NEWS AND NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 April 1924, Page 3

NEWS AND NOTES.

The newest title as applied to a J.P. was given in the Oamarii Court by an inebriate, who addressed the Bench as “Your Majesty.”—(Mail.

“AVe do not often come L; contact with the travelling public,” said a raihvav engine driver at a smoke concert at Masterton. “Only when we strike a motorist at a level crossing,” he added:—“Wairarapn Age.” A very tine crop of iron-bark pumpkins has been grown at the boys’ training farm, AVeraroa, tliis year (says the Levin .“Chronicle”), a number of specimens reaching over 00 lb., whilst one turned the scale at BGlb. A female applicant at Thames Police Court (says an exchange), made voluble complaints in. reference to the condu :t of a neighbour, who, she said, had, among other things, told her that she was not worth the price of a dog license. The Alagixtrato (AL* J. A. R. Cairns) : I wish there could lie licenses for women’s tongues.

There were five tenders for tho erection of the Featherston Dairy Company’s new factory. The accepted one is stated to have been in the vicinity of £15,000. The work will he finished in August. The factory will be of fer-ro-concretc. There will he 10 1000 gallon vats as against II of 850 gallons in the present factory. The statement was made by two elderly defendants in eases heard at the l’aliiatua Afagistrato’s Court that they could neither read nor write. “Although they have lived in the same house they have not spoken to each other for the last 10 years, except in anger.” remarked counsel during the hearing of a maintenance case in tho Pahiatun .Magistrate’s Court. “Didn’t you lock up your husband's clothes and refuse to give them to him ?” was a question put to a witness in a maintenance* case at the AVcllington .Magistrate's Court. “Yes, I locked up his best clothes. He was going out to moot another woman, so I said he could go to see her ill his old clothes.” was witness’ reply.

“I have been in Hawke’s Bay Go years,” said Air J. 11. Coleman, at a meeting in Napier of the A. and P. Society (states the “Telegraph”). “And the wool was never higher than it is at present. Yet the results of the canvass for funds and stock are very small. AYliat is the matter with the people?” A voice: You forget the mortgagee. (Laughter). Jn addition to the two big services referred to above the school teachers are up in arms, and one well-known public man remarked the other day that he had “never heard the teachers talk like this before.” “No one wants to see trouble,” lie said, “but the Government cannot escape the fact that Wo are face to face with trouble, and that it is very hard to say what is going to happen.” Further than this it was rumoured last week that one of the big transport services was in a state of considerable uneasiness.

Alaiiv New Zealanders may not know that a brother of Sir Phillip Gibbs is living quietly ill Nelson, where lie went recently after a few years’ fa null. g in Hawke’s Bay. This brother of the famous war correspondent was liimself a novelist some years ago, hut ho forsook the pen for the plough and left the letters of the family to Sir ''hi 11 ip Gibbs and their brother. Cosmo Hamilton. Sir Phillip Gibbs and Lady Gibbs with their one son. live in Loudon . where they entertain many Australian and New Zealand visitors. Sir Phillip Gibbs is reported to be eontemnlating a lecture tour to this part of the world. During the hearing of an application for separation and maintenance orders which came before Mr F. K. Hunt in the .Magistrate's Court at Auckland (states an exchange), it was stated by counsel [or the husband that his wife had taken all his clothes. When fie returned home he could not e\en find 1 1 i , trousers “Well, I paid for every stitch of his clothes out of my own money. They are my property, said complainant from the witnessbox. The Magistrate: “Yes; hut trousers arc no good to you. you know. I think you luid bettor give them hack, anyway.”

“I don’t think there is a more apathetic community than the New EtaIn ml people in the whole world,” said Mr A. G. D. Limn, at last, weeks meeting of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, speaking on the question of defence. “They did not care one iota whether they are properly protected oi not. If it comes to being asked to take work in hand, or to pay a few guineas or a few shillings, they show that they do not care a. rap.” As ail illustration of what he meant. Afr Lima added that out of the 800 members of the Chamber there were not 200 "'ho thought it worth their while to stm scribe to the funds of the Navy League.

Just id present, says the XL. “'fillies”, there is said to he coiisider.,),lc unrest in the public service and in certain other branches of industry, and there are members of the community who regard an upheaval in tlie neai future as a by no moans remote possibility. It appears to he regarded ns common knowledge that the Post and Telegraph service, one of the most important of the State services, is very dissatisfied with certain of its conditions. There are some who contend that if the Railway Wages Board arrives at a decision of importance the Government m.nv think it well to make the decision apply to the Rost, and Telegraph workers. hut others are of the opinion that the Rost and Telegraph Association would he unlikely to agree to accept the decision of a hoard before whom they had not boon heard.

Though the snowdrop is given a place among the wild flowers of England it is not a native to the land. Gerard, in Queen Elizabeth’s days, said:—“These plants do grow wild in Italy and places adjacent, notwithstanding our London gardens have taken possession of them these many years past.” Writing in tho ” Nineteenth Century,” G. Clarke Xuttnll savs that'it is probable that the bulbs were brought from Italy by the monks of the. Into-Middle Ages, and planted in the gardens of monasteries and convents with particular reference to theii: use at the Feast of the Purification. Even where they now grow wild they are in places that were occupied long ago by cultivated gardens. The name does not mean drop of snow. The plant owes tli# term to the way in which the flower droops. “Drop” is use'll with the meaning of pendant, as it was applied in old times to jewellery.