LOCAL GOSSIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16026, 18 September 1915, Page 1 (Supplement)

LOCAL GOSSIP.

* -" BY MESCUTIO. 1 tjt^ E increased railway fares which come ijigj. i n created railway fares which come jnto operation to-morrow will fall heavily Iffioirthe family on its annual holiday. The i§§ gadget statement of the increases gave |#%iiiyi the bare outline ; the announcement made 'this week contained a surprise in 'Withe shape of a thumping addition to the • iecond-class holiday excursion fares. Every S 7 other fare, including the first-class excurffi- <aon fare, is increased one penny in the "•billing; '' the second-class excursion fare i<l%i increased five pennies in the shilling. Doubtless the Department needs additional revenue during the war. but this would ' i not seem to be the way to get it, for ' when the heads of families count it all up at. Christmas time they are likely to ■? 'decide either to stay at home or to keep ! off the railways. 1 hat- the tare was low *js no excuse for the Department's action, Jv; for it ought to be low to draw family parties into healthful surroundings in the sumC mer season.

The proposal made by the New Zea- . land Insurance Company to the City Council that the new clock to be presented to the citv by the company in connection with its new buildings should be allowed v'to project over the Queen Street alignAnient," is one that will be heartily welcoined by hundreds of citizens. A clock . in the position suggested, about the level Oof: the third floor, will be in nobody's ■sav. and it- will be a source of great convenience to those who daily pass up and down the street. At present the city his three four-faced public clocks, and until the recent demolition of the Insurance Company's old buildings there were 1 four. Despite this liberal supply of clocks, however, not one of them was or is easily visible from many positions on ifethe footpaths in the central portion of 1 Queen Street. The Town Hall clock, and these on the Public Library and Ferry Buildings, are all conveniently placed, but - it-is* often quite irritating to discover how frequently all of them are hidden from the view of pedestrians. It is therefore to -be hoped that the municipal authorities will offer no objection to the insurance company's proposal.

Fish stories are always interesting, but one that comes from Gallipoli is more '/ibai usually so. It shows that there is 'even some good to be derived from Ger- ' man bombs. The condition, of course, ''must bo favourable, and on the occasion ' of ail incident that- is related by an Auckland soldier now at the front they were evidently eminently favourable. In writ- " ing to .his parents on July IS the soldier Jsaid:— I don't want- to have a reveille again 'like I had yesterday morning. A , German 'plane flew over and dropped some J bombs. One of them landed in the sea •boat 30yds in front- of our dug-out. We yoke with some start, believe me. The ' bombs; killed a few fish though, and we § had them for breakfast. It . was just like «Jd times again to have a bit of fish. They are something like mullet, but- very Jfireet." "

W' -The 'members of the Maori contingent iir'Jallipoli also appear to be able to indulge .in the luxury of' morning fish aught by means of the gentle art of exploding bombsnot, however, German bombs in their case. According to a correspondent, this system of fishing. with limbs ft is a source of great delight and sabsiantial results to - the ever-cheerful ? Maoris. "Small grenades, improvised from ipfe-jam tins or metal cigarette boxes," a runs the story, "are exploded in the : 'KB/ t and then an excited dive is. made to 'gsSttr the victims of the concussion. As «W ae 30 fish have been brought ashore i 8 {hie fruits of a lucky * cast.' "

■hbl ■.. ■■ , i discussion on 'the Vsiibjeci'of "military rheumatism," more »:as " cold feet," "was in I filamentary discussion' on the "military rheumatism," more known as "cold feet," "was in ibtful taste. Granted that odd 'lipo 'cGdi suffer . from a chill, our ' ParliaX raaitary representatives gain nothing by ifgsing;; the. fake impression that it was Vepidemic,;or that a really large proportion 'men who returned by the Tahiti sere not as brave as they might have -lew.- It 5 , is inotorious that the Victoria _5 Cross has not 'been awarded to- every man , who deserves it, nor is it likely that *«y at the other end of the scale ; ;uillibe presented with the white feather. "-'fiat-after?; all few men who went and failed will be able to deceive their comrades, -and the cold shoulder of the men iisho faced r the Turkish bullets should be ;; sufficient y punishment for the men who shirked it. Meantime the only effect of clamour is to cast suspicion on men who deserve the best that ■PW ihHB -

The loan to be raised locally for public worts »iu give many New Zealanders a ;!&ncej,°f .doing what they have never | before done—make a direct contribution to the revenue. Those earning Jess than SCO a year have not been asked to pay a>tax direct sto the Government. They lave paid their score unconsciously when "pleasantly. occupied in smoking, toasting the health of a departing friend, or draw- -» 105 a . totalisator dividend. Now will come an opportunity of handing over a r jtarap sum to the State, not as a gift or *.tax, but as a loan. The greater the proportion of the war loan subscribed i-J the small investor out of actual t economies, : the less will it draw upon the ||S|| available for private enterprise in yie Dominion and the less will be the g financial: disturbance. It should be conndered the patriotic duty of every wageearner, who -is -able to raise the amount, il *9: put at least £5 into the loan.

Jlffc- '"B — A, correspondent, Austin E. Vaile, writes protesting against the view expressed by Frank Morton last week that V the ; New Zealander of to-day is not sufficiently ;v ardent in his enthusiasms far his native or adopted land." •— have met New Zealanders ;n London— mystifying, the -' entrancing London—who, after years of sbsence from their native land must needs jEake me an inquiry bureau for news from I ; if:,™^, old place.' I have met others in jfX".York—with all its hustling lure'; -ft*^ s Canada—men who had gone into •-tT® rough lumber camps' of Northern A ft I ' lß ' l 'Columbia and had lived the rough . tu k*re rough men most do congregate ; KM have met in the South Sea Isjfpgrapturous over the paradise of tney lived in : others in the big % fV, 15* Australia (I have met scores of '/s'r™ 1 )' and always they were New Zea- ,® r ?- ■I am glad to think of it now. v.*^ eta med in as we are in our sea-girt isle, natural roving tendency of the Briton toserts —hence the hundreds 01 New iMgßwders abroad. But it is entirely rong to think that the present day New ft"* ealanders, w hen abroad. ' make haste to their native land.' " IIISS' •

lit# a time when we have just been wel- J M»•"?§J I ®® 6 nearly 500 sick and wounded Sjflßß Zealand soldiers from the war, it is to look back to the September ■sßgfe? years ago. when two steamers con- '■>_ sick and wounded soldiers from the W^'' Can war came to Auckland, which arrived on SepiSjggfffo 13. brought nine men. whilst the jpjgpS*' B - which reached here later in the U) °!Uh, • had seven on board. These two Parties of men, needless to say, were j&fcjSßgfl'rwith a warmth befitting the IfpSpS??*- i_ Little, perhaps, was it then ought that in a few short years New [gfg&JM would be extending proud and I greetings to hundreds of young Ibbs^? y* 86 name at that time were ins|!!|||jj» in the rolls of our public schools. J 351 difference between the two l cam- »».'■ which New Zealanders have is strikingly shown by these ISPS?' 88 as the number of deaths. whole of the Boer War we lost deaths on the field, or as the 532 £* wounds and disease, a total of The number of Dominion sol,in action or fatally wounded present war to date is upwards of