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Otago Witness, Issue 3414, 20 August 1919, Page 3

On inquiry at the head office of th& Kaitangata Company on the 12th it was ascertained that the outbreak of fire in the mine was not nearly so serious as had been thought. Tho fir 0 broke out in portion only of tho No. 2 mine—fortunately in old working's which were almost exhausted-. This part has now been sealed permanently* Last week the mine was working as usual) and the output of coal will not be affected, as the miners employed in the area which has now been closed have been placed ha other sections of the mine. Among the correspondence received lastl, week by the. Victoria Insurance Company was "a surprise* packet" contained in a, registered envelope in tho shape of £100) as conscience money. Colonel T. W. M'Donald (officer coin, manding the Otago Military District) visited the Dunedin Hospital on the 12th, and pre* sented a Military Medal to Sergeant M'Leod Irving, who is an inmate of the Alex* andra ward. Tho threepenny piece, which is so useful in the business transactions of tho community, has evidently received attention at tho hands of the counterfeiter, as some spurious coins of this denomination are irf circulation in Dunedin. One of them, which was shown to us last week, was ap* par entry mad© of aluminium, but it was arj excellent imitation' of the genuine article, and on a superficial examination would easily be passed as good. A letter from the secretary of the Otago Hydro-Electrio Power Committee asking a grant of £25 towards the cost of pro* liminary work was the cause of a lengthy discussion at a meeting of tho Dunedin Manufacturers' Association last week,' Some members were apparently very dubious as to the possibility of getting a com* prehensive Otago 6cheme in operation and finding purchasers for all tho available power. Mr J, Brown said he thought Waiporl could look after all tho needs of the city and surrounding district fo£ many years and asked why hot back tho City Council to the extent the new Power Committee asked, to see what }t could do in the matter T He said he did not bo-

lie-ve in the secondary scheme at all, and expressed the opinion that it was foredoomed to failure on account of the City Council's competition. Mr Somerville and Mr Neil made a strong plea in favour of the

scheme. Mr Neil lodked ahead to the time when electrified railways would be independent of precarious coal supplies. The future of industry, he said, lay in the electrical field, and there were great possi-

bilitios in New Zealand for the application of eleotrio power to th© chemical and other industries. Mr Somerviile criticised the City Council's policy as far as the installation of power was concerned, and said that in his opinion members had been talking too parochially. Apparently the association was not very conversant with the possibilities of the scheme. He thought that decision should be deferred, and that the Expansion League should be asked to supply fuller information. This course was adopted. The special troop train bringing home the Otago draft of the men who arrived in New Zealand by the Matafcua and the Ulimaroa steamed into the station five minutes ahead of time on the 12th. All the way from Ohristchurch the men were accorded hearty receptions at the wayside stations, and on reaching Dunedin they were warmly welcomed by a large crowd of relatives and friends, both on and_ off the platform. The Ulimaroa draft consisted of 149 men distributed as follows: —For north of Dunedin 23, Dunedin 42, south of Dunedin 84. The Matatua's draft consisted of 19 men—one for north of Dunedin, 10 for Dunedin, and eight for south of Dunedin. On arrival the men were met by Colonel T. W. M'Donald (officer commanding the district), Major Lampen, Captain Dyer and Lieutenant M'Carthy. The Mayor (Mr W. Begg) was also present. Members of the Women's Patriotic Association were in attendance and in conformity with their usual custom they handed each man a packet or two of cigarettes and a box of chocolates. The local men were conveyed to their homes in cars provided by the Otago Motor Club and the remainder were billeted for the night, pending their departure by the first trains next morning. The New York home of ex-Senator Clark, the Copper King, is undoubtedly the most remarkable house in the world. Covering something like 17,000 square feet of ground, the erection cost over £2,000,000. In the basement is a huge swimming bath lined with the finest Carrara glass, the floor being marble. The remainder of the basement is occupied by an electrical plant, which heats the house and supplies it with 10,000 electric lights. There are in addition 30 bathrooms —about one to every bedroom. The pictures, rugs, tapestries, and priceless art treasures are unrivalled; but what makes it unique among the many private palaces of American millionaires ,'s the solid bronze in the windows, doors, balustrades, and finishings. At the meeting of the Otago Motor Club last week the following resolution was carried unanimously:—"That this club notes with regret the attempt of a well-known motorist to establish a record between Dunedin and Christchurch, and vice versa, and desires to express its disapproval of such action, which, besides being a menace to traffic, tends to bring motorists generally into disrepute and does not serve any useful purpose." We understand that a ball is to be tendered by the members of the Otago branch of the Navy League to Admiral Viscount Jellicoe and the officers of H.M.S. New Zealand during their forthcoming visit to the dominion. The Ladies' Committee of the branch has the arrangements in hand. Sir James Allen, the president of the league, is to see the Admiral on arrival in Welington to ascertain the date of his proposed visit to Dunedin, and thereafter the date of the ball will be announced. In view of the refusal of the Minister of Public Works to assist the Ooaan Beach Domain Board in connection with the encroachment of the sea at St. Clair the Dunedin members of Parliament despatched a telegram to Mr Massey, explaining the position to him. The Prime Minister has gent the following reply to Mr T. K. Sidey, M.P.: —" The telegram wired by yourself and other Dunedin members with regard to eea encroachment near St. Clair is received. I am submitting the matter to the Minister of Marine, with a view to having the position reported upon." In a statement last week (says our Wellington correspondent), the general manager of railways said that although there had been some slight improvement in regard to the stocks of coal in the past few days it was not sufficient to justify any alteration in the running of trains. The gain that h~»d been made would quickly disappear if the normal rate of consumption were resumed. Mr M'Villy said the cut was due to the Bhortage of coal and to no other reason. If the department had sufficient coal the normal running could be resumed at a day's notice. The war has been responsible for many extraordinary happenings, and one with most unusual features cropped up in Wellington last week (says the Dominion). In short, a baby has arrived from England and its parents cannot be traced. Whilst in

England a certain member of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force married, and the soldier returned to France. On his arrival back in England he found he was a happy father, and subsequently the child was placed in an orphanage during the time this soldier and wife were travelling At a later date the soldier was informed at short notice that ho was to proceed to New Zealand, and he and his wife proceeded on the voyage without the child. On arrival here they communicated with the Home authorities, asking them to forward the ohild by the next boat. This was accordingly arranged, and the infant in arms duly arrived in Wellington recently in charge of a " Digger." The latter expected to be met by the mother and father of the child, hut his anticipations were not realised. He at once communicated with the responsible authorities, who are now anxious to locate the parents of the child. Further regulations with regard to enemy property, of which, in 1916, the Public Trustee was appointed custodian, were published in a Gazette Extraordinary issued last week. The regulations will not apply to any property which first becomes enemy property after the termination of the war with Germany, unless that property consists of the proceeds of the sale, realisation, or disposition of property which was enemy property during the war, or consists of rents, profits, interest, or other revenues derived from property which was enemy property during the war. It is also provided that it shall not be lawful for any person, -without the consent of the Attorneygeneral, directly or indirectly to send or transmit any enemy property out of New Zealand, or to deal with enemy property in any manner whatever with intent to reduce such property'or the proceeds thereof into the possession of an enemy, or with intent otherwise to make the same available out of New Zealand by or for the benefit of an enemy. It is required that on or before September 1 next every person who at the date of the regulation holds or has the possession, management, or control of any enemy property shall, by notice in writing, communicate the fact, together with full particulars of such property, to the Custodian of Enemy Property at Wellington. This clause is not to apply to enemy property of which full particulars have been already supplied to the Custodian in accordance with the regulations of April 3, 1916. At last week's meeting of the Returned Soldiers' Association Committee, Mr C. R. M'Lean brought up the matter of Expeditionary Force scholarships, and said there was considerable dissatisfaction here as to the manner in which these had been awarded. As in other matters, the men who went early to the war had been overlooked, and the association ought to show its interest in them. He moved—" That the attention of Sir James Allen bo called to the fact that considerable dissatisfaction has been caused in regard to the award of scholarships in England to members of the expeditionary Force; that it be pointed out to him that men of the early reinforcements who were discharged early in the war have not received the same consideration as others; and that he be requested to award a considerable number of ■scholarships to those soldiers who were not in a position to apply for and take advantage of those already awarded." Mr Woods seconded the motion, and said that too much influenco had been brought to bear in the awarding of these scholarships. The motion was carried. In February last there appeared in our columns an article headed "Dangers of Flying Decreased: Important Invention by Young New Zealander." This gave some account of Mr Humphrey F. Parker's variable camber wing patent, which had been officially taken up by the American Government. Mr Parker proceeded from Dunedin to Washington, U.S.A., in May, 1918, *• and the authorities there speedily recognised the potentialities of his patent, with the result that a series of the most exhaustive tests were made at th e American Bureau of Standards under the direction of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, with extremely satisfactory results. The tests were carried out under the personal supervision of' tho inventor, who was appointed to the staff at the Bureau of Standards, where he has been continuously engaged not only on' work connected with his own invention, but on other important Government work as well. A company was formed in New Zealand and registered on June 21 to develop the commercial side of tho Invention. The capital of the company was fully subscribed from tho outset and registration was effected under tho name of the Parker Aeroplane Improvement Company. This company controls the patent rights of the invention, and negotiations have already been opened up with a strong financial syndicate for the handling of the invention

in England. . Prior to proceeding to England in 1915 to offer his services to tha British Air Authorities, Mr Parker was an engineering student at Canterbury College under Professor Scott. As indicated, he is still engaged in Washington at the Bureau of Standards on most important work for tlio U.S.A. Government. This work will be finished shortly and Mr Parker will probably proceed to England for tho purpose of supervising the construction of an aeroplane embodying the invention. Mr J. H. Hancock, chairman of iho Ocean Beach Domain Board, forwarded a quantity of marram grass to tbo New Zealand Paper Mills (Mataura) with a view to its utilisa* tion in tho manufacture of paper. Mr Hancock has received a reply stating that tho marram grass was found to bo suitable for tho purpose, but the manufactured "citiclo would be improved if old sacks or woolpaeks wero mixed with the grass pulp. A sample of the wrapping paper forwarded with the letter showed it to be tough and of satisfactory texture. When normal railway facilities are restored another consignment will be forwarded to Mataura so that the experiment may be continued. The experiment is not without prospects of success, and if thisr should be so a satisfactory re* venu9 to the Domain Board will doubtlesa accrue. In spite of the stern lessons that were burned in to tho mir.d of the community by the epidemic last year it seems that somo people are still ignorant of the first facts about the spread of disease." A Dunedin lady met a neighbour's little girl tho other day. and on making the usual polite inquiries about the health of the family learned that a sister had just been taken to the Hospital suffering from diphtheria. "And where are you going with the bundle of papers?" the lady asked. "Oh! I'm just taking them round to selL at the store," was the startling reply. It would be interesting to know if any loaves of bread wero subsequently wrapped up in these papers from an infected house, but in any case such ignorance at this time of day must be considered closely akin to crime. The dominion conference of the Farmers' Union, which was to have been held in Wellington at the end of this month, has been further postponed till September 17. The secretary notifies that this date will be definitely adhered to irrespective of railway difficulties. A Press Association message from' Wellington states that an Order-in-Council extends tho close season for seals for a period of threo years from November 27 next. A new Minister of Public Works would seem to be one of tho probabilities of the next few months (says our Auckland correspondent), judging by a statement recently made by the present Minister (Sir William Fraser). At a meeting of the Auckland Automobile Association a letter was read from the secretary of the New Zealand Automobile Union stating that he had interviewed Sir William Fraser in connection with the national road board scheme. In response to a request that he would receive a deputation on the subject the Minister had] replied that it would be very inconvenient for him to do so just now. According to tho writer Sir William Fraser pointed out that it- was almost certain that an election would tako place shortly, and that in that event it was very unlikely that he would continue in office. He had, therefore, suggested that the matter should be deferred. The demobilisation state of the Expeditionary Force (says a Press Association message from Wellington) gives the following particulars: —Strength in France, 13; in the United Kingdom, 4976; in hospital in the United Kingdom, 608; men with wives and families in the United Kingdom. 1107} nurses and Red Cross workers to be evacu» ated, 56; total number evacuated since the signing of tho armistice, 41,550. A Press Association telegram from Wellington states that the arrivals in New Zealand during July exceeded the departures by 770. These figures do not include mem* bers of tho Expeditionary Force. The estimated population of New Zealand on June 30, exclusive of Maoris and residents of the island dependencies, was 1,139,014, and the addition of Maoris and natives of the islands brings tho total to 1,201,587. Tho Salvation Army in America has just received the magnificent sum of £3,200,000 from the people of that country. This ia an expression of the gratitude of Americana for tho magnificent work done by the Army amongst American soldiers during the war, as the organisation ranks, in the opinion of Americans, equal with any regarding its self-denying yet effectual and economical work from camp base to front line. This money is to be used purely in the advancement of Salvation Army operations in America, ' and is distinct from the large sums which have been given to it for war purposes. The American Government has also given an additional tribute of its esteem in that one of its large warships just launched at Hog Island has been named Tho Salvation Lass. Salvation Army women workers were permitted by the American authorities in company with men officers of tho Army to be well up toward the front lines, and were often under shell fire, and tho naming of the battleship is particularly a tribute to the women workers. Commander Eva Booth, who is tho youngest daughter of the founder of the Army, was the officer who was asked by the naval officials to perform the christening ceremony at the launching of the ship. A Christchurch business man, who has returned from a visit to America, Canada, and Europe, told an interviewer en Thursday that among his fellow passengers from New York to .Europe was Mr Samuel Gompera (president of tho American Federation of Labour). At a meeting of passengers on tha Carmania Mr Gcmpers gave an address on post-war problems. Tho impression gained regarding Mr Gompers, both from his address and subsequent private conversations with him in Paris, was that ho is a leade* of sane Labour, and considers that Labour's aims can be achieved only by constitutional means and not by anything in the nature of "Red Feddism" or Bolshevism. Thia

was the opinion of other Labour leaders, ineluding Mr Ben Tillet and Mr, Duncan (head of the American Federation of Miners). The senior Rugby match played at Masterton on Saturday between Dalefield and Red Star terminated in a most disgraceful manner (says the Dominion), the former team as a whole being ordered off the field. The game was marked by rough play on the part of Dalefield, as was manifested afterwards by the number of black eyes and facial abrasions suffered by I members of the opposing team. Things did not improve when the referee remonstrated, but a crisis was reached about 20 minutes before time, when the scores were: Dalefield, 9; Red Star, 6. The latter team had scored a try which was disputed by a member of the Dalefield team, who became abusive. On the referee ordering him off the field he refused to go, but was later removed by several spectators. Thereupon his fellow-players vented their feelings against the referee by using language which was quite audible to the spectators, and in a few minutes a free fight was in progress. The referee suspended the match and walked off the field. A special meeting of the Wairarapa branch of the Rugby Union has been called, and the Dalefield captain, the referee, and the two line umpires will be asked to gave an account of the occurrence. A returned soldier employed by a firm in Christchurch recently made application to the Canterbury Repatriation Board - for aasiatance to obtain a business plant. When the matter came before the board the chairman of the committee which dealt with the application said that the man was earning £4 5s per week with his present employers, and he wanted the plant to work in opposition to them. The committee saw no reason why the board should assist him to do this, end in consequence had declined to recommend the application for the board's approval. In reply to a question whether he intended to be a candidate for a seat in the House of Representatives at the general election, the Hon. J. T. Paul said that he had some months ago pledged himself to oontest one of the city 6eats if the Labour Party were convinced that by doing bo he oould be of greater service to the people. He had since had numerous requests to allow himself to be nominated. The Labour nominations for the selection ballot were published last week, and he had been nominated by several affiliated bodies. Ho had consented to accept nomination, and his name would be submitted with others for final selection. A meeting of th 0 brethren of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force Masonic Association was held in the Masonic Hall last week. There .was a good attendance. The chair was oocupied by R.W. Bro. Lieuten-ant-colonel Geo. Barclay, who explained the purpose of the meeting. It was decided to form a branch of the association in Dunedin, and the following were elected the first office-bearers: —Chairman, Bro. tho Rev. Chaa. J. Bush-King; deputy chairman, W. Bro. W. B. Anderson; hon. secretary, Bro. tho Rev. A. Hardie; hon. treasurer, Bro. J. R. M'Kissock. Our Cromwell correspondent states that the most prolonged spell of hard frost ior several seasons broke on the 11th inst. with a big thaw, and the. weather since has been very mild. The snow has disappeared Irom all the lower reaches- Heavy gales were raging on Friday. A Press Association message from Wellington states that the Dominion Conference of the New Zealand Farmers' Union nas been postponed until September 17. In replying to representations by tho ! Cromwell Borough Council, the Minister of Lands states that part of the Mount Pisa run will bo subdivided for possession by the new lessees on the expiry of the present lease. The council considered tho reply indefinite and doubtful, evidently thinking that tho part embodying tho flats would bo retained in the meantime Tho general opinion is that the whole area should bo dealt with at on 0 time, but the question of the flats is evidently an obstaclo. During a welcome to Sir Joseph and Lady Ward at the Returned Soldiers' Club room in Christchurch the crowded state of tho audience and the poor facilities for tho entertainers and tho ladies who provided aitornoon tea were a strong argument in support of the new club house project. The M.iyor (Dr Thacker, M.P.) seized j the occasion to remark that he proposed to < let Sir Joseph Ward see how some of tho man whom he had left behind him had j failed to assist the soldiers to get ade- I, quate club rooms. The Minister of In- j

termal Affairs had prevented the Lady Liverpool Committee from donating to the club a sum of £3OOO or more, and he asked Sir Joseph to assist the club to obtain the money. Sir Joseph Ward, touching on the point in the course of his reply, said that it was extraordinary how the wealthier municipalities kspt an eagle eye on the Minister of Finance, and looked to the Government exchequer to add to their wealth. He did not know the circumstances surrounding the amount of £3OOO referred to, but he would be glad to talk the matter over with the Hon. G. W. Russell on his return to Wellington. If the people had £3OOO that they wanted to give away, he hoped that he would be able to touch the soft strings of Mr Russell's big heart and induce him to become the medium through which the amount would be paid. The Otago Land Board concluded a heavy sitting on Friday, the business having extended over four days in all. The greater part of the board's time was occupied in examining applicants for the Gladbrook runs and in dealing with requests for loans tinder the Discharged Soldiers' Settlement AiCt. These latter were dealt - with as follows : —For town properties, 34 applications, involving a total expenditure. of £18,950, were granted; 10 were left hi the hands of the commissioner, and four were declined. For rural properties seven applications were granted, amounting to £10,600 in all; eight were left in the hands of the commissioner and six were declined. Two applications were granted for loans for stock and improvements, the amount involved being £IOSO. ""

In Great Britain the scarcity of raw materials for furniture-making is being met by the use of cheap, plain timbers, paintecr or grained. This gives an inexpensive article and allows of a greater volume of manufacture. Trained labour is scarce, cabinetmakers and upholsterers being advertised for at 2s per hour for a week of 51 working hours, with no reduction on weekly wages when the hours are reduced. Women's wages before the war averaged about 14s per week. The average is now 455, and they are demanding, throaigh their union, more per hour. ■ As a result of a recent visit of members of the Otago Hospital Board to Roxburgh, tho Finance Committee will recommend the erection of a cottage hospital there, the site proposed being a suitable one. The idea is to put up a building that will accommodate six ordinary patients, four in an isolation ward, and four in a maternity ward./ English buyers appear to have plenty of money to spend on art treasures. A pair of old Chelsea candlesticks realised 920 guineas. At a sale of porcelain at Christie's a set of figures of Apollo and the Muses brought 2500 guineas; and a pair of bow figures, "Summer and Autumn," 13in high, realised 3600 guineas, which is a record price.

• In the Magistrate's Court at Middlemarch on Friday, before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., George S. Young, umholder, of Sutton, was charged with wilfully falsifying his sheep return. He was convicted and fined £lO, with court costs (7s). The same defendant was fined 50s, with oosts (7s), for failure-to dip all his sheep within the prescribed time. The informations were laid by Mr R. Fountain (Inspector of Stock). On the information of Mr S. R. Craig, of Middlemarch, Young was charged with failure to destroy rabbits, and was fined £lO, with costs (7s). In the Mosgiel Court on Friday, before Mr H. Y. Widdowson, S.M., Thomas Marwiak was.fined 20s, with costs (143), for failing to send his child to school. In the Magistrate's Court at Mosgiel on Friday, before Mr H. Y. Widdowson, S.M., A. Mackillop was charged with the theft of a number of sacks, the property of Messrs J. Mitchell and J. Wright. He was convicted and ordered to como up for sontonco when called upon, on condition that ho made good the value of the stolen property. Dealing with the question of supplies of butter and cheeso, the Christchurch Sun says it now seems certain that an ovcrexpovt of dairy produco has occurred, and at present a decided shortage exists. Three local butter factories are cutting down supplies to their customers, and the position is likely to become worse. Previously it was thought that the shortage was one of locality, and the Board of Trade held this opinion. However, mos(s of the local factories do not seem able to obtain sufficient supplies from the North Island, wliorebutter was supposed to bo held, and in many districts there the commodity is very

scarce. In the South Island many towns are short, notably Timaru. Cheese is almost unobtainable in some places, yet a quantity is still held for export and space has just been allotted for this. That this

position has arisen does not reflect credit on tho Trade Committee, which was sup- , posed to regulate export so that the New Zealand consumer should not suffer. It may be mentioned that higher prices are obtainable for export. Before the new season's supplies are available it is possible that the consumer will feel the pinch in a decided manner. The early new season butter, unless steps are taken to prevent this, may mostly be exported under the Imperial contract, which holds up till June, and the new cheese will not be fit for consumption until about November. The responsibilities, especially financially, of justices of tlie peace were referred to by Mr H. Holland (chairman of the Canterbury Justices of the Peace Association) at a gathering of that body (says our Christchurch correspondent).! Mr Holland referred to an Australian case in which three Tasmanian justices, after being assured by the plaintiff's solicitor that they had power to do so, ordered the defendant (who did not appear and was not represented by counsel), in default of payment of arrears of rent, to be distrained upon, and failing distraint to be imprisoned for 14 days. Other remedies having failed, the defendant was imprisoned, but at tho end of three days and a-half he was released, tho authorities having found that the justices had no power to order imprisonment. The next development was an action by the defendant claiming £IOOO damages from the justices for wrongful imprisonment. Acting apparently on legal advice tho justices paid £75 into court in full satisfaction —an amount subsequently awarded by a jury when the matter went before the Supreme Court. Mr Holland expressed the opinion that if tho law in New Zealand was similar to that in Australia it was time that justices knew their position or they approached the of Justice to define their position. Speaking a little later, Mr M'Carthy, S.M., explained that if justices, when acting within their powers and jurisdiction, made mistakes on law or fact, their decisions could be appealed against, but they were not liable civilly Jo the person or persons who might have been wronged. When, however, wrong was done by a justrice by a decision in a matter beyond his jurisdiction the justice was civilly to blame. In the case cited by Mr Holland a clerk of the court who was worth bis salt would not have allowed the justices to fall into the error. A London cable message states that the troopship Adolph Woermann lias sailed with 600 New Zealanders aboard. The Hospital Committee of the Otago Hospital and Charitable Aid Board has recommended tnaS the age of nurses to the Dunediri Hospital be 19 years and that a trial be given to tho following proposal—viz., That candidates on the waiting list who are under ago be permitted to attend a preliminary class of nursing in such subjects as anatomy, physiology, and primary nursing technique, to be conducted at the Dunedin Hospital; tho medical superintendent to arrange. I Tho Invercargill Chamber of Commerce decided to urge the Railway Department, when reinstating the full services, to' make a through express to Christchureh the first reinstatement. In a telegram to the Hon. I A. F. Hawke, the Minister of Railways says: "It is hoped that the position may bo still further improved in the not distant future if supplier of coal which are in sight aro received by the department, and there axe reasonably good prospects of regular supplies in the future." Information on a Giaborno venture to sell frozen meat to the public, which only lasted six months, was given to an Auckland Star reporter by a gentleman interested in iho frozen meat trade, who is strongly of the opinion that if frozen meat is properly defrosted it is palatable. He, said that in the business hi question tho meat was offered at prices fixed by tho Board of . Trade. The publio would not buy it, however, and at the end of six 'months it exchanged hands, the new owner going over to the salo of fresh meat. He said that the publio did not care for the appearance of tho meat on tho hooks in the shop whilo it was thawing. Drapers in England have been advised that lower prices for certain kinds of sewing cotton were to come into operation on May 10. At present 7£d is charged for j a reel that before the war was Man- j Chester firms estimate that about £IO,OCO,CCO i worth of cotton goods—yarn and cloth — will bo released by the removal of the restrictions on exports to Holland, Denmark,

Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. Sweden has actually paid for £2,000,000 worth of i goods at present in Manchester warehouses. A general improvement in tho cotton in- ■ dustry is anticipated. A strange bird is at present a visitor to Timaru, and was seen last week at j Waimaitaitai, first washing at the edge of a creek near the North-end Park, and later I perched near tho top of a big fir tree. It was a bird a little bigger than a hawk, j pure white in colour, with long legs, a long neck, and a long beak. As seen on the fir tree just when the sun was rising, : it looked very pretty, and' those who saw it took it to be either a crane or a heron. After submitting to inspection for some | little time the bird flew away, making a I rapid flight. Some five or six months ago : a white heron was seen at Balclutha, and it is thought (says the Timaru correspondent of the Christchureh Press) that this may be ■ the same bird. i "You can't, and never will, eradicate sport from the human race," said Sir James Carroll, at a recent reunion of tho Owners' and Breeders' Association. "What has made the British nation but those sporting proclivities? How would we have scored in the great war had it not been for our young people, who went out, thoroughly imbued with fine sporting spirit, ; ready to give their lives for sportsmanship and duty? Sport does not demoralise mankind; it elevates." " My gross turnover is £125 per week, and I employ only two hands, to assist me in carrying on my business, yet I am losing at the present price I have to pay for stock £2O per week,*4i was the emphatic assurance of an Auckland butcher when discussing the prevailing high prices for fat stock at Westfield. "I might as well close my doors and take a holiday, and spend £9 per week in recreation. It would pay me better," he concluded. Reports of the proceedings of the Physical Society of London, received in Christchureh by last mail, contain accounts of Dr A. O. Rankine's method of transmitting speech by light, mentioned in the cable messages a short time ago. Dr Rankine collected beams of light in a lens, and diverged them through a second lens, which projected them to a distant station. Selenium, a lion-metallio element of the sulphur group, which, under the action of light, exhibits remarkable variation in electrical conductivity, is used in the apparatus, and also a small concave mirror. This is attached to the diaphragm of a gramophone recorder, and oscillates under the vibrations of speech. The fluctuations in the intensity of the beam caused by the vibrations are converted into speech by the receiving system. Dr Eocles stated that he had seen successful trials of the system over a distance of more than half a mile, and found the articulation much nearer perfection than was usually the case with carbon microphones. It was stated that the system would be of great uso in development of speaking and singing kinematograph pictures, as two films could be used simul- ; taneously, one working beside the other j the speech record synchronising exactly with j the picture record. :