FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 98, 27 April 1935, Page 17

FIFTY YEARS AGO

ITEMSFEOM"THE POST"

PROSPECTS OF WAR

"Although the Russian semi-official organ still expresses a hope that peace may still be preserved, there is no reason to-believe that the wish is sincere or likely to be realised," remarks "The Post" •of this date fifty years ago. ■' "Russia is prepared to back up.Gen- • eral Komaroff and seeks to discredit '. the report that the Russian Baltic Fleet is preparing for war. England, however, is not likely to concur in any such view of the matter. The rumour which is revived as to the resignation of the Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs is significant, as it is well known thatr he is really an. advocate for peace and did not approve of ■ Russia's aggression in Afghanistan. Altogether, affairs seem now to have reached such a position that the actual break in diplomatic relations between the .two countries may be expected at _ any moment, to be followed immedi- ,' ately by the withdrawal of Ambassadors from the respective Courts and the formal declaration of war." "The Defence Minister had a long interview yesterday with his Excellency the Governor on defence mat- ' ters, but .the result has, of course, not ' transpired. It was reported yesterday that an intimation had been received from the, Home authorities to the effect that it is' desirable to be 1 prepared as speedily as possible in the matter of defence. It is understood that one, or probably two, of her Majesty's vessels belonging to the Aus- ' traliair squadron will be sent to New Zealand waters in the course of a few days." PROTECTING THE PORT. "The construction of the batteries and approaches at Points Gordon and Hals well is now so far advanced that the work of conveying the guns to ■ the site was commenced today, a large ■ number of men of the Armed Coia- : stabulary being engaged in it. It is expected that if all goes well the two guiis at each battery will be in position and available for use by the end of .next week. The work at the Kaiwarra battery is not so far ad- ' vanced as at the other places, but if necessary the guns could be mounted there in" about a week's time." ■ "Yesterday afternoon a consultation i took place;between the Defence Mini ister and Colonel Reader, Majors i Eccles and Butt, and Captains Hume and: Humphreys on the subject of dei'ence- It was decided to call out the Garrison Corps on Monday next for tactical exercise, in which the main feature'will be the repulsion of a supposed attack upon Wellington. It was also decided to invite all persons willing to accept a position in or act as non-commissioned officers of a militia battalion to apply personally to Captain Hume." ..THE VOLUNTEER FORCE. _\'Th.e..Defence Minister has now under consideration a new set of Regulations for the Volunteer Force, and they are now so far advanced towards completion that they will probably be ' gazetted in a few days. Under these regulations the force will be divided into four classes. The first will be • the' ordinary garrison corps, the second country corps, the third honorary corps.' 'The capitation for the first class will be £3 per annum, and for the second class 30s per annum, The third and fourth classes. will be provided with 'ffrms' by rthte Government, but will, receive no capitation or other .assistance.' The three first-named classes will" be 'subject to the ordinary volun- .. teer-regulations, - but the fourth class will be allowed to frame their own regulations subject to the approval of the Government. The garrison and country corps will be allowed to increase' their numbers to 100 in each company, but the Government will not pay capitation on a. greater number than the present maximum of 63 men for garrison and 50 for country corps. Under present regulations members of country companies in order to qualify for capitation have to attend air the four authorised commanding officers' parades each year. This is felt to be a hardship and to remove v the number of such parades will be increased to six, compulsory attendance at any four only being required." THE RABBIT NUISANCE. ''"The rabbit pest is undoubtedly one of, the burning questions of the. day in these colonies. It is not too much to say that these animals have within the . last few years cost the Australasian colonies a loss-of several-millions of lijoney per annum, .owing to the de< struction.of country for ordinary grazing purposes. Innumerable plans have been tried for getting effectually the better of bunny, but none of them have be6n attended with complete and absolute success. Indeed, the rabbits in different colonies seem to possess different habits and different tastes. What answers very well in our colony fails altogether in another. Thus Captain Raymond's method of poisoning them with' 'phosphorised grain answers its purpose - fairly well in New Zealand, and our Parliament recognised its value.by voting its discoverer a bonus of £500. ' Australian rabbits, However, turn up "their noses at, poisoned grain and refuse. to die .as/readily as their Now Zealand brothers. So the Premier of New South Wales is prepared to offer a: sum of £10,000, .provided the other colonies will guarantee a like amount, for the discovery of an effective method of extermination. A, suggestion has been made that it might be possible to introduce some fatal dis- " case amongst the rabbits, and we think that ,oiir Government might -do well to,, make some inquiries along these lines. .Bunny is certainly having a bad time of /it in this colony now between poisdncd grain and natural enemies', but* still Aha introduction of a fatal disease amongst them would probably settle/the question definitely, and leave our Rabbit Department to devise means for getting rid. of the 'natural enemies' which they have introduced so freely, but which, with most unnatural perversity of taste, seem to prefer the flavour of domestic poultry and game of all kinds to their 'natural' food, until they threaten to become as great!- a plague/as the rabbits they were introduced to devour." THE BELMONT VIADUCT. ; "When the Wellington-Manawatu Railway is opened as far as Paremata, the Rimutaka Incline will have a powerful rival, as an attraction for sightseers,. in the Belmont viaduct, which has been built across a deep gully about a mile beyond Johnsonville: This viaduct, designed by Mr. H. P. Higginson, is the highest wooden viaduct in the world. It is 373 feet in length',.and is 172 feet above the watercourse below. It is built entirely of well-seasoned kauri resting on fourteen concrete piers, the one in the bed of the stream having its foundations sunk 20ft. The main kauri spars used are 14'-X 14; and each 40ft long. They are crossed and braced in the most ingenious manner, and from a little distance the structure viewed sideways looks like a huge Chinese puzzle or a gigantic spider's web. No less than 212,000 feet of timber and 35 tons of wrought iron bolts and braces have been used irt the work. It is much the largest erection -of the kind yet, undertaken in fhe colony, and has every appearance of being perfectly safe and stable, notwithstanding its great height and length."