FROM OTHER PAPERS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 41, 12 November 1907, Page 9

FROM OTHER PAPERS.

• —- 0 '■ Usually tlio half-caste Maori can talk Eng-. lish enough to order his groceries, make a bet with tlio bookmaker, havo a barney with tho pakeha, cadge a cigarotto, swear at the wahine, drive a shrewd bargain, and collect his account, says the Taranaki "News." And he understands English all right if lie's asked to liavo a drink; in fact, lilco a partially deaf pakeha, he can understand anything that it pleases him to understand. Peculiarly enough, although lie may be glib enough in his English in the street outside tho Court-House, immediately ho enters the precincts of that building all knowledge of. the white man's tongue seems to llee from him, and he' is ablo to comprehend only tile korero in his own language. " Do you understand English?" is a question that passes unheeded/' " You can understand • English; can't you?" The question is repeated with the addition of the Native's name. That sounds more familiar, and ho looks up with a questioning smilo, and- an apparent, dawning of reason. Here's a little encourage- . Mont, so tho query is repeated. Yes, he understands a little English, but not much. A statement that the interpreter's fee is likely to be charged against him brings the forgetful half-caste to his senses. With every faculty on tlio alert, and a\ crafty smile, Mr. Half-caste thon questions and queries with the skill of a Philadelphian lawyer. So that, aftei' all, the way to reach a half-caste's brain-box is through hispocket. A day or two ago a Carterton resident was driving a young horse, and 011 passing through a stream tho animal jibbel halt way over, Tho driver had a lady with lijin, and was in a fix, for hot a move could bo got out of the horse by any kind of persuasion. Presently (says the Wairarapa "News"), to his great satisfaction, a horseman came along, and, in response tu a 'request, took tho jibbing horse by tho head and endeavoured to get it to move 011. It refused to yield at once, and tho horseman gave' up trying, politely wished tho driver and tho lady a " good afternoon," and rode off, leaving them in mid-stream. As they siiw him depart they felt like tho'mail who went down to Jericho, and saw help go by 011 tho,other side. But there was no good Samaritan in this case, and tho gentleman had to get into tho water and wado waist deep to load his recalcitrant beast out of it. Tlio result was an illness which came near to being fatal. As an instance of what Marlborough can produce in the way of fruit (says tlio " Express "), wo have recently boon shown some oranges grown at Spring Creole by Mr John "Wheadon. The samples wore perfect specimens of marketable oranges, and tlio grower is apparently developing a very profitable 1 industry. Wo very much question wliother such excellent fruit can be matured in tho open air further south, and tho fact that Mr. Wheadon has established an orango grove hero bears out our contention that Marlborough climate and soil aro specially adapted to tho culture of many varieties of 1 fruit which at present como under tho head ' of neglected industries. Mr. AVlieadon is to be congratulated upon his enterprise, which wo hope will bo a financial success. We are reminded that perfect specimens of lemons and orangos were also grown in tho samo ' district by the Gilford family. An interesting discovery .of what must , havo many years ago been a Maori camping - ground has been made on tlio bank of the - Molyneux River about two miles and a half f south of Miller's Flat (says the Otago "Daily 5 Times"). Inspector Gladstone (Health Dc- . partment) who visited tho locality last week,

statos that tlioro is a huge Maori ovon about 50ft. loiig. 'The oven is constructed of large stones, and tho bed of it is strewn ivith charcoal and a very considerable quantity of what are undoubtedly moa bones. Tho assumption is that a Hooded river has swept away tho covering silt and debris, and exposed tho oven. A large number of bones have, been . submitted to Professor Bcnham, and he has pronounced them to he those of the now extinct mo;). The sito of tho find is almost opposito the Island .Block on tho right bank of tho river going up' stream. The discovery of moa bones, though not in such largo quantities, in this locality is not new, for a number of years ago tho leg bones of moa birds wore found 11.1 tho Island lilock claim 40ft. down on bed rock. In a paddock on the. banks of the river, at present in crop, have also just been found a large number of flint stones, which must have been brought there by tho Maoris, as this stone is not to bo found clspwherp in tho district. Several Maori axe 3 have also been, unearthed. A further interesting discovery just a few weeks ago was that of a Maori c.inoo about 30ft. long, slightly charred at ono end. It was found at the foot of a hill about half-way between the bank of the Molyneux Iliver and tho Dismal Swamp. The inference in this case is that the canoo was being conveyed to the river and was probably found too heavy when a big hill had to be faced, and was left there for the tinio being. The canoo is to be brought into Miller's Flat, and an effort is to be mado to acquire it for • the Dunedin Museum. Mr. Joseph Hatton, author and journalist, and editor of "The People,", who died recontly, left property which has been returned i at . £7689, including £6632 net personalty. Here is the case of a successful and talented journalist, a man who held the English reading world in rapt attention year after year by those marvellous "Cigarette Papers," whose fortune barely exceeds that of the average grocer, butcher, or baker.' It is another proof of the oft-stated fact, journalists do not make money for themselves. At any rate, not to the degree that wo, see in other businesses or professions. "The Newspaper Owner," a British weekly published in the interest of newspapers and the printing art, states that a. scheme is on foot for the publication in London of a Sinn Fein daily paper, and that the capital is to be raised in £1 shares. It is very questionable, the journal adds, whether or not an audience can lie found for such a paper oven in the metropolis. Tho writer qf. "jottings" in "The Newspaper Owner" says, with referenco to the recent meeting of the British Institute of Journalists: —One of the first subjects brought before tho Conference was that of Sunday work, attention being drawn to ihe increasing number of Sunday meetings. My readers- know my viows on Sunday work. One cannot, however,' fail to sco tho forco of Sir Edward Rqssell's remarks: "The world cannot stand still on Sunday, and it is the duty of a newspaper to chronicle the doings on that day as on any other week day." At tho same time, the reporter should not bo called upon to work seven days in the week, and if ho bo employed on Sunday ho should have another day off in the week. This, of course, would meet most reporters' views. I am glad that, in the discussion at tho Conference, this view was upheld, and that organisations responsible for Sunday meetings arc to have their attention called to tho question of Sunday journalistic work. Mr. Thos. Hebberly, Maori carver, has shown thq Nelson "Mail" an admirably executed carving by him, reproducing m overv detail the wakahuia, or receptacle in which men and women of rank kept their greenstones, feathers, and other decorations. The model is made of two solid pieces of wood, I tho casket and tho cover, and the carvings aro of human figurbsand spirals; with representations of Atua. Mr. Hebborly also informs the "Mail" that the mysterious Maori curio'in Mr. Turner's possession, which no ono has seemed able to class, is an eel club.- Mr. Hebberly says it is of considerable valuo, having evidently belonged to a man of t-ran'k. ' '' : | The obliging nature of, the officials on the New Zealand railways has always been an admitted fact, . says a Wairarapa exchange, and tho legends of tho guard who cheerfully delayed I tlio .train until a lady consignor's fowls had laid sufficient eggs to mako the daily'consignment up to the usual tally, has had a somewhat similar 1 exemplification. The bailiff of a certain Coin t, not far from Mastorton, had a summons to serve at a place about half a mile from the railway Hagstation, and not wishing to spend four or five hours in comfortless solitude to wait', for the next train, lie requested tho guard to wait until ]ie had served the summons. The bailiff is an athletic' sort, and ho cut out the lialf-mile in pretty well record time, and the person served, .not understanding tho situation, thought he had encountered an> escapee from Porirua as tho suhimons was thrust into his hand; the usual"injunction as to day of hearing, etc., being gabbled through, hurriedly, and the Court man darted off back to the station without giving his victim time, tp gather breath. Tho train was duly readied, the guard's whistle blew, and perfect contentment reigned as the station clisappearcd'from sight. The fifth of November had a little surprise in storo for the authorities at the Dunedin gaol, according to tho local paper, for when tho day was spent a gigantic wharf labourer arrived and demanded admission. The warder explained that it was not customary to admit casual visitors, especially when in a state of intoxication, and told Mm to begone. The labourer, who had apparently mistaken the gaol for his hotel, persisted in his efforts to got in, and spent the next 10 minutes in falling against tho door and ringing the bell. The telephone brought two constables on the scene, and the wanderer was accommodated at tho Polico Station. He returned to the gaol tho following day to do two months' hard labour. A striking testimonial to tho curativo powers of the Ilotorua waters was given by a Christchurcli gentleman at tho anglers' supper at Ilotorua recently. Ho said that his present visit to ilotorua was a pilgrimage. He had visited twelve years ago under painful circumstances. He was-then an invalid, who had to be carried or wheeled about in a-chair. His case had been given up by the doctors, and ho had gono to ilotorua as the final desperate cast, and' had won. Three months' treatment and bathing had completely cured him, and now ho was able to go out on the Bangitata or Raltaia and thoroughly enjoy a day's angling, and, to look at him, no one would ever think that he had once been a helpless qripple. "Bacillus Tailioa" is a now term coined by Dr. Purdy in relation to tho lotus-eating attitude taken up by somo people in Auckland and excused by tho old subterfuge, "It's the climate." Speaking at a road board meeting (says a local paper) tho energetic health officer said tlioro was ono point •dinned into his ears daily, and that was that Auckland suffered largely through having a. sub-tropical climate. "That is absolute nonsense," ho continued, "except that it may affect the people with what I would call 'Bacillus Tailioa.' " He )vent on to illustrato his point by refercnco to the onorgy in sanitation matters displaypd ip Port Said, which from being one of tho dirtiest towns in tho world had been made ono of tho cleanest. Port Said had a hotter climato than Auckland, and had spout £600 a-yoar on getting rid of uiosquitos, and then started a crusade against fleas and (lies. "And there," ho added naively, "thoy lpivo no local body. It is autocratic government." A correspondent of a Wairarapa paper says—i tis not' generally known that tho much-admired laburnum (now in full bloom in Mastorton) contains' a strong poison, and is therefore 'an exceedingly dangerous plant. All its parts—blossoms, leaves, seeds, and evon the bark and tho roots—aro charged with a poison named cytisin, which was discovered by Husemanu and Alarms in 1864.. A small doso of jnico infused under the skin is quite sufficient to kill a cat or dog. Children have died from eating tho seeds, of which ten or twelve wore enough to cause death. There is no known remedy, or antidote, against this poison. How many ensos havp happened boloro the danger was discovered is only a matter of conjecture, as few would suspect tho causo to como from this lovely plant that so delights the eye. It lias, however, long been known to gamekeepers, and is used by them to destroy "vermin." How would tlieso laburnum seods do to feed sparrows on? Could they be induced to eat thera?