OMNIUM GATHERUM.

Otago Witness, Issue 3105, 17 September 1913, Page 4

OMNIUM GATHERUM.

An artificial limb was picked up in the street of Napier a day or two ago. In “ reddin’ up ” the house of a wellknown Central Otagoito, who died recently, his relatives came upon a “ rich patch.” Tucked away in the heel of an old boot was the sum of £65.

At the meeting of the Ashburton County Council the chairman reported that up to date 2756 dogs hod been registered, as against 2725 last year. This constituted the highest number yet registered in any one year. Whilst discussing various solecisms in the New Zealand dialect at the Secondary Schools Conference at Wellington, one speaker mentioned the request made to him by a scholar: “Please, sir, may the ‘footer blokes’ go?” A large batch of immigrants were brought from London by the lonic, which arrived at Wellington on the 6th inst. Those who came out under the assisted scheme numbered 224, and comprised 43 farm labourers, 79 domestic - servants, and 102 separated relatives.

Between scwt and 6cwt of bone was taken from the right whale secured a week ago off Kaikoura by the Picton whalers. The bone ranged in length up to 7ft Sin, and altogether the whale was a splendid specimen, “the best,” says an old identity, “that has been seen at Kaikoura for over 50 years.” Sweden is the only country that manufactures paper suitable for. wrapping fruit in, and there is a duty of £7 per ton on it. The rebate of £2 per ton British manufactured goods is of 'little use in this connection, and the Dominion Fruitgrowers’ Conference has petitioned the Government to have the duty removed. The 11.M.5. Niagara left Vancouver at 3 p.m. on Wednesday last for Auckland, via Honolulu and Suva, and is bringing--180 first class, 175 second class, and 120 third-class passengers. She has 1000 tons of cargo to land at Auckland, 410 tons of which are for southern ports. Seven ponice also form part of her consignment for Auckland.

The prodigality of the Maori race is remarkable. At a football match at Te Puke, Winiata Tapsoll had just scored the second try for the home team and was receiving an ovation from the spectators present when a stentorian voice arose above the tumultuous din and exclaimed with evident sincerity ; "By golly, Wini, I give you my daughter for that 1” Several right whales came into Peninsula waters on Thursday week (state* the Kaikoura Star), and avo crews gave chase, the Perano (Pioton) launch, in charge of Mr J. Jackson, ultimately capturing one about 60 feet long, which is expected to return well over £4OO. This launch only arrived on Saturday week, so the crew's initial chase has been well rewarded.

“If our men are given a further increase in wages, I don’t know what we are going to do,” remarked a tanner at the Auckland Arbitration Court last week.

“ We can’t raise our prices, because if wo do wo will be wiped out at once by foreign stuff. Unless the Government in its wisdom increases the tariff, we will have to go to the wall if these increases continue,” he added. The other day a Hamilton resident visited Cambridge, and while there discharged a small account he owed at one of the stores. When he had departed the proprietor of the establishment noticed a mark on one of the Bank of New Zealand notes he had been paid, and on turning it over he saw written on the back in indelible pencil, “ Good-bye, and may luck go with you. The last of £200.”

The Mutaura Presbytery at its last meeting decided to open ■within its bounds a new home mission station, consisting of Mokoreta, Redan, and Wairekiki. Application was made to tho Home Mission Committee in Wellington for an agent to work this district, and Mr W. J. Robertson, of Dipton, was appointed the first missionary. Mr Robertson entered upon his duties last week, and preached at all three centres yesterday. About 8 o’clock on Thursday evening at Wellington a strong gust of wind blew Thomas Stacey, a fireman on the Indraloma. into the harbour alongside the Railway wharf. N. Burns, a coal-lumper working at the Pukaki. made a rope fast around his waist and jumped into the water to the assistance of Stacey. William Jarvis, quartermaster on the Indralcma, also rendered aid in getting the men out of the water. Stacey was able to proceed to bis vessel. “ Through all the places I’ve been during my holiday,” said Mr James Boyd, who returned the other day from a visit to America and the Old Country, to a Kaikoura Star representative, “ I’ve not been across such good metalled roads as we have here in our own little locality. The roads in California were terrible, for they have no metal there, and the roads in Ireland and a groat portion of England are not to be compared with those in New Zca-

land.” Lord Liverpool, speaking at a Salvation Army gathering in Wellington, said he believed that they would have to look for their future Chancellors of the Exchequer from the ranks of the Salvation Army.— (Laughter and applause.) of the most difficult things to do was to extract money

from people. The army collected it wherever it went. He would give the hint to the Mayor that in future ne need not ask for anything in the nature of money in Wellington. The parents of a tiny infant at Kaiti are reported to have had the shock of their lives one evening recently. A scream from the adjacent cot awakened them from their peaceful slumbers, but they thought that the child had experienced merely a sharp pain, and they soon fell asleep again. Shortly afterwards a more terrific yell compelled them to make due inveetigation, with the result that they found an ugly rodent reclining on their precious infant, and subsequently discovered that the child had been severely bitten in several places. The Lake County Press states that a resident of Arrow, against whom the police had applied for the issue of a prohibition order, made a pathetic appeal to the bench at the sitting of the Magistrate’s Court last week. He asked to be allowed access to the hotels for a couple of days in order that he might “ taper off,” while at the same time he promised to bo “square” within a week. A sympathetic bench decided to give defendant another chance, and the ease was adjourned for a week in order to ascertain whether or not the promisee would be kept. Mr Henry Broadhead, who has just returned to New Zealand, told a reporter that there was not among the people of England the interest in New Zealand that might be expected, and some folk betrayed a strange ignorance of the dominion’s geographical position. A prevalent notion was that New Zealand was very close, if not attached, to Australia, and that kangaroos abounded in the country. He found, however, that Canterbury lamb was known everywhere, and concerning the quality of it he had not heard a single adverse remark. He had tasted it at Home frequently, and was convinced that it deserved the good name it had earned.

For many years the world has been baffled by the problem of where the pins go that are turned out in millions of millions by the Ein factories. But the problem seems to ave been solved at last. A Pat-is scientist, Dr Xavier, has been experimenting on pins, hairpins, and needles by the simple process of watching a few. He states that they practically disappear into thin air by changing into ferrous oxide a brownish rust that soon blows away in duet. An ordinary hairpin took only 154 days to blow away. A steel nib lasted just under 15 months. A common pin took 18 months to vanish. A polished steel needle defied the ravages of the atmosphere longest, taking years to disappear. So the reason why the world is not a foot deep in the pins it buys is, it seems, exactly the same which makes an iron surface scale off when exposed for a long time to the atmosphere without the protection of paint.