Grey River Argus. and Blackball News

Grey River Argus, 22 October 1915, Page 4

Grey River Argus. and Blackball News

Delivered every morning lv Greymoatb Kamara, HOUtika, Dobaon, Walliend, Taylor villa, Brunnerton, Stillwater. Ngahere, Blackball, Nelson Greek, Ahaura, Ikamatoa, "Waiuta; Beeftou, Cronodun, Etc anga.Dunollje, Cobden, Baxtei'a, Kokiri, Faiara, Kaimata, Aratika, Kotaku, Moana, Barn, Te Kinga, Botomann' Poßxaa. I bonnie, Jaokjona and Oti»i

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1915

LOVERS of sensation should be in their element at presents/audit is necessary to scan the cable news very regularly lest we miss some startling announcement ieither from the seat of war or from the political arena. On Wednesday the principal itenis were the resignation of '■ Sir Edward Carson from the Briitsh 'Coalition Ministry* and the recall of Sir lan Hamilton, who had been in command of *he operations at the Dardaneles. Quickly following came the. temporary absence of the Prime Minister Mr Asquith

on the ground of ill-health. We are told that a nation divided against itself shall fall, and if we a PPIy this to the present state of affairs in the British Cabinet it must give us grave matter for re- ' faction. Mr. Dillion, the Irish '• Xni'onalist leader, views the conditions that exist in the British Cabinet with most serious borbod- 1 ing, and asserts that the Mother- ' land is on the verge of- a grave national crisis, that will plunge ! the country into a general elec- l tion that will be fought with the * utmost rancour. Mr. Redmond makes several veiled hints as to the cause of the trouble, but the ' news that we are receiving is too \ scant for us to be able to get at the root of the trouble.. It is asserted that Sir Edward Carson ' resigned because he considered ; that it was a suicidal .step for Britain to embark upon a campaign in the Balkans. Sir Edward Carson may be right or be , may be wrong in the matter, but , we consider that he would have , been studying better the interests ; of the Empire if he had remained > in the Cabinet instead of retiring , and entering upon a campaign hostile to the Government. Thert are certain sections of the community who are only too ready to seize upon any excuse for not enlisting, and they will hold up Sir Edward Carson as supporting . this contention that they should not handle a rifle in the fighting lime. The reason given for Mr. ] Asquiths absence ill-health. - k A . similar reason was given for the \ retirement of Mr. Delcasse from 3 the Fnench Cabinet. A doctor's certificate often obviates the ne- 1 cesity for a politician answering . awkward questions. There is no \ doubt that Mr Asquith has had to ( stand the terrific strain of eighteen months war, and even t ne most robust constitution could be 1 excused for breaking down. The j crisis in the Cabinet has come at : a most unfortunate time, for Lord Derby's recruiting scheme, from which much is expected, is about i to be put to a practical test. It is recognised that the voluntary ' system of enlistment is now on its final trial, and all would wish it be given ample opportunity to show that it is quite capable of , securing all the men that Lord : Kitchener requires to bring final victory to the Allies arms. Many supporters of this system will be able to say, and probably with good cause, that the Cabinet crisis was engineered by those who are anxious to see the Empire adopt conscription. If this is the case it wilT cause a great deal of ill-feeling among the working classes. The' Trades Unions have promoted a recruiting campaign, and they give their pledge that if the Government take the workers into their confidence, and ex- ; plain the real position, that the : workers will respond in thott- : sands to the call for men. Noth- s iiie* could be fairer than this, and therefore it is nothing short of a calamity that the present Cabinet : difficulties should have arisen to <: mar the Trade Unions' efforts. The British Press are in general 1 agreement in thier tribute to the good work done by Sir lan Hamilton, while in command of the ; operations at Gallipoli, but they admit that in view of his failure 1 to achieve the main objective, his retirement was quite expect- ' cd. General Munro, who sue- ] ceeds Sir lan Hamilton, has made : his way rapidly to the front, and in the retreat from the Marne and in the fighting at Aisne displayed brilliant' leadership. Whether he will succeed in ac- : complishing what his predecessor failed to eld remains to be seen. It is gratifying to know that the authorities do not consider the position at Gallipoli so despate as to necessitate the withdrawal of troops. The Defence authorities in the Dominion have been- constantly impressing upon the peo- ' pie that all news of any import- J ance from the Dardanelles is being made known. In spite of this assurance, it remains for us '• to learn from a private letter 1 written to New Zealand, that a ] transport conveying members of ] the Fifth Reinforcements had been torpedoed on the voyage be- ] tween Alexandria and Anzac. 1 When maters of such importance ] as this are held back, is it any wonder that the people give cried- ] ence to the wild rumours that are 1 circulated every now and again? x We are not children, and we have 1 surely had enough experience of - 1 war to take bad news with calm- A ness and courage. The Government will find that it will be to, their advantage to be more can- j did than they haye been in respect' to happenings in and around Gallipoli. ■•

The return from the Ross Goldflelds mine for the week ended Wednesday, was 530z. 12dwt, from 935 trucks of wash-dirt. On Monday, 25th October, in connec-1 tion with the Hospital , Carnival at Reef ton, the morning train for Reef ton will not leave Greymouth till 7.35 ajn. For further particulars see advertisement. , ' Mr W. M. Durant, A.5.0.M., for some years head surveyor for the Consolidated. Goldfields, Reef ton, and lately an assistant- engineer to the Dunedin City Corporation, has been granted a commission as lieutenant in the New Zealand Tunnelling Engineering Corps •of the Expeditionary Force. I

The Crr.l Creole farmers who so liberally cc.j c forward with stock, etc., for the Wounded Soldiers' Fund, are Messrs J. Baty (i enr.,), T. Baty (junr), P. Horan, W. M Anderson; Syd. Stewart, E. Airey, G. Frankpit, R. Stewart and J. Peyman. Messrs Mark Sprot and Co. advertise in this issue their sale by public auction at Preton Road Saleyards, on Monday, November Ist., at 1 p.m., of a special entry of cattle, heifers, cows and steers, on account of Mr D. M. O'Brien. Attention is drawn to the auction sale, by 1 Messrs Mark Sprot and Co., at their rooms, to-morrow, Saturday, October 23rd, at 3.30 p.m., of the propety of the late Thomas Moynihan, comprising section, Tainui Street, with large dwelling thereon.Terms easy. This is an excellent opportunity to secure a property near town. According to recent flies from Suva, an elderly Indian woman, named Lekenia, was charged at the Supreme Court on September 27, with murdering one, Madari, at Gelonimatu, Bao. The case, as briefly outlined by the Crown Solicitor, was that the murdeTed man, Madari, ran amok,, killed two Fijians, and the husband of the ae. cused woman, and also attempted to kill her son by means of a knife and spear. The accused prang upon the murderer, and held him. down, the prostrate victim meanwhile slashing at her with hi s lgiife. The son came to his mother's assistance and took the knife from Madari. At his mother's request he then handed the knife to her and she did the rest- Madari 's neck and body remained connected by the skin only. The assessors found the accused not guilty of murder, justifiable homicide being their view of the case. His Honour accordingly discharged the woman. "The Swedes in Australia are Australians to the backbone, just as those in New Zealanders are New Zealanders to the backbone, and anyone looking through the casualty lists cannot fail to be' struck by the large number of Swedish names they contain," said the Consul-General for Sweden (MrS. T, von Goes) last, week. Mr von Goes said he desired to state most emphatically, and certain suggestions had made it necessary to do so, that Sweden was absolutely neutral. Attention had been drawn to Sweden's augmented imports. The explanation was quite simple. The war had hindered out. side trade with. Holland and Denmark to a large extent, and a lot of the trade had been diverted to Sweden j and again, an additional steamship service recently established had helped materially to swell the figures. No war material was being sent from Sweden tc Germany, nor was it allowed to pass through Sweden in transit from any other country. Though Sweden had no reason to love Russia, which had taken a third of her territory, the relations between the two countries had been friendly since the war, and the Swedes had befriended large numbers of Russian refugees. An Englishman recently succeeded in making his way out of Constantinople in. 'peculiar circumstances. His name is Harry Field, and. it was owing to the fact that he was leading jockey to the Turkish Minister for War, Enver Pasha, that he succeeded in securing special favours. Field has a great deal to say about the Sultan's capital, but the most interesting feature of his news is that touching on the funeral of an Australian prisoner, whose name unfortunately, he did not hear, though it may have been communicated to the Commonwealth Government by the time this reaches Melbourne. This was the only death of a war prisoner that had occurred during the jockey's stay. All arrangements had been made for an ordinary funeral, and the hearse was actually at the door, when a detachment of Turkish troops in ceremonial dress marched up, and their leader explained that, according to the view of the authorities, a prisoner was nevertheless a soldier , still, and was therefore entitled to full military honours when he died. The coffin, as a result, was not placed in the hearse, but was carried shoulder high by Turks, with arms reversed, to the cemetery at Skutari, and the body was interred there beside the hundreds of British heroes who met their deaths by sickness or wounds during the Crimean ' War. The final ceremonies were very impressive, but no salute was fired over ; the grave, this being contrary to Moslem custom. The equivalent to our "Last Post" was, however, blown by buglers. As the funeral procession passed along the streets all Turks in uniform halted and saluted. The burial plot adjoins the hospital where Miss Florence Nightingale worked with devotion. We have just opened up a new range of fancy delaines, crapes, hairline cloths, prints, etc., suitable for blouses in a variety of designs. These are in large and small spots, narrow and wide stripes, spring patterns and selc.coloured material, and are all this season's goods. The prices are moderate—9Jd, 1/-, 1/2, 1/6, and 1/9 per yard. At Walker's, Boundary Street,, Greymouth. — Advt. _;_ For Carnival Week a special showing of Men's (Boxed) Tailor-made Suits, from 1 39/6, worth 60/-. Call in to-day and see them at C. Smith's, Ltd., the Wholesale Drapers, Clothiers, (ot Importers and House Furnishers. "King Baby"— but what a helpless little fellow. Study his comfort by using a Plunkett Hygienic Pram. Latest models in Art shades at Wade's from £3 17s 6d.

Some fifteen horses, trotters and gallopers, arrived from Canterbury by last evening 's express, to take part at the Spring Meetings, which commence on Monday next. At the Drill Shed this Friday at 2 p.m., G. W. Moss and Co. will sell by auction on behalf of the Wounded Soldiers' Fund, cattle, cows, vealers, sheep, lambs, poultry, etc., which have kindly been donated by the farmers and settlers in the Grey Valley, Otira Line, and Coal Creek. A minister was horrified one Sunday to see a boy in the gallery of the church pelting the" hearers in the pews below with chestnuts.. As the good man loked up the boy cried out: "You 'tend to your preachin', mister. I'll keep '•em, awake." The following is the Publicans' team chosen to represent them in a tug-of-war with the visiting sportsmen, in aid of No. 2 Group, to take place in the Town Hall on Wednesday evening next:— P. Curtain, T. O'Brien, A.Barton, Eeed, H. Martin, B. Cullen, K.. Musson and T. Davis (captain); and the following is the Sportsmen's team: P. Langstone, J. Brown, J. Crearer, J. I^e, A. CreaTer, D. Kyle, T. Cameron (captain) , Ashmead Bartlett, who has been stirring newspaper readers with his vivid stories from Gallipoli, draws £3000 a year and expenses — the largest salary ever paid to a war correspondent within the memory of Meet Street. He began work at the front for £1800 a year, but when he went back to London, in May he struck a rise of £100 a month. Incidentally, the highly-paid Australian censor who is free to slash Bartlett 's stuff with the the rest, draws £610 a year. While in hospital in Egypt, the Rev. J. E. Sullivan, of Timaru, who went to the front as a corporal, met M. Venezelos, ex-Prime Minister of Greece Speaking to a Timaru Herald reporter M. Sullivan said M. Venezelos told them he was seeking rest. He visited the wounded in hospital and in broken English spoke words of sympathy and encouragement to them, making it quite plain that his sympathies were with the Allies. A big man physically he had an affable temperament, ana was evidently a man of outstanding ability. On leaving Egypt he went to Italy. "We have some men in the hospital here (Abbassieh Hospital, Egypt), who have as -many as" three and four bullets through their limbs, but they are quite happy and want to get back to the front," writes Private "Russ" Dixon, son of Mr W. Dixon, of Masterton. "Many of the sick men admitted look really done up when they come in. We give them a good bath and put them to bed. Next day they do not look like the same chaps. After a few days they are fed onchicken and potatoes, custard, milk and soda-water, and in a week or two they look different fellows to when they came in." Instead of continuing to convert passenger automobiles into ambulances, as in the beginning of the war, the British military authorities now use almost exclusively trailers, which are attached to the touring cars by means of ordinary drawbars.. An anchoage for,, such trailers is attached to every tourin car in military service at very small expense, so that any one of the cars can instantly pick up an ambulance and convey it to the hospital at the rear. The trailer has been of great service to the hospital corps and is now manufactured in quantity by the inventor. The first car of this type was made in November last, and thoroughly tested before being submitted to the War Office. Is H not Izaak Walton who tells of a river in Palestine that never flowed on Sunday? A strictly veracious story to match this is told in a recent number of the Proceedings of the Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers by Mr. Robert E. Horton. It appears that in the red sandstone of th« Passaic Valley there is a spring, located in a picnic ground, which formerly flowed perpetually. It habits have changed, and it now flows only on Sundays and holidays. The mystery is easily explained. A number of artesian wells were bored into the sandstone in the vicinity of the spring to supply water to adjacent silk dyeing establishments. Except on Sunday and holidays, when the pumps are not running, the artesians slope is drawn "below the level of the spring outlet and the spring ceases to flow. Save youT coupons at McKay and Son's; Is in the £ on all cash sales, besides the best value, the best selec. <tion and the best service. The new stripe crepes, 6d a yard, in blue, green brown, etc. Forty pieces of new Shantung silks, 1/6, 1/9, 2/-, 2/6 per yard— the best value in the trade. W. McKay and Son, The Leading Drapers, Greynioutli and Hdkitika. The Cut_Down Prices at B. Dixon 's Sale are attracting crowds of eager purchases. Are you getting youT share of the bargains? If not, we would advise you to get in. early. The most robust children are reared in Plunkett Hygienic prams. Latest models in. Art Shades at Wade's. War Time spells high prices, but the contrary is the rule at B. Dixon 's Disposal Sale, where the prices, are down to cost. Come in and get some bargains. The sensitive springs and large wheels, combined with the Hygienic qualities, make the Plunkett Pram the easiest to push and easiest to ride in. Latest Models from £3 17s 6d at Wade's. Amateur Photographers are reminded that Photographic Material and Cameras are selling at cost price atß. Dixon *s Disposal Sale. This branch of our business is to be closed so the goods have to go regardless of price.