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Otago Witness, Issue 3265, 11 October 1916, Page 38

Speaking at the meeting on Monday of the executive of the Otago Patrioc and General Welfare Association, the Hon. Mr Paul, chairman of the Advisory Board of the Federated Patriotic War Relief Societies, said he was anxious, in the name of the board, to assure the public that ample credits existed in London for the purchase of comforts for New Zealand sick and wounded soldiers. The board had had much trouble in arriving at a satisfactory method of distribution, but practically all trouble had now been overcome. In connection with this question, Mr J. Begg, chairman of the Soldiers' and Dependents' Welfare Committee, drew attention to a letter in the press, over the signature of Mr P. O. Bridgeman, stating that funds wore required for the Walton-on-Thamcs Hospital. 'The Hon. Mr Paul, in reply to Mr Begg, said that, generally speaking, it would be well if all appeals for assistance were sent direct to the association, and remitted by it to the Advisory Board. The association and the board had become specialists in these matters, with a very full knowledge of the necessities and requirements of almost every case of collective need in the Old Country. The one point he wished to emphasise in these days, when the casualty lists were so heavy, was that full credits existed for the purchase of comforts for soldiers abroad. The Soldiers' and Dependents' Welfare Committee has arranged, after consultation with the medical superintendent at the Hospital, to supply extra comforts to the sick and wounded soldiers in the Hospital, and the committee will be glad during th coming season if any sportsmen who may secure good bags of hares, trout, or such like would remember the men in the soldiers' ward, as such game would make a welcome addition and variety to the soldiers' bill of fare.

Mrs Mary Campbell has issued a writ on the Dunedin Drainage Board, Mr A. Slinger (engineer to the board), and Mr Cullena (assistant engineer), claiming ±llOO for trespass on her property. The impondiiif case has arisen out of construction of a drain-in-comm.ju trough Mrs Campbell's land.

A system or money order telcgran.;- between New Zealand pnd Great Britain, through the medium of the Post and Telegraph Department, was inaugurated on Monday week. Tin.' charges arc very low—namely, 3d for each £1 or fraction in addition to the transmission charges' on the telegram. These, of course, vary with tin? address, but the average may be taken as the cost of telegraphing 16 words. The telegram may either be sent at ordinary or deferred rates. At the

latter rate 16 word.-, would cost £1 Is 4d in addition to the 3d for each £1 remitted. The low charges for soldiers' telegrams do not apply to money order telegrams. Tho Perpetual Trustees, Estate, and Agency Company hold a sale by auction on Monday of two life insurance policies of the value of £2OOO, with reversionary bonuses accrued of £1732, the present surrender value of tho policies being over £IOOO. After good competition, Mr ileid becamo the purchaser at £2OOO. A discovery of talc, which may be of considerable importance, is stated to have been made in a certain district in the northern part of tho South Island. One of the discoverers, Mr 11. F Porter, is at present on a visit to Auckland, and stated that, after a prospecting tour lasting over a period of several years in the district referred to in search of seheelite and molybdenite, a very large deposit of talc, otherwise known as French chalk or soapstone, was recently discovered. Thousands of tons of ihe mineral were in sijsht. The value of talc has lately been enhanced by reason of its uses for war purposes. It is now being shipped to Great Britain from South Africa, this development in the industry having taken place since the beginning of the Avar. Talc, when prepared as French chalk, is a commodity that is urcd hi enormous quantities in a multitude of industries, and it is said that tho only limitation to the demand for the South African product is tho difficulty of seeming tho tonnage. In connection with the special value set upon talc during tho war, it is interesting to note that tho Imperial authorities announced, on September 29 last, that no further licenses would bo issued for the exportation from England of powdered talc to Denmark, Holland, or Sweden.