NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 10057, 23 August 1918, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

An Order-in-Council was gazetted yesterday prohibiting the exportation of gelatine and glue. Tho Secretary, General Post Ofiice, has been advised that legal time in Germany has been advanced one hour from April loth to September loth.

It was stated at the meeting of the Hospital Board yesterday that an endeavour had been made to secure the services of a masseuse, but without success.

Some 1953 acres of Crown lands have been set aside in the Marlborough Land District for soldier-settlement; 599 acres of settlement land in the Wellington Land District; and 213 acres of settlement lands in the Auckland District.

Telegraphic advice was received at local police headquarters yesterday from Levin that a schoolteacher there named Albert John Hardy, a married man with ono child, had commit-tea suicide there by shooting himself with a revolver.

Repairs to the donkey-boiler of the Wellington Harbour Board’s piledriving pontoon were effected yesterday, and if the weather is favourable tho salvaging of the machinery of the Defender will bo resumed early this morning.

The arrival from Christchurch of several ladies well known at court has caused somo comment in the city. The opinion has been expressed that the transfer of Mr S. E. McCarthy, S.M., to the “Holy City” has something to do with it. Mr McCarthy was a terror to this sisterhood, and no doubt they have found a change of air desirable.

A successful progressive euchre tournament was held at the Burlington in aid of tho Hibernian stall for the Sj;. Mary’s Rebuilding .Fund. About 250 people were present, hut many more than that number of tickets were disposed of. A number of handsome prizes, which had been donated, were presented to the respective "winners by Mr R. AV. Shallcrass.

The district health inspectors in their reports for tho monin ending August 13th, informed tho Hospital Board that during the period seven cases of scarlet fever, 43 of diphtlnjria, four of tuberculosis, and one of bloodpoisoning had occurred in Wellington. At Pctone there were three cases of scarlet fever, and on© of tuberculosis; at Lower Hutt three of diphtheria; in Hutt County two of diphtheria and two of tuberculosis; at Karori one of diphtheria ; and at Miramar there was one case of hlood-poisoning.

Information has been received from the Army Council to the effect that owing to increased competition and decrease in establishment at the Royal Military Academy, "Woolwich, and Royal Military College, Sandhurst, it has been found necessary to limit the number of nominations allotted to the Dominion. In future only one candidate for the Royal Military Academy, AVoolwich, and two for the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, will be accepted from any dominion for any particular entry.

A letter was received by the Hospital Board, at its meeting yesterday, from the New Zealand Temperance Alliance in respect to its prohitntiou referendum campaign. The letter contained a request that the alliance bo permitted to send experienced workers to tho hospital and nurses homo for tho purpose of obtaining signatures from patients and nurses to the petition that is to bo presented to the Government. The request was no granted, one member of the board stating that it would be unwise to allow patient s to he harassed. Mr Clement Wragge made the following meteorological forecast tho other day: —A gigantic storm, about 40,000 miles in diameter, has made its appearance on tho sun, and those with good sight will be able to see it by a piece of smoked glass without optical aid. This surely means further earthquake action, and meteorological disturbances in various parts of the world, with displays of the aurora in high latitudes and great magnetic tension when tho solar upheaval becomes central. During tho immediate future locally fine weather is expected, but afterwords wo may expect a decided change for the worse.

. The action of the Arbitration Courl in refusing an. award in the case of the Auckland Soft Goods Union was considered at tho last meoting_ of the Wellington Timber Workers’ Union. Members pointed out that the effect of the refusal was almost to debar unions from receiving awards, even when a fair proportion of those in the industry wore members of the union. It was held that when a sufficient number combined to form a union, as required by the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, there should be no question about securing an award as a right. A motion was passed condemning tho decision of tho court. A most peculiar case came before Mr Justice Hosking and a jury in the Supreme Court yesterday. Tho circumstances were these: On May 7th last Mrs Catherine Lawrie, the wife of Janice Lawxio, went to tho residence of her daughter, Mrs Wallace, at Minerva street, in Newtown, to do somo laundry work. Lines wore stretched across .a yard and right-of-way, and were attached to a chimney and a stable. .While Mrs Lawrie was hanging'out clothes in the dusk of evening, H. A. Godfrey, a grocer, of Mein street, drove up tho right-of-way in a motor lorry. The hood of tho lorry caught a line and dragged down tho chimney, and Mrs Lawrie was caught in the debris, and received a severe injury to a leg, which had left her lame. Wherefore she claimed special damages for medical treatment to the amount of £3O, and general damages to tho extent of £471 on tlm score of negligence. On the other side, contributory negligence was alleged. Mr T. Noavo appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr H. F. O’Leary for tho defence. A good deal of evidence was taken, and tho jury visited the scene of The accident. Frank S. Stavcly, tho owner of tho premises, stated that the defendant had a garage at the end of tho lane, and no permission was given to Mrs Wallace to have a clothes-line drawn across. His Honour, in summing up, remarked that it was the duty of the plaintiff, on erecting an obstruction, to warn the defendant on tho matter, and the latter was only called upon to observe reasonable precautions. The jury returned a verdict In favour of the plaintiff for £75 general damages and £3O medical expenses. Consideration of law points raised .was deferred.

Surgeon-General R. S. F. Henderson, Director-General of Medical Services, renorted yesterday that two cases of cerebro-spinal meningitis under treatment at Featherston military hospital were convalescent.' ” Two patients were much better, oho wa s doing well, and the sixth case was not quite so well.

When a police sergeant asked a military reservist named Horace Robert Tatton questions the other day as to hia military position, he gave misleading answers. Among other things he claimed he was Robert “Stonewall” Jackson. However, Tatton had no need to give such misleading information, and would never have done it if he had been sober. This was explained before Mi- W. G. Riddell, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, when Tatton was charged with answering military questions in a misleading manner and breaking a prohibition order against himself., JTq was, fined 10s, or twenty-four hours’ gaol, on the first charge, and £2, or seven days, on the second charge. It was stated that latton has been classed as C2.

The following circular has been issued to all local bodies by the Hon. G. W. Russell (Minister for Internal Affairs): —“The French Government is compiling a booklet containing a list of funeral monuments or .ti cr edifices erected in foreign, countries in honour of French citizens, travellers, sailors, soldiers, or other persons of mark, and 1 have been asked by the Vice-Consul of France in New Zealand to supply a list of such monuments, etc., an New Zealand. I should lei glad, therefore, if you could furnish on the attached form particulars of any that have heen erected in your district.” The Minister also desires that private persons having knowledge of any such monuments or other memorials should communicate with him, giving full particulars of the same. Among the answers received hy Mr Russell is ' one from Mr J. McOrenor, Methven, stating that in 1877 John Moison, a Frenchman, came to reside in the county. He was one of the 172,000 men. surrendered hy Marshal Bazaine to the Germans on August wst, 1870, at Metz, and held a French military medal for'gallant conduct'in active service. He was buried in the Rakaia cemetery in June, 1911.

Written evidence is in French hands to the effect that a German soldier from the Rhine" provinces has solemnly stated that he would have died of hunger hut for food received from home. A mother,, writing to her son, states that she has heard several cases other than his of hunger, but she adds that she does not like to. send bread because it travels badly, being mostly made of bran, and because parcels are distributed to men to whom they aro not addressed. A woman, in a letter dated in March, pomplains that shq is r compelled to furnish... 175 eggs, and quotes cases of one person who was denounced for secretly killing a pig, and of another who was’denounced for cutting wood, the information in both cases being sent to the police anonymously. From Silesia' there is a complaint, dated February, about the apnroaching lack 1 of‘ food,' boots, ' clothes and coal. Pigs there might no longer bo fattened, and there was a threat that coffee mills would ho confiscated because the public was. substituting cereals for coffee. An indication of the state of affairs comes from Bavaria, the letter saying. “It, is npt only on the field of battle that death reigns. Here there arc many deaths. Young people and old- are dying..off. suddenly and unexpectedly." ■ ; .S.'. In his newspaper, the “Novaya Jizhn” (“New Life”),-the well-known Russian author Maxim Gorky, who was threatened recently with arrest by the Bolshevik Government and whose paper was confiscated, has the following striking, portrait of Lenin:—Lenin is one of the most reniarkable men of the Socialist “Internationale.” He is very intelligent, and possesses all the qualities of a, “chief,” including the absolute moral indifference which is often necessary, for such a part. On. occasions, he does not lack a certain sentimentalism, hut at the same time he has no pity for the mass of the people. And he'believes that he has the right to make this terrible experience on the Russian: people. Wary of the war, and very unhappy, this people has already paid for Lenin|s “experience with thousands and thflW?»nd,s,.pf..lives., it will still cost tens of; thousands more. But this atrocious tragedy never makes Lenin hesitate, for he is the slave ot dogma, and his partisans are his slaves. Lenin does not know the people. But ho does know—from his hooks—how to raise the masses and how to excite their worst instincts. The working classes are to Lenin what minerals are to the metallurgist. Can a Socialist-National-ist State bo made of this mineral ■‘lndeed no, and Lenin doubts it. But why not try? What does Lenon risk if the attempt does not como Qttt .nothing much. And so Lcnm goos on working like a chemist in his laboratory • but while the chemist works upon dead nature, Lenin, alasM cxpeuments upon living matter. And that which he is abasing and destroying of the best quality- Le . mn J s . le fs m the Revolution to its rum. That is incontestable.

Three Australian soldiers groped into a ’bus on the Strand a day-or two. a CO , each with an eye bandaged and useless (wrote the Sydney Herald’s” London correspondent re cently). They were fresh from struggle about Amiens, and though one of them who told me this •wd of.V'inp- of his own misfortune, he sain a good deal as to the fighting of Australians in general. And aU that he said merely bore out what.one_hems on all sides, namely, that our men have gone into this new senes of struggles in great heart and at the top of their fighting form.- Wonderful, m deed, the dash and fire oftheir attack, said this one of them m description ot his comrades, and no less woudeiful their grit in defence. Time and '-igam, ho said, they have gone at. the Oormans with quite irresistible effect, so that there are towns and villages to-day in their sector of the struggle winch the few surviving Germans ' who met them there will. never forget. 0S j ly liked to talk of a hand-to-hand conflict in a. certain town where ' Australians fought , Germans through the streets and in and oiit of the houses, and scattered them,, and sent them ttyitm in terror far to rearward. the Hun. ho said, had not the slightest chance when it came to the individual stand-up struggle—and the German dead in that town were a proof of it. As to himself, this young Australian did at last say something. A shell exploded very close to him. Ho lost one eve, and until a- night or two ago was deaf. On that night someone playing a violin in the London Hospital ward touched an extreme high note of piercing quality. At all events, it pierced the veil which was about the soldier’s hearing, something snapped in his head, and his deafness vamsh- . ed.

At its meeting yesterday the Hospital Board decided to grant »• five years’ leaso to S>cots CoUego of the hoard’s property in Hobson street, at an annual rental of £325. It was resolved to spend £l5O on repairs to the building.

On June 30th there were 183 patients in the hospital wards. 62 in Hie Children’s Hospital, and 162 in other institutions connected with the .nospital. In July 407 patients were admitted, 22 died, 356 were discharged, and 436 remained. The daily average number of patients for the month, was 422.

The Government Statistician states that B. L. S. Ballard, of 94, Upland road, Kelburn, whose name appeared in the “Gazette” published on Wednesday, voluntarily offered himself for service with the Expeditionary Force, but was not accepted for such service. When his name was gazetted an asterisk should have beeu placed opposite to it.

A peculiar epidemic seems to have broken out amongst draught horses on -some of the farms iu the Ring Country. On'one farm inland from Te Kuiti three fine horses died one after the other, and others are ill. At first the symptoms seemed to point to influenza, and treatment was, given accordingly ; but when experienced men were called in they seemed quite at a. loss to understand the nature of the disease. Xu that particular locality nothing similar has ever occurred before, and this makes it all the more difficult to find a solution for a trouble which may cause seriou s loss to horseowners.

There has been general approval in Labour circles of the decision of the Wellington Trades and Labour Council to acquire the late Dr Marvin’s residence in Vivian street as a new Trades - Hall. The building is now ready tor i occupation, and the various Labour secretaries will move iuto their - new quarters during next week. It is intended that the new building shall be a national home for Labour, and to this end financial support is being sought for- outside Wellington. The first outside body ’ to support the scheme was the New' Zealand Railway Engine-drivers’, Firemen’s, and Cleaners’ Association, which decided fe- . cently to invest £IOO in the Trades Hall fund.