WEEKLY WHISPERS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLIII, 30 January 1909, Page 2

WEEKLY WHISPERS.

J/ lien's a hok in a' your coals, I redeye tent it ; A chiets among ye taiin' notes. And, faith, he'ttprent it. — Burns. Some monster Spanish onions, grown by Mr ]<ewis Frost, Milton-street, have been sent to "Jloff. 1 and they cten+mstrate the wondrous fertility of The Wood. They were taken haphazard from the patch, and not picked, yet 10 onions weigh 161 b., the largest has a circumference Of 14^ inrhofi and the rest average 12^ inches. They should not be "hard to take" with hread and cheese and trimmings. Once more the law shows itsplt a "hass" by harassing milkmen with the compulsory half-holiday. Restaurants, fish-shops, fruit-shops, and sundry other such establishments need not observe the half-holiday on the ground that Iho salus popufi demands refreshments of sorts when it is doing the desipere in loco, while so far as other sips are concerned no one has ever dreamt of putting up a compulsory .half-holiday on mine host who dispenses his fortyrod lubricators.. But somehow milk distribution, which more than any other comestible commodity is a necessity of domestic life, seems to be ontside the pale of the exempt, and milkmen are now being told that they must keep Saturday halt-holiday by hanging up their customers' supply till Sunday morning. Now the only effect of this in Nelson will be to deprive the vendors and their employees of the partial Sunday half-holiday which they secured by Agreement som-3 years ago, an"d clearly they prefer the Sunday to the Saturday. * But the anomaly of it is that while tha law fails to exempt the milkmen from the compulsory half-holi-day, apparently it makes no provision against milk distribution on Sunday ! To be logical, milk distribution should ceass on Saturday .it 1 p.m., and not be rEsumed till Monday morning. Wouldn't there he a howl th*n. both of habits ■h".<l their nmthi-is ! ! WHh moiilh wklp open and eyes «>t on the thrilling sentences of a sensational dime novel, a born-tired Government boy messenger, bearing an awesome-looking envelope branded "Official P:ipers," strolled into the Government Buildings at Wellington. Having tripped over the terminus ol the linoleum, he pursued his sleepy way to a dnor at the far end of the passage. But before he reached it he was confronted with the hack of a gentleman ascending the stairs. Momentarily neglecting - his "thriller," the lad's facci lit up ■n'jth •expectation. The change of expression betokened something joyous. Addressing the gentleman, the messenger said, "Say, "hold hard, take this letter up, will you?" at the same time handing over the envelope and turning to depart. But before the boy could get in further good work on his book he was inter-Vnpte-d with the reply : "What are you paid for! Take it up yourself." Wheeling to reply, the boy met the familiar features of a well known TJn-der-Seeretary — excuses were 1 hopeless ! • '•*•• * The domestic servant problem is getting so acute in Australia that at the Sydney Tegistery offices the cry is that there are no "generals" now, as the supply of general servants has run out. Commenting on the excess of demand over supply the editor of the woman's column in the "Sydney Daily Telegraph" says:— "This is a side-wash of the great domestic problem. Wages have gone up. The immigrants were promised high wages in London before leaving, and they manage to get them here. This has had its effect on local maids with a rise all round. No normally liberal employer grudges the few shillings extra to secure a good maid. It is not the rise in pay that troubles miftresses. but the fact that two maids, or a maid and a boy, must now b« employed where one girl has been the rule. In homes near the city of any size above, say, five rooms, two maids are now usually seen. This problem of the greater expense both in wages and keep of two servants instead of one presses hard on employers with small incomas ,and no solution is apparent. Servants are scarce and troublesome, and employers are trying, if possible, to go short-handed, and the other side of the picture is seen, when, as at present, the long-known and much disetissed 'general' seems to be about extinct, except in the form of the 'slavey' cr 'marchioness' type." • # # ♦ » * The other day the codlin moth was very much in your columns. Here is another cure for the pest: — Make separate strips like small brooms, of pennyroyal and thyme, one inch wide, six inches long, fastened with calico one inch wide right round the trunk, and alternately. Then tie tight with string a "little above the centre, the Malta being upwards. Afterwards place a cape of waterproof material to shelter herbs from sun and rain. Do this before the blossoming. Mr Cooper, the discoverer, explains that he always noticed insect pests avoided strongsmelling herbs, and hence his experiment. Pennyroyal and thyme could be easily grown " in quantities, and it takes less time to fix a pad than to spray and constantly fix bandages. We are threatened yith a new fashion '"pour vire," according to a English authority, who remarks: — "Kor those who have the mind to project themselves into the future I ha/c a pieoa of particular and privtte information to impart. With the turn of the year the powers in high sartorial places are rejecting coats and skirts of heavy soft satin. One of these previous models to rome my way was executed in black satin, and ere I took in any of the detail the impression that jumped to me was the similtude the wearer bore to a wet seal. The satin, fitted everywhere to the. figure, was of that soft, shining aspect only obtainable by richness of texture. The coat of this costume was quite simple, with one long narrow rever, which brought about a graceful diagonal line from the right shoulder to below the waist at the left side. But the skirt, ah! the skirt was quite the last thought, and, as I am' persuaded we are destined to hear a great deal moTe about this venture, here is the description. Absolutely nnadorned, saying for a line of selfcovertd buttons running down the left side, the length is excessive all round, the hem probably resting a good 3in. on the ground, save at the left side, where it is caught up in three small folds a, shade above the hem probably resting a gooo 3in. on tEe ground, save at the left side, where it is caught up in three small folds a shade above the hem, to allow of the long-pointed foot now in vogue to assert its presence." From the "Free Lance" : — Old Gent (to Smallboy) : What aTe you crying for, my little man? The Boy : Because you are sitting on my tart. Old Gent: Well! I'm jammed 1 Mr Neild, an English. M.P., has got Into trouble with the majesty of the. law for referring to financial" prosecu--t.ions in which the adventurous Horatio Bottomley, M.P., is involved. Bottomley's case occupies large space in the London papers. Botlomley, M.P., with George F. Fewiugs, W. A- Stevenson, and Walter Edsum. are being prosecuted for conspiracy to defraud. They are accused of issuing shares largely in excess of the authorised quantity of the Joint Stock Trust and Finance Corporation, of which Bottomley was Chairman, and of obtaining money for' investment under false pretences. The first witness for the prosecution was J. P. Levie, Bottomley's confidential clerk. Bottomley is a perfect master of cross-examination. He figuratively turned Levie inside out, and compelled him to read letters which he had sent o Bottomley asking for money, under circumstances which are intended to make the Court believe that Levie was a blackmailer. Bottomley waijo overjoyed at his successful handling of a very nervous clerk that he published an article in hU newspaper, called John Bull, very laudatory of himself, very insulting to the ? prosecuting counsel, and so full of comment that, a writ was at once obtained against, him for contempt of court. For that con tempt he has been fined £300 and costs" Iji the hearing of the conspiracy charges witness after witness has given evidence to show that they entrusted money to Bottomley for invesment in a .definite company, and that he used their money in Mock operations without his clients' knowledge or consent Bottomley who «w«nt* under" wme years ago, bobbed up serenely again and paid all his creditors 20s in the £. Now lie is in deep water again. MOFUSSILITE,