for a /^■jme, and I can manage with much less^A You can get a shilling's worth of coa"^^»eilinjrton, out you never can in Auoklt^^K ©J6J 6 i^ curiosities t^^B= Pe n in XJerbyshire is in the Wesl^^^Baße.i.?T7 at JSew- Mills, where a mom-Sat erected over an empty tomb to- a lad^Kiil living has stood then& for 25 yea^K It vas erected! by i&s Bowers, a. la8yWo" :v.-.ple means, and her chief reason for hsr having it built was to ensure her burial there, she being- a Wesley.an and her htisbaud a Churchman. " JJrs, Bowers has also had hep name inscribed' on the monument. The costliest flats in London hsive been built on the site of the late DukeTof Cambridge's house et the corner of Pork Lane and Piccadilly. There are six flats in t!:e building, and it is said that the Rental of each wifl Be from £2000 to £2500. I Hca\y as this is, it will yield little nfloro thtn a sufßoient interest on the ex»endiru"3, which has' been somewhat over < £120,000. The flats are unusually large, i»nei«ting of four reception rooms and 10 Jnedrooms. In »n account of his voyr-gHig gliven to the Napwr Herald. Arcitb^hop Efodwoodi said: "We called at Pago' PAgo,- in n.'utuflj», to land a gentleman who Wished f-U ascertain if there would "be "any objc onion to the establishment of a wirekse telefrraphlo station. He was ashore for a few \houie, and, I -understand, found no diißoiilt.y ttobtaining the desired peaniission. Tjftoi-e m a movement on foot, I felieve toicr-mock all these islands by means of the { \ i 1~ 3 telegraphio systieni.**-^^" < Lecturing at' Gistbhie on "'ijhe Ej* and the Bar," Dr de^iisle condoirUicd tiia practice adopted by mrses and parents of endeavouring to oleaithe car of wax. To attempt energetically to remove wax, ha said, stimulated thefmembrane to furtLo? secretion, and somejioes led to a stoppa<;o or to rupture of tl* [ tympanum. " Peopla who -leave their trs alone," he added*- " will not have ' ai exceewive amoi^nt o? wax. Look at m^»; I have not c*f.ined -my ears for 40 y^fcs — that is, the £nside of them." I *" Dr James F. Ryr»r, a native of Croydon, will shortly gain ihe distinoii9n of pfintr the first v fully-qalified # Purrl^h r1 f ''"•"' man to carry oniprofessieu'ii woik ■ *' -t* the Arctic Circle JHe recently left i-xt-ac--ton, Alberta, Casda, on a lonely joi«iev of -1800 miles a»ng the Atha>oa«ca Und Mackenzie Riverf- His destinajtion is Fort Good Hope, which is about 100 Jnilce w^ftia the Arctio Circlfe He does nolt propof to return to civiliiition for at | least ©reo years. Dr Rymejfo patients wild be ImSans and Esquimaux.^ l - -, Romantic oir^Bmstances have c<3int* h> light in Englaifl by the death c J^rac Brazil, or " Jivsay the Br*e« better known a| Swansea, ance he was a|very poor d .j , most frugally. sA. short time *gin » I '^ v over to - Ireland,- where he died worth '■ «>^- tween £80,000 a wi £100.000. Kis stated by the London ' Daily News that he sioflß^M life in a grocers store in Australia, ~^^^^H then began trading in pictures and bu^^^^H newspapers in i towns and selling then^^^^^| a big profit at" out-of-the-way places. "^^^^| A young rriah charged at. Nelson ,^^^^H having obtained a passa-ge from Greym^^^^H to Nelson wit&out making any payn^^^^H said if be could have got to WeJliol^^^^H he would have paid the fare, 'as he nad^^^^H some money ftt a. boarding-house t^^^^H kept by a Mrs Watson before he W &P^^^^| the Coast. He could not remember j^^^^H address, so he had been unable to for the money. The Magistrate was a most extraordinary story, and *^^^H -accused 40s, in default 14 days' imprn^^^H ment. . _^^^^H Gambling is not encouraged art the lington Mission to Seamen, but there standing offer of £1 to be given toJj^^^H man who attends a meeting and docj^^^H i enjoy himseM. One man, accord ing^^^^H the missioner, maintained (says the !^^^^H Zealand Times) a face of gloom for se^^^^^l meetings, hoping to annex the pound, applied for it with a downcast coudj^^^H ance. The missioner tells how he n^^^H a joke, the sailor's face relaxed, and the threatened sovereign etill remainsd|^^^| property of the mission.— New ZeaJ^^^H Times. , ''t^^R .. The whole French navy has eec»^^^H seizure by a Cherbourg Ib»wji for a d«^^H of £5 (says ihe Paris Dai^^ii). Le^^H lier, a dockyard workmi. v lost, a bl^^^| during his employment in November," 190^^^| and in an arbitration wan awarded <t sion of £20. After many delays a.nd b»S^| ing euocessfally sued the GoTernmont, h^^H advocate marched into the Admiraiij^^H Office at . Cherbourg and announced ihatj^H in default of payment, he would be codg^H polled to seize the furniture of the btniw^H ing as well as the warships, torpedo- boa^^H and vessels of smaller importance in tW^H docks at the moment. A frantic tele, ..-al^^H was despatched _to M. Thomson, who for^^^H with oapituUfced and sent £400, the capit^^H necessary to supply the workman's peneio^^H The Chic&ffO Record-Herald of July-^^H gives *e'foU6wing casualty list of tie I^^H of July celebrations for the past five vea^^^H 1903/466 kiUed, 3983 wounded* 1904 HI^^H killed, 3980 wounded; 1905, 132 kilti^^H 4994 wounded; 1906, 158 killed wounded; 1907, 164- killed, 4294 wounfl^^^H A correspondent writing to the Lytt^^^H Times makes a novel suggestion. He|^^^l "It might be a- good thing for Liexrii^^^H Shaokleton's Antarctic expendition if one were to go to the Campbell" l^^^H «r.-' rrow a supply of vegetables, tb^^H bt^'-" a ; ! r i **&«*s**. and if the fg^^H Fa'?' '"' T «ollf be W SSS he th 6 D V^^l -vr- ' • '<y jjl^rry out^tS wlrk.|^^^|