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Otago Daily Times, Issue 16928, 14 February 1917, Page 4

The attention of employers i<? drawn to the fact that if they find that the time when their employees are called on to go into a territorial camp is unsuitable, from the employer's point of view, permission will be given, after due notice,. to enable such employees to join up with another camp. Wo are informed that 453—not; 390 as previously stated—was the full number of signatures appended to the petition presented to the St. Kilda Borough Council on Monday evening asking- that a poll be taken on the question of amalgamation with the city. Some time between 8 o'clock and 10 o clock on Monday night some person or persons got into the fruit shop of the Misses Dredge, George street, and stole a few shillings. Yesterday morning it was found that, the premises of Mr J. Metcalfe, tobacconist, two doors off, had also been entered, and a few shillings taken there also. The City Fire Brigade turned ' out yesterday morning at 7.40 to a chimney fire at the residence of Mr R. Traoey, No. .7 Brook street. The First Military Service Board will hold a sitting in Duneclin to-day, commencing at 11.15, to deal with 50 cases. 'The board will hold other sittings as under:— February 15, Clinton, 11.30 a.m., and Gore, -4.30 p.m.; February 17, Queenstown; February 19, Invercargill, at 4 p.m.; February 20, Balclutha, at 10 a.m.; February 21, Palmerston, at 10.15 a.m., and Oamaru, 2.40 p.m.; February 22, Ranfurly, at 2 p.m.; February 23, Alexandra, at 4.30 p.m. At the close of this itinerary the board will have completed all the appeals before it under the first, second, and third "ballots, and will have dealt with over 1000 cases. The. carpenters and joiners' industrial dispute came before the Conciliation Commissioner (Mr J. R. Triggs) yesterday morning. The assessors were: For the workersMessrs "W. G. Baird, A. J. Cooper, and L. F. Evans; for the employers—Messrs R. Crawford, G. Simpson, sen., and A. Dempster. The employers lodged, as a counter proposal to the claims of the men, the old award, in every clause of which, with the exception of that dealing with holidays, the union ; asked for an alteration. The employers determined to stand by the old award, and the whole matter was referred to the Arbitration Court.

We published last week a cable message stating that Mr "Pluck," father of a re-cently-executed rebel, had been elected to the House of Commons as member for North Roscommon. The name was printed as cabled, but the cables in the Australian papers show that it was Count George Plunkett who was elected. Joseph Plunkett, the son of Count Plunkett, was one of "the Sinn Fein rebel leaders who were executed in May last. He was a brilliant University graduate. A few hours before he was shot by order of a court-martial he was married to Grace Gift'ard, a sister of the widow of the rebel Thomas M'Donagh, who was also executed. The only case to come before the Supreme Court to-day will be a charge against a man named Konkel of indecent assault at Port Chalmers. On Thursday the remaining cases set down for tho present sittings will bo heard. A Press Association telegram from Wellington states that Captains J. R. Reed and W. R. Holmes liaje been appointed assessors at tho inquiry^into the stranding of tho Maitai. In almost every respect the St. Kilda Bowling Club has been one of the most succcssful and most progressive in Dunedin. Unfortunately, members have had a good deal of worry during recent years on account of the condition of the green, which v has been far from perfect. Various measures have been adopted with the object of getting the playing area into good order, but without success. A meeting of the club was held on Monday night to consider tho best steps to be taken to meet the difficulty. About 60 members attended, and,, after a full discussion, it was unanimously decided to re-lay the green, members guaranteeing to find tho necessary money. The work will be proceeded with as soon as the necessary arrangements can be made. Members of the club are very sanguine that when the work is completed the green will compare favourably with any other in Dunedin.

According to rumours current in political circles in Christchurch it is not considered likely (says the Press) that the portfolios rendered vacant by the death of the Hon. Dr R. MHab will be filled by the appointment of a new Minister. It is said that tho question of the inclusion of a new member in the Cabinet -will possibly stand over till tho Teturn of the Prime Minister (Mr Massey) and Sir Joseph Ward, and that, in the meantime, the vacant portfolios will be allotted amongst some of the members of the Cabinet as at present oonstitued. It is probable, according to the same authorities, that tho Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald will take over, for the time being, tho portfolio of Postmaster-general, and that the Hon. G. W. Russell will take over the portfolios of Marino and Stamps. A Press Association measure states that the Manakau County Council yesterday endorsed the resolutions by tho Franklin County Council to tho effect that, whilst farmers as a class are as anxious as any other section of tho community to see a victorious pcace, this council is of opinion that the farming community is being unduly depleted as compared with other sections; further, that the present indiscriminate depletion of the able-bodied farming class will shortly result'Sn a serious shortage of produce for export, and will greatly increase the cost of living." A Press Association message from Auckland states that the Acting Prime Minister has notified the Auckland Presbytery that the Cabinet has considered its request for the suspension of all totalisator permits during the war, and that it has been decided to deler the matter for three months, when it will be necessary to consider the issue of permits for the next racing season. The Government, it is stated, will then give very serious consideration to the representations made by the presbyterv and others ajnteriucg the issus of totalisator permits.

Only four of some twenty dogs which left with the Ross Sea party on the Antarctic Expedition have returned. The survivors may bo oonsidered veterans at Polar exploration, as they journeyed no less than 1600 miles altogether, encountering many vicissitudes and much hunger during their travels. They looked in remarkably good condition when inspected on the relief ship on Friday (says the Wellington Past), and the affectionate relationship which existed between them and members of the party was particularly noticeable. During the sojourn in tho south the canine birth-rate increased, and three big healthy pups were brought back. There was also a litter of eight pups whoso mother evidently believed in the full cradle, and who jealously guarded her offspring, and showed white fangs when any intruders came near. The animals were taken over to tho quarantine station on Saturday. Interesting details as to tho working of tho wireless equipment on the Aurora were given to a Wellington Post reporter by Mr T. M. Ryan, the wireless operator on tho vessel. Speaking of the first press message sent by Sir Ernest Shackleton to the Bluff station, Mr Ryan stated that he picked up Bluff on Friday night, February 2, but could not send his message until Sunday, owing to the fact that although he could hear Bluff quite distinctly the land station could not get him. He had to [ repeat his niessage (in cypher) 14 times before it was 0.K." The second message was sent on Wednesday. The vessel had the use of the De Forest audien amplifier belonging to the New Zealand Government, which is intended i for tho Chatham Islands. Tho instrument was of considerable ' assistance, especially when working tho wireless in daylight.

To H. E. Wild is ascribed tho honour of inventing and naming the composition which did duty to members of the Ross Sea party in lieu of tobacco during many weary months (says the Wellington Post) When the very limited supply of weed in the hut was exhausted, various substitutes were tried v.-ith varying degrees of satisfaction to the consumer. Tea was attempted, and so was coffee and then the inventive genius of Wild asserted itself. With exquisite care he blended some fresh tea, coffee, sawdust, and a few species of horbs, and called his creation _ t£ Hut Point Mixture." This survived the gamut of criticism, and became tho standard " tobacco." It is said that Joyce tried onions, but was speedily made to stop; while another member of the party met very little succcss in his attempt to inhale the "smoke" from dried shredded potatoes 1 ° A message from Mr C. E. W. Bean, official correspondent with the Australian forces, states that the pressing question of training for useful citizenship those Australians who have been blinded or maimed by tho war, and who are temporarily detained in England, was grappled by a meeting of Australians in London on January 26, who deeidgd to draw up a scheme. JLhis partial measure, which merely touches a corner of the whole big problem of Australian maimed soldiers, will be entirely useless without some far bigger organisation, to whose hands these men who have suffered by the war can be passed on arrival in Australia. Australia has to face tho fact that unless such an organisation is in existence equipped to receive these men, the months of idleness which will elapse may spoil many valuable citizens, who otherwise might enjoy life happy and beneficial to themselves and others. It is also necessary to realise that many of these men will never be able -to face the competition of the industrial world, and that as long as they live some provision will have to exist for helping them in their trade. It seems quite obvious here that this is an integral part of the work of the repatriation authorities. It is clear that, whatever action is taken in England, it should only be a branch of the main measures taken in Australia, and the whole subject should be studied without delay in conjunction with what is being done elsewhere. It was stated at the meeting that Canada, New Zealand, and Africa have all taken action in England already. German schemes, of course, were in existence many months ago.

Some 12 months ago the Flaxmillers' Association asked the Agricultural Department to have an expert's report obtained on an insect that was destroying large quantities of green leaf by perforation (says a Manawatu paper). An officer has been making investigations ever since. Now tho department is called upon to advise in another and even morcj serious matter. Some bug or beetle has commenced boring at the roots of tho phormium tenax, with the result that one or two millers have suffered severe losses. Tho plant so attacked either does not come to maturity, or it turns yellow or dies out altogether In one case nearly 1000 acres have been decimated by this pest, and in another a small miller has lost 200 acres. An arrest under difficulties-'was effected in Ohristchurch on Friday night (says tho Press). A man of exceptionally strong physique had been drinking, and all through tho night had been annoying and accosting people in a right-of-way. Eventually a oonstable arrested him, and calling a taxi, with the taxi-driver, endeavoured to get the recalcitrant man into the car. The man, however, developed intense resistance and foiled every effort to get him into the vehicle. The driver became exhausted, and tho man and the constable had a grim, silent wrestle on the footpath and in the gutter, in which was running water. The constable called on one of the bystanders for assistance, but just then another constable came on the scene, and tho man was soon handcuffed and taken to the policj station. Both tho first constable and tho prisoner were knocked about, the struggle having been very severe, but the arrested man fought in grim silence and without tho oaths that are generally an accompaniment of similar incidents.

An interesting point in company law was decided by Mr C. Kettle, S.M., in the Auckland Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, in tho case of the Kuranui-Calqdonian Company (Mr E. J. Prendergast) v. J. O. Owen (Dr H. D. Bamford), an action to recover £6 14s 9d, tho amount of a call. ,The plaintiff company is registered in London, and has a branch registered in New Zealand, where it carries on business. Thelfacts were not in dispute. The defence raised was that the provisions of tho Companies Act relative to mining companies applied to a company incorporated in England, as well as to companies registered in New Zealand, and that consequently proceedings for tho recovery of the call should have been commenced within the 14 days prescribed by section 352, that on default in payment of tho call tho shares became automatically forfeited under section 353, and should have been sold. His Worship held that the sections in question did not apply to foreign companies, and that only those sections which the Act specifically directed to apply to foreign companies could be held 60 to apply. Judgment was, therefore, given for the amount claimed and casts. Tho action was brought as a test case, to determine tho liability of certain New Zealand share-'-ciders. The possibility of Wellington City being left without a supply of milk was mentioned in all seriousness by dairymen who appeared before the Board of Trado last week. Tho dairymen insisted that, with tho Government paying 9icl per lb for cheese, they were losing money by supplying milk to tho city at approximately per gallon on trucks. The trouble, from their point of view, was aggravated by the fact that tho actual consumers were tiein"required to pay Is 8d per gallon for milk delivered at their homes, the vendors charging for distribution as much as tho farmers did for production. One witness offered tho opinion that, if tho conditions were not improved by tho raising of the farmers' price and the provision of a proper distributing organisation in the city, Wellington people would find themselves dependent upon supplies of tinned milt- There would bo no fresh milk for them.

Thirty-two appeals were dealt with in about two hours and a-half by the Ota go Military Service Board at Clinton last evening. Fourteen wero dismissed, eight were adjourned, and four were withdrawn. Five appellants were granted oonditional exemp tion, and only one appeal from a man whi had been wrongly included under clause 35L was allowed. The board has 55 appeals to hear at Balclutha to-day. Mr H. A. Young, S.M., presided over a short sitting of the City Police Court yesterday, when Isabella Edwards was Gned 20a in default 48 hours' imprisonment, foi drunkenness on Monday.

Ride a B.S.A. 1917 B.S.A. motor cydes are now to hand. Masterpieces of modern engineering.—W. Stuart Wilson, Princes street. -Ride a B.S.A.—Advt. S. Matthew's Church, Stafford street.— War intercession service, to-night, 7.45. All invited. —Advt. Akaroa's beautiful harbour provides safest boating and bathing in the world; its delightful climate and modern accommodation makes the old French settlement a health resort tho year round.—Advt. A second sale circular is issued with today's Times by Mollisons Ltd, giving particulars of . additional bargains under offer —Advt. The Peninsula Ferry Company announce that on and after Monday, the 19th inst the early and late boat will be and several other alterations in the timetable will be made. Full particulars see later.—Advt. -*■'Right thinking" seeks tho genuine, "wrong thinking" the'imitation I The great mass of New Zealand women show " right thinking" by using the genuine "No Rubbing" Laundry Help. It's a blessing on washing days!— Young and Anderson, Moray place.—Advt. A. E. J. Blakeley, deDtist, Bank of Au»-' ♦ tralasia, corner of Bona and Rattray streets (next Telegraph Office). Telephone 1859 — Advt Never neutral; always on the mde of quality—Watson's No. 10 whisky.—Advt. Launch owners, motorists, and. others don't have trouble. Buy our Columbia Hotshot Batteries. We have a fine assortment 2r ij Batteries, Accumulators, Lamps, Holders, etc., for ignition and lighting purposes.—Turnbull and Jones (Limited), eleotncal engineers, Dunedin.—Advt. Who is Peter Dick J —The most reliable Watchmaker, Jeweller, and Certificated Coo* suiting Optician, 4SO Moray piace (off Pnncei street), Dunedin. Charges moderate.—Advt.