NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9043, 14 May 1915, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

A large area of land at Pouto Point, Kaipara .Harbour, has been declared a sanctuary for native and imported game.

Charges of theft against LieutenantColonel J. B. McClymont in connection with the funds of the 14th (South Otago) Regiment will not be gone on with at Milton to-day (reports a Press Association message), but will be further adjourned till the 24th.

At Dannevirke on Wednesday night an amateur concert in aid of the Belgians realised about £3OO, the sale of a flag, being responsible for just over £2OO. In the last fortnight, throe efforts have raised over' .£BOO for war purposes' (says a Press Association telegram). At a meeting of the Eastbourne Borough Council last everting' the recommendation of the ferry board to alter the tinie of the return steamer from Day’s' Bay on Sunday afternoon was not adopted. The previous notice- by the ferry board announcing an alteration has therefore been cancelled. The timetable will remain unaltered.

During the quarter ended December 31st, 1914, imports to the value of £2,591,711 were received from the United Kingdom , into New, Zealand. The VEilue of imports from the United States was £404,824 during the same period. The "Gazette,” in which those figures appear, shows that in the quarter mentioned, goods valued at £40,624 were imported from Germany.

An approximate -return of the tickets sold on the Auckland tramcars in aid of the Belgian fund shows a total of £lB5 for the first six' days during which the scheme has been in progress, ft was "expected ■ that the addition of the seventh, day’s collection would show ;a total of about £2OO. As the purchase of a ticket" by every passenger would produce a Sum of £3OOO weekly, it appears ■ that only comparatively low people have participated in the scheme. During April, arrivals in Now Zealand from oversea 'totalled 1702, and departures 2468. The corresponding figures for April, last year wore 2910 and. 4128.. These figures do not include members.,.'of the expeditionary forces. ' 'The arrivals at Wellington during the month totalled. £74, ■at Auckland-642, at Invercargill 86; the departures from Wellington numbered 1532, from Auckland 730, and from Invercargill 193. Some remarks on the connection between drink, and crime fell from the lies df the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) iii the Supreme Court yesterday, when summing tu- the jury in the case against 15; A. Welsh and J. G. Briant. both ex-GoVernnient servants; charged with attempting to steal' a cheque for £790. ‘‘ln .one year,” said His Honour,--‘‘there are as many-men killed, and ds many wounded' and 'in jured, physically, • morally, and -in mind, as all tho‘men that wo in New’ Zealand will lose in the war We are'engaged in', in tile same period. Tot it does not seem to affect us. The responsibility is not oil those who drink, it is on you as a community, wlio do not set the example you should sst. and strive to strengthen ‘ the wills of those who- drink.’’ , , .

f When America’s attitude to the war is being discussed, it is fair,.toa;ivc.-tl]o opinion of a Belgian officer, .at present in- Christchurch, .upon the question as to,whether 1 slie t should go to -war or not. - Lecturing in the Clmral Half on Tuesday evening, ho said that ho hoped -America would keen out of the War. “If she-comes in, ’■ lie said, *‘lt will mean that all her aid in Betgiuth will bo withdrawn, and the Germans will be able to do what.thcy like. You must remember that if it had , not lieen for America, there would bo due million more starved Belgians, to-day than-there- are,— In- the early days, oven before, . you began , your noble work out here, tons and tons of food arrived-from-America and assisted the poor in Belgium. ' No, I hope she keeps out of the war.' ’. , .

i “I am not pressing for a heavy penalty in these remaining cases, but 1 wish the court .distinctly to Understand that in any'future cases brought-before-it ih, which girts have'been worked excessive hours without the department being notified, and where'the girls have not received; overtime pay, the imposition of the maxirnum penalty wilt be requested,”’ said Mr r Wi Slaughter (inspector of awards) in.the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. ’ He was referring to six' ad journed' charges against It. Max-' well of-employing, female - assistants ■ more than 52 hours a week without notifying tho department, and employing assistants extended hours without paying them overtime. His Worship (Mr . D. G. A. Cooper, S.M.) said that as the 'department was not pressing lor a heavy penaltyin the- present cases . a ■nominal ■ fine.- only, would bo imposed. Defendant was fined Is and court costs on each-information. Mr T. Xeavo appeared for her, i In view of certain regrettable accidents oh tlnT'playing fields the Associa-: tion football authorities in Wellington have decided to enforce rule 12, which reads as follows:—“A player shall not wear any nails, except such as have their heads driven , in, flush with the leather, or mctal plates or projections, or: gutta-percha, on his 'hoots, or on his shin guards. If hare or studs on the soles' or heels of the boots are used, they shall not project more than half-nn-inch., and shall have all ’ their ■ fastenings driven in flush with the leather, 'Bars shall bo -tranverso and fiat.- not less than half-an-inch in width, and, shall extend from side to side of the boot. Studs shall he round in plan, not less than half-an-inch in jliameter. and : in- no case conical or. pointed. Any player discovered infringing thjs law shall he prohibited from taking further part in the match. The referee shall, if required, examine the ' plavers’ boots before the comhleneement of 4 match, or during the Interval.”, ■ ' . ,

; The dairy farm question, which has been much ..before .the .Wellington Hospital ..and Charitable Aid-Board during recent months, went forward another stage yesterday. Messrs Manley and. Meadowsj, agents fqr property'’At Mangaroa, which has been under offer to the-board for seven pwnths at £BSOO, wrote stating • that they could pot extend the ' option longer than May 31st. After that date the price would be £9OOO. r The board, in a silence that could he felt, agreed- to a motion by the -Rev. H. Van Staveren that the letter should lie.pn. the table. Another letter covering an invitation from the manager at Weraroa to visit “a modern dairy farm’*- was-held over till next meeting. - Later oh during the meeting Mr B. R. Gardener gave notice of the following nmtinn t-ftwThat fhe, inotion ‘relating tothi purchase pf the Mangaroa farm. be. rescinded, and that the whole question of purchasing a dairyfarm ‘for the milk supply to the Wellington Hospital and its institutions ha reconsidered.”

This week's “Gazette” contains v K warning to mariners concerning the system of minefields established by Hi a Majesty’s Government on a considerable scale in the North Sea.

The proposals concerning a “shopping week” and a Christmas and Now Year carnival will be further considered by the Wellington Central Chamber of Commerce at its meeting next Monday.

The property in Queen street, Auckland, known as the Mutual Life Build-' ing, which was recently sold for £39,500, has since been acquired by tho Commercial Bank of Australia at a slight advance, says' a Press Association telegram. Two classes have now been formed ii» connection with the Workers’,.Educational Association,, one in economics,, conducted by Professor Hunter, and one in English, conducted by Mr FosterThere is a total enrolment of 45 students. • • ■■■■•■■

Following on the adoption of. tin*' Saturday half-holiday in Wellington, a movement lias been set on foot in thi». city with a view ot promoting logisla-; tion to make a general Saturday halt-; holiday compulsory over the whole ofNew Zealand.

Those who pay a visit to Kelburtr Park to-morrow afternoon "‘will/, nob only see an interesting football match, but a ‘‘curtain raiser” in the form or an exposition of baseball, between thef Central and South teams, who fought so many strenuous battles last season.

The sports bodies of Wellington have] unanimously decided to nominate’Nursaj JSveritt as the combined sports candidate for the Queen Carnival on Jun*" 3rd. The Trades and Labour Council! has -nominated a lady, but herrinten-, biou of being a candidate has not yeSv oeon declared. 1

A claim for £lO for an alleged breach of the Wellington grocers’ assistants 1 ' and drivers’ award, in failing to pay an assistant the minimum wages proscribed, was preferred by Hr H. K, Mostyn (inspector of awards) in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, against the Johnsonville Co-operative Associa* lion. After hearing the evidence, Mi/! ‘W. G. lliddell, S.M., said h© thought that a. technical, but excusable, broach of the award had been committed, and, found’ for the defendant. ' The Hon. James Allen, Minister lor Finance and Defence, arrived in Christ-* church yesterday: morning from _ Web' lingtbn. Mr Allen is making a series of inspections (bays a Press report). Yesterday morning he wont out to, the Institute for the Deaf and Dumb at'Sumner, r and in the. afternoon he motored out to the Burnham. Industrial School.,. From Burnham ho went to Ashburton tc speak"at 'the ceremony of crowning the Queen • of the Carnival. To-day-he returns to Christchurch, and will inspect To Oranga Home. " The suggestion was made' at the last meeting of file Auckland- Acclimatisation Society that -next year a close-sea - son- shall he observed in the [ Auckland province for all game. The r reason, advanced is that very small bags' have been recorded .on most, of film happy limiting grounds, this year, and it is believed that the -game is- being shorout faster than it -can multiply during the months that shooting is prohibited. * The council has only discussed-t-ho matter from its financial aspect, and deferred consideration until ■ mors complete returns have corte: to* hand relating to the shooting .throughout the province. •• - ■- Lieutenant-Colonel' Harry' Townsend' Fulton, ’ D.S.G., who is now in eamjT at "Trenthani, relates-a very, interest-ing-experience. i'Before leaving .India on furlough. Colonel .Fulton was induced to have his fortune told by « native woman. At that time war did hot* appear at all likely between Groat Britain and Germany, and when the fortune-teller -informed Colonel, Fulton that he would be raised in rank in tbo country he was going 'to, and "tjial lie would unfurl a, .flag in a new land, ho laughed at the idea. It is probably Only a coincidence; but, the- native woman’s prophecies hayo come- truePfjor to leaving for; Samoa, the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel was conferred upon ’him, and the colonel hoistyo the British flag on the island of Samoa when the New Zealand expeditionary force annexed it in the najne of the King.

The annual general meeting of tho National Beekeepers’ ".Association and the' annual ’ conference of beekeepers will he held in Wellington commencing at 10- a.m. on Wednesday, June 2nd, and continuing over Thursday and Friday. Tho business of the conference will -ber the discussion of all "matters of general interest to, the beekeeping industry, together with papers and addresses by prominent beekeepers and others. The order paper includes address and papers as.follow:—"The Food Values of Honey,” ,by Mr B. O. Aston, agricultural chemist; "Improving tho Quality of our Produce,” by Mr F. A, Jacobson, honey grader; "Scum, what is it'hnd how‘can it 1 be avoided,” by Air A.. Ireland ; ■ “Go-operative Selling Propositions,”' by Mr H. Wj "Gillmg. There will bo discussions on; “How can we assist the' apiary instructors in Checking , the spread of" foul broodf" "What is'.special, prime and good quality honey?” “Can wo improve' tho flora of ■ our district to produce high quality?” "What is the best size liiva to use, ,an eight, ten or twelve frame, and why?” - . '

The war is bringing out latent qualities, even in young ladies, which they never dreamed they possessed. Owing to all her brothers having left for Trentham, en route for the front, a young woman on a farm not- far from Timaru found ■ herself, for tho first time in her life, with five cowt to milk. Never having been-near « cow before, she was at n loss to know which side she should take her sept with the bucket, but after being kicked over once or twice she rapidly acquired this jittle bit of knowledge. How to make the milk flow Was the pext problem, and this she found inueb morq difficult to accomplish. . She per-, severed, however, with dogged determination from half-past 5 in the morning until twenty minutes to 1, when, with tired wrists, a breaking back and a, sprely=tried temper, she fulfilled -her task.. So proud was the young lady of her achievement that she immediately telephoned to the “Timaru Herald” office to pay how. pleasant it was to be doing something usofpl, and that as pha could not ,go out .to fight she would cheerfully continue to milk the cown for her brothers so long as the war lasted.