NEWS AND NOTES

Waikato Argus, Volume VII, Issue 527, 16 December 1899, Page 1 (Supplement)

NEWS AND NOTES

Mil W. H. Lkvek, the millionaire soap maker, of " Sunlight '' soap fame, v ill provide the next challenger for the America Cup. Mr Lsver, like Sir Thomas Lipton, is a believer in doing things thoroughly, and may be relit d upon to spare no effort or expense to ensure success. Fillis' circus (remarks the H.B, Herald) will be nothing compared to the menagerie of which the preseut Government is composed. It will be a case of the '"elephants walking in two by two," and the stranger in the gallery will be inclined to remark, " Please, sir, are those things tame?" A novel sight was witnessed in Hawera the other day—no less than tbo slaughter and eating of a lark by a bloodthirsty minah. The bird of sober plumage has never been noted for cannibalistic tendencies, but if he cultivates a taste in that direction he materially assists the farmers in their endeavors to get rid of his pert but humble brother, the sparrow. A young German and his sweetheart were recently united in marriage by Justice Deuel of New York city. The Magistrate directed tho groom to procure a ten-cent stamp to put on the marriage certificate. The groom produced a two-cent postage stamp and tried to make that serve the purpose. "No, no," eaii the Magistrate, "you must get a ten-cent revenue stamp." " Oh, what an egspen«e for such tarn foolishness !" exclaimed the groom, as he went out to buy the stamp. Hiring nurses by the hour is a new idea, and the Bellevue Nurses' Graduate Association (says the Daily News) is the first in the field with an hourly nursing service. Miss Kimber, of Bellevue, was the first to suggest the idea. She had noticed that in many cases in which a nurse was necessary the regular fee of £6 a-week could not be obtained. Frequently, too, in the limited accommodation of city apartments a muse could not be conveniently lodged and boarded. All this is obviated by the hourly nurse, who is engaged by the hour, and pays visits two or three times a day, perhaps. As she has several patients on her books at the same time, she suffers no pecuuiary loss. Discussing the ultimate fate of the two South African Republics, a London writer says : —The outcome, as far as South Africa is concerned, is such a foregone conclusion that a lively discussion of the political fate of the allied Republics has already begun. It is understood that the Cabinet has not reached a decision beyond, of course, agieeing that there sha l ! be no more independent States in South Afric. Some favour a partition'of the two Republics between Natal, C.ipe Colony and Bechuinaland. Others advocate their administration as a Crown colony. The scheme which seems to meet the most public favour, however, is the creation of the Dominion of South Africa, somewhat similar to Canada with five federal States, viz., the C.ipe, Natal, Transvaal, Orange River and Rhodesia ; a Governor-General to he appointed by the Crown for each State, aud a lecal Legislature, the Domiuijii Parliament, to sit at Cape Town.

Mr Albert B. Lloyd, the celebrated African traveller, who recently penetrated through the heart of the great dwarf-peopled forest, of which Mr Stanley traversed the northern ckirts, tells in an exchange how, after emerging and passing down the Congo he introduced tho bicycle to some native villagers. '■ Personally," ho says, " 1 was received most kindly by these cannibals. They are, it is true, warlike and fierce, but open and etraightfonvaid I did not find them to be of the usual cringing type, but manly fellows, who treated one as an equal. I had no difficulty with them whatever. I put together the bicycle I had with me, and at the suggestion of these people, rode round their village in the middle of a forest. Tho ecene was remarkable, as thousands of men, women and children turned out, dancing and yelling, to see what they deccribed as a European ridiug a snake."

The dreadful story of the city merchant's housekeeper, who boiled the priceless Dutch tulip bulb for the table has its modern parallel in the tragedy of the roasted parrot which was enacted the other day The wife of a poor Government clerk had long been yearning for the possession of a green parrot. At last a fine specimen was obtained for (he sura of three pounds. It was lo bo delivered during the morning, as the purchaser requested. And it came to pass that a now servant lass, from the depths of the country, opened the door to tbe parrot delivering youth. JShe knew a barn door fowl when she saw it, but parrots had not yet appeared on her horizon. The mistress was out, there was not a soul to instruct her in the code of ethic* applied to parrots. * Is it for the table,' the ge; oral asked. ' Without a doubt,' was tho wicked reply. Whereupon thi parrot was at once despatched, plucked, trussed, and put into tho oven. He was just turning a beautiful brown when the mistress of tho establishment returned, and that same evening the littlo girl from tho country was back among tho ducks and drakes of her own village green a wiser and a sadder girl. In reference to the sending of the New Zealand contingent to De Aar, the ex South African who writes military notes for the Christcliurch Press says : " It would he taken into consideration that New Zealanders are used to a rough hilly country and a mild climate, and in consequence the Commander-in-Chief would be inclined to send them to the rough uplands of the eastern districts, where the climate is comparatively mild, and where their services are likely to be of great value as mounted infantry are the ideal arm for service under the conditions that exist. The climate in the eastern and northern parts of Cape Colony is almost perfect during the greater part of the year, and our soldierboys will have every reason to feel that they are particularly favoured by beiug sent to General French's or Ueneral Gatacre's commands instead of to Nata', with its heat and fever, or to Kimberley and the north to endure dust storms and kindred discomforts. Major Robin and his command are in luck to he sent to such a country and to serve under so c'istinguished officers as the two now in command in the middle and eastern divisions of Ca t eCo!ony."_ In announcing the death of Mr Robert Bonner, the rich proprietor of the New York Ledger, the Independent says tint he was known the world over as the owner of the finest trotting horses in America, but wlun one of these became his property it w s withdrawn from the pu< lie race tracks. On horses he spent more than £120,000, hut he gave much more tlmn tills to religion and benero'ent institutions. He was known as one of the most literal newspaper publishers in the America. He paid Henry Ward Beecher .Cu'OOO for his novel'Norwood,' aud £4OO a year to wiite from half to three-quarters of a column a week for the Ledger. He secured Mr Beeeher by sending a cheque

for £4OO in the first letter ho wrote to the great prcachor proposing a weekly letter. Mr Beechcr's tcply to this was: —' I am almost dumb after receiving your proposition, and must clear my head before I say a word.' He accepted the offer, however. Mr Bonner pid Tennyson £IOOO for a poem. He spent £250,000 in advertising his paper. He thought nothing of taking a page at a time in the leading dailies. The Ledger advertisements were unlike those of any other publication. One day he mada the New York Herald publish a sixteen page paper. It was printiug eight png'is, and Mr Bonner asked what space he could have for a ' big ad.' ' All the space you want,' the publisher said. ' All right, 111 take the whole paper,' said Mr Bonner, and an extra eight pages had to he added to hold the news. Speaking of the effects of the Government's Bill lo prevent girls earning a living, " We have always paid wages," said Mr Hercus, of the Kaiapoi Clothing Factory, " but the Act affects us because the minimum that has been fixe*d is higher than we have paid. The Asscciated Manufacturers of Wellington, Christchurch and Uunedin '"ere before the Conciliation Board in Dunedin recently, and a log was udopted, and it was agreed to work under the present arrangements with the unions for the next six months. This log provides for 2s 6d as the minimum wage, but stipulated that it should be subject to the provisions of the Employment of Boya and Girls Without Payment Prevention Act. Before the Act came into operation we had between 50 and 60 girls getting less than 4s. We have always started our boys at more than os. This applies also to the young people at the mills. Every one of our girls has bsen kept on, and the effect has been to increase our wages sheet by £4 a week. Ihe effect of the Act will be that we will not take on such young girls. We have been taking them on at 14 iii the past. Now we will take them on at 16. We always resUoued that for the first six months girls were unremunerative. It is an arbitrary Act, which overrides the existing industrial conditions and logs of unions, and alters arrangements that have given satisfaction for a number of years. We must get the market value for what we pay. In the past girls have he.( n getting regular advances every six months, but under this Act the term for which a girl will receive 4s will probably be prolonged.