NEWS OF THE DAY.

Colonist, Volume LVIII, Issue 14539, 17 October 1917, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY.

At the Salvation Army Qitadel this evening the young people will hold a gift tree in iiid of their Self-denial Fund. The House of Representatives carried Mr Sidey's amendment referring the report of the Cost of Living Committee back to the committee. i The Wellington market is almost bare of onions, and a .«mall consignment which was sold by auction" yesterday morning realised* a record price. The Telegraph Office advises that cable messages for soidiers in Mesopotamia should be addressed to Basra.

Attention is directed to an adver*! tisement in this issue soliciting donations of cakes, .sweets, articles for bran j tub, etc., for the Red Cross Fete on Monday next. Donations may be left at the H.B. rooms all day Saturday and at Mr Lock's, Air E. Smallbone's\ the Port, and Mr Pill's, Stoke. Mrs Pogson, secretary of the Lady Liverpool Fund, has received tho fol-j lowing letter from the front under date! August sth:— '% have to acknowledge receipt of a further sum of £20, which was paid to the credit of the 12th (Nelson) Squadron Fund at the end or| last month. I have previously toil you how useful we have found this money, and can merely repeat the squadron'-s gratitude to your committee for its generosity.—(Signed) D. S. Murchison, Major, O.C. 10th Nerson Squadron, 0.M.1t." The usual half-yearly dividend of the South British Insurance Company is now payable to shareholders, and may be obtained afc the oiKce of Messrs F. and D. Edwards, Trafalgar street.

Steps are bping taken to secure for the Suter Art Gallery collection two of tho landscapes by Miss M. 0. Stod dart_ which were so much admired by visitors to the sketch exhibition yesterday. Contributions towards their purchase were given by a number of those present. The gallery already possesses one of Miss Stoddart's flower pieces. It has been decided 'to keep the exhibition open this afternoon, from 2.30 to (5 o'clock. All the kids in the town will be at the big fair next Monday, afternoon at Provincial Grounds.3' Brightwater is holding a produce day next Friday, October 19th, in front of tho H.B. rooms. There will be cream, vegetables, home-made bread, pastries, cakes, etc. Cream purchasers are kindly asked to bring their own bottles. I .All proceeds are for the "Our Day" Red Cross, appeal. All records will, be broken for the Red Cross--at the big Fair and Masquerade Carniyal on Monday next.*

At the Magistrate's Court yesterday, before Messrs T. A. Turnbull and k. bmallbone, Justices, judgment for plaintifts by default was given in the following cases:—G. Page and Sons. Ltd. (Mr H. Oheek) v. J as . Gooch, claim £14 12s 6d, costs £1 14s 6d: Tasker and Levien (Mr X, B. Moore) v. Arthur Bngnt, claim, balance, 6s 9d, costs 8s: J. O. Mercer and Son (Mr P. Grey) r. Harry McNamara, claim £1 5s 6d, costs 12s; E. Buxton and Co., J^td. (Mr C V tell) v. Alfred Howard, olaim £2 1S« i9d: costs-13s; McKay and Son, Ltd.. (Mr Moore) v. D. Edge, balance, £3 8s Bd, costs 12s; Tafeker and Levien (Mr Moore), v. Altrcd J. JRodgers, claim £4 4s 6d, costs ICs; W. Koiit and 11. B. Jackson (Mr W. V. Rout) v. George Westrupp the younger, claim £1 9s 6d. costs os; H. Baigent (Mr Rout) v. Joiui Jacobsen, claim £3 14s Id, costs 10s; 7m\ Meroer and-Son (Mr J. p. Hayes) v. Chas. F Stone, claim £3 n s *6d. costs 10s. In the defended en so F C Pettit (Mr Mooro) v. Chas. Burke, after hearing evidence, judgment was given for the full amount claimed, £o 12s, with costs £1 Gs.

An interesting point was raised in Magistrate's Court, Wellington, when a woman appeared to answer a charge of procuring liquor for her husband, v prohibited person. It was admitted that the defendant' took the liquor into her home, but Mr J. J; M'Grath,. who defended, submitted that she had a perfect right to do se. There was no thing to stop a woman taking liquor into her own home for her own consumption. Mr S. E. M'Carthy S.M. upheld the contention, and dismissed the miormation.

A tragic story surrounds the death of Captain L. S. Meniiinga, formerly a well-known Canterbury tennis player, and, prior to his departure with the I orces, a master at the Waitaki Boys' High School. It is said by one of his fell ow-soldiers, /who has since returned to New Zealand, that Captain Jennings was bringing in some 20 German-pri-soners when, noticing one limping along behind the rest in apparent pain ana difficulty, he went back to ask mm II he thought he could get to the base without help. The German muttered something unintelligibly, after which Captain Jennings had occasion to turn his back on him. The fellow instantly lifted a gun from the ground aud shot the captain through tiie heart. The soldier who related tho incident said it was not long before several bayonet* had pierced the treacherous foe.

1 oultry, home-made Bread, Sweets, etc., at the big Fair next Monday afternoon. Provincial Grounds.* •

In acknowledging a welcome home extended to him at Wanganui, Chap lain lilamives, who has just returned after three years' service, assured relatives that they need have no anxiety concerning tho welfare oi: their boys except when there was a"stunt on. The boys were getting a lot of fun out of life, though, of course they would prefer to be home. The bombardments were very fierce .and dangerous, and there was great risk. The Mew Zealand boys were well fed, better than any other troops at- the front, and in this respect their conditions were infinitely better in France as compared with Gallipoli. The sanitation was excellent, and the general organisation was wonderful.

A labour difficulty was effectively solved by novel means last week (reports the Wyndham. "Herald"). Adjacent to Wyndham there was an area of about seven acres to be planted with potatoes, and it became a problem as to where the required labour should be sought. The idea was conceived of utilising after hours the labour of seven boys attending the Wyndham School. It was found that they were able to.do the work quickly and weJl. There was an amusing incident connected with the transaction, however. The boys \yere to receive the fair price of 9d an Hour for their work, but they appealed for Is an hour, and their demand was conceded.

Hero is the latest contribution ol American inventive genius to warfare (says a San Francisco correspondent) —Quiet tests of a, powderless gun which may revolutionise land attacks and defence have been going on at the Washington navy yard. The gun is revolved at great .speed by an electric motor, and is capable of firing hundreds of shots a minute. The bullets are carried in small cups, which hold them until the gun reaches the proper position for their discharge individually by centrifugal force. The gun is accurate at live miles, is cheap to operate, and, above all, it is noiseless.

Mr T. J. Fleming, in a speech delivered afc Who.ka.tane, Bay of Plenty, lately, said he felt certain that tho town was going ten bo the capital of the Bay cf Plenty. They had every advantage. There were 69,000 acres of the richest land in-.New-Zealand on* the liangifcaiki, 6000 nrpre in Opouriao, 700,000 acres of magnificent grazing land in the Urewera, ' ( and another 20,----000 acres in Waimana: For all this fertile area Whakatane would be the outlet. \

| The ways of the pakeha are evidently still strange to some of the oid Mauri residents, judging ' by' the the following story, the accuracy ol which has been vouched for (says the "Poverty Bay Herald"). Coming into Gisborne recently an old patriarch drew a somewhat substantial cheque as the result of 'his interest in a certain Native land transaction. Depositing £1000 in the bank he set off on a new career, seeking to enjoy to the fuJl the benefits of civilisation. His first cheque on his account was one for £'560 for a motor-car. Cheques on his account followed for sums of £50, £30, and various "fivers." Eventually having "over-run the constable," one of his cheques was returned with the endorsement "N.S.F." Proceeding to obtain the advice of a gentleman "connected with Native matters, he bitterJv complained that he was being "had.'"' The old man indignantly scorned the [explanation that his funds were exhausted, insisting that he was being beaten. The cheque-book was produced, and a tally taken to demonstrate the state of his account, but figures'or no figures the Maori was obdurate. Pointing to the unused cheque forme the old man declared he had twelve or fourteen more cheques left, and while they remained he failed to see why they could not be used. It was only after a lengtlvy and somewhat heated argument the veteran-was convinced on the poiufc.