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Evening Star, Issue 16089, 14 April 1916, Page 4

Mr Paulin telephoned at 2 p.m. : S.W. to S.E. ■winds and rain. A Greymouth P. A. message states that the West Coast timber industry is seriously hampered owing to shortage of shipping. Some thousands of pounds' worth of timber is on the_ skids, and millers are unable to fulfil their orders owing to the paucity of ships. The 1 Union Company explain that they cannot fulfil their engagements, as their fleet has been virtually commandeered for national purposes. At a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce a resolution was passed to approach the Government to see if the position can be ameliorated by the release of ships. If immediate relief'is not forthcoming all the mills will close down at an early date.

A well-known Hawke's Bay farmer informed a ' Tribune' reporter that fencing work was costing £4O a niilo more to-day than at the beginning of the war, mainly owing to the increased cost of wire. No man of military ago will be permitted to play Rugby Union, football in Auckland this -season, if a recommendation from a meeting of delegates from clubs affiliated with the union is agreed to at tho annual meeting on May 5 (says the' Head;!'). 'the delegates unanimously decided at a recent meeting th4t it be a recommendation to the annual meeting of the union that no player exceeding 20 years of age in April of this year shall play in the union's competitions. In the course of the discussion on the proposal it was suggested that players over 20 years of age who had been rejected by the military authorities on account of physical defects might be allowed to play, buUtho meeting was not in favor of the suggestion,, and it was decided to recommend the adoption of a hard-and-fast rule, otherwise it was feared there would be numerous applications for " exemptions." The entertainment given by the Allies''' Picture Company in aid of the Women's Patriotic and Red Cross funds at Port Chalmers last evening was a great success, and the funds are Likely to benefit to the extent of £l4. A proposal js orr foot to form a discharged soldiers' association in Dunediu. A preliminary meeting has already been held, and a general meeting is to be called in the near future. The object is to safeguard soldiers' interests in civic life. There has been published in several New Zealand papers an account of a supposed case of leprosy contracted by the wife of a Victorian soldier through wearing a scarf that her husband had sent her from Egypt. The Chief Quarantine Officer for South Australia says, however, that ho has made inquiries from the quarantine headquarters in Melbourne, and has received a reply that nothing is known of the matter. A case of leprosy must, according to law, be at once reported by the medical man attending the patient, so it is presumed, in the absence of such notification, that there is no foundation for the story. A reform campaign which aims at reducing the high cost of government was launched at a conference held at Melbourne Town Hall last week. It was well attended. These present were, unanimous in the opinion that economy in public expenditure must be exercised immediately if Australia is to be saved from an overburdening debt in the near future. Speakers in their enthusiasm and ardor for the cause had many suggestions to make. The goal was the same, but they selected different roads to reach it. The conference eventually appointed a committee to draw up a schsmo of working for presentation to a subsequent conference The programme at tho outset included recommendations for the abolition of State Parliaments and State Governors, the creation of a Greater Melbourne, and the amalgamation of remote country shires. Those subjects were not discussed, as the conference considered it wise to concentrate their energies for the present on what was regarded as the main issue—a reduction in the cost of government. Mr Justice Sim has sent from Wellington the papers in several Otago Chambers applications that he has disposed of. Pro bate is granted of the wills of Annie Pandell (Mr Callan), Agnes Connor (Mr Tonkinson), Robert Beverley Smith (Mr J. R. M. Lemon), Colin Ebenezor Moxham (Mr J. B. Nichol), Robert James M'Donald (Mr Creagh), Thomas Power (Mr J. R. M. Lemon), James .Mitchell (Mr Callan), and Joseph Jones (Mr Duncan). Letters of administration are granted re Catherine Stanley (Mr Hanlon), James Walter Steele (Air Finch), Flora Jessio Duncan), Sarah Rich (Mr J. 13. iSichol). and James Donald (Mr Finch). His Honor has fixed the 23rd May for settling the list of contributories in the Kia Ora Victoria Gold Dredging Company. Mr Mason, Clerk of Awards, is notified that the Arbitration Court will sit in Duncdin on Tuesday, 23rd May, at 10 a.m., and in Invercargill on Thursday, Bth June. The business lists are now closed except for compensation cases and formal uncontested matters, There is a fair amount of business for the Duncdin sittings. As a certain amount of misconception exists in tho minds of some persons in regard to the district nurses employed by the St. John Ambulance Association, we have been asked to state that these ladies are fully qualified certificated nurses. In view of the peculiar action of our City Council in regard to street-naming, it is of interest to state that the other day Sir Francis Bell, acting for the Minister of Lands, signed numerous documents "authorising the laying off" of certain streets in various towns. Among the building centres of civilisation is itorohu, vaguely described as being in the Auckland survey district. Horotiu is nothing if not patriotic, and from now on, by permission of the powers that be, it will possess Anzac street, Suvla street, French, Haig, Marne, Grey, Birdwood, and Davis streets. Port Motueka has decided on Liverpool street, Massey street, and Ward street, and Frankton has chosen Livingstone avenue, Stanley street, and Nyanza street. Owing to the forward state of the season the Duncdin Horticultural Society have decided to hold their chrysanthemum and fruit show a week earlier, and the dates will now be May 10 and 11. Various growers stated that in their experience, extending over many years, they had never experienced such a season whore the flowers of spring, summer, autumn, and winter were so uniformly early. To illustrate the point Mr E. A. Hamel stated that this was the first time in 20 years that he has managed to have chrysanthemum blooms early enough to compete at the Auckland show. Our Cromwell correspondent telegraphs : ■ —A terrific storm has raged during the last 24 hours, with huge dust storms, giving place to heavy rain. About 5 p.m. yesterday rain began to fall, and continued all night. The rivers have risen considerably, but with the cold squall now prevailing are not likely to reach a dangerous level. Messrs J. 11. Walker (chairman), R. Templeton, and T. Y. Wales (architect) will_ visit llanmer, as suggested by Dr Valintine, and inspect the infectious disseases hospital there. A letter has been received by Canon Curzon-Siggers from Mr W. A. Curzon-Siggers, who is in charge of Rodney " Hut, Cray ford, England. The following is an extract from his daily diary : —Saturday, February 12. This has been a busy day owing to the wounded soldiers' entertainment in tho afternoon. One hundred came down from Loudon. Wc had to prepare tho tables and h:i 11 after dinner, but hired caterers to supply the materials and prepare tho ' : '' i. .Munition workers did the stewardi']:: and waiting. The hall looked very i ••' with the tables laid and a Christmas ■■■ ■■'■-■■' ■■ -vh nlnt«. About ICO soldiers from various hospitals came by char-a- ---;:' ■■!'■ '---li some jiurses and attendants. Vei lasted from 5.15 to 6 p.m., and while it was on I went to meet Lady Grosvenor at the station. After tea. she addressed a few words to the men, and then we had a concert, provided by London artists. It was a splendid show, and the humorists were particularly good, so that I think I the poor fellows quite forgot their pain •f"v a : : 'v.-.. 'V! 1? : -.ft'air was n great sue-| cess, and I think will bo helpful'as a sign i'!■'._■. :.:._ i're in the same cause. It is this sort of thing which can only be done by a Christian body of people and in a hut of our sort. That proves the value of the Y.M.C.A. work in this district. There are four huts in this district. "I know nothing about it," said Mr •J. A. Xash, Mayor of Palmerston North, , in the Magistrate's Court on Monday. I when charged with attempting to cross the railway line when the line was not clear. Defendant admitted that,, he might have committed a breach, but unthinkingly. He did not recollect the alleged breach, but he would plead guilty. He had crossed the railway line many times daily, and when the trains were in the enclosure. Possibly the breach referred to might have been on one of these occasions. "Yes, wc are getting very strict, you know," observed the Magistrate in fining His Worship 5s and costs"(2s). The Chief Magistrate left the court amidst smiles.

Passengers who arrived at Auckland by the Talune from the South Sea Islands are firm in the belief that the representative of .an Australian trading firm—Burns, Philip, and Company, Ltd.—has been appointed liquidator for the D.H. and P.G. Company, the big German trading firm which has recently been wound up" According to the ' Star,' business men in Auckland who are interested in. the island trade say that this is the exact opposite of what they were hoping for. During the past few days they have been advocating the appointment of an Aueklander, who, while beyond patriotic reproach, has a good working knowledge of the German language. Their present fear is that, instead of being attracted to New Zealand, the future trade of the Tongan kingdom will bo allowed to go to Australia. Tho ' Manawatu Standard ' is authority for the statement that Mr E. H. Hiley, General Manager of the New Zealand Railways, lias purchased the property known as " Nockmor," near Linton, so long occupied by ths late Captain Hewitt, R..N. The farm consists of about 2,000 acres freehold. That the growth of the dairy industry in Taranaki district has been phenomenal is indicated by the large cheques paid to suppliers. The season before the war the output of butter and cheese totalled 32,000 tons. This resulted in tho distribution of £1,600,000 among factory suppliers. Both war seasons have seen the output and butter-fat payments increase substantially, and though it is impossible to give the actual figures, one of the best local authooo les states tllat tJ iis season over £2.000,000 will be paid to the dairymen of Taranaki for butter-fat. The following letter, which appeared In a recent issue of the London ''limes,' is capable of local application if the responsible authorities u-ould not persistently keep their eyes closed:—"As a manager oKa. large non-provided school in the North of London, may I bring to your noticethree films, as exhibited in flaring posters outside a local picture palace? "(1). Two women bound to trees being shot by robbers; (2) one woman dancing in scanty and unseemly attire; (3) two men, with revolvers, breaking into a house. All the day our school is trying to train up the child to bo a. credit to the Empire, but our efforts are foiled by the pernicious pwson conveyed through the -eye to the child from 4 to 10 o'clock in the evening for the sum of one penny. Truly. we are penny aviso and pound foolish.—S. WilsorB. Row." Our salesmen enjoy selling; No Rubbino Laundry Help, because it lightens women's toil. Hunter and EUieridge.—[Advt.] Overheard: "My word! but Watson'* No. 1.0 Whisky is a treat! Must be well matured.— [Advt.] A glass of Speight's beer at lunch and supper is better than all the tea in China I. Advt. J 3lusselimrgU residents and parents of expupils ef Musselburgh School are invited io tho unveiling of the honor roll at 2.30 p.m. on Monday, and also at ths householders-' meeting on Monday evening-. Watson's No. 10 is a little dearer than meat whiskies, but is worth the money LAdvt.]