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Evening Star, Issue 16909, 5 December 1918, Page 4

Advice received by tho postal officials from Wellington states tliat owing to mishap to the Main Trunk express at Taihape, the last of tho southern portion of the English ami American mail ex the Makitra, at Auckland will not leave Taihapo until to-morrow morning for Wellington. Should tho mail connect with the. ferry stoamer leaving Wellington _ to-morrow afternoon, tho Dunedin portion phcmld reach hero on Saturday night. Over 100 bags of ovorseu mall matter arrived at Dunedin last night, and a further consignment of tho Alakitra's mail will reach hare to-ufclit. Tho only case heard in the Magistrate's Court this _ morning was one m w'hioh tho Ehined'in Pinaixid and Gun mission Agency Company made a claim of £B, baianto duo on a promissory no to against l<Yode.riek Giiiay and Edith ttilrav" (of Lvtteiton). Judgment was given bv default, with costs (lis). In reference to tho charge of £6 made by the Railway Department for a special train for the removal of influenza cases in tha Catlins district, as reported in Tuesday's issue of the ' Star,' the Railway Traffic Manager has, in reply to inquiries, explained tha position from a departmental point of view. From this explanation it would appear that tho whole trouble aroso from tho acceptance of the £6 (the regular charge) by' : tho station master at JMaclennan, who, being uncertain of the position in the special circumstances, took the money, at tho same time informing the payeo that, if application were made, th© amount would probably bo refunded. As a matter of fact, steps have already been taken to refund tho money. It is pointed out that tho department," far from being indifferent, has,displayed not only willingness, but anxietv, to properly meet the emergency, and lo that end has run specials on the line in question since th© outbreak of the epidemic.

When the armistice rejoicings in Melbourne were at /their height, two buglers at the head of an impromptu procession which marched up Collins street, halted at Swanston street, quietened ( their' "drummers," and sounded the "Last Post." As the first notes of the. most imposing of the high calls rang out, a few returned soldiers in uniform came to attention, ami some men wearing discharged badges removed their hats and remained bareheaded till the last note sounded. The significance of the incident must havo been lost to many in the crowd, but to soldiers it could not fail to appeal in the midst of _ the rejoicing. It was a touching tribute- to tho momo.ry of comrades who have- given their lives to make-, rejoicing possible.

Reginald Bradlev, one of the brothers arrested by the military at Big Bay (West Coast), is to start to-morrow for camp, to be dealt with as a deserter from camp by his commanding officer. Roy Bradley is to bo court-martialled in Dunedin.

According to papers dealing with Sfcato, education laid on tho table of tho library of the Victorian Parliament (says tho 'Melbourne Argus'), parsing is like-lv to soon disappear from tho curriculum of the State schools as a qualifying subject for the promotion of children to technical or other higher schools. Tho papers showed that in many schools children had made <so little progress with parsing that the subject was frequently abandoned by teachers, so that arithmetic or samo similarly useful subject might bo proceeded with. The Director of Education (Mr Tate) added a minute to tho file, in which he stated that there was nothing especially significant An the inability of children to parse, as much of the parsing dono in the schools was of little value. Probably no country in the Empire emphasised parsing in schools as had been done>jin Vitoria for years. After all, it was a question of what knowledge was of the most value. Technical parsing might bo a gcod exercise, but it could be made the veriest, formalism.

In the City Police Court this morning, before Mr J. R. -Bartholomew, S.M., Austin William Thomas Holbrook pleaded guilty to stealing £3, the property of John PotzL Chief-detect! vo Bishop, m asking for a remand till Monday, outlined the facts of tho ease. It appears that tho accused was being boarded gratuitously bv toe complainant who, with his "family, contracted influenza. Accused was ssnt by complainant with an order to collect 'soma money which was owing, but returned with the story that payment had been refused, whereas be had 'received a cheque, cashed it and spent part of the proceeds. The. Chiefdetective expressed the opinion that accused was a little "soft," and tho magistrate granted tho remand asked for in order that the Probation Officer's report might be- obtained. The Rev. Mr King, of the Central Epidemic Bureau, has had a number of complaints from people suffering or recovering from influenza, to the oftect that their landlords have been worrying them for rent owing—in some cases amounting to but a few shillings. A leading firm of solicitors have undertaken gratuitously to take legal proceedings where possible against these landlords, who appear to have lost all sense of decency, and Mr King will be glad to receive details of any such cases. Tho Rev. gentleman also states emphatically that under no circumstances will any money donated to the Relief Fund be paid to'landlords for rent duo.

Tho President of the Invereargill Chamber of Commerce has despatched tho Mowing telegram to the Hon. W.II. Herries, Minister of Railways, Wellington :—"Taking into consideration the fact-that Southland lias suffered more severely than other parts of the dominion on account of curtailment of through train service during the oast two years, we rely upon you making reinstatement _of through express Invorcargill to Christchurch, one of the first additions to existing time-tablo aa outlined in your reply to deputation last April."

Sir Francis Bell stated in the Legislative Council yesterday, in answer to a question by tho Hon. Mr Earnshaw, thai the Minister or" Customs and the Attorney-General thought it was no longer necessary, now that an armistice had been concluded with Germany, to exercise tho powers of censorship to the extent formerly required. Tho g-rentsr part of the literature detained at tho Customs would be set free for eirculaion shortly after the conclusion of tho session. A few books and pamphlets, which grossly transgressed the rule against charges of immorality by celibates, must continue to bo prohibited, together with books and pamphlets advocating violsnt sedition, until peace was finally established. Tho necessary selection of the documents to be still "detained prevented the immediate liberation of tho Te3t.

Tho following resolution waa earned at a meeting of the executive of the Christchurch Returned Soldiers' Association: " That this committee o£ thp Christchurch Returned Soldiers' Association emphatically protest -against any remission of sentence being grunted to any man who is undergoing imprisonment for refusal to serve his country or for sedition, and that tho Government be urged to take steps to have all deserters and traders of tho Military Service Act prosecuted."—Own correspondent. As evidence that things are becoming normal in Bnrope it may be mentioned that a few davc fr ince Mr G-. L. Denniston. Consul for Belgium, received cable advic-a to address correspondence hereafter to Brussels, which has been restored, as Belgium's capital, instead of to Lo Havre, France, to which place the capital was removed in the fir.st year of tho war.

A P.A. message from Wellington states that at a meeting to-day of the Federation of Now Zealand Patriotic War Relief Societies it was resolved, regarding the Repatriation of soldiers, that the Federation rogreta that tho Government cannot see their way to carry out tho resolution of tho Board re the capitalisation of improvements. It was further resolved that any gift for tho benefit of soldiers given during the lifetime of a donor or after his should bo exempt from stamp duty.

Mrs Kathleen Murray, wife of Mr J. Murrav, fanner, Walton, who was staying with her husband at Meredith House, Taumarunui, loft her bedroom bet-ween 11 o'clock on Sunday nnrht and 2 o'clock on Monday morning. The husband wakened at 2 and found his wife missing. A soarch parly was immediately on.'rmised, and searched tho banks of the On (rare and W-anrranui River;;, with no result. The missing woman had been in ill-health lor some time. She left in a grey costume, but with no hat or boots. She took a £l note from a handbasr. and left £1 in silver. Parties are still searching. Tho comnutteo of tho Dimodin Choral Society, after carefully considering correspondence with the local District Health dffieer, and the present prevailing conditions, have regretfully decided that it is not possible for tho ' Messiah ' concert to be held this vear.

The ' Elcetahuna Express ' recently published tho fact that a former resident of that district had succumbed to influenza at Waikafco. Tho paper has now been asked to state that the person was never bettor in health, and that she wished to be remembered kindly to all old friends. The United Stnrr-Bowkett Society advertise postponement of the disposal of £1,500. Jubilation! Celebrate it in Watson's No. 10 "Whisky; without a peer; just lovely.[Advt.l Pupils of the Port Chalmers District Hi<rh School axe requested to remove school books left in the class rooms. My wife is a tiger for "No Rubbing" Laundry Help. She makes a terrible noise if H. Woods' runs out of it.—Mornington Husband.—{Advt.J W. S. ReddcU and Co., 'Stuart street, will remain open for the convenience of customers until 9 p.m., Friday, and will close oil day Saturday.—[Advfc.] Watson's No. 10 is a little dearer than most whiskies, but is worth the money.— CAdvt.] The December meeting of Lodge Taieri, S.C, has been postponed. No lady should bu without Martin's Apiol »nd Stool Pillv Sold by all chemists and stor<» throughout Australasia.—[AdrtJ