NEAR AND FAR.

Evening Star, Issue 15137, 19 March 1913, Page 9

NEAR AND FAR.

.A'meeting-of-tho trustees of tho HOckcn library Committee' was held yesterday, there being present -Mr 0 Fenwick (in the chair), l)r Benham.^Messrs Roes and Burnett. Dr Benham reported as to the distribution of 240 of tho .catalogues, and stated that he had a list of libraries to which another 250 would be .sent. One thousand copies had been bound. It was agreed that the matter of binding tho remaining 1,000 copies should be held over in the meantime The treasurer report.-d a credit balance-of £460 0s 2d, which, after the deduction of £262 for printing catalogues; £45 16s Bd, binding 1,000 copies;' and £8 15s, petty cash—amounts' passed for payment by the meeting—would leavo £143 8s 6d. This balance, it was resolved, after payment of any further expenses, should be handed "over to the Hccken Memorial Fund Committee, to be incorporated :n the fund, with the stipulation that the revenue from it be expressly applied to the payment of librarian's salary acrid tho upkeep of the librarr. It was understood that this was the" final meeting of the trustees. Mr Fletcher (chairman of the AYellington Harbor Board) has voiced a complaint against the.cumbersome nature and cost ot the annual election system. Mr Nicholls (secretary of the board) states in his annual r*i>ort that the net cost of the last board election was £1,200. and that it is very urgent that the matter be dealt with by Parliament, iii order that the election maybe conducted moro economically than is pe.'fiible at tiresent.

Fis O'..';. :y the King has been pleased to approve of the Fourth Otago Regiment being shown in the War Office Army List as allied to the East Surrey Regiment. Gencn.i Sir C 4. R. Greaves, of the East Sun-ey Regiment, in communicating to Lit-utenant-colonel M'Axa the notification from the War Office to this effect, expresses tho gratification that is felt by all ranks o£ his regiment that the request of the Defence Office in New Zealand in this matter has received the approval of the King. "Personally," Sir George Greaves writes, " this has given me great pleasure, as I served all through the operations in New Zealand from 1861 to 1866, ami well remember the good service done by tho lecal corps under the most, difficult and trying circumstances.'-' In consequence of the outspoken evidencewhich she gave before the Dominions Royal Commission on the subject of female immigration, the officer in charge of the women's branch of the Labor Department in Wellington has been forbidden by the Government to go on board incoming liners In future. For years past she has regularly mot Home boats in company with the male officers of the department, and has given much information and assistance to the women immigrants. There were present at the monthly meeting oi the Maori Hill School Commit 1 tee Messrs S. X. Brown (in the chair), Cuming, Leslie Young, Allen, Swann, Beeby. and the head master. The head masteT reverted that the roll number now stood at 314, and that the average, attendance for ths month of March was 302. The Otago branch of the Navy Leasue had presented to the school a framed copy of Captain Scott's last message to -the public. It was decided that the Faster holidays should extend from March 19 to the 26th. Final arrangements were made for the school concert in aid of the school funds. Mr I. Templeton was appointed janitor to the school.

From Auckland papers it is learned that the youth Crago, arrested in connection with the Takapuna shooting case, is only 18 years of age, and has been living with his parents at Takapuna, on the hill above the lake. His parents are in comfortable circumstances, and from what is known of Crago's career it is evident that he has had ideas for getting money quick.'- In July last year he wrote two threatening letters to Mr J. Craig demanding the sum of £SO. One of the letters was surmounted by an artistically-drawn black hand, and beneath this the writer intimated that he, was a member of a blackhand gang, and that if the money demanded were not forthcoming Mr Craig's ships would be wrecked, things would happen to his family, and even he himself might be subject to a mysterious disappearance. The only result of the letter was that the police located young Crago as. the writer, and he was sent to the Supreme Court on a charge of demanding money with menaces. At the August session of the court be was put on probation, and bound over to keep the, peace for 12 months. He was taken on by his previous employer, a boatbuilder at D'evnnport. and continued his work in the, ordinary way. His employer speaks of him as a wellbehaved and exceptionally intelligent youth, with no indication of abnormalitv in his manner. Lately he has evidently been seized with a desire to possess a motor car, and has been in correspondence with more than one firm of motor-car dealers.

A cable message, dated January 27. from New York to the London ''Dailv Telegraph,' says:—As much as £200,000 is offered by Mr Charles E. Finlev, a prominent New York banker, if Dr j. J. Friedmann, a German Scientist, will consent to come to this country and cure Mr Fin ley's son-in-law, Mr Rex Lee Pari?, of consumption. Many reports' have been cabled to this side from Europe telling of a wonderful new serum which Dr Friedmann is said to have discovered for the terrible malady known as "the white plague." Mr Paris is a voung man of M or 20, who, when he married the bank- | or s daughter two years ago, was a fine strapping athlete. A year after marriage consumption seized him, and since then he lias been an invalid in a sanatorium. Mr lunley had a conference with Dr Friedmarms brother, and as a result the banker cabled his offer of £200,000 to the scientist in Berlin. Dr Friedmann must prove Ins serum is successful in 95 per cent, of the cases he treats by curing 95 consumptives, including Mr Hex Paris, out • of 100 patients. It is estimated that the ■ experiment will cost about £6,000 The : intention is to lease an entire Xew York hospital tor the patients, and the banker is to guarantee all expenses. According 7nrnn- ktest available, over j 70,000 persons died in the United States ' in one year from "the white plague." a ,ul j Dr Friedmann's experiments will b« I watched with the keenest interest. | Writing in the London ' Evening News' ! on March 3, Heir Bernstein, a. member of ! Parliament, ears: "Not even the mo--t '• hery pan-German desires another foot of •rench soil, bub nobody can tell what mav happen if France continues to choose to make herself the willing servant of other' and continues to do their dirty work''' Herv Bernstein's statement has provoked ' considerable discussiftn in England. In the opinion of most people who have read it : the quotation given amounts in plain English to this: France is to be given the choice of keeping quiet or of being destroyed, while Germany gains control of ; the eea.

In connection with the forthcoming visit of H.M.S. New Zealand early in April, the Railway Department proposes to give school children an opportunity of viewinr. and inspecting the vessel. With this ob* jeet in view school excursion trains at school excursion rates will be run to the ports at which the vessel calls to suit the requirements of scholars. The battle cruiser will • probably visit Lyttelton, Timaru, and Port Chalmers, spending about a week in each port. Holiday excursion tickets will be issued at suitable dates to enable ordinary paesengeis to visit the ship.