NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9174, 14 October 1915, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Up to yesterday afternoon 145 recruits had enrolled at the Town Hall since 11 o’clock on Saturday. The wife of an Ashburton resident gave birth to triplets on Tuesday, according to a Press Association telegram. Two of the babies were girls, and are both well, but a boy was stillborn.

A witness in a case at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday informed Mr T. Id. Wilford, during cross-examina-tion, that his hearing was defective in one earl Counsel laughingly replied, “Von would not do lor a jury then, as they have to hoar both sides.” Good advice was given by Mr IV. G. Riddell, S.M-, at the Magistrate!# Court yesterday to a strongly-built young manj who had pleaded guilty to striking another without the slightest provocation. When asked why ho committed the assault, the only reason accused could give was that he saw the victim picking his ears. The magistrate, in fining accused, said, “You had better join the reinforcements, youug man, if you want fighting.”

While resident in Christchurch twelve years ago, a young man, being ing curious as to the travelling of coin when once in circulation, marked several and sent them adrift. After a few months, one (a half-sovereign) came into his hands while on the West Coast, and only the other day the curious one—now a business man in Dannevirke—was surprised, when counting up his day’s takings, to discover another of the marked set —this time a half-crown. The fact that a fireman on one of the Home traders was not permitted to .serve his sentence in gaol and thereby avoid returning to the vessel of the crew of which ho was a member filled him with annoyance. After the man had been convicted by Mr W, G. Riddell, S.M., yesterday morning, Sub-Inspector MacKinnon asked the authority of the court to place him on board his ship before she sailed. This brought forth the exclamation from tho accused: “I will do time. Ido not want to be put on board.” -His desire*was not acceded to. ' The schooner Rachel Cohen left her anchorage at Port Chalmers da Tuesday ’ nfternoon for tho Campbell and Macquarie Islands,, after a sojourn of nearly a year at Dunedin. As the result of an extensive overhaul the schooner is now regarded as a very staunch little craft, and; being equipped with twin Diesel engines of 40 hdrsfe-power each, she should prove a handy vessel for the work she is engaged upon. The Rachel, Cohen is now under the command of Captain McBride, who formerly commanded several sailing vessels engaged in the New Zealand coastal trade. Tho point as to whether the desire of ' the Wellington Boot Operatives’ Union for a special local award should be granted has been referred to the Arbitration Court! The, assessors for the union and for ■ the employers met in conference with Mr Hally, the Con-, dilation Commissioner. Tho employers’ assessors objected to a merely Wellington award, on the ground that the industry is a competitive one, and that to give the Wellington Union the proposed award would put Wellington employers at a disadvantage as compared with employers in other centres. They 'were prepared, however, they said, to meet the men, provided they were empowered to deal with, the matter from the standpoint of a Dominion award.

The other day there was published the story of a mother’s harrowing experience in the south, when she received a parcel of her eon’s effects from Gallipoli with!the curt,word “deceased” upon the tag, this being the first intimation she had received other than that her son was alive and well.: A similar shocking experience befell Mrs Melvino, of Greenlane, Auckland (states the “Star”). A carrier delivered at her house a bag bearing the number of her nephew. Trooper Chas. Gordon Campbell, of the Second Reinforcements. A.M.E., whom she had brought up from infancy on the death of his parents. Thinking that the bag contained clothes that required washing, and had been delayed in their return from Trentham, or that her nephew was about to return from Gallipoli- and had sent his kit-bag ahead, Mrs Melvine put thd'bag in a place of safety. Later she read the story already referred to, and .fearful that her own case would provide a parallel, instituted a, hurried search for the tag. Her fears were only too well grounded, the tag bore the fatal legend, “Effects of Deceased Trooper O. G. Campbell.” The: shock ’ sustained by Mrs Melvine was so great that she entirely lost the power of speech, and has not yet recovered it, while her ' general condition is; almost one of coma. The last news received from Trooper Campbell was that he had been slightly sick, but had recovered and returned to the trenches. This message was received in August. “Sound methods of instruction have been employed,” was the keynote of the report received from the inspectors ■at the limnnal examination of the scholars of the Jubilee Institute for the Blind, Auckland. The school syllabus includes provision for physical drill, and.this most important subject is being systematically taught to the pupils, on the lines laid down by the Education Department. Swimming classes for both boys and girls have been formed, and instruction is given weekly. Shorthand and typewriting are taught to the elder scholars, while special attention is being given to sewing, hand-knitting, etc., for the senior girls and women. The weekly classes in,the model course of manual training (woodwork) have been regularly held. The senior pupils have made satisfactory progress in their various trades. This is reported to be especially noticeable in the machine stocking knitting department. Women and .girls are also taught to perform such housework as may be useful to them. The pupils have made useful progress, in the music classes. Instruction is ■ given in Braille music, and the singing class is giving satisfactory results. Six pupils are receiving instruction in piano and organ tuning and repairing, and have made good progress in each department. The sales in the trade department in the past financ’al year amounted ,to £1667 8s Hd The payments to blind workers amounted to £llß2 19s 3d, an increase oh the preceding year of £177 18s 6d—a record for any year. Five hundred volumes in Braille * and Moon type have been circulated during the year. The number of readers continues to increase, and the library is consistently being extended by the addition of new books.

The Mapourika, which arrived at Wellington last night from the West Coast, brought 53 recruits for the reinforcements. *

Most of the members of tho House of Representatives from outside Wellington left for their homos yesterday. Some of tho southern members bad left earlier, but a big group of them wont away by the Terry boat last evening.

A Zionist Literary and Debating Society was formed in Wellington last night in the rooms of the Central Chamber of Commerce, where a number of enthusiastic supporters were present. Mr H. Cano was fleeted president of the society. The meet-' ing was marked by great enthusiasm.

An exhaustive paper was read last evening by Mr ij. H. Jenkinson on the subject, “The Manufacture of Iron and Stool in New Zealand,” before the technological section of the Philosophical Society. Mr Jenkinson said ho doubted the possibility of doing anything-on a large scale with the Parapara ores, but in reference to the Taranaki ores said that useful steel might be made on a small scale. After several members had voiced their opinions, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded tho lecturer.

Mr A. E. Wells presided over tho weekly mooting of the management committee of the Wellington Football Association last evening. A protest by the Marist Brothers’ team against a player of the Y.M.C.A. fifth-class team being over' age, was dismissed on tho ground that there was insufficient evidence to. warrant the committee hi- < terfering with the result of the game. It was resolved that tho final play-off for the Fourth B Division championship between Wadestown and.Y.M.C.A. be arranged for Anderson Park (if available) on Saturday afternoon at 3 o’clock. Mr F. Dick will referee the match.

“Tho man who stays at home, that is, the man of military age, who has no obligations to keep him hack, is not a man at all, in my opinion,” was the remark passed to a “Times” reporter by a wounded soldier who returned to Wellington from Gallipoli by the Maitai yesterday afternoon. The speaker was wounded severely in the head in the heavy fighting against the Turks at Quinn’s Poet, and he is most anxious to return to the-firing line, but his wound is of such a nature that he is partly deaf and his eyesight is affected. This trooper expressed his hatred for the Gormans, and stated that ho bad evidence of the cruelty practised by the enemy on harmless women and children. At Cairo, he said, ho saw a woman who had both- her hands cut off at the wrists by the Germans before she escaped from Berlin after war was declared, while her little girl, aged about eight years, had'both her eyes gouged out. The trooper also said that this woman’s'husband was placed against a. wall and bayoneted by tho Germans in her presence.

The present yew marks the Bomi-ju-bileo of the Jubilee Institute for tho Blind, Auckland. A brief retrospect of its history will show tho Rood work done and progress made since tho founding of tho institute in July, 1800,.at a meeting under tho presidency of Mr J. 11.-. Upton, tho then Mayor. The object of, the meeting was to take over and ox-' tend the work of the small society known as “The Association of tho Friends of'tho Blind,’’-which (had been organised by Bishop Cowio in tho previous year. The success of the efforts of the association, and the interest shown in it by leading citizens, led to the desire to place it upon a larger basis, and tho project took . definite form when tho late Mr John Abljott threw out the suggestion that the establishment of such an, institute might serve as a permanent memorial of tho jubilee of the colony, which had just been commemorated. Mainly through his advocacy the balance of tho amounts subscribed for the celebration was handed over for the object. The good work done (says tho institute’s annual report) has been worthily carried on with increasing benefit to the blind during the past quarter of a century. For a time the blind children were located , in a rented house in Parnell, but towards the end of 1891 the present site, with a dwelling, was purchased. The number of pupils gradually increased, and various buildings, were erected, including a small workshop for blind men- Early in the history of the institute a building fund was inaugurated in view of the erection of a permanent building in' brick, which was eventually constructed and first occupied about the beginning of 1909. There are now 93 men, women and children under the care 1 of the institute, including 14, who live outside and go daily to work. ■ The nhrober who have benefited by residence totals 220, in addition to very many who have been taught to read and write,at, their own homes. Notwithstanding the unsettled state ,of affairs owjng to the war, with its many urgent calls for assistance and relief,, sympathetic support has been given to the claims of the institute, the contributions showing at the end of the present financial year a slight increase on those of last year.

The most popular song to-day in New Zealand is “The Soldier.” The reason is not hard to find. In the first place, a good national song was badly needed in this Dominion; secondly, the troops “took it up” ; also schools, and the many frauds in the Dominion, including , camp hands and the Wellington bands, have made "The Soldier” song immensely popular. •