NEWS OF THE DAY.

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 13673, 12 January 1915, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY.

It is intimated that the bathing sheds on the Maitai are for the use of members of the ladies' club only. The subscription is payable to Mrs. Hounsell, Nile street.

A resident of Timaru who has just returned from a trip to Auckland, attended the Auckland Cup meeting. While there (says the "Herald") he saw what he had never seen before but had occasionally read about, namely, a man who, under the excitement of a good win (it was when Warstep won the Cup), threw money out of his pocket up in the air, by handfuls, not once, but several times, and let those round about him scramble for it. This appeared to relieve his' feelings sufficiently to allow him to go to the totalisator and collect his dividend quietly.

During the holidays 20,000 people paid for admission to the new Hobson street baths at Auckland, in a fortnight.

The Studebakcr motor oar m which the Dee family met with an accident on the Moutere hills on Sunday week, was found to be very little damaged, notwithstanding that after leaving the road it turned over twice and fell a distance of some 40ft into a gully. Messrs Mercer and Son brought the car on to the road, and thence to the garage under its own engine. Practically the only damage sustained was a shattered wind screen and a broken steering wheel.

"CLINCHER PREJLO.-lOTJC !IT" (Rubber Studded) Motor Cycle Tjr<s are made^ specially for the hard roads in the Dominion by Scotland's best experts. Give then a trial.

The following dates have been applied for at the Theatre Royal:-*-Jan-uary ]?,th, 34th, and loth, "Humpty Dumpty" Pantomime Company: January 27th, Florence Young Musical Dramatic Company; February —, 12th Regiment Band Carnival: March 3lst and April Ist, 3rd, and sth. "Tho Court Cards" ; April 30th and May Ist, Cherniavsky Trio; July 29th and 30th, Edward Branscombe, Ltd.; September 28th, 28th, and 30th, and October Ist. Edward Branscombe, Ltd.

There is no doubt that beautiful Furniture goes far to make a home happy. What is j our first impression when you enter your rooms? Do they strike yea as being the most comfortable and pretty rooms you have ever seen? The wonderfully elevating inflvenoe of a nicely furnished home upon the mind is far greater than most people ever imagine. Taste, refinement, and beauty in a horn© co farther to make harmony, happiness, and better manhood and womanhood than anything else. See to it, then, in the interests of those you love best that you have a really attractive home, \~home possessing a distinctive atmosphere of comfort and beauty. A home of which you will be justly proud. A home your friends must admire. At Lock's Furnishing Emporium yon can obtain just the furniture that will make your home beautiful. Lock's have an exceptionally large and exclusive stock of all that is best and most desirable in modern furniture, everything being of the roost reliable quality, and Lock's prices are within the range of all and in every instance very Moderate. Call and inspect.

About 90 candidates are sitting in NeLson for the teachers' and civil service examinations now in progress.

Owing to the Mapourika being delayed on the West Coast by bad v eather, it has been found necessary to despatch the Pateena at 10.30 a.m. today for Picton' and Wellington, instead of 8 p.m., as previously advertised.

Owners are reminded that nominations for the Nelson Trotting Club's annual race meeting, to be held at Richmond Park on Wednesday, February 10th. close with the secretary (Mr J. Glen) at Mercer's rooms to-morrow evening at 8 o'clock.

An Order in Council has been gazetted suspending the operation of sectio'i 10 of the Animals' Protection Amendment Act, 1910, for a period of one year, in respect of the following birds: Kea, or mountain parrot, hawks of all species, black shag, white-throated shag, and sea «hag. The Theatre Royal is now in tho hands of the decorator. The proprietor (Mr H. Saunders) has commissioned Mr H. P. Evans, of Wellington, who designed and executed the decorative scheme at the Empire Theatre, to redecorate the Theatre Royal, and the work is now in hand. After the proscenium and auditorium have been completed, new scenery will be painted.

"When I was in Parliament," said Mr J. H. Bradney at Auckland on Wednesday night, "I protested against what I considered absurd restrictions on fishing. I-said fish v/ero so easily caught in Auckland that any man coulJ go down to the wharf and catch his breakfast with a bent nail. I have been ridiculed over that, but recently I put it to the test. I armed myself with bent soft nails and fished near my office. In three minutes I caught a yellowtail. The other day I was invited out on a fishing excursion, only bent nails to be used. We caught a considerable number, only one gentleman failing."

Writes Albert Dorrington from the "great smoke 1': How long will the war last? Many speak glibl> of a three years' campaign. Now the German losses in the first three months are estimated at one and three-quarter million. If they continue at the same rate for three years, Germany will sustain 21,000,000' casualties out of a total population of 65,000,000. Doubtless the Powers nf the Triple Entente could, with their superior resources, crush Germany in a three years' war, but the complete downfall of Germany will be like the death of Samson. As tho Israelitish hero fell buried beneath the ruins of the Philistine temple, so Germany would fall buried beneath the debris of European civilisation.

A smart man with a glass eye very nearly got past the Defence authorities tho other day (says the "Otago Daily Times"). In every other way an eligible candidate, he was sent up for medical examination, and came into the hands of the sight-testers. "Put your hand over your left eye and read this, said the examiner, exhibiting a placard at a distance. The would-be recruit put his hand to his sightless eye, and read glibly with the sound member. "Cover your right eye and read it, ' the examiner then ordered, repeating the performance. The man coolly lifted right hand and placet.! it, not over his right eye, but again over the artifical optic/and read the chart again. So coolly was the thing clone that tho examiner had nearly passed him when he noticed that the'same eye had been covered twice. A third trial was giv-sn, care being taken to ensure that tho sound eye was covered this time, and, tho optic, whatever its appearance might have been, proved quite unequal to the task of reading. So a keen recruit was lost to the colours.

"SCOTLAND'S BEST EXPERTS" manufacture "CLINCHER TYRES" for the Dominion's hard roads. Guaranteed nine and fifteen months. Give them a trial.

Men who appreciate a whisky that has been carefully distilled, fully blended, and patiently aged, drink Watson's Nc. 10.*

Mr J. J. Corry, of Blenheim, who is one of thel best authorities on barley in New Zealand, and who by reason of his extensive dealings in this line of the grain business is popularly known as the "Barley King" of the Dominion, stated to a '"Daily Times" reporter during a recent visit to Dunedin, that owing to the severe drought experienced in Marlborough ever since June of last year the yield of barley in that province this year will be very small indeed He estimates that tho total yield will bo something like 25,000 sacks, whereas in a favourable season it is something liko 100,000 sacks. As Marlborough is the largest barley growing district in New Zealand, there is every possibility of a shortage of barley this year, and no doubt importing will have to be resorted to. The oat crops in Marlborough too. aro in no better condition than the barley, and in many cases they were so bad that farmers put their sheep into the fields.

"LADLES":—The delicious 'MILITARY PICKLE" suits all palates, ard is better than the rest. Buy a lx»ttle to-day. Price reasonable.

"When travelling on the Cunard liner Mauretania," says a Ohristchurch resident, "we had a very interesting speech from Mr Tim Healy, K.C., on the reasons that had induced Great Britain to declare war against Germany. He laid great stress on the fact taat the British Empire was fighting for the world in the cause of freedom and commenting on the position from a religious standpoint, he remarked that the fact of Protestant England having declared war on Germany in defence of little Catholic Belgium was calculated to bring the different Christian sects more into sympathetic unity than ever they had been before. He also emphasised the ready response Ireland had made despite internal dissensions, immediately on the outbreak of war. The supreme call of Empire had silenced all discordant voices. Mr Healy's speech was interesting, eloquent, and stirring to a degree, but, being an Irishman, he could not refrain from a jocular conclusion which caused much merriment. 'And now, gentlemen of the jury, he said, 'I leave you to consider your verdict.' One point of Mr Healy's speech I must not omit was that during Ins visit to America he had heard scarcely a dissentient voice against the action taken by Britain, and as a representative of the British people in Parliament he had been complimented on all sides for the prompt manner in which a little nation had been befriended."

Tho Thermometer.—At three ocfook this morning the thermometer ofltsiae this office registered 58 degrees.

One Masterton young man was' so eager to join the expeditionary reinforcements that he went to the hospital and had two of his. toes removed, so that he might pass the doctor. He is going to camp this week, says the "Age"..

Mr Cunninghame-Graham was appointed head of a commission to go to South America to buy horses for the British Government.

Tho Dunstan "Times" hears that an effort is to be made to re-open the Clyde coal pit. If tho attempt .succeeds, it will give residents of the place an opportunity to buy a good lignite at a. comparatively low rate, and will be the means of retaining in tho district a good deal of money which would otherwise be sent out, besides givin" employment to a number of nwn.

Tho Army Council has issued instructions that no obstacle whatever shall be placed in the way of soldiers conversing on duty or otherwise, in their native tongue, whether English, Welsh, Gaelic, or Irish. On parade all orders will be given in English.

There left Wellington for San Francisco on Thursday by the Marama a company of twenty-eight Maoris, selected at Ohinemutu, Itotoma. and Whakarcwavewa, who are to perform for a year at the Panama-Pacific- Exposition. These Natives have been engaged by Mr Arthur G. Annesley, on behalf of a syndicate which holds an amusements concession ta the Exposition.

Tho story is told of a well-known Warepa angler who made a sensational catch on the Waiwera (Clifton). Leaving his companion, he was rather anxious to have tho honour of securing the catch of the day and the largest fish. Near Clifton Homestead the banks of the stream are well covered with flax. He cast well down stream, and his expectations ran high when nearly all his line ran out. He began to realise that something exceptionally good was in store for him, but when he got on clear ground he found that he had hooked a crossbred sheep.

The cost of living in Napier k steadily increasing, and it is anticipated that the price of bread,, will shortly bo advanced |d. or one penny. Inquiries made by a reporter show I'iat the following approximate inu.ases nave taken place since the ■. ar:—Flour, £10 155., landed Napier, i., £16 10s.; butter, "Js 3d to Is 4d ; satf-, 2s Gd to 4s per bushel ; chaff, £4 10s to £8 per ton; sugar, 9s 6d to 12s 6d iy •. st>lb ; Aatmeal, 4s to 4s 6d per 251b. = >g; rice has increased about 2s 6d per c ~ potatoes about £3 per ton, and nil. ;is .sold at Is 4d per gallon instead of Is, the winter price being retail -d. Vegetables are very scarce and tioar owing to the dry season, and are iikely to increase in mice.

The We-btport "News" wv S •—"What appears to have been a most dastardly act was perpetrated on the locallytrained trotter, Utopia. It was to have taken part in Monday's races, and shortly after 8 o'clock was inspected by the owner and trainer, F. Higgins, and seemed to be as fit as training could make it. About 11 o'clock, when Mr Higgins went to get the horse,-he found that it had been badly injured at the knee, which was cut and swollen, evidently the deed of some miscreant. The engagement at the Trotting Club's meeting had to bo cancelled."

It si reported that an angle;1 of the Hampstead district, who had been engaged in whipping the Rangitata on two or three successive nights, and was very tired in consequence, had a. narrow escape from sustaining personal injury and also from seriously damaging his oar (says the Ashburton "Guardian"). He was on the road up from Rangitata, and, being very tired, fell asleep over the steering wheel. The oar kept straight for a little while, but presently came to a bend in thu road, where it era .shed into a fence. The sudden stop thoroughly woke the driver up, and he managed to keep awake the rest oi the journey homo

The following new regulation under the Land Transfer Act, ICOB, appears to the latest "Gazette" :•—"ln cases in which freehold, leasehold, and mortgage estates or interests, or any two such estates or interests, or of such classes of estates or interests, are dealt with by one instrument, such intruinent shall be subject to only one registration fee, which shall be tho highest payable in respect of any one of the estates or interests dealt with by such instrument."

An exceedingly brave piece of work was performed by a modest hero at the Big River on New Year\s Day (says the Gisborno "Times") While a party were enjoying a fishing, excursion on tho river, some of their number, including two girls and three young fellows, indulged in a swim. Wlien they were well out. in the stream two girls about 16 ye:\r,s of age, were caught in the current, and were soon in serious difficulties. A young man. who was fishing on tho opposite- side of the river, noticed their predicament; and at once started out to swim to the rescue. He had a, long distance to go, but succeeded in coming up with the girls when they were both almost exhausted, and brought both ashore safely. Eyewitnesses describe the young man's exploit as worthy of the Humane Society's modal.