NEWS NOTES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10957, 27 April 1907, Page 6 (Supplement)

NEWS NOTES.

Half of the world's population eat no animal food. Statistics show that more womeh marry at 23 than at any other age. Lord Charles Bere.ford, m an interview at San Francisco, said he was a firm ueliever m battleships, notwithstanding the talk about international disarmament. He added, "The people have become the arbiters of peace, and they realise that battleships are cheaper than battles. They regard the outlay on battleships as an insurance rate." Colonel Stanley Lewis, a wealthy retired army officer, of New York, has enteied -into a contract with a specialist by which he has agreed to pay £<*000 lor an operation to reshape the face of a baboon, and if this is successful he agrees to undergo a similar operation himself, for which he will pay another £6000.' The record of railroad accidents ano deaths and' injuries resulting from tham m the United States for the Jast six months is astounding. From August Ist. 1906, to the end of February there have been forty-nine wrecks, resulting m the loss 351 lives and the injury of 474 persons. The "month with the greatest record was January, when twenty wrecks occurred. ' Eight years ago the German resident m Melbourne formed a schobl association m order that their children might receive systematic instruction m German. They could not reconcile themselves to the thought of their children growing up m ignorance of the language of their forefathers. By the courtesy of the Victorian Government, the use of the state school at Rathdown Btreet, Carlton, was granted on Saturday mornings, and between one and two hundred ch._«ren are receiving instruction there. Andrew Carnegie is famous for the excellent advice that he gives to poor young men. "In considerable fear," said a New York millionaire, "I once consulted Mr Carnegie about a new venture. The busi' ness looked as if it ought to be profitable. There seemed to 'be a publio need Of it. Still, there was some risk involved, and I was afraid. But Mr Carnegie laughed at my fears. 'If it's a good thing, plunge in,' he said. 'Fear is old womanish. Fear is what keeps untold millions from making fortunes. When .Benjamin Frahklin thought of starting a paper m Philadelphiahis mother, greatly alarmed, tried to dissuade him. She pointed out that there were already fwo newspapers m America.'" Tlie New Zealand ease m which a woman masqueraded m a man's clothes recalls one just. reported' iipm Australia. Having become a widow, she set out from Wiedgiewa Station, m New South Wales, and when she got to a strange locality indued herself with a sac suit, a -.Tuscan straw hat, and a "straggly moustache." Obtaining eiriployment at such work as scrub-cutting, and milking, she avoided deteetioir until she reached Axe Creek, m Victoria, where a smart constable pens, .rated the disguise. When they met she , was carying' a swag, and -gaily acc6sted. the constable with "Good morning." Something m her manner made him' suspicious ,ahd at the first question off came the "straggly moustache," when her sex was revealed. An arrest followed,- and at the first police station the necessary change of attire was effected. " Wopmera" .m the ■ Argus writes :— - Some people don't care how far they tax the temper of a shop assistant. A lad.' was m a big city establishment the other day, arid was looking at blankets. Roll after roll was brought from the shel sea After half an hour of this amusement an acquaintance greeted the lady. As people do m such circumstances, she asked what seemed a superfluous question : "Buying blankets?" The supposed customer murmured confidentially: *'A. a matter of fact I'm not shopping} Fin waiting for Charlie. I'm really looking at these blankets; to excuse my presence here." The, shopman leaned forward He had overheard "Are you waiting for a friend, madam!" he asked sweetly. "Well, there is qne pair of blankets still on the shelves. Perhaps' you will find him there." .- r Following is the incident reported from Nairobi, East Africa, on March 14, which has been . referred to m tjie cable news several tihies lately. «, Captain Grbgan, president of the Colonists Association, assisted'by two other European* publicly flogged three natives before the courthouse. The affair was witnessed by iiractically all the pon-official white population. . A resident magistrate aud a policemen were present, and made a formal protest, but no attempt was made to interfere with Captain Grogah and his assistants. The flogging was the outcome of a lack of police protection, wliicli has led to many white women being in-sulted-by natives. Often the natives have gone unpunished, and public resentment culminated m the extraordinary scene, A Gibraltar correspondent sehds a London paper details given him by on eyewitness of the collision whicli occurred off Lagos on February Uth' betweeh the battleships Commonwealth and Albemarle, arid which resulted m a large hole being made m the port-side of tlie Commonwealth, while tlie Albemarle's bows .were twisted and a portion of her torpero net- . ting carried away. Seven battleships of the fleet were steaming m quarter-line ahead when, according to our correspondent's story, the flagship King Edward turfiedto starboard, and Nos. 2, 3,' 4, ' 5, and 7 did the same. No. 6, the Commonwealth, however, it is stated, continued straight ahead, and would have rariimed the Albemarle amidships had not that vessel been put under full speed astern, As it was. the Comnaonwealth ran across the ram of the Albemarle. The correspondent considers that a terrible disasiter was narrowly averted. ', : , Remarkable testimony to the vitality and hardihood of the bovine has been brought to light by a drover m the employ of Mr Sydney Kidman, the "cattle king.'' An eight-year-old bullock was killed at Annandale Station, Queensland, by Mr Gaffney, Mr Kidpaan's manager, and inside the animal's paunch a heavy native spear head was found. The blade was nearly a foot long, two inches broad iri the centre, and qval shaped. This head is fitted on to what is known as the pea bush, secured with native wax aud string, and then impelled with the vvomera. The animal was one of a mob lifted by Mr Gaffney from Newcastle Waters to Annandale, a distance of 900 niiles, arid evidently carried the, blade m its inside without betraying any signs of injury or even discomfort,. The spear is a type peculiar, to the natives of the Newcastle Waters -district. The' question of pi-pinoting lan automobile reliability contest from Christchurch to the Bluff and back, a distance of something like 700 miles, has weeri" much discussed m automobile circles fc some time past, it being felt that with the numerous cars m use— the majority of the owners of which are keen sportsmen — the time is now ripe for promoting such a test, which would prove of enormous iriterest from oue end of New Zealand to the other, and afford an admirable opportunity of testing the reliability and general utility of the automobile. The contest, while.not .u_:n a huge undertaking, is similar m a way to that which it is proposed to hold from Brisbane to Adelaide. "The conditions suggested for the ".vent are that a handicap of so many hours' start be given to cars m the different classes, the firs. motovist to reach the winning post to be declared the winner. If these conditions govern the contest it will, if it is decided to hold it, be more of a race than a reliability trial. Queensland continues to jubilate over the number of desirable settlens which she is getting from New South Wales and tn c southern States. "Since January Ist," re. marks a northern contemporary, "roundly speaking, m three months, ..about 1600 southern men have passed through the inquiry office— an average of 600 per month —m search of land, nnd a large number have settled down. Others have returned to flic south to wind up their affairs,'' and.JJ.ey may b ft expeqted bock m the course of a' few weeks, when they will begin to build, to fence, and to clear and nngbark," Queensland, with her vast areas yet unalienated (remarks the Sydney telegraph) is m a so much better position than any of the other States to initiate a bold immigration policy tliat it is a pity she is content to merelr increase her population at the expense of the other States. Especially might Queensland- make herself attractive to those who, having already :;erved an apprenticeship to heat, do not care to return to the colder latitudes m which they were reared. Only quite recently an ex-judge of one of the Courts of Ceylon selected 640 acres' m the slopes of the Bunya Mountains, and he is said to., be so charmed with the country and s<> satisfied with th© prospect's that 'he is not only bringing his own family out, but he is recommending friends m Ceylon to follow his example. This gentleman has notions of tea and cocoa planting.

Collector : "It'll cost you seven and sixSmce for a license for that dog, mum !" rs Moggs : "Seven and six'! Why, that's all my old man had to pay for the license to many me?" Mr Moggs (from within) : "Yes, but tliat animal's worth 'aving !" Mr William Randolph Hearst, the American millionaire newspaper proprietor, hag bought one of the finest building sites m Riverside-drive. New York, to build himself a palace. At present le lives m a modest old-fashioned dwelling m Lexington-avenue. An Ohio man has just received a court award of lOldols to compensate him for the loss of luxuriant, whiskers, which were prematurely removed by a gas explosion. We have heard of men earning their living by the sweat of their brows, but never of one winning bread by the stubble bf his chin. For enlarging the Kiel Canal to take the new Germari Dreadnoughts and ither large vessels, the Reichstag will shortly be called Upon to vote £10,000,000, Writes a Berlin correspondent, ahd the Work includes building a series of new locks and the rccoristruction of several new bridges. At a meeting of the Manchester District Trade Union miners it wa» reported that pit brow [lasses were increasing m nuriibers, there being over 1600 now »n. ployd at pits In South and South- West Lancashire. Elderly men have been discharged to riinke roorri for the Women. ; ; ; As showing tjne immunity of the modern motor-car, Mr [Cecil Bourchier claims to have driven hfa car 14,000 miles on the Continent without spending a penny on it m repairs. Anbther owner, Mr Kennard, | states that his repairs for six rears averaged £11 annually, for a tbtftl d_staitc_ of 36,000 miles. The cars used- were of English manufacture. I The popularity of the Canadian national winter gamd of hockey has received A- f J serious setback through the death of n n ayer of a ijieighboring town from a blow from the- club of one of the oppos* ing team. There have recently been protests as to rough play m the games fpr the Mmto Cup, the. v embhlm of the championship. It is said that German engravers harden their too|s m sealing wax. The tool is heated to whiteness and plunged into the wax, withdrawn m an instaut, and plunged iri again, the profess being repeated until the Bteel is too\old to enter the wax^ The steel is said to become, after this process, almost as hard ?_J? dlam ond,!and when touched with a little oil or turpentine the tools are excelelnt for engraving purposes, w d the/ are able to piejrce the hardest metals. ' _ There has b|en nb active disagreement between the Rev Mr Spurgeon and the officers of Ins : church (says a London paper, referring to Mr Spurgeon's retirement), but fori some years past there has existed an .leitient of disoord, due to the fact that many! members were m favof of the appointment to the pastorate of the - T'_i Dr \_. A 4"! r T - Pien.on, who officiated at the liVberirtcle during the inter, val between the death of the late Rev. 0. H. Spurgeon ijnd the appointment of the Rev.lhomas Spurgeoh. Dr. Pierson is now m Londoii. ' .V A remarkable instance of the vitality and hardihood of the ox has been brought I to light by A drover m the employ of Mr Sydney Kidmnri, the "cattle king." An einht-year^old bullock was killed at Annandale station, 1 Queensland, and inside the animal's paunch a heavy native spear-head wj.s found, the blade Was nearly a foot;; long, two (nches broad m the centre, arid oval shaped. This head is, fitted on td what is known aa the peabush, secured INvith native wax and string, and then impelled with the womero. The animal was b^ie. of- a mob lilfted by' Mr Gaffney from [Newcastle Waters to Annandale. a distance of 900 miles, and cvi. ' dently carried tlie blade m its mside with--out betrayir«|any signs of injury or even discomfort. Tlie spear is a type peculiar to the natives of the Newcastle Waters district. .