OMNIUM GATHERUM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2949, 21 September 1910, Page 4

OMNIUM GATHERUM.

The demand mado upon Masterton and Wairarapa breeders for Romney rams has been phenomenal this season. Excellent prices have been obtained. Madge Dashwood, a girl of 14, while playing last week at Dimboola (Victoria) Shire quarry, slipped in and was drowned. Joseph Nagel, a lad aged 13 years, attempted to rescue her, but was unsuccessful- , It was stated by Canon H. B. Ottley at a meeting for prohibiting the Sunday opening of places of entertainment that the King heartily sympathises with any movement for securing rest for workers on Sunday.

An explosion, due to the ignition of a case of gelatine, occurred on July 21 at the Simmer East Deep Mine, Johannesburg. Thirteen whites and 76 natives were taken to the hospital, while 15 natives lost their lives.

An operation without chloroforrr at 84 is surely a record. Yet a well-known local resident went through that ordeal recently at the Paimerston North Hospital (6ays the Manawatu Standard), and is now about

again. The Winchester Guardians have been informed by the county asylum authorities of the death of an inmate of that institution, who has been chargeable to the Winchester Union funds for 54 years, at a total cost of £ISOO. A pioneer settler of 75 summers, 60 of which have been spent in Otago and Southland, informed a' Southland Times reporter that the winter now closing has been the mildest in his experience of three score years. After 45 years' imprisonment in Italy a bifigand named Giuseppe Tarantino, aged 65, who was sentenced to penal servitude for life, has (states the Daily Mail's correspondent) been released on account of good conduct. The King of Portugal has accepted an oak sapling from Mr Lumsden, of Worcester. The London World says that it was grown from an acorn found in. a pheasant shot by King (,'anlos during his visit to Wood Norton in 1904. The amended credit system, under which the giving of credit was restricted to short and defined terms, and which was adopted recently by the Auckland Master Grocers' Association, is stated to be giving much satisfaction to the tradesmen concerned. The Geraldine Branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union has agreed to support a remit—" That the Government bo requested to enact that Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards be the recipients of all auctioneers' and public-house license foes."

Two years ago a Quirindi (N.S.W.) farmer bought a farm wt Gunnedah for £2500. A little later he sold for £3250, and thought ho did remarkably well. The new owner quickly sold out for £4OOO, and the other day the property again changed hands for £16,000. A Gazette notice issued on September 8 has given great satisfaction to Bluff fishermen. It enacts that from September 6 black swans shall cease to be within the operation of "The Animals' Protection Act, 1908," within the Southland acclimatisation district. Tho eea front of Belgium, which extends onlv about 40 miles, stretching from Holland to France, is paved almost entirely for the entire length, and forms one huge, wide ocean boulevard. And this, it is stated, is the most productive of public works in the kingdom.

A resident of New Plymouth was disturbed by a rat the other night. • The animal was apparently carrying something from the room behind the sorim and pater of the wall. Presently he saw a flash, and was in time to extinguish an incipient fire. The- rat had ignited a plaid box of vestas. The kana-kanas (New Zealand lampreys) are just now making their yearly ascent of the livers. They were in the Wyndham River over a week ago, and a few days later appeared in the Mimihau. Shags were in attendance on the fish, which would fall an easy to their enemies. Some big shearing records are being made in Queensland this season. At Cambridge Downs 38 men put through 117,000 sheep in four weeks and two days. One day the remarkable average of 198 i sheep was made. Harrison was top with 265. It is claimed that the feat is a world's record. The Nelson Mail's Motueka correspondent draws attention to the fact that on one dav this month between 50,000 and 60,000 fruit trees were landed in Motueka by ont steamer, and this is but one shipment of many during the season. The area that those trees will cover will be about 500 acres.

A little to the north of Whangaroa Harbour —that is to say, at a point known as Toobung—it lias been amply demonstrated that there exists a sponge bed, and that the sponge is of superior quality to that found in the Mediterranean, but of what extent the bed- may be has never been ascertained. A gold rush to Steinkopf, Namaqualand, the north-west part of Cape Colony' bordering on German South-West Africa, is due to the discovery of samples of soft quartzite assaying 18dwt of gold to the ton. No xeef has x«t fa**!* «liicovered-

and it 'is a. imatter of pure speculation Whether mining will pay. A/' New Zealand hors<;-dealcr who returned from Melbourne on the 12th by the s.s. Manuka told a Southland Timee representative that there was still a big demand in the Australian markets for horses, and that animals of good quality could be easily disposed of. Western Australia,, he said, was particularly eagor to buy. Mrs Kernisk, who was badly gored by a young bu!l at Manutahi (Taranaki) last week, is making fair progress towards recovery. Mrs Kerrisk was in tho act of taking a young calf from its mother, when the bull knocked her down and gored her badly. She was much bruised about the body, and was for a time unconscious. A promising invention has been made by Mr W. 11. Davy, a medical student at the Auckland University College. The purpose of the invention is to warn ships in due time of their proximity to dangerous rocks, by exciting an electric alarm placet! on the ship. It' is being patented in all the leading maritime countries of the world. The ancient city of Tarsus, in Asia Minor, where the Apostle Paul was born, is now illuminated by electricity. The power is taken from the Cydnus River. There are now in Tarsus 450 electric street lights and about 600 incandescent lights for private use. It is proposed to extend the lighting system to Ardana and Mersine. The proprietors of the limekilne at Mount Somers, it is stated, are fitting up retorts to disHl gas fiom the Mount Somers brown coal, the gas to be used; for burning the limestone instead of mixing the coal with the stone in the kiln. Gas fuel is said to burn, the 6tone more evenly, and in larger pieces, so that stone-breaking is saved.

Whilst at Napier last week H.M.S. Pioneer was in wireless communication with H.M.S. Powerful/ at Sydney,, and the s.s. Marama. the latter reporting that she was 2200 miles off Sydney. Under very favourable circumstances the Pioneer can communicate by wireless as far as Cape Leeuwiin from Auckland, a distance of 3000 miles.

A witness in a case known as " ringing the changes," heard at the Napier Court a few clays ago, said he had saen the tiick dono about a dozen times, and once in Wellington three times within an hour. He had been cheated himself on one occasion, and was familiar with the trick. Crossexamination revealed the fact that he was a convicted thief.

During service at the Tapanui Presbyterian Ohuroh on Sunday, Ith inst. (says the Courier) the prevailing gale caused a window to blow in. and Mrs. Thos. Prioewas struck in the face, receiving a nasty cut close to the eye, which bled profusely. The services of Dt Robertson had to be enlisted, and Mrs Price narrowly escaped severe injury to the eye. Two brothers at Colyton were anxious to obtain farms. Tito elder pursued land ballots all over the North Island, and faMed every time. Quite recently he died. Hi 3 brothor, discouraged, cleared out for Canada, Bayintr he did not intend to wasie time waitine for a marble in a land ballot. Flo now writes stating that he has secured a farm of 320 acres.

In a bankrupt estate before tho official assignee at Wellington the bankrupt attributed his failure partly to sickness, and his statement showed that of 17 creditors seven were made up of medical men, a dentist, a chemist, and a hospital board. Of tho total liabilities. £6B 17s 6d, these creditors were owed £27 3s 6d ! Only one creditor made an appearance at the meeting.

In one school district under the South Canterbury Education Board there are 14 children, but seven of these belong to one settler, so there were doubts as to building a school, the inspector fearing the attendance at the new school would not wsarrant the expense. However, the difficulty was overcome through the generous offer by a farmer of a cottage free of rent for two years. Judge Burney, of Kansas City, Missouri, has discovered an effioient way of dealing with vagrants a'nd tramps. All men brought before him on the charge of loitering are immediately sentenced to proceed to the Kansas harvest fields and pay out their fine by working for farmers, who are very greatly undermanned. Tramps are now giving Kansas City a wide berth.

The Nelson Evening Mail puts on record a unique family gathering. There wore present Mrs Poiglaso (85 years), her three sons, and four daughters, the youngest of whom was 47 years of age. They were celebrating the fort'iethi birthday of the first grandchild, and they had not all met round the family hearth for 37 years. There are 33 grandchildren and 32 great grandchildren. A "strong man" applied for tent space at, the agricultural show <to the Wanganui Association at its last meeting, and asked" for the sole rights, stating that he had to compete last time against a man who "had beaten everv secretary on the coast for his rent." The association dteclined to grant a monopoly, and the chairman expressed the opinion that the society's regulation would prevent anyone " beating its secretary for rent." An experiment which should prove of considerable interest and probably commejfclai »«Jw* tn h&lwt cax» ; *«l ««4 Jmi Mr

J. N. Williams, Frimley, Hawke's Ba*-. Over 40 years ago he planted walnu . pinus insignds, and African poplar treot,. which to-day are fit to turn into milling timber. Mr Williams has had some c t tlbem cut down and sent to the sawmiL. It is believed that the timber will be very suitable for cabinet-making- purposes. The Wanganui Herald states that the new convent, which it is proposed to erect in Oampbell street on the site now occupied by Villa Maria, will be a handsome brick structure of three etoreys, and will be an ornament to the town. The Building Cbmmdttee is negotiating the loan of the money necessary to carry out the building, operations. When the nuns have removed into the new building the sections now ocoupied by the convent will be leased.

A rise in oil freights has taken place* which is likely (the Aukland Star says) to add considerably to the cost of the article to the consumer. This is unfortunate, as stocks of kerosene have run down somewhat in Auckland, owing to buying from the south. Further supplies are due by the oil steamer Island Moaaroh, and this cargo is being quoted at the old \. price. The rise in oil freights from America * to Australasia is stated to have increased 25 per cent.