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Otago Witness, Issue 3336, 20 February 1918, Page 4

A Press Association telegram from Wellington states that in the absence of the Minister of Defence, the Prime Minister has replied vo a statement made by Mr H. E. Holland in an election speech relative to conscientious objectors. Mr Massey states that no man was sentenced more than once for the same offence. The men's ages ranged from 22 to 30. They were not taken Home in irons. If any were sent from England to France in irons the obvious conclusion must be that it was necessary for the authorities to take such precautions.

In opening the quarterly criminal sessions of the Supreme Court on the 12th, Mr Justice Sim commented on the lightness of the calendar, which comprised four cases. David Henry Hill, charged . with theft, pleaded guilty, and was released on probation for 12 rnonths. James StewartSutherland, charged with assaulting a girl, was acquitted on the ground of insanity, and was committed to a mental hospital until the pleasure of the Minister of Justice is known. Duncan Allison, who was arraigned on a charge of discharging a gun with intent to do grievous bodily harm to Constable Fox at Milton, was found guilty on the minor count of common assault, and sentenced to three months' imprisonment and ordered to be detained thereafter for reformative treatment for a period of not more than three years.

A case presenting some, remarkable features came before the Supreme Court on the 12th. Last month a man named David Henry Hill presented a money-order for 7s 6d at the post offico in Oamaru, and the clerk, who was not accustomed to the work, made a singular mistake in handing to Hill the sum of £7 6s, instead of 7s 6d. Hill accepted the money and walked off, without acquainting the clerk with the mistake he had made. Mr Justice Sim stated the law very clearly on the matter, pointing out that if a man receives a sum of money which he must know was paid to him in mistake, and which he knew he had no right to, as guilty of theft as if he had put his hand over the counter and taken the money. When' charged with the offence yesterday, the accused pleaded guilty, and after hearing the facts his Honor released him on probatidn for 12 months, on condition that he refunded the money and pays the costs of the prosecution.

Word has been received from Kaitangata that Wiliam Robert Forrest, the five-year-old son of Mr Alexander Forrest, miner, was killed on the 12th instant through falling on to the railway line from a stationary truck at the siding, at the south end of Eddystone street, close to the home of his grandparents, with whom he was residing. His head struck a rail, his neck being broken. The boy arrived home from school at 2.30, and in company with a lad named Thomas Hanson, proceeded to the siding. He was climbing into one of five trucks, presumbly in search of straw, when ho fell backwards on to the line. Dr Cairns, who was promptly in attendance, pronounced life extinct. Arrangements for an inquest have not yet been made. In replying to deputations, at Nelson (says a Press Association telegram) the Hon. T. M. Wilford said ho had been astounded at what he had seen in the apple-growing districts. Previously, although he had read about them, ho had no idea of the district's potentialities. Members of Parliament should see what was being done. Mr Wilson, who is chairamn of the Roads Committee of the Otago Motor Club, in conversation with a reporter, stated that the way a large number of motorists indulged in the craze for speed was scandalous. Gordon Bennett's times were frequently made, and from 30 to 40 miles per hour were of hourly occurrence on every road. Owing to the war, all roads were deteriorating, and consequently speeds should be reduced to 20 miles an hour, and from 35 to 12 miles an hour round corners. When a man who had just "done his three months' hard 1 ' stopped from tho portals of Lyfctelton Gaol on Saturday (says the Ohristchureh Press) he was confronted by a sergeant-major and a couple of military policemen, and presented with a notice requesting his immediate attendance before "a military medical board for tho purpose of ascertaining whether he was capable of performing further service for his country In another clasa of work —viz., of fighting at the front, he having been drawn in a ballot during hia incarceration in gaol. It is stated that this is the practice now being adopted by tho military authorities in tiho case of men who are in prison when they are drawn in tho ballot, and who are thought likely to bo hard to find after being released, unless their presence i 8 immediately 6ecured before a medical board.

The timely appearance on the reclaiming wall near the Portobello road on Wednesday afternoon of Mr William A. Carter averted a drowning accident. Mr Carter saw a boy in difficulties in a- pool on the inside of the wall, and another boy was running along the road, apparently in search of assistance. Fully clothed, Mr Carter dived into the water, which was about Bft deep, and brought the boy ashore iir an exhausted state.

A Press Association message from Invercargill reports that Sir James Carroll, accompanied by the retired candidates Tai Koa and Topi Patuki, addressed the Natives at Colao Bay. The meeting unanimously resolved to support the Government nominee. A young man, a reservist who had volunteered and been accepted for military service as sooii' as he attained the age of 20, and who was awaiting the call to camp, had an unpleasant experience on the 11th (says the Lyttelton Times), when he was arrested by the military police as a deserter and incarcerated in a cell at King' Edward Barracks. After 25 minutes' imprisonment he was brought before , an officer and charged with having failed to parade with a draft that left for Trcntham on February 4. The reservist's defence was a simple one—that ho had been ordered to parade on March 4, not February 4. He was released on parole in order to obtain documentary evidence, and on returning with proof of the truth of his story he was released, the officer betforo whom he was brought expressing regret at the blunder. A Press Association message from Wellington states that the Council of Education passed a motion that the pay or allowances of pupil-teachers and training college students should be increased, and, as soon as teachers are available, provisions in the Education Act for the abolition of the -pupil-teacher system and the staffing of schools by adult teachers only should be put into effect. A young woman in South Canterbury, strong and very willing, has been demonstrating this season that women are as good as men in the harvest field-—or that they would be if all were as good as she (says the Timaru Herald). Throughout the harvest she has shown that she can do any part of the work as well as any man, and that her employers have recognised this is j evident from the fact that she is being j paid Is 9d an hour. She is particularly good at forking sheaves. One day recently a bet was arranged 'between the | men in the harvest field where she was I working as to which could fork a dray- , load of sheaves on to the stack the quickest i —the young woman referred to, or a veteran, forker, a man, on another dray. j Working on even terms the young woman : beat the man. i In the course of his remarks at a meeting at Wellington on the 7th, Brigadiergeneral Sir Robert Anderson expressed surprise at the critioism which had been levelled against General Slir Alex. Godley in New Zealand. In his judgment General Godley had been a tower of strength to the New Zealanders in Egypt. • He was a blunt man, who had helped New Zealand enormously. Ho had formed a very high opinion pf General Godley's capacity in Egypt, and had formed a friendship with him that !he hoped would endure. He had 6een a j lot of him, too, in France, and knew that many a time he had fought for the New Zealanders. The brigadier-general's remarks were received with applause. ' The record number of 1825 claims for war I pensions—l 294 soldiers' claims and 531 from i dependents—was lodged in January. This brings the grand total of war pensions I claims up to 16,586 —soldiers,' 10,723; dependents', 5863. . The record number of claims received in one week is 496, in January of this year. As the Commissioner for Pensions pointed out to a New Zealand Times representative, "It would take practically a week to record these claims without doing anything else. Applicants, therefore, will readily understand the reason if there should bo some little delay before their claims are dealt with." A case was brought on at the Wellington Magistrate's Court on the 9th to give publicity to a war regulation which, though important, is not as well known as it should be. A young woman, who is a nurse recently arrived in Wellington from Auckland, was charged with having gone on board a sea-going vessel without proper permission. Chief Detective Boddam said that her act constituted a breach of a war regidation which makes it unlawful for any person to board any ship, other than one exclusively engaged in coastal trade in New Zealand waters, while the vessel is moored to any wharf or lying in any harbour in New Zealand, without written permission from the military authorities, or the owner, master, or agent of the ship. The defendant w»* on board a vessel by

Detcctivo Carney, 'who was making the usual search through the ship just before it sailed, and was taken to the detectives' office. Sho stated that she- had gone out to tho vessel, which was lying in tne stream, at 11 o'clock in tho morning by a tender for the purpose of seeing a friend, and had remained on board, intending to return by a tender later. As far as the police knew there was no justification that she went on board for any other reason than that which sho had given. Mr S. E. M'Carthy, S.M., entered a conviction, and ordered defendant to come up for sentence when called upon. A breach of this regulation renders the offender liable to a fine of £IOO, or 12 months' imprison* ment. The Minister of Defence has been advised that one of the New Zealand hospital ships has reached a port of call. In a recent election speech in Wellington Mr H. E. Holland made a statement relative to conscientious objectors. Questioned yesterday with respect to the matter, the Minister of Defence said: " The 14men to whom Mr Holland alluded cannot all be classed as conscientious objectors. Five of them had alleged conscientious objections, which the boards rejected; five had appealed on the ground of hardship and public interest, and did not allege conscientious objections; and four did not think it Avorth while to appeal. No promise was ever made by the Prime Minister, or by Sir Joseph Ward, or by myself that the men would not be forced to wear xmiforms. That is simply a distortion of the concession granted by the Legislature to the real religious objector, and none of these men comes within that category. The real religious objector, when exempted by aboard, does not wear uniform, and does his service with the Agricultural Department instead of the Defence Department. None of these men was entitled to this course, and most of them did not attempt to prove themselves within the category, even if they had been able to do so. Some people who have been writing about these men say they cannot get to know what has happened to them, and that the Defence Department does not know. In reply, I say that the Defence Department knows as much about these men as it knows of any other individual soldier—that is, that ho has embarked and has reached the other end. No individual record could possibly be kept at this end of every man's movements, for at the base and in the field abroad the men's locations are constantly changing. What we do hear about are the casualties, and these we report." The discussion in reference to the disposal of the Papakaio portion of the Waitaki islands still drags along at-meetings of the Otago La»d Board. The Under-secre-tary for Lands wrote to the board recently asking whether it would not be possible to offer the land for public disposal in two or three groups for a term of five years. From the remarks made at tho board, it appears that this is a revival of the original proposal made by the department. As the members of tho board have visited tho locality and inquired very carefully into the circumstances, it was thought that the proposals made by the board to deal with the land under powers delegated to local commissioners by the Land Board would be tho best method of settling this longstanding difficulty. The board, therefore, resolved to advise the Under-secretary that it was of opinion that it had already submitted to the department the very best way of dealing with the islands in the interests of both the small settlers and the Crown. In connection with the Clifton Settlement'at Waiwera South, which is available for discharged soldiers, it was noticeable at the meeting of the Land Board on Wednesday that, notwithstanding the fact that there does not appear to be a great demand from returned soldiers for this class of land, the unlet areas were much in request by local people for grazing purposes. The board granted four grazing licenses over six sections for a period of three months, and permitted the late owner to occupy the homestead site for a further 12 months. The fact that the local people are utilising the land appears to denote that it is good grazing country. Mr C. J. M'Kenzie (district engineer,' Public Works Department) arrived at Balclutha on Monday, 11th inst., for 'the purpose of inspecting the protective embankment with a view to furnishing a detailed report on its condition. The visit was made in respect to an urgent request to the Minister of Public Works (the Hon. W. Fraser) by the Balclutha Borough Council. On Tuesday, 12th inst., Mr M'Kenzie made a thorough inspection of the whole bank, and intends to furnish a report in the course of the next few days. In conversation, Mr M'Kenzie stated that he found that the places requiring attention were those adversely reported on some years ago. The proximity to the bank, of large trees and the length of grass, etc., on the bank were also adversely commented upon, and Mr M'Kenzie will probably make a strong recommendation that the trees be removed and that the bank be used or let for sheep grazing purposes. With the above exceptions the engineer expressed himself as well satisfied with the stability and general appearance of the embankment, and especially with the results of siltation obtained by cutting the willows along the water's edge; nevertheless, he considered that it would be advisable for tho borough to expend a large amount of money in repairing and all the weak places. Mr Robert Rowe, of Gladstone, will-cele-brate his one hundredth birthday on the 19th inst. (says the Wairarapa Daily Times). He has lost Mrs Rowe, but she has left him a largo number of children, grand-children, and great-grand-children. Mr Rowe says they have become so numerous that lie has lost all count of his descendants. He intends going to the Masterton Agricultural and Pastoral Show to see if he can pick any of them up. Although he got nearly 100 years to his credit, he considers ho is still a young fellow. A Press Association message from Wellington states that a Gazette announces that Thursday, February 21, has been fixed as the polling day for the Southern Maori electorate.

While bathing the other morning a lady member of the St. Clair Surfing Club had her gold watch and pearl ring stolen from the dressing room. The police have the matter in hand. Our London correspondent writes that in an article in the Sunday Herald, Mr F.. M. B. Fisher, of the Reform Government from 1912 to 1915, says:—"The overseas dominions will resolutely refuse to go back to the old basis. They are out to punish, and not to. forget. If there is any forgetting to be done, we leave that to another generation. But we will not forget, because we cannot forget. If now, by specious plotting, you ended the war, you would end the Empire. Every yalianfe spirit who has laid down his life in the great cause would haunt you to the end of your days." Our London correspondent states that Major W. A. Chappie, M.P., formerly of Wellington, scored a distinct success in getting the Committee on the Electoral Roform Bill to accept his proposals on alternative voting. It will be remembered that some time ago Major Chappie held a trial election amongst the 600 odd patients of the h ospital in Brighton to which he _is / attached, the experiment showing quite clearlv that there was nothing intricate about "the method. When the House, was in Committee it was a good deal fogged by the voting proposals which appeared only to be understood by a handful of members. In the end Dr Chappie's scheme was def Bated, and the Bill went on with a blank srheduie, no method of voting whatever being provided. • Mr, David Fell, an Australian, living at Weybridge, protests, in the Morning /Post, against Lord Rhondda's proposal to pool A'tstralan butter with other imported • butter, on the ground that "it is grossly unfair both to the producer and 'to the cousurmr." Our London correspondent, writing on December 11, mentions that Mr Fe'l continues:—"The same injustice ha 3 been mHicted upon the producers in connection -Kith Empire meat, and I would dra TV attention to a clause which appears in *he r< port of a committee of the House of Representatives of - New Zealand, just submitted to Parliament and adopted: ' T'.ie committee considers it most unfair and unsatisfactory that enormous profits should be made by the sale of New Zealan 1 meat released for the civil population of Great Britain.' Mr Fell maUitahv. that the pooling of butter can only Unefif the seller at the cost of the producer, a;«d he feels that ' consumers will never get a fair deal so long as men interested from the selling side are the principal advisers of the Food Controller'; there should bo • a National Defence League s::t up, formed of business men_who are not interested in ' the sale of food of any kind."

' General Orders contain an from a routine order of the British Second Army, in which the Army Commander records his appreciation of the services of the Rev. C. Lucroix, one of the New Zealand chaplains. The incident is described as follows:—"On October 11-, about 7.30 p.m.. a collision occurred between a French passenger train travelling from Boulogne to St. Omer and a freight train. The force of the impact -wrecked the three foremost carriages, overturned both engines" on the wreckage, and telescoped the middle of the train. _ The Rev. C. Lacroix escaped injury, though the carriage was damaged, and at oneo set to work by the few lights available to free the injured, thirty of whom were removed and attended to by Sister Black and a Canadian medical officer (namo unknown). By this time the forepart of the train was in flames, and three of the party, leaving the rescue work, endeavoured to prevent the fire from spreading by breaking tho burning carriages down. About 11 p.m. a French engine removed the rear undamaged part, with the object of moving it sufficiently to enable the rescue- of the remainder of the injured before fire reached them. In this way tho killed and injured were removed. Gre&S assi-stance was given throughout by a Scotch officer, and later by a Canadian cavalry officer and n.c.0.. whoso names are unknown." Curious things happened when tho cyclone struck Townsville recently. Ths blow was so fierco at Cleveland Bay (says tho Sydney Sun) that it whipped the ocean back, laying baro tho bottom of tho sea. ' Horses, made frantio by the storm, making a dash for tho open, galloped on to this firm land. It was open only for a moment; tho storm took another turn, and tho sea camo back and engulfed them. Tho bush outside the township formed a good playground for tho knifo of the storm. Coming with a dash, it Out roads through as though with a knife. Huge gumtrees were cut nit' close to the ground like a hair on a man's chin under-

neath a razor. This was done by the outward blow of the storm. The cyclone, after it had completed its circling, burst outward like a shell. The picture of TownsI ville after the cyclone beggars description. 1 At Maokay fish wore picked up in tho streets 'after tho disturbance. Out of 300 lines only three were found to be intact. A Press Association telegram from Wellington states that it has been decided that the time has arrived when it is not expedient to call up any more registered dentists for service as soldiers in the New Zealand j Expeditionary Force.

The trustees of tho well-known Mount Royal Estate have disposed of the property to Mr Isaac Stevenson, of the Port Chalmers engineering firm. It was found necessary to realise on the estate consequent on the death of Lieutenant Douglas at the 'front. There are 9244 acres in the estate, and Mr Stevenson also takes over tho stock, implements, etc. It is understood that the I price paid for the land was in the vicmity I of £6 an acre.

The Mayor, as chairman of the Soldiers' and Dependents' Committee, reported to the executive of the Otago Patriotic Association at its meeting as follows: —"The question of employment is daily becoming more strenuous not so much on account of the men offering but more on account of the disabilities the men-are suffering from. Fit men can always be placed, but considerable time is taken up in finding positions for men who are more or less incapacitated. - As time goes on the employment problem will become more and more acute and more adequate provision will have to be made for dealing with the question, for the best offer that can be made to any man in his own interest and in the interest of all concerned is a suitable position and one compatible with his incapacity. If this aspect is not • given full consideration it means a continual recurrence of applicants for employment. Tho Government is to some extent endeavtouring to solve the problem, and a great deal of the time of the bureau will bo taken up in the solution of it. By the new system of orthopaedic treatment men will be cured of their incapacity by natural treatment. It has been found in the past that medical and electrical massage are only curative to a degree, and whilst undergoing the cure the results are ofterr harmful. For instance, a man may be attending out-patients for massage for many months, his treatemnt lasting say one hour per day; the rest of the time he is absolutely idle and consequently bad habits are often formed and his progress towards recovery retarded. Under orthopaedic treatment he will be required to attend the Technical School and allowed to take up work which will give his injured limbs ercise. The question then becomes a psychological study, for a man realises that he has ability to do work of some kind. That being so next will come tho desire to ' create, and the result will be that in the end a man becomes more self-reliant and in a position to help himself, for it will naturally follow that he will take up the' class of work to which his inclination lies."

A Press Association message from Christchurch states that a deputation waited on the Hon. G. W. Russell on Friday to urge that some assistance be given by the Government in starting superannuation funds for employees of the smaller local bodies. Mr Russell, in reply, pointed out that existing legislation already gave any local body power to establish superanuation funds for the benefit of employees. Mr Witty, M.P., said that compulsory superannuation was required. Mr Russell retorted that the Government was not inclined to legislate in any such matters as these unless pressed to do so, but at the next general election, which would probably be about a year from now, the matter could be made a subject for discussion.

Miss Collisson, 8.A., of Sydney University, who lectures before the New South Wales branch of the Workers' Educational Association, and who is at present visiting J>unedin, is very enthusiastic over the future of tho association. She says that it is doing a great deal towards the production of a really general national spirit. From a thousand different sources they were getting something that was singularly and wonderfully sustaining. The association would play no small part in tho process of reconstruction after tho wai. She considers that she is justified in saying that there must bo a revolution in manj things before the world could bo. considered anything like reconstructed after the war. We would have to get rid of the point of view

of grab and got hold of the point of viewto "give." One particular direction in which the association would prove effective would be in connection with the reconstruction of trades unionism, which, she said, was considered now by some people interested in the success of trade unions to be nccessarv.

Apropos of the death sentence passed upon William Eggers M'Mahon, the perpetrator of the West Coast murder, a Daily Times reporter was informed on reliable authority on Friday that the person who will officiate as hangman is a South Island farmer in a fairly prosperous position. This individual acted in a similar capacity when Bennier was hanged recently and when he received the fee for the performance of this work he deducted his expenses from the amount, and handed the balance over to the Pa*;riotio Society in the district where the execution took place.

The following amusing story is told in a letter received from a New Zealander now resident in London: "Some German prisoners asked for more pay. They were told they could have an extra Id or 2d per day,, but would be put under an Australian guard. They - replied : ' Kamerad, we would rather work for nothing than have an Australian guard.' " A Press Association telegram from. Wellington states that a deputation representing the Protestant Political Association waited on the Minister of Justice regarding the assaults on clergymen, who were apparently mistaken for the Rev. Howard Elliott, at Feilding. Mr Wilford said ho had issued instructions that stops be taken to discover the assailants. Any charges would be indictable, and would be heard in the Supremo Court. The deputation suggested that the assault arosje- out of the assault on Mr Elliott at Auckland. It was said that a statement by Mr Frazer, S.M., was .practically an incitement to a section of the community that thoy could go on doing that kind of thing. An emphatic and absolute denial to a rumour which has been current in certain parts was given by Sir James Allen, Minister of Defence, in hie reply to the Second Division League deputation at Invercargill on the 12th. The Minister stated that he had heard it said that he .had used every means that lay in his power to postpone the calling up of the Second Division for the reason that he was afraid to call it\up. He wished to absolutely contradict that statement, and to say that, so far as his knowledge went, he knew of no Slecond Division man who would circulate it. For so far as he knew every Second Divisionist was just as ready and willing—perhaps more so in some instances—to go, as had been the men of the First Division. He did not deny his conviction that it was their absolute duty to clean up the First Division as completely as possible first, and that he had used every means in his power to postpone the calling up of the Second Division, because he felt that to be his duty; but ho was not afraid. He had never been accused of cowardice since he took up the portfolio of Defence, and he was not a coward.

Admiral Sir Richard Poore, who was Commander-in-Chief on tho Australian station from 1908 to 1911, was fined £3O on six charges of food hoarding at the Brad-ford-on-Avon Police Court last month. Tho police gave evidence that they found tho following articles "hoarded": Ten, 501 b; coffee berries, 421 b; macaroni, 271 b; tapioca, 4611>; rice, 401 b; cheese, 331 b. Sir Richard Poor© gave evidence that his wifo was ill, and that he was attending to tho housekeeping, a matter in which he had no experience, and that he had duplicated previous orders. His was a household of 10 persons in an isolated country district. No meat wa3 being eaten; the family was practically vegetarian. The magistrates stated that they considered that the offence was due to inexperience. Tho value of Fiji imports for the year ended December 31 was £1,011,408, as compared with £378.500 for the previous year, the duty paid being £168,849, as against £153,844, while the wharfage was £7502 and tho tonnago duty £2941. Sugar exported last yea-r totalled 97,334 tons, valued at £1,435,041, as compared with 120,528 tons ill 1916. There wero 15,369 tons of copra sont away in 1917, valued at £389,372, as against 13,489 tons the previous year. Of green fruit there wero 529,452 bunches and 413,301 cases exported, as compared with 817,499 and 417,055 respectively. Mr "Pat" Burns, the Canadian beef king, ia responsible for tho statement made tc a representative of The Province at the Ilotel Vancouver, on December 24, that

within tho past few years the herds of cattle in Canada have almost doubled, and that at the present time there is no scarcity of meat. As compared with the number of cattle in Western Canada about 10 years ago, the numbers now are much greater and the quality of the beef has been well maintained. In view of this he was asked tho reason for the advance in the prices, and replied that it was due to the abnormal condition and the demand for beef for the men overseas. He held out a hope, however, that there would be no further rise in prices, but added that there was- no indication that there would be a reduction.

Girls sorting out bundles of laundry which had just come in to bo washed in Detroit (says tho New York correspondent of the Daily Express) found a three months' old sleeping baby girl wrapped up in some sheets just in time to prevent the child suffering a frightful death in the boiling water. The baby, a daughter of Mrs Geo. Coles, living in the west end of the city, was discovered by its mother to be missing a few minutes after the laundry driver had left the house. The distracted mother, believing the child had been kidnapped, promptly notified the police. While she was still the caso over tho telephone a laundry wagon came dashing down the street bringing back the missing baby, which had not even awakened! Tho child was identified by marks on its clothing. Applications from prospective students at the Dental School for bursaries, which have became available through the practical generosity of private individuals, were considered on Saturday morning at a meeting of the Dental Committee of the Otago University. The funds which have been subscribed placed 16 bursaries at the disposal of the committee. For these there were 30 applications. All the students to whom bursaries were awarded arc- living away from Duncdin, and 13 of them come from the North Island. Preference was given to students holding higher leave certificates, and to students who have to live away from home to attend the school. The total value of the bursaries awarded was about £450, each bursary ,being tenable for four years. ~ The annual meeting of the Waihemo Domain Board was held at Palmerston on Saturday, and was attended by Messrs R Matheson (chairman), T. H. Pilbrow. G. Clark, J. Chapman, T. M'Lay, H. O'Neill, and J. S. Miller. Tho annual report, submitted by the clerk (Mr W. M'Gregor) showed that some 16 acres had been scrubbed during the year, and that grass seed had been sown on the part formerly scrubbed. It was proposed to scrub a further area, to continue grass-sowing, and the planting of trees. The cash in hand amounted to £27. 9s 7d. The report and balance sheet were adopted, and" members were re-elected.

The report of the Finance Committee of the Otago Hospital and Charitable Aid Board shows a net debit of £7954 5s 3d. 'The general account is in debit of £11,279 16s Bd, the Campbell interest account in credit £222 10s Bd, and tho Hospital Saturday account is in credit £3103 0s 9d.

The annual report of the directors of the Standard Fire and Marine Insurance Company of New Zealand states that the net income for the year, including balance brought forward from last year, amounted to £145,297, and the expenditure to £112,447 leaving a 'balance of- £32,850. From this amount an interim dividend was paid in June, absorbing £SOOO, and after adding £ISOO to the reserve for unexpired risks, the directors have dealt with the balance of £26,350 in tho following manner—viz.: Added to reserve fund, £10,000; added to guarantee audi provident fund, £1200; written off property account, £1000; and recommend that tho balance be appropriated as follows:—To pay a dividend for the halfyear ending December 31, 1917, at the rate of Is per sharo, and carry forward £9150 to next year. A very interesting exhibit has been handed over to tho Auckland Museum by Mr W. B. Leyland, owner of the scow Moa, which was seized by the escaped German, prisoner* It is a dagger mado from a file by tho Germans while they were prisoners on the island. The weapon is a formidable one, very ingeniously and strongly constructed, with a short wooden handlo bound with cord after the fashion of a cricket bat handlo. Tho dagger was left in a locker on tho scow, and was found after tho vessel was captured by tho Iris at tho Kermadecs. Professor Dybowski read a remarkable paper at the Academy of Agriculture in Paris recently on what i? described as a veritable war plant—namely, tho sweet sorgho (Sorghum vulgare saccharatum).

From the stalks of the plant, which grow* 6ft high and in appearance resemble* maize, from 4 to 15 per cent, of sugar is obtained, and in addition fodder for cattle, material for paper, clyestuff, and seods yielding excellent flour. In the Paris district the yield of sugar is from 4 to 5 per cent. In China it give:; three tons of sugar from about 2£ acres, four to fiv» tons of pulp for paper, ur.r f.-om seven tc 10 tons of grain. From envelope of the seeds colouring matte, mging front violet grey through red to hue browns is obtained. It grows to. perfection ixt districts like the valleys of the Rhone and tha Garonne. The Hon. Sir Jamea Allen (Minister of w Defence) went north on Saturday. After a day or two in Wellington, the Minister will pay a visit to the East Coast district, beyond Gisborne. A Press Association cable message from, London states that several mailboat com-' panics will shortly advance their farcj, including those to Australasia. A Press Association message from Wellington notifies that it is officially stated that another mine has been discovered and exploded in Cook Strait. A mysterious insert to which a deputation from the Rodney Chamber of Commerce drew Sir William Fras&r's attention during his visit to Warkworth, is said to bore into the skin and hides of horses and cattle and to make them frantic with pain. The Result is that they lose their condition and the value of the hide is destroyed, i Tho insect was stated to be verj bad in the Rodney and Otamatca Counties, Matakana and Kaipara Flats being especially afflicted. The opinion was hold by the settlers that the insect is the Queensland tick, but the Stock Department states that such is.not the case. The feeling of the deputation was that the Agricultural Department~w-fts treating the matter too lightly, and Sir William was asked to point out to the Minister of Agriculture the seriousness of the position. Unless steps were taken to prevent the pest spreading, settlers said they would be - subjected to a serious loss. Sir William promised to bring the matter before the notice of his colleague. In one district the pest is state"d to be so bad that ono farmer contemplates building a huge dip for hia horses and cattle. Sir Arthur Stanley, M.P., says that on ono occasion thero was a sudden demand on the Red Cross for 4000 hot-water bottles, and he was asked if they could bo supplied the following week. "Being new to tho job, I undertook to do it at once. I afterwards founds by extraordinary good fortune, that a gentleman had been to the office the day before and given ua 200 Q hot-water bottles, and I was able to state that the 4000 would be sent the next morning." Referring to the splendid nursing work dono by the Red Cross, Sir Arthur remarks: "One morning I went to the office and found there an officer, who said there was an urgent need for a hospital at Paris. By 5 o'clock that afternoon the whole personnels o| a hospital for 100 patients with equipment and a number of cases of stores, steamed out of Victoria."