LOCAL AND GENERAL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLIX, Issue XLIX, 5 January 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Information has been received by tha Horowhenua -Chronicle" from a man who is in a position to know that the big railway engines imported from the United States by the New Zealand Government, last year, have done more than come -up to expectations. At the time of the order being placed with the •Baldwin Locomotive Company, some protests were made in Parliament against ihe giving of orders for railway engines to countries not part of the British 'Empire, . but- the fact was shown that the engines were urgently required and that Great Britain could 'not supply them as quickly as the United .States could. The locomotives now are at work) on the lines of this Dominion, and their hauling capacity is exciting ihe admiration' of experts. A remarkably fine effort over hilly country was recorded a few weeks aao", when one of these engines hauled 275 tons from ..ellington to Palmerston Jtfbrth (89 miles), without having to replenish either water or coal supplies.

"'Outside glides the wonderful Wanganui—the Ohura Falls rumble, the birds twitter, all the hills are clothed with" verdant' bush." Amid these surroundings is the houses-boat on the \Van-. ganui—a, modern hotel in mid-river. Wonderful! Take the down-streann trip, Taumaranui to Wanganui. Particulars from A. Hatrick and Co., Ltd.. Wanganui. Cook's and Government Tourist Bureiwx everywhere. A meeting of the Nelson Master Gardeners' and Fruitgrowers' Association will be held in the Orange Hall, Collingwood-street, on Thursday evening. 'Every member is requested to attend.

The Wellington-Suez despatch of 19th November arrived in London on 2nd inst.. lorn- rlavs late.

There was a .recruiting boom in Gisborno on Christmas Eve, when about 50 recruits "'pre. enrolled at the Feel street depot.

Four Nelson returning soldiers, ex Paiahine, leave Auckland this evening for Nelson.

The Hon. G. W. Russell to-day agreed to the request of residents at German Bay, Akaroa, that the name of the bay should be wiped off the map;, and substituted with the name of Takamatua Bay, called after the chief who once owned the land there. —Press Association.

During- the month of December there were registered in Nelson 38 births, 10 deaths and 9 marriages. The figures for the vear are: Marriages 106, births-282. deaths 121.

Hare is a fine example to tlio young ■man who is still 'hesitating . A London paper says: "One of the wounded soldiers in- the Norfolk 'and Norwich Hospital, Sapper Elijah Vaughan, is 68 years of age. He is a South Staffordshire miner, and has been at the front four months." This is surely a record.

The Government steamer Hinemoa arrived at Port Nelson from Wellington last evening. The 'Hinemoa will sail on the return trip this evening via Astrolabe, which she will visit in connection with the erection of a beacon. Mr and Mrs Colley, late of the Nelson Lighthouse, will be outward passengers by the Hinemoa.

1 The Master and Matron of the Alexandra Home .wish to thank all those who so kindl,v donated towards the old folks' Christmas cheer. Also Mr Boyes for bananas before Christmas and since, Miss Burnett for plums for jam, and Mr W. Reid for fish.

As the Maheno steamed up to the Wellington -wharf on Monday a rearrangement of the light on the vessel's side was noted .says the '/' New Zealand Times." When' the Maheno left Wellington a broad green stripe running right round the vessel some feet abovethe water-line, and with big red. crosses at intervals, was brightly illuminated at night to .indicate her character, as a : hospital* ship. The lights that served , to illuminate the. green stripe and the crosses have since-Jbeen removed, possibly' because they wore too near the water-line to be visible at any great distance. Their place is now taken by a row of green lights at intervals all top of the bulwarks and by a big square, red-painted frame-work on each side ;of 'the vessel, bearing a very large red cross provided with red lamps to light it up at night. Theseslight will, no doubt, be much more brilliant than those they supersede, and being placed so much higher above the water should be visible at a much greater distance.

"Not ordinary men, but devils -,to f fight."—This description of the, Aus^ra-" iian and New Zealand contingents- in Gallipoli by Sir lan Hamilton is ,fchor r oughly justified, and Mr W. Douglas Newton ' tells a moving story their exploits in the October issue of "T.P.'s"' Journal, of great deeds:—"They,, are hot-blooded, headstrong,- wonderful and electric fighters in a condition of war given over almost entirely to the frigid calculation's of militaiy mathematicians, and the coldly-deliberate slaughtering of profound and complex military machinery. They have brought back to battlua the vivid" and stirring passion of clasp and intimate fighting. They have flung into their engagements with a warm and reckless valour that has overawed and defeated cold science. They are anachronisms' in the modern zones'of warfare, for they are the newest of races making use of the oldest methods in war." '

M. Briand, the French premier,.'owes little or nothing to personal appearance. Rather tall and round-shouldered, "his movements are often ungainly, and the head, with low Ibrow, closely cropued hair, and heavy, black moustache/jl'is commonplace, save for the large, dark, searching eyes. It is M. Briand's eyes and his clear, penetrating voice that proclaim the power of the man. As a speaker, the new Prime Minister has few equals in the 'Chamber, 'but, though his speeches are usually crammed- with' facts and figures, he never uses notes. 'lt is said that he has ( never written a speech.

I The peculiar circumstances attending the recovery of a. missing bicycle _ are outlined by a Palmerston resident in a letter to a- friend in Wellington. The machine disappeared mysteriously about : two weeks ago, and all efforts to recover it on the part of the police were in vain. -Last week the owner had occasion |to go to Foxton, and on his return he saw, from the train, a man riding a,machine which he recognised as his .own. iAt Palmerston he secured a taxi and i made a- closer investigation. The result is that the police have instituted proceedings for alleged theft against the iirider of the 'bicycle.

' "That this .conference approves the principle of school children being encouraged to collect grass and other seeds, and where possible grow them' as well; 'that the "proposals contained in the atitached article be forwarded to the Board of Agriculture, with » recommendation • that it will be favourably considered, and ■that they take steps to, induce the Board : of Education and the A. and P. Associations to .give effect to the suggestion." This was one of the resolutions passed by the Agricultural Conference in July last, and the Board of Agriculture, after considering it (as well as the other resolutions passed) has replied as follows : "The Board of Agriculture is_ heartily .in accord, with the spirit of this resolution, and has communicated with the different education boards and A. and 'P. associations, jaskingi them ±o give effect to it. The movement has been ■ taken up with enthusiasm, throughout New Zealand, and there-is every promise that the seed collected by the schoo! ,;children will do a great deal to meet i'the shortage which is expected this year, I "and. that the amount realised from the '•sale of the seed will provide a substantial contribution to the Wounded SolI diers' Fund. In almost every case -the I county -councils have readily given their i permission to the collection of grass seed I from the road lines."

Mr TJ. E. 'Hutchins, who is inspecting New Zealand forests, in the course of •an° interview, gave- some interesting figures relative to the waste of New Zealand timber resources. This country. _ he is reported to have said, was sending awav £IOOO a day for imported timber, and "Australia was sending away £IO,OOO per day. What was needed was the of the forests, and yet at the same time to get the timber out of them. This could be done by proper afforestation and regulated cutting. It was a national misfortune that New Zealand's splendid forest had not been preserved. Whaij was required was .systematic conservative lumbering as in -the United 'States. The main thing was timber demarcation. Where forest is "good and the soil is bad it is set Aside, but where .the soil is too good for forests it is brousrht -under cultivation. A loan would be "required, but the expenditure wotdd ultimately pnv better than the railways.

Highly complimentary references "were made by members of tliei Nelson Harbour Board yesterday to the manner in which Captain Collin's and his staff had' carried out improvements to the irtole. The chairman (Mr H. R. Duncan) remarked that one of the heaviest gales for years raged in the last Saturday." but nob the slightest damage was done to the. mole. By carrying out the work itself, instead of letting a contract, the Board, it may be mentioned, has saved a .very large sum of money.

Writing to a Nelson business man under date November 18fch, a London firm states :—"The war drags on and there is little daylight at present, but -we shall give them 'snuff' before it is ended. Everybody here is in admiration of the. way * your people have come forward — they are a fine lot of fellows."

The Prime Minister has received iinformation that it was the No. 1 Battalion of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade which took part in the engagement against the Senussi on Christmas Day. The .No. 2 Battalion had since received orders to proceed to the same destination, and probably ere this had joined the No. 1 Brigade.

The dead body- of a soldier was found floating off the 'end *>f Miramar Wharf, Evans Bay, yesterday, says the "Post." Death must have .occurred some time ago, as the flesh was much decomposed. Amongst papers found in the pockets of the deceased's uniform, was a camip' pass bearing the name "F. T. Patterson, New Zealand Rifles." Constable Hick ey removed the body to the Morgue.

It has been decided by- the Council of the New Zealand Locomotive Enginedrivers, Firemehi and Cleaners' Association to forward to the Grand Council, which meets in February, a scheme sent down by the Wanganui Branch for building houses with tlie £25,000 paid into the Superannuation Fund By the Government. The council is advising the Railway Officers Institute that the association is willing to act in concert for having the scheme placed before Parliament.

It is understood that the Government ■has purchased the Mountain Rimu Timber Company's plant and bush at Mamaku .(states the "New Zealand Herald's*' Rotorna correspondent). This company has, for many years, furnished a_ large portion of the -nigh-grade timber in use in the Auckland, district, besides supplying a considerable' local demand. The mill was taken over by the company from .Messrs Kusabs Bros", about 18 years ago, and the bulk of the shares are. held in Auckland.

Agents of representative Japanese firms are understood, to be approaching Australian producers for substantial quantities ot refined copper, but there does not appear to be .much likelihood of their demand being satisfied, in view of the ,practice adopted by the smelters of selling ahead, says the "Sydney Sun." Apart from that. Australian mining companies have intimated thiit they have ..placed under offer \o the British War Office their outputs, should the authoriJ .ties want to draw on Australia for supplies of metal.

It was hoped, said the Hon. G. W." Russell on Monday, that an examination •would justify the l-eleaso of a number of the men from the Maheno who'had been detained because c'l the enteric outbreaks aboard. Dr. Patterson, of Christchurch, and Mr G. A. Hurley, Government Bacteriologist at Wellington, were going to Auckland to, assist in the bacteriological ' examination of the men. It was hoped that very .few would be defamed for any length of time. No men who were ''carriers" could be taken into the training camps until shown to be quite free of the complaint.

Considering the war and its effects on the community, the holiday traffic in Kotorua this season (states-'the "Auckland' Herald") has been highly satisfactory. The town as practically full of visitors, many of whom are making fairly 'long stays, and there has, it is stated, been little or no curtailment of the passenger traffic on the railway as compared with former seasons. There are, however, .but few oversea tourists among •the visitors, and as people of this classspend more money than the residents of the "Dominion-, there, has, it is understood, been a diminution of business in certain lines.

It has been, asserted by Mr Hall (At-torixey-General for New South Wales) that "liis bread monopoly scheirie will be revived as soon as .the opposition offered to it by. trade 'unionists has heen overcome% He expressed a, determination not to drop the project. It would be a big thing, and having put his hand to -the plough he wanted, to see the thing through. The financial difficulty did not deter him in the least,, and employment would "be founu" for a,number of master bakers as district managers. Handsome profits were expected as soon as the scheme was working properly.

Speaking to a "Post" reporter on Monday, a resident ' of' Wellington who ha's just returned from a visit to the Mot-ueka and Hiwaka- .districts, stated ■that on present indications ,the coming season, as far as fruit is concerned, promises ±o be an exceptionally good one. It is rather early as yet to say what the prospects are for the hop season, but jiis anticipated that the crop this year will be well up to the usual mark. In conclusion, our informant, who is a Tegular visitor to the Nelson district, stated that he has seldom seen the countryside lodging better or more prosperous than it does at the present time.

At St. .Matthew's Church in Auckland 'on Sunday, Chaplain-Colonel W. E. Gillam said that from the first day of Jand,ing at'Anzac, with tlie exception of the one day's armistice, .fighting had been ■cpntiiiuou-'s;. '"I Qiavie often, when :ub Anzac," he said, "tried' to count ten seconds between .the sounds of rifle fire during day and night, and I have not succeeded.? He also mentioned that it was thought that the Maheno would bo employed solely for the. succour of New Zealanders, hut (the idea was impracticable. They had naturally to take any cases which came alongside, whether the men were New Zealanders or not. He had seen- many men with wounds which he felt men could not survive, but many had done so. The. ship was so full at times that one had' to step over wounded men lying oh the decks, in order to get to one's cabin. Colonel Gillam paid a tributes o the excellent work done by the doctors and nurses.

"As long as the war lasts," said the Minister of Public Health, tho Hon. G. .-W. Russell, to an Auckland "Herala" •representative, "the various health resorts —Hatimer, Rolorua, and. the new convalescent homes at Pukeroa, near Rotorua —'will' be used for tho primary benefit of the sick and wounded soldiers who may return to the Dominion. These will have first call over the .accommodation at the resorts. After the -war, however, it is proposed to make tho sanitoria a part of the hosnital system icf tho Dominion."'"'' Mr Russell went on to say that he meant that any persons from any public hospital in the _ Dominion -would be abl© to go to. either Hanme'r, Rotorua, or Pukeroa to complete their cure and to receive, if they wished, the benefits of the " thermal springs. He added' that if this were done the new convalescent home at Pukeroa would not become a "white elephant."