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Otago Witness, Issue 3414, 20 August 1919, Page 40

The cut in the railway service and tho consequently slower and curtailed postal service has proved very inconvenient to many readers and subscribers of the Otago Witness a,t a distance. After long- and careful consideration it has been decided to change the day of publication from Wednesday to Friday commencing with the next issue, with the object of reducing the inconvenience as much as possible. As a result of the alteration subscribers in Otago, tho pTeater portion of Southland, ard South Canterbury should receive their papers on Friday evening or Saturday morning, whilo the present delay should be materially reduced in the case of subscribers on the West Coast and in the North Island. Thft Tainui, bringing draft No. 283 of returning New Zealand troops, is due at Wellington on September 21, and the Corinthic, with draft 284, is due there the following day.

The Mayor of St. Kilda (Mr A. D. Edgar) received a telegram from Mr T. K. Sidey, M.P., on the 18th from Wellington stating that the Minister of Publio Works hai*P promised that, without incurring any responsibility, ho would supply Mr Sidey with the department's opinion regarding what should be done to prevent further erosion by the sea at St. Clair, and the approximate cost. A Press Association telegram from Wellington states that the cost of the military occupation of Samoa to March -31 has been £405,774. The biggest item of expenditure was pay and allowances to troops (£205,193). A Press Association message states -that the Wellington Industrial Association considered tho shortage of labour on the 18th, and decided to advocatfe a general immigration scheme in order to relieve the situation. The wet weather interfered, with the attendance at tho adjourned annual meeting of the Taieri Agricultural Society on Monday, .and a further adjournment was necessary. An unknown man, acting apparently with deliberation, threw himself under a moving tramcar in Christchurch about midday on Monday (says a Press Association telegram). Prompt action by the motorman brought up the car, but not before the man had been dragged some distance. He was taken to the hospital. The extent of his injuries is not yet known. Mr Dyke, the Government inspector, ordered the destruction of 34 401 b cases of apples on Monday, on account of a quantity of them being affected with black spot. In company with Mr Dyke and Mr E. O. Reilly one of our reporters exanuned the condemned fruit at Mr Roilly'a store. In one case of first quality fruit it was found that 32 apples were clean and that 41 were badly affected with black spot. The whole case, however, has to be destroyed. The same result was found on examining other cases —there was a proportion of clean apples and a proportion affected with the spot. If, however, even the worst affected apples are peeled they are found to be quite suitable for cooking or eating. Where bitter pit affects the fruit th© "pit" works right through the apple, but it is stated that the law regarding the condemnation of "bitter pit" apples is not nearly so rigorous as in the case of " black spot " apples. Th© apples now condemned Were all grown in an orchard at the Taieri. Besides losing the return of the sale of his apples—eay 3d per lb wholesale—the Taieri grower will havo to pay the actual cost of their destruction. Mr Reilly states that the fruit growers were responsible for the regulations under the Act governing black spot, being under the impression that it could be eradicated. Mr Reilly asserts that it is impossible to get black spot out of the country,, and that it is a spore which finds a home on many other trees besides applee, but that by judicious spraying it can be kept under control. He considers that some amendment should be made in the Act to enable the unaffected fruit at least to be sold.

About 280 applications have been received from territorial officers in the dominion for the 60 odd vacancies to be filled on the Permanent Defence Staff. Tho applicants are to go into camp on October 1 to undergo a three months' course. Examinations will Ibe held during the period, and those officers who show the most efficiency, etc., will be selected to fill the vacancies. No information has yet been received by the local Defence Office as to the rates of pay to be given. It is understood that 'a number of the candidates are now withdrawing the applications, more particulary those who have not had experience of active service, as they naturally conclude that they will be seriously handicapped in competition with territorial officers who have that experience. Captain Duncan, of the Otago Harbour Board staff, left for Wellington on Monday morning. Mr E. L. Tapley (chairman of the board) is at present in Wellington, and Mr N. Galbraith (deputy chairman) left for the north on Saturday night. The three representatives from the board propose to wait as a deputation on the particular authorities for tho purpose of making another attempt to have PI. M.S. New Zealand brought to Port Chalmers. The lower harbour is authoritatively stated to be in a better condition as regards depth, etc., than it has ever previously been, and the board's official}- who are in a position to pass judgment say there is nothing to prevent the famous battleship from being berthed at Port Chalmers.

A Press Association telegram states that mine-sweepsrs Geranium, Mallow, and Marguerite arrived at Auckland from the northern minefields on Sunday. The Geranium and Mallow went from Wellington to the North Cape, and the Marguerite, which had been at Auckland for docking, joined them there. The vessels spent 10 days in thoroughly sweeping the minefields for any stray mines laid by the raider Wolf, but did not find any. This search ends the vessel's mine-sweeping work in New Zealand, and after a stay of about nine days at Auckland to give the. crews some liberty they will sail for Sydney, via Wellington. From Sydney, it is understood, they will go to sweep for mines off Gabo Island, and that will compLeto their work with their present crews. The vessels will then probably be handed over to the Australian Government, and the crews will be sent back to England. An exciting man hunt took place at Addington on Friday (says the Christchurch Press). At the end of the seventh race at the Metropolitan Trotting Club's meeting, a young fellow is alleged to hare walked up to a paying-out window of the totalisator and snatched £!2O in bank notes from the ledge. He is then stated to have dodged in among the crowd, and made full speed for the Show Grounds adjoining. Inside ttaa totalisator were Detective Abbott and Acting Detective Bickerdike. Thoy had, however, to traverse the full length of the building before reaching the egress

door. They saw their quarry making for tho Show Grounds fence, and in company with Mr M'Lenrian, of the totalisator staff, set out in hot pursuit, while behind thorn panted the crowd. Over tho high fence leapt the quarry with the agility of a practised hurdler, and following him in athletic manner came Acting Detective Bickerdike, with a few others in close attendance. Meanwhile Detective Abbott had run round to see that the suspect did not escape by the gates. _ For half an hour Acting Detective Bickerdike chased the man round tho Show Grounds, taking care that ho did not scale the fence and escape in that manner, and finally he ran him to earth, hiding among some manuka hurdles. The man 'was arrested. Earlier in the afternoon the two detectives arrested a man on the grounds upon a chargo of forging a totalisator ticket by altering its number. -residents of Owaka and surrounding districts " will be pleased to note that the survey of the Hina-Hina bridge is now being carried out. Although the erection of this bridge is going to be a big and expensive contract, the residents of tho district hope that the Government will commence the work at an early date, as it is, of great importance to the settlers. Furthermore, a block of Crown land, at present unoccupied, can then bo opened for selection. Mr C. Johnston, of the Public Works Department, is carrying out the necessary survey work. Something approaching a meat famine is probable during the next month or two (says the Nelson Mail). The present scarcity of fat stock is attributed to tho bare autumn, when on account of the lack of grass fanners had to draw on their winter supplies of feed, while in many other cases stock had to be sent to the freezing works long before their proper time. The next two months are likely to see a great scarcity of meat. The scarcity is also accentuated by the fact that fish is almost unprocurable. Although frozen meat is obtainable, butchers state that the publio do not take kindly to it, and are not inclined to pay for it a price which is about the same as that asked for the fresh article. The deprivations of hotel licenses in Victoria for the financial year of 1918-1919 have now practically been completed (says the Age). Since the beginning of this year 95 hotels have been deprived of licenses, mating a total of 223 deprived in the two and a-half years since „ the amended law. came into foroe." When the amendments were being considered'it was pointed out that in many districts the operation of the "statutory number" prevented the closing of many unnecessary hotels. Under the mew provisions the vote for "reduction " was deemed to have been carried in every district. In the two and a-half years hotels have been closed in 144 different licensing districts, and in 80 of these districts 140 hotels were closed which, under the old provisions, could not have been touched. The total number deprived of licenses to date is 1277. Farmers are often doubtful as to the saving to be effected by having good roads, and are unwilling to rate themselves to provide for .improvements to roads. Interesting evidence on the subject is given (says the Taranaki Herald) by tho experience of settlers at the White Cliffs, where a road was recently metalled by means of a special loan. As the result of the improvement in the road surface carting from the factory is now done at 5s per ton less than the old rate. The sum thus saved is enough to pay the special rates of all the suppliers and leave £5 over. Besides this gain the suppliers them selves had a good road instead of a bad one, and thus save much time and wear and tear to vehicles. A returned soldier, enamoured with the idea of getting on the land recently married, and took up a bush farm near Waimiha, in the King Country (states the Auckland Star) The young couple were willing to start life together in a threeroomed house, and to furnish it. They bought a modest amount of useful furni ture, and also bought a sufficient supply of stores to last them throughout the remainder of the winter. They were young and ardent, and wished to settle on their place at once; but, alas, for human hopes, the railway would not carry their furniture to the nearest railway station to their home. This, they thought, was an obstacle to be easily overcome, and a wagon was hired to take the stuff into the backblocks, but here, again, they were thwarted, for a big slip had taken place on the road leading on to their new homestead, and no efforts were being made to clear it away, for there were no means available to clear the obstruction, and again the railway blocked the way by not allowing men to travel who could have done the job. The young soldier farmer says there is not much fun in pioneering when there are so many difficulties to overcome. " But once I get in,'-' he says, with soldierly optimism, "I'll make things hum, and try to forget the initial difficulties." Miss Helen Keller, who won such a remarkable victory over the disability of being blind, deaf, and dumb that she was able to study and take a degree of Bachelor of Arts, has made a still more remarkable achievement. She has taught herself to speak. The manner in which she learned to speak, although deprived of the power of sight and hearing, is thus described by her teacher: "Day after day for years Helen has put her hand on my face, her fingers in my mouth, and felt my tongue, and imitated the position, and repeated them over and over, until she has approximated natural normal speech. She is understood by almost everybody after they get accustomed to her voice. It is monotonous; it must bo monotonous, because it has been learned in this mechanical way. But the last two years .we think it has improved a great deal." Miss Keller recently gave an eloquent address at a New Church Convention in Chicago. The Arbitration Court has sat in Dunedin during tho past few days under the presidency of Mr Justice Stringer. The business has for the most part consisted of applications for amendments of existing awards, and in all cases decision was reserved, and will be announced sb.ortly»