PASSING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3803, 1 February 1927, Page 3

PASSING NOTES.

(From Saturday’s Otago Daily Tinies.) Over against the miserable uncertainties that collect about the geographical expression “ China ” we may set a few certainties, absolute certainties, and from them take what comfort we can get. It is certain that we do not want to fight with China, nor with any other nation, people, or tongue. It is certain nevertheless that we are sending to China a fighting force, a compact and compendious little army, singing “ Shanghai,” and scientifically equipped down to the last detail. It is certain that the business of this fighting force at Shanghai, will be to enforce peace, by machine guns* if necessary and at the point of the bayonet. Peace, always peace,—we want nothing but peace. Again, it is certain that here and there within our own borders malcontents rise up to protest against our meddling in China at all, and that in the name of New Zealand Labour an asinine protest has been cabled to London from Wellington. New Zealand. Labour takes itself too seriously. It is in the vein of the Three Tailors of Tooley Street who memorialised Parliament about grievances and began: “ We, the people of England.” With China and Chinese uncertainties on its hands, London will hardly find time to consider what New Zealand Labour thinks.

The untravelled New Zealander who would know what an International Settlement in Cliint. looks like may turn to a Hankow street scene in last week’s Witness. A few human figures in Oriental dress are dotted about; otherwise there is nothing to suggest China. You might be looking at a handsome boulevard with official buildings in some European capital. This is Hankow, 600 miles up country, deep in the bowels of the land. Of Tientsin and Shanghai on the coast a visitor writes: “These are white man’s cities. The first sight of Shanghai makes one wonder what is the use of travelling, because there is so little change from what one is used to.” Thousands of British people are living under British conditions, with all the customary amenities, including theatres and a cathedral built to the design of Sir Gilbert Scott. Nearly as many thousand Americans are

living -on the American settlement next door, which—because it is a “settlement” and not a “concession” (a distinction without a difference) the American Government philosophically leaves to British protection. The “foreign devils” keep up field sports among themselves, sometimes with Chinese armies in mortal combat just over the fence, as it were. It is not known that in a Chinese battle the combatants knock off for lunch; but they may cease firing “by request.”

Listen to Baron Keyserling, a German, but on this subject a credible witness: What quaint soldiery! During my stay in Canton a battle raged between x the troops of the Government and the pirates; but occasionally an interval occurred, and the enemies had such peaceable and .friendly intercourse as if they were not at war at all. The story goes in Hankow that residents who were playing football were molested the other day by the bullets which flew across from the neighbour ing field of battle; they thereupon sent a message to the nearest general with the request to cease shooting until they had finished their match, _ and he is said to have acceded to their request. Students figure in the cables as more deadly than the soldiery. Likely enough. When students in swarming thousands rush an unprotected European settlement it is like an Oxford or Cambridge “rag.” There is all the excitement and all the fun.

The Scottish metropolis of New Zealand, Dunedin to wit, headquarters of the Robert' Burns cult, is true to its name and function when the Burns anniversary comes round. There is always a gathering of the clans on January the 25th. The dwellers in this Edinburgh of the South are mostly Scottish, — mostly, not entirely. Early in its history the Old Identity was qualified by the New Iniquity, and since then Dunedin has been partly English and Irish. On St. Patrick’s Day the Irish race mark , —the Wearing of the Green—dots agree- - ably the Dunedin streets, and there is a delightful Irish rally in the evening. The English on St. George’s Day are content with irritating the trading interests by a needless bank holiday. That is all. A Nicht wi’ Burns draws both English and Irish, especially a Burns Anniversary Nicht. But the real Burns is for Scotsmen only. English appreciation is fitful, patchy, uncertain; and the English poets contradict each other flat.

Aubrey de Vere records Tennyson’s liking for Burns’s lyrics. “Read the exquisite songs of Burns,” said Tennyson. “ In shape, each of them has the perfection of the berry; in light the radiance of the dewdrop; you forget for its sake those ■ stupid things, his serious pieces! ” The same day De Vere met Wordsworth, and named ■ Burns to him. Wordsworth praised him, even more than Tennyson had done, as the great genius who had brought poetry back to Nature; but ended, “ Of course, I refer to his serious efforts, such as the ‘Cotter’s Saturday Night’; those foolish little amatory songs of hia one has to forget.” That evening De Vere told the tale to Henry Taylor (dramatist and lyrical poet), and his answer was: “ Burns’s exquisite songs and Burns’s serious efforts are to me alike tedious, and disagreeable reading! ” So much for the English. But Burns’s ain folk, touched at every point of their life by a poet who sings to them in the tongue in which they were born, it is impossible that they should forget him. He is bone of their bone and flesh of their flesh. In Paris there are Burns commemorations, apparently on St. Andrew’s Day. The Paris correspondent of a London

newspaper, writing satirically, says:— “ St. Andrew is always well looked after in Paris. Scots who have got away from Scotland are so grateful that they never forget the patron saint of their youth. But it is not safe to put it to them like this.” Decidedly unsafe, I should say. Nor would it be safe to tell them that St. Andrew may have been made the patron saint of Scotland for his merit in finding the boy that had the loaves and fishes, though I believe an English bishop is responsible for this profane suggestion. The same correspondent relates that a St. Andrew’s Day dinner, held soon after the Armistice, was being entertained by pipers sent from the Highland regiments still at the front, when a message was received from banquetters in the n?xt room requesting that the din might cease, as they could not hear themselves make their own speeches. Presently it was discovered that these banquetters were convened by a French Committee for promoting Franco-Scottish friendship. Whereupon the St. Andrew’s nighters invaded the room next door, their pipers with them. What happened next? Champagne and Burgundy happened next, I surmise, and it would be explained to the Frenchmen that Burns’s “ crip o’ kindness ” in “ Auld Lang Syne,” if they were able to sing it, was not a cup of t And perhaps one of the St. Andrew’s men would translate this little duologue —not as relevant to any person or thing there present, but as a specimen Burns Nicht story and in token of good will: “Flee temptation, Janet,” said the minister to a member of his flock addicted to the “ cup o’ kindness,” and suspected even of the “ right gude willie-waught.” “ Flee yersel,” snapped the indignant woman in reply. “Janet,” said the minister solemnly, “ I have flown.” “ Aweel,” she persisted. “ I’m thinkin’ anither flitter wad dae ye nae harm.”

The music of the Scottish pipes is not of the kind that hath charms to soothe the savage breast. Quite otherwise; — it is “ archaic, semi-barbarous, stimulating,” says the books. Speaking for myself, the first skirl of the pipes sets my pulses jumping, ana I feel a tightness of skin across the cheekbones. The melody scale of the “ chanter ” is not in itself barbarous; it is the scale of the black keys of the piano, on which keys any genuine Scottish melody may usually be made cut; there are no semitone intervals. The barbaric stimulus of the bagpipe skirl is due to the ruthless persistence of the drones, an unchanging bass that is in all kinds of dissonance—delightful dissonance—with the melody. The pipes are no more a parlour instrument than the big bass drum. Yet in Highland regiments the officers’ mess is enlivened at dinner by a regimental piper who arrives at the wine and walnuts stage, struts round and round the table, blowing his blast, and is rewarded on exit with a glass of wine, or perhaps, with what is more to his liking, a tot of rum. Essentially the bagpipes give the note of war; there is no music to which soldiers march better. Listen to a Commanding Officer of the old school:— I’ll take my men to a wedding with the brass; I’ll lead ’em into action with the fifes; but give me the pipes and I’ll take ’em through heil and back again.

I notice that American writers are talking boldly of an “American language.” And they are right. An American language, distinct and separate there begins to be. It is not the English language. Reporting the first interchange of tele--phone talk across the Atlantic the newspapcts gave the following specimen:

“Geel is that vour clock?” “No; it is a church bell. Can vou hear it?" “I sure can.”

It is easy to.pick out the American sentences. No English speaker would have had any use for “gee !” as an interjection ; nor would any English speaker make “sure” the adjective do the work of “surely” the adverb. There is no reason why the hundred millions of people who inhabit the United States should not have a language of their own. Like other people everywhere they are entitled to talk as they like. A woman professor in an American University somewhere out west lately reported that there are thirty-seven different ways of pronouncing the world “Yes” in her neighbourhood. She has counted them, and she gives the list:— “Yep,” “Yip,” “Yap,” “Yop,”— down to “Yeth” and “Yum.” So that when the maiden of the Middle West lends a gracious ear to a proposal of marriage, laying her head on the expectant bridegroom’s shoulder, she will say “Yep!” That is, if she doesn’t say “Yum!” There is nothing to wonder at in this; still less anything to complain of. Talking as they may choose to talk, the Americans are within their rights. We are under no temptation to follow them. Take it all in all, the English language is very well as it is.

Some time ago, when asked by a correspondent for information about the “ Trusty-Servant ” of Winchester College a quaint allegorical conceit, nearly as old as the College itself, and still shown pictorially on its venerable walls—l was at a loss, until old Wykehamists came to my aid, half a dozen of them, near and far. I was equally unable to hunt up a screed of alliterative verse entitled the “ Siege of Belgrade,” at one time widely known. Lately 1 came upon the “Siege of Belgrade ” set forth at length in the columns of the Morning Post, where space is not less valuable than it is in this Passing Note column. For the sake of the curious I copy from the Morning Post:— An Austrian army awfully arrayed, Boldly by battery besieged Belgrade ; Cossack commanders cannonading come, Dealing destruction’s devastating doom. Every endeavour engineers essay For fame, for fortune, —fighting, furious fray ! Generals ’gainst generals grapple—gracious God How honours Heaven heroic hardihood ! Infuriate, indiscriminate in ill Kindred kill kinsmen —kinsmen kindred kill! Labour low levels loftiest, longest lines ; Men march ’mid mounds, ’mid moles, ’mid murderous mines. Now noisy noxious numbers notice nought Of outward obstacles; opposing ought Poor patriots, partly purchased, partly pressed, Quite quaking, quickly quarter, quarter quest. Reason returns, religious right redounds, Suwarrow stops such' sanguinary sounds : Truce to thee, Turkey—triumph to thy train ! Unjust, unwise, unmerciful Ukraine ! Vanish vain victory! Vanish victory vain ! Why wish we warfare? Wherefore welcome we Xerxes, Ximenes, Xanthus, Xaviere? Yield ye, youths, yeomen! yield your yell ! Zeno’s, Zarpatus’, Zoroaster’s zeal. Misplaced ingenuity; and poor stuff at best. There is a sixteenth century alliterative poem on the letter t— The thrifty that teacheth the thriving to thrive . . . Luckily no one has asked for it. Another sixteenth century piece in Latin hexameters, the “ Pugna Porcoruni,” runs to 250 lines and begins every word with the letter p. But of this laborious absurdity, thanks be, I know only the title. Civis.

The Suva correspondei 4 of the Auckland Star reports that a somewhat important development in Fiji mission work has just taken place. The Methodists have completed the purchase of the well-known Navusa estate or. the Rewa River, comprising 850 acres, including 550 acres of fine flat land, which belonged to Mr H. M. Scott, K.C., and Mrs A. Barker. The price runs into over £lO,OOO. Tne mission had a lease of the property, and has established a farm for the agricultural training of native and Indian students. Good progress already has been made in the planting of foodstuffs in connection with which interesting experiments are about to be undertaken by the Government in 'co-opera-tion with the mission. The Union Company’s old passenger steamer Moana was towed to a berth at Port Chaimers on Thursday morning to be dismantled. The vessel had occupied moorings in the blind channel of the lower harbour for over 12 months. The old steamer Stella was towed to Dunedin on Wednesday from her moornings in Carey’s Bay and was berthed at the north end of the Victoria wharf, where she is now being dismantled.

A heavily-laden express left Dunedin at 11.35 a.m. on Thursday for the north. Severalhundred passengers arrived by the train from Invercargill and other southern stations, a large number of whom were race visitors. A good many travellers joined the express here, and about 15 carriages were required to accommodate all the passengers. Among the travellers were two teams representing the Otago Boy’s Cricket Association, bound for Christchurch. The boys will play ' against Canterbury junior and senior teams. Several prominent citizens were present to wish Mr 11. R. Spence (late secretary of the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition Company) a pleasant voyage to England. " The local Tourist Department has been advised that Sandfly Hut. at Milford Sound, has been destroyed by fire. This will inconvenience tourists considerably, and. for the time being, the Quinton Hut will be the base for the overland trip. For 'tourists who propose walking to Milford Sound during the next month arrangements will be made in regard to accommodation at the Sound, but in view of tho fact that some difficulty will probably be experienced in connection with the transport of provisions and material, the departemnt is endeavouring to charter a special boat from the Bluff to Milford Sound to relieve the position. Fortunately tho Quinton Huts are unoccupied at the present time. The Balclutha Borough Council intends at an early date to appoint an inspector for the purpose of controlling the motor vehicular traffic within the borough. As an inducement to vigilance the inspector is to receive half the fines inflicted for speeding and other breaches of the by-laws.

Fishing in the Pacific has fallen oft during the last few centuries, judging by the shark’s tooth sent to Mr Beyer, an Auckland surveyor, by his brother Jn tho South Seas (says the Star). It is one of a bushel or so of teeth filling the mouth of a Carcharodon megalodon, an extinct monster shark, which was estimated to have reached a length of 80 feet, with the mouth, when full open, measuring 9ft by sft. This dental relic is not the sort that may be worn on a watch-chain, as it measured an inch in thickness and is lain broad and 4in long each side of its triangle. Strangely enough, it is very finely serrated, 25 of razor-edged serrations occupying only half an inch. The nearest living relative is the great white shark, but there is reason to suppose, from what, is known of similar teeth in the Sydney Museum, that huge appetites were served by these teeth, and that they ceased their final yearnings in comparatively modern times, as H.M.S. Challenger in 1875 dredged such teeth up from 2750 fathoms in company wit! pumice and managese nodules. The tooth caused great interest on Zane Grey’s yacht, and there is soma speculation as to what may be found by the party in the deep-sea pockets of the Pacific which they will endeavour to explore piscatorially.

In reference to the paragraph which appeared in our last issue relating to “a somewhat peculiar state of affairs” in connection with the Gore Woollen Mills Company, the Mataura Ensign says that its representative sought a statement from the chairman of directors (Mr F. Wallis, jun.). Mr Wallis said that the paragraph obviously had the intention of weakening the confidence of investors in the undertaking, both in its reference to the decision of a minority of the board that it would be prudent for the company to go into voluntary liquidation and in its description of the company as “a distinctly dubious concern.” Mr Wallis mentioned that the attitude referred to. which was adopted by a minority of the board, was not a new one, and it was difficult to understand why the men taking this back-door method of airing their grievances had ever joined the directorate if it were not for the purpose of killing tho, project when a suitable opportunity arose. Propaganda had been indulged in ever since the directors in question signed up for shares. A meeting of the directors would be held shortly, and also the annual meeting of shareholders, at which no doubt the matter would receive appropriate consideration, but in the meantime the shareholders would bo well advised to retain their faith in the majority of the board members.

Although he suffered from a fracture of the spine through being gored by a bull at the Metropolitan Show in November last, William Templeton, an alderly man, who resides at Methven, to-day cah walk about, and is on the high road to recovery (says pur special correspondent in Christchurch). For th’ result he can thank tho staff of the Christchurch Hospital, where ho is a patient, for its skilful treatment and attention. Dr W. Fox superintendent of the hospital) states that although the recovery may seem remarkable to the general public, the facts of the case were that the fracture was not bad, and so the nerves were not greatly damaged. Had they been so the tale would have been different.

The term of office of Mr George Livingstone, as a member of the Otago Land Board, representing the Crown tenants, will expire on April 26. Nominations will bo received up. to February 25. Mr Livingstone has again been nominated. The Customs duty on motor vehicles manufactured in Australia' has been fixed at 10 per cent ad valorem, and the duty will come into force in 4 May 1.

A contention put forward by Archdeacon Williams in an address on the Maoris at the Gisborne Rotary Club was that the Maori could rid himself of a bad habit xiore quickly than a European (reports the Poverty Bay Herald). Though Maoris gave way badly to drink at times, said the speaker,- they seemed to be able to give ft up to a greatc? extent than the white man. Years ago there was a very old chief in Hawke’s Bay who was a very hard drinker. All the Maoris in his pa followed his example, with the result that there was a tremendous amount of drinking done there. The chief realised that this was giving the pa a bad name, and decided to put a stop to it. He told the Maoris that he would hold a court each Monday and all those who returned home drunk on Saturday would, be brought up. The fine for' the first -offenco would be £l, for the second offence £5, and for the third £25. All went well for a time until one night he was. the only one to come home properly drunk. On the Monday he went to hold his court, and when he asked if there were any cases-was told there was one —himself. He fined himself £l, and gave himself a long lecture. Some time later the chief cam® home drunk again, and again he spoke very strongly to himself, and paid his £5 fine. He never got drunk again, because the fine would have been £25. —(Laughter.)- Years after, when he was dying, his friends wanted to give him brandy, but he would not take it.

"Many years ago lichens were used, during times of economic stress, in making bread, and they have also played a part in the distilling of whisky, but I am studying them for quite a different purpose,’’ said Dr E. Einar du Rietz, the Swedish scientist, who is at present in Christchurch, to a representative of the Press on Tuesday. “I am making a very extensive collection of .all the different specimens in New Zealand. They have no actual economic value, apart from what 1 have mentioned, but are invaluable as indicators of suitable cimates for .different forest trees. The lichens give us a far more exact idea of the moisture conditions in forests than any instruments. When such a study is carried out scientifically, the results are of immense value.”

The loss of a tube of radium some years ago was referred to at the meeting of the Otago Hospital Board last week. The lost tuble contained 8.97 milligrams, and it was by some misadventure lost amongst the ashes that were removed from the Dunedin Hospital. Later it was found that there ■was some radio activity at the corporation tip, and the waste material was ooli&uteu and-sent to Amsterdam, whence the radium . had come. By a process, known only to the expert, 6.6 milligrams were recovered, which Jtft a loss of 2.37 milligrams. The value of this was £l3 per milligram, making the total loss to the board -£39 10s 4d. The company reconditioned the radium gratuitously, and practically made up *he deficiency, so that, in place of losing £ll7 the board’s loss was alight. The board naturally very keenly Appreciated the gener(w -action of th® company in Amsterdam-

Among the arrivals at the port of Otago on Wednesday was the cargo steamer Trelevan, which came from New York by way of Colon, Panama, and north New Zealand ports. The Trelevan, which is under charter to the American and Australian Lino, was formerly the German steamer Lubeck, being built at Flensberg early in 1914. The tonnage is 4770 gross. At the outbreak of war, the vessel was on a voyage from Germany to the South Pacific Islands, and put into Java, where she was interned. After the war she was taken over by the British Government, which sold her to her present owners, the Hain Line, of St. Ives. She is a very speedy steamer, and can steam 12 knots. On the recent voyage from New York to Auckland she averaged 11 knots. Some months ago, when chartered by Messrs G. H. Scales and Company, of Wellington, she made a non-stop voyage from New Zealand to Dunkirk. The crew numbers 42 all told.

A remarkable example of the speed which the old-time sailing ship could develop, under favourable conditions, is shown by a painting by a well-known artist. Copies of the picture, which are still retained by shipping companies and others interested in the old “wind jammers,” were recently issued in coloured form. In the picture are shown the clipper ship Turakina, which made many voyages from England to Otago in the eighties and nineties, and her contemporary, the old mail steamer Ruapehu, breasting a stormy sea. Both ships were owned by the New Zealand Shipping Company. It is recorded that on January 14, 1895, in lat. 46.50 deg. S., long. 68.16 deg. E., both ships, steering east, with the wind north, the Turakina, in a moderate gale with rain and dirty weather, her sails soaked with spray, passed the Ruapehu within a ship’s length of the latter’s starboard side. Soon after passing the Turakina hauled her wind and crossed the Ruapehu’s bow, shortening down to topsails, with reefed mainsail and furled cro’jack. Even then the Turakina held her own with the steamer during a long summer's day, always a little ahead on the bow. The Ruapehu was logging 14 i knots.

Applications closed at the Land Office on Wednesday afternoon for the selection of two farms on Wairuna Settlement, which is situated near Waipahi, and seven farms on Clifton Settlement, near Waiwera. The response must be considered disappointing. For section Is, Wairuna Settlement (2004 acres) there were 13 applicants, and for section 2s (553 acres) no applications were received. The following applications were received for the Clifton farms: —Section 55 (466 acres), 5; section 13s (747 acres), homestead block, 6; section 14s (419 acres), 2; section 20s (391 acres), 4. No applications were received for 3s (486 acres), 10s (500 acres), 16s (452 acres). The tenure of all the farms is renewable lease, and, in the case of Wairuna, will be given on the date of the ballot, and as ' regards Clifton possession will be given on April 1.

Acting upon the recommendation of Us executive, the Wellington Education Board has decided to request the head teachers throughout the education district of Wellington to afford accredited representatives of the Bible-in-Schools League facilities' for extracting from the school admission registers the names and addresses of parents of scholars attending their respective schools in order that thereby a plebiscite of parents may be taken in relation to the question of religious instruction as embodied .in the Religious Exercises-in-Schools Bill introduced mmJoo.

At Wednesday’s meeting of the Otago Education Board, the department wrote intimating that it has been decided that preliminary steps be taken towards the establishment of a mixed high school on the Macandrew road site, to accommodate, say, 300 in the first portion of the building to be erected. The Public Works Department has been asked to prepare a preliminary sketch for a school to eventually accommodate, say, 600 pupils. The proposed high school will be under the control of the Otago High Schools Board. The chairman (Mr J. Wallace) said efiat members would notice that the school was not to be a junior high school. He thought the board should be satisfied with what had been accomplished in this respect, and the department w.as to be congratulated. ’ The Hon. D. T. Fleming said the board had had an immense amount of correspondence on the subject, and had really done all the spade work. On the motion of the chairman it was resolved that the department’s communication be received, and that it be congratulated on the step which it had taken.

The city valuer submitted to the City Council last week valuation lists for the year beginning on April 1 next. This showed the estimated rateable value for 1927-28 to be £1,160,270, as compared with a total of £1,031,426 for the current year, or an increase of £78,864. The non-rateable property is valued for the coming year at £101,751, as compared with £102,898 for the current year, showing a decrease oi £1147. This decrease is largely accounted for by the demolition of the Exhibition buildings, which were counted in the last valuation. An unusual visitor to Forbury Park at the present time is a beautifully marked cock pheasant. The bird has been noticed around the park for the past day or two, but where it came from no one appears to know. It is to be hoped that no one interferes with the bird. -As a matter of fact it is illegal to destroy pheasants, as they are protected by law.

Bookmarks bearing certain rules of health are to be distributed to the subscribers to the lending departments of the central and branch libraries of Auckland (states the Star). Tenders for a supply of suitable bookmarks, at the rate of 35,(XX) monthly, are to be called for by the City Council. In addition :to advertising matter, the' bookmarks will bear the following' directions, which it is hoped will result in the better preservation and cleanliness of volumes issued: —“The care of books. —In the interests of the library, please remember to handle books with care. (a) In wet weather books should be wrapped in paper to protect them from the rain. (b) If you read out of doors, don’t leave books lying about on seats or on the ground. The heat of the sun is injurious to both binding and paper. In the interests of general health (c) wash the hands before and after using a book, (d) Do not moisten the fingers in the mouth before turning a page. (e) Avoid coughing and sneezing into the pages of a book, (fl If infectious disease is discovered in the house ask the health officer to collect ycur library books for the purpose of disinfecting them, end report this fact to the librarian.” In a letter received by the City Council the other night, it was stated that the Director-general of Health was of opinion that there was no necessity so destroy books from infected households, but they should be disinfected.

Recently a resident of Mount Eden installed a radio set at his home (states the Auckland Star). Though he is dissatisfied with the standard of entertainment broadcasted from the Auckland station, he says he has received his money’s worth in the salvation of a much-prized peach tree. The tree was badly affected with leaf-curL but, after the installation of a copper wire aerial right overhead, the tree began to improve immensely, and it is now quite itself again. The man referred to dissented most emphatically from the suggestion that perhaps the tree had benefited from the IYA programmes, pinning his faith in the efficacy of copper as a cure for the parasitical diseases in plants. His confidence in this respect is. to some extent borne out by a resident of Green Lane, who declares that he has effected' a complete “cure” in the case of tomato plants badly affected with blight by sticking copper tacks in their stems. “And why not?” he asks. ‘ls not, sulphate of copper used as a spray for plant disease?”

At a sitting of the Native Land Court, presided over by Judge J. W. Browne, the two owners of the Koru Pa reserve, Kehu Moepuke and her niece (a minor) took the necessary legal steps to hand over the pa site to the Crown as a gift (writes a New Plymouth correspondent of the Evening Post). The site is to be set aside for -all time as a scenic and historic reserve for the benefit and use of the public, subject to the usual restrictions to preserve it from damage. For many years Koru Pa was preserved in practically its original condition. It is the “show” pa of mid-Taranaki. The original wish and intention of Kehu Moepuke was to present the area on which the pa stands, about three acres and a-quarter, to Mr W. H. Skinner, who was instrumental some years ago in having it fenced off and protected from stock. Mr Skinner, however, cculd not see his way to accept 1 a personal gift of such a nature, and it was suggested t > Kehu Moepuke that the gift be made tv the Minister of Lands, on behalf of the Ci own.

One of the big jobs which the Post and Telegraph workshops at Wellington are handling at the moment is an order for 100 automatic telephone slot boxes for Christchurch, and a similar number for Dunedin (states the Post). The whole mechanism is • being constructed on the premises, while the carpentering, shop turns ■out the wooden structure itself. Recent investigations into the style of slot ’phone boxes used in New Zealand cities have led the authorities to adopt a box constructed of castiron, similar to the type used in English towns. These cabinets, which will be manufactured by the workshops, are glassed well down on three sides.

Who is responsible? That was the point which strongly exercised the members of the Otago Cricket Association last week when an account for 10s 6d was received from Mr J. Churchill, the cost of damages to a side screen in his car, the screen having been broken by an Albion cricketer at the Oval. The writer stated that as all games were under the jurisdiction of the Otago Cricket Association he had been advised by the Albion Club to forward the account to the association. Mr J. J. dark said if the car had been standing next the Oval it had no right to do so. It was not a parking area. The Chairman (Mr L. Joel) said the car could stand there for a time. Mr J. M‘Phee said that the account was not worth bothering about. He would head a “shilling in” subscription to meet the bill. It was held, however, that a principle was involved, and that Mr Churchill be informed that the association could not accept liability for the damage done to his car.

The English Field of a recent date contains an interesting history of the conferment of the honour of Knight Bachelor. From this it is gathered that up to the beginning of last year there was no badge “for the distinction of the most ancient and honourable of all degrees of chivalry, the order which is the foundation of all other orders, the degree of English Knighthood, which is now enjoyed by about 1700 gentlemen in the British Empire.” The reasons for the lapse of the insignia are given, and the honour for the origin and success of the new badge is awarded to the Right Hon. Sir William Bull, Kt. and Bt., M.P., Maltravers Herald Extraordinary and Knight. Principal of the Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor. A beautiful reproduction in colour of the insignia now granted is given as an inset in the article, and it is explained that the terms of the royal license to Knights Bachelor are “that they may henceforth upon all appropriate occasions wear upon the left side of the coat or outer garment a Badge measuring approximately three inches in length and two inches in width, as shown in the painting hereunto annexed, that, is to say, upon an oval medallion of vermilion, enclosed by a scroll, a cross-hilted sword belted and sheathed, pommel upwards, between two spurs, rowells upwards, the whole set about with a sword belt, all gilt.” The . issue of the handsome insignia has a particular interest to Otago people, as one of the first of the very handsome badges to come to New Zealand has been received by Sir George Fen.vick.

Tragedy stalked in the wake of an irate suburbanite in the early hours the other morning (reports the Auckland Star). The midnight amours of Tom and Tabby on a nearby fence had reached a stage at which human nerve could stand the strain no longer, and a long-sustained crescendo of feline wailings brought a sleepless householder out of bed with curses on his lips and murder in his heart. A minute later a scantily-garbed citizen might have been seen in the moonlight stealthily creeping along the rear of the house, armed with a pea-rifle that had proved its worth in days gone by amongst the clan of Brer Rabbit. Outlined against the moon, the target presented reasonable prospects of success at close range, and the object of his attention was too much occupied with his nocturnal serenade to his lady love to realise the danger. A sharp report rang out, and the midnight lullaby was stilled. Thereafter, there was peace in the land, and an equally long-suffering neighbour heard .the story of the midnight raid with whole-hearted approval. A mutual desire to inspect the results (or remains) of the previous night’s shooting disclosed a tragic sequel—no man likes to admit that he has shot his own cat by mistake, especially when he has already boasted to. his neighbour tat the aforesaid animal is of pedigree status, and worth many golden shekels.

Sitting in Chambers in the Supreme Court on January 24, his Honor Mr Justice Sim granted probate in the following estates: — James Joseph Henderson, Hilderthorpe (Mr A. J. Grave) ; John Thomas Crossan, Roxburgh (Mr B. S. Irwin); Thomas M'Millan, Dunedin (Mr A. H. Tonkinson); Henry Valpy Fulton, West Taieri (Mr H. Webb); Mary Pattison, Kirkland Hill (Mr J. Wilkinson) ; Anna Hayward, Dunedin (Mr G. 11. Thomson) ; Edward Charles Holmes, Dunedin (Mr W. L. Moore); John Allison, Moneymore (Mr R. M. Rutherford).