MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1229, 18 September 1885, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

At the annual meeting of the Christchurch Chamber of Commerce we learn from the report in the “ Press,” Mr Joseph Gould, referring to the depression, said that in the conntiies he visited, especially in America, the struggle for existence was awful. Throughout the length and breadth of the United States not on'y had the farmers to work early and late, but their industries were in a most depressed state They also limited their output of production. Whilst in Chicago there was a meet ing of ironworkers, who resolved not to go beyond 33 per cent, of their production. The f.ruling industry also our. West was very much depressed, and he was glad to find the farmer here in a much belter position than in the countries he had visited. What ha 1 struck him was that the people here earned their money far more easily ■ ban in other countries. As he had said, he was glad to nod, when he came back, that, compared with other countries, far. mers were in an excellent position, and were enabled to make money. (Cheers). While he looked forward to better times be f.-lt this, that even were matters to remain as they now were, their people would be "otter off ttan the people in many of the countri s of the world.

The fo'lowing amusing incident which took place at -a sale of household effects some few d.-.ys ago at Kaiapoi, is told by iho “ LyttLton Times.” Some Maoris were present, one of whom rejoices in the euphonious name of Captain Cook. He was the fortunate bidder for a lot of damask tai la napkins. On being handed the lot, the auctioneers cleik demanded he money, but the daori was not p assessed with the ..quisiiespecie. He stated ihathis banker warn ide. The clerk could not see the joke and evidently thought he was victimised, whin, to his surprise, the busier returned with his b inker, in the shape of another Maori of venerable appeara ce, who lugged out a greasy old pocket-book. “How much the hoot?" said he. “Oh,” said Captain Cook, “ Give him a L’2o note.” Lhe old man fumbled over the comers of a roll of notes, and selection one, slowly drew it out and p esented it to the clerk. The clerk gazed at the note with amazement’ “Why,” said he, “it is a L’2o note, sure enough, an I 1 can’t change it! ’ The iMa ria had a quiet grin at his evident diacoinl i Cure.

After the following which we clip from the A tick lan I “ livening Boll” of Friday last, it will hard y be safe to assert that tho o is nothing ia clairvoyance:—“ Last night two men engaged at the Theatre Boyal, the one as a ticket seller an I the other as a ticket-taker at the stalls entrance were given into custody ou the charge of defrauding tbo manager. The system adopted was hat of the ticket taker.instoad of dropping the checks into a box provided for that purpose, retunie 1 them to the seller an I divided the spoil. In consideration of one of the men having a wife and four children, Mr Smith, M.- Bal 1 win’s manage -, declined to proceed with the charge. The most ex.raordinary part of it is that the the fraud was discovered by Mrs Bddwin when in a clairvoyant state, and she informed Mr Smith tbit he was being robbed Taking heed of the warning, the manager posted him-o'f in a concealed position, where he detected what was going on, and sent for the police.”

Not many people perhap'(gays the Home News) are very deeply interested nowadays in the greatest impo-iter that ever lived. The number of believes in the big butcher of Wagga Wagga has woefully diminished, and he had fewer supportnrs in Australia than at Home. But all who hate fraud, ami feel that the false claimant to the Tichborne estate was rightly punished, will hear with satisfaction ihat Orton’s popularity is waning fast, and that his appeal for support since hi- e has proved a gigantic failure. The claimant has now sunk into a provincial music-hall celebrity. He takes bis turn on the stage with comic singers and performers on tight rope or flying trapeze ; and his address, or leccurs. or whatever his account of his many wrongs may be entitled, is strictly limi ed to a twenty minutes' speech. This is, of course, one unvaried attack upon judges, lawyers, witnesse-, and the dishonest people who still insist upon keeping him out of his own. The tirade often wins a certain amount of applause, but the audiences he addresses are chi. fly a tracted by curiosity to see the notorious imposter. In appearance * Sir Roger” is rapidly resuming his old proportions. He is nearly as fat as in old tunes, when ha weighed five an l-twenty stone. Prison discipline soon brought him down to about 16, but natural predisposition has reasserted itself under freedom and a full diet. The ultimate fate of “ Sir Ro-er” will probably he the exhibition of himself as anew Daniel Lambert, long after he has "eased to draw as a victim of official suppression.

With regard to the death of Garrett, the bushranger, the ‘ P>st’ says:—"lt is a singular tact that Mr George Leslie, the foreman of the jury at the inquest was one of those whom Garrett stuck up at Maun, gafua. Some days before he was stuck up he gave Garrett amt his mates a lift in a provision wagon ho was driving. It was on his return from the diggings that he was stuck up, and he and a man with him had L9OO worth of gold on them. When Garrett recognised him as the man who a few days before had given him a lift in his dray he released him with a present of a couplo of sticks of tobacco; He remarked to Garrett ihai he was paying him a nice compliment after having given him a lift in bis dray, and i tarrett at once let him go without searching turn, and therefore was unaware that he was in possession of the LOGO worth of gold. Garrett’s mate at this time was a man only about sft bigb(Garret being about 6ft Sin), and he was for murdering everybody j lint Garrett, who always boasted of never having shed blood, prevented him from carrying oat his purpose. Hop Bifers do s not exhaust and destroy, but leatmes, cores, and makes new . Get the genuine American Go.’.i Look 'up

All the steaming records land to Engiau i have been Arawa (Shaw Savill and i reached .Plymouth on Sundr 10 p.m. Her steaming til been 36 days 10 hours, or. d enoe of time and stoppages, I 10 minutes net The Arawa on the 28th of March, and ward voyage in 33 days 3(1 she has thus “pur. a giidle n in the steaming time of 73d