GENERAL NEWS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2418, 5 February 1909, Page 7

GENERAL NEWS.

A lovelette-r engraved on a bniok lies in the British Museum. It is a proposal for. the hand of an Egyptian princess, and'Ts 3500 years old. In Paris there is ta special school for waiters. Students are taught four languages, geography, artistic decoration, and dancing, as well as minor accomplishments. Experiments' have shown that a person speaking in the open air can be heard about as equally as well at a distance of 100 ft in front, 75 at each side, and 30 behind. With the exception of Russig, the civilised world has long abandoned the Julian for the Gregorian mode of reckoning time. The change in Great Britain was made in 1752.

A rather startling incident is related to the “Wairar-apa 'Daily News” as having occurred in a -railway carriage of a train travelling from Woodv/lle to Eketahuna recently. A man, evidently the worse of liquor, passed through the carriage in which were two ojr three men, a couple of ladies, and a Chinaman, the latter dozing in a corner seat. Presently the man returned and, addressing the travellers generally, said: “Well, ladies and gentlemen, I don’t know if you’ll approve of my action, but- I’m going to kill this b Chinaman!” -and as he said the words he struck the Celestial -a smashing blow on the face, the force drawing blood from the man’s hand as well as from the Chinaman’s face. The -assailant, it is alleged, started to repeat the assault, but was restrained by the other passengers, and one of the ladies attracted the guard’s -attention. The man was put out of the train at Eketahuna.

A narrow escape from a serious accident occurred in the Auckland harbour -at 11.30 the other morning. A party of five men were fishing in an open boat at anchor off Bean Rock, when tliev suddenly became aware that the ketch Hikurangi was bearing down upon them, Seeing that they were evidently unobserved, the occupants of the boat called out, but they Were not heard until the on-coming vessel was a few yards off. The ketch then altered her course, but too late to avert a collision, and she struck the boat on the side. On realising that a collision was inevitable, three of the occupants of the boat seized hold of the chains overhanging tho bowsprit of the Hikurangi, and bung on there until hauled on board, while the other remained in the boat and escaped unhurt. It is stated (says tho “Auckland Herald”) that the accident was due to no look-out being kept on the Hikurangi. Under the- heading “A ‘Mark Tapley’ Premier,” the “Wairarapa Daily Times” editorially remarks: —“Sir Joseph Ward claims that t’hq land settlement of the Gvoernment is progressing in a way that- must be regarded by the most sceptical as satisfactory in the extreme. We. confess that we ourselves may bo classed as amongst ‘Tho most sceptical,’ and yet in this electorate we have, found it to be most unsatisfactory. In 1908 the l-ato Minister of Lands promised to take lea for closer settlement, but he did not take it, and no valid reason was ever .given why it was not taken. In this district it is believed that tho whole .proposal was a “fake” and a make-believe, though the Minister himself was beyond suspicion. We are entirely m favor of closer 'Settlement, . not on platforms, but on land —solid land. This bind of settlement the Masterton electorate is unable t-o obtain. It gets ‘Mark Tapley’ sentimenU as a substitute.” •