GENERAL NEWS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2553, 14 July 1909, Page 7

GENERAL NEWS.

A Wanganui resident' wants his fellow townsmen to declare war against Germany at once by boycott. Writing ta>.the “Chronicle’’, he asks:—‘‘What we find the conditions, are in this tfwn of Wanganui in respect to goods made in Germany, and, mark this, 'on which Germans have .received, and are, for continued orders, receiving a profit ?’ Wo use here. German electroplated ware, German glassware, German toys, lamps, tools/fencing wire, postcards, and, in machinery, lithograph, bookbinding, lulling machines, and many of other descriptions. Then in clothing and such like, ladies’ underwear in all descriptions, fancy combs, feather-stitch braid, men’s fancy vests, and even such articles as oilcloth, dog chains, musical instruments, all 'made in Germany.’ All unconsciously, women are great offenders in respect to buying and using German-made coeds. '

In combating the view that the Chinese. are an inferior race, at a dinner to the new Consul in Sydney, Mr Ping Nam, president of the Chinese Merchants’ Society, gave a few facts concerning the way in which his country had talven a part in the race for civilisation. The cry that the Chinese were inferior, he said, was untenable.. “Such a cry is historically untenable. The examination of our pecordvs as a nation, the faict that our ancestors invented the compass shortly after the death of Aristotle, discovered the manufacture of porcelain, lacquer ware,, silk, printed their classics five centuries anterior to the time of Caxton, established the coinage of the square-holed copper cash several hundred years before the Christian era, used carrier pigeons for bringing home news from ships before Vasco di Gama flourished, the fact that we are a nation which represents a fourth of the human race, a nation that claims a history extant for over 4000 years, which has witnessed the rise to glory and the decay of Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, Greece, and Rome—all these things show it to be untrue that the Chinese are an inferior race. China alone has survived her contemporaries. Since the accession of Emperor Yao in Pine Yang, about 4250 years, memorabloTor their unbroken chain of history, have imperceptibly rolled by, making our people the greatest nation on the face of the globe.”

“At present,” said the Hon. J. A. Millar, at a gathering in Dunedin, “there is an unhappy knack of decrying Otago and saying that wliat was once the foremost provincial district in New Zealand .was now taking a back seat in the progress of the dominion. Figures that I have show that to be very far from being a reality, although it is true that awing to our. early development we got a start of the other parts of New Zealand. Our lands were more closely settled, while, there weie troubles with the Maoris in the- North Island. As soon as these were over, development has gone ahead more rapidly in the North. ißut I don’t think it requires a very keen eye to see the great possibilities in the. South Island., avhich in the course of a few years will gradually bring her to the front again. Probably for the next twenty or twentyfive years the North Island must outstrip us.”

A surprising discovery was made last Thun day on 'the Wellington wharf by one of Tide-Surveyor R- Martin’s staff, who was keeping a sharp look-out tor un-Customed goods (says the New Zealand “Times.”) He was stationed near the steamer Wimmera, which had arrived from Dunedin and Lyttelton. Ihe surplus fat and dripping from the vessel’s culinary department is store}! in kerosene tins and sold lor use ashore. About twenty-six tins had been landed, and the Customs officer’s prodding-iron was dug into each tin. Although three of the tins had a thin layer of fat on top, the tins were found to be practically full of prime New Zealand butter. Altogether about 1201 bof butter was going ashore under the guise of fat. The carrier who was receiving the. tins expressed surprise at the discovery Oi the butter. The “find” was interesting, inasmuch as an apparent leakage of butter had been previously noticed by the Huddart-Parker people. Of course there was no duty to pay on the butter, as it was Dominion-made, l»t the. incident has boon imported to the Collector of Customs.

•'Haiti times! No money to spend! Nonsense!” said a leading Auckland business man to a “Star” representative when asked what business was like at the winter clearing sales. “Look for yourself,” lie continued. “There aie hundreds of people thronging the counters of every department this morning, and so it has been since our sale began.” This was the information vouchsafed by the business man in question, and it was corroborated by the managers of the various other emporiums visited. Evidently the bargain-hunting fever has caught on properly, for, despite the miserably wet morning, the shops were filled with customers, and the different departments were like human beehives. Busy attendants were rushing about in every direction, and the bargain-hunters, generally wanderin" in pairs, were diving into remnant baskets, sampling dress stuffs, pricing laces, and apparently enjoying to the full the opportunities for shopping which a cheap sale affords.

An act of particular bravery, and presence of mind was- that by which John Muller, a crane driver, recently saved the lives of nine of liis mates who were working on the Zig-Zag deviation near Litligow, N.S.W. Muller was working a crane for the purpose of removing dirt from the shaft at the eastern end of No. 1 tunnel. He had the brake on the winch and was standing alongside it, when a violent gust of wind caused him to overbalance, and, when falling, lie put out his hand to save himself, and in doing so get his hand in the crank at the big end. The flesh was terrible lacerated, and the thumb was torn away. He held the brake whilst in that position until be had lowered the cage, which saved the lives of the men underneath. While his hand was jammed, he, with the other hand, applied tho brake,', another man holding him on the machine while he did so. The doctor put 35 stitches in the wounded hand.