NEWS OF THE DAY.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14621, 28 January 1918, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The remains of the late Mr Matthew Green, licensee of the Globe Hotel, Nelson, were interred at the Richmond. Cemetery on Saturday afternoon. The burial service was conducted by the Rev. Canon Dart.

The funeral of the late Mr W. AViddowson took place on Saturday, and was largely attended. The service was conducted by R,ev. G. H. Gibb, of Trinity Presbyterian Church, of which the deceased was an elder. The Masonic service was read "by R. Wor. Bro. Moves, Past Prov. G.M., and. a hymn, "Brief Life is Here Our Portion," was sung.- The pall-bearers were four elders of the church and two members of Victory Lodge. Both Victory and Southern. Star Lodges were largely represented. ...... ■ ~

lhe fortnightly meeting of the Empire Service League will be held in the Oddfellows' Hall at 7.45 this evening-

Air Alfred Gould reports the salo on Saturday of the Kaimvi run at a satisfactory price.

The First Canterbury Military Service Board will sit at iNelson to-day to deal with reservists' appeals

. In a telegram giving results of the Senior National Scholarship examination the marks secured by Nellie W. B. Jttaoford (Nelson Girls' College) were given as ] 156. ihe official list shows that she gained 1595 marks.

The Commissioner of Taxes draws attention of taxpayers to the notification appearing m.to-day's issue that the due date of payment of the Income-tax find Special War-tax is on Monday, the 28th day of January, 1918. Additional tax will accrue if the tax is nob paid on or before February 18th, 1918

A Richmond resident ay rites complaining of the misuse of the footpath m Gladstone road, Richmond. Cows are regularly driven along the footpath by a person, on horseback, who also traverses tie concrete footway. Apart from other considerations, the correspondent objects to stockyard conditions being imported on to an expensive municipal improvement.

Yesterday afternoon a lady left her handbag, containing her purse and two rings and a small sum of money, in. the dressing-shed at Hanhy Park, while she went in for a swim. ' On returning to the shed she found that the-handbag had been rifled and the contents of her purse abstracted. In spite of the successful efforts of the police in quite a number of cases, petty thieving is still rife, and in each case reported the offenders appear, to be juveniles. Reprimands iv the past have evidently not | availed much.

An. extremely high class draft of crossbred wethers from Mr Alex Drummond's flock were despatched to Blenheim via Tophouse on Tuesday morning, in charge of Mr Wallace Fairhall. The mob was made up of 1200 four and five year old crossbred wethers, which were sold to Mr Jack Wallace, of Blenheim, by Messrs Levin and Co., on account or Mr Alex Drummond, of lliverina, Stanley Brook. These sheep were bred by Mr Drummoncl, and were an extraordinarily good lot. It is a common saving that blood will tell, and this appears1 when breeding crossbred sheep, as with other animals. The main objects in the development of this particular class of sheep are a large-weight carcase for the butcher and a good fleece of a marketable type, quantity and quality being essential. These points were marked ctaracteri sties in Mr Drummond's sheep, and Blenheim people will have an early opportunity of seeing a line of wethers whose even balance, weight, and quality will meet with ready appreciation from all good judges.

Something almost as marvellous as the blossoming of the Pope's staff in "Tannhauser" has happened in Ascension Island. The volcanic rock has a surface that varies only from bottle glass to coke.; Itain rarely fails, and few herbs grow. Bub this year the rain fell.' abundantly, and a strange, •tall grass grew, it spread like a blessing, and covered the" rocks as in the Isle of Flowers.- Happy horses on Ascension wallowed in real grass for the first time in their lives. The amazed islanders got into communication with Kew (says a London correspondent). Kew reported, gave the grass a learned name, and suggested that the seed came on the wings of the south-east wind or on those of the sooty tern who haunts that part of the island where the "welcome grass was first seen, it :is a desert grass, easily wafted about, and found in many regions of desert Africa. No doubt the conjunction of the rain, the first in the memory of the oldest islander, with the advent of some blessed bird, painted Ascension green.

There is sojourning in the Feilding district just now a visitor who was recently living in Holland (states the "Star") Asked what side the Dutch jwere on in the war, he replied: "The side that pays them best —and so far I that has been Germany." Explaining this, he said Holland had in the most bare-faced way been pouring foodstuffs and raw material as fast as trains cou'd carry them over the border, reaping a golden harvest in return. A worn-out cow brought as high as £50, and this had tempted the greedy Dutch to such an extent that they iiad seriously depleted their herds. So much so that their very gold-greed will land them in difficulties after the war, as they will not be able easily and cheaply to replenish their herds. Since America had shut down on sending loads of food, Holland was also feeling the pinch of food shortage, having left herself no reserves in her eagerness to make gold while the Avar raged. The Germans laugh at their gold-maddened neutral neighbours, jeering: "Oh, we'll soon get that gold back from you!" The visitor from Holland war asked were the stories of the brutalities of the Germans in Begium exaggerated. He replied emphatically: "No —the true records of, the Huns in Belgium are unprintable."

A returned soldier, speaking of the deaaly work sometimes carried out in the night raids of the German aeroplanes, told how one night an aeroplane dropped two bombs—one at each end—on the horse lines, and that, when they had finished shooting, of the horses badly or mortally Wounded there were 84 horses dead out of a total of 85! Andrew Thaw, -who went to the front irom Balclutha, was spoken of as a man with iron nerves —or, rather, with no nerves at all,—who paid no heed to shrapnel or anything else, and -was as strong physically as three ordinary men. On one occasion relays of men "were detailed to secretly carry slabs of concrete at night up a, steep hill to make an emplacement. The work went on for several nights. Une slab at a time was plenty for every one of the soldiers, with tjie exception of Andrew —he carried one under each arm, and would reach the emplacement and be half-way back again before the others got there. Andrew's father was a Hudson's Bay trapper. The bravery of the stretcher-bearers was referred to in enthusiastic terms, and the heavy j proportion of their casualties deplored. "I am no drinking man, as you know," said the soldier, "but 1 will say that the issues of rum have saved more lives than anything else. We would be standing all night in the trenches, mud up to the tops of our thigh gum boots, perished with cold, hardly able to lift i our guns. Then we would each get a small tot of rum—it was. but a small tot, but it -was good rum. It would make the blood flow, put life into us, and make us feel hungry, and then, when the dixies of hot stew cam-j ,along, we would fall to with the keensst appetites."—"Otago Daily Times."

In the course of an address at Napier, Dr Thaeker referred in' scathing terms to the hide-bound system of the Railway Department. Tlie chief officials of the Railway Department were Mr Hemes, Red Tape, Mr McV illy I and Mr Hiley.

An exciting incident occurred in the Thames municipal baths last week. A young woman named Davy got out of her depth, and her sister went to he* rescue, Neither could swim, and they both got into difficulties. Mrs Morgan Hay ward then went to their rescue, but was pulled under by the girls, and there Mas every probability of a triple drowning case'until Mrs Towers, wife of the caretaker, came on the seene1 and got tho unconscious bathers out,

The honour of Membership of the Order of the British Empire had been awaided to Mrs Amy Fomeroy for the remarkable courage and self-devotion shown by her in helping her husband to invent a bullet which has, it is claimed, put an end to the Zeppelin menace. Mrs Poinoroy is 28 years of age, and though she js the mother of four children, 6he risked her life all day and all night long.

A very fine war record is detailed in a news clipping from a London newspaper, which states:—"Mr, A. Jackson, Jl baker, claimed exemption at the Southwark Tribunal on patriotic grounds. Mr. Jackson's mother was one of two sisters who married two brothers. Between them they had 25 sons. Twenty-four were serving witb the Army, and the applicant was the last of the family in civil life. Conditional exemption was granted." At the time of the appeal all 24 were alive and only one had been wounded.

At the beginning of the war broken meat aiid other table refuse in camp and barracks in England was generally thrown into the tubs outside the cookhouse, and sold as swill for pigs at a very low price. Now a wiser system prevails and the utilisation of the bjTproducts of the ration has become a vast business. Glycerine is obtained for munitions at the rate ov l'2oo tons a year at a cost of £59 10s a ton, the price in America being nearer £350. At the present time the profit to the Army from the sale of by-products and swill is at the rate of over £900,000 a year.

A peculiar incident occurred on Papauui Road Christchurch, a few days ago. Dr A. \l. O'Brien and Mr C. H. Clibborn, who were walking into town, noticed a man carrying a parcel, fall off his bicycle. They ran to his assistance, and to their astonishment the man picked himself up and walked away, leaving bicycle and parcel on tne ground. They called his attention to his absent-mindedness, but the man disowned both the bicycle and the parcel. Further investigation showed that the cyclist is a respectable resident of the city, who is subject to fits, and it is believed that a seizure of this kind was responsible for the incident.

The people who are suffering most from lugh prices are women workers, mostly clerks in the city who take their midday meals at teashops, says a London correspondent. Not only have prices been raised at these place's about 50 per cent, but customers get muchless for their money. The usual seeing of bread is now two ounces a penny, making the ninepenny loaf yield 2s Bd. In some restaurants 'a loaf is cut into foz portions making a quartern yield about 6s. Eggs at a teashop are 5d each, 2£d is charged for a piece of cheese, while a slice of cake is 2£d. These are sad prices for a girl clerk.

It is stated that Sir James Alleii, Minister of Defence, having declined to represent New Zealand at the Imperial Conference, Mr Massey will go himself as the head of the National1 Government, and that he will be accompanied by Sir Joseph Ward, representing the Liberal side of the Cabinet. If the delegates are to go as expected, it is probable that they will leave New Zealand in the latter part of April, and in that case a short session of Parliaiment will be held immediately before, as financial arrangements will be essential to cover the period of absence. In this case a second session probably will be held this year, commencing at a date immediately prior to their return.

The extent to which Germany is increasing its supply of brass, ©copper, and other metals, says "Iron Age," is illustrated by the testimony of a wounded British soldier on fur'Jough at Home, .Referring to the large amount of old metal waiting to be gathered up after the war, he said it would be chiefly steel, for the Germans appear to be collecting ,the brass in thorough fashion for re-melting. In several captured German trenches and dug-outs he had seen little canvas bags partly tilled with broken fuses?, nose-caps, and other brass scrap, indicating that this method of collecting is being systematically carried out by the enemy.

The Viti Company and the banana buyers, says the Suva correspondent ot the "New Zealand Herald," have arrived at an agreement with regard to the prices to be paid for bananas during 1918. In order to prevent overlapping and to create a personal interest in the native plantations, each buyer is be allotted a denned district. it is hoped the arrangement will result in improvement in the quality of the fruit.

The Greymouth "Evening Star" states that the area of coal worked at a considerable altitude for some time past at the North Brunner mines shows signs of exhaustion, and the necessity of opening up fresh seams atVa;-lower-level is daily becoming more apparent.

A private letter received in Wellington, after referring to the good work done by the officers and men of the Navy, states:—"Another case wa3 that of a New Zealander named Worsiey, who commanded a submarine, and was sent to take care of an oil steamer. Accompanying him was a British destroyer. The weather was bad, and increased to great violence during the night, and he lost the destroyer. in the morning a German submarine was encountered, and launched a torpedo. Tho noise made by the storm was so loud that Worsiey did not hear the torpedo strike the steamer, but he saw her settling down. He whipped his submarine round, and discovered the German submarine and sent her to the bottom. The only member of the German crew who was saved was the commander, whom ho took on board. Worsiey then took the oil steamer in hand and brought her safely to port." This no doubt refers to Captain Worsiey, and probably was the reason for his receiving the D.S.O.

Harry Lauder, who is on a lectunng tour in the United States, has added, a grim little tragedy to his fine collection of stories" of the war. Lander was carrying a tin box that had originally contained tobacco. As he raised the lid he said: "Here is the tragedy of war without the need of speaking a word, if you but knew the story. See this piece"of "barbed-wire with the bit of tartan hanging to it. I cut that myself from the battlefield in front of Arras. It was part of the uniform worn by a iad with the 42nd Highlanders. A letter came to his loved ones at home, telling his joy that on the next day, April 9, the famous Highlander brigade would attack. They heard no more from him. "Long they hoped to see his name in the list of prisoners taken by the enemy," added La-.ider. "They never heard. This bit of Scotch plaid is all that is known of bis end." •

A girl again won the international typewriting 'championship and a £200 trophy cup at the New York annual business show. The winner, Miss Margaret Owens, has held the title and trophy for four years. Her new record was 143 words a minute for one hour.

Speaking jxt the nurserymen's .conference at Christchurct, Mr. T. W. Kirk, Director of Horticulture, said that it was practically impossible for new work to be undertaken by the Department. Since' last conference, four more of the Department's permanent officers -had gone to camp. Some time ago sis temporary officers were required ; only one was secured. Before the war started it was admitted that the Department was short-staffed, and six additional men were promised; instead of getting them, fifteen men on thestaff had gone to the war and aboub twenty-live temporary employees from horticultural stations had gone.

The experiences of the present ■war surpass in. variety and in strangeness all the imaginings of .storytellers, says the Duncdin "Star." Descriptive writing is at fault in their narration. The only way to tell the tale is to vs& plain words and set down the facts. 'Here is a marvellous example. Une of. our young ir.en who came back on tho last trip of a hospital ship carried on his body 48 shrapnel wounds. Ho and another-man were signalling, when a bomb burst between them. The Otagoman was peppered, but he has come home. His mate was blown to pieces. The only oernianent hurt sustained by tlie survivor is in one of his heels. He pooh-poohs sympathy., and, though thankinl to by alivo, he scouts the suggestion that his is a remarkable case, his reply to any suggestion of that sort bem<r that he knows a New Zealander who nas 96 marks of tiie same sort

In n recent reference to the Auckland Municipal Fish Markets, the chairman of the Markets Committee (Mr. E. J. Carr) stated (says tie "Star") that at the present time an average of from 30 to 35 tons of fish, was being brought into the city each week by the City Council's two trawlers. This average had been maintained since October last, and should continue for some time yet, barring any untoward circumstances. The two boats made two trips per week and the fisb was costing about Id per pound to catch, and another penny to get ready for sale to the public. It was sold to retailers at l^d per pound, and to the. public at 3d per pound.