The Manawatu Daily Times War and the Soldier

Manawatu Times, Volume 59, Issue 181, 31 July 1934, Page 6

The Manawatu Daily Times War and the Soldier

General Sir lan Hamilton recently laid a wreath on the spot where 18 school children were hilled during a daylight air raid in June, 1917, at the corner o£ North Street, Poplar. In a speech to the local British Legion he declared: Go on inipiOAing arms; go on preparing to kill babies, and you will put an end to the wars of the future. Your little martyrs of Poplar have taken the first big step.” He said that British delegates to Geneva had been busy for 18 months now pursuing the phantom of disarmament and pinpricking other nations all the time. “If they only knew the spirit of their own fighting men they would realise the delight with which the British soldier and his officers would hear that machine-guns were abolished, that poison gas was outlawed, and that Are Avere now free to get back to battleaxes. They Avould realise that disarmament and peace have nothing to do with one another. For Avar, to take on again its old romance and glory avc must have disarmament.” There Avas no satisfaction to the lighting man in firing at something he could not see, or in being Avounded by someone he could not see. Therefore, if armaments Avent on upon present lines the fighting spirit Avhich Avas at the root of all Avars Avould very soon receive its quietus. Infection From Plants Infections which can be contracted from certain types, of plants and some woods Avere described by Sir Thomas Oliver, formerly vice-chancellor at Durham University, in an address to the Congress of tnc Royal Institute oJ. Public Health at NorAvich. “There are certain plants,” he said, “Avhich cannot bo handled with impunity by some people because of the irritation caused by the odours from them. When the poisonous principle is contained in the juice of cultUated plants, gaideners and florists may suffer. In the case of workmen exposed to the dust of satinAvood the fact that the symptoms do not appear immediately, but possibly weeks after handling the Avood, has raised the question Avhether there may not bo a contagium vivum Avhich requires time to develop and multiply sufficiently to cause the symptoms of disease. “Of the chemical nature of the active principle avc are in many cases greatly ignorant. The inflammation of the skin appears suddenly and inexplicably in persons who some minutes previously were in good health. I have been consulted by carpenters who had been employed in fitting up the interior of the living rooms of large passenger ships on acocunt of the dermatitis caused .when dealing particularly with teak Avood. In suaving and planing a fine dust arises containing an essential oil which causes irritation and inflammation and in some cases causes a form of hay fever. . “Some years ago in Lancashire a man making shuttles for weaving cotton suffered from \ r arious symptoms, including headaches and asthma, owing to inhaling dust given off by "West African boxwbod. The dust Avas analysed and Avas found to contain a substance which had an action very similar to that of a well-knoAvn poison used by the natives for poisoning arrows. The Avorkers in Dundee jute mills some years ago became the victims of tetanus, Avhich was found to be caused by a bacillus contained in the dust from the raw jute.”

Miss C. U. Ashton, of the Y.AV.C.A., will address members of the Citizens’ Lunch Club to-day. Her subject is “The International Viewpoint of AVoman. ” Mr. K. G. Chamberlain will preside. The Chamber of Commerce AVeelc now in progress thrgughout New Zealand is meeting with unqualified sficcoss in Palmerston North, and promises to increase the roil by over one hundred new members. In the near future the main office of the Palmerston North Post Office will bo renovated extensively, and ornaments will also be removed from the clock tower, which is nevertheless structurally sound. The work will be a measure of earthquake safeguarding. Early broods of the silvercye or tauliou are seen in city shrubberies. Many of them, apparently on a first attempt to fly, may be held in the hand. They ure valued for their insect-bating, though in severe seasons when pests are scarce they cat the inside of early fruits. Miss Dorothy AViikins, ono of the skiers avlio had intended to compete in the Grand National' ski championships at Mount Copk this week, injured her ankle whilo ski-ing on Ball Pass on Sunday and had to be helped down the pass to Ball hut by relays of men skiers from au .altitudo of about 5000 feet. For a part of the difficult journej' Miss Wilkins hud to bo carried. After a recent tour of iuspectiou as a prospective purchaser, a Manawatu farmer says he traversed a hundred square miles of blackberry country inland of Taranaki which could be raised by unemployed labour from a totally unproductive condition to a rental value of 15s per aero within 12 months. By judicious management a thousand men would earn 50 per cent, over the total cost. It is learned that the Government has agreed to introduce in the Electoral Act Amending Bill' a provision which will have the effect of allowing a blind person iu registering his vote to take into the polling booth a relative or friend to mark tho ballot paper for him. In the past the deputyreturning officer has accompanied a blind person into tho booth and marked his paper for him. Described by the police as tho king of “kite fliers,” Robert Thomas Roberts, aged 5(3, was sentenced at Dunedin yesterday to twelvo months’ imprisonment. for issuing valueless cheques. It was stated that since 1917 Roberts had been in Court on 22 occasions. He had faced 60 charges of falso pretences and had been sentenced to terms of imprisonment aggregating twenty years.

According to tho Daily Telegraph it is probable that only lavo matches will be played by Hawke’s Bay in defence of tho Ranfurly Shield this season, and of the list of would-be challengers for the trophy, only AVanganui, Taranaki, and Auckland are likely to bo considered in tho acceptance of matches by the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union. Of the three unions, Wanganui and Taranaki have so far entered challenges. Claiming possession of certain lands and mesne profits of a property sold to her through the Registrar under a mortgagee’s sale, Mrs. Louisa Auncttc llarraud, widow, of Pio Pio (Mr. L. M. Abraham) yesterday made application in the Supreme Court at Palmerston North, before tho Hon. Mr. Justice Ostler, against David O’Reilly, plumber, of Palmerston North. No ance was made on behalf of tho latter. His Honour gave judgment for plaintiff with costs as on an action for £2OO, and made an order for possession to be granted by August 4 next. The presbyterial calm of First Church, Dunedin, was rudely disturbed a few minutes before the commencement of the morning service on Sunday. Mr John Gilchrist, well nnown in .the Labour movement, rose lrcm bis scat and made the following remarks. - '•Friends! With all due reverence for this building and ihe purpose for which you arc gathered together, I am going to ask you to take notice that a struggle for free sp'-ertt is imminent in this city. I ask for your co-opera-tion in making it successful.” Mr Gilchrist then resume l his seat about one minute before the choir tiled :n to take their places. That, surprisingly little information about Africa, and particularly the Southern Union, filtered through to the columns of tho Ncav Zealand Press, was the opinion expressed to the Palmerston North Rotary Club yesterday by the Hon. Mr. Justice Ostler. For instance, it was not generally known that by a recent Act of the Union Parliament, the country had become virtually independent of the British Empire. She now appointed her own ambassadors, and could subsidise foreign shipping to the detriment of Imperial lines. Practically the only thing the South Africans now had in common with us was our King. A line of £2O was imposed on Michael Marinovicb, aged 28, in the Supreme Court at Auckland yesterday for negligent, driving of a van so as to cause hpdily harm. Mr Justice Herdman said the circumstances were unusual. Prisoner’s van had struck a man and had broken his log, but in the hospital lie had developed pneumonia and died. His Honour said he was bound to take into consideration that, though the jury had acquitted prisoner on tho major charge of negligent driving causing death, it had found him negligent. It seemed that if prisoner had obeyed the ordinary rule of the road the accident would not have occurred.

Following a burglary on July 4 at Mrs I. E. Sweetapplc’s house in Newmarket, Sydney George Ross, aged 24, a labourer, was committed for trial' at Auckland yesterday on the charge of breaking and entering the house and stealing gold cups and a large quantity of jewellery valued at £G79. Evidence was given that accused said to a gold buyer a quantity of broken-up gold and received £lO in cash and a cheque for £2l lss. The cheque was later stopped. Accused told the police he got the gold from another man. He denied breaking into tho house, but esid tffl tbsasht Le could get some of the stolen goods returned. Following this the police received a parcel containing some of the stolen jcAvellcry. Accused was refused bail.