NEWS OF THE DAY.

Colonist, Volume LVIII, Issue 14407, 18 May 1917, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Defence Department announces the death at Wellington Hospital of Driver P.- H % Hawke, the cause of death being acute anaemia.

• Gustav Adolph Hirsctberg, a wellknown Wairarapa resident, was charged at the. Supreme Court,; Wellington, with, having wilfully burned do\vn the Longbush cheese factory. He was found guilty, with a recommendation, for lenit;nt treatment, and was sentenced to reformative treatment, "not;by-way of punishment," said Mr Justice Edwards, "but to ensure the safety of the public." Hirsckberg admitted his act, and said he committed it. .to-call, attention to a grievance he had regarding the ownership of the factory siteV

A deputation from the Nelson Advancement Society will wait upon the City Council to-night to request tr.at the reserves may be maintained in their present state.

Heavy fines continue to be hi. posed in England on fortune-tellers, s< me of whom profess to receive spirit r anifestations. '

The price that is being paid for Australian "wheat is higher than the New Zealand Government "xp^cted to have to pay, but it is calculated that millers generally will be able to sell llour from ii-at schedulo'rates.

The Anchor" Company announce that the steamer Kaifcoa will be laid up tomorrow for overhaul and annual Government inspection extending over 5 or 6 days, consequently they -will have no steamer leaving here for Wellington to-morrow, or an Tuesday 'or Thursday next.

Charles Kemp, a seaman, was charged at the Supreme Court, Wellington, with Laving on April 10th broken into the shop of Nathan Phillips mi'Taranaki street and stolen fifteen gold rings, a gold bangle, a silver bangle, and a pair of eai rings. Evidence was given to prove an alibi. The accused was found not guilty, and discharged.

A Press Assooi«r.io:i message from Auckland reported t-'at> tho Kowhai, which arrived at Onehungi from Greymouth, had a very .stormy voyage, and considerable damage -was done- on deck.

A Press Association •.nes.sage from Grey mouth stated: A Court of Survey upheld the appeal of the Greymouth Harbour Board against the Chief Surveyor of Ships (Marine Department), who refused to allow a reduction valve to be fitted between the boiler and engine of the tug Westlan3, with costs against the Department.

Tlie second term at Cabragb House School will commence on Tuesday, the 22nd mst.

There will be a dance in St. Mary's Hall, Manuka street, to-mglit.

It has been suggested in ChrJEtchurch, in a discussion ' regarding .women gardeners, .that .if a seed farm were started, it would provide pleasant and profitable occupation for them.

Some comment has; been made (says the "Napier Herald") on the action of the Railway.Department in discharging five men engaged on the local railway stuff in cleaning out carriages, cleaning windows, and filling the carriage tanks. They are replaced by women. Four of the five men in this' instance are married men with families, and the single man is not over military 'age, but is medically unfit for activo military service. These men were receiving 9s per day with Is war bonus, and the women aro being employed at Gs per day. Although the window cleaning and interior cleaning of the carriages is effectually carried out ..by female labour, men have to be requisitioned to fill the tanks, etc.

Miss Stevenson, private secretary to Mr Lloyd George, receives a salary of £800 to £1000 a year. She is Londonborn, the daughter of a Scotch, father aud a French mother. Her only brother was killed in tho battle of\ Guinchy, in France, last year. The continuous rain is having a bad effect on the harvest of lucerne and clover seed in the Marlborough district (says the "Express"). Many crops cut during the last few weeks are still lying on the ground, it being impossible to put them into stack. They have been turned several times, and ab the present tima the prospect of saving them is doubtful. Responding to the moistness and mildness of the season, the seed has commenced to sprout.

To a Christchurch "Slifi" . interviewer the Hon. G. W. Russeli Baid: "Steps are now being taken that, I hope, "'will have the effect of extending our fisheries, and placing them on a proper footing. In 1913 a valuable Act, the Fruit Preservation Industry Act, was passed, under which power was given to tho Government to advance up to £25,000 in any one ,year for the purpose of assisting to establish cool chambers, etc., to assist the fruit industry. I have giveu instructions for a Bill to be drafted on the same lines in connection with the fishing industry, for presentation to Cabinet,"

The thing that greatly disorganised Pitt street recently (says the Sydney correspondent of tho "Otago Daily Times") was a display in a.shop-wind-ow of the wedding garments of Salote, Princess 'of Tonga. ■ She is a truo daughter of her,, father. King George j-uuou, constitutional, ruicr oi tue Friendly isles, is -Kaigly, in appearance, xiie long line of chiefs who are hie forbears gave him great dignity; JNature gave him of inches 7b" or 77, and of -uAoirdupois something approaching '20 stone. Kuig George, in the grass streets of Nukualofa, makes Jus lusty petticoatcd policemen ioolr like child, rcn. And since Salote, though little more than a school girl, has the truly i-egai build of her amiable lather, her trousseau was worth seeing, liofch the bride and tho bridegroom-—big Chief Juhn Tungi, also-a distinguished aristocrat of Tonga—were educated in New Zealand, and are accomplished young people, very popular in the beautiful island group that is their home. Tungi was present in London at the Coronation of George V.

Among those in the nursing service who have recently been decorated by His Majesty appears the name of Miss Gertrude Fletcher, who is .vNew Zealander by birth, but obtained her professional training in Australia. She was trained in the Royal Prince Albert Hospital, Sydney, and served iti the South African war, and she was at work in more than one State of what is now the South Union. As soon as the war broke out Miss Fletcher was engaged as matron to the American Women's War Hospital, Paigntoii, South. Devon, where she helped in* the dismantling of Mr Paris Singer's bouse. This was a bit of fine organising, for every department had to be created ab novo. In May, ISIG, she went iip to Norfolk War Hospital and helped in the equipment: and organising of their two huge asylums, and finally went to the Richmond Military Hospital, where she has been &mcc August, 1915. ■ v,

Speaking at a meeting of the Jnvercargill branch of tic Southland League, Mr. H. D. M. Haszard, Commissioner of Crown Lands, mentioned that di'ring the past year 98 or 99 properties, representing some 600,000 acres, had been offered to the Department in Southland for returned soldiers' settlements. These properties were all inspected and reported upou. So far there had been little demand from returned men, but, nevertheless, thera were about a dozen settled, and, mostly, those were making good progress. One estate had recently been cut no into five, sections, four of which were taken up. Another subdivision was in course of survey. This block was of very good land, and the Department, was trying the experiment of some small;sections, down to-ten atresv ■ ; tc■ allow.- the coltliersTto go in i or fruit, poultry, and the like. :,.•

Tlie annual report of the; New Zealand Jersey-Breeders' Association men-, tioncd the fact that up to the present 358 Jersey coavs have been awarded certificates of record by the New Zealand Department of Agriculture as' a result of semi-official tests. The average production of these cows is 403.951bs of butter fat, which is considered very satisfactory in view of the fact that a very large proportion of-cows, tested were heifers with their first calves. One of these. "Merc," a heifer, bred and tested in the Dom - ifiion, has the proud distinction of making a world's record for cows of any breed commencing test under two yours of age. In 365 days "Mere" produced the wonderful record-of-663.641b s butter fat. Forty-eight cows earned the subsidy of £1 Is each, granted by the Council for the production of IOOIbs or over of butter fat above tlfe amount required to qualify for a certificate: of record. '

Applications are .-invited for the iise of land at St. Andrew's Orphanage, Jiawai street, for cropping.

A. commencement has been made with the election of tiie new combined offices of the New Zealand Shipping Company, and ■'-the-.Cunaild-.Line- at the coiner of Waterloo quay and Ballance street, Wellington. The buildings, which will be of four storeys and a. ■basement, will be increased by two more storeys later on.

Mr F. M. B. Fisher addressed^ the! members of the council of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce early in February, taking "'Empire Trade Development" for his subject. ■" He hoped that before the war was over the .New Zeajand Prime Minister would have a rigfit to laise tho question of trade relationship, and he hoped the new Government was free from the trammels of the old party, and that it w ras going to give them a new era, to which they might look with the greatest hope for the future progress of the Empire. Mr Fisher has 'been elected a Fellow of the Koval Colonial Institute.

The use of paper instead of slates for chidlren's exercises provided tho St. Albans (Christchureh) meeting of householders with a text for some little comment in reference to the cost upon the working man's family "If you go into any workingman's house and this subject comes up." said one speaker, ''you will often find the mother almost in tears at the continual expense tho writing blocks represent to the family." . Another speaker declared that the Government should at least supply writing blocks at cost x>rice, inI stead of turning out so many "Hansards." A third speaker pointed out | that some schools since the war had reverted to slates on account of the cost of paper, but the difficult}' for a time had been the scarcity of slate pencils, which had been made in Austria.

Lord Eustace Percy, a member of the British Commission to the United States, told the Associated Press of America at the beginning of May that the present rate of Britisn construction of ships, and the present estimated American rate, might possibly not keep pace "with the present rate of destruction by submarines.- He added that the balancing > figure in the world struggle might be the extva tonnage the United States could arrange to supply. "The shipping issue dominates everything else, and is very grave indeed," Lord Percy added. "Uoth British and American construction must be speeded up considerably if the seas are to be kept open." Tiiero is rhus a race between the British and American shipyards, and the Germano submarines. •

The Hon. Henry Marks, of Marks and Co., Fiji, some time ago offered to donate £10,000 to cover die cost of raising, transporting and mamtaining 100 Fijians tor transport work at the front. The offer was accepted and announcement was recently mado of appointment of officers of the corps.

Modern warfare, has been shorn of much of the glamour and romance attached to the battles of olden times. Sergt.-Major Dent told his hearers at the Manakau Anzac meeting that the day had gone by when an officer drew his-sword, dashed ahead of his men and led- them forward to victory. The only use to which a sword was put nowadays was to toast bread before a jire.

'flic Audit Department surcharged the Westport Harbour Board £400, the amount of retiring allowance granted to ex-Harbourmaster Furneaux. It is understood (says-the' "News") that the department also questioned the legality of the payments to old servants of the board whose services •were dispensed with, the sum involved beeing something like £1300, but that it was not intended to press for more than the £400. At the last meeting of the retiring board, Mr D. J. Williams, the then chairman, handed in his 'personal cheque for £200, half the amount surcharged by the department, leaving £200 still to be paid by the 16th instant. It is intended to seek, Parliamentary authority for the refund of the surcharge.