NEWS OF THE DAY.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14622, 29 January 1918, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Helping Hand Shop will be open this week as usual. Attention is directed to the committee's advertisement in another column.

The School of1 Music will reopen on Monday, February 4th, and intending pupils are asked to cymmunicate with the secietary, Mr \\\ 1. Brundeli, care of Bcgg ami Co. The-'principal and staff will be in attendance at the school on Saturday, February 2nd, from 11 till 12, to receive new pupils.

For trespassing on the lliccarton racecourse en November 10th, four bookmakers were fined at Ghristchurch yesterday.—Press. Association.

A plain and fancy dress ball will be held by the National .Reserve Band on Friday, February Ist, in the Provincial Hall. Already there has been a good sale of tickets, and other intending patrons are advised to secure their tickets early. The music will be supplied by Miss Fowler, Mis Curran, and Mr Jb v. Aydon, and an excellent supper will be provided. Prizes will be given for the best plam and fancy dresses, both for ladies and for gentlemen, the awards to be decided by the votes of those present.

In the Magistrate's Court at Wellington a young man named Archibald Gibson Horricks was fined £10 by Mr S. E. M'Cartky, S.M., for making incorrect statements in his enrolment card. The . defendant's statements made it appear that he belonged to the Second Division, when as a matter of fact he belonged to the First Division. The Magistrate said that many-single men and married men also had given their lives, and he was not going to protect a man like defendant.

* Oy^hff is the nationality of your father?" was a question put to an appellant by Mr J. S. Evans (chairman of the Military Service Board) yesterday. "A llussian Finn," was the .reply. "Are they allies at the present time?" was the next question. ;A bit doubtful,-by the news this morning, ' remarked appellant's solicitor.

From to-day whisky will be sold in Dublin at Is and Is 2d per glass (says a. Dublin paper of December Ist), lraders are, it" is .stated, removing from bond their six months' allowance, which it is expected will be exhausted at Christmas, from which time until 1 April 1918, no whisky will be available for sale over the counter.

Before Mr J. S. Evans, S.M., at the Magistrate s Court yesterday, Edward J. fccantlebury was charged'with having attempted to board a train in motion at Richmond on December 15th. Defendant, for whom Mr Hayes appeared pleaded guilty. Counsel explained that defendant was a passenger from JNelson and. when the train reached Richmond he, got out to make a purchase at a store, he being under the impression that the tram stayed there for eight minutes The train, however, moved oir, and he made a dash for it, but as lie was about to board it he changed his I mind. Defendant had pleaded guilty rather than that the case should be adjjounied, as he desired to leave .Nelson to-day. A conviction was recorded, and defendant was ordered to pay costs, 7s

It was announced at Hobtirt some montts ago that Mr. Henry Jones proposed to build two or three lar«*e wooden schooners in Tasmania, and that he was endeavouring to select a suitable site for a slip. Mr. Jones stated recently that he had decided to proceed with the building of one of the vessels at Taranna, Tasmau Peninsula, where a suitable site lad been obtained. The timber for the vessel, which is to be a three-masted schooner of about 600 tons, is now being prepared, and a start will be made as soon as possible.

Reference was made at a meeting of the New Plymouth Harbour Board to the shipping of dairy produce by coastal steamers for transhipment to Home boats at Wellington. The reason suggested—that lack of draught made it impossible to lead further cargo into a certain liner at the breakwater —was refuted by the report of the harbourmaster, which stated that the whole of the cargo loaded by the liner at New Plymouth only made a difference of six inches in the draught of tie vessel coming in and going out. Captain Waller, who was present, said that there was when the vessel sailed a margin of from Bft to 10ft of water. Ho said that there was no difficulty in handling the largest vessels that 'had come to tie port.

A return published by the Timaru Harbour Board, stowing the revenue trade, etc., from 1911 to 1917, indicates how heavily the war has reduced the trade of that port. The decreases in exports last year were mainly in wool", wheat, and oats, bran and sharps,• and frozen mutton, but the season ratker than the war would mainly account for this falliug-off. On the "other hand, ™e? port of 108 >587 sacks of potatoes, 1696 head of cattle, and 14,702 quarters of beef were all new records for the port. During 1916 and 1917 no cheese and only small quantities of butter were exported, but as both butter and cheese are still manufactured in South Canterbury the produce was no doubt sent to another port for shipment.

Good progress is being made with the harbour works at Raglan, and should no unforeseen hitch: occur it is hoped that the steamers will be able to lie alongside.the new breastwork by October or November next. The formation of the road from the main street to the site is well advanced, and nearly ready for the. metal. Skippers are experiencing a somewhat bad time just now, as the present structure is "not m a good state of repair,, and the Harbour Board, in view of the completion of the new wharf, are very loth to spend more on it than is absolutely necessary to keep it in commission iii the meantime.

We do not complain of Mr. Massey's advocacy of Preferential Trade (says the Dunedin "Evening Star") We ■would not rave him weaken in it; but after the example set by Mr. Lloyd Ueorge and President Wilson, the statesmen of the Overseas Dominions should be careful in their public utterances to keep before the minds of their hearers the visions, larger even than trat of Imperialism, which will influence the determination of the terms of peace If this country's Prime Minister fails not in this, he will find an added weight given to his words denouncing the militarist trade methods ot (xermany, and approving the closer commercial union of the British Em-

<< Q fr je L?ndon correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald" wrote on November 13th to that journal as fol?:ir- - enemy's invasion of Italy and the very probable prolonging of the war which it suggests have emphasised the importance of our two most pressing domestic problems—that ot food and trat of man-power. Sir Arthur \app has issijed this week his suggestions to the community for a voluntary rationing of themselves with a view to save tonnage and to eke out home supplies. The scheme allows children freedom to eat as ttey will, and it' suggests a basis of meat and bread regulation by adults. To the manual worker, for example, if he is engaged in ■heavy work, is allotted 81b of bread' weekly to ordinary manual workers /it>, and to sedentary workers 6£lb, while women are similarly adjudged to be entitled to 51b, 4*lb and 31b respectively Only the bread allowance isfso graded and as to the other food we are instructed that we should eat no more tlan 21b of meat weekly, 12oz of cereals, other than bread, 12oz of butter, margarine, lard, oils and fats, and Boz, of sugar. Sir Arthur Yapp advises us tliat the rations have been scientifically determined as sufficient for health, and they are the most tlratcan be allowed in the present stringency. As to man-poweV, Sir Auckland Geddes has announced that a vigorous eombing-out of eligible men is about to take place, that he does not believe, in the cry of young men first and single men next, hut intends to proceed strictly on the lines of important or less important occupation, and that a real and universal national service cannot any. longer be delayed. Thus does the grip of war harden upon this country, however it may be in favoured far-off lands elsewhere.

It js announced ; that the price ,of nevyspapers in the Auckland province will be inci^ased to 2d per copy, from February 11th.

Four skills and a quantity of bones were unearthed on the beach at Arkle's Bay, Auckland, by some workmen. Ihe bones, which lay. at about H<rhwater mark, were apparently those of old-time Maoris, for a large number of flint chips were found amongst them Mr. S. D. Chiles, who earefi;lly exanv ined the skulls, says that two of them have absolutely perfect sets of teeth',, another indication of the Maori.

''A good business in tuman hair is being done with London and France, even at advanced prices," writes the British Consul-General at Canton. Most of the hair, it seems, is used in the manufacture of dolls. Britain and France are producing to-day the dolls that used to come from Germany and Austria. The discriminating child demands "real hair," and China provides the raw material in the form of coarse black locks that are bleached, dyetl, and cpled for the use of tho doll manufacturers.

A gentleman who gave evidence at an- inquest in Oamari:, on "Wednesday waxed strong on the contention that children should not be allowed to play with trolleys on hills where there were poles likely to cause accidents' (says the "Nor^i Otago .limes"). That the danger of children amusing themselves in such a manner had been brought home to him strikingly may be gathered from the fact that when returning from the scene of the accident vhic-n resulted in the inquest mentioned, and the victim of which met his death tlrough being thrown from a dobbin trolley, he saw his own little boy, aged three years, in a similar vehicle, being pulled furiously down a hill. The father's feelings can, perhaps, be imagined.

Liei.tenant George Strack, who is home after two years and a half on active service, in the course of an address at the liaw^ra Methodist Church, made some very Interesting references to men he had met and to services winch he had attended. He said that service brought out all that was best m the soldier and made one realise that there was a great deal in the idea of the brotherhood of men. Service at the front revolutionised one's idea of men and proved often that men at whom, in civil life, one was inclined to look askance, proved true heroes and had hearts of gold. Men learned to think less of themselves and more or helping others. His belief, after experience in the army, was that the great majority of men were keen to help others, and that under a veneer of apparent carelessness they tad a firm faith in true and real Christianity.

A few weeks ago a little boy, the son of a Maori of ranl^h the Waimate Plains, died. A short time previously the family had invested in a motor car, which was an unspeakable joy to the boy. Very mbch after the tabit of his elders, it was the absorbing delight of his plays, and, according to the family, was' the subject of his dreams at night.' His death left his mother distracted with grief, and at her request the car was declared tapu (sacred to the dead), and was rigidly excluded from use. But the memories recalled by the presence of ttfe car were too much for the mother, and as a fiual act she destroyed it. Asked a few days ago in Manaia by a resident where her car now was, she replied: ''Boy very fond of it; he die, car must die all the same."

In view of the expected orders from the Commonwealth' for the construction of two vessels, the necessary preparations are now being made at the State shipbuilding yards (states the Melbourne "Argus"). The Minister for Public Works (Mr. McWhae) has conferred with the chief engineer of Public Works (Mr. G. Kermode) and tie manager of the yards (Mr. A. M. Bomphrey) with a view of ascertaining what alterations woujd have to be made to the yards. The suggestion was made by Mr. Bomphrey that new plant should be installed at a cost of £4000, and preparations have been made for an extension of the slip. A message from Pertb to the "Argus" stated that the Labour Federation has notified the Premier that the West Australian unions are willing to accept shipbuilding conditions as' agreed to in the Eastern States, and are anxious that the work should be commenced in Western Australia as soon as possible.

"We English are proud of being reserved, but in many cases that reserve does not mean deptb, but shallownesvS'; it does not mean that the fire is hidden, but that the heart is cold." So said Dr. Lyttelton when preaching at St. Martin-in-the-Pields. "Seventy per cent, of the men at the front," re added, "do not know that the Church has a message at all. They think it stands for respectability, sobriety and things of that sort. Tlfey do not know that it has a message, because we have i not told them."

An interesting point, and one which may possibly affect a good many men as they become liable for military service, was raised before the Third Wellington Board at Wellington. Teclnieally speaking, the roservist whose ease was' being considered is in Class A pf the Second Division, but under somewhat peculiar circumstances his counsel claimed for him that he should be in Class B. The position is that tie appellant was married in 1910. He was balloted in December, and subsequently, ordered to go into camp in April. It is anticipated that the first child of the marriage will be born in March. The point at issSiie—whether a man's class status is that at tie time of the' ballot or of his going into camp—was obviously puzzling to the board, and it was decided to refer it to the SolicitorGeneral for his opinion.

A gloomy account of conditions in Spam is contained in an article published recently in a Swiss newspaper flic paper states that Spain is suffering, in consequence of the war, from a business crisis of extreme gravity. The Spanish import and export trade no longer exists and one-sixth of the commercial marine has been destroyed. There is an extreme scarcity of coal' The high wages prevailing in" France have attracted labourers across the frontier by hundreds of thousands; and Spanish farmers are suffering not' only from the loss of tteir foreign market but from the scarcity of labour, and high wages. The only part of the peo-1 pie who have profited by the war are manufacturers o| certain war goods; and these manufacturers are confined chiefly to Catalonia and tie Basque provinces. The Spanish people are very unhappy over the war. "No people," says the paper, "have been more divided by the war than the Spanish. In certain places social relations tave become almost impossible; Germanophiles and Francophiles_ antagonise e.ac-h other in all the parties, in all crowds, in all social gatherings. The result is that there is a nervousness among the people that greatly complicates existing political problems.

One of the promises made by the* Australian Government when en<i e a effect to that T wfll shor% Sive from the I dusffT^ 6 ' and a &*& The unions conrprnlw i th,f in q""'y. the cards vZ^rt'J+f a^ eged that tern of speed 4uf will b Ta/ lor Sys" presentation before' 1 o° ftei>ed realtlough the Go emmeit h^ mmi^° n ' no request from theS ,n °rGceivecl with the matter connection

iiSPi agricultural 0 *° ment experiment.?! ,Colle Se r 01' Governitssi

creases in price. If the paper shorta"« cast tm£t Bromin??8 romin?? A^s 01fiS SflIT +? if Publlcations to go first will be the cheaper novels, then period! icak and luxurious papers, and las trade papers and newspaper? shoxild