GENERAL NEWS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2168, 26 August 1907, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS.

Tlio deportation of tho few kanakas remaining in Queensland is being pushed forward rapidly.

AVilliam Ramsaner, a steeplejack, of Elton, Cincinnati, climbed to iho top of an iron flagstaff, 377 ft high above the street, for a wager, and with tho Stars and Stripes fluttering beneath him, stood on his head on the brass ball on tlie flagstaff for nearly three minutes.

It is reported that Messrs Butler Bros., who recently purchased the Hokitika Harbor Board’s endowments, have just floated a company in Melbourne with a capital of £40,000. for the purpose of erecting largo sawmills and shipping timber. A member of the firm is proceeding to America, for the purpose of procuring plant, etc. It is said that about- 250 men will bo employed when the works are in full progress.

A special report on tho Northern Territory opium trado has been writtoll by Mr. AV. J. Strotton, Sub-Col-lector ot Port Darwin. From this documont it appears that £BBOO worth of opium, 3001 bin weight, is still smuggled yearly into Port Dnnvin, notwithstanding the exertions of a small army of officials and Eastern spies. It is now proposed to have a detective pemnanontly on board some of tho Eastern vessels from Hong Kong, to assist towards tho effective

administration of the Immigration Restriction Act, ns well as towards tho prevention of opium smuggling. Mr. Strotton is convinced t-liat junior officers oil tho boats assist stowaways, colored aliens and smugglers.

On tho occasion of tho signature of. a new treaty of friendship and good neighborhood between the Kingdom of Italy and the Republic of San Minrino, King Victor Emanuel has ordered to he presented to the gallant little country no fewer than eighty guns, twenty muskets, and two cannons, which probably moans a entire re-armament of the military service. The tiny Republic is possessed of a Foreign Secretary, whoso salary is said to bo no less than £BO. When

Italy proclaimed war against Austria the Republic of Sail Marino did the same, and since no declaration of peace has ever boon signed by the little State, it is technically in a. state of war with tlie groat Austrian Empire.

Tho evolution of tho desk was the subject of an interesting narrative by the headmaster of a Dunedin school, says tlie Otago Daily Times. He first spoke of the dim long ago when children sat huddled on forms, bonding over smeared slates resting on their knees. Even then he had suggested a desk, but tlie head teacher had said,“What do you want desks for?” A'on IS elapsed, and then desk's arrived, inconvenient, hideous, and high enough for little boys to grimace behind unobserved. Then came the low desk, with a rack in front for slates. Now the cry was a single desk for each pupil and he saw as in a vision a patent desk that could be raised or lowered to suit the stature of its possessor.

Two bronzed seamen, Albert Slam on and Joseph Robertson, were presented at the City Count, Melhourns. recently, fm a charge of having deserted from H.M.S. Powerful during the vessel’s recent stay in Hobson’s Bay. Sergeant Thorne, of tlie Horse Artillery, said that an escort had been sent over from Sydney to bring the men back. Air. Barnett (for the defence) said these men were between the devil and the deep sea. They were charged with deserting their ship, and if they went black to the Powerful they might then be charged with deserting their wives. (Laughter.) Accused went ashore one day, and got married, and tlie man-o'-war left tho bay before they returned. (Laughter.) Accused were given over to tho escort.

The Melbourne correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald telegraphs that a discovery of interest- to music lovers was made a few days ago by a resident of Mount Norali. An old violiucello, which has been in his possession for a number of years, was taken to pieces for repairs, and was found to boar tlie label of Nicolo Amati, and tho date 1621. This is itself is nothing remarkable, for thousands of forged labels are placed in musical instruments, many of them closely resembling the written tickets which most of the old makers used. Inside this instrument, liowovcr, is a record of' its having been repaired by Louis Dandeli, of Versailles, in 1781, for Louis XVI., a fact which goes a long way towards establishing its authenticity.

Oil tho occasion of the prize-giving after a recent rifle-meeting on Salisbury Plnin, Lieutenant-General Sir lan Hamilton said: —“As I watched this competition I thought liow much better our men shoot than they used to do, and also than the men of any foreign army I know. In Manchuria, for instance, I have seen Russians and Japanese bobbing up and down out of their trendies or cover, not at 200 yards, but at 50 yards, and a.t that' range go on missing one another for so long that at last they took to tlio bayonet and to tlie butts of their rifles as tho only final solution. Theorists have since deduced from this the amazing argument that bayonets and lances and sabres are all coming back into general use. Don’t you believe a word of it.”

There is a corner in surveyors, according to a statement made by the Queensland Minister for Lands. That gentleman had been- severely criticised in a number of journals for not pushing on with surveys, the delays to selectors having caused a great deal of complaint. Tho Minister was replying to criticism by a writer in the Pastoralists’ Review when he made tlie explanation, and he was supported by the Chief Surveyor, who was present at the time. It was stated that the shortage of surveyors was not confined to Queensland, hut was .common to all the States. And tlio statement was made that not only had the other States offered inducements to keep their surveyors, but one of them, said to ho New South Wales, had tried to .intercept surveyors after they had been secured. It was said that never had the demand for surveyors for both public and private work been so keen all over Australia.

An extraordinary occurrence took place near Melbourne recently. A middle-aged man, "William Verity, climbed to the top of a windmill, a height of 40ft, and then, to the horror of a few observers, suddenly putting his hands above his head, dived to earth. .Marvellous to say, he failed to break his neck. Ho fell on to the yielding branches of some pine trees, and these so effectually supported him that, excepting bruises about tin' body and a feu - scratches and a cut on the forehead, he escaped injury, although for a time lie was dazed from the shock. Verity Was before the Court next day oil a charge of having attempted to commit suicide. Ho said he abandoned the idea of throwing himself under a motorcar beoause he thought it might get people who might linppen-to be in the car into trouble. He examined the cliffs about Black Bock to see if he could find a suitable one to throw himself over, hut he could not find one that he reckoned would entirely suit him. His eye then rested on the windmill, which he thought was just the thing. He was remanded for medical examination and report,

What a well known Chemist has to say of Dr. Sheldon’s Now Discovery. April 27th, 1901. Sheldon Drug Co., lo O’Connell-streefc, Sydney, N.S.W. Dour Sirs, — , ... . Last woolc I took homo a bottlo ot Di. Sheldon’s New Discovery for Coughs, Colds, and Consumption. 1 obtained this for my two boys aged sovon and four yonrs. The el dor lad had a nasty, troublesome cough and cold; tho otlior a bad cold and a cough just beginning to troublo him. They each took your cough remedy, which, by tho way, they liked immensely, and in two days tlio cough ami cold of the younger boy had entirely disappeared, having been cut short in good timo, and at tlio end of tho third day tlio oldor boy was absolutely cured. Being a cliomist for sovonteon years I am naturally somowhat antagonistic to propriotary and patent medicines, but in this instanco I muflt recognise and acknowledge tho efficiency and morit of your excellent preparation, and givo credit whoro credit is duo. I was greatly pleased with tho marvellous and striking curativo and soothing properties of your admirablo romody, which I will add, from a pharmaceutical standpoint, is splendidly compounded. Yours faithfully, • CHARLES A. FINCH, Ph. C., M.P.S., etc. Kuranda, Boycc-stroet, Globe Point, Sydney, N.S.W. A AV. J. Mann, agent, chemist.