NEWS OF THE DAY.

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 13995, 27 January 1916, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY.

la view of yesterday's rain, the grassburning caiTxed out this week on some <~f. iho hills near the city was done just f\ the nick of time.

B r tho I'ateena on Satuj day.there ar riv-ed. coiisigiu-d to the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd.. a .sj>io!irii(! line of fifteen one and invosh'ear stud .Rominey ewes. Tlieso sheep were bred : by, ]VJ&?ssrs Gray Bros;, of Master ton. and th^ r.ew owner "is-1 Mr E. D. Barkcs, 38 Valley, Wakefield.

In oenncK'tion'-with the visit of Wirth Bro;.' Circus t<> Nelson special train arrangements have been made. On Saturday next the train usually-leaving Nelson for ttelgrove at 4.30 p.m. will b^ d<layer{ till o p.m., thus giving the country people an opportunity to witness the n. atinee performance of the circus. ■'•The- tiviiri' usually leaving a<< 10 p.m will also be delayed, and will leave at 11 p.m. «

Rain set in yesterday afternoon, and interfered with outdoor fixtures for the half-holiday.

It is reported that sv Nelson lady, has -won the first prize, of £2000J in the Gold Coast patriotic art union promoted ia Greymouth.

At the Horowhenua Show the Prime Minister predicted that tho country's production this year would be better th-is h viif last ;veai —Press Associa- • tiou.

The Telegraph Department adviso that the rates for telegrams to Tutuila (Samoa) .are now as follows:—Via. Pacific: Ordinary Is 4-Jd per word, Government Is Id. Via Awanui and Apia: Ordinary and Government Is 2Jd.

Miss Moore will, resume pianoforte teaching on Thursday, February 3rd, m the Masonic Hall. i

Meetings of the Tapawera flower show and dog trial committees are advertised. V

A memorandum from the Telegraph Office states: Soldiers' telegrams at ordinary deferred or E.F.M. rates may tie accepted via Eastern addressed io Madras or to Salonika. The E.F.M. rate is the same as to Egypt.

When he 'was.inspecting the Nelson Mental Hospital last week, the Hon. G. W.; Russell suggested that residents of the city would no doubt be glad to assist in brightening the lives of the inmates by passing on to the institution books, magazines, and papers for which they have no further use. Mr. Russell suggested that a receiving depot should be established in town. The idea has been acted upon, and it has been arranged that books, etc., may be left at the Public Works Department's office in Trafalgar street, whence they will be forwarded to the Mental Hospital.

A Wairarapa "sport" who visited the Wellington races had what may be termed a run of bad luck. First of all he coupled Panmure in the double with a horse that was scratched. Then he went further, and coupled it with every horse in the Cup race, excepting one. That one turned out to be the winner. On top of this he was given £1 by a lady to invest on Bee 3 the winner of the Cup. He forgot to make the 'investment, and will have to pay out double figures. Finally, he was on the landing of the grandstand which collapsed, and was within an ace of losing the number of his mess. —"Age."-

The Anchor Company announce an excursion from Motueka to buit the conver u-nve of intending visitors to the Patriotic Carnival which is to be held at Fort ■PmoSmoii on Anniversary Day. The s s. Koi 'will leave Motueka. for Nelson on Tuesoay, February Ist, at 7 30 a.m., and there will be two trips on return to Motueka same day, vu., the s s. Kaitoa leaving here at 3 p.m., and tlio ss. Koi at 6.30 p.m.

In discussing the war, Mr J. E. Wall, who has arrived in Christch'urch from England, said he was somewhat surprised at the merrymaking in which the jiecple of Christehurch and bihec centres indulged. It was very marked to a person who oan,e from England, where all that kind of thing, by public consent, had bfen put on,one side. jHe was surprised that sports were held in New Zealand, as if no great war was being waged The people in England vere not downhearted, but were serious, perhaps even solemn. In face of the crisis in England there were no excursion tickets, no annual holidays—or very few—no race meetings, no festivities no merrymaking of any kindv The air,and bearing of th©'people in Christchurch and \"ew Zealand saddened him. He did not like to see amusements in ■full swing as if the Empire were not in danger. . He wiais convinced the New Zealand pu'blie did not realise how serious the* position had become,: or how d.es.:rablo it was to cast aside pleasure.

TheNeW'i branch of the Railway Department has arranged . for special cheap fares on Tuesday next (Anniversary Day). Country folk will no doubt take acivantage of this and visit the Aquatic Carnival at the Port. Tho return fare from WakefieW, Brightwater, Hope. Siiiti"- Grove, and Appleby will be or.lv Is 9d Townspeople will also lave the same opportunity to visit the country, the: same fares being in operation. * There is to be a bowling tournament at AVak'-.field, and a number of bowlers.and their families will no doubt rr.a'v.3 the trip

Tho late- Belgian Consul at Aiickland, Mr A. M Fergus-son, who has been in England for the past two years,, returned to New Zealand by the Tainui Mr Ferguson, interviewed by a"Herald representative, referred to Ins interest in Belgian affairs, with which he had retained -touch during his absence from New Zealand. He said M. Pollet, Belgian Consul jGerieral in London, wh.j was at one time Belgian Consul in Sydney, ar-.d has also been in.New Zealand, ' tokl iiim he was absolutely astounded a" the generosity displayed by New Zealand towards his distressed countrymen, .nor was M. Pollet alone ia being thus surprised. All the Belgians Lad the same feeling towards this distant country The people at Homo were much surprised that New Zealand c«m coiMnand. so much money. Indeed New Zealand loomed largje in the popular mmd at Home. It was referred to on one occasion as "tho aristocrat of the Dominions."

The lady who originated the Rod Cross teas in Auckland, which «o far have brought in £800, and are still going on successfully, t Mrs. Hudson Williamson, has been visiting Welington1. She is greatly interested in the success of the Red Cross tea scheme lately inaugurated by the Mayoress, Mrs J. P." Luke, which is run on slightly different lines frdni those in Auckland. The president of the Aiickland Victoria League, Dr. Hope Lewis, i>as at once interested in the plan, arid the league has assisted Mrs. Williamson in every way possible. To begin with, a thousand invitation cards were printed, with an explanation of the work, and any people who intend to give a tea, or afternoon party, .garden party., picnic, or evening entertainment in aid of the fund apply to Mrs. Williamson for the number of cards required, and afterwards pay _in the shillings and- any extra, donations given. It has developed into quite a special branch of work, and has been a success from every poiiit /» £' view. '

Fo-ir and cloven pence for' a highly fimsned Jaram\<?e fire screen strikes' one as being distinctly reasonable! 5s (id buys a good watch, or if your pocket permit-; you van go up to 70s .(all prices in and between), and ©very watch guaranteed a genuine bargain. Field glasses sell fronV'lss 6d to 32s 6d—fine iiistrunients at long range. Is buys 2 good combs or a -Samoiaai fruit "-basket; or -5 cakes of choice toilet r.oaps. There is no limil to ihe stocks held at "Novelties," and the very low prices {are "eye-openers,"' especially to people* in the back-block* .who depend on stores, i,r h;uvkers. A bio; summer.sale.is now. proceeding. 7'he bargains are gonuina and all should, shi^re. Writ© for price lists:tu ''Novelties," Nelson:*^ ;

A New Zealand officer, writing from Cairo,-says: "The, class of men who have arrived with the last two reiuforcoruents is tip-top; and I am suro could not be beaten."

,As an outcome of the raids which have been conducted by the Auckland police during the past few weeks, over 700 gallons of liquor, which was seized on the various occasions, is now stored at the police station.

A novel method of assisting the men now in camp at Trentham has been discovered by the ladies of New Pl> mouth. During tho last few months 175 bags containing bundles of white and coloured scraps of cloth have been! forwarded to the camp, to be used in the cleaninfc of guns. The effort has been much'^ppreciated by the men.

A senior officer in Egypt, who has a. great deal to do with the handling of gifts by the people of New Zealand to our soldiers, writing to a friend in Wellington, says: —"I think you should.^ndeavour to deal with the New Zealand" Force as a whole; the parochial business does not work quite satisfactorily, and has certainly caused a little jealousy. Some districts are more lavish than dthers; while we have divisional units whose men are drawn from all over New Zealand, and who are rarely thought.of in New Zealand."

The South Taranaki correspondent of the New; Plymouth "Daily News" writes :—Strong comments are made regarding the number of able-bodied Swiss men in this locality who are mopping up the land, while our nativeborn lads are going to the front and giving up their lives for the country. If compulsion comes along these Swiss men, whether naturalised or not, ought to be made to shoulder a gun and do their bit also.

What a great acquisition is Rayon dOr (exclaims a rosarian). It is seldom a new variety quite justifies its early reputation, but this one exceeds it, and no matter where, it is grown, if worked "on the proper stock it is glorious,! The wonderful orange buds, just touched with a tinge of red, open into a lovely golden flower, and, unlike any other yellow, it keeps it« colour until the petals fall. Its habit is good, and the •"" bright green, mildew-proof leaves must be seen to be thoroughly appreciated.

ri.ie.anni.nl rep<rt of the fireymcuth Chair.lior of Conurerce ."ontains the i'elWins;:- The trade of the port continues satisfactory when the present co'iiitioa of the world :s consi'lo. r' Trntar shows a sl/ght •failing" off but woo' sh'viv*' an incr.easo ii« shipping of •-')■'^bale's, while coal shows. a satisfactory increase of over 35,000 tons Gold exported durir.cr *J»e year amounted to £443,744, thus showja^ the value of the n.ininsf industry and its claim for more Government assistance."

The Hon. H. F. Wigram is one of those who are at the present moment seriously considering whether, New Zealand is doing her duty to the1' Empire in money as well as in men. His view, as expressed in a communication to a southern contemporary, is that "it is not. a question whether it pays us better to keep our cash and borrow

six millions a year from Britain to provide dur war expenditure; the real question is whether the time has now come when New Zealand should bear what share she can in the common financial burden of the Empire.!'

Speaking at a recruiting meeting at Raftgiora, Sergeant Macfarlane, a returned soldier, asked what the girls were doing. He said tilipy hvd. it in their power to help the recruiting by encouraging young men to enlist. There were far too many men in plain clothes, and the girls could show.their disapproval of this by not walking out Ayith them. Continuing, ho '"said, that 'within.''the riexi few months there would be big engagements fought, and men must be found to fill the ranks. Men from the country districts must come in. It was urged that they had their work to do- on the farms, but ♦•.hose who had retired from work would have to sot to again for the time being nnd release the young men for service. In the crisis all must give a, hand. What, wh«n the war was over, would be theposition, of those young men who failed their country in her time of need? They would have a ■ scar on their consciences which time woiild not efface.

"They have got three months to clear out," said the Australian Prime Minister, referring in Sydney to his recent announcement that all persons of enemy origin, whether naturalised or not, must be struck off the list of shareholders of Australian companies. "Every company in Australia," Mr. Hi^hes continod, "has been notified that it is to make arrangements for removing German shareholders from its register within a period of three months from last Friday or Saturday. Where under the State laws no provision is made for this the necessary authority is to be given by a regulation under the War Precautions Act, which will be issued during the present week. The intention is that enemy shareholders ,should receive for their shares the market price at the date on which the purchase of the shares by the company is completed."

The qiiestion of the establishment of a municipal bakery came up for discussion at a meeting of the" Hastings Borough Council, when Cr. Martell moved : the following; motion:—"ln view lof the fact that the bread supply of | Hastings is now vested in a commercial combine running solely for the purpose of private profit, the'time has ! arrived when, in order to safeguard the public, the council should undertake a municipal bakery., and that a committee be set up to thoroughly investigate the matter and report to the council within one month"" Speaking to the motion, Cr Martell .said "he was not one of tho.se who believed in monopoly, or in the State diving into all sorts of trade enterprises, but when an industry, which had so vital a bearing on the people as the bread industry,- was controlled by a trust, he thought it was time something was done to protect the people. He had i>'» personal a m'mositv atrairist those asikuto •mou" who had brtught about the trust. Tim commercial combine appeared to him to be an attempt to secure large a".} nrMrtiona! profits far and awiiv above those which would be gained m f'i • ordinary course of trade Cr Ma-]«h"«on h.-ud his own. <ij.inion was that, if tli3 ponpb were J.eipg exploited it ■«,ns n mnV-oir. for the Government to deal with. The Mayor said at> the pro se"D time lie m< not favourably disposed to the proposal, but he had an opj-.ii n.ind. Tho motion was carried

Altogether one hundred arid sever* Now Zealand pressmen have enlisted.

The position of, headmaster of theschool at Apia, Samoa, has been offered to Mr. E: J. Newland, at present headmaster at Kurow (Canterbury). There were 25 applicants.

During last year the Gisborno policetook charge of between 400, and 500" bicycles which had been left standing against verandah posts, shop fronts, etc. Eight of the machines are still unclaimed.

' The newly-formed -.Nelson Academy of ■Music,-with Mr John Tait, A.11.C.0. (lately teacher of-.singing, mid organ, at the Nelson School of Music), and staff of experienced -teachers, mtamates that the first term commences on Wednesday, February 2nd. A prospectus is now ready, and may be had on application.

Referring to tho failure of the oper* ations in Gallipoli, "Trooper, Bluegum" wrote to the "Sydney ; Morning Herald":—"l am convinced that the1 whole enterprise would have : succeeded! if the Australians had been given theSuvla Bay job instead of Kitchener's^ men. Some of the Australian battalions were actually split up and put! in the. British -brigades to stiffen them. Yet our boys had less training than Kitchener's army.''

Three bottles of preserved fruit exhibited at the Terauka Floral Society's Show attracted attention chiefly because of the simple method by which the fruit had been preserved. Apricots, gooseberries, and .rhubarb hat? been placed m ordinary bottles, which; were afterwards filled with cold water from the borough service. The tops were then screwed on and, without any, further treatment, the bottles of fruit were stored away. The effectiveness of this method was proved by the excellent condition of the fruit on opening the bottles after a long period.

Some time ago, Mr. R.R. Beetham, a member of the Masterton County Council, enlisted for active service, an<j each month leave of absence was grant* ed him pending his return. It was subsequently decided to accept the resignation, which was handed in by Mr. Beetham before his departure, and the usual advertisement was inserted calling . for, nominations for the position. None were forthcoming, and the advertisement was again inserted witft the same result. When asked what he intended to do in the matter, the County Clerk replied that-the law provided that^an- extraordinary vacancy could only be filled in the proscribed' manner, and he would have to continue advertising until there was a nomination. He stated that never in th© history of the Council had such a position arisen, and he could not advance a reason why settlors were so reluctant to seek nomination.

Discussing the annual report of thei New Plymouth Harbour Board, which was,.presented to a recent meeting of .the board,- the chairman (Mr. Connett)' said it was generally anticipated thafc on account of the war there would be a falling-off in imports. A falling-off in the exports was also shown, but he pointed out that had all the dairy-pro-duce available for shipment gone forward regularly the exports would have exceeded those of the previous year. Owing to the difficulties of , .securing snace on Home steamers lai-ge quantities of ohep.se had had to be left in store every time a shipment was made, and he had been informed that the position was becoming more aggravated and that more and more • cheese was being left behind every time owing to the dearth'of space. JR^ferring to the depth of water provided at the port, the chairman said the harbour provided 21ft at low water and 33ft at high water, and was able to accommodate any. of the steamers that load in the Waitara roadstead. Mr. E. MaxwelJ said the nort was undoubtedly able to accommodate ocean liners now ancf mentioned that the harbourmaster was prepared to berth them at Moturoa any day now.

The meeting to-be held in tho Stoke Hall on Friday evening will bo a very important one. Mr. W. G. Hill, lately manager of the Bristol nnd Dominions Producers' Association, Ltd., who will nddress the meeting, acting in conjunction with the directors of the Stoke Canning Company, proposes to place before those present concrete prtv. posals for the establishment of a distributing and conl storage company, which, when formed, will complete the chain of companies in the Nelson district. The chain of companies will then consist of the IVToutcre Fruitgrowers, Ltd., the Nelson Co-operativs Fruit:. Company, Ltd., and the now proposed company, which will take in the fruitgrowers in this side of the Moutp.re Hills, namely, Stoke and the Wai"ieas. Tt is proposed, eventually, to place these con-panics under om> management, which will control both the local and export trade. The rapid growth of fruit industry in the Nelson district makes it imperative, it; is urged, that the system of distribution shall be carried out on methodical lines under one head. Only under such a system, say the promoters, can. we look forward with confidence to the future success of the fruit industry in Nelson. The meeting on Friday evening next will deal extensively with this problem. The fruitgrowers of Stoke and the Waimeas are alive to the situation, and the meeting of fruitgrowers belonging to these districts promises to be the laregst ever held in Stoke.