NEWS ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9413, 6 April 1909, Page 6

NEWS ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Mr Townley, of ReidsfcoaJ haa taken a fleece which measured twenty inches in length from a hermit merino sheep. There* wase not a break in the wool (state** «u* Oamarn paper), notwithstandingthe snow storms and' rough wither it had been subjected to. A .second staple, measuring nineteen iac?*B!? ia length, is on view in an OAHtam shop window. j At a.meeting of creditors in Wei-* lington Solicitor: “It would right for an experienced naan you; bankrupt is not an expci man.” The creditors: “That’s it; we want to stop Inexperienced 1 men going into business.” The Assignee : “That’s easily done. T.e* the big firms stop givh.«. sneu credit.” Recently the Queensland Govern' ment purchased two automatic water finders at a cost of £IOO. Two trials were made with one instrument, bus so far little success has been met with. One difficulty is that no on© seems to know the exact significance of the readings secured for practical working, and another is that tbs A instrument is not quite consistent ia its operations, the needle {not point* ing in the Jsame direction twice in the one spot. The other finder has been taken to the West by the engineer under the Public Estate Improvement Fund. A new substitute for butter ha# been introduced in England, called Palmine, claimed to be safe, eco-* nomical, and hygienic. It ia made from the cocoanut, and is used for cooking. Ip pastry it is preferable to the ordinary fats, and the Lancet describes it as “a very pure fat. harder than butter, clean, and dee© not turn rancid. It is specially nutritive, does not burn qaaiiy In frying, and does not contain water as in lard,x buttermilk as in or shreds of skin as in suet.”. It costs only one shilling a pound. To the New Zealand householder this# is not especially cheap. She can £et excellent butter for that price; bjfc* probably in London butter would h© considerably dearer. Vegetarians will hail Palmine as an addition to their bill of fare.

An absurd case of official red tape occurred to the well-known writer, M. Oonrteline (says the Paris correspondent of the Daily Express). Burglars broke into his (bouse and made off with his forks and spoons and other silver. The burglars were caught and the silver was found on them. At the police station M. Oourteline asked for hia silver. “I regret,” said the inspector, * ; that it is out of my power to returni it to you until the thieves have been duly sentenced.” M. Oourtelinelaoghed. ‘‘But they are all 'my forks and spoons,” he said. “I very, much regret it,” answered the police commissary ; “the law is formal. But there is one way out of the difficult;. If the burglars allow you to do so and give their formal consent, you may take away your silver. 1 * M. Oourteline presented each burglar with eighteen shillings fcr having been kind enough to burgle him, and took bis forks and spoons home with him.

An employer’s faith in the unemployed was temporarily shattered the~oth©jr day, says the Dominion, unde* ■'‘jpiewhat peculiar ciroumst ’y/jt appears that two unemployed : men applied in a certain : fd|: work. The work was dprthcptoingv the orders being to proceed to a particular house, one of his ■unoccupied bouses in Thotndon, and remove the roof, as the house was torbe rebuilt on top. “I don't know whether you want work,” said the hew employer, eyeing the work* ecs suspiciously, “but there is la Sd an hour if yon take the job on.” The toilers wore glad to get the work, and set out for the scene of opeiations. On arriving they found two unoccupied houses, and at once decided on the house which they were to operate on. With some idea of impressing their employer and so getting further work, they plied their implements with unusual vigour, and only desisted when the roof was off and the windows out and a heavy rainstorm came on. Later they put the finishing touches to their work, and were proceeding to town to claim their remuneration when they met their Ha had in the meantime been up to the house he had sent the men to, and had noticed that nothing had been done to it. He upbraided the men with considerable force, and was met with an indignant denial that the work had not been done. Further inquiries elicited the information that the two unoccupied houses had led to complications. It appears that the workers bad gone to the wrong one of the' two houses, and bad lifted the roof of the house next door to the one in which the contractor was interested.