NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9812, 8 November 1917, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

What must be a record lambing is the increase in a flock on a farm in the Wairarapa. There were 1000 ewes, and the counting showed 133 per cent, of lambs.

Reference to the peace that has existed between Canada and the United States for over a century was made bv Mr W. A. Beddoe, Canadian Trade Commissioner, when proposing the toast “Our Fighting Forces’’ at the banquet tendered Mr A. A. Ross, provincial president of the Farmers’ Union, recently. He said that although neither guns ; cannon, nor fortresses guarded the imaginary boundary lino that exists between the great British Dominion jp America and the United States, peace between the two countries would never be broken.

Money has little or no value in Russia, according to Dr F. A. Colder, professor of history at Washington State College, who has just returned from eight months’ historical research there. “The Russian farmer refuses to part with produce of any kind for money,” said Dr Colder. “He demands merchandise, food or fuel for everything he raises. While in Petrograd I talked with a man who had recently come from Germany. Most German people never have enough to eat, the man told me. Only those essential to the efficiency of the military are well fed. All others are on rations sufficient only to sustain life.”

Under the new Imperial regulations the dependents of masters, officers and seamen who are killed through war risk will receive one-third the pre-war rate of wages, with 3s a day victualling allowance in the case of officers, and Is 6d in the case of seamen. That is to say, if an officer had £lO a month in pre-war times his pay would be reckoned as the equivalent of £174 a year, and his widow will receive £SB a year, plus an annual allowance of £l3 for one child, £29 16s 8d for two children, £32 10s for three children, and £39 for four children. In the case of injury or disablement resulting in total incapacity two-thirds pay as to bo granted.

The Labour Department are calling for tenders for the construction of eleven houses at Kilbirnie, to he used as workers’ dwellings. An official of the department remarked yesterday, however, that ho was not sanguine of tenders being received at a reasonable figure. Similar dwellings in other centres, he explained, bad been built at an average cost of £560; this figure did not include the value of the section. The system of payment adopted was a deposit of £lO, to be paid, and the instalments were reckoned on 7 per cent, of the capital value, of which percentage o per cent, represented interest, and 2 per cent, as part payment. The instalments, which were payable halfyearly, were thus a regular amount, but the interest decreased as the part payments increased.

A letter, signed by Ben Tillet, general secretary of the Dock, Wharf, Riverside, and General Workers’ Union, who was elected as member of Parliament for North Salford the other day, hag been addressed to the members of the union dealing with the present situation. The letter says:—“We ran only end tbo war by striking at mill, tarism; German militarism is the head offender, Wo must strike at that, and I trust destroy it, together with any form of such brutal possibilities in this country or the Allies’. We believe the following proposal is the solution, but repeat that the genuine' working-class movement must take its affairs out of the hands of political adventurers and parasites, take its destinies in both hands, and ask organised Labour in all countries to war against militarism, repression, annexfction, and to be prepared to use the industrial and economic weapon to enforce this should occasion arise.”

It is becoming almost impossible to get out of England if you are a man of military age. It is said that the regulations—or the observance of them—have been tightened up considerably, and that the process has, led to much inconvenience. One mar( almost above military age was finally rejected by the military authorities a few weeks ago after a close examination by medical specialists, and was given his discharge. Ho at once consulted one of the greatest specialists in the country, who advised him to go to a certain British colony for his health—a colonv where, as a man with considerable capita], he would he a useful citizen. Encouraged by the officials of the colony in London, ho made all arrangements, winding up his business and his domestic affairs, only to find at the end of it all that the National Service authorities had put a veto on his passport. In another case a man, less fortunately placed from a financial point of view, gaveup his business and sold up his home with the intention of taking his wife and five children to the same colony. But again a veto had been placed upon his departure. All this is evidence that the National Service Department is doing something.

The case in which George Harris is charged with forging and uttering a will purporting to be that of his father-in-law—the late John Smith—was heard in the Criminal Court yesterday before the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout). Mr Macassey appeared for tho Crown and Mr Myers for the defence. .The facts of the case as placed before the court by the Crown Prosecutor were that the deceas-' od, a plumber, died suddenly on the night that he had acknowledged to an old friend, Timothy O’Loughlin, that he had not made a will. A fortnight before he had stated to another friend, Passmore, that he had not made a will. Smith died on June 20th, 1916, leaving a family of two married daughters and three sons. One of the daughters of the deceased was the wife of the accused. On the deceased’s effects being searched no will was found, but there was a pass-book showing a bank credit of £7OO. On December 7th, six months after Smith died, the Public Trustee receiver! what purported to be a will signed by Smith in favour of Mrs Harris —the accused’s wife, and a daughter. The will was witnessed by Frederick Fraser and Andrew Morrison, who could not ho traced nrd was acenmoanied by a letter from Fraser exolnming that in accordance with the wishes of the. de ceased the will was to he kept secret for six months. On the accused being seen hv Detec+ive-Rergeant Rawte he had given sneeimens of his handwriting. which experts declared to be identical with the will and the accomnanving letter. The defence was-the* it had not been <=hown that the will was a forgerg. that the evidence de-, mended enivrelv unon exnert testimony as to handwriting, and that the accused knew nothing about the matter until his vdfe received a communication from the Public Trustee. The case was adjourned until to-day.

One of the principal thoroughfares in Napier, Emerson street, is being constructed in concrete. This will be the first concrete road in tho district.

The minimum wages of building trades labourers will be: —On scatfold construction, Is 4d per hour; others, Is 3d per hour. General labourers: Tunnel work, Is 3d per hour; quarrying, Is 3d per hour; others, Is 3d per hour. AlO per cent, war bonus is also provided for. The award will remain in force for two years from the 19th inst.

William Hamilton, employee of the State Coal Department, was rescued from the water last evening bv Sergeants Wilcocks and Fitzpatrick. At the time of the rescue he was hanging from a wire rope underneath the wharf, and his cries had attracted a small boy, who informed the police. The man stated that he had been giving his dog a swim from the Taranaki street wharf step, when he slipped in. Labour statistics show that during the past week 11 married and 18 single men applied for employment in Wellington ; 20 were placed, 14 in private employment. At Christchurch there were 15 applicants, of whom five are still on the waiting list. In Dunedin 24 individuals sought work; of this number 17 were assisted, 13 to private work. There were two applications respectively at Oamaru and Nelson. Nil returns were sent in from Wanganui, Gisborne, Napier, and New Plymouth.

Tho Arbitration Court decision with regard to the builders’ and general labourers’ dispute, which wag tiled on Tuesday, carries out the, recommendation of the Conciliation Council, and provides for a 47 hours’ week. There are special clauses relating to tunnel work. For this class of work the tours are not to exceed eight per shift, with half an hour for crib time. In wet places or in foul air tho day’s work shall not exceed six hours. Labourers on building employment are to have a 44-hour week.

A memorial to the “old boys” ot Nelson College who have fallen in tho wax- is to be erected by the Old Boys’ 'Association. It will take the form of a “scriptorium”—a br.ck building which will be erected at a cost of about £2OOO. It probably will contain a library, writing, and other rooms, as (veil as a home for various mementoes of tho war. Two donations of £IUO each have been received in aid of the project. About 100 old boys of the college have lost their lives in the war. Women of Weutngton who are so fond of those dainty and expens.ve boots will be disappointed to learn that the English Government, owing to the scarcity of boots, as a result of the war, is considering the question of supplying boots of a uniform pattern to the general public. If this idea is adopted in England, in all probability it would be adopted in New Zealand, as the supply of leather in this country is very low, and the demand for military purposes great. But what could be more beneficial for the development of dainty feet than boots plain t heaVy, and serviceable?

The war is responsible for some coincidences. The Y.xvi.C. in Constantinople w r as, before the war, in a unique position. It enjoyed the goodwill of the Mohammedan Church authorities and of the Porte, ana w;i. ... up ported by Greeks, Moslems and Armenians. Its activities, however, are suspended for the duration of , the wai, and,-thereby.. hangs a tale, says, an exchange. . ‘ The Malta Y.M.C.A. had Required fine club premises, hut, owing to war conditions, they were unable t<o furnish. It camo to their knowledge, however, that a complete Y.M.C.A. destined for Constantinople,- was on board a vessel which was interned in Malta for the duration of the war. Through the good offices of the American Consul, this equipment was secured for the Malta Y.M.C.A. And when peace comes—well, they hope to make peace with Constantinople ! A letter recently received by one ot our suburban Mayors from a ErencH girl is strong testimony to the com-mon-sense and self-respect of the average Frenchwoman, says a writer in tho Adelaide “Observer.” This eenpihle girl wrote from a village m France, saying she had become engaged to an Australian soldier, whoso people lived in the suburb over which the Mayor presided, and though she loved him very much she knew nothing about him or his people, and to whom should she write but to Monsieur le Maire, to find out if it would he well For her to marry the brave Australian. (In a French village it is the Mayor to whom everyone goes with all jofs and sorrows. He is something like the captain of a ship, father of the flock, as it. were, even to the right of performing marriage ceremonies.) The letter was written in French, m a pretty foreign hand, and this rather flabbergasted the Mayor, who is an excellent Greek and Latin scholar, but with a poo raoquaintanceship with tne graceful French language. However, the difficulty was soon overcome, and the -vise little French girl, having sent tho'full name and address of ner fiance, ho soon found out all about the soldier, and was able to send tJ m writer a most satisfactory account d tho young man and his relatives. An officer who is well known in Dunedin, writing from Franco to a member of the “Daily Times” staff, relates the following amusing story, whion also helps to throw an interesting sidelight on the oonsiderateness shown by Nhw Zealand soldiers; “Some time ago the ‘ Engineers were engaged m strengthening an existing budding to enable it to be used as an Artillery Group Headquarters. The budding—a fairly solid brick stable—was having a concrete wall erected inside in °£. 7* to increase the resistance against high explosive shells. An officer visiting tho work and noting the progress made, remarked to the sapper n.c.o. in charge that the job would bo finished within a couple of days, and was somewhat surprised when he was told that it would take nine days at least to complete. ‘’Why, 1 said the officer, ‘the work is almost done now.’ ‘Yes,’ replied the n.c-0., ‘but we can’t get at the last portion for a week on account of the hen.’ The officer was more astonished than ever, but as a result of further interrogation it was explained that the farmer’s wife had a hen sitting on eggs in a manger, which would be required to be demolished, and that she had asked that this portion of the work might be deferred for a week in order that the period of incubation might be completed. As time permitted, the request was agreed to.”

Donnelly’s Hair Restorer. —A real Hair Tonic. Cures dandruff, stops hair falling. Chemists, stores, hairdressers; 2/6. Donnelly’s, 66, Vivian street. ■

A public meeting will b© held under tho auspices of tho Wellington Labour Representation Committee in tho New Century Hall, Kent terrace, to-night, at 8 o’clock, for the purpose of forming a branch of the New Zealand Labour Party.

At a meeting of the Wellington Labour Representation Committee, held last night, it was resolved that in the event of a vacancy occurring in Wellington North to immediately consider the advisableness of contesting tbf seat in the interests of Labour.

A Press Association message from Dunedin states that an inquest was held on tho body of Samuel Creegen, 25 years of age, who disappeared from the ship Port Chalmers on October 13th, found floating in tho harbour. A verdict of “found drowned” was returned, there being no evidence to show how he got into the water.

Shortly before 3 o’clock yesterday morning a fire broke out in a fiveroomed cottage on tho Queen’s Drive, Lysll Bay, owned and occupied by Mr Walter Vivian Roberts, and netore the brigade could suppress it considerable damage was done to both structure and contents. It is not known how the fire originated. Tho furniture and effects are insured in the New Zealand Company for £l6O, and the State Department has a risk on tho house.

At the extraordinary general meeting of the Returned Soldiers’ Association yesterday evening, tho chairman remarked upon the largo number of unfinancial members, and expressed f. hope that this matter would ho reraod:ed. He stated further that the not proceeds of the recent Returned Soldiers’ Ball would be about .i-toO. Referring to the intended unveiling ot a memorial at Roseneath School, he appealed for volunteers for a guard of honour, and hoped that at least a hundred men would turn up.

Mr Theodore B. Jacobsen, of Auckland, and who some years ago was in practice as an architect in Wellington, is now in this city for the purpose of interviewing the Government with reference to an invention of his which has for its object the dispensing with the periscope on submarines. Tho patent, for which registration has been applied, is said to bo simple, hut very effective, and Mr Jacobsen has no doubt that when the Government sees it it will think so, too. If what the inventor claims for his invention proves correct, it must have a wonderful effect on naval warfare. At the monthly meeting of the Wellington Labour .Representation Committee, held last night in the Trades Hall, the following resolution was earned unanimously; —‘ ‘That this meeting of tho Wellington L.R.U., whose activities are in close proximity to Parliament, and having closely watched the work performed by Mr P. C .Webb, M.P., considers that his work has been admirable in the interests of the workers, and heartily congratulates the electors of the Grey in again selecting him to contest the Parliamentary seat, and hopes that ha constituents will return him at the top of the poll.”

“The main details have been prac* tically agreed upon, but there are still some points to be settled,” stated the Prime Minister yesterday, referring w the purchase by the Imperial Government of the butter and cheese output of the Dominion. It is understood that the important condition desired by the sellers at this ’ end is that some provision bo made for financing the purchase before the butter or cheese is actually shipped. The farmers desire to have an advance when the produce has gone into cool store. This is an important consideration so far as it affects the finances of dairy factories.

The tragic possibilities of' war-time life in London for the very poor were illustrated at an inquest on Leah Marks, aged fifty, wife of a Highbury cigarette-maker. Unnerved by the air raid, she had a terrifying experience later, when she went to Petticoat lane to buy sugar. „ There a mob ot women, seeing her with a bagful of provisions, shouted that she was a German—she was a Russian, with a son at the front—and roughly handled her. The police rescued her. Next day she was found dead, and the doctor ascribed her death to the effects of the air raid, the mobbing, and a letter she had had from her son at the front.

It is stated in cable messages in the Australian papers that three bomba dropped in the course of the Zeppelin raid on October 19th caused all the material damage that was done in London. The first did damage to the extent of £3OOO, the second £7OOO, and the third, which fell in a poor quarter, £2500, making a total of £12,500. Some trouble was caused by the bursting of a gas main, which led to a fite. Altogether 40 houses were wrecked in the district, and many moie were damaged. Some of the wrecked houses looked as if a huge steam roller bad passed over them. A woman and two men were shockingly mangled as a result of being hurled from an upstairs room. The bodies were wedged into the ground floor. A torpedo killed eight children in one London family. The mother of the eight was saved, as she had gone out to see if all was clear after notice was given. It took nine hours of continuous digging to get the bodies out. Another child, a boy, five years old, was deeply buried in the debris, hut suffered only a few bruises. The rescuers were able to pass down hot beef tea hours before the child was released. Wh-n asked, where ho was he replied: “On my back.” Another child, a baby, escaped owing to the devotion of its mother, who threw herself acroa the child. She was killed, but th> child was unhurt.