NEWS OF THE DAY.

Colonist, Volume LXI, Issue 151033, 26 July 1919, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Telegraph Department advises that the Maori, Mararoa, Mokoia and Ruapehu were witiiin wireless range of Wellington yesterday. The Post Office advises that mails' despatclied from New Zealand on Juna 7th arrived in London on the 13th inst. During the past fortnight seven building permits for works valued at £1342 were issued- by the City Engineer. In consequence of boiler trouble, which detained her at Picton, it is doubtful whether the Mapourika will come on to Nelson this trip. Mr H. E. Holland, Ml 1., will speak at the Empire Theatre to-morrow evening] on "Labour's Aims and Ideals." I In the course of conversation yesterday, Mr Tom Pollard stated that the Blenheim Amateur Operatic Society, who have just finished a season of three nights, in which they produced the opera "Tho Mikado," played to crowded audiences, and won general congratulations. The Blenheim amateurs purpose visiting Nelson with "The Mikado" early next month. The price of material is steadily on the down grade. This is sp*eeially notjceable in regard to fencing wire*, which has dropped nearly 100 per cent, since the close of hostilities. This s of importance to farmers, as the high price of material was holding up ail developmental works". In many instances settlers who intended carrying out extensive tree planting schemes were blocked on this account. Wire is now cheap, labour plentiful. I have the trees, so go ahead. Plant pines for pro fi t._Kingsland, Appleby.*

The sermon at Trinity Presbyteriah: Church to-morrow evening will deal with the theme: "The Returned Soldier and the Church: Facts for and facts against us." -.-., ■■:■•■ . .(■ The Department of Labour Eas received authority' from Cabinet to proceed with the erection of 200 workers' dwellings throughout the Dominion, : and the Workers' Dwellings Board^ which received about 500 applications, have allocated four to Nelson. Mr S. B..Canavan has been returned) unopposed as a member, of the Educa- ' tion Board for the Central "Ward m place of the late Mr T. Symes. Messrs W. H. Mclntyro and G. H. Gothard. have been nominated for the vacancy in the West Ward caused by the resignation of Mr D. J. Williams. The result of the election will be known on Aueusf 26th. The annual meeting of the Old Girls' Association will be held at the College 1 to-night at 7.30, the entertainment to < take the form of music and dancing. A , good attendance of old girls is anticipated.

The three Senior Cadet companies paraded last night and marched to the Empire Theatre, where, in an interval of a special picture programme, the Mayor (Mr W. W. Snodgrass) presented challenge cups and medals for successes in rifle shooting to Cadet C A. Walls, Sergeant G. Harris, Cadet R. R. Schroder, and Cadet R. K. Boyes. The 12th Regiment Band headed the march to the theatre, and also played selections there. There was a large attendance, and part "of the proceeds will go to the Non-commissioned Officers' Club.

The exploitation in regard to timber does not all take place at the mills, but mostly in towns and cities, stated Mr Turley, representative of the West Coast timber workers in the course of the interview with Ministers recently. Timber sold f.o.b. at Greymouth for 12s to 15s, lie "added, cost 45s in Wellington. Mr J. Head (representing Wellington timber workers) : "Probably the cause is the same as in regard to coal—shippin" freights." The Hon. W. D. S. Mac" Donald (Acting-President of the Board of Trade) said that, so far as the cost of timber was concerned, the Board of Trade was going into it now; ana, if the prices proved to be nnfair, there would be a fixed price put on all timber in this country.

Recent mails received from Sydney state that four of the theatres are to be shut. One paper states:—"There is little use in keeping theatres open when one-half of the theatre-going population is down with tho epidemic, and the other half is nursing them. There simply isn't enough audience to go round. And there is little inducement to keep theatrical companies in this 'flu-infested city when more profitable fields beckon. For the productions are being nit both ways; the audiences are perforce rapidly dwindling, and the ranks of the performers are being so rapidly depleted. No stage manager knows till the curtain goes up who is under-studying the understudy's understudy and the printed programme nightly speaks anything but the truth about the names in the cast."

[ A fish story was narrated by Mr. | W. G. Howes at the Otago Institute meeting , last week. Whilst he was i fishing in a lagoon on the Taree river, in New South Wales, last year, a lump of bread was placed in a pickle jar, and , this was laid on its side in the shallow water. One of the party then waded m and drove shoals of sand sprats be- | fore him, and by the time he reached the jar it was full of fish that had I entered head first and could not escape. On the same expedition pipis were used to entice sea worms irom the sand. ''As .i wave retired the opened pipi was held in it down oh the sand, the wave carried the scent of it down, and from the sand dozens of centipede like heads p"otruded r -looking for the juicy morsel. The: pipi was carefully fcovered, and when the worm curled round it the fisherman seized tne creature'and pulled out a yard and a half of pink worm It is no use to dig for them, tor they can burrow quicker than you can dig."

The Telegraph Office ■ advises:—The International Telegraph Office, Berne, notifies that Egypt is maintaining the censorship in enemy territory occupied mi Palestine, Syria, and Cilicia, and telegrams are only admitted In plain languages, English, French, or Italian, or authorised codes. Censorship is still in force in Italy, private code not permitted, sis authorised codes only allowed (see Postal Guide; Broomhall not permitted) The head office, Eastern Extension Cable Company, notifies that the British censorship ceased at midnight on July 23rd, and from that date telegrams may be accepted without restrictions (except regarding delay, sender s risk) in accordance with arrangements in force before the war with all British possessions (except South-west African Protectorate), United States and possessions, ana generally all parts of the world, with the exception of tf?e following, m which restrictions are not yet abrogated by the authorities confwl "^Ar^c.ntin<H Austria, Bulgaria, Uecho-Slovakia, Esthonia/ Finland France and French possessions, Germany, Greece Honduras, Hungary, Italy and Italian possessions, Japan h"ani, a ' Norway, Poland, Portuga and Portuguese possessions, Roumania, Russia (including Caucasus and Russia m Asia) .Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, rurkey (including Mesopotamia, Palestine and byna). Telegrams within New Zealand may be accepted without restriction as before the war.