TOWN EDITION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14984, 11 August 1919, Page 6

TOWN EDITION.

A mail for Christchurch and Dunedin closes by the Te Anau at 7.30 to-night. The district nurse at Te Karaka notifies that bundles of old linen will be thankfully received. I According to the New Zealand Locomotive Engineers' Journal, Mr. 11. W. 'McVilly, General Manager of Railways, receives a salary of £3000. The Government has purchased the Orongo Estate at Kopu, Thames, for settlement. Returned soldiers will bo giyen preference m the allocation of sections. The estate is situated at the mouth, of the Waihou River and comprises about 2000 acres. It is understood that the purchase price is £32 10s per acre. The death occurred at the hospital this morning of Mr. John Farmer, who was for many years stationed as police . constable at Gisborne and was promoted to the charge of the Ormond district. Mo retired from the force some years i ago. He was well known throughout the district, being a most conscientious ; officer, but one who would always go out of his- war to help anyone, and j while strictly fulfilling his duties did ! many a kindly act that entitled him to j warm gratitude. He leaves a widow and two daughters to mourn their loss. The "call to arms" to residents of Gißborne, extending from the wharf to Stanley road (between Victoria Township and Gladstone road), will be sounded this evening, when they are requested to. assemble at Chrisp's musio warebouse at 8 p.m. for the purpose of forming the "Hussars' Regiment"* to participate m the forthcoming Grent Band Battle. The City Band will' be m attendance, and will rendered selections, whilst the organiser and members of the will explain the plan of campaign. Another draft of local soldiers will he sent South by the Arahura to-morrow aa patients for treatment at special hospitals. Complaint was raised to-day at the action of the Department m sending these men away second-class by both steamer and train to Wellington. It was pointed out to a. Herald representative that the steerage quarters on a • crowded boat like, the Arahura aro not conducive to the welfare of soldier patrents 'who are being sent away for special treatment, and m view of the services rendered, these men should have more liberal ami generous treatment. ' Owing to the' dislocation of the steamer service last week quite a number of local "sports" who had intended proceeding South to attend the Grand National meeting are reported to have been disappointed. In view of the train restrictions cars were to have been utilised from Napier, but the weather and its consequent effect upon, the steamer running up~set calculations. One party had arranged to make the journey by car right from Gisborne to Wellington, but last week's rain completely blocked , any chance of motorists getting through j — another instance of Gisborne's isolation. Mr. G. J. Black, of Gisborne, has just •returned from, a. visit to Australia, having been away four months. When approached by a Herald representative , this morning, Mr. Black said he did not feel inclined to say very much about conditions m Australia, because he felt that the impression h© would convey would not be a. favorable one by any means. He was pessimistic so tar as the strike was concerned, and felt .that the action of the Queensland and Victorian Governments m issuing ra-tions to the strikers was not m. the interests of securing a settlement. He waa not sure whether or not th© New South Wales Government was doing this. . As conditions 'were at the present 'time, one "was mighty lucky to eecure a passage to New Zealand. Mr. Black managed to obtain a berth on the s.s. Mahia, and it was considered a favor to take him. Most of Mr. Black's time- while away was spent m Queensland. Illustrating the unselfishness displayed by the "digger" m the field, Captain Biadm, at Kverybody's Theatre yesterday, told the story of how two stretcherj bearers out m No-man's Land, noticed !,a little curl of smoke rising from a shellhole m that torn up area. On going over to the spot they, found a New Zealand boy badly wounded, propped up with his pack at his back and complacently smoking a cigarette. The stretcherbearers intimated their intention of carrying him out, but the lad promptly declined their offer. He! was not going to have them struggling through the mud for him, they could; go and pick up some other chap. But the stretcherbearers persisted— surely that was their job. Well, anyhow, the lad declared, they were not going to touch him. He was all right and they could go and help somebody else. Still the stretcherbearers persisted, and then the lad explained he had "got it" m, such a .way that there was no use carrying him out. So they left him— jußt a mere lad of about 18 years— still propped up and quietly enjoying his last smoke. And j when they passed [by th c shell-hole a , little later the young hero had fallen back, his head had slipped off his pack and he had "gone West." The last words he had uttered, m the hearing of J the stretcher-bearers, was that great unselfish request to leave him alone and to ! go and he,lp someone elso.