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Otago Witness, Issue 3413, 13 August 1919, Page 40

■ A Press. Association message from Wellington states that the Minister of Internal Affairs has received a cablegram from Lord Jellieeoe stating that he is leaving Sydney on August 16, and expects to arrive in Wellington on the 20th. The local Defence authorities have been advised that the troopship Ayrshire, with returning draft 282 on. board, left the United Kingdom on the sth inst. She has on board 31 officers and 640 other ranks, and is due at Lyttelton on September 10. An interesting ceremony took place at the Defence Headquarters on Monday, when a Military Medal was formally presented to Private A. E. Millis, of Timaru, the Officer Commanding the District, Colonel T. W. M'Donald, making the presentation. The medal was to have been presented by Sir James Allen (Minister of Defence) on the occasion of his last visit to Dunedin, but Private Millis was unable to be present. The recipient left New Zealand with the Sixth Reinforcements, and gained the distinction during the operations in and around Passchendaele. Some time ago the City Council decided to plant trees in various parts of the city and suburbs as a fitting memorial to soldiers who had fallen during the war, and a start was made with the work on Monday. Didder the direction of Mr D. Tannock, elms were planted alongside the football ground opposite the Botanic Gardens, poplars on the banks of the Loith at the foot of the Gardens Hiii, and red flowering chestnuts in Hoslyn, between the car terminus and the junction lower down the hill. Up to the present over 100 applicants have been received from relatives for trees, and about 30 trees were planted on Monday, relatives assisting in the work. The latter will also supply suitable memorial tablets. Several mothers of deceased soldiers were present during the planting operations, and took a keen interest in the work. Areas to be planted have also been selected at Opoho, Maori Hill, Momington, and Cavcrsham (the children's playground), and other areas have yet to be selected. A letter received by the head office of the Union Steam Ship Company from the manager at Samoa brought news of an island tragedy, which resulted in the death of four Europeans and 20 natives. The manager reports that the motor launch Lolina left Apia on Saturday, July 26, for the island of Savaii, 20 miles distant. When weU out at sea the launch turned turtle. Only two natives succeeded in reaching the shore after being 26 hours in the water. Dr Grovell and his two children, and a Mr Ellerby, who was a olerk to the Administrator at Savaii, were drowned, along with 20 natives. An agreement has been reached between the felt 'nt makers of Otago and Southland and the Felt Hatters' Union of Workers. The. hour? of work are reduced from -:i' to 46i, and a minimum wage of

£4- per week (holidays included) is provided for journeymen in lieu of Is 6d per hour and time for holidays lost. The rate for overtime, instead of timo nnd a quarter for the first two hours and time and a-half afterwards will be time and a half and double time respectively, with double time for Sundays and prescribed holidays. Apprentices' wages range from 15s to 455, instead of 12s to 35s as formerly. The proportion of apprentices allowed under the new agreement is one for each factory and one additional for each two journeymen. The usual holiday clause is inserted, and in addition to the statutory holidays the employees will not be required to \vork from Christmas day to January 2 (both days inclusive), or such days as a factory may require to shut down for the annual boiler inspection (usually one and a-half clays). . On Saturday afternoon Messrs J. M. Dickson, T. K. Sidey, and C E. Statham, M.P.'s, accompanied by Mr R. T. Sadd (Commissioner of Crown Lands), visited Mosgiel to inspect the land held by the Presbyterian Church Board of Property, which it is proposed should be cut up and made available for returned soldiers. The visitors were met by Dr Spedding (president of the Taieri Returned Soldiers' Association) and Mr T. Miller, who expressed their pleasure at tho visit eaid appreciation of what was being done for soldiers by the Commissioner of Crown Lands. Mr Dickson explained that he was anxious that his fellow members and Mr Sadd should meet members of the Returned Soldiers' Association on the spot and thoroughly understand the position, so that if necessary they could back him up in taking the necessary steps to 'acquire the land. Messrs Slidey and Statham, who were very favourably impressed with the possibilities of tho property, also spoke briefly Mr Sadd thanked the representatives of the association for their references to his work, and explained the help that was given to returned soldiers by the Land Board by the postponement of rent without interest charge, and even by the remission of rent altogether in cases of hardship. The property inspected extends over 153 acres, part of which is divided mto about 30 quarter-acre sections on the road line, and the remainder let for grazing and farming. Jt is situated right in Mosgiel, and the Outram railway line runs through the middle of it. It was at first anticipated that the new consumptive sanatorium at Wakari would be completed about the end of the year, but the contractors (Messrs Wood and M'Cormack) are, like many others, being seriously hampered by the present railway restrictions. They can get neither sand nor lime by rail now, and they estimate that the delay involved will extend to at least three months, so that the contract will probably not be completed till March. They have to consider the question of using of substitute materials, and also the employment of motor and dray transport in place of the railway service. The question of union with other churches was considered by the Clutha Presbytery at a meeting at Milton last week. The Rev. E. Bandy, in the unavoidable absence of Rev. P. C. Durward, reported on behalf of the committee in charge of the matter, and submitted certain recommendations as to the best way *o secure a larger vote in the congregations within the bounds.— Mr Clarke moved: "That in the event of the different churches' arriving at a satisfactory basis of union, this Presbytery approves of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand uniting with the Methodist and Congregational Churches." Mr Edwards seconded the motion, which was carried with only one dissentient. It was agreed to instruct the committee to issue voting papers on the question of the Presbyterian Church uniting with the Methodist and Congregational Churches, provided a satisfactory basis be reached, and to ask ministers to explain ihe position to their congregations. A Press Association telegram from Wellington states that officers commanding military hospitals have been authoried by Defence Headquarters to withhold the privilege leave usually granted to undischarged soldiers on demobilisation in cases where the conduct of the men in hospital has been unsatisfactory. A Press Association message from Wellington states that the Pensions Board had a difficulty until recently in dealing with_ soldiers suffering from tvberculosis, especially in cases in wheh the sickness became apparent some time after the soldier's return to this country. Sir Ja-nes Allen said yesterday that the board had more recent medical evidence which enabled it to connect tubercular disease with war service. Members of the board had recognised from the beginning that sufferers from tubercular disease wore under a gi-eat hardship, but they felt thai the law would not allow them to give relief. A number of cases had been reviewed already with advantage to the soldiers concerned. The dangerous erosion of the beach between St. Clair and St. Kilda was mentioned by Cr Dove at a meeting of the St. Kilda Borough Council on the 11th. Cr Dove remarked that, as far as he knew, the Government had done nothing in connection with the recent scouring beyond sending an engineer to make a report. Some of the ground between Moreau street and the Children's Playground had been e-iten away, and the sea was now coming dangerously near some of the people's homes. He thought it was the Mayor's r'ufv to call a public meeting of protest against tho action of the Government in flatly declining any assistance. He would have suggested that course before, but thousrht it best to wait, knowing that a report was being prepared. Now that the report was to hand and no relief was to be obtained, he thought it was certainly their duty to make a public protest. The Mnyor explained the steps that, had been taken to get the Minister of Public Works to view tin damage during his visit to Dunedin, when he authorised the engineer to report on the problem. Knowing this. he (the Mayor) had sent a telegram to see what had been decided upon, tho reply to which they would have .seen in the newspapers. The matter was -not going to remain there,, however. The local M.P.'s

had it in hand, but if they were not successful it would be necessary to do as had been suggested. Cr Dove replied that he thought it would assist the members to have an expression of public opinion at their back, and the Mayor then stated that a meeting would be called before the members left for Wellington. He had intended to do so, he said, but meant to get the assistance of the City Mayor and the chairman of tho Domain Board It was more thana local matter. A very fine display of the Aurora Australia was discernible in the southern sky on Monday evening shortly before 8 o'clock. A special feature of this show of "southern lights" was a half-arch of vivid green, from which strong red rayß radiated. The display lasted for some time. A serious mishap occurred in the New Zealand Coal and Oil Company's No. 2 mine at Kaitangata, on Saturday, which will result in that mine being closed for some weeks, if not for a much longer period. It seems that a rake of boxes loaded with coal fouled the "rings" (half-hooped railway trucks) supporting the steel plates and sand, at the seat of a long-established fire, which had been stopped as indicated. Two rings were dislodged, allowing air to reach the smouldering fire, and instantly the place was a mass of flame. Fortunately it was pay •Saturday, and the mine was practically idle, with no men beyond the seat of the outbreak. One horse and the rake of trucks were burnt. Some winches have been taken out of the mine, but it is fairly certain that the dip will have to be stopped at the main drive to get the fire tinder control by excluding air. This will reuder the No. 2 mino unworkable indefinitely. In connection with the case before the Southland Land Board in which Mr T.S. Dwyer, a returned soldier, was refused an advance to secure a property which was thought by the board' to be over-valued, the father of the applicant has written an explanatory letter to the press. It is quite untrue, the letter sets out, that the soldier was victimised, as might be thought from the newspaper account. The letter proceeded as follows: —"My son decided to purchase the property in question on my recommendation. Satisfactory financial arrangements were made quite apart from the Land Board, and the transaction was completed and the transfer recorded in tho ordinary way. My son then found that he needed some financial assistance to stock the place. He made an application for Government assistance to purchase stock, and this application the board has refused because, apparently, it wishes security on the land in addition to the security of the stock. It may bo that the board officials do not consider the land worth the money paid for it. That, of course, is a matter of opinion, but I wish to make it clear that I have every, confidence in the judgment of Mr Oughton, with whom we inspected the property." Mr Oughton was the land agent who put the deal through. Great consternation prevailed at Wanganui East recently, when it was discovered that four little children, all under school age, were missing. The frantic parents enlisted the aid of the police, while Boy Scouts and residents joined in the search. After some time had been spent in searching every conceivable nook and corner, the young adventurers were found about 3£ miles along the River Bank road. They expressed the intention of making for Auckland, and one had taken his little wooden horse to assist them on the way. When found one child was footsore and lame, two were crying and wanted something to eat, while the fourth, although less demonstrative, looked greatly pleased when lifted into a motor car, at the prospect of a ride home. The paragraph about "'New Zealand's youngest soldier " brought to light the splendid record of another " mere boy" who "served with our forces abroad. A Nelson resident called at the Dominion office and gave the following particulars: —A Nelson lad of 16 years and nine months enlisted with the Main Body, and returned a few months ago after four years' service. He joined as a private, and he came back as a lieutenant, wearing two decorations —the D.C.M. and the Military Medal. Before he became a soldier he was employed in a land agent's office at Nelson; now he coiisiders that he ought to improve his education by returning to school. He will therefore become a sinldent at Nelso.i College, beginning in one of the lower forms. A German internee died recently at the Holdsworthy Camp, New South Wales. Following precedent, an inventory was taken of his effects witb a. view of forwarding them later to his next-of-kin. Two of the A.M.C. ticked them off. "A razor," said one. And so it went on, articles of little or no value being enumerated. *' A bar of soap," was called. "That's no good to sell or keep," said the other, and it was cast aside. An A.S.C. man picked it up. He added it to his scrubbing- kit. He was nibbing a floor with it industriously next day, when he found he had struck a gold mine. The £.oap had concealed mit 25 sovereigns. The rext : of-kin will get them.