NEWS OF THE DAY.

Colonist, Volume LVIII, Issue 14529, 5 October 1917, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Chief Postmaster (Mr W. Gee) forwards the following memorandum: — Parcels containing sugar are not to bo accepted for United Kingdom, as importation is prohibited. This applies also to parcels for soldiers in England or France.

j Mesdames Green, Davidson, and iStyche, and Miss McKay are selling ihome-mado cakes, pastry, and choice tiowere on Saturday morning under Buxton's verandah, in aid of the Ked Cross special appeal. Patrons are advised to come early, as there is always a great demand ior home-made cakes und-pastry.

The report of the Electoral Boundaries Commissioners has been presented to the Government. Ths result is that the South Island loses three seats—Motueka (now represented by Air ft. P. Hudson), Selwyn (Mr W. J. Dickie), and Otago Central (Mr It. Scott). In their places there will be three new electorates in the North Island—Kosj kill (between Parnell and Eden), jftotorua, and. another, to be known, as Manawatu. Practically every electorate in the country has been extensively altered. Under the new boundaries scheme the North Island will have 45 European electorates and the South Island 31. The four others are the Maori electorates—North, West, and East in the North Island, and one in the- South Island.—Press Association.

London is still a city of darkness for the Zeppelin menace is too serious to allow the old brilliance. Yet many [people must go out into dark streets, and they are trying all manner of means to make themselves somewhat visible in the darkness (says an English writer). The most effective is the glowworm hat; it i s 60 called for the soft, faint light with which it penetrates the gloom. The women, munition, and other night workers are responsible for it, and find-it as muctcomfort as the soldier finds his luminous wrist watch. The hats aro an invention of a progressive millinery house in response to the insistent clamour of the women for some slight means to save them from being run over by cabs and 'buses and from colliding with otter foot passengers, ihey are not unsightly, being of anvi size and shape suited to or desired by the owner, and gain their illuminating oJroct from their trimmings, which look quite ordinary in the daylight

..Wo don't intend that mines shalJ bo; made a sanctuary," remarked tho chairman of the Military Appeal Board yesterday. At Westport, he said, the Board-found a man -who considered ie was better off trucking in a coal mine in 1' onnay would be workS?^:i c*S ep- L The said the Board thought he would be better off at ttx> front. •

An interesting ornithological -phenomenon was mentioned by tho chairman of the Waimea County Council (Or. Everett) at yesterday's meeting. Me said that several years ago tit-re wore large numbors of blackbirds in tho district, but very few thrushes, then for a number of years blackbirds became scarcer and thrushes more plentiful. Now 'the position is again reversed, blackbirds once more regaining the .supremacy of numbers. What is the reason?

A telegraph chess match will be played between Blenheim and Nelson. Chess Clubs on Monday evening next, at half-past seven, at tho Nelson Bowling Club's room, l'iio local team will bo selected from the following: Messrs Clark, Cole, Higgins, Dodds, Trathenj Angus, Griffin, Allport, Kemp, Housiaux, Stephenson, Dr. Jeffreys, A. E. Cresswell, and Morrlck. Mr/ C. M. Whelan. has consented to operate, the messages.

"Six o'clock closing may help us," interjected a poultryman at Papanui the other day when the Chief Poultry Expert (Mr F. Brown) was speaking on the problem of procuring food supplies for poultry keepers. "We may get barley a bit cheaper," he added. Mr Brown, however, considered barley -an expensive food, on account of the waste of the great bulk of it.

It lias" been a pleasant, surprise to most people (says a Sydney correspondent) to notice that, although the strike is broken, and the men beaten, and, in some cases desperate, there iias been practically no disorder during tho past fortnight. There is indescribable bitterness between different sections of the people, but no disorder, and almost no more attempted outrages. The determination of the authorities in hunting down all suspected offenders has had a most satisfactory eifect.

Sneaking at a send-off-to soldiers at Springston, the Key. W. B. Scott dealt in a trenchant fashion with the responsibilities of the Dominion in regard to the Second Division. Tho speaker felt that not only must the £14,000,000 of war profits be tapped, but taxation to touch all classes must be inaugurated, so that men who offer their lives may go away with a. knowledge that whatever may happen to them their loved ones would be cared for. He felt sure that no man who staj'ed at Jiome would refuse to do his share to help the families of the men called up in the Second Division, and what the country was waiting for was a generous lead fronthe Government. He appealed to the Government to grasp the nettle firmly and err upon the sido of generosity.

A native of Otago who served his apprenticeship to the sea on the coast of New Zealand, and is at present an oifacer on an auxiliary cruiser somewhere on tiie sea, in a letter to his mother makes a statement that one can only hope is really true (says the "Otago Daily Times") This sailor is not given to making exaggerated statements—in fact, his letters usually convey little information of his experiences, in accordance with the traditions of our great silent navy. This is how he laconically concludes his. letter:— "There is very little news except that 22' subs were sent to the bottom in one day, so that if we carry on like that the old Kaiser will very "soon cave in."

The returned men who have taken up pastoral runs at Lees Valley, Oxford, under the Government's "soldier settlement scheme, have decided to erect a co-operative- shearing shed, woolshed, and stockyards, which will be finished by the end of November in time for the first shearing For this purpose (says the Christchurch 1 1 Press") they have formed themselves into a limited liability company, each taking up an equal number of shares. 1 A neighbouring farmer has also joined 1 the company. The erection of'these facilities for shearing will,obviate the necessity of driving the sheep down from the high country for some dis tance to the lower areas, with possibly, in the event of unfavourable weatherj a likelihood of losses. Judging by this enterprise; and recent accounts of work' done in improving their holdings, the soldier settlers at Lees Valley are fully justifying expectations that they -would "make good."

A sensational motor-car accident, unaccompanied by serious results, happened at Barker's railway crossing north of Winche&ter last week, states the Tonuika correspondent of the "Lyfctelton Times." Two men in a motorcar were coming from Orari to Winchester, and had reached the crossing where the road and railway line converge somewhat sharply, when the express from Christchurch, coming behind, cut the tyre clean off the right front wheel and threw the car spinning round clear oif the line. The men did not receive a scratch. They had a' miraculous escape from death. The car was somewhat damaged, and the projecting arm that carries the tablet on the railway engine was torn oif.

The gift parcels sent from New Zealand to the troops at the front are arriving now right up to the trenches with almost schedule-like regularity (says a contributor to a Christchurch paper). The controversy over the wisdom of sending parcels instead of money, which ledT to the last conference of centres m Wellington in July, has brought forth strong expressions oi: opinions from officers abroad in'favour of parcels. The London correspondent who writes on this matter states that numbers of officers report that the gift cases arrive safely, and that they lire always very much appreciated !by the men. lhere js, of course, very 'often! .delay between the, coastal ports of! France and the front lines, also in unloading and sorting, but this is J counterbalanced to a great extent by the regularity of the arrival of the gilts from New Zealand. The trench comforts parcels (mostly foodstuffs) leave New Zealand bj the transports, and on arrival in England are taken under escort to the New Zealand btorea at Southampton. After sorting they are shipped at first opportunity to France. There has been much difficulty m reaching the men in Egypt and Palestine, but.there are many indica toons that portions of the gifts do reach those shores. &

The Thermometer.—At 3 o'clock this morning the temperature outside tins office registered 44 decrees

On and after January Ist, 1917, EnWs mail cars will leave N«i«on for lakaka at 8.15 a.m. (instead of 10 a.m.), arriving in Takaka at 1 pm. Leaving Takaka for Nelson at 8 am. arriving m Nelson atl p. m . Cj> rs : w ni To.W ai MotU6ka f^ S|#