OMNIUM GATHERUM.

Otago Witness, Issue 3335, 13 February 1918, Page 37

OMNIUM GATHERUM.

The Oamaru Mail states that Constable Munro, of Kurow, arrested a man named Philip Baker Neel Carmichael at Kurow on Saturday morning on a charge of attempted suicide. f It is notified in last week's Gazette that New Zealand-grown fresh fruit .carried by rail under all headings is included in the exceptions from the second 10 per cent, addition to the rates made in November last. One of the cheesemakers at the Mataura Dairy Factory has secured some big bags of eels recently by moans of an eelpot. His largest catch was recorded the other morning when the pot contained 55 eels, one of which was 141 b in weight and Shout sft in length. The number of cattle in Argentina in June, 1914, on the occasion of the last, census taken, was £25,866,763, os against 29,116,625 recorded in 1908. In the case of sheep, the 1914 figures were 43,225,452 as against 67,211,754 in 1908. Pigs in 1914 numbered 2,900,585, against 1,402,591 in 1903, At a meeting of the Greymouth branch d{ the New Zealand Labour party, the secretary was instructed to telegraph to the trims Minister and the Minister of Defence urging that Mr P. O. Webb's appeal under the Military Service Act be reheard in the interests of the workers of the dominion. A thrashing mill belonging to Mr J. Padkin, of Hakataramca, was recently destroyed by fire, the origin of which is a mystery- The mill had, been overhauled and left in Mr Padkin’s yard previous i<3 starting the season’s thrashing. The pro-

perty was insured In the New Zealand office for £l5O. Some of tlie reservists who were granted conditional exemption by the Military Service Board at Balclutha on the 25th had been no fewer than nine times before this and the other Otago board, their cases being adjourned from time to time. Talk about the " combing out V process—an expensive ono evidently (comments the Free Press).Members of the Southland Education Board (says the Southland Times) commented on Friday on the fact that only four of 20 candidates from, the Southland Boys' High School secured a pass in the Junior National Scholarship examination, and that only one (a girl) Of 26 Inveircargill candidates gained a Senior National Scholarship. A returned Victorian soldier namedFrancis, who was recently discharged from the forces, lost his voice through gM poisoning. He could only whisper, until a few daj'B ago, when, walking through a paddock, a rabbit started up at his feet. He clapped his hands and shouted. To his surprise, his voice returned, and ho now ' speaks as well as ever. Early on Sunday, 3rd inst., a fire broke : out in the Manawatu Flourmills, Palmerston ><orth. The flames were confined to the upper storey. The stocks at the mill Included about 15,000 sacks of wheat and a few tons of flour. Water damaged a considerable quantity of the wheat, estimated at between 300 Q and 4000 tons, whilst, the flour was also damaged. It ha? been found that the disease commonly known as brown rot is developing seriously among stone fruits, such as nectarines and "plums, as well as tome apples (say the Auckland Star). The latter fruit can be in perfect order in the morning, and already in the afternoon it will show signs of rotting, and next morning it will be absolutely rotten. ■ It takes a million gallons of water a month to keep the aquarium going at the Wellington Zoo. A councillor stated at the last meeting of the City Council that this was too expensive an Jtem for tho council v to continue to bear. The aquarium could have been run much more cheaply at Island v Bay, where, with the sea lion, it would v make a valuable attraction. / At a meeting of the School Committees' \ Association (reports the Lyttelton Times), it * was stated that in England and Franc* the ago for compulsory attendance at school had been raised to 18, whilst in Germany I efforts were being made to raise it to 21. The opinion of the meeting was that the age in New Zealand—namely, 14, was too; low. Among those in the First Division who failed to pass the medioal test was a wellknown sawyer and chopper, who has wore big events in Southland and also distinguished himself as a Cumberland wrestler. Another is New Zealand's professional mild champion, a resident of Southland, who has shown himself capable of breaking 4.30 for the distance. In July, 1916, the British Venison Bup* ply Committee was formed, under the chair«i manship of 1./ord Lovat, with obieci o{ increasing tho kill of deer to supplement! , the home supplies of meat. With the cor- ! dial help of the deer owners, the committea" succeeded in increasing the number of dee* ( killed during the season of 1916-17 by mono \ than 30 per cent.' above the average of prea f war seasons. \ Numbers of London women conductor!' of omnibuses, have been poisoned by sweety. ' and chocolates offered to" them by a welldressed middle-aged man who has been entering empty 'buses and proffering sweets. These produced first dizziness arid then un» consciousness. Twenty-five oases have been taken to hospitals, but there have not beou any deaths. The police are searching fo< , the suspect. ! The following' motion was passed at *' committee meeting of the Napier Returned Soldiers' Association held on Mondav. 21st inst.: —"That this association {b of opinion that an inconsistent attitude is being adopted by a section of' the citizens of Napier, inasmuch a? whilst deploring ther actions of our enemies they continue to | patronise instead of boycotting them, am they so frequently advocate." i A company called Antonio's (Limited) has been formed in Auckland to work a sluicing claim in the Reefton district. The ; flotation of the oompany was effected by; j Messrs Hendry and Hay within a week. : Its capital is £SOOO, divided into # 10,000 ' shares of ten shillings each. Work in con- - nection with water race construction has' already commenced, and it is expected that within six months' time the company .will . be a gold producer.-, . I Tho Lyttelton Times states that the" curator's report presented to the _ Domain* Board on. Friday gave some particulars ol a blight that had become noticeable ht many of the oaks and English elms. The scale was easily distinguished by the appearanoe of the insect upon the surface of the bark. It presented itself in very numerous small white spots, like those on the bark *■ of birch. The disease was caused by the. trees becoming bark-bound. The enormous size to which freshwater eels grow in certain waters is indicatedi by a specimen caught recently on a hook in Lake Omapere, near Kaikohe. It- mea-i sured sft 2in in length, and weighed 28i1b," and is said to have been the largest specimen known to have been caught in the lake during recent years. Unavailing efforts , have been made to stock the lake with j trout, and it is believed the fruitless re- i suits are due. to monster eels preying on the young trout. A cable published in the Australian paper* states that Sir Robertson Nicoll, editor of the British Weekly, who is an intimate friend of Mr Lloyd George, has written an article in the British Weekly, in which • he demands, the "combing-out" from the f War Office of "everyone who has not seen active* service." He continues: —"If things go on as at present there is no prospect of any favourable termination of the war. . The Government's attitude towards tha Cambrai breakdown is having the most per«nicious effect. It is necessary to correct tha wild rumours that some responsible offioers were drunk when the German attack wat made* It is time that the truth was told. The publk) will not tolerate this desperate quibbling. We have tho highest authority for saying that the main evil of the Wat Office is the wont of co-ordination. The functions of the departments are not d:fferentiated, and consequently when a gross, blunder is committed there is no culprit to punish." Sir William Robertson, the article goes on, has done the work of finding men and munitions in a satisfactory way, but he did not seem to go beyond that. Lord Derby's powers, as Secretary of War, were limited. When Mr Lloyd George was Secretary of War there was a stir at the War Office. The best men wished that he would continue. Since then everything had relapsed into the old hopeless tangle.