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Otago Witness, Issue 3312, 5 September 1917, Page 40

About 100 non-commissioned officers from the Otago, Waitaki, and Southland Boys' High Schools and the Christian Brothers' Cadet Corps are at present in camp at Tahuna Park, undergoing a course of training. Major Shand is in command, and Lieutenant M'Crorio is the adjutant. The Wanganui Education Board has commissioned Mr Edmund Anscombc, of this city, to design and supervise the erection of a school building in Palmerston North to accommodate 700 scholars. The proposed building will bo planned on advanced lines, and will include certain features not hitherto employed in the public schools of the dominion.

Persistent rumours have been afloat for tho past few days (says our Wellington correspondent) to tho effect that the Government had, on behalf of the Imperial Government, commandeered the hemp supplies in New Zealand. In responso to an inquiry, the Director of Imperial Supplies (Mr Robert Triggs) stated that as far as ho knew there was absolutely nothing in the rumour. If anything of the kind had been arranged he imagined he would know something of it

Reference waa mado at the meeting of tho Auckland Grammar School Board to the fact that very little attention was paid in the schools in New Zealand to New Zealand history.

A sum of nearly £2SCO has been raised in tho Auckland Anglican diocese up to the present for the extension of tho church's work in training camps in England and at tho front- An effort to tho samo end is (says tho Star) being made throughout tho dominion, and it is hoped to raise a total sum of £IO,OOO.

Gratitude expressed in a practical way is not often brought beforo tho notice of the War Relief Association Committee, but an example of this occurred at its last meeting (says tho Dominion). A soldier on furlough from Samoa had occasion to borrow £2 on his pay, owing to a difficulty with regard to a savings bank account, and, when that was cleared up, ho went to the War Relief Office to repay tho loan and have it oxpxmged from his pay-book. To show his gratitude for the loan he made

a donation of 253 to the war relief funds —a very high rate of interest for the loan of £2 for 10 days.

The high prices offering in England for stock are commented on in a letter dated Juno 21, written by a young New Zealand soldier, D. Cottle,'to his grandfather, Mr Cottle, of Cottieville Terrace. Hie writer, who was at Codiord at the time, says: "They had a sale here a few days ago, and fat lambs brought &Bs. I have seen just as good sold in New Zealand at 18s bd. Cows wo would consider worth £lO brought £4O or £50."

Speaking in the House of Representatives Mr Wihoid said ho thought the Prime Minister should have taxed picture films, and not picture-show tickets. He should have paid no attention to the pleas of the picture-film pi-oprietors. They got the tax from the picture-show people under the income tax. "All the Government is going to do by the tax on tickets," declared the lion, member for the Butt, "is to prevent the kiddie on Saturday afternoon getting the usual penny packet of sweets that goes with the show."

"Until a few years ago," said Mr Justice Hoskmg, in summing up in a slander case at Wellington (says the New Zealand Times), "it was hardly possible for a woman to vindicate herself in the law courts en account of any slander uttered against her imputing nnchastity. It was a singular state of the law. The only way sho could get damages was by proving somo special damage resulting from a slander. Unler.s sho was able to show some direct pecuniary loss sho had no remedy in the law courts. A few years ago the law was altered, both in England and New Zealand. The law now recognises that an imputation on a woman's chastity must indicate somo damage." Licenses for training and riding, which were held back by the Licensing Committee of the Dunedin Jockey Club from D. P. Wilson (trainer) and A. H. Wilson (jockey), have now been granted, with a caution to both men.

Dr S. T. Darling and Dr M. A. Barber, of the- Rockefeller Foundation, New York, have been investigating the prevalency of hook worm in Fiji (says the Auckland Star). At Nausori, a sugar centre on the Rewa River, they found 100 per cent, of the Fijians and Indians infected with hook worm to a more or less degree. "In a general way," said Dr Darling, "we found tho indentured Indian in Fiji in a very good physical condition as compared with the Indian labourers of Malay and Java. We also found that the indentured Indian was in a better condition than the Indian who was out of his term of indenture. The reason for this, of course, is that the indentured man is compelled to go to hospitals where the other man neglects what should be a duty." Among Europeans no hook worm was found excepting amongst those who. had been born in Fiji. The halfcastes were affected more than the Europeans, but less than the Indian or Fijian. The hook worm lives in grass, and on dewy mornings makes its way to the top of the blade. Infection is gained by means of the hair follicle on the upper portion of the foot, and not through the solo of the foot, as is generally assumed. This accounts, to some extent, for the apparent unevenness of the infection, as far as the various races are concerned. The ratio depends very largely on the extent to which boots and shoes are worn, although the European constitution resists the disease better than that of the coloured races.

At the annual meeting of the Kaiapoi Woollen Manufacturing Co. the report of the directors stated that the question of supplies of raw material that could not at present be produced within the Dominion was becoming serious, but the directors had so far succeeded in obtaining a sufficient quantity of the most urgent lines. The future outlook for supplies was not by any means cheerful. The balance to credit for the year was £36,815. A dividend of 8 per cent., with a bonus of 2 per cent, to ordinary shareholders, was recommended, and a dividend of 7 per cent., and a bonus of 2 per cent, to preference shareholders, less tho amount already paid as interim dividend. There remained a balance of £12,613. The Chairman (Mr J. A. Frostick), said the directors had avoided raising prices to make war profits. It was gratifying to know that the purchasing public had been influenced to support New Zealand industries. By the exorcise of patienco and sympathy with the difficulties which beset the working classes, the country would emerge successfully from any trouble tint might arise, and an era of prosperity would soon dawn, and become permanently established. He suggested that the income tax was unfair as applied to joint stock companies. The net earnings should be exempt from tho income tax. up - to and including per cent, per annum on the subscribed capital. At a meeting of South Canterbury woo) and skin buyers, held at Timaru, it was unanimously resolved to emphatically protest against the action of the Government in ruining wool and skin buyers by prohibiting them from continuing their calling, by preventing all owners from selling, exchanging, or bartering any portion of their wool clip to other than the Imperial authorities, and a committee was appointed to proceed as a deputation to Wellington to interview Ministers. A telegram was received authorising the deputation to speak on behalf of eisrht other wool and skin buying firms in the south.