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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 18, Issue 1189, 5 December 1871, Page 2

Wordsworth had a good word to say of the spinning wheel-r who will fitly praise the sewing machine? It is surely a wonderful statistical fact that during last year seven American companies made and sold over 425,000 sewing machines. At the price at which these labor saving implements are realised abroad, they would realise over threemillions sterling. But the sum is in its turn dwarfed by the value of the work annually performed by beneficial instruments ot industry There is pleasanter and more homely music in the whirr of the machine than in the jingle of an ill-playecl piano. There is eheeriness in the tramp.of the treadle, the click of the needle, and the whirl of the fly wheel. JS T o more real benefactors of the human race have there been than the inventors of a little engine to take the sighing, and the sobbing, and the sorrow out of Hood's " Song of the Shirt." When the time comes round, they must have a centenary celebration.

In urging the expediency of Colonial wool growers appointing agents from each district to watch the London wool sales, the Darling Downs Gazette states j —"The good that would accrue from such an arrangement will be understood when we state that some two years ago Mr J. G. White went home to attend the sales in the interest of certain woolgrowers Gn one occasion a fine sample of wool, belonging to Mr Cox, of Mudgee, was about to be knocked down at 22d per lb, and Mr White bought it in. At the next sale the Mudgee wools were in great request, owing to the attendance of foreign manufacturers, who appeared to exhibit a marked predilection for this clip. A brisk competition ensued, and the lot ultimately fell at 46 Jd per lb. Of course Mr White attended to no other clips lhan those he was paid for watching. The inference is fair enough, that owners of the unwatched wools suffered somewhat in proportion to that which was gained by Mr Cox."

On the subject of punishment for obscene language, a Southern paper says : We think that no punishment less than a deprivation of liberty should follow such a detestable, offence. It is wrong to get a revenue out of bad language. At present we get fees out of almost ever/ violation of law, human or divine ; in fact, Government is supported on fees derived from crime,. Any rascal should be deprived of his liberty for the sake of saving society from a repe tition of his rascality; but to fine a man for using bad words is simply saying in effect "you can buy ;he right to pollute the public ear for five shillings."

The Northern Wairoa correspondent of the Daily Southern Cross, contributes the following under a recent date:— Last week three men (gum-diggers) left Mangawhare, and proceeded down the river in a punt. When about midway between that place and the Aratapu saw-mills two of them got up to change places or make some alteration in the trim of the punt and in doing so capsized it. One of them struck out for the shore and reached it, another caught hold of the punt and clung to it, whilst the third being unable to swim remained struggling in the water, and would certainly have been drowned but for the timely aid of Mr Marmaduke Holdsworth, who seeing the accident from the river bank, put off in his boat and rescued the drowning man from his perilous position; who i hear upon regaining his, faculty of speech, rather astonished his deliverer by swearing at him for. not recovering his hat which he had lost in the water, preferring;, I suppose, losing his life to the losing of his. hat.