THE COLONIST. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1917. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Colonist, Volume LVIII, Issue 14530, 6 October 1917, Page 4

THE COLONIST. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1917. NEWS OF THE DAY.

A service in memory o? solcliers who have made the supreme sacrifice during the Avar will be held at All Saints' Church to-morrow evening, when the Bishop of Nelson will be the preacher.

The Nelson Bowling Club "will open its green for the season this afternoon at 2.15, when 'visiting bowlers and lady friends are invited to be present. A collection in aid of the Reel Cross Fund will be made.

J.n connection with the day of national intercession special services will be held to-morrow in St. John's Methodist Church. The subject of tho address in the morning will be 'A Call to Repentance," and in the evening "A Call to Trust." The Rev. W. Baumbcr will conduct both services. Mr R. S. Jones dessires us to state that he did not attend the meeting in connection with the Empire Service League as a representative of Labour. The movement has his entire sympathy, but he was present only in his individual capacity. The high cairn erected by public subscription at Shag Point, in. memory of the late Sir John Mclvenzie, a former Minister of Lands,, is reported to have collapsed' Our Parliamentary correspondent telegraphs that the House of Representatives completed consideration of tie Estimates last night. A special meeting of the Suter Art Society will be held at the Art Gallery on Tuesday afternoon, the 9th inst.. to arrange for sketch exhibition and assisting the Red Cross Fund. Entries for the second musical theory examination of the Associated Board close on Saturday, October 13th. The, examiner, Mr A. 11. Lindo, haying been delayed by the Australian strikes, will not reach Nelson to examine the practical work until about the middle of November.

The Retailers' Committee in connection with the recent Daffodil Queen Carnival in aid of gilts for our soldiers, have presented Mrs Pogson with an address and a lady's handbag in recognition of her services as isecrctary of the committee.

The annual ball under the auspices of the Nelson branch of the Returned Soldiers' Association was held in the Provincial Hall last night, and hi every respect was a great success. I'he music was supplied by Mrs Curran, Mr Mockler (cornet), and Mr Sheelian (yioiir)d Messrs L. Goodall and J. Phillips, b«nh returned men, were the M.O.'s. The hall was decorated with bunting, and the floor was in capital order.

To-morrow will bo observed throughout the Dominion as a day of national prayer in connection with" the war. In Nelson a service * will be held at ths Church Steps at 3 p.m., the order of .which I" as been arranged by ministers of the city. Special hymns will, be sung, the choirs of various churches taking part. The llev. J. Laird will make confession and intercession, after which Bishop Sadlier will read a portion of Scripture. Dean Weeks will make intercession for the Empire and nation. There will be an address by the Rev. G. H. Gibb, and intercession by Me llev. W. Baumbcr for combatants and relatives. The 12th Regiment Band will assist^ Should the weather be wet the service will be held in the Cathedral.

It was stated in the House of llepresehtatives by the Hon. G. W. Russell that there is at the present moment at Napier a lady, 93 yeara of age, who is the. only living person who witnessed the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.

According to a special telegram received in San Francisco from Calgaiy, Alberta (states tho San Francisco correspondent of the Christchurch "Press"), the highest prices ever recorded were paid for wool at the Calgary Association's sale ; which closed on August 8. Pine clothing wool brought the top price of 74 cents. (3s Id) a pound. A total of 150,000 pounds was sold at an average of 60 cents. (2s 6d) per Ib. Last year's average was 429.2 cents. (14jd)

_ A rather good story is told of a resident in a township on the main trunk line whose children make a hobby of poultry rearing. Wishing to encourage them, the other day he bought some eggs in town aad put two in each of the fowls' nests To his horror that evening one of the youngsters came rushing into the house, exclaiming, "Mother1 Mother! our fowls are laying eggs with Palmersfon North printed on them!"

The Governor of Fiji, Sir Bickham Escott, accepted a motion from the elected members of the Legislative Council to the effect that the Government should decline to engage as Civil servants single men who are fit for service in his Majesty's forces. The Legislative Council has decided to give -a bonus of £1 per month to each married European in the Government service receiving £300 a year or less, with. 10s per month for each child under 15 years of age. Widowers will only draw a bonus for children. Single' men get no bonus.

The necessity of maintaining^the production of foodstuffs in the Dominion was emphasised by Mr S. J. Am bury at the meeting of shareholders of the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company. !"From now until the end of the war/ he said, "tho greatest assistance we can render to the national cause .t\"I1 be tq keep up and increase the supply of foodstuffs. Is it noti as necessary that we should feed the men wHo have gone to tlie front from our shores, and also help to supply our allies as it is to send the last available man? 1 hope 1 shall not bo misunderstood in this matter. I would not withhold any mat) that could possibly be spared, "but no farm 'should be left unoccupied or without one man at least. TJw universal cry to-day is for food, and the demand the world over is increasing faster than production, and every man and woman in the Dominion who is able to work should be doing a ' little bit.' "

"I was in London during one <f the air raids and saw tho killed and wounded kiddies being taken away from one of the great schools. J leave the sight to your imagination; yo"u can guess how we felt. I don't understand the point of view.of the 'anti-reprisal' people in England. Believe me, reprisals aie the only arguments that appeal to the Hun mind," wrote Sergeant Hugh Linklater on July 19th in a letter to the Mayor of Ross.

When walking through a paddock on his farm at Manaia, near Masterton, a few days ago, Mr David Smith made an interesting discovery. Mr Smith saw a, 'quantity of slate-coloured muci thrown over the grass,* and on investigation found a pot-hole about Sin in diameter, apparently caused by volcanic action. A short distance from this hole he discovered a similar hole, about a foot in diameter which had apparently been formed about the time of the earthquake in August. Saturday Night Special for Men! Sharp at 7.30 to-night, Men's Black Ribbed Socks at (3d pair. Get in sharp. —Auckland Ciothmg and Drapery Co.*j i The chairman of the Hawke's Bay] Hospital Board is appealing for £6,000 j with which to erect a soldiers' home in the vicinity of Napier Hospital, it is, proposed that soldiers shall receive, when desired, instruction in trades ami I useful occupations, as well as medical1 attendance. Already many useful pieces of furniture have been' donated, I including a' 'piano-player, a billiard table, and several invalid chairs.

A circular letter from the Minister for Defence regarding trade with Samoa was before the Council of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. Members pointed out that there was no disinclination to obtain this trade, but the trouble arose owing to lack of shipping facilities. It was no use sending travellers to the Islands to obtain orders if the goods could not be despatched. It was decided to communicate with the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and ascertain how northern merchants are situated , with regard to shipping facilities.

Referring to the complaints against the Defence administration, Mr li. McCallum (Wairau) stated in tho House of Representatives that ho had been so often bowled over that he now placed no belief in any rumours, unless they wore supported by strong evidence. He now took all the complaints brought under his notice direct to tho Minister or some other lesponsible authority, and his enquiries were alwaj's promptly answered. It was most ungenerous to base one's criticism of the Minister upon unsupported testimony. When the evidence for complaints was sifted, out it generally, came to nothing. The Minister was very fortunate in being backed up by good officers.

The Auckland <:Star" has received the following note from the office of the "Sheffield Daily Telegraph":— "I am venturing to send you, as a member of tho Empire Press Union, a copy of a solemn oath that we are translating into French, Italian, and Russian, and that we hope to see circulated all over the world. X am appealing to the Press to assist to make the scheme known to the various Chambers of Commerce and Anti-Ger-man Leagues." Enclosed is a form of the oath mentioned, printed under the drapwi ilag of tho Allies. The form reads as follows:—"A Solemn Oath.— To mark our horror and disgust at the methods of Germany since J'uly^ 1914., we swear that we will not —(a) knowingly purchase anything made in Germany ; tb) ti ansact business with or through a German, for ten years after peace is declared. So help us God."

Mr Massey mentioned ,in the House of Representatives that some changes were now being made in the arrangements regarding the disposal of meat in Britain. He had put a stop to the practice of some firms of marking their meat at this end in order tnat it might be handed over to agents of their selection in the event of its being released by the Army authorities. An officer of the British Board of Trade had been appointed in the United Kingdom to deal with any complaints that might be made regarding the distribution of the frozen meat.

A somewhat unusual case was presented amongst the several probate matters submitted to Mr Justice Hosking at the recent local session of the Supreme Coi rt (states the Poverty Bay "Herald"). A Gisbome1 soldier, who was killed in action in France, signed a will prior to fas departure, leaving a section of land to his sister. Amongst the belongings of the deceased soldier that were returned to .New Zealand was his soldier's book containing a short form of will which he filled up on the transport, bequeathing certain personal property to his sister. His Honour granted-.probate in respect to both documents, the circumstances necessitating the latter wifl being incorporated with the first.