LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3403, 4 June 1919, Page 3

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The mails which left New Zealand on April 19 arrived in London on the 24th inst.

Five cases, tho symptoms of which sug. gest lethargio encephalitis, are reported to have recently occurred in Otago— two in Oamaru, one in Dunedin, and two in country districts. Three of these patients died, and as tho only test of any value—a post mortem examination—was objected to by the relatives, the observations could not bo followed up. Even with a post mortem examination highly specialised observation of sections of the brain are necessary to definitely distinguish this condition from other inflammatory conditions of the brain. A wharf labourer who attempted to take a "short out from the Perth by jumping from the rail on the 27th had -the misfortune to take an involuntary plunge into the cheerless water between- wharf and sldp. Ready hands lowered a rope, and brought the shivering man to terra firma minus hii hat, and he mounted his bicycle and rodo off, wet but grateful. At the Provincial Conference of tho Wellington Farmers' Union on the 27th it was resolved that the necessity for the deviation of the Rimutaka incline be brought before the Minister of Railways, as a work which should immediately be taken in hand. While the deviation • was of vital interest to the Wairarapa and Bush district, it also was of provincial importance, as it will enable a larger portion of the Hawke's Bay traffic being sent via Wairarapa, and thus relievo the congestion on the Manawatu line.—Press Association.

"How many of you man Sre going to join the New Zealand Territorial Force voluntarily?" was a question asked 'by General Richardson in the Early Settlers' Hall on the 27th, and greeted with a loud outburst of laughter. The King's Admiralty Medal, awarded to Charles Giidden, a member of the Aurora expedition to the Antarctic," was formally presented to him by tho Hon. T. M. Wilford at tho offices of the Federated Seamen's Union at Auckland. Mr Wilford stated that he would say no more than quote the words of the official records, which stated:—"Now began a fight with death, which called forth qualities o£ self-denial, endurance and comradeship worthy of the highest traditions of Polar service." For those attributes possessed by Giidden he had received this high honour.

Tho Executive Committee of the New Zealand Counties' Association has decided to convene a conference of the county councils at a dato during next Parliamentary session.

A Press Association message from Auckland states that tho Provincial Conference of the Farmers' Union decided on tho 27th that the incoming executive be instructed to draw up a political platform to be submitted to branches for approval, with a view to having it placed before candidates at the next election.

Mr E. S. Green,' agricultural instructor to the Otago Education Board, has submitted his report and the results of the schools' 6wede and mangel-growing competitions conducted under tho auspices of tho Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Society during tho past season. The competition was not as keenly contested as formerly, this being due in a large measure to the early closing of schools on account of the influenza epidemic and also to the unfavourable season. A number of plots were prepared for tho competitions, but the results, owing to the above conditions, precluded their entrance. Tho following are the prize-winners:— Mangels: Benhar 1 and 2, Lowburn 3. Swedes:. Benhar 1. •A New Zealand firm has received from Scotland the following letter, stating that the action of the dockers there may have the effect of lessening the export of Scotch whisky to the dominion: —"We beg to advise you that export of whisky is meantime suspended indefinitely, owing to the attitude adopted by the dockers at Glasgow and Liverpool. Apparently they have tho feeling that no liquor should be sent out of the country when the Government is allowing so little out of bond for consumption by the Home public. This impossible state of matters cannot, of course, continue, and we are just afraid that the Government will be forced to release more whisky and other liquors from bond to appease the publio clamour. Consequently, if this happens then the quantity of liquor available tor export will be correspondingly curtailed."

On Thursday a Daily Times reporter was shown some cases of apples condemned by the local Government inspectors, for black spot in most cases, and for scale in others. The "fruit could certainly not bo said to bo either "only slightly affected" or "of really choice quality," as a correspondent on the subject recently averred. Apart from the fact that most of tho apples were covered with black spot—which, of course, meant that the affected fruit must be con,-

demned according to the law —there was nothing about their general appearance to tempt any sensible housewife to buy them. Sac re were, of course, some apples quite

fit for eating, but the average sample of the condemned fruit was poor stuff —old, wrinkled, and in some instances half rotten. In private orchards they would probably

bo left to rot on the -ground. The last month's tally of condemned cases was 173 (apples and pears), but this month the score Will probably not be over 80. ' Either figure is a very small fraction of the number of cases put through in a month. There is, by the way, no use in packing apples covered with black spot in soft paper. The apples aro still condemned and the paper only helps to carry out the sentence. Further, when a layer of apples affected with black spot is hidden between two layers of good fruit, it is not the inspectors who "fall in." The deceitful owner loses the lot.

Mr J. H. Thorp, at present acting as Orchard Instructor for Otago, gave a pruning demonstration at Birchdale Orchard on Saturday, 24th (says our Roxburgh correspondent). There was a large attendance of growers, who evinced the greatest interest .in the demonstration. At its conclusion a hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr Thorp. In the evening he attended a meeting of the Teviot Fruit-growers' Association, and gave a short address on "Spraying." Black spot, peach curl, and woolly aphis were the diseases to which his address was chiefly applied, and he gave the result of experiments he had made in the application of different remedies for tiro control of these pests. The meeting passed a heai'ty vote of thanks to Mr Thorp, and invited him to address members at some future date.

A railway cadet, aged 17 years, employed at Ongarue, pleaded guilty on the 22nd, before Mr E. Burton, S.M., to supplying a Native with whisky, Accused asked a fellow railway official to order five bottles of whisky for him. The arrival of a parcel of liquor was.-noticed by a Maori, who followed accused to Iris hut and asked him to sell him a bottle for £l. Accused did this, and later, sold two more bottles to the Native. He was convicted and fined £lO and costs, on one of three charges, and convicted without penalty on the remaining two charges. The railway official who ordered the liquor pleaded guilty. He was convicted and fined £lO and costs. Both parties were first offenders, and not, as the magistrate remarked, case-hardened "droppers." A silver cross for bravery was presented at a gathering of Scouts in Wellington, to the Rev. G. W. Bent, scoutmaster of the Brooklyn troop, for his gallant attempt to save tho life of one of the* Eltham Boy Scouts, while bathing in Opunako Bay on January 1. 1917. Mr G-. A. Lamb, secretary of the South Island Dairy Association, reports that the Suffolk will take 7000 crates of cheese from Dunedin, and the Pakeha 20,000. crates of cheese from Bluff.

A brief sitting of tho Maori Land Court was hold on Wednesday morning. Judge R. N. Jones presided. The applications were probably all in connection with mortgages which Natives proposed to give over properties. In evei-y case the decision was to recommend tho application for the favourable consideration of tho Governor-in-Council.

"A hiding-place for criminals" was the description given by Or Sincock at the meeting of the City Council on the 28th of a locality on tho Town Belt in tho Belleknowe3 district. He stated .that this neighbourhood was covered with an overgrowth of gorso and broom, and he went on to give several instances of interference with pedestrians. The position was rapidly becoming an acute one, added the speaker, and steps should be taken at once to remedy the matter.

Rifleman John Henry Smythe, of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade, passed away at tho Duncdin Hospital at an early hour on the 28th ult. He was a single man, 48 years of age, and had been under treatment for the last few months for tho after-effects of gas poisoning. His remains were accorded a military funeral.

Cr Taverner, in moving the adoption of, the Finance Committee'a''report at the meeting of the City Council last week, gave a slight indication of the report which would be brought down by the committee respecting the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board levy. He stated that the committee would probably recommend the revision of the whole administrative control of the Hospital Board, both financial and otherwise.

Many exciting incidents occurred in the j life of Captain James Alexander, who died j recently in Auckland. On one occasion, ho was sailing Home on the Waimate as chief j officer, and a cabin boy, when the ship was off Rio cle Janeiro, entered a room | under the poop in which signal rockets and | other explosives were stored. Nothing is j known of what happened in the room, but the stern of the ship was blown away, and the boy was not seen again. The captain, who was in his bunk, was blown through J

a bulk-head,, and, although badly injured, recovered. Still grasping one of the spokes of the wheel in his hand, the quartermaster was picked up, and Captain who was, a moment before the explosion, standing' by him, escaped death only by being called forward. The ship was worked into Rio, and later proceeded Home in command of Captain Alexander. Consequent upon the decreasing supply of milk, which has fallen off considerably as a result of the recent floods, the Paretai cheese factory will close its season to-mor-row. Feed for dairy herds is now very scarce on the farms in the South Molyneux district subject to floods in the river. . The policy of shipping- companies in making Wellington the only port of call in New Zealand is still causing loss and inconvenience to merchants. A Press Association telegram states, that the Moana arrived at Wellington from Slan Francisco at 4.50 p.m. on Thursday, and as she was a "clean" ship she was berthed three hours later. .Sir James Allen stated last week (says a Press Association message from Wellington) that though he had no definite information on the pomt he believed that Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward would be back in the dominion towards the end of July About 12 soldiers for treatfneni at the Jaw Hospital arrived by the express from the north last week. Further cases for the hospital are expected to-night, the men having been detained in Wellington by the dislocation of the ferry service.

A Press Association telegram from Wellington states that the Cabinet reached a decision on Thursday on the question of the veto exercised by the Minister of Railways against the Appeal Board's finding and the request of the locomotive men to be enabled to negotiate with the department under the chairmanship of an outside conciliator. The decisions will not be communicated to the press until they have been sent to the representatives of the men's societies.

A particularly mean action was perpetrated by some unknown person with a perverted sense of humour at the expense of • a resident of Mosgiel (Mr Finlay) on Wednesday evening. Mr Finlay and a friend had motored to town from Mosgiel, and while having tea at the Savoy, a car belonging to the former —a five-seatei - , six cylinder Buick —was removed from where it had been left in front of the building. The car was found shortly after 9 o'clock against a tramway pole at tha corner of George and Frederick streets with the axle and a front wheel broken, besides a considerable amount of damage in other respects. A man was seen to leave the car after it had collided with the pole, but it was thought at the time that he was going for assistance.

A Press Association message from Wellington states that tho local market is reported to be well supplied with corrugated iron, and prices show a downward tendency. The present price is in the vicinity of £55 per ton—a drop of nearly 50 per cent, within seven or eight months. The wire market is rather uncertain, but the fall in price is stated to be more marked than that in corrugated iron. The situation of the Westport-Stockton Company's colliery is quite different from the current idea of a coal mining township. Most of tho employees live in a township on a plateau some hundreds of feet above sea level within easy walking distance cf typical bush scenery. They are conveyed to and from their work by an electric locomotive. There are no deep shafts to descend, but the coal is reached through tunnels in the hillside on an easy walking grade. The company has built a number of houses for the men, and is building more as opportunity offers from plans prepared by a town-planning expert. These houses are sold or rented to the employees on very easy terms- No reasonable effort is spared to make the living conditions as pleasant and convenient as possible. The company is considerably extending its plant, and no doubt will be able to absorb all returned men who are fit to undertake this class of work. A dramatic story was told at the resumed inquest in England recently on Audrey Gwendolyn Bushill, aged 23 years, who was alleged to have been shot by her husband, Allen Newsome BushiJl, an exlieutenant in the R.N.R., on Formby Sandhills. Mrs Stevenson, sister of the deceased, said that after the prisoner—who shot himself after he is alleged to have shot his wife —had been removed to her father's house, ho said: "Your father said I was a selfish fiend to shoot Audrej', but I would have been selfish to leave her behind. I was mad. If I went myself she could not

have faced the world alone." Ho also told, her he hod bought Audrey a most beautiful ring, and put it on her finger, and as they sat admiring it he shot her and then shot himself 1 . When they carne to, Audrey said: "Oh, darling, what have you done that for?" And he said: " Come and die in my arms." Audrey answered: "We are not going to die. lam going for help. You are not yourself." His wife then walked away, and was found' dead next morning. A verdict of wilful murder against prisoner was returned.

A Press Association telegram from Wellington states that an Order-in-Council authorises the issue of a license to the Opunake Town Board to use water from the Waiaua River for the purpose of generating electricity and erecting elcctrio lines within the Opuna.ke Town district and portion of the Egmont County.

Numerous complaints are being received by the' Defence Department regarding intoxicating liquor on troop trains, especially with regard to returning troops. Consequently the department has specially directed the attention of its officers Sto the War Regulations under which it was made an offence to bring intoxicating liquor on to a troop train, and to impress upon them the necessity for the enforcement of these regulations. The War Regulations make it an offence not only to have intoxicating liquor on a troop train, but also to supply liquor to any person being carried on a troop train. Crown Law Office advises that the expression "being carried on a troop train" must be read as applicable not only to those men who for the time being are actually on board the train, but also to men who during the course of their journey, may be at any time temporarily off the train. The term "troop train" defined in the regulations includes not only a train wholly reserved for purposes of the Defence Forces, but also a carriage on an ordinary train wholly or chiefly used by those forces. The greatest efforts are to bo made to secure convictions against civilians who supply liquor to troops on troop trains. The Defence Department is about to distribute a King's Certificate on Discharge to men of the Expeditionary Force who have been disabled in war service. About 30,000 New Zealanders are entitled to this document. The certificate is a large one, printed in two colours on heavy paper, and will make a handsome picture when framed. The design ii by the celebrated Punch artist, Mr Bernard Partridge, and .depicts Britan- * nia regarding a line of soldiers representative of the forces which -made up the army of Britain and the Empire. On columns at* the sides are the names of the countries "represented. The certificate sets out the name and the rank of the holder, followed by the sentence: —"Served with honour and was disabled in the, great war," the date of discharge and the lithographed signature of his Majesty the dying follow. Those soldiers jyho. were not disabled will, it is understood, receive a similar certificate differently worded, at a later date. Officers who were gazetted out of the forces through wounds or illness will receive the King's Certificate slightly different from that issued to the rank and file, and supplies will shortly arrive from the War Office.

When the licensing poll was being taken it was expected that many people would express their disapprovals of the way in which the issues were submitted to them by making their voting papers informal (states the Wellington Post). In some quarters there was tho expressed intention to cross out the words " with compensation"" as an indication that tho voters favoured prohibition without compensation. Theso expectations of a mass of informal votes do not appear to be borne out by the results. The informal votes now number about 4688, which on a total vote of 520,754 gives a percentage of just over .9. No return of informal voting on the 1914 licensing poll is available, but on the representation poll in that year informal votes were 5603 in a total of 521,525, which is a little more than 1 per cent.

A public meeting was held at Ashburton on the 27th to discuss the question of collecting funds to provide annuities lor incapacitated nurses, many of whom had returned from tho front broken in health. Mr Galbraith, the Mayor, presided. It was decided to hold a Hospital Saturday annually, and it was announced that the Ashburton Hospital Board had consented that the first year's collections should be devoted to that fund. The matron of the County Hospital addressed the meeting, mentioning many improvements which could bo introduced at tho hospital if funds were available. Sho was confident the necessary funds could be obtained to bring the hospital up to date. After' discussion June 26 was fixed for the day at Methven, and Juno 28 at Ashburton. It was resolved that Bed Cross branches, with chairmen of local bodies and members of school committees, should be asked to take up collecting in country districts. A ladies' meeting was subsequently held, when a strong central committee was formed, with Miss Manders, matron of the County Hospital, as convener. Whether" people can really "divine" the presence of water underground has been the subject of some controversy. The agitation on tho subject has now reached Gisborne, and the Gisborne Times prints a letter from George .Smith, a water diviner, containing a challenge to the Hon. G. M. Thomson, M.L.0., who holds that waterdivining is all moonshine. The challenge is for £SO a side, and Mr Smith proposes the following conditions for a test:—"l will select a suitable piece of laud, which can be ploughed, if need be, and threo pipes, buried, or not less than one inch in diameter, reticulated in three separate directions from a supply tank in tho centre of the land. The pipes must have no blockade to stop the water running from the termini—a hole in. the ground will be sufficient to receive the water, or a buried vessel of some sort. Mr Thomson can turn on the water from one of three taps concealed in a box; near the tank, while I am standing at any part of the locality he desires mo to remain. He can turn on any

number of taps. I will undertake, at a signal from Mr Thomson, to walk around tho land at any distance from the tank, but over the concealed pipes, and indicate which contain running water. One pipe at least must contain running water, or the mythical heresy won't work." A Masterton soldier who was all through the Gallipoli campaign gave an illustration of the methods of the Hun even towards his allies. During the fighting at Gallipoli the soldier was on a vessel in the bay, and the Turks were shelling it. One shell burst above the steamer. In ordinary circumstances probably 30 or 40 men would have been killed. The shell, however, contained nothing but rubbish of a harmless character, including decomposed potato peels. Pieces of similar shells secured later from other Turkish artillerying efforts showed that the shell had been sold by Germany to Turkey some years before the war

It has been represented to the Masterton Age that one of the men whose names appeared in the military defaulters' list as having boon deprived of his civil rights enlisted from Featherston with tho 9th Reinforcements, and was killed in action at the Sbmme in October, 1916. The name, occupation, and address of the soldier who made the supremo sacrifice are identical with those given in the list of alleged defaulters. It seems pretty certain, therefore, that a glaring and serious bungle has been made by somebody. The next-of-kin of the soldier are naturally grieved to think that so regrettable an error should have been made. A Press Association message from Invercargill states that it is learned from an authoritative source that Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward will leave London on June 14, and leave Vancouver on July 3. A Press Association telegram from Wol lingion' states that a summary is to be forwarded phortly of the peace terms offered to Austria. This will be franked by cable and on the New Zealand lines, but it cannot be published till it is released. A large and enthusiastic public meeting in Invercargill last week decided to inaugurate a campaign, to raise money by subscription for the establishment of a children'3 creche. It is intended that the creche shali be used to house children whose mothers are working during the day or for families that are not manageable with ease because of their size. The condition of part of the road between Port Chalmers and Dunedin was brought before the Waikouaiti County Council on Friday by Cr Laley, who said that the road had got into a very bad state largely through the traffic caused by troopships in Port Chalmevs. He had counted as many as 50 cars go by in a couple of hours when a troopship was in. Part of this road was through the county. He thought the Port Chalmers Borough Council might contribute towards the cost of improving it and assist tho Waikouaiti Council to get a Government grant. On his motion it was decided to ask the Port Chalmers Council to receive a deputation with reference to the Dunedin-Port Chalmers road and to appoint Crs Laley and M'Lachlan'to represent the Waikouaiti Council.

The last vestiges of what was known as the marino parade at St. Clair —as distinct from the Esplanade—have been crumbling rapidly away this week under stress of the southerly gale. The frontage to the Surf Bathing Club's pavilion is in ruins, and the steps havo now disappeared. The erosion may or may not stop here. In any case measures with a view to stabilising tho remnants of tho road at this point and to rendering tho beach accessible are obviously necessary. The marine parade project was ill-starred from tho beginning. It was inaugurated shortly after the commencement of the war with a view to providing relief work for unemployed, and to satisfy tho enthusiasm of those whose imagination pictured the glory that was to be in a spacious drive for motor and other admiring traffic along the ocean front. The scheme adopted was unfortunate. In consequence no motor car ever negotiated tho route. Before it could be safely declared open for traffio tho sea had demonstrated the folly and rashness of the undertaking. Various attempts have been made to save the embankment from utter destruction, but all havo been futile. Tho spectaclo that remains—the melancholy comparison between the position before and after injudicious interforenco with Nature —provides no doubt a valuable object lesson. But unfortunately it has also been a costly one, nincc, apart from tho cost of interim protective efforts und that which may yet bo

entailed in rounding off the ruin, there was a large original expenditure on the project, including upwards of £3OOO subscribed directly by the public. The sixth annual dinner tendered by Messrs Spencer and Dunkley to their employees was held in the Strand Tea Rooms on Thursday night. Mr J. H. Spencer occupied the chair, and in the course of his renmrks referred to the cordial relationship which existed between the firm and its men. Several of the employees also testified to this happy state of affairs. The system of profit sharing inaugurated by the firm six years ago is still in force, and during the course of the proceedings a large number of the men "received with considerable satisfaction their share of the profit of the past year. Various toasts were, proposed, and musical and elocutionary items helped towards the enjoyment of a pleasant evening.

A Press Association telegram states that when Jack Peat, who was arrested in Wellington and charged with theft, appeared at the Magistrate's Court in Napier on Tuesday ho acted in a peculiar manner. A medical certificate which was put in said the accused wa-j pretending insanity, and had 6o done while waiting in gaol. He pleaded guilty, and was committed for sentence. He was removed to the gaol, and his condition became worse. He was taken to the hospital, where it was set down as _ a suspected case of cerebro-spinal meningitis. He died at noon yesterday. It is supposed that he died from cerebro-spinal meningitis, but the cause of death will not bo established until bacteriological examinations, which are now being made, are completed. An inquest will be held. Peat was a single man, who was employed at tho Hawke's Bay Club. . He had been in Napier only a few months. It is believed that he had no relatives in the dominion. Ho was preparing to leave the country when he was arrested in Wellington on a charge of stealing a revolver from the Hawke's Bay Club. It is understood that he was well connected at Home. The dearth of vacant houses is not peculiar to tho large centres. The Gisborne Times says an instance occurred only the other day in which an outgoing tenant who was not due to give up possession for three more weeks was offered £5 by an eager home-seeker if he would forgo his right to occupy the house for the remainder of the term. In many oases those afflicted with the house-hunger are buying a home, in the hope of escaping from their predicament. Where it is found that the wife of a soldier is the occupier the purchaser, however, not infrequently " falls in," for he cannot secure possession, under the -law as it now stands, unless the occupier, in such a case, is prepared to move out. The loss of the intended occupancy as well as the locking up of the usually heavy deposit on the property is, in such an instance, a double misfortune.

About a fortnight ago the stokers in the Nelson municipal gasworks went on strike because of a difference regarding the payment of. sick pay, but returned to duty on an assurance being given that the City Council would promptly deal with the matter. At last week's meeting of the council new conditions were adopted. It was also agreed that the sick pay claimed by two of the stokers be paid; and that a new bathhouse bo erected, and another bath be installed. Councillor Watson hoped that now an amicable settlement had been reached, the stokers would in future, if they had a grievance, come to the council, and not do as they did on Ihe previous occasion, when they put the public to great inconvenience, and the quality of the gas had deteriorated. A new clause was added to the conditions that the stokers must be punctual, and that those on duty must remain on duty till the relieving stokers camo on. A clause was also inserted as to the holidays of the relieving stoker. Complaint has been made to the police concerning a practice so stupid and purposeless that it is hard to believe any sane person bo guilty of it. The peculiar of MSSiir which led to the frequent calling out of the Fire Brigade by false alarms until a fatal accident alarmed the perpetrators of the " joke," has now, it would seem, found a new outlet for practice on the motor ambulance, which was called out in the same way by telephone three times last week. One call came from Outram to an alleged motor accident of which no trace could bo found when the ambulance arrived, and tho same experience occurred again on Saturday when the ambulance answered a call from Warrington in the afternoon. At 8 p.m. a telephone call was received from tho Mosgiel Hospital for tho

ambulance to convey a fever patient to Dunedin, but when it arrived it was found that there was no case of fever in the institution, and, further, that no one there had telephoned to Dunedin. The following statement (says a Press Association telegram from Wellington) has been mado by Sir James Allen:—"My attention has been called to a newspaper report that Messrs C J. Parr and Vernon Reed have been to Napier choosing a candidate for. the next election. No authority for any such action has been given by Mr Massey, or by me, as acting leader of the Reform Party in Mr Massey's absence. The compact entered into when the National Government was formed is still in existence, and will be maintained in its entirety so far as the Reform Party is concerned until an announcement is made by their leader after the return of Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward.

The vital statistics supplied by the local registrar (Mr H. Maxwell) show that during last month there were 145 births in the Dunedin district, as compared with 131 registered in May, 1918. The deaths decreased from 89 in May, 1918, to 78 last month, and the marriages increased from 38 to 46 in the same period. It is surely a healthy sign that the marriages recorded here for the first five months of the year are 51 in excess of the number recorded in the corresponding period of last year. The superintendent of workers' dwellings informed a Dominion representative that his department had received practically no applications from miners to have homes erected. It appears that the question of housing the miners is complicated by the fact that - mining townships have no prospect of existing beyond the lifetime of the mine. Private speculators are therefore chary of building for miners, and the miners are probably averse from committing themselves to the purchase of houses that they may not be able to occupy for long. The Workers' Dwellings Board has under consideration a scheme for the erection of temporary dwellings for country workers. The houses, is is proposed, shall be bolted, not railed, and shall be removable in sections from place to place. Possibly the scheme might b 8 adapted to meet the requirements of the mining settlements.

At the closo of tho communion service at St. Andrew's Church on Sunday morning Dr Rutherford Waddell made a, brief announcement foreshadowing his early retirement from the pastorate which he has .filled with such rare distinction and acceptance for over 40 years. He told his congregation that that was the last communion service in which he would officiate as their minister. Most of them already knew that he intended asking the Presbytery at its meeting on Tuesday to accept his resignation of the congregation. He need not tell them the reasons that had led him to do this. Another opportunity would be offered for that. Ho would only just say that he had felt for some time past that the interests of the congregation required_ a younger and stronger man to undertake it. So he had come to the conclusion that in their interests as well as his own the wisest and right thing to do was to make way for someone who could carry out the work with greater strength and with greater vigour than he had been able to give to it for some months past. The announcement was received with very keen regret, though most of the congregation were _ already aware that this stop was under consideration by Dr Waddell. Three elders—Messrs John Mackay, Richard Jack, and J. B. Sewell—were ordained and inducted at Knox Church on Sunday. A fourth, Mr Thomas Fleming, late of Wellington, was inducted into tho eldership here. Tho Rev. R. E. Davies preached from 2 Timothy ii, 21, on "A Vessel of Honour," and delivered the chargo to the-newly-inducted elders. At tho evening service Dr Edward Kirk gave an inspiring missionary address to a large congregation. Dr Kirk is a missionary for the New Zealand Presbyterian Church on the Canton Villages Mission staff, which he feft to go on active service at the request of the Imperial authorities. He had two years' service in France as medical officer to the 9th Gordons, and was then invalided to England, where ho served for another year. He is now on furlough, and expects to leave New Zealand in August to resume his work as a medical missionary. The Government has called the attention of selling brokers to tho fact that ferret skins are not allowed to be sold unless special permission is first obtained. Section 26 of the Rabbit Nuisance Act, 1908, and section 3 of the Rabbit Nuisance Amend-

ment Act, 1918, make it illegal for any person to capture, sell, dispose of, or kill any animal declared to bo the natural enemy of the rabbit, except by a permit signed by an inspector. Trappers should therefore exercise caro in their operations to avoid as far as possible any unnecessary destruction of ferrets, etc.

The question of making provision for instruction in agricultural subjects for boys from the age of 15 until they are old enough to be admitted to tho Lincoln Agricultural College is occupying tho attention of the Technical College Board of Governors (says the-Lyttelton Times). Mr W. Jones stated at a meeting of the School Committees' Association that the board hoped, with the assistance of the Government, to obtain a farm of from 80 to 120 acres, on which tho boys could receive instruction. The chief difficulty appeared to bo to find a suitable piece of land, and members of the board had been four months looking around without finding any place which would meet their requirements. Mr Jones said that the idea of tho board was to train the boys at the farm until they were old enough to go on stations as cadets or take a higher course of agriculture. At present Lincoln College was overtaxed, and, besides, it did not admit students under 19 years of age, which meant that the boys had to wait a long time before they could make a beginning. The British Consul at Ekaterinburg has sent to the authorities in England details of an inquiry by the Siberian authorities into the Bolshevist atrocities in the Perm districts. The number of victims killed, it is stated, runs into several thousands, most of whom were shot, but some were, drowned or killed by the sword. The murders were usually preceded by tortures and acts of cruelty, and the victims frequently were made to dig their own graves. The Bolshevists vented violent hatred on the Church and clergy; 46 priests out of 300 in the Perm diocese were killed, and the monasteries at Bielogrod and Bielogorsk were piilaged. One of the worst cases was that of a girl, 19 years old, who in December, 1918, was accused of espionage, and was tortured by being slowly pierced 13 times in the samo wound by a bayonet. She was afterwards found by peasants still alive, and has sworn, an affidavit to these details. Sixty-six children were taken as' hostages and mowed down by machine guns at Ekaterinburg in the beginning of July. Progress in connection with the recentlystarted " good roads" agitation was reported at last week's meeting of tho Palmerston North Chamber of Commence. Tho secretary (Mr W. M'Kenzie) reported that 136 replies had been received in response to the chamber's circular, soliciting support in approaching the Government in tho matter and suggesting some measure of State control. In all, 89 local bodies had endorsed the recommendation, while tho remaining 47 had either received it or deferred the matter for further consideration. A number of the replies coming within the lastnamed category had stated that the matter was being referred to tho Counties Association. If was resolved to send a remit to the conference of Chambers of Commerce convened bv the Wellington Central Chamber, and to draft a remit to the Counties Conference, embodying the gist of the replies received from local bodies.

The Arbitration Court figured in the discussion at a lecture given in Wanganui by Professor Seager, of Auckland. He expressed the opinion that the court had not had a fair test yet. It was' instituted in a period of rising prices, where wages would have "one U P> Dl,t Probably not so far as by the action of the court. An appeal would be made to the court just about the time another rise was due, and it was able to grant it A fair test would be in a period of falling prices, when appeals would be made by the emnloyers, who would demand reduction of wages in order to keep their businesses going. Many workers confused money wages as the real wages, whereas the real wages was its purchasing power. A charge of attempting to pick a man's pocket at the Frankton railway station on May 17, was preferred against John A. Prior, in the Hamilton Police Court, before Mr H. A. Young, S.M., last week. Evidence was given to the effect that the accused made the acquaintance of Robert H. Foley while travelling on the train from Rotorua to Frankton. On arrival at tho latter place Foley bought the accused a meal. They wero unable to find accommodation, and so decided to await the early morning train in the Frankton waiting room. Foley laid himself on the floor, and wishing to rid himself of the accused protended to be asleep. After a while the

iiccused asked -Foley if he were asleep, and Foley, still feigning sleep, made no reply. Foley stated that the accused then put his hand into his pocket. Foley seized him by the wrist and held him until the police wore summoned. Accused pleaded not guilty, reserved his defence, and was committed for trial at the Supremo Court. Regarding the housing of tho railway employees, a contribution to the Railway Officers' Advocate from the Paimerston North branch is as follows: —"This branch is also experiencing the difficulty of housing, and the only way to secure a homo is to buy one. We are hoping that, the department will seo its way to erect homes for its servants, and in this connection we would mention that meat companies, milk Companies, flax-millers, etc., provide up-to-dato concrete houses for their employees. The question naturally arises: Why not the Railway Department? Wooden houses are out of date, and some good samples are seen now of tho concrete interlacing block system and concrete tiles, all New Zealand made. Tho investment for the department would be a good one, and tend to security of tenure as well as satisfaction to employees (which nowadays is the main item), together with a sure rental revenue.

The publication of a " black list" of employers who fail to do their duty to retaining men was urged by tho Mayor of Wellington (Mr J. P. Luke) at a Farmers' Union dinner last week. They watched with keen interest, he said, tho work of tho Repatriation Board, and they knew haw much depended ' upon tho co-operation" cf the employers. "I say definitely that thorn should be a black list of those people who are shirking their responsibilities. Tho Repatriation Boards must call for the names of those men in New Zealand who are notdoing their duty to the boys who come back fit to fulfil their old positions. These employers must bo impeached on the floor of the House. The greatest claim to employment in the dominion is held by returned soldiers, and any man fit to revert to hia old position should havo the opportunity of doing so." The increase in "the number of private and sectarian primary schools is mentioned in the annual report of the Canterbury School Committees' Association. Tho report refers to the subject as being ono of great importance, and it had been under the consideration of tho association during the past year. Tho association considered that tho growth of such schools was a grave danger to the national system of education, and steps should be taken to check it. It considered that the only way to cope with the menace was to agitate until the Government effected such improvements in the State schools as would make them superior to all others. Then and only then would the private schools cease to be competitors. A letter from the Merchants'. Association of New York, read at a meeting of the Palmerston North Chamber of Commerce, stated that the United States Government was fast removing the temporary obstacles to international business which were necessary during the war. This action, together with the increasing number of vessels available for commercial cargoes, tho declining freight rates, the rapid abrogation of restrictions and needs which diverted raw materials from their normal and pre-war channels and uses, all forecasted a vigorous resumption of normal trade. Houses in the United States were anxious to purchase and sell merchandise abroad, and the falling of prices to a firm basis daily encouraged such business.