Notes and Events.

Manawatu Herald, 30 June 1894, Page 3

Notes and Events.

Curiosity leads some persons into much trouble at times. A man was arrested in Lambeth for being drunk and disorderly, and had to be carried to the lock up, when he was brought before the Magistrate the following amusing conversation took place : — Prisoner : I saw the new Cottagerow Police Station, and I said to myself, '• I must go in there and see how its built." (Laughter.) And then they locked me up. (Renewed laughter.) I've got to come and see your lordship to-morrow over a bad tenant. — Mr Hopkins : You will have to pay 5s to get here to-morrow. Prisoner : Very well. God bless ' you, sir. I will sea you to-morrow, sir. (Laughter.) The vibration of the screw in steamers is frequently objected to and passengers suffer at times more from this cau3e than from mal de mer. Our friend W. T. Stead notices this in his trip across the Atlantic, and admits he is very dubious as to the advantage of increasing the horsepower on board an Atlantic liner until science has discovered some means of decreasing the vibration of the engines. And so say all of us. The statistics of New Zealand are well worth looking into, and being in receipt of the .Registrar General's last compilation we extract some few items. In 1893 the excess of births over deaths totalled to 11,420, and the excess of immigration over emigration was 10,412, thus giving the colony an increased population of 21,882. During the past year there were 18,187 babies born, but it is sad to record as many as 673 were illegitimate. Twins do not appear to be surprising visitors as there were no less than 188 cases of these shocks to patents recorded during last year, anJ in addition there was one case of triplets, down amongst the Scotch in Otago Marriages most frequently were contracted between bachelors and spinsters, but the Ue^istrar-General tells us that 161 designing widows captured the young affection of as many bachelors, and 209 widowers

secured spinsters as wives. How the best of men get mixed and the most accurate of tables disarranged owing to the use or misuse of the Divorce Acts ! in the column setting forth that 8,625 bachelors and spinsters contracted marriage a footnote is needed to explain that under this heading the marriages of 4 divorced males and 8 divorced females are included. We are glad to notice that last year only 8 girls under 16 got married and not any under that age. In the table we find that there were 21 women not married when over 50 years of age, 18 over 63 years, 7 over 60 years, 2 over 05 yearg and 1 over 70 years ! showing that no girl need ever despair of getting married and living happily ever afterwards.