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North Otago Times, Volume CVI, Issue 13975, 10 September 1917, Page 4

The Minister of Defence stated on Saturday that he had been advised of the safe arrival of the first portion of the Twenty-uiuth Eeinforcenienls at a port of call.

A (lisbomc household had a startling experience during a heavy thunderstorm. Following a vivid Hash of lightning, came a heavy thunderclap that seemed to be right overhead. The concussion caused a portion of the chinbfey 1 to collapse,, the scattered, brickwork; falling on the roof i,n, all directions. The occupants of the house were in bed at the time. The bedroom-was enveloped in a cloud of mortar dust, and the whole of the ornaments on the mantelpiece were thrown down and broken,

The Hampden Women's Patriotic, Association joined wiih the Farmers' Uiiion in a combined effort on belnilf of their fluids in a splendid .concert which was held in the Athotiii'iini Hall on Friday night. The programme consisted chiefly of hakas and puis, given by II rs Totau's concert party from I'uketeraki, of which the canoe poi was Ihe star item. Master Alan Douglas gave the Hag song, during which the sum of £,') 12s was collected, bringing the total receipts to nearly £:!(). .Mr John Douglas, who ably filled the chair, returned thanks Jo -Mrs Watt and her associates for the splendid refreshments and for the whole concert, which had been arranged a: very short notice. A dance, to which a large number remained, concluded the evening's enjoyment.

Chaplain F, T, Read, who is''now or final leave preparatory Io going awaj in a hospital ship on active service, will give an illustrated lectare in Day ward's Theatre at eight o'clock to nigl'.', ill which he will recount.his ex

perieuces on a hospital ship, during a voyage covering 1 a distance of .IiI.UUU mile:,./ Chaplain Bead gave his lecture in Dunedin last week. After receiving :i llattering ovation from the audience, the lecturer, commenced by showing a photograph of Ihe Hague agreement guaranteeing Ihe protection of Belgium. The speaker said Ilia; Belgium had been, called the cockpit of Europe, and it was here that Marlborough won his greatest victory. Here it was, too, that Wellington met and defeated Napoleon at

, Waterloo, He then took his audience, 'metaphorically speaking on' a voyage of 5.'1.000 miles in a hospital ship, showing vicvt of the various places called at en route to England from varioiu porta from which sick tnd wounded foidier.ivcrc evacuated. While 1!:q picture of 'i certain port was on the. screen he sided tha: the f.uthorities there hud informed him that the !\ T ow Zenhudei'3, from the Main Body right through the different reinforcements, bad a!', been of exemplary 'behaviour, nounccmciit being greeted w'ih applause. Then a-' succession of views of places touched at was shown, the lecturer describing each in turn. Loudoc 011 Anzac Bay was a very good picture, and clearly showed how ihc people at Home appreciate what the Anzacs have done in (his war. \The crowds which assembled to celebrate Anzac Day were enormous, and the mere mention of Ihc Australian and New Zealand forces was a signal for an outburst of enthusiasm, The lecture closed with the hospital ship's arrival in England. Throughout Chaplain Head was listened *ffi with close attention, the subject matter df his lecture being of a kind to "grip" his auditors,

An Auckland message states .that si contingent of niiicly-siA' wck mid wounded soldiers arrived thiw last

ovoniiig. * • , A Sydney cable message states thaT after the Chelmsford Stakes on Saturday the stewards questioned Dcelcy ro- . gaiding liis riding of Biplane, arid accepted tiie rider's explanation as sflJi*.factory. Shrill made a-good i showing. ,' in the Tramway Handicap, and was placed tliifd. . ■ :

The alien question was discussed recently at ,a meeting of Stt'anson ratepayer's, (says the New Zealand Herald); A motion ivns carried exprcsing the opinion that all umiaturalised aliens in Now Zealand should lie put. to work on the land set aside by the Government for returned soldiers, and paid ; at .lie military rate, Speakers stated that die aliens could be used, to. very gmt benefit to the country, in the breaking in of the land and fencing, so. that returned soldiers would be relieved of this heavy work at the commenceincut of occupying such land.

- Amongst other cargo recently discharged at Dunedin from an overseas steamer 1 were various cases containg motor-cars, two of which were landed" in a very unsatisfactory condition. Tfe cases containing the cars were of the' ordinary kind, and were stowed across the ship's tunnel.: The cargo on cither side of the tunnel, 'which would support the end of the'cases of cars, had evidently shifted in some way, with the result that the cases were in the centre. Even the '•! |>y& which are placed car packing cases, to protect the tqn-\ tents were broken. The cars were badly crushed. It is estimated 'that the damage is about £2OO each.'

The recent accident to a returned soldier, who was severely injured while bush-felling on his. section on the Wangamii River, lias emphasised the necessity for providing means of transit to inland settlors in case of accident or sickness, The Wauganui Patriotic Society, at its last meeting, considered an application for a boat from several returned soldiers who have taken up land on the river, and who seek to provide immediate, help when necessary by way of (lie river, as telephone coinnuimciitioii is some distance away, through virgin country. A committee was appointed to go further iuto tne matter.

Dr S. T. Darling and Dr M. A. Earlier, of the i'oekfcller Foundation, New York, liave been investigating'the prevalency of hook worm in Fiji (says the Auckland Star). At Nausori, a sugar centre on the TCcwa River, they found 100 per cent, of the Fijians and Indians infected with hook worm to a more or less degree. "In a general way," said Mr Darling, "we found the indentured Indian in Fijian a very good physical condition as compared with the Jiniian labourers of Malay and Java. We also found that the indentured Indian was in a better condition than the Indian who was out. of his term of indenture, The reason for this, of course, is that the indentured ■man is compelled to go to hospital where the other man neglects what should be a duty." Among Europeans e.o hook worm was found excepting amongst those who lfad been born in Fiji. The half-castes were affected moro than the Europeans, but less than the Indian or Fijian. The hook worm lives in grass, and on dewy mornings makes its way. to the top of the blade. Infection is gained by means' of the hair follicle on (he upper portion of the foot, and not 'through the sole of the foot as is.generally assumed. This accounts, to some extent, for the apparent uncveniiess of the infection, as far as the various races are concerned, The ratio depends very largely on the extent to which boots and shoes are worn, although the European constitution resists the disease, better than that of the coloured races.

A prominent Dunedin business man (says the Otago Daily Times), who has several times visited the Waitaki river and has obtained all the information possible regarding the quinnat salmon which have now become thoroughly acclimatised there, has great faith in the future of a tinned salmon industry for the Dominion, lie says that the people of Dunedin have but a,faint idea of the enormous numbers of salmon which every year (ravel up the Waitaki, and, presumably, ether rivers, to spawn. Delias abo taken.thy,trouble to obtain all flic data possible regarding the habits of the salmon wliich are caught in (he rivers of Ihe west coast of Canada and the United States, and has no doubt that Ihe New Zealand salmon are of same species as that, which provides the ' basis of Hie great Canadian and American tinned fish industry. The salmon in these great rivers of the northern hemisphere spawn only once, then die, and float'tail'first, dead, batte'kjrfand emaciated, down the rivers, I™ n salmon of the American species enters a river io spawn, it never turns back. Escaping Ihe perils of the ocean, it enter:; the river mouth oil the last journey Nature requires from ..it. In Dig ■ river it ceases Io eat, but presses on towards the spawning grounds. Some' nonage to evade Die .raps, the nets, Die '.rate:- wheels, -etc, which line Die river banks, ( to surmount the rapids, Rud finally to reach their last destina•Don. The Dunedin business men had the idea that, as the salmon in New "c.Dr.nd have but a few miles !o swim in Die rivers to reach the spawning grounds, as compared with-the hundreds of miles in the rivers of British Columbia and the United States, they might -"■ot die, as the northern fish do, but relurn Io the ocean. From information ' wlii'.h he has received, however, he has ascertained that fish have been seen in Ihe Waitaki, towards the, :xt] of Ihe spawning season,'floating tail* first down the river,