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Otago Witness, Issue 3333, 30 January 1918, Page 36

Our Wellington correspondent informs us that the Cabinet was sitting continuously On Monday, and although there was no announcement to this effect at the rising of the meetings it is pretty certain that the representation of Now Zealand at the coming meeting of tho Imperial War Cabinet was discussed. Tho announcement of the Prime Minister is that a special meeting of tho Cabinet will consider this question, but it is improbable that the meeting will be held this week. The really interesting question is whether the Prime Minister or tho Dafence Minister is to go to London. It is reported that Sir James Allen is still unwilling to- go, and that he is especially unwilling to relinquish his control of ' the Defence Department. On the other hand, it is an open secret that his colleagues do not share his opinion that all is well with the administration of the department, and that for this reason they would be well enough pleased if Sir James Allen handed the reins to someone else for a time. If there is to be a change, the new Minister of Defence will bo Mr Massey, and if he takes the big portfolio of Defence, Mr Guthrie, who will be joining the Cabinet in a week or two, may take tho Department of Lands from the heavily-burdened shoulders of the Prime Minister. Otherwise Mr Massey will prefer to retain the portfolio of Lands. It is the department in which he is most interested- and the department of which he knows most. It is still possible that Mr Massey may have to go to England, but unless his presence at the War Cabinet is represented as being imperative he will stay in New Zealand. A Press Association telegram from Christchurch states that Mr W. Uru, a wellknown Canterbury Maori, at present residing in Auckland, will contest the southern Maori seat. The Clutha farmers have been urging the Minister of Agriculture to visit Balclutha to receive a deputation in regard to the question of noxious weeds. The Hon. Mr MacDonald has informed Mr Malcolm that, as he cannot oome south at present, he has arranged with Mr Pope (tho Secretary for Agriculture) to meet tho Farmers' Union at the County Council Chambers, Balclutha, on Friday. It is understood (says a Press Association telegram from Wellington) that the sergeant of the guard at Trcntham Camp has been found not guilty by court-martial in connection with the recent escape of four prisoners from tho camp prison. Since the escape, plans which were previously decided on for the better organisation of the detention camp havo been completed. The police report that a woman named Agnes Lyclia M'Diarmid, who was in Dunedin on a visit from Oamaru, where her husband resides, disappeared from the house of friends in Rattray street on Friday. She is of medium build, fair hair and complexion, and of smart and active appearance. She was dressed in a khaki gaberdine costume, bronze-coloured laced walking shoes, tan stockings, and a light brown straw hat trimmed with yellow silk, and she carried a grey suede handbag. A Press Association telegram states that the Mayor of Wellington (Mr Luke) tendered a civic reoeption to Dr Morrison, and Sir J. G. Ward extended a welcome on behalf of tho Government. During tho hearing of an appeal at tho Military Service Board at Palmerston North on Thursday, an appellant (Mr Burgess) stated that it was impossible at tho present tirno to disposo of his farm. Tho only buyers of land at present wore Germans, as they could supply moro labour. Recently four Germans had bought 17 farms in the Rongotea district, and converted ihem into sheep farms, presumably, in his opinion, to lessen the supply of food to the army. Appellant's statements were corroborated by another farmer who had no personal interest in the appeal, and he xdded that tho land in tho district - waa

essentially dairying land, and on recount of the aggregation of small dairy farms into sheep runs, the Rongotea Dairy Company had now to go very far afield for its cream. Mr M'Laren (a member of the board) said they could do nothing in the matter, but the settlers should take the mutter in hand and make representations to the Government. The mason wasp, familiar to residents of the North Island, has recently made its appearance at Waihola. This curious insect- utilises confined spaces for its operations, and in these forms cells of clay for the storage of its fresh food supply. Its prey consists chiefly of spiders, which are rendered* helpless by stinging or other process, and then are placed alive in the cells and bricked in. A correspondent relates that he found over a dozen spiders in one keyhole, and from some four or five feet of wall cracks a quantity estimated at about two hundred were cleaned out. The wasp had also cemented tho lower edge of a meat dish, used only a day or two before, to the shelf on which, it stood, and already had a number of insects imprisoned. Most of the spiders taken out of the cells were still alive, but remained helpless during the period of observation. The spread of blackberry in flax swamps, in parts of the Gisborne district, is causing uneasiness as to the future of the hemp industry. In some places the blackberry is now so bad in the swamps that the flaxcutters refuse to go in to cut tho flax leaf for the mills. The blackberry Huisance is also prevalent in Taranaki. A letter received in Manaia from Corporal V. J. Byrne from France, tinder date November 15, says: "I was in two big battles recently, and I must have a charmed life. But we lost many good boys. They were made of the right stuff, and went down fighting as game as you like. Lots of them wore- wounded beyond all hope, but not a whimper out. of them. I tell you it is an' honour to fight and even die beside such men. While there are men who can fight and die as they did, the liberties of the world are safe. There is no need to grieve for them. It is for tho people in New Zealand who lost such sons for whom I feel sorry. There were some features of our second engagement, which was on a vast scale, of which I may not write, of a nature so terrible that it will never fade from my memory." Corporal Byrne is a son of Mr Byrne, proprietor of the Manaia Witness, and brother of Private John Byrne, •an ex-member of the Daily Times literary staff, who has been on active service for about three years. If the world were not at war, humanity would deem the tragedy of _ the Yellow River the greatest disaster of the times (says a writer in the Daily Chronicle), China's Sorrow! So they call this mighty devastating torrent, which periodically' ravages the land. Earthquakes and volcanoes claim their thousands and scores of thousands, but the Hoang-Ho drowns millions. The Chinese had ' the cantilever bridge ages before wo applied the principle, and they could have spanned this raging monster if it could be kept within its bed. But it cannot. With its tremendous -olume of water it brings down and slowly deposits such volumes of detritus that it raises its bed. Tho Chineso embank and embank to keep it within bounds, but stilL the river rises. The race between river and engineers goes on from age to age, till boats sail upon a broad expanse of water up in the'air, while men walk far below. Then the breach comes, and the far-flung flood, and tho devastation and drownings. As a result of a telephone message received by the Oaraaru police on Friday, Constables Abel and Lee arrested a man named Thomas Albert Grant from the northbound express. In the afternoon ho appeared before Mr G. Brownlee, J.P., on a chargo of stealing furniture at Invercar-gill-valued at £SO. Accused was remanded to appear at Invercargill this week.