NEWS OF THE DAY.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14651, 4 March 1918, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The usual monthly meeting of the lied Cross Committee will be .held to-mor-row afternoon in the H.B. rooms.

The Customs duties collected at Nelson for the month of February totalled £1974 15s 9d. The amount received in beer duty was £359 13s od.

Members of the Anglican Sewing Guild are reminded it resumes this afternoon, in the Shelbourne Street Schoolroom, when gifts of material or money will be gratefully received.

A concert will be held in the Tapawera Hall this evening, in aid of the V.M.C.A. War Work Fund, when a varied programme will be given by the Nelson Concert Party.

The military prisoner, George Caffery, who escaped from one of the Auckland forts on February 3rd, and was recaptured a few days later, again made his oscape from military custody the other afternoon.

The monthly meeting of the Lady Liverpool Committee will be held in the H.B. room at 3.30 to-morrow afternoon.

The spring tides on the evenings of the 14th and 15th inst. -will be very high, but succeeding spring tides will fall off steadily in height.

A reminder is given of the entertainment in aid of St. Mary's orphans which is to be given in the Institute Hall, Motueka, to-night, by dancers trained by Miss Estelle Beere.

As the result of a motor smash in Sydney, Mr Duncan, formerly manager of Warner's Hotel, Christchurch, was, with two other members of the party (Miss Egan and Mr Rust) seriously injured, whilst a fourth member, Miss Ivy Allen, a violinist, was killed.

The sacred concert given by the 12th Regiment Band in the Theatre Royal last night drew.a very large audience. It was in aid of Bandsman King, who has had a long illness, and the collection amounted to over £16. The enjoyable programme was contributed to by the Band, the Male Quartette Party, Messrs Vitetta Brothers, Mrs J. Pogmore, and Mr E>. H. Short.

On Wednesday and Thursday, March 6th and 7th respectively, the mail car will leave Blenheim at 6 a.m. and is due at Nelson, at 11.30 a.m. The car for Motueka will leave Nelson at 7 a.m., and leave Riwaka at 7.45 a.m. The mail for Motueka "will close at 6.15 a.m. on both days.

Harvest thanksgiving services will be held by the Salvation Army on the 10th, 11th, and 12th inst. Gifts of produce, including fruit, vegetables, etc., will be thankfully received at the Citadel during the week. The South Wellington Silver Band will revisit Nelson during Easter, and announcements of their performances will be made in due course.

Mr C. J. Parr, M.P., Auckland, telegraphed to Mr J. P. Lulj:e, the newly elected member for Wellington North, as follows:—"Hearty congratulations. You were opposed by 6onie dangerous forces, and your success is a relief to sane people."

Two more pupils of the Canterbury Aviation School, Messrs W. 0. Shiel (of Dunedin) and J. E. Russell (of Auckland) have qualified for their flying certificates. This brings the total up to forty-three.

An infant named Frederick Jupp, aged 19 months, whose parents reside at Onehunga, died in the Auckland Hospital from the eifects of swallowing Oondy's crystals. In the forenoon the child's mother, when cleaning a shelf, took down a packet of the crystals, some of which the child took when her back was turned.

The motor launch Maritana, which was sunk as the result of striking a rock while cruising at the Croixelles some time ago and was subsequently re^ floated and beached for repairs, was brought to Nelson yesterday in tow of the Wairoa and accompanied by the ketch Transit. Anchored in the harbour," the Maritana except' for the absence of mast ana deckhouse, looks little the worse for her experience.

Harvest thanksgiving services were held at the Nelson Baptist Church yesterday. The interior of the building was tastefully decorated with corn sheaves, evergreens, flowers, etc. Displayed on tables in front of the rostrum was a fine selection of fruit and vegetables, much taste being exercised in showing them to advantage. The pastor the Rev. John Laird, conducted both services, and there were good congregation. The choir, under the leadership of Mr A. B. Emmott, rendered several anthems.

After a, tour which he has just made of the West Coast portion of his elec-' torate, Mr R. P. Hudson, M.P. for Motueka, is more impressed than ever with the need for further opening of roads to enable backbiocks settlers to obtain the fruits of their labours and increase production. M> H»dson is strongly of opinion that curtailment of expenditure in this direction is not only unjust to the settlers, but suicidal'from a national point of view. There are men in the bush districts, says Mr Hudson, who.-have to carry their cream out on horseback in cans held on she-pom-mel of the saddle. If the cans were placed on either side of tlie horse they would be knocked off by the trees. The tracks were rough and broken, and frequently the horses have to plunge about in mud" and slush up to iheir girths.

"One of these days!" ' "You do advertise," says our old friend. He's such a dear, "delightful old humbug, and for eight long years now he's been talking just like that. Filled with admiration for the shop and its varied contents, he professes to see a stroke of geneiu9 in every line we pen, and for eight years he's been going "to give us a turn —one of these days." Like Sampson Brass, he is going to come out big and generous and handsome, "One 'of these days." He has a heart of gold, but his feet won't let him, and "JNovelties" can't run a business on mere promises. Quite true, we do advertise. After scouring the world for the best and brightest value are we to sit down and say nothing about it ? And we would advertise still more if results were better and Nelsonians not quite so 'iard to shift. March will be a month of "good things." A chance for you to start at-"Novelties."*

Mr &. J. Howard, a prominent Christchurch Labour leader, in referring to t«e; cable messages regarding the interAined Labour Conference, said to a representative of the "Press" that the New Zealand Labour Party had received an invitation to send its opinions on questions to be discussed at the conference, and this had been availed of.

A publican who erected two booths on the Pahiatua racecourse, though he had-obtained permission. for the erection of only one, was fined £5, witb *n> costs, at the Pahiatua Magistrate's Court last week.

There is evidently no dearth of farm managers (says the Wairarapa "Age"). A well-known Masterton settler recently advertised for a manager for his farm and received no fewer than forty applications from men who considered themselves qualified to fill the position.

The Gisborne Harbour Board has decided to discontinue allowances to a number of employees on active service, in view of the extra allowance by the Government.

A correspondent of the "S'outHand News" states that a plucky rescue of two lads was effected on the coast off Pal;ia by Percy Ritchie, of Orepuki, on the 17th inst. The boys were in imminent danger when Ritchie went out to them in a small boat, wlich capsized in the breakers. Ritchie succeeded in righting the boat and bringing it, half-full of water, on to the rocky beach with the rescued. Ritchie sus- . tamed bruises from contact witb rocks.

On election night in Wellington missiles, in the shape of stale egg®, etc., were plentiful. One gentleman, standing in a prominent position) not far from Mr. Massey, received one missile full in the eye. Later the perpetrator of the crime apologised to the offended party, stating in explanation that he had meant the egg for Mr. Massey. "Well," replied the receiver of the apology, "I wisled yov had meant it for me, and hit Mr. Massey." .

At a special meeting of the Horowkenva County Council held at Levin, Councillor Ryder, in moving that tollgates be erected, said the council had a through road of tremendous length and suggested taxing through traffic, and not the local. If the council collected the latter it would be an injustice—it being chiefly through traffic that caused trou,ble. They had forty miles of road to maintain, and it was on this that the rates were spent. After some discussion the motion was carried, only two councillors voting gainst it.

"I understand you. are to be married shortly,' 5 said Mr.. Justice Chapman when admitting a young man in the Supreme Court at Christchurch to a term of probation. "Understand that that is not the reason I am admitting you to probation, instead of sentencing you to a term of imprisonment. I certainly decline *to take tfce responsibility of recommending you as a husband just now. If the young lady is foolish enough' to have you at present that is her affair. At the end of your term of probation there might be some sense in •it."

A worthy old son of the soil, Mr. W. Liddicoat, of Mangaweka, called in at the "New Zealand Times'' office the other day and displayed, with pardonable pride, tie portrait of himself, wife, and six soldier sons in khaki. All the sons have been at the front, and two returned with honourable wounds. In addition to the six fighting sons, who look stalwart and intelligent, Mr. and Mrs. Liddicoat have three otler sons at home and four girls. Mr. Liddicoat deserves well of his country, and the example he has set should inspire otters to keep the cradle full and provide plenty of defenders for theße fortunate isles.

"Tie true basis of life, the very essence of life, is struggle," said Professor Macinillan Brown in a lecture a* Christchurch, "and if you cease to struggle you may as well die. I have voyaged _ much amongst primitive' peoples, and have seen this point emphasised time and again. Whenever war, the only occupation of the men, ceases, ttey die off. I have seen this last winter in the Marquesas, where a population of half a million at the beginning of last century has dwindled down to 2500, chiefly because they have ceased their usual occupation. The men loafed, there was no more struggle, and they died off rapidly."

At a meeting of the Gisborne Harbour Board the question of dealing with the tenders for the erection of the groynes dealt with in Mr. Reynolds's relief echeme for the inner harbour was discussed in committee. On returning to open meeting again, the ct airman announced that it had been decided that no tender be accepted; the work of erecting groynes to be proceeded with by day labour, and the work to be put in hand immediately; that Mr. Reynolds be instructed to supervise the work of erecting the groynes, B and C, and tlai local timber be used as ao> visable, in order ..to expedite the work being carried out.

An explanation of how a girl named Eunice Hammer, who lives at Wakan, was shot in the foot by a bullet from a; pea-rifle on the 14th February, has beeni solved by the confession of the victim that she accidentally shot herself. Her original story was that she was standing outside her father's gate, and she felt a sudden pain in her foot, and found later that she had been shot, the implication being that sho had received a stray bullet from someone shooting in the neighbourhood. Her later story, however, is that she felt the day very long being alone in the house, and took up her father's rifle and a ball cartridge, proceeding into the paddock to have a shot at the birds. She rested the muzzle of the rifle on her left foot while putting the cartridge in, and the rifle went off. Her reason for telling the first story was that she feared to let her father know she had been using his rifle.