The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-22
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

The shovel fish is so called because it
uses its nose to turn over the mud at
the bottom of the sea in quest of the
worms and small shellfsh on which it
feeds.
The native of the west coast of Suma-
ira are strong anti-vaccinators, but they
have other means of keeping off fell dis
ease. They make offerings to the small
pOX devil. Here is the ritual observed:
The hearts and livers of fowls and buffa-
loes are mixed with yellow rice and other
ingredients and placed in the model of a
fully rugged ship. This vessel is carried
solemnly in procession and finally launch
ed in the sea.
The New Zealand assembly has just
passed an old age pension bill which APP
plies 10 all persons over 65 years old.
The pension amounts TO but $50 per year,
or about $l.75 per week, and no one who
has an income of over 50 per week or prop
erty worth more than 100 will be entitled
to it. Twenty years residence in the col
ony and ten years exemplary conduct are
among the other qualifications the va
grant and the drunkard being thus shut
off.
Birmingham is in a serious position
with regard to its water supply The
officials of the water department have is
sued appeals to the public to curtai their
consumption as much as possible, and the
use of water for public purposes is be-
ing kept to the lowest possible level The
immediate danger is not so great, but in
early winter with severe frosts would
bring about the most serious consequences.
II viii be four years before the water
from Wales is avilable.
The costliest macadam on record once
paved the streets of Kimberley South
Africa. The celebrated roadbed was stud
ded with diamonds and hundreds of val
liable gems were taken from it. A peddler,
thirty years ago, while hawking his wares
from farm house to farm house, found
shining stone by the wayside and thinking
ii might be of some value sent it to
geologisG, who at once recognized it as
a fine diamond. That was the beginning
of the great Kimberley diamond mines.
The authorities of Edingurgh, Scot
land, are disposed to be iconoclastic. The
old house in High street, where Allan
Ramsey lived, has been demolished in
order to effect improvements, and other
old buildings in which the national coven-
ant was signed in 1888 will also be pulled
down. The much-visited house of John
Knox is it is said claiming the attention
Of the authorities, who regard it as an
obstruction to the street traffic, while the
Iron Church, long associated with the
Bacchanalian observance Of Hogmanay by
Edinburgh citizens, will most likely nave
to be sacrificed.
"A colossal granite monument is being
made by an Aberdeen firm to the order of
the Transvaal government for erection at
Pretoria as a national memorial of the re-
pulse of the Jameson rad and a recogni
Of X
valuable services to the republic. Con-
siderable reticence is observed with regard
10 the work, as the contractors, it seems,
are bound under agreement noL to disclose
particulars, but some details have leaked
out. The monument is composed of red
PeCerhead granite and is inclOsed by sub
structure of about eighty feet diameter.
Access is obtained to the main structure
by four broad flights of Steps The monu-
ment is octagonal in form, thirty-six feet
across and the same in hight, forming
solid mass of masonry, on top of which IL
| is believed statue of the President will
be placed.
"A circular containing several inquiries
was sent ont by the United States Com
missioner of Labor several months ago
to persons and companies employing a
large number of men. The object of the
| investigation thus instituted was to as
certain something about the relations of
the drink habit to labor Over seven thou
sand establishments, which employ nearly
two million men, replied. The answers
have almost the significance of a census,
therefore Commissioner Wright has just
/ published a summary of them. Out of
6,976 employers 1888 said that they were
| customed to consider whether a person
was in the habit of drnkingwhen they
were asked to give any sort of a place
The employers who did not take this this
matter into consideration numbered 1913
The Industries represented in this report
were agricultural, manufactures, mining
and quarrying. trade and transportation
The largest percentage of employers who
| inquired about drinking was among those
engaged in trade and transportation. The
| means used to find out about an appii-
cants habits were usually direct inquiry,
reputation and personal appearance The
| reasons assigned for taking a man S
| against accidents" because of RESPONSE
| blity of position" and because of IN
| reliability of drinking men," Dishonesty,
| abuse of animals, the employers disgust
! for drinking men and the Importance of
! example to other employees were also
| urged in explanation of the practice In
/ reply to the question whether men were
! likely to spend their money on drink i'm
| mediately after drawing their pay, 1897
| establishments sent an affirmative answer
| 2,766 a negative one, and 362 said nothing
| Only a small number gave any data as to
the means resorted to for the correction
| of the evil. But discharge, change of the
day for paying off, less frequent payment
of wages and moran suasion were the
| remedies mentioned.
The reason for the date of congress
sional elections-the first Tuesday after
the first Monday in November-is often
| asked, says the Washington Post but
| there are very few, who have charge of
the campaign, who are able to answer it.
! Capt. Thomas II. Mckee, the journal
! clerk of the House, explained that the
| controlling reason for the date in the
manner fixed was to prevent an election
! falling on the first of the month. That, of
course, is a busy day for many men. Bills
| fail due then and commercially the LIST is
always the busiest day in every month
The language used to designate the date
| makes ii impossible for the election to
| come earlier than the second of the month,
and that would be only when the list day
| of the month happens to be Monday The