NEWS IN BRIEF.

Otago Witness, Issue 3336, 20 February 1918, Page 23

NEWS IN BRIEF.

The Dunedin Chamber of Commerce has resolved to endorse tho action of thu Timaru Chamber in supporting the policy indicated by the Rt. Hon. Mr Massey witn respect to the disposal of the German colonies in the PaciUc. Cr James iiyslop was welcomed at the last mooting ol the Bruce County Council, haying- been elected to all the vacancy caused by Mr .King's resignation. Tn» chairman mentioned that Or Jrivsiop had' Jive sous on active service. Mr and Mrs John Lane, of Ashburton, have undertaken to contribute £llO yearly for three years for the salary of a woman missionary in China. The Loveli's Flat P.VV.M.U. has decided to support one or two Biblewomen hi China'or-India. Xiie Key. M. Frater, of tho New Hebrides Mission, in a letter to the Foreign Missions Committee of the Presbyterian Cnurch of New Zealand, wrote that the cocoanut disease was by no means an unmixed evil, as it had cleared out all the French grogsellers, and he does not remember seeing Ambrim so quiet. The Canterbury Cricket Association is prepared to play a match .against an Otago team at Dunedin for tho benefit of tho Returned Soldiers' Association on Faster Saturday and Monday. February 23 and 25, suggested by the Ctago Association, is considered unsuitable for several Canterbury players. Thanks to the Government subsidy the Noseby Athenaeum Committee ended tho year with a cash balance of 5s 4d. During tho year 90 books were added to tho library. The membership is small for a town and district like Naseby. At last week's meeting o! the Dunedin. Presbytery it waa decided to agree to tho ©eaolilr'-Warrington charge being made a sanctioned charge, with a minimum bustentation Fund contribution of £IBO. ,- .subject to tho conemttence of the iiustentation. Fund Committee the Rev. R. R. ML Sutherland was appointed Moderator, ihc Rev. W. Gray Dixon spoke in praise of tha preaching of the Rev. Mr Tucker, m charge of tho district. At the LUmsden Court last weeK charges of selling and supplying liquor on a. Sunday morning, and with being unlawfully on licensed premises, wore heard. Herbert Hayward and Archibald M'Alister entered the Royal Mail Hotel, and were followed by a constable, who found M'Alister with a glass of whisky, which. he had induced, Maggie George, the cook, to supply. Tho two men were each fined £2 with 7s costs, and the girl George £1 and Is costs, tho magistrate remarking that the man wlio induced her to break the law should pay the fine. Mrs M'Dougall, the licensee, who was in bed at the time, was convicted and discharged. Reference was made at the last meeting of the Mackenzie County Council to the number of hawkers travelling in the country, many of them foreigners, and frequently selling goods that may have been produced in an enemy country. One man possessing Dutch passporte and calling himself a Frenchman is believed by many to be a German. Cr Smith, in urging that a by-law should be -passed to enable the connon to keep those people out of the country admitted that he and about 90 per cent, of the people in the Albury district ol Canterbury had been "bitten." The olerk wa3 instructed to obtain further information as to the best way of dealing with these people. , The report for the year oi the Otago and Southland Centre of'the Workers' Educational Association states that the result* were very satisfactory. At a class meeting a resolution was passed regretting tho failure of tho modest request of a deputation from the association which waited on the Prime Minister for financial support. They' urge the. executive,'-if necessary, to take steps to obviate such a calamity as the cessation of tho classes. The clasa thanked the. executive for their interest an the work. At the annual meeting Mr J, C. Stephens was re-elected president, Rev. A. Cameron vice-president, and Mr J. W. Stables as treasurer and secretary. A deputation representing 140-0 members of the railway service, including workshops and goods sheds men, waited on the Hon. J. A. Hanan r*t Christ-church to ask that the maternity bonus of £4 per child granted to members'of Friendly Societies from tho Provident Fund, should be available to members of the railway societies. Tho Minister said tho cost cf tho maternity bonus to members of approved Friendly Societies was estimated at £22,000 a year. It was a question whether tho Government would be willing to provide a substantial increase in the bonus. Tho Minister, replying to a Remark that the bonus should be general to all members of sick funds, said it was easy for the deputation to make the - request, biu not easy to finance the scheme. Ho would consult the departmental officers in order to discover tho exact position. The Cabinet has resolved that permits bo issued for the collection of moneys for erectinjr returned soldiess' clubs. The launch Maritana, owned by Eickems Bros., of Port Nelson, struck a rock at Croixelles on the loth and sank. A fishing party on board got clear in a boat, and were picked up and brought to Nelson by a passing launch, arriving this afternoon. In various parts of the South Island notices have been posted stating that tho Maoris of the First Division must register for enrolment. Mr H. Parata. a candidate for the Southern Maori seat, telegraphed to tho Minister of Defence, and received a reply stating that it is not likely that any ballot will bo taken of the South Island Maoris, who have enlisted well voluntarily. At Stratford Magistrate's Court on the 15th a number of cases under the new licensing regulations were disposed of. The licensee of the Club Hotel was fined £5 for exposing liquor for sale after 6 o'clock, and was fined £1 on a charge of obstructing the police. Two men found on -the premises were each fined 10s and costs. The licensee of tho Stratford Hotel was also charged with exposing liquor under similar circumstances, but the case was dismissed. Three men found on tho premises were each fined 10s and costs. Burglars entered a provision store at Kingsland on the 15th and stole nearly £3OO, including £l3l in notes, gold, and silver. Tho balance was in cheques. They forced the lock off the strong room door, and removed the money from the cash box and safe. . They left no trace. Tho •Wtellington Patriotic Society has been asked by the Salvation Army to take control of the big scheme for raising money for war purposes. Tho society has undertaken the work, which will extend throughout the whole dominion. A permit for the conduct of tho scheme has been granted by tho Minister of Internal Affairs.