NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 982, 22 April 1911, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

An application for land dealt with by the Auckland Board last week was from a settler who admitted that he was already in occupation of a large section, but asked that consideration be shown him on the ground that he had a family of seventeen children, and the land he possessed was not sufficient to support such a large number. The Board appeared to consider that large families of this sort should be encouraged, and accordingly waived the point and allowed the applicant to take his chance at the ballot.

A woman who calls herself the “Wairua tapu ” (the Holy Ghost), and practises faith healing alter many American and other examples, is obtaining a very great influence over the natives on this coast, says the Manawatu Times. At Bulls she had a meeting of several hundreds, and at Hawera of about six hundred. While spook raisers and other folk of the kind flourish and a Mrs Eddie can become a millionaire’ white folk need not assert any sort of superiority over the Maori in the matter of credulity, but it is nevertheless a great pity that people of this sort should be allowed to attain such a hold.

Owing to the omission of the calling of the banns for a third and last time, a bridegroom-to-be was on Sunday evening last faced with an unexpected development in Wellington. The banns had been well and truly called on two previous Sundays, and the forgetfulness of the suburban minister caused the prospective bridegroom some perturbation. However, someone of the remnant of congregation that remained had an inspiration, and the small company filed back into church, reminded the minister of the omission, and the banns were duly called in a manner to meet all rules and regulations.

Sam Miller, a resident of Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania, has issued a challenge to the world at large to compete with him in an eating contest. He declares that he will eat more in a given time than any other man living. Miller declares that his record as an eater has never been equalled. According to the Herald he once ate 144 fried eggs for breakfast. In a pie-eating contest he disposed of 48 five-penny pies. His latest feat is that ot eating five chickens and fifty waffles, and drinking tour quarts of coffee while the cooks prepared more food, then consuming five pies, three dozen small cakes, and three large cakes, with two jars of pickles to give this miscellaneous assortment of food a spicy flavour.

Ladybirds appear to be doing excellent work in Hawke’s Bay orchards. The Orchard Inspector in Hawke’s Bay reports to the Agricultural Journal that on visiting several orchards in and around Hastings, which are somewhat badly infested with woolly aphis or American blight, he has noticed a common New Zealand lady-bird —the eleven-spotted lady-bird—-doing good work by feeding on the aphis. He states that close observation, extending over several days, clearly demonstrated that these little insects effected a very considerable improvement in the condition of affected trees —in some instances the trees were almost cleaned. This lady-bird is readily recognised as of red colour, with eleven black spots.

A recent issue of London Punch contained a prominent announcement in which the editor expressed deep regret ot himself and staff for a tragic coincidence by which a cartoon representing Mr Arthur Balfour at the grave of Imperial Preference appeared on the day of bis youngest brother’s death. Punch’s cartoons are ordinarily settled six days’ before the date ol issue, but in this case, on account of the printer’s strike, they were arranged on February 4th. The paper was passed on the Bth, several days before Mr Balfour went north, and copies were in the hands of the trade before the sad death of Colonel Balfour occurred. The editor adds ; “Only unthinking people will imagine Punch to be capable of deliberate offence in such a connection.”

The trouble that the harem skirt brings is not of one kind. As a rule the disturbances of which news has circulated have been due to the unkind attentions of the vulgar, but at Kalgoorlie {a sensation was caused in quite a different way last week. A young barmaid was charged with having been drunk while wearing a harem skirt. It was thought that her harem skirt of crimson hue would be worn in the Court, and a large number of spectators attended in expectation, but she appeared in a skirt concealed by a long gray coat. Her counsel attributed her position to over-indulgence in champagne. She was a much humiliated woman, and wept bitterly. The Bench agreed that the night’s incarceration was sufficient punishment.