NEWS IN BRIEF.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 533, 25 October 1915, Page 5

NEWS IN BRIEF.

"We are still in the dark with regard to the light," said a spealter at the' meeting of the Avon ratepayers addressed by Mr Geo. Scott on Saturday night. Mr H. S. Alpe intends to leave Ciiristclmrch at about 3.30 p.m. on Thursday for Hawarden, from where ho will walk to Christchurch in an attempt to lower his own record for the T>4 miles' walk, He leaves Hawarden at 8.30 on Friday morning, amd arrives in ChTistchureh at about 8.30 p.m. Collections will be taken up as he passes through the different townships, the proceeds to go to the Veterans' Home Fund.

Ashmead Bartlett, who has been stirring newspapers readers with his "vivid stories from Gallipoli, draws £3OOO a year and expenses—the largest salary ever paid to a war correspondent within the memory of Fleet Street. He began work at tfoe front for £IBOO a year, but when he went back to London, in. May, he struck a rise of £IOO a month. Incidentally, the highly-paid Australian censor, who is free to slash Bartlett 's stuff with the rest, draws £6lO a year.

The anniversary services in connection with the Sydenham Methodist Sunday School were continued on Wednesday evening when the annual teameeting was held. For the entertainment that followed the seating Opacity of the schoolroom was taxed to its utmost. The programme consisted of the cantata "Soot and the Fairies," action songs by the infants, presentation of prizes, an address by the Eev. Percy Knight and vocal and instrumental items by the scholars and teachers.

The second meeting of the Eakaia Band of Hope was held in the Anglican Schoolroom on Friday evening. The. Eev. W. T. Todd occupied the chair, and there" was a Large attendance. Songs were sung by Misses Hardy, Pluck, and Turnbull, and Master L. Paris. Becitations and dialogues were given by Misses I. Neville, C. Shannon, K. Stewart, E. Hopwood, and Masters S. Breach, N. Breach, and S. Wilson. Master C. Hopwood gave a reading, and Miss F. Cornelius gracefully danced the Highland fling. A'' hero bandof five boys gave a testimony, and "Pot Hooks" and "Born Tired" made a successful reappearance. A temperance address Tyas delivered by Mr Prudens, of Christchurch. The next and final meeting is to be held on November 19. One of the Morrinsville tradespeople was recently tendered a £lO note by a Maori in payment for goods purchased, says the "Auckland Star.'" The note was very dirty, and was pasted on a piece of paper, and, on being interrogated as to the reason for pasting it on paper, the Maori stated that he had carried it in his trousers pocket for a long while, and it had got dirty. The tradesman was not satisfied, liowever, and, on looking tip his record of the number of -the forged £lO notes in circulation in Auckland some two years ago, he found the number, 169948, to be identical with that of the spurious notes. He questioned the Maori as to where he got the note, and the reply received -was in a shop in Queen Street, Auckland. Needless to say, the Maori did not get the goods, being requested to call back later. A closer investigation showed that the note was not .one of the actual forged notes, but was a facsimile cut from an illustrated paper at the time, and later, when dirty, pasted on'a piece of paper.

The rest huts which the Salvation Army authorities have erected in France aro a great boon to the soldiers. Thd men's recreation is catered for, an& food and drink supplied, "but all the time the spiritual purpose is kept in view. As an illustration of what the Army authorities are doing in their huts, the correspondent points out that one morning one hundred soldiers were patiently -sitting on their knapsacks or stretched out asleep waiting for opening time. When the adjutant opened the building the men at once made use of the hot and cold baths, and were subsequently* provided with clean, dry clothing. Breakfast of ham and rashers of bacon followed, 400 eggs and 140 rashers being served but. Two thousand six hundred eggs were used at this hut in three days. Needless to say, the '' Tommies'' greatly appreciate the work of the Army officers, who, in addition to many other missions of mercy, act as tlie connecting link between the fighting line and the old home as the writers of letters for the wounded and those too ill to write. Father and Mother. —There are children who will treasure your portraits for a lifetime. Sit for Steffano Webb and post to the boys for Christmas. .342

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r< l suppose we shall siave to light candles to watch our electric stoves cooking,'" said & member of the audience at the meeting re the Heatlicote County's electrical proposals, when informed that he would have to pay extra if fee used the light while cooking. The official opening of the Tai Tapu electrical installation will take place 011 Friday, November 5, at 2.30 p.m. when the ceremony will be performed by the Hon. W. Fraser, Minister of Publie Works. Invitations to attend are "being issued by the directors of the Tai Tapu Co-operative Dairy Company.

The Methodist Choir Union will give choral festivals in the Durham Street Methodist Church on Thursday, October 28, and Saturday, October .30, at 8 p.m. The chorus will sing "six anthems and choruses, under the conductorsliip of Mr Ernest Firth, F.R.C.O-, and the organist will be Mr H. T. Wliittingham. The soloists are Madame Clarissa Holgate, soprano; Mrs F. Cother, contralto: Mr J. W. Trewern, tenor; and Mr A. A. Scott, bass. Within the last few days the appearance of South Canterbury, where the drought has been broken, has improved marvellously; and any stranger who passed through a week ago might be excused if he failed to recognise it as the same country. Such a week of good growing weather lias not occurred in the last two -spring-times, and the "short feed problem" is now solved, at least for the present. The agricultural and "pastoral prospects are uow both excellent, and, though losses among the floclcs have been much more numerous than in ordinary years, the lambing season may be Bet down as fairly satisfactory, and from many places good percentages are reported.

How false reports regarding soldiers at the fren't are spread is shown by an extract from a letter from a New Zealand boy now at Gallipoli. The writer stated that he had heard that he and three of his friends were reported killed. One of these, he stated, was still in Gallipoli; another had never landed there, and is now back in Egypt; while the writer said he was still very much alive and worth a lot of dead men. The writer also stated that at liia home he had been reported killed, and. at another time wounded, and missing- He told his people that they would be cabled to if anything happen : ed to him, and that if they did not. receive a cable not to take any notice of rumours.

An Englishman rocently succeeded in making his way out of Constantinople, in peculiar circumstances. His name is Harry Field, and it was owing to the fact that he was a leading jockey to the Turkish Minister for War, Env-er Pasha, that he succeeded in securing 'special favours. The most interesting feature of his news is that touching on the funeral of an Australian prisoner. This was the only death of a war prisoner that had occurred during the jockey 's stay. .All arrangements had been made for an ordinary funeral, and the hearse was actually at the door, when a detachment of Turkish troops in ceremonial dress marched up, and their leader explained that, according to the view of the authorities, a prisoner was nevertheless a soldier still, and was therefore entitled to full mi'litaTy honours when he died. The coffin, as a result, was not placed in the hearse, but, was carried shoulder high by Turks, with arms reversed, to the cemetery at Skutari, and the body was interred there beside the hundreds of British heroes who met their deaths by sickness or wounds during the Crimean war.

Of all the inconspicuous but significant events of the war there have been few that for interest, and in a measure 'for pathos, have surpassed the quiet visit of the Queen of the Belgians on a recent Sunday to tin eminence from which she was able to obtain a view of the ruins of her loved and lost Ypres (says a dispatch from British headquarters to the " Daily Telegraph"). Nothing could have been more in sympathy with a day from which no human help could rob the sorrow than the simple arrangements of this unnoticed and unheralded jotfrney{ All that was due to honour was rendered; nothing that mere ceremony claimed. Almost alone the Queen went out towards that much-hammered salient, and though those whose right it was to welcome her were with her there, it was almost alone in spirit that she let her eyes fall over the cruel liavoe and desoiation of the jewel of all )ier husband's cities. The afternoon was brilliantly clear, and the white wreck of the famous Clufcha Hall, -so fast sinking to the ground, was again and again illuminated by a ray of sun when all round was shadowed by the passing of the high overhead clouds. With the reticence of those who were with her as an example of graee, there is noword more to add to this bare note thfen to say that once an English aeroplane thrummed exultingly overhead on its way to Ypres and the German lines. The London correspondent of the 11 Post'' writes: against the half-sovereign is in full swing, the argument being that with the advent of the ten-shilling note there is no longer any use for the coin, which wears away more rapidly than the sovereign. Mr Harold Cox, on this point, writes: —'If the half-sovereign is withdrawn from circulation I hope that the public will be given an improved silver coinage as an optional alternative to paper notes. Professor Foxwell suggests the coining of crowns or five-shil-ling pieces, and he is absolutely light in his implied contention that if we are to use silver more we must have silver coins of a higher denomination than those now in current use. Previous experience, however, showed that the silver crown is so large as to be unpopular. I think that the highest denomination the public would accept is 4/-, and I suggest that this coin could be popularised if simultaneously with its introduction the half-crown were abolished. Our silver coinage would then consist of 6d, 1/-, 2/-, and 4/-, and the simplicity of this scale would greatly facilitate the extended use of silver.' "

German spies on tlie Western front are stated to be both resourceful and daring, especially on the line occupied by the British. "On one occasion," says a cavalry officer, "three German officers came right through our lines in a motor car. Two of them were disguised as French officers, who were supposed to be bringing back the third as a prisoner} he, of course, being in German uniform. They got close to army headquarters before they were detected and captured. They are up to all sorts of dodges, and we have to be wide awake all the time to spot them. A plough with a white or grey horse has sometimes located the position of ft battery of artillery to an enemy aeroplane. The movements of a flock of sheep, driven i>y a spy disguised as a peasant, has sometimes given similar information."

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