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Motueka Star, Volume III, Issue 125, 24 October 1902, Page 5

The Colonial reporter of a horse race is not in it with his American brother in describing a close finish. One on the Pacific side concludes an account of a race thus : 41 Savable poked his nose in front of Lord of the Vale just as they flew under wire and won by an eyelash.” “Is that an officer or only a man ?” she asked, pointing to the figure on a stretcher. One of the bearers answered, “Well, mum, he certainly ain’t an orfficer, but ’es been 'it twice in the innards, and we’ve dropped '’im three times, and ’e ain’t squeaked yet, and if ’e ain’t a man I don’t know what ’e is.” Sue said she wanted a ticket to Liverpool, and the pale booking clerk asked : “Single r” “It ain’t any of your business, as I know of,” she responded tartly. “ I might have been married a dozen times if I’d felt like providing for a poor shiftless wretch of a man like you.” He doesn’t ask them now if they want “ single” tickets ; he's afraid to. It was a Maysville negro preacher who, needing the money, said : “Brethren, we will now staht de box, an’ fo’ de glory ob heaven, which ebber ob you stole Mr Jones’s turkey will please not put anything in hit.’’ And every man in the congregation contributed. A short-sighted woman, who was acquainted with twin Vroihers, one cf whom was a clergyman and the other a doctor, congratulated the latter on his admirable sermon. “Excuse me, madam,” was his reply, “over there is my brother, who preaches; I only practice.” There is a private duck farm close to •Sydney. The owner has 17,000 ducks on three acres of land. At one time the business had been very profitable, but owing to the increase in the price of food for the birds the owner says that he has lost money. In February last he paid as much as .£l6O for the food required to keep the ducks alive. It seems that the Federal tai iff has bad something to do with the increased cost. The owner of the farm used to import from New Zealand what is known as “oat dust.” Before the tariff was framed lie could buy this material for Is fid a bag, but afterwards he had to pay 3s. The amount of interest paid on bank overdrafts by the Timaru Borough Council for a period of ten years was T 938 2s 4d. Ashburton Borough, for a similar period, paid L 762 2s; and Oamaru paid L 7 5s lOd. THE FIREMAN is in great danger from falling bricks or limber as well as from the flames. No fire department is properly equipped without a supply of Chamberlain’s Pain Balm. This liniment is unexcelled for burns and bruises. One application gives relief. Try it., A. Manoy sells it.

New Zealand, with a death rate of less than 12 per 1000 a year, is the healthiest of all the British colonies. In a long and fatiguing march the tall men in the army usually fall out first or succumb to campaigning, unless, as is very rarely the case, the have well knit and symmetrical frames. A soldier between sft 5m and sft Bin or 9m is usually the man most capable of bearing the strain of life. It is stated that at least twelve battalions of infantry will be required as a permanent and stationary force to maintain our supremacy in South Atrica. General French started his career on the deck of a man ot war, abandoned it for the infantry, and finally entered the cavalry branch. If you keep hens, grow some sugar beet for them on any spare piece of ground. You will get twice the crop you would of potatoes, and the fowls (says the Auckland Weekly News) are very fond of them raw, also when cooked and mixed with bran. The lied Globe mangold is an excellent root for poultry and gives an immense yield, but the sugar beet is to be preferred. It is next to cabbage the best green food forfowls, and has the advantage of keeping much longer. There are few things that are more beneficial, or more necessary to the successful rearing of chickens than green food. An ample and constant supply must be provided for them. Constant and regular it must be, as nothing will tend more to give them diarrhoea than a free supply. After having been deprived of it for some time, where a grass run is not available, some grass should be procured and cut up into very short pieces, and then mixed with the soft food. Cabbage leaves and lettuces should be cut up in the same way and used sometimes in place of the grass. Dandelion leaves are another most excellent green food, and are greatly relished by the chickens Wherever possible a piece of ground should be devoted to growing them and will well repay the trouble. Apparently it will not be long (says the Otago Daily times) before the true significance of Labour Day is lost, and it will rank as any other holiday on the list, without conveying any special meaning to the rising generation. Gradually the desire to “demonstrate” has dwindled away, till, in place of the precession of trade displays and oiganised unionists with banners flying, the local Labour Day Association this year contented itself by holding a picnic on For bury Park. WADE'S WORM ElGS—the Wonderful Worm Worriers—are always effective, is boxes everywhere.