NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLV, Issue 10450, 1 December 1919, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

It is understood that the pre-war train service is to be resumed a fortnight hence. It is not yet known whether other privileges of railway travel which were curtailed during the war, such as excursion fares, will be reinstated at the same time.

The Telegraph Office has been notified from Liondon that the tariff rate to offices in Sierra Leone other than Freetown Water street and Clinetown, have been increased by one penny per word as from to-day.

An Indian runner duck entered for the Mt. Albert (Auckland) egg-laying contest, has laid 182 eggs in as many daye, which is supposed to be a world's record. Tie duck is described as "still going strong" and likely to get over the 200 mark.

Arthur Henderson, an unmarried farmer, of Tomahawk, near Dunedin, was killed by the overturning of the motorcar in which, he was riding with three others. The driver states that the steering gear failed to act when lie was trying to negotiate a sharp bend.

Nearly three times as much Customs duty' was collected at Wellington during' last month as in November of last year. /The Customs revenue collected during November of this year totalled £141,517 Os lOd. and the beer duty amounted to £3102 18s 6d. The corresponding figures for last year were £50,992 10s 6d and £1867 13s 2d.

During last week the labour employment, bureau thirty applications for work. Seven of the applicants were provided with employment in various Government departments, principally public works. Six were provided with work for private employers, and the remainder were assisted by means of reduced fares to districts where employments awaited them.

At Broken Hill, where the strike still continues, the leaders have issued couwhich represent oaah;, ranjging from 17s per week for a married man with four children, to 9s for a married man with no children and 7s for a single man. Rough leather has been purchased and volunteer workers do the "cobbling.'' Tho men are demanding £1 per week of fire days, working six hours each day.

At a, sitting of the Juvenile Court on Saturday, over which Mr P. L. Hollings, S.M., presided, two boys pleaded guilty to interfering with the tramway points in Rantoul street. The lads in question had altered an electric switch diverting the tramway traffic up Constable street. It was pointed out that though no damage was occasioned by the boys' action, it might have caused a, collision with serious results. Tho magstrate, after exacting a. promise from the defendants that they would keep out of trouble in future, admonished and discharged them. For failing to send his child regularly to school John McMillan was convicted and fined 10s, with 7a costs.

An extraordinary letter has been received from an English officer engaged in the promotion of anti-Bolshevik propaganda dn Siberia (says the Auckland 'Star"). "The lino of battle," he writes, "literally sways to and fro, according as our propaganda or that of the enemy is the stronger. And unfortunately, the enemy ia very much the stronger, the sharper, the better organised, and tho more enterprising. He sends wholes train loads of propaganda matter to the front, placing dt, quite rightly, on the same footing as S.A.A. for the firing-line. This is a struggle of newspaper editors against generals, ana the editors are winning very often. All the Bolshevik leaders are journalists— Lenin, Troteky, Tchitcherin, Karaohan, Kadek, Bucharin. Petrovsky, Lunacharsky. Considered from a literary point of view, some of the Bolshevist propaganda distributed amongst the soldiers and peasants hero are masterpieces, being short, written in simple language, telling, effective, though false, and to the last degree pernicious." Tho object of the English captain's letter is to get tho public stj largo to send any matter dealing with the foreign view of Bolshevism addressed to tho propaganda department of Kolohak's Siberian Army. Tho intention is to enlighten tho Siberian peasant as to the world view of the Bolshevism.

A wireless message received froit 'sje Riverina, en route from Sydney, reports that she will arrive in the stream at Wellington ait 3 p.m. to-day.

The sitting of the benzine conference at Wellington concluded at 10 p.m. on Friday. The parties will be called together again -when their recommendations have been drafted ready for embodiment in an ©rder-in-Council.

During the past month one oankrutpcy occurred in Wellington, making a total of nine for the eleven months of the current year. In the first eleven months of 1918 fifteen bankruptcies occurred in the Wellington district.

The Salvation Armv Institute at Pakatoa Island was destroyed by firo at midnight on Fridray (states a Press Association telegram from Auckland). The contents were lost, but the officers and eighteen other women inmates escaped unharmed.

St. Andrew's Day is to he observed to-day. The Government offices, law offices, and banks will close all day, and the. .City Council offices, with the exception of city engineer's, public office, and the electric light and rates office, will close at noon.

An Auckland Press Association telefram reports that Axafl Weillsson, the Waster of the trawler Countess, for fishing inside the prohibited area, was fined £lO. The court said the question of the forfeiture of the vessel was a matter for the Crown.

It is stated that cigarettes are likely to be advanced in price. In Christchurch an increase from 8d to 9d, and in the same proportion, for larger quantities, has already been made. Stocks are reported to be low, and the wholesale price of English cigarettes has a hardening tendency.

A motor-car knocked down a Mrs Clausen, aged thirty-eight years, in Customhouse quay at 7.15 o'clock on Saturday evening. Mrs Clausen, who reides at 32, Ridrige road, was found to be injured about the head and right leg, and was taken to the hospital, where she was admitted at 8.16 p.m. Her case was not regarded as seriaous.

A hoy named William John McCrea, aged fifteen years residing at' No. 4, Hill street, was riding a horse at Day's Bay ©vening, when he was thrown off. The lad suffered injury to his head, and it was thought advisable to take him to the hoapitr.L where he was admitted at 10.10 p.m. McCrea was doing splendidly at an early hour this morning.

To-day marks the revival of "Old U 03 r s' Day" on the Wellington College grounds, when past and present boys will meet in cricket, tennis, running, swimming and shooting matches. Several prizes have been donated by .old hoys for competition amongst the scholars, and groat interest has been aroused both in and out of the school. A reunion of old 'boys will bo held in the evening. Special attention is drawn to an advertisement in this issue.

Speaking recently at Christchurch, Bishop Julius dealt trenchantly with the present-day tendency of the people to "wobble" in religiouß matters—a tendency so much at variance with the old-fashioned customs. "In these days/' he said, *''ydu never know where a man is; he eoes to the North Islaiid as a churchman, and comes back a Seventh Day Adventist, or he goes to Australia as a Christian and comes back as a Mahommedan." He deplored this instability of purpose, and said men did riot so lightly change their religion in the olden times.

Eighty-seven cases of influenza—76 mild, seven pneumonic, and four severe were reported throughout the Dominion from noon on November 24th to November 27th, a reduction of nearly 40 cases on the previous three-day period. Of the mild cases, 39 were in the Auckland district. 26 In the Wellington district, and 11 in Canterbury.One pneumonic case and four severe were notified in the Auckland district; one pneumonic case in the Wellington distj-ict, and five.in Canterbury. Otago shows a clean hill of health 60 far as influenza is concerned. '

Regarding the complaints made by the ex-Minister for Public Health (Hon. G. W. Russell), as to inadequate arrangements made by the AVaiapu Hospital Board in connection with the To Araroa epidemic, members of the board state. (according to a. Press Association telegram from Gisborne) that it sent a deputation to the department in May, 1917, and had since frequently requested a Ministerial \-isit to look nto the situation, without result. Tho board considerod it ,wa» tho Government's duty to send trained medical orderlies to cope with the situation. Recurring epidemics nodoubt were due to the conditions under which the Maoris live, and whilst the State passed legislaton requiring settlers to provide proper quarters for shearers, it, failed in its supervision of Maori settlements, and the board considered ituntair. that tho cost of coping with theso epidemics should fall on tho shoulders of tho Kur.oit>an settlers. Effective measures should be taken to stamp out tho disease.

Mr P. L. Hollings, S.M.. delivered reserved judgment in the Magistrate's Court on Saturday morning in the case of'A. C. Harding, clerk, who proceeded against T. S. Anderson, warehouseman, to 'recover the sum of £6O, together with £1 14s interest on the amount claimed, being interest at the rat\> of 6 per cent, from May, 1919, to Ootober, 1919. Tho plaintiff had advanced the sum of £SO to a stepson of the defendant's before he came ot age, and the defendant had signed a deed guaranteeing the repayment of the money. In March last the defendant's stepson, who came of age, received a legacy of £IOO, but had failed to meet th obligation he had entered into of repaying the borrowed money by instalments of £5 per month, consequently the guarantor was proceeded, against. The claim was contested on the ground that the plaintiff had informed the defendant that in the event of a monthly instalment not being mad© he would bo informed immediately. That undertaking had not been carried out, and in consequence the defendant had not been given an opoprtuity to take steps to have tho amount deducted from the legacy before it was paid. The magistrate gave judgment for £6O. with £6 costs. At the hearing Mr N. Barker appeared for the plaintiff and Mr M. J. Dale for tho defendant. Security for appeal was fixed at £lO 10s.