OMNIUN GATHERUM

Otago Witness, Issue 3031, 17 April 1912, Page 4

OMNIUN GATHERUM

The arrivals in the Dominion during February numbered 2902, and! the departures 3125. The number of people in Queenstown on Good Friday was put down at 1000—a record. During the three months just ended there have been three bankruptcies in the Manawata district. The Palmerston North Borough Council refused permission for skating to bo indulged in on Good Friday Carterton was not furnished with either a birth or a death during the month of March. It succeeded, however, in arranging a marriage. Constables O'Grady and Murphy, of Geraldinc, made a road ur May field on the sth inst., and seized a quantity of home* made beer, amounting to about 30 gallons. A Timoru labour agent informed a Herald repDrter that the shortage of labour was being inoro acutely felt at the prooent time than ever before in South Canterbury. It is stated that a genuine offer of Is 4d per pound for this years hcp*> was made in the Motueka district last early part, of the season sales were made at Is Id and Is 2d per lb. An amount aggregating £13,093 was sued for in the Gisborne Magistrate's Court last year, and in connection with which judgments were given totalling £7213. There were 1011 plaints issued and 635 cases tried. " Everybody who goes into a library needs watching,'' remarked Mr C. Wilson, Parliamentary Librarian, at the Libraries' Conference in Wellington. "In fact," he add'ed, "some of the most respectable people are the meet dangerous." The Palmerston North Borough Council is forwarding to the Municipal Conference a remit advocating thai Licensing Bench elections be conducted under the Local Elections Act, to enable caadidat.es to withdraw after nomination if found desirable. There is apparently a great scarcity of bacon and hams in the country, manufacturers being unable to fulfil orders (says a northern exchange). Several firms in Wanganui have almost sold out of stock. Bacon is retailing at Is 2d per pound in Wellington In conversation with a representative of the Wairarapa Age, a Masterton Chinaman stated that there was every probability that, since China had been created a Republic, there would be a steady exodus of Chinamen from New Zealand' to the Flowery Land. Returns furnished by the Government Statistician (Mr M. Fraser) show that during February, 1912, the Dominion gained 3902 immigrants, as against 3370 in February, 1911. I>e»arture6 from the Dominion totalled 3125 in February, 1912, and' 3525 in February, 1911. At a wedding, that took .place recently at Colombo, Ceylon, the bridegroom dressed up as the bride and the latter as the former, and the ceremony was gone through without the two people concerned being identified. Their friends are now questioning the validity of such a marriage. At the Cbristchurch Health and Strength Club's Hall, Mr C. Buekett, a local champion, established a New Zealand club-swing-ing record of 24 hours. The existing record waa 17 hours with 31b clubs (total weight). Buekett used clubs weighing 61b loz, thus establishing an extra record for heavy clubswinging.

An interesting fact in connection with General Godley's visit to th. 3 Rangiora camp is that every man composing the guard of honour was over 6ft in height. These men actually asked to be allowed to stay an extra day in camp eo that they might receive tho General, a convincing proof of the prevailing keenness. The sale of indecent literature on Government railway trains was discussed at a meeting of tho Wanganui Presbytery, and it was alleged that improper books were exposed for sale by railway stall agents and railway newsboys. It was decided to instruct tho clerk to write to the Minister of Railways and the Prime Minister on the subject The Easter steamer traffic was very heavy. On Thursday nisrhi tho Mararoa and tho Warrimoo left Wellington with 794 passengers between them, and the Maori arrived at Wellington from Lyttelton on Friday with 694, this number being within seven of her full complement. On her return trip on Friday evening tho ferry boat took about 500 holiday-makers. Speaking at the Lyttelton Harbour Board's meeting recently, tho Hon. G. Laurenson, Minister of Customs, said it was pleasing to be able to announce that tho estimated Customs revenue for the year had been exceeded. The department, after allowing for tho remission cf duties on articles of every-day necessity, representing £600.000, had estimated the revenue at £3,000,000, but that amount had been exceeded by £278,000. Tho » ncertainty which has existed regarding a council's rights in striking off tho rr;' inicipal roll the names of those porsons who did not vote at tho previous election has been removed, states the Wellington Post. The Petono Borough Council has b.km legally advised that tho roll can only t>e purged every two years. The rolls used at tho Mayoral election this month will therefore be the same as those used last year, with additions.

A lad described es hard-working, obedient, and intelligent, was brought before the Napier magistrate on a charge of being destitute and not under proper control.., He ■was 15 years of age, yet was only in the First Standard. A man who was present in oourt offered to take charge of him. His Worship committed him to the Weraroa Training Farm, and an application will be made to the Government to have the lad released before he is 21 years of age. An old man entered the dock at the Gisborne Police Court recently to answer a charge of attempted suicide by taking spirits of-salts. In answer to the charge, tie said, " 1 was very low-spirited 1 at the time and did not know what I was doing." "Is he in a fit state to plead," asked his Worship, and Sergeant Hogan said that he thought it would be better if the prisoner was remanded. Remarking that it was in the interest of accused, his Worship remanded btno Diphtheria is sweeping through Melbourne. The health authorities are becoming alarmed, for the graphs which have been made of the epidemic of the last three years indicate that the danger of infection is greater in the winter than in the summer. That they arc not taking action too soon to alarm the public mind to the :tate of danger which confronts them may be gathered from the returns of the number of sufferers during the last three years, tho figures being: 1909, 1568; 1910, 24-15; 1911, 5120. Organised labour does not intend to bo caught napping in this electorate (state*; the Foxton Herald), in the event of an appeal being made to the people next spring. Th Flaxmiells Employees' Union is keeping in touch with members and a new party called the " Independent Labour Party," with M- R ' T n-n ~v, moving spirit and organiser, has" come info existence. i'ne oigu~..ee, ..-, .... senL in tho Foxton district enroll.rig members and explaining the objects of the party. In conversation with a Lyttelton Times 1 reporter, Major Jones, officer commanding the Engineers military encampment ac Fox's Farm, Styx, said that although several of the men in camp had gone out only under compulsion, and not with a grace too good, a few had entirely changed their views on the matter of military training, and they were now quite enthusiastic. He extended a cordial invitation to any anti-militarists to visit the camp at any time and interview the men for themselves on the matter.

About 6 o'clock on Good Friday morning a steward of the Turakina, who was tauen up from Lyttelton to Wellington on warrant, was placed aboard the vessel by the police. Just before the vessel moved ofF the man slid down a rope and hid behind a wharf crane. He was discovered and taken out to the liner in a tender Such an unwilling worker, however, was not wanted, so he was sent ashore again. The Turakina, had to wait till a fireman was transferred from one of the other liners owing to one of these men having deserted. Land transactions in Hawke's Bay, said a gentleman from that province to a Wellington Post reporter, have for some time past been assuming very considerable dimensions. As «n instance, only the other day a buyer from the South Island completed a transaction which brought his total purchases up to £170,000 —all in less than 12 months. The large landowners, he added, are beginning to realise that it is not in their own interests to retain the holdings, and several have determined to cut up portions of their estates in the near future. The finest head —a seventeen-pointer—-secured for many years on a deer-stalking expedition in New Zealand, was secured on Tuesday week at Wainui-o-mata, by Mr W. W. M'Cardle, Mayor of Pahiatua. The manner of obtaining it was also somewhat reniarkablo (says the Dominion). Mr M'Cardlo left Pahiatua on Monday for Wainui-o-mata, arrived there that night, stalked his stag, secured the head the next morning, and returned to Pahiatua on Wednesday night with, his trophy. The head is magnificently shaped and very handsome. A rather novel ease of animal suicide occurred near Kekerangu one day last week, tay3 the Kaikoura Star. Mr J. J. Boyd was exercising a young horse on the beach, when the animal suddenly made a bolt for the sea. There was a very heavy sea prevailing at the time, and Mr Boyd', finding himself unable to restrain the animal, threw himself clear. The horse, saddled and bridled, galloped into the surf, and was thrown down, and on its back, by a big wave. Recovering itself, it went on its mad journey, and swimming out to sea was eventually drowned. An impressive reminder of the drowning fatality on the beach at Greymcuth in January of last year, was received recently from Yorkshire, England, by the Rev. T. N. Griffin. This was a request on the part of the relatives of young Mr Lister, the victim of that occasion, to present a gold medal each to Mr H. Jackson and Mr J. Robinfcon for their courageous, though futile, attempt at rescue of their drowned relative. The medals are of beautiful design, and bear the following inscription: — "Presented for attempted rescue of a comrade, January 22. 1911." A senseless joke was perpetrated in Pabea on Sunday week just ;;s churchgoers were returning home. It appears

that someone had* succeeded in affixing a tin to a live rat by means of a lengthy piece of string. As a local resident accompanied by his wife was passing an alleyway the rat ran ccross the path and the string attached to it became entangled round the lady's feet. As it happened the lady, who is anything but strong, has a particular dread of rats, and naturally fainted on finding the animal entangled round her feet. For some time'she remained in this state, and considerable difficulty was experienced in reviving her.