OMNIUM GATHERUM.

Otago Witness, Issue 3196, 16 June 1915, Page 4

OMNIUM GATHERUM.

The membership of the Manawatu Hunt Club is now 300. 'there wdll be 109 polling booths in the Taumarunui electorate for the purpose of the by-cleetion on Tuesday. An area of 1844 acres in Southland, known as the Croydon Bush Domain, has been set apart as a sanctuary for imported and native game. An aged Maori at Taumarunui has bogged to be allowed to go with the next Native contingent, stating that he could be better spared than the younger men. A couple of gold nuggets, one about Bdwt, were found on the sea beach at Hokitika, on the 6th lust., where the sea had made an inroad into the sandbank. The severity of the epidemic of influenza that has been raging in Canterbury is shown by the' fact that out of 165 inmates of the Burnham Industrial School no fewer than 140 have recently been laid up with this complaint. A railway porter named Pine was arrested at Otaki by Constable Satherley, on a charge of theft of ladies’ clothing from a commercial traveller’s hamper at Dannevirke. He was remanded to appear at Dannevirke. Ice on the milk! That was the condition of things prevailing in some local households on Monday morning (says the Marlborough Express). Twelve degrees of frost were registered during the night. During Saturday night the thermometer just touched freezing point. Mr R. Meredith (says the Waimato Times) has received news that his nephew (Inspector Meredith, of the Straits Settlement Constabulary) had a hairbreadth escape during the Singapore mutiny. Two Chinese servants in his carriage were killed, also the horse that was drawing it. Mr G. T. Ellery, town clerk at Adelaide since 1899, has been appointed town clerk at Melbourne at a salary commencing at £llOO a year. About 15 years ago he was chosen as town clerk for the city of Sydney from a number of applicants, but on account of ill-health ho was obliged to refuse the position Work on the raihvay line a short distance below the station site is now in hand (says the Cromwell Argus). Early last week a gang commenced the work of excavating a cutting through tho point at the Cromwell Brewery. From the Halfway House northwards several gangs are now at work and satisfactory progress is being made. A sharp earthquake shock was felt at Hanmer Springs at 2.30 a.m. on Sunday, 6th inst., the direction being east and west (says the Christchurch Press). A loud rumbling noise preceded the shock. The effect of the disturbance was noticeable in tho Government grounds, where the mineral water supplying the baths was quite muddy for several hours. According to the New Zealand Railway Review, the executive of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants has decided to ask for an increase of one shilling a day for all ranks of tho second division (says tho Wellington Post). The executive will meet the Minister of Railways just prior to the opening of the session. Mr J. B. Adams, of Christchurch, inventor of tho Adams patent life-saving raft, who left for London in March on business concerned with the Board of Trade tests, has apparently met with success (says the Lyttelton Times), as the following cable message was received from him yesterday: “Patent approved; Board of Trade certificate granted.” An interesting discovery was made by a picnic party on Ward Island (Wellington) last week. While exploring the island a young penguin was captured in a tunnel. It was about nine or ten inches high and fairly tamo, althoug'h, when caught, it made vigorous pecks at the fingers. Subsequently a nest of penguins was found in a deep hole in a rock on the island. Some idea of the causes contributing to prevent regular supplies of goods reaching Auckland from Great Britain be gathered from an extract from a business letter received by an Auckland firm. It states: “Tho s.s. Opawa was on the point of sailing from Glasgow on the 20th or April to complete loading at Liverpool, when her coal was commandeered by a On Saturday morning the Southland District Coroner (Mr T. Hutchison) held an inquest at Invercargill concerning the death of Malcolm M‘Galium, who was killed on tho railway lino near Kew on tho evening of Juno 3. The evidence supported the view that deceased was net knocked down by the train, but was lying across tho track when the cowcatcher picked him up. The verdict was that deceased was accidentally killed, no blame being attachable to anyone. At the meeting of the Balclutha Patriotic Committee on Saturday night there was a full and free dloounoiOii ou Uo subject -or the Queen Carnival for South Otago, which it was decided some time ago to hold in aid of tho fund for wounded soldiers and their dependents from these districts. Mention was made (jays the Free Press) of the Dunedin Queen Carnival, and It was decided that as the local committee was first In the field with the idea it should not allow the Dunedin movement to Interfere'in any way. The West Coast correspondent of tho

Christchurch Sun writes that for some months past orders for red pine have been 50 * re el.y received by the sawmillers that mills which, because of the dullness of trade, had been closed down, are being put into commission again. The white pine trade continues exceedingly brisk, several mills being pushed to their utmost capacity in order to meet demands fjom Australia. The timber trade, in fact, has scarcely ever been better on the Coast, and there is employment offering for several bushmen and mill hands. Is a man responsible for his wife’s debts contracted before marriage? This was the question raised at a meeting of creditors in Pahiatua' the other day (says the Herald) Bankrupt said ho had been advised by a solicitor that he would be liable. A creditor said he had also obtained legal advice in a similar case, and the reverse opinion had been given. The Deputy Official Assignee said he thought the bankrupt wak liable for the wife’s debts contracted before marriage. Another creditor remarked that when bankrupt got married, he took his wife for “ better or worse.” The following figures were published in America a clay or two after the sinking of the Lusitania, the articles being taken from the ship’s manifest: —Cartridges and ammunition—s47l cases, value £40,000 ; sheet brass—26o,ooolb, value £10,000; copper—ll.762lb, value £4000; copper wire —58,4651 b, value £2500; 349 packages of furs, value £24,000; military goods, 189 packages, value £14,000; cases of leather, value £6000: beef, 3000 cwt. There wore no high explosives on board. These are carried in British cargo ships, and not by passenger vessels.