THE COLONIST. WEDNESDAY, JULY 19 1916. SUMMARY NOTES.

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 14142, 19 July 1916, Page 4

THE COLONIST. WEDNESDAY, JULY 19 1916. SUMMARY NOTES.

Parliament.

The session is drawing to the end. which must be reached soon after the close of this month, to enable the Prime Minister and Sir Joseph Ward to leave for London. The bulk of the legislative programme, apart from such important measures as the Military Service and Finance Bills, has not yet, however, been touched, and the concluding weeks of the session "promiso therefore to be distinguished by the feverish haste which in pre-war days not infrequently militated against the most important work of Parliament receiving adequate attention. The military Service Bill has not yet been completed, a disagreement having occurred between the two branches of the Legislature on the question of conscientious objectors. As the Bill left the. House it contained no recognition of conscientious scruples against taking up arms in defence of the right in the greatest conflict in history. The Legislative Council, however, touched by the hard case of the Quakers, inserted a clause providing for alternative service for their benefit, an innovation which the Lower House was unable to accept. Hence the passage of the Bill has been delayed, the indisposition of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence having prevented a conference of managers to endeavour to reach an agreement. Otherwise the most important business in the House this month has been the . debate on the Finance Bill, covering the Government's policy of war taxation as outlined in the Budget. The Bill differs from the Budget outline in regard to the method of assessment of war profits, which was severely criticised. Amendments designed to meet some of the more serious objections to the Bill are now before the House. The Public Works Statement, which was introduced last night, lacks all the usual elements of interest as far as new'proposals are concerned. It shows that the Minister has carried out-the policy laid down last year of spreading the allocations then made over two financial years, For the current year, therefore, operations are to be confined entirely to the more important undertakings already in hand. ,

I Recruiting, The decided turn of events in Northern France, where the Australasian I troops are bearing a part in the great ; offensive, has lent a fillip to recruiting, j and the enrolling of the Nineteenth. Reinforcements has proceeded! more briskly than was the case in connection with several of the previous drafts, with the resplt that the draft was more

than filled well in advance of the allotted date, and will go into training next week over strength. It is to be noted with satisfaction that the Nelson area group,-which has rarely fallen behind its quota, more often exceeding it, again has the distinction of furnishing the largest surplus in the Canterbury district, 23, nearly half of the total surplus for the Dominion. The enrolling of the Twentieth Reinforcements is now in hand in rcost of the areas, and the Recruiting Board emphasises the necessity for maintaining the flow of recruits at the maximum.

For the Sick and Wounded. The Silver Bullet Cannonade, the object of which is to add £25,000 to the Nelson Sick and .Wounded Soldiers and their Dependents Fund, is now in full swing, and holds out every promise of accomplishing its purpose. The several armies are working energetically, and the money-raising possibilities of the district are being very thoroughly exploited. The amount already placed to the credit of the effort is well over £10,000. The central attraction at! present is-a "Paddy's Market," which commenced business under most auspicious circumstances on Monday evenijg\ gjfd-will continue for a week.

Obstruction of the Alexandra '^q^^ las tiis i-^it o? — mogt unfortun ; te fire on th^-tight of June 29th, the Alexandra Home in Waimea Road, erected by the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board about eight years ago to accommodate indigent aged people, was totally destroyed. The Fire Brigade was rendered helpless by the failure of the water supply, and could only direct its^ efforts, after the removal of the inmates had been accomplished, to saving as much as possible of the furniture in the building. The old people were accommodated temporarily in other institutions and in private houses, and were subsequently taken to Richmond, where the Education Department has placed at the Board's dispesal for six months a new building at the Home for Defectives. The Board has decided to reerect the Home forthwith on the same site ; and has very properly decided that the new structure shall be in brick.