GENERAL NEWS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16364, 8 November 1918, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS.

' meeting retail dairymen wOl be held in the Trades Hall on Monday, at 8 p.m., to consider the price or milk. We have received £1 from Sirs G. A. E. Boss, £1 from R.LJt., and os from J.C. for our Serbian, also £1 each for our Red Gross Fnnd, and Canterbury Patriotic Funds, from R.LJR. An offer to equip a children's playground at Victoria Park, Auckland, at a cost of £1500, has been made by Mr John Court, the well-known draper, who had for some years recently occupied the office of Deputy-Mayor of Auckland. The equipment offered by Mr Court is as follows: —Shelter shea and lavatories, £350; two sand-trays, £50* wading-pool. £130; two chutes, £35; see-saws, £25; swings, £26; chair swinsss, £36; two r.ock-a-byes, £140; combination seesaws, swings, and chute. giant stride, £40; merry-go-round, £.120; fountain fishery, £100; two bubble fountains, £13; and tar and sand, £300. At yesterday's meeting of tho Canterbury Education Board a letter was read from Mr J. A. Flesher, of Christchurch, trustee in the estate of the late Mr Alexander Cowie, reporting a scholarship bequest of £200 per annum under the will of the late Mr Cowie, for the purpose of establishing four scholarships in connexion with the Christchurch Protestant secondary schools or Canterbury College, such scholarships to be open to the children of Protestant parents whose joint or separate income does not exceed the sum of £200 per annum. The matter was referred to the Appointments Committee to report upon, and appreciative remarks regarding the late Mr Cowie's generosity were made. The new club rooms of the Christchurch branch of the Returned Soldiers' Association, which are to be erected in Gloucester street W., are to be in the form of a two-storeyed brick building, and the estimated cost is about £12,000. A striking feature will be a Memorial Hall, which will be open to the publio. On the wall of this hall will be placed | rolls of honours, on which will be inscribed the names of all Canterbury men who bave fallen in action or, died while on active service. Mr J. S. Guthrie, the architect, in his plans, has made provision for a lecture hall, dinbilliard room, two card rooms, two reading rooms, ladies' room, caretaker's room,- offices, buffet, bathrooms, and lounge, and a lift is to be installed. Urooper Louis Salek, of the Australian Medical Corps, who is now on furlough in Wellington, states that some months ago General Allenby vetoed the wearing of "shorts" by the troops in Palestine. Ever since the arrival of the New Zealand and Australian forces in Egypt "shorts" have been considered the coolest and most workmanlike leg-wear, but such is the filth and ingrained disease in the nativo popula- , turn, and even the ground itself, that the men began to contract septic knees thai would not heal without a very great deal of trouble. Now the niountcds wear dungaree riding pants rwhxcli become white with washing) and Iratner leggings, and, in the case of some of the infantry, puttees. A. remarkable? recurrence of 13 is ! ed . b J' an Adelaide soldier, Archie A. -Novice, of the Public Stores De-, nartment, who was badly gassed in f ranee, but who is now convalescent m England. He has been at the front three years, and writes:—"l was gassed on May 12th, was in No. 13 bed in J*o. 2 Casualty Clearing Station, and subsequently in No. 13 bed in the 41st Hospital; 13 bed in tho 49th Clearing Casualty Station; 13* bed in the 2nd Stationary Hospital, Abbeville; f3 bunk in the ambulance train to Boulogne; 13 bunk on the hospital ship St. Dennis; 13 bunk on the hospital train from Dover to Aldershot, and 13 bed in the Connaught Hospital, Aldershot: Thirteen must be my lucky number. It brought me to Blighty." Novice ,isthe 13th grandchild, and his mother is one of 13 children. When tho British forces penetrated into the niore thickly populated parts of Palestine—Jerusalem, Jaffa, etc.— there was absolutely, no gold in circulation in any coinage. Silver was the current specie, and; fio highly was it prized that a Turkish £1 note (.and even a : British note of the same denomination) was worth only about Bs. Wjth the quickened propensity of tbe native peoplo to hoard up that which was of the greatest value at the moment, silver itself Liocame exceedingly scarce. To get over the difficulty the British Government sanctioned: the Egyptian banks to issue a five-piastre note (worth Is), and such was the effect of that' move that the natives emptied their hoards of silver coin on to the market, until there was a .positive glut, and it "was not an uncommon thing for natives to accost soldiers and ask them if they • wanted change for their notes, the. reason being that the banks in Palestine recognised the British piastre note, but not, the Turkish silver money.

In''view of the Christchurch branch of. the Returned Soldiers' Association having decided to build a new clubhouse, the latest issue of "Quick March," the official journal of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association, contains a special Christchurch feature, with plans of the new building, and a very full description of what the Christchurch branch of the Association is doing: The whole paper is a bright little production, and one that should find popularity with returned soldiers and the general public alike. A very complete history of the formation and subsequent work of the Canterbury branch of- the Association makes good reading, and there are also several columns devoted to Christchurch news alone. The "replies to correspondents" page is well worth reading, while there is a roaily fine article describing the evacuation of Gallipoli, written by Major C. E. Andrews, of the New Zealand Staff Corps. The paper abounds in witty and clever original articles, together with pointed criticisms of affairs of momeut, and, altogether, it is a very interesting and judicially produced littlo volume. There are, in addition, a number of well reproduced snapshots •tnd • photographs of general interest. . ! At the meeting of the Canterbury Education Board yesterday the Appointments Committee reported that Mr F. W. Moore's letter in reference

to the disability 'he had been under as regards promotion through having been on active service, had been referred to the inspectors for favourable consideration. Mr Andrews (chairman of the committee), in moving the adoption of the committee's report, re- J ferred to Mr Moore's case, ahd said that it was an example of what they might expect in respect of teachcrß who had been at the front, the question being how to make adequate provision for them. The Board had endeavoured to keep their positions for them, or guaranteed them positions equal to those, they left, but tnero was a feeling that the Board should do more than that. It was expected that the Department would agree that the increments of the. positions of teachers on active service would go on, ap if they had not gone on active service, but the matter was one that might give considerable trouble if the teachers came from the front qnicklv and in numbers. In Mr Moore's case, in view of promotion made while he was away, he did not feel satisfied to go back to his country position. He (Mr Andrews) desired to publicly assnre these teachers that they had "the Board's sympathy and that the Board would do all in its power to conserve their interests and see that they are better off than when they left. Members generally indicated their assent to these remarks. Mr Howard asked if tbev would apply to men who had been conscripted. Mr Andrews: All will be treated on their merits- when they come back. Other thought there should be no discrimination.

The Education Board had before :t yesterday from the Appointments Committee a list containing the names of twenty-four schooi teachers absent on leave "on account of illness. Yesterday's river report was as follows . Waimakanri' North discoloured, Waimakariri South discoloured. Rakaia clear, Rangitata clear, Waitaki clear, Opihi clear. The sittings of the No. 2 Canterbury Military Board at Aihburton and Timaru next week have been cancelled,' owing to the sudden illness of the chairman, Mr H. W. Bishop. We have received from Messrs Whitoombe and Tombs a copy of their latest catalogue of New Zealand Literature, a well-printed booklet of fifty-two pages. A summary, extending sometimes to 200 words or _ bo, is given of each book, together with the number of pages, number of illustrations, and finally the price. In tho catalogue the books are classified under their own particular headings, such as "Early NewZealand," "The Maori Race." "Birds and Animals," " Agriculture,' ' Geographic and Scenic,' "Literature and Poetry," and bo on. "There are thousands of acres of the best land in Now Zealand and thousands of the best homes not being properly developed at present, because tho owners aro not. prepared to take just any kind of outside labour inside their homes," said Mr T. D. Burnett, chairman of tbe Canterbury Sheepowners' Union at last night's meeting of that body. "Vet there are now thousands of women roaming about New Zealand, drawing soldiers' pay and living a life of idleness. There is something wrong with our social system when that state of affairs can exist." On Wednesday evening, nineteen of the students of the Canterbury Aviation School, who had obtained their tickets, were about to leave for Wellington on their way to the British Isles, but practically at the last minute instructions were received from the Defence Department, that they were not to proceed. So far as is known locally the reason for these instructions is that owing to the outbreak of influenza in the Dominion, vessels leaving for tho United Kingdom, are not taking any I troops. The batch included men who I had been waiting for some considerable | time to get away. A Dunedin forwarding agent who daily uses a large quantity of stationery has adopted an envelope-saving system which recommends itself in these days of war economy (says the "Star"). Instead of spreading the address across the face of an envolope, and thus spoiling jt for further use, he half turns the envelope and rules the face into four parts, and inscribes in the upper space the address to which it is to be first sent. The receiver notices that the envelope is not gummed down at tho hack, but fastened with a little square of gummed paper bearing the name, of the sender and a request to use the envelope again. In this way the original- forwarder gets his envelope back, whereupon he uses it a second time, and if the receivers keep the scheme going the envelope can bo used four times. His argument is that the using of an envelope once does not wear it out. and that to pitch it away or spoil it at that stage is wasteful.

A local business man, who believes thatothers must have had a similar experience, tells a strange story of the consorship. Ho represents a largo Sydney firm, and one day he received a code message.* He oould not make head or tail of the tenth word. Ho asked the Tfclegraph Office for a "repeat": the message came in exactly the same shape. Another "repeat" had no better result. He explained to a high official of the Censorship Department that there must be a mistake, because the message could not have been handed in as received. As received it contained a word (the tenth word referred to) which was 'net English or in code, and which, therefore, the Sydney Censor should not have passed, : but did pass. Howv .ever,. -he decided that lie had _ better cable his firm asking them to. give him the right word. Accordingly he cabled in something like theso terms: «'Cannot understand tenth word you cable of such a date. It came as 'pgxyrstf or whatever it was." And the Censor refused to pass his message because it contained a word not in the codes I The following official wireless hews was received- in Sydney last woek bv the American. Consul-General: The Secretary of the Navy (Mr Daniels'! told details of the achievements of the Navy in making available for use at the front the great naval guns which Press despatches report are hammering the German railway centres at th» back of the Gise and Serro front. The naval guns have been operating since September 16th. Originally they were intended for the new battl«-cruisers, but a change of design left- the guns unavailable for that uso. Rear-Admiral Earle, Chief of the Navy Bureau of Ordnance, recommended that the guns should be sent to the West front. Tho first party of naval officers and men to handle the guns arrrred in France on June 9th. The gun* projectiles have a greater muzzle velocity than any weapon ever placed on mobile .land. mountings. The weight of the explosives* used in each projectile is many times that used in the freak Gorman long-range guns, and in point of construction and force they' are incomparably. . Addressing a meeting , of townspeople at Kaftangata on Monday evening, ■Mr J. M. Innes expressed the hope that not one of our returned soldiers, or those'yet to return home from the war, would be harshly condemned for any act of waywardness or lapse from good conduct. He said tho severe and trying conditions under which they had lived at the "front" had almost completely wrecked the nervous systems and constitutions of many of our strongest and best ■ lads until they were not responsible for their actions. Their cases deserv ; ed not condemnation but rather a kind, patient, helpful, j guiding hand to lead them back to tho conditions of life and health they enjoyed previous to their going into the shock of battle and all its evils. Wo must never forget that we continued to enjoy our liberties and privileges through the wrecked nerves and broken constitutions of those men who could not withstand all the temptations placed before them to fall from tho standard of. their previous good behaviour. A burst of applause followed Mr Innes's remarks.

In, connection with the recent death of Mr paries W. Adams (of Lower ilutt, Wellington), who was an outstanding figure in New Zealand scientific circles for many years, the "Sydney Daily Telegraph" states that one of the proofs of his profound accuracy and his disregard for all precedents was publicly acknowledged by no less an authority than the Astronomer Royal, upon tfi© mathematical tables in the nautical Almanac every sea captain depends as upon his Bible, and these calculations are regarded as correct to the last decimal point. Mr Adams, while yet a junior in the service, making an unimportant surveyor's observation, found an error in his result, for which he could not account. Reporting the matter to hiß senior, h© said. - "There are only two things that can account for this error: either I have made a mis-; take in my observation, or tho tables upon which I have calculated in the Nautical Almanac are wrong." And when his superior officer scornfully laughed at the idea that the tables could by any possibility be incorrect, Mr Adams replied that he»was quite sure of the accuracy of his own observations. He was asked to repeat the observation. and did so. with the same result. Meantime he_ had discovered several pages of the National Almanao that seemed vitiated by a slight error in calculation, and he forwarded his conclusions to Greenwich. The result was a grateful acknowledgment of tho mistakes from the Astronomer' Royal, and till the end of his life the Astronomer Royal forwarded every one of the ' Greenwich' publications to Mr Adams.

A gentleman who wishes to remain anonymous has given £150 to the Christchureh Branch* of the Returned Soldiers' Association, to be used to alleviate. any distress among returned soldiers of the Ellesmere, bpringston, and Akaroa districts. The president, treasurer and secretary, with Mr J. Coe, have "boon appointed, to administer tho fund. At a largely attended special meeting of the Canterbury branch of the Engine-drivers, Firemen, and Cleaners' Association, the following resolution was carriea unanimously: "That we absolutely disagree with the war bonus system and demand a straight-out increase in wages, better conditions, and permission to come under _ Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. Further, in the event of tho above not being granted, that we ask our executive to inform us what policy wo should adopt." The prevalence of strong winds during the last few days has caused trouble with the telegraph wires, the chief breaks being between Amberley and Waiau, where the big break occurred during the great snowstorm this year. Only urgent messages were accepted for transmission to_ the North Island yesterday. Last night there were two wires working, one via tho East Coast and the other via the West Coast. These were operating fairly -well, but telegraphic matter was still subject to a considerable delay. Gangs of workmen were quickly despatched to repair the damage, and it is anticipated that the service will resume a fairly normal running to-day, provided that there is no further untoward occurrence. A large number of deaths hare occurred at the Parkside Mental Hospital, Adelaide, recently, and thero have been a number of inquests. Tho City Coroner, Dr. Ramsay Smith, has on various occasions doubted the validity of the records kept at the institution, and at an inquest .held last week on Joseph Hitchcox, who died at the hospital on October 22nd, the following •verdict was returned: "That the cause of death was due to colitis and exhausthat the deceased, was illegally received into the hospital; that the deceased did not receive proper medical attention, but that the deoeased received proper attention from the attendants ; that the records at the hospital were most irregularly kept, and that the evidence of Doctor Lind, the actingsuperintendent of the hospital, was most unreliable, and that he was negligent in carrying out hjs duties.'' The united fruit auctioneers of Auckland are, in response to a request from fruitgrowers, making a charge for strawberry boxes and fruit cases. Owing to tho increased expenses incurred by the orchardist in producing his crop, the case problem lias become a very serious ono (says the "Auckland Star''), the cost having more than doubled itself in four years. * An urgent neoesifcy exists for the conservation of timber reserves, and the growers that careful handling and nusbanding of present stock is necessary. The auctioneers havo decided, ,in view of the above facts, to make a charge of 6d per bushel case, and 3d for all reputed "half" cases of New Zealand-grown fruit handled by them. The Fruit Case Co., Auckland, will take back all cases that are in good order at the above prices. 'In view of the extra staff necessitated by the foregoing charges, the auctioneers are reluctantly compelled to make a receiving and delivery charge of Id per bushel case and id on all other cases handled from November 4th. Says the Rev. T. Fielden Taylor, Anglican chaplain at Trentham, in his last report, published in the November issue of the "Church Chronicle": "As I sit here men are streaming into camp for the first time. They are civilians, but within an hour will be soldiers. To me they appear as a multitude, many of whom will soon need advice and assist-

ance. I also know that next Sunday if© shall have th© unique opportunity of preaching to 1000 of. them, and everything depends on their first impressions of us—our new hall at Heretaunga will be packed—th e next twenty days Will be crowded with interviews-. Then there is another picture. I: walk down the road and see a crowd of men in shorts and shirts on the march—-they are about to sail; to them private affairs loom important, they swarm my room at night, boys of twenty talk about a will, they have gained a sense of responsibility. So men come and go, one meets them for every possible purpose. It-is great to see a mass of them at our Monday concert—they are so happy and so Appreciative. It is great to see a few gathered round the supper table discussing cake and other things. It is greater to see th© few gathered nightly in chapel or for confirmation class or Scripture reading." Ejcctment cases are now called with, unfailing, regularity at the Magistrate's Court on "civil days" (say the Wellington "Post"). On Tuesday morning Mr F. V. Frazcr, S.M., heard a case Somewhat different from previous actions of the kind. The Colonial Mutual Company.- for whom Mr J. C. Morrison appeared, sought to obtain possession of a dwelling in Marama Crescent, occupied by P. Bitossi, in order that Matthew ltowntree, who had recently • purchased the property, might enter into possession. The latter 6tated that he had a house of his own at Kelburn, but wished to live in the small property for purposes of economy. "What do you intend to do with your Kelburn house?" asked the Magistrate. "It is for sale, and has been for! a considerable time. I suppose it will stand empty till I can let it," was the answer. "That is almost an offence in Welling-' ton at present," commented Mr A. H. Hindmarsh, who appeared for the defendant. "It is," agreed Mr FrazSr, "but under the circumstances. I .must follow the law, as the purchaser has ■ stated that he requires the house for his own occupation; but as he has another house,* and will not be put to a hardship by waiting, I shall make an order that possession is to be given up within six weeks." 1 Loasby and Co., chemists, announce that business is now being conducted in their new and up-to-date pharmacy, cr. Cashel and Colombo. streets (opp. Ballantyne's.) 1 Cadillac Touring Car, latest model, now on view in Christchurch, and available for immediate delivery. Appointments may be made with Mr Nattrass, care Warner's Hotel. The Nafctrass and Harris Motor Co., Ltd., Wellington, sole agents for New Zealand. 5 Owen Magnetic, tlio car of a thousand speeds. America's latest, now being demonstrated by' the New Zealand agents, Messrs Nattrasa and Harris Motor Co., Ltd. Can be seen at Smith's Garage, Christchurch. 7 Working Men's Wearables are always cheaper at Armstrong's. Overalls in grey and striped, 5s lid; bib overalls, 6s ild. 7s 6d: combinations, 12s 6d, 15* Gd. 1

An eye point! If your eyesight troubles you don't put off seeking advice— because delays are dangerous. We are in the position to give you an expert and scientific examination, and can.determine at once the requirements necessary to give yon a perfect fitting pair of glasses. Watson's, Jewellers, Ltd., Colombo street, Christchurch. 8 CSamp Rugs for general and holiday use, 5s lid, 7s lid, 8s lid, 10s 6d, 13s 9d, at Armstrong's, the Leading Outfitters. 2 "NO RUBBING" Laundry Help for washing children's * summer clothingclothes last twice as long when "NO RUBBING" is used. Is 3d large packet. Wardell Bros, and Co. 5 Men's strong Saddle Tweed Trousers, 12s 6d, 14s 6d, 15s 9d; Buckskin, 6s lid; 8s lid, 10s 9d. Armstrong's. 3 The brilliancy and beauty of the Diamond Rings showing in Cyril K. Whale's window in Cashel Btreet commands the attention of all prospective purchasers. For the quality m evidence the values are exertional. 5 |

Gent'9_ White and Cotourod Shirts, os lid; extra cood tv Shirts, 4s lid os ifd J®®' strong's. . At FOR SALE-L.\TEST MODKT HOVER, £430. Now on view at garage, lata** Overseas Rover, 3^Ur, lamps, o detachable wheels equipment Has had very usage, and is in excellent An exceptional opportunity t A Bjgh-grade English ear. Id Garage, 219 Tuam street. ' • . 5. BARGAIN'S IN* SEOOXD-H wiv r MOTOR CARS AXB - - Now on view and ready f or sabfi Sunbeam o-seater, condition; Driven only by one Mr J. Mateon; F.Ve Ttffl&wheels and tyres; 4-specd cSSkT magneto, full equipment, h.p. Flandere, 5-seater, just overbad*! and re-pa inted, five new tyres/ eqmpment. Call and arranger run, £150. Wolselor motor delink! vao '^ l6 Hb^Utfe complete with tools, screen, etc. ]£*: driving tuition given, £210. K t>« 3-seater, re-modelled, very cosv 5 wire wheels. Prico for auick-«X' £150. Adams, Ltd., 219 TuamstStfe