Untitled

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 253, 21 October 1873, Page 2

Timaru boasts of a piano, the case of which was manufactured in London from some beautiful New Zealand totara knot. An effort is being made in the Amuri district to establish a Presbyterian Church, manse and minister. The Dunedin Cricket Club forwarded to the Aurkland tpam a contribution of £40 towards defraying their expenses lo the South. The libel list is pretty nearly completed in Wanganui; so by way of a change we are to have some actions for defamation of character, two of which have already been commenced; as business is rather «iu!l, no doubt the&e interesting little cnses will tend to while away tbe time when waiting to make nn entry in the day book. — Wanganui Chronicle. Two gentlemen, Messrs. O'Halloran and Nicholl, the representatives of a Company recently formed in England under the title of the New Zealand Fibre Works Company, have visited Blenheim this week, with the view, as we are informed, of ascertaining what facilities exist io this locality for establishing the head-quarters of their manufacturing department. Tbe company io question are tha patentees of a new kind of machinery which poduces a fibre it. finitely superior to anything hitherto kuown. — Express. The manufacture of walking-sticks, which has developed in this country into such au extensive wholesale and export trade, seems to hava been t»ken up in Wellington, New Z aland. We are informed that a firm in that town has improved upoa the ordinary mode of stickmaking, and has been entrusted with an order to embellish wiih carving a lot of eupple-jicks for tbe English market. This is certainly changing the order of things, for immense quantities of finished walking sticks are sent annually from England to tbe colonies as well as jo South America and other parts of the world. The supplejacks which, we are advised, are beiog so largely manipulated in New Zealand, are probably not identical with tbe sticks known to us hy that name, in*ismuch as our supple-jacfcs are imported from the West Indies, and are furnished by FauUinia curatsavica and some allied species. In N^w Z-*al-**nd the name supplejack is applied to Rutins Au&tralis. a kind of slender climbing plant, and to one of the fern family. The idea of receiving manufactured walking-sticks from New Zealand is somewhat suggestive of " coals to Newcastle," &c. Uf course, if the carving is especially elaborate and well done, we can do well wilh tbe goods; but failing this, it might pay the colonists better to send us the raw materials. — British Trade Journal. It is when you coma close to a man. in conversation that you discover what bis real abilities are ; to make a speech in a public assembly is a knack.— Dr. Johnson. An Aberdeen testator has given, devised, sod. bequeathed a certain portion of bis wearing apparel to his wife, for the reason that she had been accustomed to wear tbem during her married life. We learn that the Victorian Woollen Cloth Manufacturing Company have now orders on hand for nearly 70,000 yardp, and have been compelled to refuse orders, one being for over 40,000 yards of tweed. To undertake all tbe orders sent would have kept their works, with the two engines at tbeir command, engaged for the next six months. At Chesterfield, a policeman named Davis was charged with kissing Sarah Ann Drabble, servant at a farm-house at Shirebrook, where defendant bad heen assisting in putting out a fire. The Bnch dismissed tbe case, but warned policemen generally against " larking " with girls, as "by co doiog they placed their characters in jeopardy." Mr Greathead's remedy for affections of the throat has been tried by Mr M. M'Taggart, of Talbot, who, for some days, suffered severely from quinsey, and for four days took no nourishment, and could scarcely speak. With great difficulty be succeeded in swallowing three drops of sulphuric acid in a tumbler of water. The effect approached the miraculous. In an hour or so his relief was complete, the choking sensation and inability to swallow being at once removed. Whilst we Australians are playing at sugar-making Irom beet root, the Galifornians are working. r i hey have two factories, producing annually 700 tons of white sugar. The companies grow beets, and also buy of the farmer at 4d05. per ton. The yield is 15 tons per acre, and the clear profit per acre to the grower, 20 lo!. The pulp is worth 2dol. per ton for cattle- feeding, and tbe yield of sugar is nearly 10 per cent. This should oncourage the old shareholders in the only existing Victorian company, and might induce the support of aome^new ones. — Australasian*

A young lady on board the Somersetshire on her Isst; voyage, puzzled her fellow-passengers as to 'the derivation of the term funny-bone as applied to the elbow, explained that its title was due to ils being on the verge of the "humerus." "2E.jles " writes in the Australasian'. — Happy is ths man whose house is built. I ara told that tho increase in the price of materials and labor is,/ likely to check building operations. It will certainly' render tbe builung of houses with the view of letting them to tenants a less profitable speculation. Here is an illustration of the advance. About a year ago tenders were called for building a residence in one of the suburbs. The lowest amounted to £1,600. The intending house-builder thought be would wait a little. He got tired of waiting and again invited tenders. Curiously enough, the contractor who was lon est before was lowest again. But this time, for the same work, upon the old plans, the price was £2,050! The difference is a measure of the rise in value of work and wood. Thp overland telegraph line cost about £400 00 \ It is a piece of work whi*. b, coi.sideted telatively tp. population. and resources, was quite as i enterprising B 8 the American Trans-Continental Baiiway. I was told the other day" by a competent authority that he estimated the increased value given to the 160,0. 0 tona breadstuffs last year expoited by South Australia as nearly repaying the first cost of the line. Where wheat was wanted it was sent wilhout delay — when shipping was needed it was secured. Thus the indirect gain compensated for the direct outlay, and tbe colony bas still the original investment to the gcod — producing, too, in revenue about twine the original estimate of receipts. — " iE^les "in the Auslra la sian. The enormous fortunes which aro being made by «he British coalowners, the Melbourne Telegraph remarks, put Australia and its gold mines into the shade. Mention is made in the English papers of one owner who sunk a large sum in an; uprnductive coalpit last year, making £60,000 profit from another pit. Ho is not in Parlia ment, thou*... he would like to be. Another very lurge owner last year mad** £50 000 beyond his ordinnry income of £100,000. He is in Pailiament. An enterprising man with a small capital lately invested if, and what money he could borrow, £9,000 in all, in a colliery, ond h<* sold it agnin almost, immediately, and wiibout spending a peuny upon it, for £40,000.