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Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9023, 9 January 1908, Page 5

A Wanganui business man, who left town on Christmas Eve for a short holiday at Pipiriki, had a rather unpleasant experience at the river settlement. Taking his camera out with him one day to get some > shots of the scenery, he found hirn- ' self bushed, and remained so tor three days. A search party was sent out from the township and finally came across him not much the worse for his experience, except that he was in no state to listen to any arguments in favour of the fasting cure. The "Otago Daily Times" states that some oi the smaller ponds in the * Oamaru Gardens are completely covered with a dark browh waterweed which has the appearance of brown earth. One of the excursionists by the Tarawera from Dunedin to Oamaru on New Year's Day took a running jump at one of these patches, and was much surprised to find that he did not strike ground until he had passed through four or five feet of v water. His companion jumped in to save him. and the two waded to shore, a distancre of five feet. A correspondent of the New Zealand Herald" who has recently travelled over the greater portion of the King Country, states that he was much surprised at the scarcity of the tui,' kiwi, waka and pukeko. These birds were very numerous in the. North Island some 30 or 40 years ago, the pukeko being found in large flocks in the swamps. The correspondent states that he once saw a Maori shooting pukeko for the purpose of obtaining bait for eel-fishing. When remonstrated with, the native stated that all the Maoris used ' them for this purpose. "If this is so," it is added, "no wonder this beautiful plumaged bird is rapidly becoming extinct." An amusing story told of the way the Cullinan diamond—the birthday gift of the Transvaal to His Majesty King Edward—was sent to England. It was felt that there was a certain amount of danger in the railroad journey from Johannesburg to Capetown. Two stalwart railway detectives, an hour or two before the home mail started from the gold reef city, were ordered to travel with it on special duty. They were notified to be well armed, and at the last moment they were* handed a small sealed package, which they were ordered not to lose sight of until they deposited it in the strong-room of the .Union-Castle liner. Learning that it was the great, diamond, the two . men had an anxious journey. Some months later the truth,became known by the Transvaal PostmasterGeneral's' report, that the. diamond had gone in the mail as anOrdinpry registered package. The detectives' mission was simply an! elaborate piece of deception. *•• Many potato growers throughout the Wanganui/ district have been somewhat concerned lately at finding portion of their crops blackened and blighted by a disease closely resembling the Irish blight. Unlike the latter pest, however, "if has not spread over the entire crop, but only attacked it in portions. It is what is known as summre blight, and is practically harmless. "One of the first things a boy learns is to swim, and the next to swear, and you can't prevent him from doing either," said a member , of the Hutt River Board at the last jmeeting, when a point was raised in connection with bathing in the Hutt river.. One member wished the Board to take steps and prohibit school children from bathing unless accompanied by teachers or guardians. It was thougth by others that swimming baths ought to be erected. The discussion here dropped, the Board • believing it hopeless to attepmt to effectively prohibit bathing.