Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, JULY 18, 1918. THE SOLDIER’S FUTURE.

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 July 1918, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, JULY 18, 1918. THE SOLDIER’S FUTURE.

The publlctaion of details of a .scheme for educating- our .soldiers has aroused considerable interest in the Dominion. General Russell has been most enthusiastic over the matter, and he lias enlisted the help of many leadingeducationists, who arc attached at the present time to the Ts T ew Zealand Expeditionary Force. Capain rj. R. Kirk has been appointed to (lie important position of Director of Education, and as ho has had great experience, in all branches of such work, we are confident that* the scheme will bo an unqualified success. The New Zealand Army is not a professional army. It was called into to supply a pressing* need, and in its ranks will be found men drawn from every sphere. They have thrown themselves with ardour into their military duties, and their splendid work in the fight I no- Rue has marked them out as soldiers second to none in the world. They are determined to do their part to bring* the world war to a victorious end, but that

task completed they will pass once more into civil life. It is t'lien that their difficulties will commence. Their devotion to the task of acquiring' perfection in the art of war has caused them to abandon the work by which they formerly, gained a livelihood- They have lost that manual dexterity or mental alertness that enabled them to hold a prominent place among their fellows in the art or profession in which they were engaged. Many will not be fitted to resume their former vocation; others will require educating. Here will come the opportunity for tlie new department, hirstclass lecturers will be' engaged, and these will give instruction on matters of every-day importance. They will be attached to the vari- , oirs battalions and give a series of lectures to men of all ranks. This is an important part, for the- Ketv Zealand Army is the most democratic in the, world. The LieutColonel may be a shepherd on some back-block station, while the privates may include the station-owner by whom the shepherd was employed. Men on leave will also be given an opportunity of attending lectures at British Universities. In this way the men will gradually cease to be, mere military automata and will be prepared to take their part as intelligent units in the civil work of the country. The task will not be as easy a one as many suppose. Many of our boys have been three years or more in the fighting line, and during that time they have “lived, moved and had their being' 5 as part of the great British military machine which the late Lord Kitchener invented for the special purpose of confounding the Kaiser's, schemes of world domination. The scheme will cost a great deni of money, but . the men for whom it is done are worthy of even greater sacrifices. M any of them gave up good positions in civil life and all that life holds dear to take up the duties of a soldier and face all the sufferings and horror of war against the most brutal foe that Britain has ever fought. The end of the war cannot now be far distant, but it will take some time to demobilise the army. That will be the time to put the new scheme into operation. Instead of keeping the men engaged in military drill, for which they have no further use, it will bo much more advantageous to give them the opportunity to prepare themselves to take up some civil occupation. The training will be made as attractive as possible. The vocational courses will include such important subjects as fruit-farming, general and scientific farming, wool classing, carpentry, joinery and cabinetmaking, plumbing, boot machinery and harness-repairing, engineering and electricity, basketmaking, art, accountancy and law, while the course for some of the occupations will include visits to stud and experimental farms, .and to manufacturing centres. The teachers will be of the very best, and every opportunity will be given to the men to make the best of their abilities in any direction. An effort is also beingmade to encourage the men to study during their, spare time in the trenches, and when the men are on leave they will be able to ’ sit for examinritions to test the advance that they have made. The scheme has been fully explained Ho the men and has been warmly received. Classes have already ioni • o • i

, been formed, and if we may judg g by the enthusiasm displayed b; j the students success is already as sured. Another scheme that i • worthy of the highest commenda (ion is the establishment of Ortho ’ paedic Hospitals for the benefit o men with disabled limbs. A j Rotorua the department is unde; y the supervision of Lieut-Colone “ Herbert, who is an enthusiast ii ’ the matter. In Christchurch tin Chalmers Ward has been taker over to accommodate a staff of ex peris in orthopaedy. This is r ! proyressivftestep, as it will enable disabled soldiers to return inlinediatelv to Hew Zealand and its genial climate instead of having i to wait in England for treatmentI Tinder Sir Rodert Jones, the eminent specialist, marvellous work j lias already been done, and many a man whose limbs bad been paralysed through injury lyis had reason to bless the surgeon’s wonderful skill. The work done in flie Orthopaedic Hospitals is of a -twofold character. The disabled limbs are treated so as to restore them as much as possible to their former capacity, and at the same time the men are taught vocations most suitable to their peculiar disablements. The Imperial Government is keenly alert to the magnitude of the problem of providing- for those who have been maimed in the great struggle. Everything* will be done to encourage the men. to take up some congenial task that will not only occupy their time, but will arouse in them a sense of independence. The-Hew Zealand Government can also be relied upon to do its part, and we are confident that the pconlc of this Dominion will cordially support any proposal that lias for its object the amelioration of the lot of those who have suffered while doing a man’s part in the great fight for freedom.

The matron of- the Gery River Hospital acknowledges, with thanks, from tiro Ladies’ Committee of the Old Boys’ and Pioneers’ Association, a dish of cakes. Mothers! Save money by getting Nazol —the best family remedy for coughs and colds. Sixty doses for 1/6 — more than three rr penny.—Advt. Italian publishers recently held a meeting in Rome, and agreed to ask the Minister for Industry to issue on order doubling the price of all newspapers. The high cost of paper was the chief reason advanced. On Monday the earth was in aphelion —that is, at its fullest distance from the sun —being distant approximately 94,500,000 miles. Owing to- the fact that the earth’s orbit round the sun ia an ellipse, and not a circle, its distance from that body varies by about three million miles. > This slight variation does not appreciably affect our seasons, which are due entirely to the inclina- . tion of lire earth’s axis to the plane of ; its orbit. * ~ , Visitors to Reefton will be pleased to ’ fearn that Mr and Mrs F. B. Stallard hav 0 resumed control of Dawson’s Hotel, the leading and acknowledged house for ■ tourists and commercial gentlemen.— Advt. i New potatoes in Mid-winter are some- ! tiling of a novelty, but Mr. W. J. . Honeyfield, of Moturoa, left at the of- , bee of the New Plymouth “Herald” re- ' cently a very fine sample of the variety Gold Coin, which were planted by him l in,March last, and are now being dug > by him and given to the Red Cross shop, where they meet with a ready sale. So far, Mr. Honeyfield has har- _ vested 601 b., and hopes to have more. ’ The tubers are well ripened and of good : size, which shows the possibilities of ] the district in the way of growing early potatoes for market. . That sleep-spoiling cough can he stopped by Nazol. Take some drops on ’ sugar, Penotrathig and soothing. * Snlendid for children.— 1/6 buys 60 doses. ‘ —Advt. 1 The conferment of the Victoria Cross ' has appeared to be such a frequent o'c- ! currence in these days- that fear has been ■ expressed that its value has depreciated. [ That this is not the case will be realised I when it is understood that in the 60 odd years since Queen Victoria instituted the decoration to reward heroes of the 5 Crimea, less than 1000 V.C.’s have been , awarded. Probably the tot'o.l will have reached four figures before peace arrives, , hut up to the present it stands at 839. Before the campaign started 522 had been 1 bestowed, and 317 have now been won ■ in the last three years, a number w.ifch ■ exceeds those given in the ’fifties, when i both the Russian operations and the . Mutiny provided many oepasions for heroism. Hand Books on Gardening! —“Rose Gardening,” “Perpetual Carnation," “Vegetable Growing,’’ “Chrysanthemum Culture,’’ “Local Pear and How' to Grow Them," “Bulb Growing,” “The Carna. tion Book,’’ “Fruit Growing,’’ “Complet 4 - Guide to Gardening," “Tomato Culture,” price 2/, posted 2/3, from B. Dixon, Tainui Street. —Advt. Tiie Battalion Band held another of their most popular dances and euchre tournaments on Monday last. There was a very large attendance of the public, and over 40 couples tripped to the excellent music supplied by the band’s orchestra. The general verdict was that the dance was one of the best the hand has held. Extras were played by Miss M. Cohen, Mr Hansen and Mr W. Williams: in their usual excellent style. The euchre prizes wer won by Mr§ J. Willis (lady’s) and Mr J. Willis (gent’s). For the next euchre there will also be two valuable prizes given. The floor was in charge of Mr T. Collins as M.C.,, and earned out his duties in his usual excellent style.' TIM supper, n charge of the Ladies’ Committee,' was all that could he desired. The dance was kept going until the wee sma’ hours, and everyone went homo well sat:sfidd with their night’s amusement. From a Wellington Lieutenant now in the trenches to his father: —“Am getting over a little dose of Influenza which has been merry while it lasted. In the meantime it js not worrying me much for tho famous Fluetizol all the way from New Zealand has' altered my outlook on life. Now I have not even an excuse to get out of work.”—Advt Increased submarine activity is likely to follow the decision of the German Government reported fast month by the Swedish Minister in Berlin, who says that henceforth Germany will sink all neutral ships, it « .i n i i n_. • f Ikl

t-e regardless of the flag they fly, if that iy country has made a tonnage agreement ' with the Allies or if the major part of . - the cargo is destined for an Allied country. Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and l- Spanish ships are liable under this new )- decision, which amounts practically to an unlimited submarine campaign. What ■ effect it will have on the total sinkings is L difficult to say, hut it is not considered probable that it wil] raise the amount of d lost tonftage materially, as neutral ships 11 have paid a heavy price for- a long time, e Neither is it calculated to frighten neutral n shinping from the seas. Holland, Sweden, and Denmark have been shipping little stuff in neutral bottoms to Allied couna tries for many months. Norway and e Spain, however, have been carrying on a considerable business. Germany has bes conic sadly disappointed in the submarine. r) . The U-boats continue to reap a rich ■’ harvest and cause the Allies considerable ; embarrassment, but their efforts fall far - short of meeting the German expecta!c tions.f Y Before going out in cold wet weather, take Nazol on sugar. This will keep 1 coughs and colds away. Thousands use *• Nazol. Sixty doses 1/6. —Advfc.