MISCELLANEOUS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 568, 7 March 1873, Page 1 (Supplement)

MISCELLANEOUS.

—o— A sii’or who hat) a scar which hj the result of a dispute on shore,-refers to it as an old laud-mark. The losses by the English insurance offices consequent on the lire at Boston amount to about 950,000/. Why is a captain harranguing his crew like an upholsterer ? Because he is a deck-orator. The value of the raw silk annually produced iu Franco is said to amount to 8,000,000/. In 1871 there were only nineteen licensed makers of playing-cards, ami the duty they paid on 999,120 packs was 12,489/, In San Francisco hangs the sign of a washerman, which reads thus “ Washing and Ironing, by Wa Slung.” The Western African Herald, published on the Gold Coast of Western Africa, boasts that, “From the editor to the devil,” none but natives of that territory are engaged in the management and production of the journal. The man with a trade is worth a thousand without any, A return to the o'cl plan of apprenticing boys to trades is being advocated. The hosts of young men in every large city who apply for employment and fail to got. it for the reason that they cannot truthfully affirm that they are educated or especially fitted for any particular business, constitute a potent argument in favor of reform. Under the apprenticeship system we should h%v l; fewer ignorant mechanics and incompetent business mem A trade is half a man’s fortune. A correspondent of the New York, Tribune sends to that paper the follow ■ ing directions for making a good and cheap'p-iint for outside work, havinghad a large practical experience in paints of all kinds, I find the best priming for all wood-work, and in fact for all wood that is exposed to the weather, i < simply Spanish white, or, as it is more commonly called, whiting, mixed io pure raw linseed oil. Let it stand until it is thoroughly mixed; then reduce with oil and add the drier sufficient to dry it This makes the best, hardest, most durable paint for anything I have ever tried. Reduce it to the ordinary thickness for priming and apply with an ordinary brush, ft must be thoroughly beat together so us to beat out all the lumps of the whiting.”

According to a Groymouth paper the County of Westland is literal!; and hopelessly bankrupt. It says:—■

It is not at all necessary to be mealymouthed at the existing juncture, for it seems that Westland is in debt nearly to the amount of 50,000/, without apparently the least chance of payment.” The reasons assigned for the County's embarrassment are tli-■ curltailment of Income by the capitation system, the falling off of revenue and the injust appm--momnent of the Canterbury debt, whereby Westland lias to bear an unfair share of the cost of public works executed prior to separation. The gold duty especially has fallen far short of expectations, for the estimate of 8000/. has realised only 4074/Gs GO The hind revenue too estimated at 2600/ has only brought in 1282/ 2s Gd. Tiepaper from which wo quote thinks that an appeal to the General Govern raent for assistance ail but certian to be attended with failure, ami the retrench ment process to overtake 45,000/ would be so slow as to virtually hang up all local administration for years to come, and goes on to say:—“On the spur of the moment, we are hardly prepared to offer a decided opinion but it appears it would be nearly as well for the Bounty to abandon an apparent ly hopeless struggle, and throw the responsibility on thosewho have brought it to this pas?,” A telegram from Stawcll to the Argus gives the following account of a dreadful mining accident which happned on the 24t.!i of Jamiaiy:—An -ccident occurred at the Darlington Company’s claim, Flying Doe .Reef, to-day, by which three men were drowned For some timo past a jumpup was being made to cub tinold workings, and it broke through today, causing an influx of water, which overwhelmed the miners at work, and caused the death of three men. Tindrowned workmen’s names arc James Armstrong, William Reid, and Patrick Staffotd. The melancholy event lias caused great excitement, as all the d<--ceased|menwere old residents of Stawcll A short time before the accident oe car red (he manager asked the men i‘ they thought they were safe, and they rep ied in the affirmative, adding that, as the drill was in four feet and a half and not through, there must be a good large block yet to pass through, Tinmanager and another man then went towards the shaft, and had not reached tt when the water overtook them, and swept them into the shaft, and up it for about forty L et; but they contrived to get hauled to the surface by clinging to a rope. It was though) the men would break through to-day. and it was known that there was liftv feet of water in the old workings ;bnt it was believed that plenty offline would have been given for all to have got away safely Every effort will Inmade for the recovery of the bodies of the deceased, but this m ist necessarily be a work of time and difficulty. No blame is supposed to attach co any bo-ly in connexion with this s-iA affair.