of churches. Among othei remarks of a humorous nature, Delegate Cocker .said that unaon might absoib them like the whale did Jonah. He ° la ™ e « Jonah for being absorbed. It he d been minding his own business, he would have remained unabsorbed. When he was swallowed, both he and the whale were uncomfortable, and that when they were^_er — separate, Jonah did better work. t If there had been such a thing as a mean, intellect at the fon|er once it would have grasped Mr. Cocker's platform from this. A delegate, taking into consideration the tough-looking appearance of the hum our<=ome parson, remarked that if the union of the whale and Mr Cockei had eventuated, the internal pains of the mammoth would have induced him to go out of the federation right quick Mi Cocker writes as well as he speaks He has been preaching for twenty years, and is now in the twelfth year of his ministry He is known to the police in Wanganui, and the publicans are always lookin- out for him. Fact is, he is on the Licensing Committee, and an ardent prohibitionist. A parson who is good without being "goody-goody.' his re ligion does not seem to make him miser able He is the personification of bon homie, and, if you want the pedigree and performance of any person connect ed with his Church, get the loan of him for a few hours. Say nothing but listen You press the button, he does the rest. Doctor Forbes, one of the medical offi cers of the Eighth Contingent, has at last allowed his inclination to get the better of him. No one quite knew why the "little sporting doctor" did not take up soldiering earlier in the war, except that he spent a remarkably pleasant time in the town of his adop tion Paeroa, "capital" of the Upper Thames gold field. Doctor Forbes is firstly a sport, secondly a sport, and thirdiv an excellent practitioner. He is very rarely dismounted, except when attending patients, and his hacks are generally as good as other people s gaJ lopers. He can be persuaded to dott the riding pants when there is a pigeon match to be shot, or "gunning of any kind to be had, and he, with his brother, are among the most expert shots in the quartz region. 