NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9090, 8 July 1915, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

A return presented to the Hofiru of Representatives yesterday showo that there are in tlic Dominion 149 industrial unions of employers, with 5819 members, and 403 industrial unions of workers, with 73,991 members.

The Prince of Wales is reported to be very popular with the men at the front. He served for two days in the trenches, a risky thing for the Heir Apparent to do. Ho has found his way to the heart of the Tommies by asking them to do little favours for him, which the soldiers greatly appreciate.

In Franco all the priests have to serve in the fighting line, and occasionally one is kuied. In one instance Dr A. A. Martin, who has just returned from the scene of the war, condoled with an abbo on the death of one of his fellow-priest® in battle. The abbo replied: “That is how every French priest would like to die.’’ In the week ended July 3rd, the Wellington branch of the Labour Department received 64 applications for positions. Forty-five men were placed, 23 as unskilled labourers, 11 in private employment., and 11 unskilled men on Government works. There is an increase in the number of applicants for work in the .painting trade. To-day a party of twenty men is being sent to road works in the Wanganui district. Dr A. A. Martin, of Palmerston North, who has just returned from the front, has described the bayonet charges of the different soldiers engaged in the war. The Germans charge with a peculiar guttural shout, “hurruh, hur-ruh,” and with their rifies held close to their sides. The French charge with shouts and cries of “Pour la Patrie,’’ amid great excitement, but the British charge silently, or else cursing in a low voice. They holt the butt of the rifle against their shoulder, and the French themselves describe their charge as the most T e " lentless thing id - the world. Nothing can stand against it, and the English Tommy always gets his man. An insight into the Chinese mind is afforded by a passage in a report presented by *Mr Law, Chinese missioned to the Wellington Diocesan Synod. “In my work,” says the missioned “I have come in contact with three' classes of Chinese. First, those who are opposed to the ‘Jesus religion,’ who would think it dreadful to' step inside a church; second, those who look on Jesus as a holy man like Confucius (they say Jesus is the Europeans’ holy man, and Confucius is the Chinese holy man; they Like to hear about Jesus, -but they will not acknowledge Him to be the Saviour of the world); and third, those who really believe in Jesus, but, as it were, are following in the dark; they are afraid to come boldly forward for fear of ridicule and of their relations.” The Dominion Chief Scout Commissioner, > Lieutenant-Colonel Cosgrove, V.D., who was in Wellington yesterday, stated that there are now 17,000 Boy Scouts ia the Dominion, and 1600 officers have been registered at the Dominion headquarters at Christchurch. The scouts, continued the Commissioner, have been of great service to the authorities in the present crisis. They have offered themselves as messengers, clerks, guards of property, and in other capacities, and thousands of pairs of socks and other comforts have been collected by the boys and sent to the-front. Destitute people have been helped, and in the country districts the boys have assisted in household and farm work where the head of the family has joined the expeditionary force. In future the efforts of the juvenile workers are to be organised, and the chief Commissioner is visiting every district with this end in view. Funds are now being collected to assist the Boy Scouts in their self-imposed labours. There was, a good attendance of members at a meeting of the astronomical section of the Philosophical Society at the Dominion Museum last evening. Mr A. C. Gifford, M.A., was in the chair. • A paper was read by Professor D. M. Y. Sommerville, M.A.-, D. F.R.S., who dealt interestingly upon' the seasonal variations in the duration of twilight. The lecture was illustrated by lantern slides and was much enjoyed. Professor Sommerville was heartily thanked for his paper. Another person who received the thanks of the ’meeting was Mr Humphries (Nelson) who presented a map of the circumpolar stars of the southern hemisphere. It was mentioned that the observatory had not been used lately .owing to the cloudy weather, but that the aurora was seen and sun spots were also observed which appeared to point to the conclusion that there was a connection between sun spots and magnetic disturbances, -which are supposed to cause auroras. Yesterday His Honour Mr Justice Chapman delivered his reserved judgment in the Supreme Court in the case of Annie H. O’Neill v. the Pubhc Trustee. The plaintiff was tenant for life of a six-roomed house under a settlement made .by her father in 1902. Certain repairs were effected to it in 1913, for a portion of which the Public Trustee declined to pay out of her father’s estate. The expense of the repairs ia dispute amounted to about £34, the chief items being carpentering and plumbing, painting and paperhanging. His Honour, in his judgment, stated that the Public Trustee would have been entitled to spend £2O in addition to the sums he had spent, and authorised him to raisethat amount .by a.charge on the pro’perty, which, should include the cost of the action. At the hearing, Mr E. G. Jellicoe appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr McDonald for the defendant.

A resolution to create a new parochial district in the region of Oriental Bay was carried at the Diocesan Synod yesterday, when the following motion was moved by Mr W. J. Gaudin: — .“That the boundary of the parish of St. Mark be altered to exclude that portion lying generally to the north and east of a line drawn from Clyde quay along the north-eastern boundary of town acre 390 to and along the ;south-eastern boundaries of sections 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29 to town acre 388, thence along the north-eastern boundary of town acre 388 to Oriental terrace and Moeller street, thence along Moeller street, Shannon street, and Palliser road to section I, thence along the south-western boundary of section 1 to Mount Victoria Reserve, thence by a straight line to the signal station on Mount Victoria.” The object of the motion, Mr Gaudin stated, was to cut off a portion to the northeast of the parish, constituting Oriental Bay and the vicinity of Eoseneath, so as to form a new parochial district, with the chnrchroom at Eoseneath as the church. The Eev. W. F. Ward seconded the motion, and it wae carried unanimously.'

Tlie Prime Minister stated in reply to a question in the House pf Representatives yesterday that a proposal to allow Crown tenants to pay an instalment of rent at a post office and receive the usbal rebate was under consideration.

Potash, an ingredient that is largely used in the manufacture of certain classes of goods in Now Zealand, has advanced in price by leaps and bounds since the commencement of the war. As an instance of this advance, a Wellington merchant mentioned to a. “Times” representative yesterday that one class of potash that was formerly landed in the Dominion at £4O per ton is now quoted at £IBO per ton f.o.b. Liverpool. Dr A. A. Martin, in his address to thd New Zealand Club members yesterday, described how the French soldiers conduct themselves in battle. Sometimes, ho said, the Germans capture a French trench, our Allies being forced to retreat as a result of a sudden attack. They rush back! to the reserve trenches, and there their officer addresses them. Ho stirs their souls by his appeal t« their patriotism, and it invariably happens that the French make an irresistible charge, recover their lost trenches, and capture some of the enemy’s. The First Division of the Appeal Court, consisting of Mr Justice Donniston (presiding), Mr Justice Sim,. Mr Justice Hoskiug, and Mr Justico Stringer, yesterday heard an appeal] in the case of Brogan against tho Public Trustee, a claim for £B3B, wages alleged to bo due out of tlioi estate of the late William Moriarty„ storekeeper, of Carterton. Last month Hie Honour the Chief Justico (Sir Robert Stout) decided in the Supremo Court against Miss E. M. J. Brogan, who assorted that she had been in. deceased's employ for 25 years, and that deceased owed her £SOO on August, 1906, the £338 being added for interest. Against this decision she appealed. Mr A. Gray, K.C., with Mr P. L. Hollings (Masterton) „ appeared for appellant, and Sir John Findlay, K.C., with Mr T. Maunsoll, for defendant. The case was argued all day yesterday, and hearing will bo continued to-day. In detailing some of his experiences at tho front Dr A. A. Martin, of Palmerston North, said yesterday that he personally had seen no cases of German atrocities, nor had tho medical officers with him. But tho evidence of the French medical officers and the accounts of eye-witnesses were beyond dispute. He had often seen the bodies of murdered French farmers. He had seen a man aged 60 lying dead over his plough, and had seen other old men lying with their heads smashed in at the doors of their cottages. Tho Gormans were out to slaughter, and killed all they could. On the occasion. Cli early morning advances the doctor said thyt he had noticed tho bodies of dead men lying all over tho field. It was curious to see how men behaved when wounded. Groups of German wounded were often seen together in heaps, where they had crawled for warmth and the companionship which men seek in death. They lay in ditches and curled round trees in. most peculiar attitudes.

Last evening’s meeting of the Accountant Students’ Societly was devoted to a most interesting lecture by Mr W. B. Hudson, secretary of tho Government Life Insurance Department, who gave a graphic description of his recent trip to England. Mr IS. W. Hunt was in tho chair. _ Mr Hudson said that there were quite a number of things to he seen on a trip Home, that one did not observe on a trip between Wellington and Potone I > He was a passenger on the Moldavia, and those travelling on that vessel had a most anxious time, as war was imminent and they did not know at what port their journey might come to a sudden termination. He described the military preparations at Marseilles, and expressed the greatest possible admiration of the French officer, whom ho considered was a very admirable character. He also stated that Messina was still a mass of ruins—a wreck of a city that was formerly magnificentSomo rebuilding had been done, but not much. At the conclusion of a highly enjoyable lecture, the speaker was accorded a‘hearty vote of thanks.

Tbs attitude of the Waikato Maom towards religion is much more hopeful than formerly, according to the Anglican Bishop of Auckland, Dr A. W. Averill, who has just completed a tour of the district. The bishop states that he found the 31aori portion of his trip very interesting, because the Waikato natives had been most difficult, and in some ways hostile, for some time past. The chief of the district, however, welcomed Dr_ Averill, and spoke hopefully regarding the work of the Church. “The old hostility is beginning to pass away,’ ’ said Kishop Averill, “and I feel very hopeful that a good many of the Maoris in that district will come to a better frame of mind. Most of them are under tho influence of the socalled Maori ‘king,' but 1 do not think they will hold the same ideas regarding the pakeha in future that they have held in the past. The fact that I was able to confirm a few of the Maoris is a good sign, and next time 3 think more will come forward. 1 was just in the centre of the ‘king s’ sphere of influence, and was glad to find that influence was not doing the harm that it might have been doing.'’The activities of the Wellington Anglican Chinese Mission were described in reports presented by tho .uperintendent (Archdeacon Harper) and the Missioner (Mr Law) to tho D.ocesan Synod yesterday. Since the death of the Rev. D. Wong, seven years ago, the work bad, till lately, been principally carried on by Mrs Wong and the Chinese converts. in August last. Mr Law arrived from, Canton to act as missioner. How long Mr Law would remain m this position depended partly on whether it might be possible to induce the Government to allow his wife and children to enter the Dominion. Besides, preaching at the Chinese Church, Mr Law regularly visits the wharves on the chance of finding Chinese sailors on vessels from overseas. The missioner has paid visits to various towns, in the diocese, and through the agency of the mission practically all the Chinese in tho south part of the North Island are given an opportunity of learning fhe Christian religion. Mr Law stated, in his report, that when he first visited the country districts he was a stranger among strangers, but now he was in personal touch with about 280 Chinese, who looked forward to his coming amongst them, and who were very kind to him. Tho reports were adopted, and the following resolution was passed, on the motion of Archdeacon Harper, seconded by the Rev. A. M. Johnson“ That this Synod commends the work of tho mission _ amongst the Chinese resident* in the provincial districts of Wellington and Hawke’s Bay to Church people as being worthy of wider recognition and greater financial support,”:

A rumour that Rained currency yesterday, and caused a number of anxious inquiries to be made, was to •,ho effect that since the VVillochra had left Egypt thirty of those who had Icon invalided home by her had died m the voyage. The Adjutant-General iLioutcnant-Colonel Pilkington), who was appealed to, stated that as far ns the Defence Headquarters . were aware the rumour was without any foundation in fact. The member for Auckland West (Mr

0. 11. Poole) raised a laugh in the • House of Representatives yesterday by i suggesting a new system of horse- - :l«lmg. He had been saying that the ' officers engaged in the purchase of horses for the expeditionary forces found a difficulty owing to the lack rf a well-defined standard, and he went 'Ui to propose that owners ol horses vhich might be offered to the Defence ■uathoritics should be required to pro-

duce “sworn statements” as to the '•'points” of their animals. The idea of accepting the word of a horsedealer, even in the form of an affidavit, seemed Jo amuse the country members of the House very much indeed.

The following will comprise the medical staff of the hospital ship Maheiio: —Officer Commanding, Hon. Sur-geon-Colonel Collins, M.L.C., of Wellington; second in command, SurgeonCaptain Inglis; staff, Surgeon-Cap-tains Tolhurst (Wellington), McCaw, Sirup.son. and Spedding; Quartermaster and Adjutant, Captain Dunbar Sloan. The Maheno will also carry ten nurses on tho permanent staff, and seventy other nurses arc proceeding to Egypt by tho hospital ship. Tho .ship’s officers are: —Captain D. McLean; chief officer, Mr F. W. Jackton; second officer, Mr A. Reed; third officer, Mr .1. Dudor; fourth officer, Mr M. W. Lane. Tho engine-room daff will be as follows:—Chief;. Mr J. Basiro; second, Mr W. Aimers; third, Mr 11. A. Reed; fourth, Mr A. L. S. Cassie; fifth, Mr C. Buchan; sixth, Mr D. Dalglcish; seventh, Mr H. P. Pucker; eighth, Mr W. G. Scott; electrician, Mr W. J. Maskell; chief steward. Mi’ J- O’Brien; wireless operator, Mr D. 0. Lane; launch engineers, Messrs E. Knows tub and Andrew.

' fl is Honour Mr Justice Chapman rend his reserved judgment in the Supremo Court yesterday in the matter of John Conueli and William Kingston Connell, hotelkeepers, of Wellington. Tho Phoenix Aoratcd Water Company ■ petitioned for the bankruptcy of tho Connells. license es of the Royal Hotel, a cheque and a promissory note given by them having been dishonoured and recovered in the Magistrates Court. At tho hearing Mr Young appeared in support of tire petition, and Mr E. G. Jelliooe opposcil it. In the judgment, His Honour remarked that the lessors 1 vent was in. arroar, and that the estate was imperilled. Tho writs nf ■ execution issued by several unpaid creditors were in tlio hands of _ tho bailiff. The debtors -had refused to ■ jell the lease and tho business. An ->rder tor adjudication was, therefore, Motio. Incidental to his judgment, 1 His'. Honour expressed the opinion that tho Mortgagees Extension Act of 1914 did not afford an. answer to the petition, as a petition in bankruptcy was not a process by which the petitioner called up or demanded payment of a debt, but was; brought on - scoount of all the crcdito.rs.

Tho need for greater spiritual facilities at seaside resorts was referred to -it the Diocesan Synod Yesterday by ■ the Rev. C. H. Isaacson, ivho moved — 1 ’‘That this Synod emphasises the great importance of the maintenance of regular services during the summer sea«m at the popular seaside resorts, and urges on, all tho importance of helping this work. That the following be a committee to assist_ the respective vicars where help is required: —Tho Rev. A. M. Johnson, Rev. H. Watson, Rev. W. Fancourt, Rev. G. Y'. Wood- , ward, Messrs R. L. Button and the mover, with power to add to their number.” Tho mover asked the ques- ■ tion, “Has tho Christian clrtirch a message to the people while on their holidays at those places, or has it not?” Ho answered the query in tho affirmative, and went on to sajr that the message was that the Ch ristian church did not allow of any saturnalia —« period in the year when people could lay aside all religious restraints. iUr Isaacson referred particularly to tho cases of Plimmerton and 'Titahi Bay. He, stated that, one summer, while ho was staying at the, farmer place, there was one poor Churah of England service in a house there, and hundreds of people in the locality did fpot know of the fact. He had then -said that, if it was within his power, i ho would do his utmost to remove that scandal. Afternoon services were

started, and on three Sundays not a 1 soul attended, while the average attendance only reached eight or nine. When it was possible to hold evening services a great improvement took place, and on one evening there vras an, attendance of 90, which was more ‘ihan the total for four months when afternoon services were held. At Titahi Bay the difficulties were greater than at Plimmerton. What was first required for tho work was two churches, and there should be a body vf men in the Wellington district who would undertake to visit these localities on Sundays. The motion was seconded by Mr J. W. Henderson, and. carried on the voices.