LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 22, Issue 96, 12 December 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A Costly Election.— An official inquiry into the election expense* in America shows that Mr Stephenson, of Wisconsoin, had to expend over £20,000 to secure in igoß his nouiination by' the people as a Republican whom the Legislature should elect to represent the State in Washington. He directed his agents to keep within • the law, but to do everything possible to secure a victory. When he found that the item for beer and cigars amounted to £6OOO, he protested that, he wahted to win, not to buy a nomination, but be was silenced upon learning that the other three candidates had spent £BOOO, £6OOO, and £2OOO. Altogether about £38,000 were expended on the campaign.. In the detailed account of Mr Stephenson’s expenditure, which is required under the law of Wisconsin, occur such items as "Trip through Ghetto. 35 dols.’’; two picnics, 60 dols.; various "touches” which costs 19 dols,” and “ a hammer, 3 dols,” The committee, which is sitting in Milwaukee is endeavouring to unravel these mysteries.

A Boy’s Essay on Girls. —In his amuar ing book, “ Schoolroom Humour,” Dr Macnamara, M.P., tells scores of stories about and by children. Here is a little essay on girls, by a boy;—“There are two sorts of children,, boys and girls, and of the two boys are the best. Girls cause all the rows and quarrels. They think they are wonderful if they can get a bird’s feather stuck in their hat. They are. proud and vain and are always gossiping and making mischief. I simply hate them. They boast of what they can do this, that, and the other, and a fat lot it is when it comes to the put. If there were no girls and women in the world it would be a very peceful place. They love to sit and rest. Girls do vary from day to day. On washing days they think they are nearly killed. ' They would rather gossip half a day than walk half a mile. It’s no good, they are a bad race and decitful. If your wife sells anything she keeps a shilling back. Girls like to wear rings and think they are ladies. They bob their hair on top like mountains and wears a fringe to make us boys think they are pretty, but ain’t they just deceived. The young men have a hard job to find a good and hard-workimg wtfe in these days. Girls are cowards, and I never knew one to face danger. Boys are also strong and useful, while girls are timid, frightened weak little creatures. I would not be a girl for £lO.

A Water-race.—Messrs Nation and Mayo’s application for a water-race from Deep Creek, etc., bas been granted by tba Warden. Messrs Humphries' Brothers are making suitable arrangements for water power.

Land Sale.—A farther reminder is given that the New Zealand Loan Co. will, at the Havelock Town Hall at 11.30 a.tn. on Saturday next, 16th December, offer for sale 81 acres freehold in the estate of the late Robert Forrest.

Supreme Court.—The hearing in the action against the Marlborough Timber Company will probably commence this morning and the case of Reader v. Brownlee and Co. will follow on Wednesday. A number of witnesses in the case Finlayspn v. Couzens left hurriedly yesterday afternoon per motor.

Shipping. —The Manaroa had another rough trip on Wednesday night, bdt arrived at 9.30 on Friday morning with a cargo of 35 tons. The steamer got away again at 11 a.m., her outward cargo including 90 crates of cheese from the Havelock Dairy Factory, 74 crates from Canvastown, and 84 crates from the Rai, 16 bales of wool, and 3 bundles of skins. , The vessels reached Wellington at 2.5 p.m. on Saturday. ■■ ' Export of Scheelite.— On behalf of the Dominion Consolidated Goldmining Company, Deep Creek, Mr W. H. Orsman has shipped to Wellington several consignments of scheelite, the market price of which is about £l2O per ton. By the Manaroa on Friday Mr Orsman sent forward 20 bags of the metal. Scheelite is proving, a very valuable by-product of the stone from the Company’s Empire City claim. Is this Meant fob You?—The following notice has been posted on the doors of Ministerley Church, ,in Shropshire, a “ chapel-of-ease,” in the patronage of the Marquis of Bath: “Does This Refer to You?—Missing last Sunday! from church, several members of the congregation. Stolen, several hours'' | from the Lord’s Day by a number of I different people, some of them respectably dressed in their Sunday clothes. Strayed, many of our young people of both sexes with one or' more company seen walking down Sunday Breakers’ lanes, which lead to no good. Mislaid, several silver and copper coins which were really in want for church purposes. Anyone assisting in recovery of same •will in nowise lose their reward.” There must be something wrong with chapels and churches which losecash and custom in this way, and the reason for the losses might possibly be discovered within rather than outside the edifice. Troubles of a Mayoress. —The town of Hunnewell, in Kansas is certainly under petticoat government. The mayor, . the city marshal, the oily clerk, and chief of police are all women, and many of the councillors and citizens have risen in revolt Iwith what promise to be lively results. The lady mayor refuses to mince words over iniquities that she considers exist, u she asserts “ the town is morally cleaner now than it ever was when a man had the job. Women can tell by sense of smell whether the law is being broken and gaming places and other reoorts are open, and my nose is as good as any one's. . . . There aren’t any political pulls in onr town since 1 became mayor. . . Any man who works for the city’s money is. going to earn it or he gets fired. . . . 11l add, also, that when I quit the office of mayor there won't be any men crowing around over what they 'put over’ on me.” The entire State, is said, is aroused over the matter,. the Governor being one of the mayor’s supporters. She has threatened that, unless there is a change in the masculine attitude toward her, she will oust the men ,and fill every post with women. She has the appointing power , over most of the Hunnewell departments.

Origin of Moving Pictdres.— The moving pictures that now form an important part in the entertainment of the public everywhere had their origin in an after-dinnei discussion between Sir John Herschel and his friend Charles Babbage, as long ago as 1826. It appeals that Sir John, making inquiry of Babbage as to how he would show both sides of a shilling coin at the same time, the latter rapidly by bolding a coin before a mirror; a sbitt however, that did not Sit John,, who proceeded to afford his guest a better example. This he did by spinning the shilling on his dinner plate, at the some time inviting Babbage's attention to the peculiar feat that, if the eye was placed on a level with tbe rotation coin, be could see both sides thereof at the same time. The result of this little diversion was that Babbage <, imported the information to a scientific friend, Dr. Fitton, who immediately constructed a working model base upon tbe idea. Fittons device consisted of a dice, on one side of which was shown tbe drawing of a bird, while on the other side was depicted an empty birdcage. So when the disc, was rapidly revolved' on a silk thread, the bird was to appear imprisoned in the cage. Hero, for the first time, was show that persistence of vision whereon all moving pictures depend for their effect. The eye retains the image of the objec seen for tbe fraction of a second after the object has been removed. Fitton called bis model the thaumatrope. The next step in the development of the; idea was the construction of the “ wheel of life,” or zoetropa, a device consisting of a cylinder perforated with a series of slots, Within this cylinder was placed a band of drawings of dancing men. When this device was caused to rotate slowly, the figures seen through tbe slots gave the affect of a dancing motion. The first systematic photographs of moving beings taken at regular intervals were made in 1877.