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Southland Times, Issue 17736, 14 August 1917, Page 4

The Invercargill Soldiers’ Mothers’ Association has already secured over 1300 signatures to its petition praying for a six months’ furlough for Main Body men. The Invercargill Returned Soldiers’ Association is supporting the idea. The Government has offered a bonus of 4d per lb on the first 100,000lbs of good marketable retorted quicksilver, free from all impurities, produced from any mine in New Zealand, on condition that the whole is produced by March 31, 1921 and at least half by March 31, 1920. Farmers whose land was becoming rather dry for their fancy at this season should be rejoicing over the splendidly soaking rain which came on late on Sunday afternoon and continued well on into the early hours of yesterday morning. For the 24 hours ending at 9 a.m. yesterday a fall of 1.25 inches was recorded in Invercargill, and yesterday was showery. The Invercargill Orchestral Society’s second concert for the 1917 season takes place on Thursday, 23rd inst. Despite losses owing to the war, the Orchestra is still up to full strength. The programme is as usual of a high standard, three of the items being quite new to an Invercargill audience. The soloists are Miss M. Jopp, Messrs H. Strang and N. Myers, L.T.C.L. The present subject of study in the W.E.A. Literature class is the short story, a characteristic form of modern fiction. The writer just now under study is Rudyard Kipling and next week Lawson’s short stories will serve as an introduction to Australian literature. The attendance and interest of the class are being well maintained. A Christchurch telegram records the death of Colonel Henry Slater V.D., in his 79th year. He came to New Zealand in 1859, entered the legal profession and was ultimately connected with the Volunteer movement. In 1865 he joined the Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry, and was in command of the corps in 1885. He raised the Canterbury Mounted Rifles. The great freedom from severe frosts which has been Southland’s lot so far this winter—for that season is hardly behind us yet—is stated to have been unfavourably received in some districts where the grass grub has, of late years, been operating freely. The farmer looks to the usual cold snap and more particularly to hard frosts, to do much in the direction of ridding his ground of this pest.

The herd of Ayrshire cattle owned by Messrs Rankin Bros., of Underwood, has recently been inspected by a visitor and well-known breeder from Tasmania, Mr E. W. Oliver, who was so much impressed with what he saw that he purchased seven heifers and a bull, which he has decided to take home with him. The animals are the progeny of Messrs Rankin Bros.’ wellknown imported bull, Lessnessock Grandeur, and do him credit. Mr Oliver has just concluded a trip through New Zealand in search, of high-class stock.

The Territorials of the Ryal Bush district recently showed in a practical manner their desire to help in raising funds for patriotic purposes. A pushing committee was formed and it was decided to hold a grand military ball on August 2nd. In order to raise as much as possible each Territorial subscribed 10s, and by so doing all expenses were cleared, leaving the takings at the door (over £l3 l quite clear of expense. The hall was crowded for the occasion, and the ball proved, to be one of the most successful ever held in the district. The young men are to be commended for the mariner in which they carried out their many duties. The proceeds were handed over to the secretary of the “Welcome Home” Committee, and the latter’s funds have now been raised to over £33.

Two hundred of the elder pupils of the Christchurch Boys’ High School have already offered their services to the Efficiency Board to assist with harvesting and other agricultural work in the summer holidays. Of these 141 have already been allotted to various farmers. In conversation with a Press reporter, Mr J. A. Frostick (chairman of the National Efficiency Board) stated that although many women had offered themselves as workers to the board, it was not proposed to make use of their services as yet. “Men first, boys next, and women last,” is the board’s maxim. Mr Frostick said that he had no doubt that the women would respond magnificently to their country’s call should it come, and he had every confidence that they would rise to the occasion just as splendidly as had the women of England.

There are at present 29 staff cadets from New Zealand at the Royal Military College of Australia. The full quota of 10 joined this year. One cadet of the 1915 class was withdrawn, as he was not up to the standard required. The three 1913 cadets are now with the Expeditionary Force. The 1914 cadets who were withdrawn in April, 1916, are now all under orders to proceed with the Expeditionary Forces. The New Zealand cadets more than holding their own at Duntroon College (states MajorGeneral Robin in his report). The commandant of the college speaks most highly of them, and expresses his appreciation of the manner in which they have worked. One cadet is first in his class, and another second.

In a pamphlet on the way to restore Gorman prosperity after the war, Walter Rathcnuu, chief of the Allgemeinc Elektrizitatsgesellschaft, and lately head of the Prussian Department of War Material, publishes some remarkable admissions and predictions. As summarised by mail advices, he estimates that the war will have reduced the German nation's wealth 20 per cent. Yet very heavy taxation must be imposed on everyone, although Germany will probably have lost all her foreign trade, except with her present allies. This taxation will involve new annual revenues of £350,000,000 —whereas the total revenue before the war (exclusive of loans) was £184,800,000. To restore her wealth after the war, all capital must be reserved for home uses. No raw material of foreign production must be used. Everyone not actually needed in professional or intellectual work must be made to engage in productive labour. •Small undertakings will have to be amalgamated into large ones, production and distribution concentrated, and the tax on luxuries and inheritances must beo- an extremely heavy burden.

At a meeting of the executive of the Returned Soldiers’ Association held last evening it was resolved to hold the proposed skating carnival on the 6th, 7th and Bth of September. In the course of an inquest at Auckland on the body of a child that had died from croup, Dr Reekie stated that there was a simple remedy for croup in every household, that should be widely known, as a good palliative while the patient was awaiting the arrival of a doctor. Ordinary baking soda applied on the end of a spoon and tipped dry behind the back of the tongue would give relief in acute cases of croup.

A return laid on the table of the House of Representatives on Tuesday by the Minister of Finance (Sir J. G. Ward) showed that the total number of cases in which the excess profits tax had not yet been paid up was 66, and that the total sum involved was £33,473 19s 3d. Sir Joseph Ward stated that in one case the sum in question ran up to £I9OO. Unfortunately, he added, in a number of cases people they would have expected to pay. the excess profits tax had not paid at all. A glimpse of the promptitude and enterprise with which Y.M.C.A. secretaries at the front pursue their task of ministering to the comfort of the men who are actually in the thick of it is contained in a recent letter from the front. The writer is a relative of Field-Secretary Ray Baker, from Wellington, and they were both in the recent big offensive at Messines. “Talking of Ray,” be says, “I forgot to mention that the battle started in the early morning, and by 11 that morning the Y.M.C.A. had a tea-buffot going in one of the German dugouts on Messines Hill.” To follow the men so closely in such a terrible battle and to be in a position to help them in the very thick of it was an achievement, of which the association may well be proud. Through the agency of Sir Thomas Mackenzie, High Commissioner for New Zealand, a specially interesting exhibit has just been added to the collection at the Dominion Museum, Wellington. It consists of a specimen Military Cross, and one each of three different medals recently issued for presentation on the field. These last are classified respectively, as “for distinguished conduct in the field,” “for bravery in the field,” and “for meritorious conduct,” and are all massive and exceptionally handsome silver medals of about the size of a five shilling piece.

The Turin paper "Stampa” makes the statement that the gold cup given by the Kaiser some years before the war for a famous international motor race won by a F.I.A.T. car, was offered by the F.I.A.T. Company to the State to be melted as a patriotic contribution to the Italian gold reserve. When it was assayed it was found not to be gold. This has now been proved to the satisfaction of the F.I.A.T. firm, which was naturally disappointed on learning how it had been duped by the Imperial donor. The cup, supposed to be worth about £IOOO, is not of gold, but silver heavily gilt. As compensation, the F.I.A.T. firm has decided to make up the difference in value by adding the sum of £I2OO to its gift.

A party of police who visited Rua’s settlement at Maungapohatu last week, in the course of some inquiries, found the Maoris there in a poverty-stricken state (says the Auckland Herald). All their cattle and sheep have been disposed of to meet expenses incurred in connection with recent trials, and their live stock consists only of a number of pigs and a few fowls. Their land is relapsing into a wild state from want of stock. Notwithstanding their poor circumstances they received the visitors with great hospitality, even offering to kill some of their fowls for them. The party had a very rough journey to the settlement. The tracks, owing to the long continuance of bad weather, are in a shocking condition, and in some places almost impassable. Regarding the agitation that has arisen in certain quarters of the community, and among a number of Parliamentarians, for the granting of furlough to the remaining members of the Main Body, an interesting observation was made by Mr M. J. White (a returned soldier) at the annual re-union of the Otago High School Old Boys on Saturday evening, says the Otago Daily Times. He stated, inter alia, that the representations of some of these people were not quite in accord with the intentions of the men themselves. He was in a position to say that the men did not desire furlough. Some of them had gone through Egypt, Gallipoli, and France, and at this late hour were determined to see it through. They did not require leave, and they were not going to shift until the war was over. This statement was received with applause, and with mingled expressions of surprise.

A very interesting account of Bishop Cleary’s narrow escape from death on the Somme front was received in Patea recently from Private Norman Tinney. In a letter to a relative he says: “I was reading the copy of the Patea Press you sent me this afternoon, and I saw about Bishop Cleary’s narrow escape in the trenches. This is what actually happened: The bishop came into the trenches one afternoon to see how we boys were getting along. He visited our dug-out, and I shook hands with him, and was talking to him, everything at the time being quite quiet. In less than five minutes, however, Fritz opened out with a heavy strafe, and suddenly bang came a sin high-explosive shell, and landed quite close to us. Bishop Cleary was knocked down by some large pieces of earth, and an artillery officer was killed outright. It was a very narrow escape, indeed, for us all. Later in the afternoon I had a similar narrow escape. Things here, as you can imagine, are very lively just now—in fact, too lively to be pleasant.”

A painfully sudden death of a child occurred on Saturday afternoon at the residence of Mr Angus Mclntosh, Rose street, reports the Ensign. Mr and Mrs Mclntosh only took up their residence at Gore last Thursday, having conic from Invercargill. Their eldest child, a girl about three years old, had a slight cold but on Friday and Saturday was about in the go-cart. A cough developed on Saturday, but that appeared to be the only change in the child’s condition, and did not seem to be serious. The child lay down in its go-cart after dinner on Saturday. Shortly after 3 p.m. the mother looked at the child and found it was not breathing. She called in a neighbour and sent for Dr Mcllroy who on arrival could only pronounce iife extinct. An inquest was held at the Gore Courthouse next day. Dr Mcllroy, who conducted a post mortem examination, said he found one lung much inflamed, and the other quite solid, while the heart was gorged with blood. The cause of death was heart failure following inflammation of the lungs. The child appeared to he well nourished. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence.

The experiences of Captain Neville, late of the Union Company, while in command of a New Zealand troopship were publicly related by that gentleman in Palmerston North on Tuesday. Immediately on the outbreak of war Captain Neville was appointed to the command of a troopship, which conveyed the 2nd Reinforcements to Egyfd- From that time up to the present he has made seven voyages with New Zealand troops—five to Egypt and two to England—the total number carried by his ship being about 10,000. Captain Neville described the experiences with his living freights in many seas where dangers abounded—in the danger zone surrounding Great Britain, and in other places where the enemy was suspected to be lurking. He disabused the minds of any who were under the impression that our troopships had not sufficient protection at sea. TTie British Government was giving, by means of the Navy, all possible protection by convoys, and he mentioned that on his last voyage out to New Zealand British warships were within hail from the time of leaving England until almost within sight of Australia. Captain Neville spoke of his evangelistic work among the troops, and the many good results that had been attained in this way.

As showing the number of women who were taking up dairy work in Taranaki, the chairman of the First Wellington Military Service Board (Mr D. G. A. Cooper) stated that 2200 men and 1500 women were engaged in the industry.

The Catholics in Reefton have unanimously resolved to resist military sendee by priests, Marist Brothers, and theological students by even constitutional means. Various speakers gave logical reasons in support of the motion, pointing out that while the priests had never failed to do their share as chaplains, and were always most willing to do so, 33 Marist Brothers could do more good in the dominion than as combatants. In no other part of the Empire, and not even in Germany, were priests compelled by force to fight. A copy of the resolution is to be telegraphed to the Prime Minister and the member for the district. Special for Tuesday—2s New Paris Models to be sold at one guinea each. Cali early and make your choice. THE ECONOMIC, 60 Dee street. The "Thinker’s” Notebook given free with every 1/- packet of “NO RUBBING” Laundry Help is greatly appreciated by housewives. It’s so handy! ,W. T. McGill and Co., grocers. A Wellington correspondent writes:—A large number of entries have been received in the DESERT GOLD Tea Competition. The coupons are now being counted, and results will be announced as early as possible. Best possible value for every shilling you spend at BAXTER’S. In a word, when you buy for ready money from Baxter’s, you only pay for your own goods, and don’t help pay for other people’s. Character Hats by British, American, and Italian makers: 8/6 to 27/6. UNDRILL’S, Leading Hatters and Mercers, opp. Post Office. This is the final week of THOMSON Sc BEATIE’S End-of-Season Sale, so make the most of your opportunity and secure some of the last week bargains in the Clothing Department. Men’s Fancy Shirts, all sizes, at 3/11. A good line of Khaki Mufflers, clearing at 2/11 each. Men’s Hard Felt Hats at 4/6 each. All Raincoats and Iweed Overcoats specially reduced. “Good advice is beyond price.”—Proverb. You cannot afford to overlook any good advice affecting the health of yourself or your children. When coughs or colds make their appearance, the best remedy you can obtain is BAXTER’S LUNG PRESERVER, which has been used and praised for over fifty years. It not only relieves chest and broncnial troubles, but also tones up and vitalises the whole system. Keep “Baxter’s” handy *at all times. A big bottle costs omy 1/10, and an occasional dose will help to keep you fit and well. Goods for motor, train or boat journeys such as Rugs, Trunks, Suit Cases, Gladstone, Kit and Brief Bags, according to requirements may be procured locally irom Messrs PRICE & BLLLEID, LTD., Tay street. They don’t profess to carry the "biggest stocks in the dominion,” but what r

Stocks they do hold of these lines are fresh, up-to-date and of good sterling quallity. The principle of sorting up at shost periods with the “latest on the market” ensures your getting new, clean goods. The prices are moderate, in fact so mode Ate that after getting fully equipped you find yourself in the happy position of being able to indulge in a first-class ticket for anywhere on the money saved on the purchase. The Rugs are of the celebrated Colonial make, likewise the' Trunks and Suit Cases—another reason lor patronising this firm for travelling requisites. “AND HOW’S BUSINESS?"

“Very good, indeed, 1 must say, Tha NEW ZEALAND EXPRESS CO., LTD, are attending to ail my customs, carrying and forwarding werk, and business is running as smoothly as clock-work. There’s notning like having a first-class customs and carrying firm working for you, i can tell you. Saves you no end of trouble, anxiety, and expense.” THE NEW ZEALAND EXPRESS CO, LTD.

The principles which represent what we now stand for, and upon which our business has been built, are these: First— Trustworthy merchandise, sold at actual value. Second—True advertising and salesmanship. Third—No sale settled to stay a sale until buyer cares to have it so.* Fourth—Unsuitable goods may be returned and cash refunded in full. FifthOne price rigidly, and that the lowest, marked in plain figures. Sixth —Genuine labels on goods, and whenever possible, indicating character of component parts. Seventh—A new sense of relationship between customer and storekeeper—hospitality, giving perfect freedom to the visitor,without obligation to purchase. A hearty invitation is extended to all to personally visit and inspect our lovely display of new Spring novelties. H. & J. SMITH, LTD, Tay street. ’Phone 28S. The shipping problem has made the question of motor spirit for the future a consideration for motorists. G. W. WOODS & CO. have just landed 2000 cases, which should relieve the pressure to some extent in Southland, and are prepared to quote at reasonable prices. ARE ATHLETICS OVERDONE? Dr J. Robertson Wallace says it is a fallacy to think that the more exercise you take the more robust you become. The growing boy requires a certain amount of exercise, but a fairly rapid daily walk should keep an adult “fit as a fiddle.” The worthy doctor’s remarks may or may not be wholly endorsed, but it is a fact that WILSON’S MALT EXTRACT has been proved of incalculable benefit to boys and girls It is a pure food tonic which make* bone, flesh, and sinew. Enriches the blood, tones up the system, and improves the appetite. Chemists and stores. SYNOPSIS OF NEW ADVERTISEMENTS. On page I Lost, hose. Lost, horses. Lost, handbag. Lost, motor glove. Lost, pocket-book. To let, cottage. For sale, house. Wanted, trolleynian. Wanted, married ploughman. Try Noble's for handbags. Social at West Plains, Friday. Notice re estate of E. C. Clark. Soldiers Mothers’ Assn, meets Wednesday. Buy a piano from the London Piano Co. Meeting re miniature rifle club, WedneeBuy canned asparagus at Mathesons, Ltd. On page 3 Bargains at Lewis’s to-day. On page 4 Get your sight tested by J. D. Gunio*». On page 6 Wm. Todd and Go. sell furniture at Elies Road, August 16. Clearing sale at Aparima, August 17. Lumsdcn stock sale, August 15. Kapuka stock sale, August 15.