BREVITIES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3109, 4 January 1911, Page 2

BREVITIES.

The estate of Richard Oliver, formerly Postmbaster-General of New Zealand, has been proved at £78,£75. There was a heavy fa] lof snow on Thursday night between Taihape and Ohakune, and at Taihape the weather was bitterly cold.

It is said that Wanganui holds an unusually large number of bushmcn at present, and tint some very heavy cheques are being “knocked l down” in the usual style. Holman Hunt left an estate valued at £161169. Mark Twain has left £122.000. When he was sixty lie lost his entire fortune. Florence Nightingale lias left £35,649.

The ‘‘Bay of Plenty Times" states that owing to the severe winter and the facial trouble amongst sheep, there will he a shortage of fully 700 bales in the Tologa Bay district alone. Dick Arnst, the world's ' champion sculler, announces in the (Sydney “Referee” that he and his sawing mate, Jack Donnelly, are willing to take on any two men in New South "Wales for tlie double-handed l sawing championship of the State. The following verse will be found on the door of the parish church at Stret-ton-en-le-Ficld, Derbyshire : If in this church you’d l like to see. Call at the rectory for the; key. And if your heart is so inclined The church expenses box you’ll find. •‘lf von give me a chance, your Worship, I'll get away into the country," said a vagrant in the Wellington Court recently. ‘‘l'll give you a chance to think over it,” said Dr M’Arthus, S.M., “but before von go up country Dm afraid yon will have to go up “‘on the hill”—three' months!”

Shearing in Queensland- is done by people owning travelling plants, ranging up to -30 stands of machines. The work is done.in a huge tent, like a circus, and 6d a head is charged for shearing. Everything is found, including wool packs. Some of the shearers travel in motor buggies. In Southland waters has, been found a seaweed similar to that which lns;beon giving trouble to the trawlers in the No rub, and which lias been responsible for poor catches when fish- are normally numerous. The weed is nothing new in Southland. ‘Freshes in the river clear away the weed from the estuaries, and rough weather at sea has.a similar effect.

Mr Alfred William Pearce, “Cockney Alf,” of this district (says the Westport ‘News’)., is in luck’s way. His mother, who died forty years ago, left him £3,000. which, with interest and compound interest, now totals about £20,000. His claim was discovered through an advertisement published some time ago. and the necessary papers have now.been forwarded to London to establish that claim.

The English Treasury beiulited to the tune of £2,000.000 by the will of the late Mr Charles' Morrison, whose actual estate was Proved at £lO 936.666. and to the. tune* of £643,969 by Mr Alfred Beit’s' estate, which ultimately proved to be worth a trifle over eight millions. It must bo remembered that Mr Beit left over two millions for public _ charity, which explains the apparent disparity in the death duties: