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Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 472, 26 June 1890, Page 2

About forty yesrs 0! age, tall, good looking, and elegantly, though a little extravagantly dressed, is the description given ot a foreign adventurer who lately rented offices in the Rua Droudt, Paris, and proceeded to fleece all tho dupes whom he could induce to entrust him with their money to be devoted to speculations on the Bourse. When this tall and elegant foreigner was arrested, ha had in his possession the magnificent sum of sixpence. All the other money had passed through hi> hands to pay his wife's creditors. We do those things better in New Zealand by making over our property into our wife’s name, and not pay a penny to anybody. The French have yet something to learn. Experiments in training dogs to act, in time of war, as scouts, messengers and sentinels, are being carried on with success in most of the Infantry regiments garrisoned in France. The manner in which thsy are educated is curious. When a dog is to act as messenger two men are detached from a post, and walk about a mile, the animal being led by the collar. One man remains stationary, while the other returns to bis starting point. On being let loose the dog immediately sets in pursuit of the latter, and finds its way with unerring regularity. To ensure the delivery of despatches, a small leather bag is strapped to the animal’s back. As a sentinel a dog will scent a stranger at 100 yards’ distance, and evinces disquietude by barking or growling. To accustom the dogs to scouts’ duty they are encouraged to seek in thickets for soldiers wearing foreign uniforms. As soon as the animals perceive the unusual dress they retreat, running to the soldiers who accompany them, and thus announcing the presence of an enemy. The instinct of tho animals seldom misleads them, and they have been found very useful as a means of communicating with patriots and detachments on outpost duty. In time of war they are also intended to search for wounded soldiers and loiterers, as well as to carry provisions and ammunition to outposts. An interesting sight is afforded by the spectacle of these four footed soldiers at drill. Our Sydney correspondent writes: —The brewers have a grievance against the Government. As a matter of fact they have bad one ever since the excise on beer became law, but tbis is an additional and supplementary injury which they have been snffsring all the time, but which until now they have been too modest to call attention to. Innocent and unsophisticated people have been wont to assume that beer is the product of malt and hops just as bread is the product ot flour, and flour is ground from wheat. But now it appears that it is very largely made from sugar—so largely in fact that the three or four large breweries in the colony probably consume three or four thousand tons annually amongst them. This sugar carries a duty of £5 per ton, and the total amount paid in respect of it to the Customs annually is estimated by the brewers themselves at £lB,OOO. They complain that contrary to justice and ordinary usage they are taxed twice over, having to pay duty on the sugar they use and again on the beer they make. Like the Sparian hoy with his fox they have concealed their injury thus far; but, unlike the Spartan boy, they have no intentional letting it prey on their vitals until it Kills them, so they have made a clean breast of the whole matter and demand relief. From one point of view it looks like a request on the part of four or five wealthy firms to ba allowed to divide £lB,OOO a year amongst them. But there are considerations of equity which cannot be so summarily disposed of, and it is probable that some relief will be accorded the petitioners. Mean time it is quite probable that the incident will add ona more to the long list of honorary titles with which the unpretentious “ stringybark ” is already decorated. Why not call it S.B ?— sugar beer. We have received a copy of the catalogue of Messrs Arthur Yates and Co., seed merchants. The catalogue is well designed, lithographed, and printed, bnt it might have been done equally as well in New Zealand. In a circular accompanying it, an international root and vegetable competition is announced. The circular states “ Instead of offering a few small prizes at sundry local shows as in former years, we have determined to strike out a new line for ourselves, and to have on our own account a great intercolonial vegetable and root competition. Other firms offer small prizes at' various local shows, but with the condition that the prize shall be taken out in their seeds, at their own valuation ; this is manifestly onesided. We offer £125 in bard cash, the only condition being that the exhibit shall have been raised from one of onr own sixpenny or larger packages of seeds, £l5 for the expenditure of 64, is not a bad return, but thia is withiu the reach of any grower sowing a packet 0! our Swede turnip. Such a competition as we are organising is entirely new, and not very easily carried out, as we send our seeds over euah an enormous extent 0! country, with different season and so many different climates, not the least difficulty being that even our extensive warehouses would not hold the exhibits from such a number of competitors. To overcome these difficulties we have determined to give our prizes for weight only, and to have these weights certified by any local J.P., and the local storekeepe/ keeping our seeds, or where there is no owe dealing in them, some other reputable resident, thus saving the trouble and expense of sending in the exhibits. By this means we give every grower using our seeds in any part of the colonies an equal chance to win our cash prizes. It should also be remejhaT bered that exhibits taking prizes at IoWF shows are equally eligible for our competition. All entries for vegetables must be sent in before March let, 1891, to either our Sydney Or Auckland branches."