NEWS OF THE DAY.

Colonist, Volume LVI, Issue 13420, 18 March 1914, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY.

A car will leave Vining's garage at 9 a.m. for Takaka. A-jnotor car will leave Messrs Newman Bros.' stables at 9 a.m. to-morrow for Blenheim. Yesterday being St. Patrick's Day was observed as a holiday by the banks and Government offices. Owing to the rain, which came down steadily all day, the sports to be held at the Stoke Orphanage were'postponed until today. - The proposal to establish a medical school at Auckland University College is apparently causing some concern in Dunftdin.j The "Otago Daily Times,?? in an article on the. subject, touches on Auckland's claims to a medical school,.! which, it says, are based among other things on the, <'ability of the city, possibly, as; a result of the imperfections of its drainage scheme, to produce an exceptional range of serious diseases and epidemics such as are rarely, if ever, met with in the south." The Nelson Advancement Society met last evening. Despite the heavy ■ rain there was a fairly good attendance, but the meeting decided that it would be best to have a record attendance^before the provisional committee submitted its. report, and its " recommendations were finally dealt with. The meeting was, therefore, adjourned till Friday evening next. We have to acknowledge receipt of a copy of tho jubilee number of the "Otago Boys' High School Magazine," an admirably written, illustrated, and produced publication of nearly 100 pages, issued by the Old Boys' Association in commemoration of the jubilee of the school, which was celebrated in August last. The number opens with a.-history of the school since its foundation, and contains a very full record of the jubilee celebrations. The illustrations comprise a pictorial record of tho school and its masters and, scholars j throughout its fifty years of existence. | The- number is one that will bo treasured by past and present students of the school. The *'Otago Daily Times" states that it is understood that Messrs W\ Belcher, David Maxwell (Dunedin), and Shepherd (Wellington) have been nominated for the position of secretary of the Dunedin branch of the -Australasian Federated Seamen's Union, but that the Dunedin governing body is now considering whether Mr Shepherd's nomination is in order. The tenure of the secretaryship is for one year. Mr. Belcher has held the position of local secretary for the past twenty years. From New York it is reported that Paderewski has become a nervous wreck as the result of the numerous threats to kill him, which have been made by the Black Hand Society. He is at the present time endeavouring to recuperate in a secluded bungalow on the coast. In the meanwhile all engagements have, been cancelled.

A telegram from Cracow, Austria, to the Berlin newspapers gives details of a terrible tragedy which occurred there at the residence of Captain Haussmann, of the Artillery. Captain Haussmann was giving a dinner to his comrades, and in the course of conversation was insulted by Lieut.-* Ziegler. The captain sent for his son, and, giving him a revolver, ordered him to shoot Lieut. Ziegler. The lad fired, and the lieutenant was killed on the spot. . Both the captain and his son have been arrested.

The amoiuit of capital invested in rubber-growing in the Federated Malay States, is .according to a Blue-book, £40,000,000.

A sum of £200,000 has been distributed among 4000 employees of the late. Mr Benjamin Altman, owner of New York's famous department store, ■ says the "Standard." Mr Altman provided for the distribution in his will, according to which those who had been employed for 15 years received £200, those rof 18, years' service £300. and those of 20 years £500. Several heads of departments received, £1000 each in addition1 to these bequests. Mr Altman left five million pounds to be applied to such philanthropic institutions':rs the board of trustees named in his will should select.

A Press Association telegram says ihnt a heavy north-easterly gale and rain s->l in at Auckland on Monday night. The fall was 1.57 inches. It v ill relieve the anxiety of farmers throughout the province, the milk supply and food latterly having "shown a serious shortage.

The annual meeting of the Society for the Prevention-of Cruelty to Animals will be held in the Diocesan library this afternoon at 3.30 o'clock. The committee will meet a quarter of an'cour'iatfier. It is stated that Jin - American millionaire is planning to spend £3,000,000 in building, endowing, and equipping with. radium twenty hospitals for the treatment of^cancer.

The life of Sir Frederick Weld, who lived from 1823-1891, and took part in the Maori War, ie shortly to be published by John Murray. It is written -by Alice, Lady Lovat.

Fishing at the mouth of tho Rangitata River last week, Mr Rich, of Longbeach, landed a trout 33 inches long and 211b. in weight. The fish was caught on a Pollock fly, and is a record for the river so far as is known locally.

An unusual incident took place while a son of Mr Gerald W 7eir was fishing in the Manawatu river on Friday evening, says the "Standard." The lad made a cast and hooked a six-pound eel. He was fly-fishing at the time, and the catch was unusual, as cols very rarely take a fly—in fact, some very experienced fishermen have not heard of it happening -previously.

Messrs A. C. Fawcott (president of tho'local carpenters' »nion)> w-, M?" Conchie (on behalf of non-members), and A. Cross (secretary of the union) have convened a mass meeting of carpenters and joiners, unionists and nonunionists, and all.other workers interested, to be held in the Dresden rooms. Hardy street (above Mrs Harris's fruit shop), to-day, at 7.30 p.m., for the purpose of considering ways and means or extending practical aid to Mr George L. Chittenden. who-has, by reason of a recent accident, been rendered permanently blind. It is confidently expected that the meeting will be largely attended, and that the injured man and his family will receive the aid thendistress deserves.

The W.C.T.U. Convention at Gisborne on Wednesday last adopted the following resolution:—"That this Convention desires to affirm strongly the advisability "of women being represented on the proposed National Council of Education. The Convention is aware, that nothing in the recommendation of the commissioners prevents the election of women to this council, but feels that since, according to the recomi mendations, each body of electors has only one representative to elect, it may easily happen that no woman will find a seat on the council. It, there-, fore, urges that in the new Education Bijl, the regulations for the election of the council be framed so as to ensure that a certain proportion of the members shall be women."