Untitled

Otago Witness, Issue 3280, 24 January 1917, Page 3

At a special meeting of the Clutha Pres--bytery on the 17th the Rev. R. M'Cully, of Waihola, accepted the call to the South Taieri Church. Tho position of elective member of the; Otago Land Board, held now by Mr George Livingston.", of Windsor, becomes vacant by effluxion of time on March 7. Nomination! for tho scat close;! en the 17th inst., when the retiring member (Mr Livingstone) waa nominated for re-appointment. Mr Jamoa Robertson (of Kaka Point) was also nominated. The election will take place on a data yet to be fixed—probably about tho end of February. The unusual spectacle of a carrier's van being blown over was witnessed near the Rattray street wharf at 5 p.m. on the 17th. Tho full fence of the violent, .gusty wind prevailing at that time struck the van broadside on, with the result that tho vehicle! was completely capsized, and when the driver, who was thrown cut. r< covered from his experience, lie found minus its hood, with wheels in the ait, and the horse struggling to free itself. "Is Central Australia a desert or a paradise'.'" This question was put by a representative of tho South Australian Register to Mr T. E. Lay, who returned recently from a long oilicial exploration of the interior of Australia. His :■.;;•'.'.■:• was: "The truth lies between the two. My opinion ia that Central Australia is destined to bocome one of the best meat and wool producing districts of Australia, and. while portions of this enormous area are less poses, these are- known to bo rich in minerals. Immense stretches that have

sever been tested have boon pronounced by experts to possess nio.-d promising indications. Opinions have often differed respecting nmeii of ihi.s comparatively un!-.»;>wn imp; - ssions wcrv nat'ira'ly formed and affected by the seasons prevailing at tho fcini '. It in a drought or rainless period, to Which all Australia is more or loss liable,

! then, and naturally, they have taken ico gloomy a view of the country, its char- ; acter, and capabilities. Under such cirIcumstanccs a wide tract has been declared | a desert, while others have pronounced it a paradise. As I have said, the truth lies between tho two. Australia, liko much of tho world, is subject to rainless periods. This is not an unalloyed evil; it is Nature's

fallow for the land, and compensation often comes in increased production in the years that follow. Undoubtedly, the southern part of the Northern Territory lias a much lower rainfall than the more northern and coastal districts, but in many respects it is belter adapted to horned cattle, and undoubtedly to horses, and even more certainly to sheen." The Hon. A. M. Myers (Acting-Minister of 1' inance), commenting on the returns of revenue and expenditure for the nine months ended Deci mber 31, 1916, us compared \v illl tiio corresponding period of 1215, says: "It will be noticed that the revenue for the month, of December, 1916, as compared with December, 1915, shows a net decrease for the, former month of £281,346. This decrease is accounted for by the alteration in the incidence of the mortgage tax last session, and a large part of the deficiency will be made up -when the income tax is paid during- the remaining quarter. Notwithstanding the above deficiency, however, the revenue for the nine months ended December, 1916, shows a net increase of £1,043,133 over the revenue of the corresponding period of the previous year, which is due in a measure to the extra duties imposed last session, but not entirely so, as the revenue has showed wonderful buoyancy throughout the year. The expenditure for the nine months ended December 31, 1916, exceeds that for the 1915 period by £922,654. This excess is accounted for mainly by increased interest and sinkingfund charges, war pensions, and other charges under special Acts." The Twenty-first Infantry and Engineers were addressed by Colonel C. M. Gibbon. Chief of the General Staff at Trentham, on Monday, and tendered some good advice as to their metier as soldiers in the field, and when en route to the war zone. Referring to the drafts' work, he said that he was satisfied with the artillery that was going with them. They were better than the draft which had preceded them, and which had been looked upon a 3 the best artillery draft.' The Twenty-first Artillery had a longer time in camp, but they had done very well. Concerning the Engineers, the colonel said that they wore sending only a few, but they weie trained as far as they could bo trained, and he wished more could be sent. The infantry had worked well, and he was satisfied that their training and work was good. They had beaten the last draft, arid it was always satisfactory to see improvement, in musketry E an,l 1[ Companies were the best, their avi rage being over 10S. This was very satisfactory. During the year 1916 there were no fewer than 310 industrial dislocations throughout New South Wales, or one for every weekday of the year. In these dislocations 136.000 workers were involved, the loss of time tot ailing 1,102,500 working days. These figures are given in a review of the year's operations made available by the Minister for Labour and Industry (Mr Beeby). In another portion of the report it is stated that arbitration for the same period cost the Sitate £53.259. The coal strike, which lasted light through November and well into December, was. of course, primarily responsible for tin' large number of days lost. Something- like 19,000 men were affected, and. while the amount lost in wages is not recorded, it mu.-t have been considerable. The following appointments have been math' by the Otago Education Hoard:—Miss 1). E. Goudie, sole teacher, Ettriek; Miss Ada E. W. Stringer, sole teacher, Macrewhenua; Miss L. Robertson, sole teacher, Greenfield; Miss F. Henderson, sole teacher, Olydevale; Miss Alice S. Booth, sole teacher, Otiake; Miss E. G. Mathieson, first assistant, Sandymouni ; Miss A. E. M'Coll, first assistant, Tokarahi; Miss A. M. M. Fleming, temporary solo teacher, Katca; Mill. C. M'Quccn. temporary fourth assistant, Kaikorai; Miss S. 11. Melrose, second assistant. Sawyers' Bay; Miss R. S. Miller, second assistant, Clinton; Miss Alice Blair, second assistant, Nascby; Mr G. G. M'Dermid, temporary head master, Hawoa. The export of eggs from China lias led to the creation of big factories at Shanghai for the sanitary treatment of these products. The Far Eastern Review states: ''lt may astonish the housewife who pays 2s a dozen to know that eggs delivered at the doors of this plant arc only 18s Gd a thousand, and that in summer the price sometimes goes down as low as 12 dozen eggs for 2s Id. And theso are fresh eggs which the grocers would label ' strictly fresh eggs,'

since in China, a land where everything is upside down to foreign nations, the older an egg is the more valuable it becomes, and eggs guaranteed to be at least 100 years old are served as great delicacies at Chinese banquets, while the fresher the the cheaper it. is. All the processes of drying and preservation are carried on under systems of sterilisation." The information is given in a Wellington telegram, received last week. that the "Gaelic American" lias been add'd to the list of papers whoso importation into New Zealand is prohibited. It is thought by people who have analysed the census figures in detail (says the Dominion) that Clutha and Motucka arc the constituencies that will disappear, and that one additional seat, will go to Auckland and Suburbs. The other new seat is likely to go to the Auckland rural districts, after absorbing the excess of the Hawke's Bay and Taumarunui electorates. Our special correspondent in Wellington wires that the Minister of Defence has received a cablegram from the officer commanding the 19th Reinforcements stating that the health of the troops is reported to be excellent. A fatal accident occurred at Wanganui on the 18th (states a Press Association telegram), win n Edward Tingey, aged 66 years, of the firm of R. and E. Tingey, was killed as tho result of a motor car skidding on the road to Rapanui. A telegram from Wellington states: "An Ordor-in-Council, gazetted on the 18th, fixes the wholesale price of milk for distribution in Wellington city and suburbs at 10-td per gallon." The Medical Service Board, which sat at Balclutha on two days last week, dealt with 60 cases, 33 men being examined on the first day and 27 on the second. Tho percentage of men passed as fit for active service was exceptionally high, only 10 men out of the 60 examined being placed in the class for home service. This means that about 83 per cent, of the men examined will go into camp, though it will be necessary for some of them to undergo minor operations. It is reported (says the Dominion) that deer, once so plentiful in the South Wairarapa, particularly in the neighbourhood of Martinborough, show deterioration. Seldom is a good head seen, in fact, followers of the spore contemplate visiting other districts this season. The monthly meeting of the D.J.C. Committee was held on Thursday afternoon; present- Messrs I'. Miller (in the chair), W. J. Coughlan, J. W. Thomson, T. Elliott, J. Smith, W. J. Gore, L. C. liazlett, E. H. Lough, W. A. L. Christie, J. Gow, A. S. Orbell, and S. Myers. It was decided that at the Cup meeting the first race l start at 0.15 p.m.. and the last at 5.20 p.m. Messrs Orbell, Myers, Smith, ilanlon, and Elliott were appointed the Judical Committee. Mr P. Miller was appointed president of the club, and Mr L. C. Hazlett vice-president. The question of filling a vacancy on the committee was adjourned till next meeting. '1 he nineteenth annual meeting of the Auckland Electric Tramways Company (Ltd.), was held in London on October 31, and tho report contains some interesting figures. 'ihe traffic receipts amounted to £274,733. The number of passengers carried was 42,352.000, an increase of nearly a million over the preceding year. The chairman (Mr C. G. Tegetmeir), in giving these figures, said that the average daily number of passengers carried was more than the whole population of Auckland, men, women, and children. Heavy Commonwealth ami State income taxes "ill be levied upon the taxpayers of Australia this year (says the Melbourne Argus). In the hope of waste and extravagance being eliminated and the money being applied to legitimate war prosecution purposes, tho additional burdens will be borne patriotically, if not cheerfully. News paper is s< lling at 2?<l per lb {says a cable message to the Sydney Sun, under date of London, 4th inst.'. Some firms are paying 3d. An advance towards 4d is anticipated by tho end of 1917. Newspapers are economising, pruning the free list and voucher copies, eliminating waste in tho machino rooms, audi as cutting down tho centre margins to a quarter of an inch. The Telegraph has reduced its size

from 2-1 pages t.o 12 daily ami 16 on Saturday. Tin' Morning I'usl lias eight pages daily and ]0 on Saturday, the Daily Mail six and right, the Daily News and Express invariably six; while lite evening papers have made between 55 and 5C [i r cent, reduction. Fifty-two provincial papers have incn ased the price to ljd. London proprietors have conferred as to whether they should increase the price, maintaining the size of the advertisements, or reduce the size, restricting the advertisements. News came to hand by the mail last week (says the Press) that the remains of the late Captain J. E. Macdonald. of the transport Aparima. were inr 'rred in the family burial ground at Tonmahurich Cemetery, Inverness, Scotland. Wreaths were placed on the coffin from deceased's widow and children, Sir Thomas Mackenzie (High Commissioner for New Zealand), the directors of the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand, the stall of the Union Steam Ship Company, captains and officers of New Zealand transports, the officers of s.s. Aparima, the cadets of p.p. Aparima. the ship's company of s.s, Aparima. Messrs Heart and Co." (of Cardiff), Ltd., and. others. Among- people in the city who are interested in polities (says the New Zealand Times) there is a good deal of speculation just at present relative to the possibility of an important change in connection with on:; ol the Wellington seats. Quite recently the Gazette announced the appointment of a new returning officer for Wellington North, and among well-informed people the impression prevails that, this is preliminary to a by-election in that constituoncy. The present representative in Parliament of Wellington North is the lion. A. L. Herdman, the Attorney-general, who. it is very generally expected, will be appointed to a judgeship. Tlie official announcement to tliis effect is looked for almost immediately. It is freely stated that Mr Herdman is eager to exchange his portfolio for a seat on the Supreme Court Bench, a position he has coveted for a considerable time. A peculiar ease was before the Paddington Police Court, Sydney, last week, when the Crown proceeded against James Bermondsey Thallon for issuing a notice to quit to a tenant named Evans while his application to the Pair Rents Court was pending. The Pair Rents Act provides that a lessor shall not give any notice during 1 the pending of an application or for three months thereafter without reasonable cause; also that if any person docs anything for the purpose of imposing a detriment or disadvantage on a lessee by reason of his having made an application under the Act he should bo liable to a penalty. The defence set up was that Evans was a tenant of ono of 12 places of a terrace, and that complaints to the lessor were made by other tenants of the terrace, alleging that Mrs Evans played the piano from as early as 7 a.m. until as late as 11 p.m., that she played practically every day and throughout the day (except for rests for meals), that she thereby disturbed the comfort and the sleep of the other tenants (working people) of the terrace, and that such tenants had left, and others threatened to leave because of this. Evidence was tendered on behalf- of the defendant that Mrs Evans did not play different tunes, but almost wholly scales, and that quarrels occurred owing to the excessivo music, and that the husband of one of the tenants threw stones on the house to try to stop the excessive music, without effect-. Defendant stated, and Mrs Evans admitted, tliat she had been told about the tenants complaining, and that on the following Saturday her husband lodged an application to the Pair Rents Court. The Magistrate said the evidence showed that Mr Thallon was quite justified in giving notice to quit and effecting an ejectment. Ho dismissed the information. Discussion on the subject of reforms which must be initiated after the war is occupying a good deal of attention in the English press. Among these, the shocking housing accommodation, especially in Scotland, is given prominence to. At least two-thirds of the population of Scotland are housed in conditions which, in the light of progress, can only be described as insanitary. In Glasgow alone over 600,000 persons are forced to live in one and two-anartment; houses, which are deficient in all those appliances which are necessary for the efficiency, sanitation, and morality of family life. In the other towns, .such as Dundee, Paisley, Greenock, Clydebank,- Coatbridge, the same conditions obtain; the working class families are huddled together irrespective of sex or number. It is in such an environment that the workers are expected to produce temp, rate, moral, and upright; citizens, clean in their bodies and in their souls. In the mining districts, particularly, there is much overcrowding, and the moral and physical consequences are disastrous. Many of the houses arc such that one apartment is often the kitchen, scullery, bathroom, diningroom, washhouso, pantry, bedroom, and living room combined. Coals are stored beneath tho bed, and at night the wet clothes of the miners are dried before the fire in the room where tho family lie sleeping. Miners coming home from (he pit have to perform their ablutions before the other members, of the family; such a thing as « tub-bath is seldom private. One dry closet has often to serve for a dozen or more families. In a Lanarkshire district hundreds of miners' families are obliged to live in houses which three years ago were condemned as insanitary and unfit for human habitation. There are thousands of such houses—Glasgow has 10,000 of them—occupied by human beings! Daily the war is costing tho British taxpayer £6,000.000, which sum would suffice to provide 24,000

three and four-apartment cottages, sot in gardens, and fitted with modern conveniences. Eac-h of these cottages, for site and building, would cost £250, i| the money was . provided freo of interest. "Out of the awful devastation of the war ; ono splendid product will ariso in the; form of the woman munition worker," said Miss . Lilian Barker, the other day. She was | speaking to the Women's Institute (reports the London Daily Telegraph), and was introduced by Lady Sydenham. Miss Barker, i who holds a post at Woolwich Arsenal, roundly asserted that out of these Government factories, with their great diversity of j work and their social welfare- equipment, | the path was being solidly laid for a new race of women—mentally, physically, and morally of a high standard. Vast numbers of women of all kinds, the speaker pointed out, are being employed in munition work. "Typo doesn't matter. Women can find something to do unless they are too feeble intellectually or physically." An enormous amount of good had been effected by the entrance of the "society girl into the factories. At first the workers had looked askance at the newcomers, murmuring "Swank." The others, on their side, had but one word for their companions, and that was "Disgusting." The mingling of j the two classes, however, had resulted in | some degree of mutual understanding, with certain benefit for each. Sweeping assertions concerning her girls had been made to Miss Barker. Girls had been condemned for buying jewellery and fur coats. A fur coat was an asset, but a girl could not go on buying fur coats, nor would sho cover herself with cheap jewellery. She would soon have enough of it. She would get accustomed to good pay and a better standard of food and clothing. These girls had better boots than they had ever had in their lives; they were now wearing mackintoshes and other comfortable garments. The- time was not ripe yet for systematic saving, but as soon as the wage-earners had , had their "fling" it would come. The committee set up to investigate the charge of disloyalty laid by Mr J. D. Smith against the secretary (Mr 11. Breen) presented the following report to a meeting of the Otago Labour Council, held on Thursday evening:—"The committee's finding is that the charges were not proved, j and that Mr Breen should be entirely exonerated from each and all of the charges." | The report and finding of the committee I was unanimously adopted by the council. The Maoriland Worker Company pleaded guilty before Mr M'Carthy, S.M., at Wellington on Friday of publishing two scries . of anti-Conscription pamphlets last July and August without indicating the names and places of abode of their employers. Mr O'Kegan, for the defence, said the case was a pure oversight. The defendants were fined in the minimum amount (£5) and oostii on each charge. The firm of Youman, Garratt, and Barker were fined £5 and costs on a charge of printing, a mani- j festo with reference to the repeal of the j Military Service Act, and neglecting to print or write on a copy thereof the name i and placo of abodo of their employer. The defendants did the work for the Maoriland Worker, and used that paper's imprint instead of their own. In Australia at the present time there are approximately 2000 members of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters out of work (states the Argus). Many of tho idle men are in Melbourne , Not a few of them have been idlo for several months, and nearly every afternoon at the Melbourne Trades Hall several hundred answer tho unemployment roll. Each man makes it evident that ho is eager to hear from tho union official of a vacant position. Apparently, however, tho union is not over-anxious to allow those men under its control to secure work when it is offered. Recently tho Homo Affairs Department asked tho Townsville branch of tho union to supply four carpenters, who would bo given a free passage, and paid £1 a day to construct sheds for a wireless depot at Samarai, a small island in tho Pacific. The union promptly declined the offer. without, it is stated, even consulting any of its members who were idle. After consideration tho union magnanimously agreed to allow four carpenters to accept the proffered work, providing that they were paid 25s a day, given a first class return pas-

sago from Australia to Samarai, together with an Tdlowance of 25s a day while travelling both ways, which the union declared ! would bo equivalent to payment for eight ' hours a day. Tho decision of the Town*1 ville branch of the union was conveyed to the branches in tho various States, and each : acquiesced in the suggested terms. The 1 rates and allowances demanded, however, ' were considered so exorbitant that the ap- ' plication for Australian carpenters for Sama- | rai was withdrawn to enable the Home Affairs Department to reconsider tho conditions under which tho buildings may be constructed. General Birdwood is credited with tho ; statement that the records of France reveal tho remarkable and significant fact that no instance has occurred of an Australian committing an offence against a woman. Their reputation in this respect is tho highest. General Sir Newton Moore says that tho experience at Salisbury is the same. Ho has been congratulated by leading residents of the district on the splendid , behaviour of the men. The Provost-Marshal makes a similar report as to London. Only one per cent, of the men in the camps have been punished, and the majority of the offences have been merely for overi staying their leave. In accordance with representations made by the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association, tho Pensions Department has formulated a definite policy with regard to soldiers discharged while still remaining inpatients in hospitals. In all such cases, men are to receive full pension, so long as they remain in hospital, whatever their ultimate disability and pension grant may be. To quote an actual case, a man declared by a Medical Board fit for light employment, and recommended for a threequarter pension, is to bo granted full pension for tho period between his discharge from the forces and his discharge from hospital. j A Tapanui party visited Teviot fruit gar- ' dens recently, and found tho orchardists very busy and short-handed (reports tho Courier). Most of tho fruit people are working 13 hours a day. The fruit is conveyed to Beaumont by motor lorries, and they are almost continuously on tho road day and night. Tho bulk of the fruit is in splendid order, but there is lamentable waste, as there is neither canning factory ! or jam preserving works to deal with scc- ; ondary fruit. Reports received by tho Horticultural Division from its officers state that the fruit crop in tho Palmerston North district is, on the whole, rather disappointing, tho disease known as " Brown rot " being very prevalent in plums, peaches, and nectarines. Apples and pears are very patchy, some districts carrying very light crops. Cherries are all done, tho crop being light, but prices very high. Raspberries promise well, and with a good rain a heavy crop will be , gathered. Tomatoes are looking well, : being so far freo from Irish blight. In j Marlborough there is a good but variable crop of apples. Cherries did not turn out ; as well as anticipated, but gooseberries I are good. Nectarines, peaches, pears, | plums, are all fair, raspberries poor, house j and outdoor tomatoes promise well, while ! walnuts aro good, although bacteriosis will I take a heavy toll. In Nelson an average ! crop of apples is looked for.- A short crop ; of apricots is now being gathered. The gooseberry and cherry crops are just about finished. A heavy crop of Japanese plums is expected. Fair average crops of inside : tomatoes aro being gathered, while tho pros- ! poets in regard to outside tomatoes have : much improved. The annual accounts of tho Auckland Hospital and Charitable Aid Board have been ! returned , by the Auditor-general with a j "tag" taking exception to tho payment of 1 half-pay to Dr A. M. Grant, formerly act- : ing-medical superintendent of the hospital, ! now on active service In his comments | (reports tho New Zealand Herald), tho j Auditor-general, Mr It. J. Collins, says he j is advised that thero is no Act under which ! tho board can grant leave of absenco to ! any person except during a period when j that person is still tho holder of some office i or employment under the board. No person ! can be absent on leave who is no longer in the j board's employment. Dr Grant's appoint- ' ment as acting-medical superintendent cs.-

pired in February, 1916, and a successor was appointed. "In view of theso facts," procoeds the Auditor-general, "I regret that I have no option but to repeat my demand for a refund of all moneys paid to Dr Grant after the expiry of his appointment, and if such is not obtained within 21 days I shall be compelled to surcharge members under ' The Public Revenues Act, 1910,' and its amendments." It was stated by members of the board that Dr Grant was actually on leave of absence, and his old position of junior resident medical officer was open to him whenever he returned from active service. The board has decided to send a letter of protest to the Auditorgeneral. A Press Association message from Auckland says that the price of meat in Auckland was raised by the retailers as from the 22nd, the increases being one penny per pound in the ease of beef steak and loin mutton chops, and one halfpenny in the case of prime cuts of beef and mutton in joints. A very important point concerning monetary assistance by the Government to men drawn in the ballot has been brought under the notice of the Acting Prime Minister (the lion. J. Allen) by Mr T. K. iSidey, M.P., who, as the result of several cases having been brought under his notice, asked Mr Allen whether, in the case of a man who has been called up under the ballot, and who desires Government assistance in connection with a mortgage on his property, it is necessary for such man to appeal to the Military Service Board, especially in cases where he has no intention of appealing on other grounds. Mr Allen has replied as follows : "I have referred the subject matter of your telegram to the Solicitor-general, who has advised, me that, not only must an appeal be made, but the appellant must establish unduo hardship before becomingentitled to a recommendation for financial assistance." Mr Sidey then asked what procedure would be necessary to secure monetary assistance by a volunteer, and received the reply that, presumably, no provision had been made to meet the case of volunteers — balloted men only were considered! The Portobello coach went over the bank of the harbour on Saturday afternoon, just below the Presbyterian Church. There was only the driver (Mr H. Morrison) on board, and ho was making a special trip to meet the ferry boat. Luckily, he escaped unhurt. The horses were soon released, and after a couple of hours the coach was got up on the road again, with the assistance of several residents of Portobello. A Press Association message from Gore states that what is said to be the Hessian fly is attacking tlio local wheat crops, it has not been actually identified yet, but, if the Hessian, it is its first appearance there. Tenders have been accepted by the Government for the supply for the current year of all material required in ..quipping the soldiers of the Expeditionary Forces. Owing to tho accumulation of a fair amount of reserve stocks, the orders placed are not so largo as last year, but, nevertheless, the cost of military requirements, in the way of cloth, shirting, blankets, socks, puttees, etc., will amount to close on £300,000. Most of the woollen mills in tho dominion are interested in tho contract. The training of our New Zealand soldiers is shortly to be extended in a new direction, and it is claimed that greatly increased efficiency in the held will be the result. On board the Navua, which reached Port Chalmers late on Friday night, there was a small body of men who have come back to tho dominion as instructors in bayonet lighting and physical drill, and they will take up their duties almost at once. Lieutenant Clark, formerly of tho 10th (North Otago) Regiment, is in charge of the party, which consists of himself and eight npn-commis-sioned officers. The lieutenant is enthusiastic about the new work, and he states that tho instructors, all of whom have seen a good deal of active service, have been specially trained fur their task by the Aldershot staff in England. This new style of bayonet fighting, with which it is now proj posed to make our men acquainted, was used in the Sormno offensive, and was found very effectivo against the Germans. During tho training period it will bo the first thing tho men are taught, and the chief principle

of it is that everything is done on tho ad- j vance —nothing being done in the standing j position. "Under this system a man's morale | and confidence are increased by ICO per : cent.," said Lieutenant Clark, "and ho | goes into action with tho belief that ho is j able to kill anything lie meets. Tho bat- i talions that had received this training did really wonderful work on the Somme, and j it should prove of the greatest value to our New Zealand troops." In the Magistrate's Court, Kaitangata, on Saturday, before Mr R. Acheson, S.M., three persons were charged with allowing cattle to wander on the streets. Charles Reeves was fined £l, with costs (7s), John Todd 10s, with cpsts (7s), and Alex. Rowley ss, with costs (7s). "The doctors at Home," said a Wellington meuicai man to a limes reporter last week, "have found that the Lloyd George scheme, with the amendments that have been made as a result of experience, works much better than they ever thought it would. In its original form tho profession strongly opposed it, but now they find that, though many of them have to work harder, they get better paid, and have not tho financial worries in the way of bad debts that they used to have. But tho "panels' are too large—that is to say, tho doctors have too many peoplo , to look after, and tho patients don't get ; the same individual attention as under tho j old system. As they have not to pay, tho | people go to tho doctors for every little j thing; and, as tho doctors get 7s od for each patient, they take on as many as possible. Out of each 100 cases about 85 per cent, are very slight cases, and the other 15 per cent., which really need attention, get swamped by the 85 per cent., who would not go to a doctor at all if they had to pay him. Punch satirised the position some time ago in a cartoon representing a doctor going Lis rounds on roller skates and throwing pills into the mouths of his patients lined up on the kerb as ho passed." The angels of Mons, said Major Sleeman, during the course of a lecture ho delivered i at Lyttelton this week, did not come within ■ his vision in the early days of the war, but he could tell of one remarkable thing that those present could put their own construction on. One night at a quarter past 12, when the British were holding the line near Armentieres, they found themselves very i weak in battalion strength, and all the ammunition had been ordered back. He was then second in command of his rogii ment, and in charge of tho ammunition, and j j they had two boxes, when th>'V should have j I had 40, and r.o bombs. There wore no supports for four miles, and if the Germans broke through, they would have captured * Armentieres. Just after midnight a mes- ] sage arrived from General French that they ' were going to be heavily attacked by a ' monster German assembly, and simultanI eously came a report from the right that the Germans wore massing. They had also cut tho barbed wire alcAg the whole front of the company. They waited all night expecting the attack. No reinforcements could get up till 10 a.m.- next day, and there seemed to be a prospect of annihilation. But at dawn next morning, for tho first time in six weeks, the ground was covered with a dense white mist, and the . Germans, not being able to see their targot, could not follow out their usual tactics prior to an attack. The mist held until four battalions had come up to the relief, and the Germans, observing tho reinforcements, put off tho attack. " You may be I very materialistic," said Major Sleeman, | , "and think that tho tiling was quite simple. I I can only tell you that two days later the I Germans moved off towards Ypres, and wiped out nearly tho whole of two battalions there." On the 7th tho Geraldino police were informed that some female clothing was lying on the river bod about five chains south of the bridge at Spcechley's Crossing, over tho j Ilae I lac To Meana. The police at once I wo))*: out to the place indicated, and .found 1 a woman's clothing complete, with tho ox- j coption of boots, stockings, and hit. There j was a good deal of disturbance of the soil j and shingle in the vicinity, and a small sum | of money scattered about. The place where ! the clothes wi re found is not within view of the main road. The matter has caused quite a sensation in the district [&\ys tho Thnaru. Herald).