MISCELLANEOUS.

Otaki Mail, Volume 26, 13 October 1919, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

At Gisborne last week a man'named George Robert Peacock was fined £2O and costs for playing a game known as "Rollers." Detective McLeod said the

stock-in-trade was an octagonal piece of wood ana a strip of oilcloth painted in four different colours —brown, blue, yellow and green. Four sides of tho Wood are painted brown, the betting on which is even money; two sides are painted blue, the betting being two to one. One side is blue and one yellow. on which the betting is three to one. The wood is rolled along tho cloth, and the owners pays out on all backers of the colour that turns up. With a skil-ful-man rolling there was absolutely no chance of the punters winning.

A Christchurch lady on Sunday recovered a gold bangle which she had lost under circumstances which then suggested that she would never see it again (says the "Lyttelton Times"). Two months ago she was walking along the river banks at Opawa. She picked up a piece of stick and threw it into tho river, but to her dismay the bangle came off her wrist and joined the stick in its flight. A prolonged search was made at the time. On Sunday, with the same companion, the lady again visited Opawa, and with mingled curiosity and hope she went to the scone of her loss. Her forlorn hope was rewarded, as plain to view, and slicking up in the mud, was the bangle. It was retrieved, and tho owner went on her way rejoicing.

"Hedgehogs are one of the things that should have been left out of this country," remarked Mr 12. F. Stead at a meeting of the Canterbury Fruitgrowers' Association on Saturday night. "They are most implacable enemies of broody hens," Mr Stead continued, "and will take egg after egg. If you go in for raising bantams he will take them: he is easily the worst enemy that the poultry farmer has got. They are prolific breeders?but arc comparatively easily killed. They have none of the hesitation that stoats and weasels have in appioachiug dwellings; in fact, the hedgehog is more than likely to make its home under a house. Prom the orchardists' point of view hedgehogs are beneficial, as they cat a large number of slugs."

"What is going- to make a very big difference in conditions in New Zealand is tho very alarming increases in the value of land. Such increases have occurred in Australia owing to the I gradual push of agriculture, but not nearly to the extent of tho rise in New Zealand," said Mr Alexander Macintosh to a "Dominion" reporter. "In some x>arts of the country land is fetching £IOO an acre for dairying. Now, if people arc going to pay that for land, j how is it possible for the cost of living to recede, seeing that everything comes from the land.' I have seen it worked out in figures which cannot be refuted that it would be impossible for a man who has paid £IOO an acre for land to sell butter at Is cd per lb. Instead of looking for a decrease the public must rather expect an increase." The most notable public bequest of recent years was the gift to the people of New Zealand by the late Mr A. H. Turnbull of the library which he had spent so many years in gathering togther. To suitably house the gift, Mr Turnbull's residence in Bowen Streetwas purchased by the Government, and immediate steps were taken to make it thoroughly fireproof. No time was lost in appointing a librarian and a staff to assist him. Mr Johannes Andersen, of the General Assembly Library, was the successful applicant for the posi- | tion, and for some months now has been engaged in tho task of indexing and arranging the books. Mr Charles Wilson, Chief Librarian of the General Assembly Library, estimates £BO,OOO as the present selling value of the library, indicating clearly the magnificence of Mr Turnbull's bequest, and his right to be considered one of the world's great eolle'etors.

"What constitutes a land agent?" was asked during a sitting of the Full Court on Wednesday. "I have heard it said," remarked 31 r Justice Hosking, "that all the requirements arc a small office, some pens and some ink." "It was put forward at one time," supplemented the Chief Justice (Sir Eobert Stout), "that all that was wanted was an office, a bottle of ink, and a pen te stick behind the ear." at which the Court smiled audibly. "Land agents are not required to possess skill," said Mr C. P. Skerrett, K.C.: "they should 3 rather possess an aptitude for persuasion. It is astonishing what beliefs some people possess. For instance there was—possibly is—a common belief that every lawyer was—and possibly is —a rogue and an unscrupulous harpy. I need not say to youi Honors that such a statement is not a fact, but is a gross libel, a most undeserved impugnment of the members of an honourable profession." At which the judges I silently aequieseed. |

{ It was stated by the Hon. D. EL i Guthrie in the House that, with regard I to soldier settlements, in the Auckland j district, on 77 farms bought, aggregatI ing 133,000 acres and costing on the average some £ll an acre, they had pat 800 men. .On 60 farms bought at £42 an acre they had placed 117 soldiers, with an average of ~o acres per man, at an average cost of £3OOO per man; and they were absolutely some of the most successful settlers they had got. The widows of soldiers would be found to be amply provided for when fits bili„ came down, and also the nursing.staff. (Hear, hear.) He was going to ask for power to strengthen the Land Purchase Boards by appointing local boards in the different , districts. (Hear, hear.) ilr Witty: "Trill-you do something to stop the land-swindles?" Mr Guthrie . said that something was being put in the bill dealing with the matter. The horn members had referred to land I agents; and he might' say that he had I got somewhat into bad"odour by avoid- * ing dealing with land agents wherever passible, (Hear, hear.)