GENERAL ITEMS

Waikato Argus, Volume XXXV, Issue 5508, 14 January 1914, Page 2 (Supplement)

GENERAL ITEMS

| Mr Jim Gannon, K.C., is one of the most sought after men of the New South Wales Bar when a jury ' has to be won over, says the Sun. f" His cross-examination of Crown witI nesses gets him many of his briefs, '"'while his address to the jury is regarded as particularly valuable. But things have not always gone in the way he would have liked them to go. For instance, once he was crossf examining a witness who had lost twenty homing pigeons. "What do you value them at?" asked Mr Gannon. "Forty pounds," answered the witness. "What, .£40?" said "That is what I Wr answered the witness. Bv," said Mr Gannon, "if you Htheni out to the gun club at Hy could you get more than lk )el ' P a ' r f° r them." "But 1 Kt take them out there," said ■tucss. Mr Gannon assumed Ht impressive style. "Answer Bfum," he said sternly, "if Hrt' to take your pigeons, WLi want us to believe are ■..: each, out to the gun club, ■>u get more than Is (id per H them? Answer me, sir." H' .said the witness, "I don't So far as that goes, out to the Zoo 1 Bon't suppose I would get more than ten bob for him." Mr Gannon tells the story himself. "If ever 1 was down and out, it was on that occasion," he concluded.

British women have not yet secured the vote, hut (says The Queen) the advance of woman all the world over is a keynote of the preknt period. Not long since Mdlle. Itilde Luisi, of Monte Video, was |Binted to the chaii of Roman Law in the University. Her talents are great, and she is i probably the only woman who has ever been attached to a legation as its official legal adviser, an office which she at one time held in Paris. Then Miss Nina Graham is the first woman engineer: she graduated as Bachelor of Engineering at Liverpool University, and has gone to Winnipeg, where she is 'to be married. And in September this year the first woman ' 'wireless" Operator started on her first voyage On the American steamship Minnesota. And, also, during 1912, a Frenchwoman, Mdlle. Edmee Chandon, has been appointed to the post of assistant astronomer at the Paris Observatory. These are recent records, and other facts can be quoted to show the position which women in the twentieth century; Mme? Curie in scier.ee, Dr Ethel Smyth in music, Or Elizabeth Gar-rett-Anderson and Mrs Scharlieb in medicine, Olive Schreiner in constructive philosophy, Mme. Sarah Bernhardt in dramatic art, Sarah Grand and Lucas Malet as novelists.

In an interview with a "Press" representative, Mr Menzies Gibb, the well-known Christchurch artist, who has just returned after a six months' stay in and around Auckland, states that he found some aspects of Auckland, with its busy wharves and harbour, very reminiscent of scenes in the Home Land, which he visited some yeais ago. Karekare, on the West Coast, he found a perfect little paradise for painters. Here Mr Gibb painted the large oil-colour which was named "Mission City," but is a little bigger than, say Otaki, and the pavements were raised on stilts to keep them above the snow. Yet at the station was a large and well appointed glass show case, filled artistically with all the products of the surrounding country. There was •an immense pumpkin in the case, peaches preserved with hardly the bloom off them, and apples, looking as if they had just been picked the day before. It was a clever, neat and effective advertisement, and showed how anxious the settlers were to make others realise the possibilities ofthe district.

The Dominion states that Mr Fukert, Inspecting Engineer for the Public Works Department, who has just returned to Wellington from a tour abroad, says a scheme of advertising that could be commended to New Zealand country districts existed in British Columbia. At one station his train was delayed for a little time, and those aboard were able? to view the town. It was purchased for the Auckland Public Art Gallery. He expressed regret that a gallery had not been provided in the Exhibition for the works of colonial artists. A comprehensive, typical Auckland scene, painted from the top of the Khyber Pass, was intended originally for the Exhibition, 2 but as no adequate provision was I made it wbb not forwarded, and it is at present in Leech's gallery. Shortland street. Some onion growers at Manakau, south of Palmerston North, are having extremely bad luck, a sort of blight having got into the bulbs. The first sign of the blight is a black rust which comes on the leaves, something like a soot, which after a short time turns the leaves white, and then they *tart rotting right down into the bulb. The loss to the growers will be very considerable, as they made £l5O per acre last year.

Doubts having been expressed as to the accuracy of a report which had appeared to the effect that a live stoat had been discovered in a ram's wool, Mr C. Brannigan, of the Agricultural Department, journeyed from Ashburlun to Rangitata and interviewed Mr Miller, the owner of the ram. Mr Miller stated that it was quite true that the stoat hud been discovered in the ram's wool, but that its presence there had had nothing to do with the animal's death. The injuries to the ram had been caused either through fighting or through the animal forcing its way through gorse fences. Mr Brannigan, says the Christchurch Press, puts in a good, word for the much-despised stoat, and states that it has bean of great benefit to the Dominion, not only in Helping to keep down the rabbits, but also in preserving, in many instances, wheat stacks from the ravages of rats, which, prior to the introduction of the stoat, were often seriously damaged by rats, whereas if a stoat finds its way to a wheat or other j grain stack it keeps it absolutely ' clear of rats. Many and ingenious are the methods adopted by Chinese to conceal opium from the Customs officials. New hiding-places were discovered by Detective-Inspector Gleeson and a arty of opium den raiders recently." At 10.30 o'clock Detective Gleeson, accompanied by Constables Hall and Kenley, and Customs officials G. Allen, F. Brody and J. Hickey, went to a Chinese tenement at 24 Bunch Lane, off Little Bourke street, and forced their way through strongly-barricaded doors to two smoking-rooms. The atmosphere was almost stilling owing to the opium fumes. In the dim light the officers discovered seven Chinese | lying about each room, with warm j

pipes beside them, and the customary opium-smoking paraphernalia about, but they could not find any untouched opium. Just when it appeared as though the search for the prohibited drug would be unsuccess ful, a quantity of it was found in an unlikely hiding-place. One of the searchers noticed that one boot on a Chinaman was raised slightly higher than the other, and on raising the boot he found that a tin (f opium was adhering to the leather of the boot. The Chinaman was astonished when his clever "plant" was discovered. As a result of the raid, Low Gee, 42 years, a barber, and Ah Litn, 32 years, a cabinetmaker, were arrested on charges of having opium in their possession. Later in the night, Ah Yick, 50 years, a carpenter, was arrested in Patrick street, off Lonsdale street. The raiding party secured a quantity of opium, some of which was found adhering to the arrested man's body. Opium was also discovered in water and mixed with tallow.

It looks as if some one were going to have a go at the prickly pear in earnest—at least so far as Queensland is concerned. An ingenious American chemist proposes to kill the pest in the Northern State by the volatilisation of arsenious chloride gas, and if he can do the trick the Queensland Government is going to give him 200,000 acres of land on the Darling Downs, which, if it were not pear infested, is worth £lO an acre of any man's money. Some good results have been obtained with preliminary operations, and a company is being funned to exploit the matter for what it is worth If the American can "makes good," as they say in the States he will save for Queensland something like 15,000.000 acres of the finest wheat-growing land in Australia, for that is the amount of land overgrown by the pest, introduced by Governor Philip in 1787.

The formation of the habit of thrift by children attending the State schools is receiving consideration from the Victorian Education Department, states a Melbourne paper. In a memorandum which he has issued, Mr P. Tate, the Director of Education,'has directed the attention of teachers to the advantages of

penny savings banks. Pupils who acquire accounts lose their zest for lollies, marbles (cigarette cards are considered an excellent substitute, and can be cajoled out of smokers), and other luxuries, and lind a picasure in watching their pennies grow into shillings, and the shillings into pounds. In 1912 a penny savings bank was established at the Tooronga road State school, East Malvern, and the enterprise has been attended with success. The depositors now number .'US, ami their savings have amounted to £lßll 3s. Other schools followed the Malvern lead, and pennies have been ringing into the banks with gratifying regularity. Officers of the Department express the opinion that the banking movement has "caught on," and will not cease until all the schools have their little banks. . BANISH RHEUMATIC PAINS •• Rheumo brings speedy and permanent relief to eveiy sufferer from Rheumatism, Gout. Sciatica, Lumbago. A few doses of REHUMO will quickly cureremoves the excess uric acid from the blood. Has cured thousands. Try it 2/6 and 4/6 everywhere. "EXPERIENTIA DOCET" is an old faw, and experience of 200 years has taught people that Martell's is the. Brandy of unbeaten quality.

It is proverbial that a Hindoo will suffer much for his religion. This was shown, says the Melbourne Argus, in the case of Bella Singh, who was admitted to a private hospital, suffering from injuries to his hand, which had been caught between cog-wheels. When the Hindoo was brought before Dr. J. 11. Patterson, the latter dressed his wounds, and prescribed a general clean-up, and plenty of nourishing food. This was where the trouble began. Singh submitted to the surgical treatment, but protested against being washed by anyone but a coreligionist. The point was waived by the doctor, and the out-patient did his best in the cleansing line with his left hand. A good solid meal was then cooked for the man. Once again he protested, exclaiming "Starve; die first" and for four solid days Bella Singh practically did starve. Sympathetic townsmen then imported from out back another Hindoo, of a

particularly friendly disposition. But Singh merely superciliously scanned his visitor, ami objected. "No, no; blackfellow!" It seemed that Jimmy belonged to another caste. The services of a company of Hindoos—Nutta Singh and party —were then commandeered, and all difficulties were smoothed away. They turned their sick brother into a now man, and, after a solemn conclave, agreed that, it a certain young lady would kindly cook his food he might eat it, dreading no dire consequences. The lady condescended, and the man is making a rapid recovery. Peculiar to relate, tin! caste embargo evidently does not extend to drink, for in the height of his trouble, as he crouched silent and miserable, on a form in an hotel, a bysander said, "Will you have a drink'.'" Without a word, the upholder of caste uncoiled, arose, and ordered a whisky and soda, An English paper gives interesting particulars of how raspberries and strawberries were grown last year in Kent and Cambridgeshire during the winter. The account proceeds: "The summerlike weather which we have hud during the past few weeks has led to amazing results in fruit growing. Second crops of raspberries, strawberries and plums have grown and ripened in the open. The vast strawberry tieK:» of Messrs Chivers ami Sons, the wellknown jam manufacturers of Histon, Cambridge, are literally white with blossom, thousands of strawberries have formed, and many have come to maturity and are ripening. The raspberry canes are loaded with fruit, much of which is ripe and equal in size, to the fruit obtained at the boat season of the year. Thousands of ripe plums are to be seen in the orchards, and quantities of these have been gathered and sent to market." Mr W. 11. Ferris, of the Department of Agriculture, writing in the Department's Journal for December,

states with regard to the New Zeaiand hemp industry that, "while the quality of the fibre is exhibiting a marked advance, the quantity being produced is of greatly increased dimensions. If prices are maintained, this season's output should constitute a record. Practically all the mills throughout the country are working at full pressure, and the supply of leaf is abundant. The millers of Marlborough are turning out largely increased supplies of fibre, and. as is invariably the case, tiie quality is most satisfactory. Good woik is being done in llawke's Bay and the Wairarapa, the leaf in the latter district being particularly good this season.

The trial of a native from Maiden Island, who was ultimately sentenced to three months' imprisonment, is estimated to have cost about £'6ooo. He was a South Sea Islander named Esini, and was brought from Maiden to the Bluff last August, charged with manslaughter. As the New Zealand police declined to take up the case, Esini was returned to his home at Nine, to be proceeded against by the New Zealand Government Resident Commissioner. 11.M.5. 'Torch had to bring witnesses from Maiden Island to Nine, and this ran up costs to the figure stated. As the Commissioner did not consider Esini entirely culpable, a sentence of three months was imposed.