TRAFALGAR DAY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 94, 18 October 1909, Page 8

TRAFALGAR DAY.

Tho arrangements for Iho Navy League supper in commemoration of Trafalgar are well in hand, and thoro is every promise of a successful gathering. Among those who have signified their intention of being presont aro His Excellency the Governor, his Worship the Mayor, Mr. IToEter Fra-ser, representatives of H.M. Navy, and a number of prominent members of tho Legislature and' local defence forces. The following ou'cu'ar has beeu sent to headmasters of schools by the secretary (Mr. Cecil Palmer) :—"lt: — "It is suggested by tho Navy League that (in accordance with l&bt year's decision of tho Headmasters' Association) some- form of celebration of Trafalgar anniversary should be observed at each of the bdiools on Thursday next, the 21st instant. Tn addition to 'saluting the flag,' the singing of patriotic songs, or whatever else i may bo decided -updn, it is hoped that during the day in question headmasters may mate special raference to the farI reaching results of Nelson's glorious vic- | tory in securing for the world at largo the peaoe and freedom of tho seas, and point out that the anniversary might well bo observed as a day of thanksgiving as markI ing the event which rendered possible the formation of the British Empire The opportunity might bo taken of impressing upon the minds of the children tho privileges and advantages of British citizenship and the inestimable value 1 of Imperial unity by which the nation's oversea commerce and its coast lines are most efficiently protocted from aggression by tho existence of one all-poworful navy under one flag and under one control. As already advised, the subject for this year's e?say is "The British Navy under tho Three Georges," and arrangements for the competition are being left in the hands of tho headmasters individually. The names of the most- &ucoorsful essayists and the total number competing at each school (showing members of league separately should be handed in at the Chamber of Commerce not later than Monday, the 25th inst. The prizes are to be distributed at a ISavy Leapno eutcrtainment, to be held at the zmmicinal concert hall on Thursday, the 28th inst.^ details of which will be advised later."

A kelson Press Association telegram states thct a pold snap was experienced there last night, and the irost has done dp.mag.i to potatoes, tomatoes, beans, Ptf:. At Eofcorua most of the boarding- , houses have been veil patronised since September. A long and heavy tourist season is anticipated, especially in vievr of the increased excursion facilities that will be available from Australia until April next. Jusfc as the Garrison Band was about to play "God Save- tho King," after the volunteers had returned to the King Edward Barracks at the -conclusion of the military funeral given to Captain Pavitt, the Press states that Lieut. -Col. G J. Smith commanded all civilians who would not take off their hats while the National Anthem was being' played to leave the baruueks. "There have been distinct signs of disloyalty at recent ceremonies/ eaid the Lient.-Colonel, "and we don't want it to continue." Tho Lyttelton Times states that the drivers of a number of the motor-cars which were engaged in conveying the troops to and from the manoeuvres on Labour Day are to be prosecuted for having driven at Bpeeds in excess of tho speed limit. The ofiencoi complained at are alleged to have been committed in the majority of instances on the return journey from ths manoeuvres to Christchurch. To-morrow, at 2 o'clock, Messrs. W. H. Morrah and Co. will sell by public auplion in their rooms, Willis-street, two pianos ,-tvad household furniture.

Mr. D. M'Kenzie, the representative of the Railway Workshops employees on the North Island Railway Appeal Board, will leave Wellington, to-night to attend a sitting of the South Island Railway Appeal Board. Mr. Alfred Hosking, F.S.Sc, whose death occurred in Auckland on Friday, had been a teacher for fifty-five years, and the New Zealand Herald remarks that many thousands of the inhabitants of Auckland have received the benefit of his careful instruction and kindly guidance. His invention., the "Tellurian" (for which a gold medal was awarded at the New Zealand Exhibition, 1907), is an instrument for explaining the seasons, which is used in a large number of schools, and it is described as a boon to teachers. In 1874 Mr. Hosking was the champion rifle shot of Victoria, Australia, and the Auckland Cadets have benefited greatly by h:s ekill and experience. His school at Mount Eden was the first school in tho Empire to salute the flag. Mr. Hosking was intensely patriotic, and the Mount Eden School Cadets formed the firing party at the military funeral which was tendered to his remains on Saturday. The fourteenth annual dinner of the Yorkshire Society of New Zealand will be held at Godber's Dining Hall, Cubastreet, on Monday next, at 7.30 o'clock. The Governor, the Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward), Mr. Massey, and the Mayor will probably be present. The editor of The Post, Mr. Gresley Lukin, who was one of New Zealand's representatives at the Imperial j/ress Conference, will be tho guest of the New Zealand Club at luncheon to-mor-row in the Y.M.G.A. rooms. A mass meeting for men only will be held in connection with the Baptist Union in the Vivian-street Church tonight. Subjects are to be dealt with as follow : — Mr. A. S. Adams, of , Dunedin, on "Baptists and the Democracy"; the Rev. J. K. Archer (Napier), on "The Church and Social Questions' ' ; and the Rev. W. Lamb ! (Gisborne), "National Evils." Music ! will be rendered by the male choir. Questions will be invited at the close. A number of the men from the warships in port are expected to be prosent. Though H.M.S. Prometheus will not be in Wellington on the date of the Hunnings v. Tracy fight at the Opera House — Ist November* the captain of the vessel has made arrangements so that Hunnings:, a man-o'-warsman on that vessel, will be able to participate. Hunnings signed the articles this morning, and Tracy, who fights Gault in Auckland to-night, has wired his acceptance of the conditions. AHawera gardener has secured what appears to be a remarkable cross between a tomato and a Cape gooseberry. Last year these plants grew 6ide by side, and upon shelling a certain gooseberry the fruit, to all appearancos, was a tomato. It may, of course, be a freak, but the grower is inclined to regard it as a genuine cross. If a new blend has been discovered, and tho seeds come to anything, something new in tho way of jammaking fruit may soon be available. The Auckland Education Board at its .last weeks' meeting had a letter before ib complaining of the severity of punishments meted out by a country master The writer said he had made it his business to watch the master through th« school window, and had observed that his deportment was such as to decrease the respect of the pupils for him. Tp this the writer attributed the severe punishment which the master found it npf-essary to mete out. The Herald reports that the board did not express much sympathy with its correspondent, and' after raising the question of whether he could be prosecuted for trespass, passed a resolution expressing confidence in the master and disapproval of, the tactics adopted by the correspondent in watching him. A discovery was made by the purser of the s.s. Flora yesterday evening, that his office hfid been broken into and the safe ransacked. It is stated that this is the second occasion that the purser's office on the Flora has been burgled. At Kaitangata on Thursday a man named Robert Penman was lined £1, plus costs Bs, for rifling a swan's nest. The "Otago Daily Times" states that the ranger did not press for a heavy penalty, as the case was brought as a warning. ' Mrs Elizabeth Baldey, wife of the Hon. A. Baldey, M.L.C., died in Wellington yesterday, aged sixty-eight. The deceased lady was a daughter of the late Sir James Laing, of Southland. During the cruise of the Government training-ship Amokura in quest of the missing steamer Duco, two large schools of whales were observed when the vessel was several hundred miles off the New Zealand coast. One of the schools was composed of the "sulphurbottom" variety, the other of "finbacks." There were among the former, reported Captain Cooper, some cetaceans between sixty and seventy feet lonf,. The "sulphur -bottom" whale is of vecy little value from a commercial point of vißw, and is exceedingly difficult to capture. The cruise of the Amokura in search of the missing steamer Duco was quite unexpected by the lads, a.nd it has given them an early foretaste of a "life on the ocean wave." There are at present fifty-fire lads on the ship, bnt many of these had not been to sea until a few weeks ago. There was any amount, of hard work to bo done while the vessel was away from Wellington, and the trip was somewhat of a tax on the energies of many of the youngest among the boys. Altogether a distance of 1500 miles was covered. Nevertheless, they are said to have come through the ordeal well, and arc- showing considerable aptitude for the arts of seamanship. The relationship of the Bank of NewZealand and the State was referred to by Mr. H. G. Ell in his speech in Parliament on Friday night. He contended that the guarantee given by the State to the bank was one of the best investments the Government ever made. "In 1903," he said, "the Government bought 15,Q06 shares in the bank. The face value of the shares at that time was £6 13s 4d each. That money is costing the Government less than <s£ per * cent. What I do we receive from it? In 1905 a 5 per ' cent dividend amounting to £25,000 ; in 1906 another 5 per cent, dividend of I £25,000 ; in 1907 a ,7£ per cent dividend of £37,500 ; in 1908 a 7* per cent, •dividend of £37,500, and in 1909 an 8J per cent, dividend amounting to £43,750. In five years only we have received £168,750, while the amount paid in interest on the purchase money comes to £18,113 per year. Not only is this one of the best investments the Government | ever made, but the shares are growing in value. They were bought by the Government at £6 13s 4d and are row quoted : at £9 ss.'"

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