MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 348, 25 December 1868, Page 1 (Supplement)

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

How the men who enlisted in the Colonial Forces for three months’ service at the front ?.rc being used by the Government is illustrated by the following incident. Lately come men of the Patea force refused duty, ■is they said their throemonths’ engagement was up. The authorities answered by referiag to the last clauaeof the agreement which says “or until legally discharged.” The men argued that, if this version held good they might be kept for the term of their natural lives. However they all returned to their duty except one man, who positively refused to do so, as his three months’ agreement was ended. He was tried by Court Martial for so refusing, and flogged. Ho received twenty-five lashes. After thisit needscarcely be said patriotism at the front is at a discount. Whitmore is much disliked. Few people who enjoy the luxury of a daily or even a weekly paper have any idea of ihecostof production. We do not mean merely the money expenditure, but the thought, the mental and mechanical worry inseparable even from the management of the smallest and least pretentious of all the petty papers of the Provinces. Somehow or another, men who are exceedingly sensible in other tilings, have got a notion into their beads that they know far better about repelling and editing, and all the rest of it, i han those who have spent their life-time in the service. Their kindness in the way of “advice gratis” is sometimes overwhelming—why, if their gratuitous goodness was just to take the shape of cash for a season, ihe fortunes of editors would be speedily made. Sometimes the irritated “we” is ' . united to think that there is nobody too i' upid or too ignorant to conduct a paper. Aml as for the poor reporters—they dare not for the very sake of the people thema. Ives, report people as they speak, if they ...liar the speech to suit good grammar, or maybe to make it something and get cantankerous at being kept from making a fool of himself. Then, if reporters give a noisy meeting at lull length, some great man who Uisthisterapcrwillget offended immediately; if the meeting is not fully reported, the reporter is charged with cookiug;some speaker presses his manuscript on the reporter, who doesn’t want it; and some other speaker, whoso manuscript the reporter WJut > professes not- +- u-. c any. This is a very disagreeable type of the public orator—the man who wishes you to believe that he is ro very clever he docs not require to study . uy of liia effort, although all the time the '• »portsr knows perfectly well that the manuscript is in the largo man’s pocket, or may 1-e lurking in his hat. This is the kind ofman who runs some risk of being reported as ho speaks—the bitterest revenge known ui the press world. “Westport Times.” Til s only case at the police Court during the last few days was a charge for being d rank and disorderly, brought against! leury Jen-old, a compositor, aged sixty, brother ■ f the late Mr. Douglas Jen-old, the well known author. The police magistrate and Mr. Cramer were on the Bench, and the accuse 1 was discharged, on condition that he ; ! eft the Town. He had been incarcerated iu the gaol from Sunday till Friday, and a few hours after being at liberty, was seen at A-hmsford. He ii likely to “ tramp it” io Melbourne, and if ho should arrive there it would be a charity fur the Benevolent Asylum Committee to give him a home. From 1838 to 1552, ho was a pest to the newspaper offices throughout England, and from She latter year up) to the present time 1.0 has been a rambling outcast, travelling irom South Australia to Queensland, and back again, lie was an accomplished i eh -Jar at college, hut his unfortunate propensity for alcohol Las, for over thirty years, reduced him to a common vagrant.— “ Warnambool (Victoria) Examiner. The “ Melbourne- Herald ” has been purchase 1 by the proprietor of the “ Age ”. The Geelong “ Advertiser ” says : —lt is expected the issue will continue as usual until the end of the present year, when it is anticipated it will make its New Year’s appearance as an evening issue of the absorbing journal. It is reported that Spain has offered thirty thousand troops to garrison Home in the event of an European war.