NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLI, Issue 9257, 26 January 1916, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

The Education Board \% accepted tho tenders of W. J. Mi«khousc lor the painting of the Worser Bay school and the school roof and the residence at Kilbirnie.

There are at present no sick men among the garrison at Samoa and the health of the troops is good, states ( tho latest report received by the Defence Department from Colonel Patterson, Acting-Administrator.

According to the statement ol finances submitted at the monthly meeting of the Wellington Education Board, held yesterday, there was a debit balance of £1852 1/s 9d in the Qurrent account at the bank after the January payments had been met. The Ohinemuri Mines and Batteries Union has received a letter from the Inangahlm Miners’ Union, suggesting the federation of all quartz minors unions under the title of the Gold Mines Employees' Association, and asking if the local union supports the proposal. A special general meeting is to be convened to consider the question.

■ A watersider employed by the Union Company, named A. .Nelson, while working on the ( Monowai on Monday, suffered severe contusion to the big toe of bis loft foot through a case falling on it. After Nelson was attended to by Dr McEvedy, he was able to proceed to his home, at No. 2 Howes lane, off Dixon street. Nelson will not be able to resume work tor nearly a fortnight.

The paysheet of the Wellington Education Board for the month of January amounted to £11,840 5s 4d. The tmilding account showed a debit ot £398 5s 4d, the general account £lll7 11s 4d, the secondary school account £263 Is 7d. and the teachers’ salaries account £220 19s 7d; while f credit balances wore reported in the technical school account (£l3 17s 6d), manual and technical (£125 8s 8d), and contractors’ deposits' account (£l2 14s 6d).

A meeting of the relief committee of the War Relief Association of Wellington was held on Monday. There were present: Messrs William Ferguson (chairman), Mr C. M. Luke, Messrs A. B. Atkinson, E. J. Colley, J. Lewis. L .0. H. Tripp, and the secretary (Mr S. J. Wills). Apolofor ab&erwe were received from His Worship the Mayor and Messrs L. M. A. Bearden and J. Hutcheson. Twenty-two applications for relief were handled, and grants were made in most cases.

A pleasant programme was presented last night at the Sailors' Friendly Society’s room, by Mies Fathers, and party. During the - evening a mfeuthorgan competition wap held, and a. short temperance address was delivered by the Missjonef (Mr Moore). At the . close ,of an enjoyable evening, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded the performers. Miss Fathers was assisted by Misses Fairdough, Boxall, Olsen, Clifford, and Dawson, Rev. Richards, Messrs , Bailey, Burnell (R.M.B. Corinthic), and BurchNominations for a representative of the Wainuioru riding on the Master ton County Council closed on but no nominations were received-. It will be necessary to continue advertising until a nomination is received. ' This is ■the first time in the history of tee council that such a position has been reached. Lieutenant R- F. B- Beethsm, who is at present with the New Zealand forces at the front, formerly represented this riding, and it was recently that.the council decided to accept his resignation.

Proposals in regard to the soldiers’ hostel were discussed st the Town Hall yesterday afternoon by the .Mayor' (Mr J> P. Luke) and Messrs W. Ferguson (chairman of the War Belief Association), S. Wills (secretary). E. Colley, and J. triotio Society), and A, H. Hindmarsh, M.P. It was resolved to call a meeting of the executive committee oil the War Relief Association jfor Thursday to go fully into the question, and that in the meantime the necessaiy inquiries should ho made so that the suggestion may be put before, the committee on a thoroughly business footing.

“Apparently our boys are receiving better attention than eomq ' peopie would have us believe.” says the brother of ah invalided New Zealander in a letter to the Minister for Defence (Hon. J. Allen), acknowledging receipt of information regarding the condition of the sick soldier, now in hospital in England. “In future 1 will not worry so much, butwill leave, things to those in authority, whom I now believe are doing all that is possible. Thank you for your prompt and courteous attention to my inquiry.” The, Minister, mentioning this letter yesierday, said it waa well the public should understand that tne department received praise ae well as blame in, the course of its day's work.

A collision between a heavy delivery motor-wagon, owned by the Automatic Bakeries, Limited, and & motor-car, occurred shortly before noon yesterday on Lambton. quay. The vehicles were going in the same direction, and the collision was probably due to one of the tyres of the motor-car bursting, which caused the car to skid. There was a loud report, a heavy crash, and the motor-car was thrown bodily across the tramway track by the fpree of the impact. The occupants of the motorcar included a lady with a baby/ in her arms, but fortunately both escaped injury. The car was slightly damaged. A step was bent and broken, the rear wheel with the burst tyre was knocked out pi. the “true/’ and the axle was bent. The delivery wagon was not damaged in any way. One result of the war is a shortage of bottles of all descriptions, particularly aerated, waters, beer, ale, anti stout bottles (reports an exchange). Belgium.*' was the home of the glass trade, and from Belgium in the past have come enormous quantities ol bottles, and Now Zealand used te draw large numbers of glass bottles from that country. Brewers and others who use bottles in. large quanti 1 tics are feehng the shortage severely and are now doing what they can to regain possession of their bottlesthough in the past they never bother ed much about getting the erupt.-, bottles back, but were buying new ones. A certain class of bottles i being made in Japan, and shipment have arrived in new, Zealand. Thes. are fairly expensive, and the smal shipments which have arrived have not In any way relieved the shortage. Tinpublic will probably find that/ in the near future they will be called upon to pay for bottles in connection with some articles where in the past bottles have been given free. This shortage is likely to last till after the war.

Among the passengers leaving Wellington this afternoon by the Oormtluc for London are: —Mr A. Alexander, a musician, of Dunedin, Mr and Mrs U. McCabe and family, of Wellington, and Mrs (3. Fitzgerald, wile of Mr G. Fitzgerald, civil engineer, of Wellington.

The report of the city abattoir man' ager shows that in December last the number of stock slaughtered aggregated 7986, an increase of 658 on December, 1914. Tho number of stock condemned was 35. The fees for the month totalled £499 7s 6Jd, an increase of £47 15s 2d on November, and an increase of £l7 4s 9id on December. 1914.

A Press Association telegram from Dunedin sjtates that She Ham, alias Ah Lung, was yesterday fined £25 and costs for having opium suitable for smoking in his possession. The defendant wont by motor to Port Chalmers. The police investigated the car when it was returning and found sii half-pound tins of opium.

It was mentioned by the chairman of the Wellington Education Board at the meeting yesterday tnat in the past it had been the practice of the Railway Department to grant free, school sea' son railway tickets to children attending the Kaiwarra school from Ngaliauranga. The privilege had been discontinued, and in future the children from Ngabauranga would have either to walk to Kaiwarra or Potcne in order to attend school.

The Minister for Defence paid a visit to Somes Island on Monday, and told a “Now Zealand Times” reporter yesterday that he had found the conditions' there satisfactory. The German and Austrian prisoners who were interned on the island were well housed and well fed. The life on the island was monotonous, but the prisoners did not appear to have any cause for complaint. They would welcome gifts of books for their library. There were no > cases of sickness on the island. The ' Minister mentioned that improved accommodation was to bo provided for the soldiers on the island-

“There - is ho reason at all why the hospital ship Marama should not come ' hack to New Zealand with cot case* if the Imperial authorities think this course wise,” said the Minister for De-fence-(Hon. J- Allen) yesterday. “Tile ship was banded over to the .Imperial' authorities for service where required, and *he is engaged at present taking sick and wounded m'on from Egypt to England. There is a lull in the fighting at the present time, and the ( Close of the Gallipoli campaign has released hospital ships for service elsewhere. It might suit the War Office to send the Marama out here with invalided New v

Zealaftders, thus malting room in the English hospitals for future cases. The people of this country may feel sure that the best use will be made of ithe ship.” : t

A plucky action was performed by Constable M. Roche, of the Lambton ouay police, at Lyall Bay yesterday afternoon. A young lady who wis swimming In the surf appeared to ke in difficulties. The constable was alio bathing at the time, and seeing tie lady disappear twice, he at once hurried to her assistance. After a great struggle, he reached the shore with his unconscious burden, and managed , to restore her to consciousness by means of artificial respiration; Thelady and the donstable were the only! two bathing ,*t that particular spot ’ at the time, and but-for his plucky action, she probably would have been [ drowned. It i» .surmised that sho ■ had a fainting fit. She'was "after- ! wards escorted to her home at Lyall Bay, and was reported as having completely recovered from her unpleasant ' t experience.

Copies of some additional correspondence between the High Commissioner for New Zealand and the Director of Postal Services in Egypt with regard to the-, delay_ in the delivery of letters and parcels intended- for the New Zealand soldiers have reached the Minister for Defence (Hon. J. Alien): The explanations given by the postal officer* apply particularly to the conditions pro-’ vailing during the Gallipoli campaign. Delay in the delivery of letters was often caused by the failure of the men' detached from their units to inform* the postal authorities of their change, of address. Letters and parcels sent to the Dardanelles sometimes arrived, after the addressees hid been removed, sick" or wounded. The destination of the hospital ships was not known on the spot, and the articles, had to go back to the New Zealand base and wait there until information regarding the whereabouts of the men could be obtained. Then the letters and parcels were forwarded to the various hospitals to arrive, perhaps, after the men had returned to the front or been transferred to other hospitals. Some-’ times the addresses were insufficient,and there were many other difficulties.

The Salvation Army at Dunedin is about to make a forward step in tho > equipment of its social service work among women and girls. At the present moment the Oaversham Rescue Home, where there are thirty or fortyinmates, is its only institution in the southern centre for and this does not permit of the separation and classification which is so necessary in this work. The object, of the classification is to separate Old and hardened offenders completely from girls who as yet are only showing evil tendencies which, if not checked, will iced them to join the ranks of the criminal class'. For the purpose of this classification the Army has secured a site of sixteen and a half acres on a hill beyond the Anderson Bay tram terminus, where it is proposed shortly to establish a female home. “A strange feature of life in this Dominion,” Major Colvin told an “Otago Daily Times” reporter, “is the great number of people who want to get rid of the responsibility of training their families. Wc are simply besieged with parents, and in all my experience of social work in different countries I have never seen anything like it.”