ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14926, 31 August 1910, Page 2

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

CFaou Oue Own Correspondent.) LONDON, July 22. Mr Anthony Wilding, the lawn tennis champion, of The Elms, Grove road, Surbiton, was summoned; recently at the West London Police Court for riding a motor cycle without, a license. Mr Wilding was riding in the Nullum.high road on June 15 when he came into collision with a bicycle. To Police-con-stable Andrews,' who took particulars of the collision, Mr Wilding said he had not his license with him. When the case came on for hearing earlier in the week Mr Wilding was playing in the finals at Wimbledon, and as there appeared to be somo doubt respecting the identity of this rider of the motor bicycle, the magistrate (Mr Fordham) directed the police officer in the case to go to Wimbledon,' see Mr Wilding, and satisfy himself that Mr Wilding! was the person in question. Mr Wilding now appeared at the court, and, admitting the offence, produced the license which he had taken out 'since the collision.. His solicitor (Mr A. F. D. Walbrook) explained that Mr Wilding had' only ju6t come over from New Zealand in order to take.part in the lawn tennis' championship, and thought that the. ' license! for his motor bicycle covered a license to ride. The magistrate imposed a penalty of 10a, with 2s 6d costs, and expressed- regret that he was bound by law to endorse the license.' ' ..IS NEW ZEALAND,TO : LEAD?, To the London; newspapers Mr W, Willett, of Daylight-saving Bill fame, writes that he has' just heard from. New Zealand relative to his pet idea. .'Titers is now a Daylight-6aving Bill to be introduced into tho Parliaments of Canada, Victoria, New. Zealand, Newfoundland,, and tho United States, and Mr Willett feels sure that before long one of the colonies will have a Daylight-saving Act in force —"the movement is worldwide, and if our Parliament does not soon make up its mind to pass the bill which has twice been before the House of Commons, one of the colonies or the United States will be the'first to do so. Members of Parliament should have their attention drawn to this fact, and be urged to support the bill'.when it is reintroduced. I say. let Great Britain and Ireland lead." The truth is (comments the Daily News) that our country is not good at that. • Probably we shall wait to sea how New Zealand fares with an additional hour of sunshine on each summer day. ARMY PAGEANT DEFICIT. While the army pageant at Fulham Palace has' been an artistic'success it has been - a financial failure—due very largely to continuous wet weather. Major Craig, the lion, secretary, puts the loss,at a four-figure sum, which will.fall on the Incorporated Soldiers and Sailors' Help Society, in the'hope of aiding whose fundi) the pageant'was given. Major Craig thinks the' pageant has been killed financially by the death of the King; while the advance bookings' before that event amounted to £5000, the total bookings since have not even equalled that sum. - The average attendance has been only 3000, although the grand stand accommodates 6600. The initial outlay was about £18,000. The fighting in the, pageant has been of a very strenuous character, and nearly all the 3000 weapons used in the conflicts have been broken. TRAINING BRIGS. The latest scheme of the Navy League is to buy up old barges—which- are to bo had "for an old song "—transform them into training brigs, moor them in creeks and harbours, attract the boys who have left school but have not got. work, instil into these boys something of •seamanship as well as general moral and physical capacity, and introduce as many of them as possible into the navy and mercantile marine. The cost of such an extemporised brig is about, £400, and as a model to the whole country a larger brig is to bo placed on the Thames at a cost of some £5000. In support of tho scheme a large company assembled at Sunderland House on Wednesday, '■at the invitation of the Duchess of Marlborough when Mr Carlyon Bcllairs, Lord Winterton, M.P., and Mr H. J. Mackinder, M.P., advocated the work of the Navy League. The Duke of Somerset, who presided, said it would be the league's. chief work in the near future to secure a better organised system of sea training. IMPERIAL TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION.. The Pacific .Cable Board, which administers the joint, undertaking of the Imperial, Canadian, Australian, and New 'Zealand Governments, his arranged for a direct and exclusive .line of telegraph irom Bamfield Creek,' Vancouver Island to Montreal, and a. special wire it- now being strung over the Canadian Pacific railway system. The line will be worked direct between Montreal and the Pacific and a staff of English telegraphic clerks is leaving Canada shortly for this purpose. The line terminates at Montreal at present, because atUhat point it comes into contact with the various Atlantic cab e systems. These companies are precluded by old understandings and contracts from making any preferential arrangements with the Pacific cable system. But as cheap inter-Imperial cable .-ommunication is recognised to be of the highest importance in the interests of the Empire, it is believed that the layin" •of a Government-owned cable between Groat Britain and Canada cannot be longdeferred, thus establishing a Governmentowned and controlled series of wires extending from., this .country to Australia *u4,tafciun in Canada and New Zealand,

THE PACIFIC CABLE. The steps which the Pacific Cable Board is' now taking to secure new business have been more than successful' 'Tho traffic returns have made <ui unexpected jump and the prospects for the line are excellent. Tho arrangement with tho Canadian Pacific Railway Company for the running of a special wire across tho continent is a distinct step forward, and '.New Zealandcrs may expect to hear of some definite move at their end, where the devious transmission Iron) Sydney,to New Zealand urgently requires correction, A direct line from Sydney to 6omo central point in New Zealand is more than probable.