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Otago Witness, Issue 3385, 29 January 1919, Page 4

bis sentence on it conviotion for threatening to shoot another Samoan. On their way t>ver the mountains both became ill with influenza, and it was with difficulty that |bey were able to reach Aufaga, where

Faasou's relatives lived. There Faasou died. His companion was also very sick and unable to move about for several days, but as soon as ho was able he returned v6O Apia, where he arrived 12 days from tho data of his de-

parturo, bringing with official reports, together with the uniform, of the dead messenger. * The man had some three months of his term of imprisonment still to serve, but the Commissioner of Police has recommended his release, and he will then bo offered a post as messenger in the department.

The following telegram, which explains itself, has been forwarded to the Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture: " Referring to recent telegram of ourselves and Messrs Statham and Dickson regarding price of bread, we have to express dissatisfaction with your reply, inasmuch as it contemplates possibility of increase in price after March 1. We strongly press for definite assurance that such measures will be taken as will ensure that in no circumstances will price of bread be increased. Our colleagues are at present away from Dunedin. —T. K. Sidey, A. Walker." .

It is not a rare experience after a race meeting to hear that so-and-so landed a big dividend in some unusual way —by a dream, by some incident that happened on the way to the races, or by some other lucky chance (says the Feilding Star). It is seldom that one hears of' a person dreaming that a certain horse won a certain race, yet this was the experience of a Levin resident, who some time before the Feilding meeting dreamed that Starengo won a race, and ■ advised his friends to "have a bit on." The dreamer himself had every faith in his tip, had a modest interest in the race, and landed the biggest dividend of the day. It is of interest to read that a severe attack of influenza was experienced in the North Island as far back as 1839. In the late Mr Ro. Carrick's hook, " Historical Records of New Zealand South," the following extract is reproduced'from tho. Hobart Courier of March 1, 1859: ". . . The

master of the Elizabeth and three |of her passpngers from the port fell victims to the influenza, which was raging in New Zealand with great violence especially among the natives. During the stay of H.M.S. Pelorus (in New Zealand) Mrs Wilson, the wife of a missionary, died of the complaint. Mr Williams, the head of the mission, had been absent on a missionary visit round the coast, and returned from Tauranga in the beginning of January." j

Writing from White Horse, Yukon Territory, to Mr A. C. Holms, of Feathorstcn, Mr William Turnbull, formerly a. resident of Wellington and Wairarapa, gives the sad news of the death of Mr Syd. Smith and his wife and three children in the wreck of the Princess Sophia. The vessel ran on a reef when four hours' sail out of Skagway, the. port of the Yukon, and some 300 people on board were drowned. Mr Smith lashed his wife and three children to a raft, which was afterwards picked up, but no trace of his own body was found. The late Mr Smith had been in business in Featherston, and for several years he represented the Wairarapa Thursday Rugby Union in senior football. In 1907, in company with other footballers, Messrs Turnbull, Holms, and Crowther, he made the trip to Canada.

The resignation of the members of the Otepopo School Committee was received by the Otago Education Board oh the 22nd, and was accepted. The caretaker also resigned. No reasons were given for the resignations, /but it has been noted that they follow a recent decision of the board in a matter at issue between the committee and the head master of the school, concerning which an inquiry was held. The Hon. D. H. Guthrie, Minister of Lands, informs us that he will arrive in Dunedin from Oamaru by the express train on the evening of Friday, the 31st inst. He will visit the Taieri next day in connection with drainage matters, and will receive a deputation from the Otago Expansion League in the evening. He will remain in Dunedin over Sunday, February 2, and will leave for Balolutha next morning.

On Wednesda.y morning the train which runs between Milton and Beaumont failed to get further on its journey than the Craigellaohie Station, owing to a wash-out on the line caused by a flooded creek in the locality. Passengers and mails wcro conveyed from Oaigollachie to Beaumont by road, and similarly those for Dunedin were taken from Beaumont to Craigellachie by the same means. This is the second occasion within a few days upon which a washout has occurred at this point.

. A "fairly large draft of returned soldiers, 129 in number, reached Dunedin by the express on the 22nd, having arrived at Auckland on Monday by the Ruahine. The men were met by a large number of their relatives and friends, who gave them a very hearty reoeption. Fifty-four of the soldiers have their homes in Dunedin, and these men were taken to their destinations

in motor cars provided by the Otago Motor Club. The remainder, who belong to Southland and the country districts, were billeted for the night at several of the city hotels. The two cofc cases—Corporal Cavanagh (Invercargill) and Corporal Booth (Dunedin) —were taken to the Hospital in the ambulance. A Gazette issued last week notifies that the public service regulations have been amended to provide for the payment of overtime rates from Is od to 2s 6d per hour for January and February.

The disorder at Port Chalmers on the arrival of the troopship Tahiti was referred to at last week's meeting of the Kaitangata Council. The Mayor remarked: "If our boys got a bite to eat between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the day of arrival they had to thank the ladies of Port Chalmers for their great effort to supply food .which should have been supplied by the Defence Department. With such . disgraceful muddling by ythe department, the men were in no to blame if they broke bounds and scrambled ashoro in search of a meal." A councillor interjected that no man would treat his dog as the Defence Department created these boys at Port Chalmers.

At the meeting of the Otago Hospital and Charitable Aid Board on the 23rd, the chairman submitted a resolution conveying the thanks of the board to all ladies and gentlemen who had given their services in the fight v against the recent influenza epidemic. The motion also expressed sympathy with the relatives of those nurses and V.A.D. workers who had contracted the disease and fallen in the fight, thus practically giving their lives for others. The motion was adopted, and it was resolved that an engrossed copy of it, signed by the members of the board, be presented to every voluntary worker who was recommended to receive it by officers in charge of the various bureaus and institutions, and also to the relatives of nurses and V.A.D. workers who died from the epidemic:' It was further resolved that framed copies be presented to Jho Public Library and to each institution used as temporary or auxiliary hospitals.

General Pau, writing to the Otago Hospital and Charitable Aid Board during his stay in Dunedin, said: " Cc-mmandant d'Andre has told me of the pleasure which it gave him to meet you at the Dunedin Hospital. He was much surprised by the capable administration of the institution and with the charming grace of the matron and her nursing staff. Although my doctor denied me the privilege of calling personally, I have been delighted with the reports of my representative. The mission is particularly interested in the welfare of the men who have fought together with my countrymen on the side of justice and freedom, and when we return to France we shall be able to tell of the manner in which these heroes are treated in New Zealand. I wish your institution continued success in its noble work."

The Health Department has advised the Wellington Hospital Board (states a Press Association message) that it will pay for the treatment of the dependents of returned soldiers until the soldiers are discharged. For the past week the General Post Office at Wellington has been inundated with overseas mails (says a Press Association telegram). The staff has been working day and night, endeavouring to distribute the accumulation which has resulted from the shipping shortage, and it is stated that never in the history of New Zealand has there been such an accumulation of mail, nor has one vessel before brought eo much mail in one trip.

The tender of Messrs Fletcher. Bros, of £269 for additions to the operating theatre at the Dunedin Hospital was accepted by the Hospital Board last week. The blight has made its appearance in potato crops at Kaitangata, and some good crops of the tubers are being ruined.

The remains of .Sapper Henry Douglas Beck, a returned soldier, were interred on the 23rd with military honours, the body being conveyed to the Northern Cemetery on a gun carriage. There was a large attendance of the deceased soldier's relatives and friends. Captain Dobson represented the Defence Department, and six members of the Returned Soldiers' Association acted as pallbearers.

The suitability of the poultry industry for the partially disabled returned soldier was touched upon by Mr J. B. Merrett at a"' recent meeting of the New Zealand Utility Poultry Club. He said that he was distinctly of tho opinion _ that poultryraising presented an attractive field to this class of man. The work was not of a strenuous nature, while it yielded a fair living. In Australia, Mr Merrett stated, the Government had allocated returned men

who wished to engage in the industry five acres of land each for the purpose. Some part of the land was. used for the production of fruit. The results, so far, had been of a highly encouraging nature. "Whilst he realised that land was a more valuable asset in New Zealand, yet ho was of opinion that a great deal could be done for the returned men in the direction indicated. THe poultry-keepers' conference, convened by the New Zealand Poultry Association, would be held in Christcnurch during March, and he hoped that the matter would then be fully gone into.

The interesting fact has come to light * that since the announcement of the armistice two lodgments of gold have been deposited with one of the local banks (says the Poverty Bay Herald). In one case the accumulation of sovereigns was of quit© a substantial amount, and from what can be ascertained the " hoard" had been secreted in the chimney of the owner's houso for safe keeping. In the second, case the " pile " of gold was of similar amount, and had been kept in the proverbial stocking.

The Minister of Marine (the Hon. T. M. Wilford) informed a','Dominion reporter last week that the steamer Tutahekai had been handed over to the naval adviser, to be used in mine-sweeping work. The ship is now undergoing alteration to fit her for this duty. Some little time ago the Government decided that the Tuetanekai was something of a white elephant. She is not the sort of steamer they need, and they thought of selling her with the Hinemoa, and buying another larger steamer, which could be used for the carriage of cargo when she was not in use for other Government purposes. An estimate was obtained as to the cost of fitting out the Tufcanekai as a cargo steamer, and the figure was £7500. The Minister decided that as the war was over he would not have the work done. The Retailers' Association has decided to observe Thursday, People's Day at the show, as a close holiday. The Otago Provincial' Council of the New Zealand Farmers' Union met on Friday at the secretary's office. A letter was received from the Secretary to the Treasury stating that when the next war loan was raised the council's protest against subscribers to such loans being exempted from the payment of income tax would be considered. The Crookston and Maniototo branches wrote protesting against war loans being free from income tax. A communication was received from Waikoikoi stating that a strong branch of the union had beqn formed there. The Maniototo branch wrote expressing appreciation of the council's efforts to induce the Income-tax Department to allow the writing up 6f stock as at April 1, 1914. The directors of the Otago Farmers' Union Mutual Fire Insurance Association met on Friday. The secretary reported that all ar-, rangements w"ere now complete for the establishment of an accident insurance department in connection with the association's other operations. . Mr J. P. Wilson was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Mr J. S. Murphy, the association's agent at Milton.

Trapping opossums is generally considered to be a lucrative pastime, but it is doubtful whether it will prove so to a Balclutha resident who was caught busily plying his illicit trade in Mr Telford's bush on the Otanomomo Settlement in the early hours of the morning a few days ago. At tho time he had 11 opossums in his possession, and these, together with 30 traps, were confiscated.

The executive of tho Otago Provincial Council of the New Zealand Farmers' Union on Friday received a letter from the Repatriation Board asking that the union nominate three members for the local committee of repatriation in order that a selection might be made by- the board and the cbni- : mitteo set up without delay. The executivedecided to nominate only one representative —Mr Hugh Mitchell.

All tho arrangements sin connection with the forthcoming show of the Otago A. and P. Society, to be held at Tahuna Park on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, are well in hand, and given fine weather the show should prove an attractive one. The competitions in many classes will be very keen. ' J

Some of the first sales of material, ordnance, and equipment not required when the New Zealand. Expeditionary Force returns to the dominion have (our London corre T spondent advises) already taken place. These comprised horses acquired from the Imperial authorities for training at artillery and other camps. The prices received for tho horses were more than satisfactory.

Our London correspondent, who was on H.M.S. New Zealand when the German fleet surrendered for internment, states that the following members of* the N.Z.E.F. were also on the ship on that occasion: —Second Lieutenant D H. Mitchell, 3rd Battalion N.Z.R.B.' (Wellington); 6/2075 Lance-cor-poral- J. H. Bridson, Ist Canterbury Battalion; 12/2896 Private H. S. Butler, Ist. Auckland Battalion; 29782 Lance-corporal H. J. Hifl, Otago Battalion; 56987 Private J.' P. M'Leod, Ist Canterbury Battalion; 70077 Private C. H. Vining, Ist Auckland Battalion. Members of the N.Z.E.F. are always permitted on board the vessel, and .Captain JJcnaldson obtained special permission from Admiral Halsey for them to remain on board for the ceremony. Miss Maude Royden, preaching in the City Temple, London, recently, said it must Btrilie English people with both pride and shame to see the physique of the soldiers from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand—so tall, well-set-up, and splendid. That was not an impossible thing to do in Great Britain, but it had not been done because they were always trying to shift their responsibility.

Our London correspondent writes that the Hospitality Comforts Committee of the New Zealand Red Cross speaks highly of the luxuries" and other provisions sent from Netf Zealand. It says that the "supplies of plum cake —such as we have not Been in England foT several years—jam, butter, honey, bi». cuits, and tongues sent from New Zealand

have been of inestimable value, as the majority of the British hospitals are" very strictly rationed and New Zealanders who have been used to the rations in New Zealand hospitals feel the shortage of food in other hospitals. The sisters are thankful for butter for the men who have been seriously 111 with pneumonia and want feeding up. The New Zealand men serving in, the navy and in the Imperial Forces who are admitted to hospitals are also very grateful for these extra comforts, and are specially pleased to be looked after in the same way as the men in the N.Z.E.F. Many letters expressing appreciation have been received."

Letters received in Dunedin on Friday from England show that General Richardson had all arrangements well in hand for the demobilisation of the New Zealand troops. It was understood that class C men would be the first to return, then 1914 men, and no on. Colonel O'Neill, O.C. at Walton-on-Thames, is returning to New Zealand Shortly, and Colonel Parker, D.M.S. of the New Zealand Forces in England, is leaving for the dominion immediately.

At a meeting of the members of the Punedin Retail Fruiterers' Association on Thursday evening it was decided to reaffirm the determination not to pay for fruit cases when making purchases at the local marts. Dr William Fitzgerald, son of Mr W. S. Fitzgerald, of Anderson's Bay, Dunedin, was, throughout the war, medical examiner of recruits, chiefly at important centres in Lancashire and Cheshire, and he computes the number of men who passed through his hands at well over 80,000. Dr Fitzgerald held the position of chairman of Liverpool No. 1 Medical Board, on which he had previously, worked, and eventually he was appointed Area Deputy Commissioner N.W. region and given the sole charge and supervision of all the six medical boards in Liverpool.

So far as immunity from accidents is concerned the city tramway service has a comparatively good record, and the more or less serious "smash" which occurred in front of the old Post Office on Sunday must bo regarded as unusual. Oar 44 left the ahed to take up its schedule running, and when it reached the slope towards High street at 1.3& p.m., Motorman William Paine was unable to obtain any response from the magnetic or ordinary brakes, and the oar, whioh had gained considerably in momentum, orashed into a stationary car which it partially telescoped. Oar 44. was badly damaged. There were no passengers In the cars. Motorman Paino received some nasty cuts about the hands and face.

The following resolution was passed at a meeting of the Otago branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway on Sunday afternoon: —"While we approve of the demands of the Engine-drivers, Firemen, and Cleaners' Association to secure allowance for night work and improved service conditions, we agree with the action of the Minister in delaying the consideration of the schedule for permanent increase until the three societies have been consulted. We are strongly convinced that the members of the train-running staff of the traffic department and other sections of the service have a claim to as high a rate of pay and improved conditions asked for by the locomotive men."

The New Zealander, which „ has been published fortnightly in London during- the war with the object of giving an epitome of New Zealand news to troops from the dominion on active service, understands that Uolonel H. Stewart, D. 5.0., M.C., of the Canterbury Regiment, has been asked to write the popular history of the doings of the Expeditionary Force in France. The spectacle of an army of rabbits invading Victoria from New South Wales moved the rabbit inspector at Corryong to send telegraphic advice of the fact to departmental headquarters on January 7. The point of attack (reports the Age) was the bridgo over the Murray at Jinjellic. The bridge, however, was too narrow to accommodate the hordes, and the little animals took to the river, which is now running low, and swam to the Victorian ride. The inspector asked whether action on the New South "Wales side could not be enforced, so as to stem the advance. The department took the view that, in the circumstances, international codes of warfare ■hould be abandoned, so the inspector was instructed to use' every practical means of giving a check, including the employment of trap 3 on the principle of the corral, such as is used in the capture of elephants, but on a necessarily smaller scale. By the time the department received its telegram the inspeotor received his reply, the jfreater part of the New South Wales rabbit population had, of course, crossed the

borders The Minister of Lands ent a telegram to the New South Wales Government, asking whether united aotion for the destruction of rabbits on both side of the river at the one time could not be made. If the tone of the Corryong inspector's telegram may be taken as an indication of the extent of the drift from the neighbouring State (comments the newspaper), there will be no need to carry out a campaign against bunny on the New South Wales side.

The failure of the Queensland sugar crop has been much greater than was at first supposed, and, in order to make good the shortage, which amounts to about 40,000 tons, the Government has made arrangements for purchasing a sufficient quantity outside Australia. One shipment will come (from Mauritius, and the balance from Java. The disastrous cyclone in" Queensland about a year ago affected the crop very considerably, the assumption beingthat the high winds injured the root systems. Severe frosts in the winter added to the damage, and, in addition, there has been a great reduction in the density of the cane. Whereas in previous years 8i tons of oane has yielded one ton of sugar, at the same places this year 13 to 14 tons of cane has yielded only one ton of sugar. A return furnished by the Minister of Lands shows that up to January 20, 1919, approximately £2,113,865 has been expended by the Government for the benefit of dis-i charged soldiers on the land. Included in this amount are the following items : —About £1,230,284, representing the purchase money of private estates; £805,731, as ' advances authorised to assist 1266 discharged soldiers in the purchase of private, rural, and town lands, and for improvement and stocking of their holdings; and £79,850, being vthe approximate amount involved in purchases by the Government of private holdings on behalf of discharged soldiers. An eloquent testimony to the manner in which prisoners of war were treated by the British is contained in the following extract from the diary of a German prisoner who was captured in Palestine on July 14:. "After being fired at in front by the British and in the rear by the Turks,_ we were captured on July 14 by Australians. Iliey were a splendid lot of fellows, and treated us very well. The average Englishman on this front is a thoroughly decent chap, and the treatment is excellent. We had. very heavy losses, and I should imagine that the Asia Corps had practically ceased to exist. I was surprised at our good treatment. I shall never believe any more newspaper yarns about the bad way in which the British treat their prisoners of war. I must say that I am beginning to appreciate the British more from"~day to day; they are all thorough gentlemen. We are getting more food than we can eat, and the only thing lacking is tobacco." The peculiar case of a man who can neither feel pain, cold, nor heat, has no sense of taste or smell, does not know what fatigue means, and- is apparently without any emotions, affections, or dislikes is described by Captain E. D. Roberts, in the .uancet. He is a Breton sailor who enlisted in the Canadian army, and was treated for mumps in the military hospital at Aldershot. "His body," says Captain Roberts, "is plentifully strewn with the scars of wounds and burns which he has inflicted on himself either for bets or to astonish the onlookers. I have myself seen him on more than one occasion hold a burning match against the skin of his arm for 10 or 15 seconds, and then unconcernedly pick off the charred epidermis." Blows on the head* with a poker, the plunging of the fingers into hot water, the placing of highly-seasoned substances in his mouth produced no effect, and were not even realised by the man as happening when he had his eyes closed. The man, who is described- as -welldeveloped, highly good-natured, mentally sound, and above the average in intelligence, dates his complete immunity from an attack of yellow fever at the age of 17. " With every wish to cut out that tei-rible middleman and excessive profits, I claim that the trouble lies in the mode of doing business and the cure lies with the consumers themselves " (says a writer in the Farmers' Union Advocate). " Let them follow the example set them by the farmers, only in their case they must reverse the order. They must establish the big store fitted to supply all their wants. It must be owned and managed by themselves. The experience gained will cure many of the ills complained of now. When this lesson in co-operation is well learnt they will be encouraged to become producers on their own account, and as they advance and their operations cover more departments

in the industrial world we shall hear lees and less talk about the ' bloated capitalist' and his oppression of tho working men. When the time comes that our city workers have established themselves on the lines indicated above they will be in a position to trade fairly with the farmers' organisations either as buyers of produce or sellers of the products of their labour, and the transactions which should swell to gigantic dimensions would tend towards mutual benefit, and in the nature of things bring about a better understanding."

In some parts of America a novel means of overcoming tho gate nuisance on big estates or ranches is adopted. The nuisance of frequent. stops to open and close gates, and the certainty t that trouble would be caused by careless tourists who would not bother to close them, are usually avoided by borrowing the idea of the cattle guard from the railroad. A shallow pit is dug between two fence posts, and over this at right angles to the road are laid posts or planks close enough to accommodate the wheels of a'car, but not the feet of wandering cattle. There is no gate; the road is always open for the motorist. But cattle drift up and sniff at this modern contrivance and turn away, too wary of the ditch beneath to venture over. It is a simple idea and apparently effective.