NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8738, 21 May 1914, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

At the third annual meeting of thd AVellington Celtic Club, which is to be held to-night at Winder’s Buildings, a proposal will, be made to reduce the subscription to 10s per year. Prominent lecturers from Australia and New Zealand have been secured for the ensuing session, which promises to bo of a varied and interesting character. Another proof of tho peculiar “local” nature of the recent southerly storm was forthcoming when the Tainui arrived yesterday morning from London via Hobart. _ Everybody was expecting that the liner, with her batch of 91 immigrants, would have a severe buffeting on the run from Hobart to AVellington, hut her officers report that beyond a strong wind on T'uesd'ay night, wh/oh did no more than give tho vessel a slight list, the voyage was a fine one. Practically no wind was felt before Tuesday night, die days being sunny, with cool breezes. •

The senate of Sydney at its last meeting considered the requirement that Latin should be a. compulsory subject for examination for admission to the Arts faculty. Latin has for a considerable time been a compulsory subject for matriculation leading to tho degree in Arts, and the question was raised in the senate whether the compulsion should be removed. The matter was referred to the Faculty of Arts for report, and the faculty, by a small majority, recommended that no change should be made. The senate, after consideration of the report, adopted it, and so determined that Latin should remain a compulsory subject.

The success attendant upon the treatment of cancer by means of radium was referred to by the president of the New South Wales Royal Society last week. He said that no less than 75.000 people died every y Car ja the United States from can cer. and, if it was only possible to save 10 or 15 per cent, of these by this method, then any expenditure of money in the preparation or purchase of the necessary radium would be justified, if it could jm obtained. The German Government had given ; last year, a million marks with which to purchase radium, to be used in teaching institutions and hospitals, for public work. When tho mineral deposits of little-known portions of Australia were systematically prospected, it was probable that more extensive deposits of radium-bearing minerals than those already known would bo discovered, and production thus increased. It was worthy of cons.deration therefore, whether local needs were not sufficiently imperative to demand tho retention m Australia of local, material, until home requirements were satisfied, even if the State found it necessary also to undertake the manufacture of the radium itself, in order to augment the supply. It is now some years since special legislation was enacted to enable automatic stamping machines to bo introduced into business offices, and the invention has proved of great use. Ou Monday a Christchurch reporter was shown an improvement on the old model, a wonderful contrivance a.mosc human in its methods. The automatic stamping machine now in use has its limitations in that its scope is only a halfpenny to a shilling; the improved model, with one turn of the handle, stamps any sum up to £o IJs Hid. Levers are pulled down to adjust the machine to stamping the required amount, and the opera-toons are checked by this amount being shown through a glass plate. The total amount registered by the machine is similarly displayed. The now machine d : ffers largely from the older one in other respects. Letters or papers stamped disappear through a slot, and aro afterwards picked up in a box Underneath. Naturally, a machine of this nature has to he nearly foolproof, as well as being incapable of bcinjj frn-ti<iiilon‘tly used. Besides ueing quicker than the old model, there is less liability of error. and the most careless office hoy should he able to nso it efficiently. _ As regards the other point, tho machine is shortly to be examined bv experts in Wellington before the Post and Telegraph Depart ment will sanction its use. The inventor. Mr E. Moss, of Christchurch, fears little ou that score, for efforts to “trick” it hare as yet met with no success.

Though yesterday was bright ana tunny, the grounds at Ivarori Park ,nero in such an unplayable state that ’the Wednesday Hockey Association's 'matches had to be postponed. The citizens’ carnival fund will benefit to the extent of about £3O as u result of the Wellington Boxing Association’s amateur championship tourhoy, hold in the Town Hall on Monday

; -id Tuesday evenings. The annual meeting of the Fcikliug Gas Company was held in Wellington yesterday, Mr J. M. Richardson, chairman of directors, presiding. The report and balance-sheet were adopted, and Mr J. J. Williamson and Hr. Pell wore re-elected directors, and Messrs Kember and Sons auditors. Basket-ball, a fast but strenuous game, which is played a great deal n. America and Australia, and which also ‘■took on” with some success about three years ago in Wellington, was last night recommenced at the T.M.C.A. gymnasium. Next week this popular pastime will bo in full swing here, and the instructor expects to have a good number of tournaments during the wintei months.

Teachers in the various schools it. the Wellington education district have been informed that the Ring’s Birthday ho.iday may be observed either on Monday, June lot, or Wednesday, Juno 3rd. The latter date,, it is understood, will be observed by the Goveminent Departments generally; but in the case of the schools in the dls trict the choice of two days offers the advantage that, if the earlier date is selected, it will fall just at the end of the term holidays, and a further break in the school work will thus ba avoided. ’

At the monthly sitting of the Magistrate’s Court, Pctone, Mr D. G. A. Cooper, S.M., fined Lewis Fleet and Samuel Maxwell os. with costs 7s. .each for allowing stock to wander, i and ordered A. C. Wright to pay .Court costs for a similar offence. For Tailing to attend parades, Archibald Scott was ordered to pay Court costs, and A. H. Alexander was lined 10s, with costa 9s. In - a judgment summons case, John Cotton, and Son v. George Simmons, the latter was ordered to pay the sum of £6 5s fid by June 3rd.

Tho Victoria College Council met last evening, Mr H. H. Ostler presiding. There were also present: Tho Hon. A. L. Herdman, Bev. AV. A. Evans, Dr Hector, and Messrs T. 11. Fleming, AV. Ferguson. C. AVilson, 11. McCaUum, M.P. Air B. A. Atkinson was granted leave of absence till the end of July. Mr H. H. Ostler war re-elected chairman, and the Bev. AA’. A. Evans was elected treasurer. The balance-sheet for the year showed that a balance of £l2lO 8s 3d had been brought forward from last year. Tho receipts were £12,467 14s 6d and the expenditure £11,992 0s 2d, leaving a credit balance of £1642 0s 9d. Police cases at tho Magistrate’s Court wore heard by Mr AV. G. Bdddell, S.M., yesterday. John McOa! lum and Kathleen O’Connor were fine*. 20s and 5s respectively for drunken ness. Thomas Beeves, with previous convictions to his credit, was sent to gaol for three weeks, on a charge of using obscene language. A man named AVilliam Craig, who asked a policeman to lock him up because he was afraid of people injuring lum, was remanded for a week on a charge of helpless drunkenness. Thom at James Bimmer, for creating a breach of the peace, was fined 20s, in default seven days’ imprisonment. The Wellington Storemen’s Union is about to ' draw up claims for an award to cover all storemen and packers in the city and district, and with that intention in view a meeting will take place in the Trades Hall nest Thursday night. A circular sent out by the secretary, Mr E. A. Simpson, states; “This matter _ is of vital importance to all, in view of the fact that the Australian Federated Storemen’s and Packers’ Unions are now applying to the court for an award, at the following rates: —Storemen or packers, £3 6s per week; storeman or packer in charge of flat, £3 10s per week; storeman or packer in charge of one to four employees. £3 12s ,6d per week.”

Twenty years have passed since the boundary fisheries question became one of international .importance between the United States and Canada, , and there is now a prospect of -an early agreement between the two countries. The greater part of the boundary between the United States and Canada is formed by the great lakes and rivers, and the lack of a common policy in regard to the fisheries ot these waters has long been seriously felt. During some months prior to his departure for New Zealand, Professor E E. Prince, the Canadian Commissioner of Fisheries, was engaged with Mr David Starr Jordan in the international negotiations. He stated in Auckland on Monday that lie was anxious to return to Canada as soon as possible, as he was now advised that the negotiations acre expected to load sliortly to a satisfactory conclusion. Yesterday morning, a detachment of the Royal New Zealand Artillery, under Lieutenant Thring, did some live shell practice at Fort Dorset, using the wrecked Devon as a target. The range was approximately 4100 yards. Seven rounds were fired, three of which were with capped armourpiercing and two each with armourpiercing and lyddite shell. Both the capped a.p. and the a.p. shell made apparently very little impression on the wreck, the thin sides of the vessel offering too little resistance to the projectiles, which, so far as could bo seen, passed right through without exploding. These shells, fired from the up-to-date Mark VII. guns with full charges, have a very high velocity, and a large penetrative power. They are, as their name implies, intended to pierce the heavily armoured portions of hostile cruisers. With the lyddite shell the explosions were quite apparent. The first shot fell and exploded on the deck, just in front of the funnel, whilst the second detonated in the upper decking a little abaft the funnel. Some idea of the detonation of the second shot would be obtained from the debris, which was seen to fall in all directions close to the spot where the shell struck. Lyddite shell are fused in the head and are intended for use against the lighter armoured portion of vessels or to detonate between decks. Not much resistance is required to explode them, and after yesterday’s experience it is thought quite likely that the authorities will decide to use lyddite in preference to other projectiles in the “shoot” before Sir lan Hamilton tomorrow. Colonel Johnston (Director of Ordnance) and Major Hume watched the operations from the Janie Seddon, which hovered, during the shooting, within a few hundred yards of the wreck. A very heavy sea was running, accompanied by a high wind.

Tlie Ulimaroa, Victoria, Wahiuo, Aparima, Warrimoo, and Maori are expected to be within wireless range of 'Wellington this evening. Shipmasters are warned that there is a possibility of the low-level light going out, as a result of the concussion from the explosions of shells in firing at the Devon to-morrow.

The passengers who landed at M ellington yesterday from th© Taimu. from London, via Capetown and Hobart, totalled 176. There were nineteen in the second-saloon, and 157 in tho third-class.

The Willochra, which is to leave Wellington to-morrow afternoon for San Francisco, is loading at Wellington tho following cargo:—4s tons ol hemp, 1100 carcases of veal, 200 qunrteis beef, 60 bales sheepskins, and 250 cases meats.

The Corinna, due at Wellington this morning from Onehunga and Nen Plymouth, has 2935 crates of cheese and 318 boxes of butter for transhipment to the Corinthic for London. Tho Corinna, has also 500 crates of cheese for transhipment to the Westmeath for Avonmouth.

As a result of .protests mad© to tho Auckland Education Board, says a Press Association message, five school committee elections have been declared null and void owing to various irregularities. Comment was made by the board members on the loos© methods adopted at these elections generally, and the opinion was expressed that a belter method of electing committees should bo adopted. On Sunday morning, during the passage of the Willochra to Wellington from Sydney, a Tahitian, a young man who had been pearl-diving in the Solomon Islands, died suddenly from heart failure. At 10 o'clock on Monday morning the body was buried at sea. Deceased formed one of a party of several Tahitians who passed through Wellington some months ago under engagement to dive for pearls in tho Solomon Group. The strain of his oe,cupation is believed to have affected his heart.

An excess of departures over arrivals, particularly in the steerage class, has been apparent lately in the Auck-land-Sydney service. The Manuka, which -arrived from Sydney on Sunday, brought 77 steerage passengers to Auckland, and carried away 145 on Monday evening. Many of the travellers wore leaving to seek work in Australia, others were on holiday bent, and some were, going across attracted by the reports that times are good in the Commonwealth., Some of the latter stated that if the reports are not true they will return to the Dominion.

The passenger traffic on the Main Trunk lino is well maintained, although the approach of winter now makes the prospect of the journey over the interior highlands far from attractive. Eleven passenger coaches were in the express train, which arrived from Auckland yesterday afternoon. The second-class carriages were all well filled, and owing to the large demand for first-class accommodation, an additional coach had to be provided. Two sleeping cars were attached to the train, and all the berths in them were reserved.

Captain James Henry has taken up his duties as inspector for the Wellington Society for tho Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in place of Mr If. Seed, who resigned. The new inspector has full authority to act on behalf of the society, and in our advertising columns there appears a notice informing tho public that the inspector has been sworn in as a special constable under the provisions of section 14 of tho Police Offences Act. Cases of cruelty to animals should be reported to tho secretary of the society or to the inspector without delay.

A little after noon yesterday, while the Kapuni was drawing out from the breastwork preparatory to sailing for Patea, a seaman named Frederick XCuudsen burst a blood vessel •and bled to death. It appears that Kmidscn was letting go the lines, when ho was seized with a violent fit, and vomited blood. He was attended to on the deck, hut expired before Dr Faulko. who had been sent for, arrived. Deceased ' had been on the vessel only a few months, but had been in the service of . the South Taranaki Shipping Company for some time. He was a Swede by nationality, and had no relations in New Zealand. Travellers south who would not face the heavy weather prevailing in the Straits earlier in the week took advantage of the temporary calm of yesterday to book their passages by the Wahino. In consequence, there was a very heavy passenger list, and the scene on the wharf was most animated. Chatting to a “ Times” reporter prior to the vessel sailing, Captain B. M, Aldivell said that the Wahine had met with extremely bad weather lately, but had proved herself to be a really excellent sea boat. Even with the howling southerly of Monday night, there were very few cases of sickness on board —the heavy seas notwithstanding. \

The ladies’ challenge cups provided out of money raised by Mrs Godley, wife of tho Commandant of the Forces, are at present being competed for by the cadet companies in the Wellington district. They are given for the best scores made in tho instructional practice of the annual musketry course, and the winners will bo entitled to hold them for a year. Tho names of the companies and tho winners who have completed their course in tho Wellington city and suburban district are:—Technical School, No. 1 Company, Cadet W. J. Kane; Technical School, No. 2 Company, Colour-Sergeant 0. P. Crane, Karon Cadets, Cadet H. Funley; Scout Cadets, No. 27 Company, Sergeant H. W. Wilson. Tho cups will bo presented by General Sir lan Hamilton at Newtown Park on Saturday afternoon.

The executive of the Wellington South Progressive Society met last evening, Mr J. Castle presiding over a good attendance ot members. It was resolved to ask the City Council to construct and fence a track from Mein street to Kilbirme North in connection with the tree-planting operations, also to solicit the co-operation of the Hataitai and Kilbirnic Association and residents with a view to holding a demonstration on Arbonr Day. It was decided to ask the Telegraph Department to erect a slot telephone at the Wellington South Post Office. The loan proposals of the City Council were discussed, and the society resolved to protest against them being submitted en bloc. Exception was also taken to the proposal to erect tramshcds at- Adelaide road, as there was plenty of room at the present site at Newtown. It was thought that the land at Adelaide road could be better utilised for a technical school