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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 175, 6 August 1874, Page 2

It is generally believed that owing to the recent depression in the home matket the manufacture and export of New Zealand flax was less during last year thau in any previous one. Such, however, was not the case by a- long way. Iv 1870 the total export of flax from the colony was in value £132,578; in 1871, it had decreased to £90,611; in 1872, to £99,403; nnd in 1873 it had risen to the appreciable sum of £143,799. Last year Wellington was tho largest exporter, Auckland ranging third on the list. The following were tho exports from the several provinces: Wellington, £45,789 ; Canterbury, £35,317; Auckland, £32,006; Otago, £19,373; Nelson, £6394; Marlborough, £4,750; Taranaki, £80. London is literally built on a foundation of pipes. Id some oases it would be difficult to find room to lay another pipe. One gas compauy supplies two districts with nearly 400 miles of pipes. Then there are the underground telegraph pipes, and lead and iron pneumatic tubes, the sewers, the waterpipes, and the underground railway. A French paper relates the following singular case arising out of a policy of insurance upon a quantity of cigars. A gentleman one day presented himself at the office of the Phoenix, and said he wanted to insure a quantity of cigars which he had imported from Havana. "Cigars !" said the manager, " that is droll; however, what is the value of them ?" The gentleman replied tbat he wished to insure them for 20001.; an inspector examined the cigars, and having satisfied himself as to their value, the premium was fixed and paid, and the policy delivered to the insurer. Four months afterwards the gentleman returned to the insurance oflice, and said, "Gentlemen, the cigars which I insured with you have been burned, and I apply for the amount of the policy." "We bave had no intimation of the fire," said the manager. " How did it occur ? " "In the simplest way in the world," said the gentleman. " I bave smoked them one after tbe other. Here is the certificate of my neighbor and a lodger, who attested the fact." " You are joking," the manager told him. "We shall not pay you." " I am serious, and you shall pay me," replied the insurer. The result was that in an action at law, tbe presiding Judge, holding the company to tbe text of the agreement, said that as it was not denied on the one side that certain merchandise had been insured against fire, aud on the other that the said merchandise had been destroyed by fire, he must given judgment against tbe company. The latter did not offer much defence to the action, but on the

following day a sammons was issued at ■weir instance upon the-.- plaintiff for arson he, having wilfully ___ fi re to merchandise which had been insured, ihe crime beiug. punishable with death, the sharper, ;wh 0 no fo ng er chuckled over the supposed success of bis pickery, was too-bappy t0 make terms' with the company, by pay i D g all the expenses which had been occurred