NEWS OF THE. DAY.

Colonist, Volume LVIII, Issue 14409, 10 May 1917, Page 4

NEWS OF THE. DAY.

At Rotorua about soldiers (discharged and undischarged) are under rj.edical treatment, and at Hanmer about 50. , '

French polishing, light chair-making, wire-woven mattress making, the manufacture of beds, certain branches of bbotmakihg. arid toy-paking are among industries suggested in Chri'stchurch as suitable • occupations for returned partially disabled soldiers.

School gardens, which for several years past have been encouraged by tho English Education Department, are now proving a valuable national asset.

It seems almost too elementary to have to state at this ' time', of '-day; (writes Mr Gerald Fiennes," 'the naval expert), that a: submarine can travel ■for long distances under • • water 'without even showing her periscope, that no minefield, laid across the mouth of the Bight of Heligoland, ' with neutral waters on each side,, could possibly stop the U boats from getting out, and that, once in the track of shipping, they need show no more than a few feet of periscope in order to use their torpedoes. N

Messrs Kipling, E. W. Horniing, and Horace Annesley. \ racheli ai-e timong the authors 'whe have lost only sons in the war.

! Tho Canterbury Industrial Association is getting into communication with owners of. small areas of idle land, for the purpose of growing potatoes or other produce.

A telegram was received by Mr HSaunders last night, informing him that the Cherniavsky trio had cancelled their intended visit to Nelson.

A demonstration on Bantams, particularly Old English Game, will be given by Mr S. Y. Wearing at the A'elson Poultry Association's meeting at Opie's rooms to-night.

When the Board of Governors of the Christchurch Techni&al College was discussing the utilisation oi' schoolboy labour, Mr B. Seth-Smith combated an argument that it -would lower the tone of youths to employ them in shearing sheds. Last year ho had six secondary school boys in his shed. No harm had been done to them, and he did not know how he would have got on without them. ' !

The London "Spectator," despite protests. that it is riding a fad to death, continues its agitation for prohibition of intoxicating liquor during the.-war and national purchase afterwards. ; *

The manager of a big tyre firm says.-"Tj-res for motor cars are now built with such a high factor of safety that an increase of pressure to the extent of many pounds will not cause a burst unless the tyre has been already ruined by over-loading and under-inflation."

There was a heavy downpour of rain in the city at 'noori yesterday, flooding the streets- and causing the gutters to overflow with storm-water. Rain continued throughout the 'afternoon and at night.

* The South Australian Government has offered to give £500 to anyone ciscovering an effective and practicable, method of destroying mice in wheat stacks.

The County Council has made two donations of £100 each to the V.M.C.A. Trench Comforts Fund, and has undertaken to make a further grant of £100 in two months' time.

t A potato growing campaign has been inaugurated by the Mayor of Wellington, and suitable vacant plots in the city and suburbs are to be. prepared for planting under supervision of experts. The movement is being heartily taken up. ■ '■

Tho latest available return shows that at the Taumaru Hospital, Lowry Bay, Wellington, treatment was bemg received by 16 men, of whom 4 were members of the Forces and 12 were discharged soldiers.

The body of a young man named Charles Harden Warsfield was found hanging in an old unoccupied shed in the Sumner Valley near Christchurch on bunday. The evidence at the inquest disclosed that the deceased, who had come out from England, on account of his health, had-been sn inmate of the Rhodes Convalescent Home, but left that institution on April 21st. * He was very despondent owing to his continued ill health, and lett a note stating that as there was no hope of his recovery he had decided to end his life. A verdict of tuieide while temporarily of unsound mind was returned.

Auction sales of cattle have been inaigurated at Rotomauu, on the West Coast. At l,he first sale, Mr J D Lynch said: "We all remember when | tins land was owned by one man and purchased by the Seddon Government. We all mind the criticism of the J^and for Settlements Act of the then Government. How Cheviot, Rotomanu and other blocks bought would not pay tho small farmer. They would staive in the eyes of the know-alls, as the land was reputed to be poor—too swampy, too wet, too much rain on "the Coast for farming, and similar stories. What is the result to-day? There are 22 homesteads on the settlement and I need hardly tell you they are all prosperous and happy I will not say contented, because they are wanting something more like the rest or us. The cow has made Rotomanu, as it is doing all over the Coast and ll g?v ng> i? time, to help us to rival the West Coast of the.North Island I venture to say Roton-anu will produce : butter and stock this season second to no other on the Coast. There is big country behind Rotomanu, thousands or acres of good land, which will i?nt "° r °Ome int° ClOSe '6ettle*

A Sydney {tSun" cable from London si^s •—News paper is selling in London at ijd a pound. Some firms are paying -.*l. An advance towards 4d "is anticipated:by.the end 0f r .1917." Newspapers are economising," pruning the tree lists and voucher copies, 'eliminating waste in machine rooms, such as cutting down the centre margins to a quarter of an mcli. The • 'I>aily- Mail has reduced its returns -lie, 2 per cent. The '-Telegraph" has reduced its size horn 24 pages to 12 daily, and 16 on Saturday. .The "Mornimr Post" has 8 pages daily and 10 on. Satiirdav, the News'' a^nd "Express^ invariably 6, while the n evening papers have made between 33 and 50 per cent reductions. *jfty-two provincial papers Have increased the-price to lj'd. London proprietors have conferred as to whether' tiiey should increase the price, main-1 taming the size of the advertisements, or reduce ■ the size, resricting tho advertisements. x •

A Native of Ngunguru while sow insgrass seed on a newly burned busii clearing m the Ngunguru side of the drvuW ri< 3g 6 between Ngunguru and rutukaka. discovered ten sovereigns, one half sovereign, and £2 9s Cd in silver coins The remains of a human skeleton scattered about the vicinity indicated that someone had nerished there. Tne latest date on any coin (a sovereign) was 18-53, placing the occurrence- at-least fifty years dfstant. Une. conjecture is that some ranaway sailor left hio ship at the Bay of Lilands, with the intention of travelling across country Auckland,' and tliat on the .roaa. lie was ' overtaken by sickness Or enfeoblcd by starvation.

Drastic war taxation hV been imposed by the Ctalian Government uponi the, business community of the- kingdom. Of the direct war profits of traders and •■manufacturers the State takes^ 20 per cent, where the profits are irom 8 to 10 per cent, upon the capital invested, 30 per cent, when the profits are from 10 to 15 per cent 40 per cent, when they are from J5 to -U per cent* and 60 per cent on promts exceeding 20 per cent. In ro&ir'Ct in indirect profits—those of 'intermediaries—the tax is 10 per cent on the amount exceeding" one-tenth and up to one-half of orclinnrv income, 15 per cent, on the amount exceeding one-half and* ui> tr> "ten-tenths of ordinary, income, 20 per cent on theI'amount exceeding -ton-" tenths and Tip to double ordinary income, 25 per cent, on the amount ex-i ceeding doiible and -up to three times ordinary income, and 40 per cent, on tire amount exceeding" three times ordinary income. 1

The hatpin bylaw is to be strictly enforced by the Auckland City Council in ■•future, in consequence of a report from the police.

The result of the polling for Christchurch City Council was the return of nine Citizen, five Labour, and two Independent candidates.

A drowning fatality occurred at Komaka on Saturday afternoon, by which Mr J. A. Cow drey, who was a wellknown settler, lost his life. He was crossing the Pohangina river, in company with his son, when his horse became unmanageable and threw fcim. Mr. Cow drey was . wearing a heavy, overcoat at the time, which hampered his- efforts to reach the bank, and his son made several determined but unsuccessful attempts to rescue his father.

From now on each reinforcement has to spend the first month of its training at Timherenikau. The Salvation Army have the only hall at this training camp, and Ct aplain-Captain Green would be very thankful to receive supplies of books, magazines and illustrated papers for the use of the men there. A supply of music and some popular songs would be especially welcome.

The National Efficiency Board at Wellington has advised the secretary of the Hawke's Bay Employers' Association that it has no intention at present to prohibit- bakers making cakes and pastry. It is only inquiring into the necessity of compelling the bakers to stop delivering bread.

Sir James Allen reminded.) a Dunediri deputation that last session he supported a reduction of hotel hours,' and was defeated! What his vote would be on the next occasion he could not say, because he had to consider other members of Cabinet as well as himself.

Sir James Allen (Acting-Prime Minister) stated at Christchurch on Saturday that Parliament would meet at the usual time to deal mainly with war legislation. He did not 'know what measures Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward would be brnging back from the Imperial Conference, but presumed they would have a batch of Bills for Parliament.

"I have worked out a mass of figures for the Efficiency Board" (says "Eareve" in the "Defender"). "Needless morning and afternoon tea, whack! spoil the main meals, account for 300,000 hours a day in New Zealand, and 70 tons of food. In a year of 300 days, the waste of time amounts to 90,000,000 hours. If this time was U6ed m work, the result would be equal to the employment of 37,833 persons eight hours a day during 300 days. The waste of food in 300 days is 21,000 tons for morning and afternoon tea alone (not counting late suppers)."

"The young men in New Zealand nowadays don't study as the young men did wlere I was brought up,".said Sir Robert Stout at the Esperanto Hall in Wellington. "We had no theatres and no picture shows. Though perhaps we had concerts in the winter months and lectures occasionally, we had .no amusements such as you Lave. I have seen a dozen lads there, artisans, standing in the shelter of a dyke during a snow shower, engaged in. the discussion of the latest magazine, aitide. You would not find young men doing that in New Zealand." They would be discussing football."

All amusing incident happened recently in a ■ city hotel ■ (says-the "New Zealand. .Times"). A man -with two friends went into the hotel and ordered tkree glasess of beer, for which he paid. Two informers standing by immediately disclosed themselves. "You have spoken too soon," said the purchaser of the drinks. "1 am aot 'shouting.' I am going to have the three drinks myself," which he did, Hs two friends looking on. After disposing of the contents of the three glasses ho further explained: "You know my two friends are teetotallers, and they are following me about endeavouring to get me to give up drink." The two informers disappeared, completely disconcerted. . :

The Acting-Prime Minister has received a communication from tte High Commissioner in which it is stated t'tHat "acknowledgments : and other, communications have been coming to hand regularly from our prisoners in Germany. Nearly all the Christmas parcels sent to Germany by our Prisoners' Department have now been acknowledged. The new regulations of the Central .Prisoners or War Committee provide that food parcels must now be sent to civilian prisoners of war individually, so tie supplies formerly sent have been ' stopped, and each civilian now receives a weekly parcel direct from us.-, and also bread from Switzerland. Our ( civilian prisoners publish a most interesting magazine at Ruhleben, copies of which"* have found their way to London."

A peculiar fact relative to the felling of gum trees was given in the Magistrate's Court at New Plymouth by Mr. C. A. S. Beach, a farmer. The witness explained that the Australian ;gum had a corkscrew grain. If the grain turned round the falling tree had a tendency to turn round also. When the wedgas were put in, as the tree tipped it had a tendeneyto. screw-and ■'f all at right a)igles"to tl:-e direction wanted. A fixed rope would be of "no use. In a case of the sort in question the only precaution that could be taken would" be to use wedges to compel the . tree tofall against the grain. ~ ''

A premonition that all was not well was probably responsible for saying the lives of four Auckland/ o'oys last .weekend. They had .spent ,the week-rend .at their shack on Rangitoto Island,-and on Sunday afternoon set out for tome in a 16ft patiln boat. A squall upset the small craft, and the four occupants were thrown into the water.* The father of one of-the boys, Mr. Chas. Seagar, had left before them in his launch, but I:e had an idea that the smaller boat was not making much headway, and put back to tow them home. He found the four boys1, in the water, lianging to the side of the boat.One could mot swiih. The nearest land was a mile away, and the overturned1 boat would not support tire entire weight of one of the'boys', so they had but to cling to the sides.

The British Board of Agriculture suggests that as difficulty, may be experienced in obtaining sufficient seed potatoes »n the English spring, parsnips should Be grown as a. partial substitute. _Tt is pointed out that tfce pv--<nii> is of more value as an article of ten?] than is commonly supposed. It cnntn'ma about 17 per cent, of dry ?W?iti;p'\ as compared with about 12 per cpnt. i'-i -swedesj 13 per .cent^;in carT^f.", :\\h\ 25 ncr cent, in pbtatoesJ Tivp dry _ mottor of, parsnips' differs f'-nm that of swedes and carrots in cnjitaining an n.pprecia ; ble i>ropnrtion of ptarch, thus resembliflg. the " pbta,to. The food value of parsnips is about three-fourths that of potatoes. Swedes, formerly regarded a -sgnly fit for 'cattle in England, are now saleable there af if penny a pound; ■

Tie amount of war tax collected by the Government from the Wellington Kacmg Club over the autumn meeting amounted to £3498. **

One of the girls employed in the Lhnstchurch. Public Gardens has been, respjonsiblo for fourteen thousand cutuags.

The potato grub is said to be very prevalent m the Ashburton County this season. The grub eats galleries in all directions m tne tubers, and so induces putrefaction.

The difficulty is not to get students, bu« to keep them long enough to make real progress. The demand for junior clerks, typistes, and shorthand writers is so strong that the students are tempted to leave before th.cv are properly prepared-." So stated thu annual report of the Director of Technical Education in Wellington.

Notwithstanding increased expenditure, duo to working under war conditions, after paying interest, sinking iund, working expenses, and renewals, there is a credit balance of £796 16s 6d on the past year's operations of tie Wanganui municipal tramway*.

A well-known Masterton sheepiarnier informed an "Age" reporter on baturoay that ample la-Dour was offering for, all classes of farm work. "In tact," said tile farmer, "1 am turning men away almost every day." ' -

It is not generally known that an Act of Parliament, passed in 1915, provides for the detention of prisoners found to be suffering from venereal disease. A few days ago a male prisoner, who was serving a short term, was brought before Mr F. V. Frazer, S.M., at Auckland, and committed to Mount Eden prison,'which has been gazetted a prison hospital under the Act. until cured.