NEWS OF THE DAY.

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 13808, 1 July 1915, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The vital statistics for Nelson for June are as follows: —Births 17, marriages '5, deaths 11. ''

London reports that freights on imported nils since the declaration of war have advanced from 3s 6d to 16s per barrel. Adde<l to this increase is the extra freight from England to New Zealand. Quotations will therefore have to" bo adjusted to cover these two advances. -

Tlip Post and Telegraph Department has been informed that Berne advises tJiat communication with the city of Mexico is interrupted. Telegrams are subject to delajr, and are accepted at sender's risk.

Under the Education Act provision is made-for two representatives of the parents of pupils attending-Nelson College on the Board of .Governors. The election is to take place shortly, and the committee has decided to nominate Mr. W. Rout and Dr. Washbourn for the two seats.

Mr Downie Stewart, speaking in the House of Representatives, said a wartax should first fall on the war profits In'his opinion the war profits were being made in the country, but it was difficult to impose an income-tax on farmers. An increase in the land-tax would not be adequate in proportion to tho profits mado, so ho would prefer to see an export-tax imposed.

The activity at the Wellington Customhouse in the clearance- of goods from bond was so considerable lasc week that the revenue is faul to bo :x record for the port of WeilinQ-ton (says the "Post") The receipts totalled £01,758 5s 10d, the largest day's takings being on Friday, when £13,913 5s 2d' was collected. The record is no doubt due to the expected increase in duty, which it is believed the Government is.about to make. .Considerable clearances of spirits and tobacco havo also been made by Nelson merchants.

bringing ijnder notice again the need "for extending the railway south of Ross. It is described as a work of very great local importance,'xind as also of Dominion importance, for iho reason that it will tap some of the finest timber country in New Zealand, and assist to develop an important section of the large estate held by the Crown in the locality referred to.

At tho Auckland Chamber of Commerce meeting, a suggestion that, the Government &liould cut up certain country for tho use of returning soldiers desirous of settling on the land, evoked much discussion, in the course of which a Mr Kells ro.narkg^j. <'i have been ovor some- of that country, and if T was a soldier and - "jy offeree? me forty acres of it I wt uld say, 'Send mo back to the trenches.' (Laughter. 1

Lately we have heard a good deal about "showing the white feather," and although most people know it as the symbol of cowardice, probably not nianv know how this came about, in the old days, when cock-fighting was a popular sport in England,^ coot which EaS.iiwnW ■ feeder m Us to was. cenerallv lacking in courage. .Whetnei tins was" the case, or whether the partisans in sport only imagine it, it. is impossible to say.

Another big deal m drapery and clothing. W. McKay and Son having purchased the stock-in-trade or the late P- D. Todd, of Kumara, will hold a huge sale in conjunction with their annual stocktaking sale, commencing Friday, June 25. Come along early and secure some of the bargains.—W. McKay and Sou, Bridge street.*

Om> of the results of the recent drought in this district (says the Marlborough Express") is to bring, home to &o farmers the value of their straw Tbe probabilities arc that in future years even barley straw will bo regarded as a definite asset and not as an encumbrance, best disposed of by means of a match. In a discussion on soil fertility at Blenheim on SatuHav afternoon a farmer made a point that there had been too much burning of stiaw. He emphasised the fact, that, .apart from the worth of straw for the maintenance and fattening of stock, thftic was the consideration that the use of the stacks in this manner contributed in a large degree to the renewal and strengthening of the toil. .

4.1 the annual dinner of the Waihou, Valley Dairy Company Te Aroha Wesc, an address was given by Mr Greville, editor of "The New Zealand Dairy- j man " who complimented the company on having one of the best cheese factories in the world, and on the tact or its recording the record price of 99s for one of its shipments of cheese. Ihe chairman (Mx E. Wagstaff) announced that the amount receivable by suppliers this season is Is 6d per pound ot butter-fat, after allowing for depreciation and placing an amount to reserve fund This announcement was greeted with applause, the price being the hiehesfc ever paid out in' Auckland, province in the history of the dairying trade-.

Tho Legislative Council agreed to the Address in Reply. The Hon J. 1. Paul said that, apart from taxation, he had a strong presentiment that the coming difficulty in Britain and. to some extent here, would be connected with food prices. It was remarkable that Germany with outside markets closed was able to reduce prices of food while we allowed ours to .increase. He quoted prices to show-that not since 1882 had prices been so high as they wore at present. It. was to tho eternal credit of tho industrial classes of this country that, since the war broke out there bad been nothing in the.way of industrial strife, but it was iho duty of Parliament to prevent the worker from being exploited.

Norman Emms's cars leave Tattersail's (next to Post Office) even morning at 10 o'clock for Motueka and Takaka. Ring 'phone 39. Private address £27 (No. 14 Wamui street).

A highly successful entertainment in aid of the Sick and Wounded Soldiers' Fund was held in the Tahuna Hall last night. Mr. E. Edridge occupied the chair, and delivered an _ appropriate speech. A stirring patriotic address was given by Mr. W. Lock, and the objects of the fund were briefly explained by Mr. W. W. Snodgrass. An excellent concert programme, to which local and town performers contributed, opened and closed with the National Anthem. Messrs. Stringer and Atkinson kindly conveyed passengers from town free of charge.

Private C. McConchie, of the Wellington Battalion, in a letter to his parents in Nelson from Abbassia Hospital, Cairo, says he is making good progress towards recovery from the w.ound he received at the Dardanelles. 2le adds: "There are only 16 of our company in the field. Some-are wounded, and others have gone under altogether. I think that anyone who came out of the first three days' fight can I shake hands with himself. .When I tell | you that the Turks have trenches made lof concrete, 7ft. deep, with loopholes, you will understand the task that we had. The only thing that would shift, them was the bayonet, and the infantry i made a name for Australia that will go down in history. . . The boys are doing well now, and there are not nearly so many wounded coming back, while the Turks-are suffering terrible losses." Private'McConchie is returning to''New Zealand by the Willochra.

The Mayor of Christehurch (Mr Holland), in giving his impressions of a Northern journey, says:—"Wellington is making great efforts to raise money for patriotic funds, but everything is done through a lottery or art, union. The gambling element is in everything, and several prominent citizens in Wellington .resigned from th© carnival executive because of these art. unions. ■There are things that I would object to. For instance, they have purchased a house for £1200, and are raffling it.; Suppose they get £1500 only, £300 will go to. the fund, and tho major part of the publicly subscribed money■- will go to the owner of the property". It is not profitable and it is dangerous. | A man getting £1200 might be obtaining more for his property than he could get in the open market, and most of the public money would not reach the patriotic funds."

1 A letter has been receiver] by Bishop Sadlier from the Rev. C. J. IT. Dob" ■son, vicar of the Sounds, who is now a chaplain in the New Zealand Expeditionary. Forces. Mr Dobson states thac there are a large number of beds at tlu: Alexandria Hospital' at which .he is now stationed. Just as ho was writing his letter, many wounded arrived, including Mr Asquilh's son. A large number of Turkish prisoners were marched through tho streets. They shouted to the people that they wero not prisoners, but- had bean paid by tho English to be led through the. city, but the populace hooted them. Chaplain Dobson had been very ill, but apparently had recovered at tho time of writing.

Bluing the service.at Sfc Matthew's Church, Hastings, on Sunday morning, a tablet to the memory of tlif late Sir William Russell was unveiled.

Mr Malcolm Ross, the New Zealand official war correspondent, arrived at Port Said late on the evening of May I.7th. His first letter has come to hand, dated May 20th. It was written to catch the mail leaving for New Zealand next clay, and of course he had then had no opportunity of going to the actual front. —Press Association. .

Freights from San Francisco on 'canned- fruit and vegetables, tinned and barrel salmon,1, have advanced 2 dollars per ton, equal to 2d per dozen. —Christchurch "Press."

The Bishop of Nelson has received a letter from the Rev. T. Fielden. Taylor, chaplain with the New Zealand Expedi* tionary Forces, dated Malta, May 25th. In the course-of t«ho letter Mr Taylor describes the naturo of his wound. While, rescuing a wounded man from the trenches he was shot in the back, tne bullet striking three sovereigns in his belt, and glancing from them into his back. The bullet has now been extracted, and the wound is slowly healing. Mr Taylor says there is no need for anxiety, and he hoped to be with the troops within a mouth.

'& letter was •leceiv&d by the Rev. C. Griifin, of Auckland, from his son, Surgeon-Lieutenant Cyril J. A. Griffin, who has been on active service with the Ist Cavalry Field Ambulance since the early stages of the war. Writing on 29tli April, Lieutenant Griffin stated that he was then about 15 miles from Dunkirk, this being the farthest north that tho ambulance had been. In the course of the letter he says: "The fighting had 'been terrific. I have never heard such cannonading, and the casualties have been enormous. I do not think the Germans can break through, in spite of ail their dirty tricks. One of our officers met ; French'colonel'of Zouaves, who said 1400 of his men were made insensible in the trenches by the gases, and were bayoneted by the Germans as they lay helpless."

The Westland County. ; Counoil is

A motor car accident occurred on the main road in the Moutero near Braeburn yesterday. A car driven by Mr. A. Emms, jun., was passing another car, driven by Mr. Stent, when the near wheels of the first-mentioned car went over the edge of the road,-capsiz-ing the car and throwing out the occupants, some seven or eight in number. Fortunately they escaped senous injury, although all were more or less shaken and bruised. The driver's foot was penetrated by the accelerator lever, and he was pinned down. We are informed that the accident occurred at a very narrow part of the road, the outer edge of which is obscured by blackberries, which makes it impossible for cardrivers to give sufficient room to pass without going on to the edge, which to outward appearance is solid. Several similar accidents have occurred on this part of the road, and with the rapidly, increasing motor traffic, steps should be promptly taken to have the road cleared and widened1. The car, which is badly damaged, is lying about 16ft below the road, and the staff of the Commercial Garage will attend to it to-day.

Messrs Raphael Tuck and Sons have been notified by the Board of Trade that an announcement has appeared in the "Reichsanzeiger," the official Gazette of the German Empire, that the branch business established by the firm in Berlin some eight years ago for the sale of their "Oilette" postcards and other British publications lias been sequestered, and the business and assets sold by the German authorities. It appears that soon after the outbreak of the war the Berlin branch of Messrs Raphael Tuck and Sons was taken over by the German Government, and an official administrator placed in charge. Shortly afterwards violent attacks directed" r,gainst Messrs Raphael Tuck and Sons appeared in a leading Berlin j journal, calling upon the .German pub-j lie to bo3'cott the art. productions of this British house, and similar articles were published in 200 journals through^ out the German Empire, these attacks finally culminating in the sequestration of the business by the authorities. Messrs Raphael Tuck and Sons, in their reply to this official information, intimated to the Board of Trade that they would naturally look for the intervention of His-Majesty's Government'with; regard to this sequestration of their property at> the conclusion of the war. Important outstandings were due to Messrs Raphael Tuck and Sons from customers throughout Germany and \nstria at the time tho German Government took over the business, and this money, as well as the whole ot the stocks, etc., is lost for the present to the shareholders ot the company.