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Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 16218, 24 August 1918, Page 2

A sum of £930 has, says the Auckland Herald, been realised to date in the subscriptions towards the fund for the provision of a public memorial to the heroic deeds of the late LieutenantCommander Sanders, V.O. “My friend, there is really.no excuse for your not looking neat, and clean.” “Sorry, mister,” explained Plodding Peter, ‘ ‘but I’m conserving my bit along wit de rest o’ de folks. You jes’ happened to hit me on my soapless day.” The balance of the C Class reservists, numbering from 3500 to 4000, will be called up by Gazette to be issued on September 18. The date of the first ballot for the D Class has not been decided but it is stated it will not be likely before November at the earliest. The Rev. Thomas Halliday, of Lansdowne (Masterton), who was drawn in the recent ballot, arid who has already been in France as representative of the Y.M.C.A., has, says our Masterton correspondent, requested the Presbyterian Assembly not to appeal in his behalf. An assistance to the extent of £2OOO for the provision of a returned soldiers’ club at Nelson has been made by Mr. J. H. Cock. An option has been asked for by the association over several acres of land adjacent to the city, and it is proposed to erect a hostel and club rooms in concrete. General Pershing’s men, when on leave from the front, are planting vegetables in French gardens behind the linos. They are even, in their spare time, digging up the beautiful and famous park at Versailles, with a view to laying it out to the plehian potato, under the direction of the French authorities. This must be rather a record in its way (says the London Daily News). An officer landed in France one morning ■during the big push. He was detailed to take up a draft of reinforcements at two walked into the thick of the fight an hour or two later, got a machinegun bullet through his ankle, and was on his way back to England before seven that evening. In what are generally considered exclusively German waters, a British submarine recently spent ten hours on the bottom while the-'Huns fished for her. One of her crew, a very young and modest seaman, described the whole incident as follows: “We just had a hand of cards, and I finished up by -winning our commander’s last half-dollar. He was stone-broke when we reached our mother ship.” Why don’t the authorities spend time up amongst the foothills of Mount Egmont searching out the 140 shirkers said to be hiding there from military service? I hear all about these men. It is strange the Defence Department does not hear it. These men are armed, and it is even known who are feeding them. It is said the police know these shirkers and let them go by.— Rev. Howard Elliot at Feilding. No valid or sound argument has been adduced as to why the electors of N.Z. should not voice their opinions on the National Efficiency Board’s proposals for National Prohibition. Here is a Board set up by the Government to examine the conditions and report as to ways and means of promoting National ■Efficiency. Absolutely impartial, this body considered calmly the advantages or otherwise to the community of the liquor traffic. It heard evidence from all sections. “The Trade” placed its facts before the Board-—so did the prohibition advocates, while the non-party members of the community—farmers, business folk and workers—gave evidence. The Board reported that immediate National Prohibition was essential. Surely the electors of N.Z. should have an opportunity of recording their votes on the Board’s proposal. The Alliance Monster Petition asks for a poll. —Sign it to-day. 13 New Plymouth ladies are greatly pleased with the quality of “No Rubbing” Laundry Help. A Is 3d packet sufficient for seven weekly family washings.—J. M’Neill, Devon Street. A special service, conducted by tho Rev. H. L. Richards, will be held in the Fitzroy Methodist Church to-mor-row (Sunday) evening, when Mr, Frederic will sing a solo. .AH seats free.* As will be seen on reference to our advertising columns, a capital programme has been arranged for the concert in tho Holland Hall on Monday evening in aid of the Catholic Field Service Fund. The programme includes vocal and instrumental music, recitations and dancing, and for the second part a comedy “Found in a FourWheeler” will be staged. First-class talent has been secured for the cast, and’ the stage is being specially remodelled for the occasion. Patrons are assured of a most enjoyable evening. Be sure and inspect our three specials in ladies’ shoes. Glace kid derby shoes, pug toes, at 18s 6d; glace kid courts, 18s fid; glace kid ankle-bars, at 18s fid. Every pair guaranteed all leather, made on the newest shapes, and good fitters. —The Regal Shoe Store.* Tho men’s suits at The Melbourne Ltd.’s, great sale are great bargains, particularly the fine indigo serge suits at 89s fid, the Bannockburn suits at 79s fid, and the Roslyn tweed suits at 49s fid. Other clothing bargains are odd vests 5s 9d, “Hnrdwenr” working trousers 8s lid, and strong tweed trousers 14s fid.*

Wo have received a pecond instalment of £1 4s from the Frankley School for the Copper Trail. The New Plymouth branch of tho British Red Cross Society acknowledges the receipt of £IOO towards its funds from tho committee of tho War pa, Pungarchu and Newall Road Country Fair. The Hon. D. H. Guthrie, stated at Cheltenham that up to tho present we had sent from Now Zealand 99.000 men; there were in training 8500, and a further 2500 occupied in home service duties. Up to the present the number of casualties (under all heads) was 47,000. “Babes in the Woods,” and Dorothy Dalton in the big Paramount Ince su-per-feature, “Love Letters,” comprise to-night’s big double bill at the Peoples. “Babes in the Woods” screens to-nigbt only. Dorothy Dalton will be remembered by her appearance recently in “The Price Mark.” She gives a splendid forceful performance in her latest vehicle. Julian Eltinge, the great woman impersonator, is announced for Tuesday next. • ■ ' A little friendly advice was given by Judge Selfe to a solicitor’s woman clerk during tho hearing of a case at Marylebone County Court, London. His Honour invited her to step into the witness box, and asked: “Are you going' to be a lady lawyer?” The young lady confessed that she did not kno;v. The Judge; Well, take my advice and don’t. Tlie law is a nasty, beastly business. You will come in contact with all sorts of shady people. Mr. Newman (counsel): I hope your Honour does not include counsel. Tho American military authorities have found themselves up against too big a man ■ even for them to tackle. George Bell is his name, ebony in colour, and 25 stone in weight. But it is his height that is the bit too much. There is 7ft llin of him, which needs a couple of army cots for his adequate lying down; and he is entered as two men on the roll in order to get the necessary tw T o men’s rations for his continued standing up. Now the medical officers have rejected him, on the score, presumably, of his being too much of a good thing. In a recent issue of the Daily Mail there was given a very full report dealing with the use of gas as tho motive power for motor vehicles. It appears that over 4600 commercial vehicles have already been fitted in England with gas containers to enable them to dispense with the use of oil or petrol, and that orders were in hand in relation to a further 2500 vehicles, again almost entirely commercial. It is estimated that the reduction, in the use of petrol, represented by the motor-gas containers in use, or being made, is equivalent to not less than 3,000,000 gallons of petrol annally.

A correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette writes: “I was a witness yesterday of the burial of the Him murderers who were killed by the bringing down of their machine last Sunday night. What astonished me most was the tremendous fuss made by our military authorities; and I may say the comments of the spectators, of whoni there wore hundreds, were the reverse of complimentary. “Not only were men provided as hearers, but there was actually a firing party, and, to crown all, a hand, the bjg drum of which was covered in crepe! To say the least of it, the authorities should have eschewed all military pomp.” Every part of New South Wales has been set a definite objective in the seventh war loan. The central committee, upon information made available by the Federal Statistician, has assessed the amount which each municipality and shire in the State will be asked to raise. The quotas are easily within the powers of all towns and districts to- realise. They have been arrived at upon wealth, resources, and population. The local government boundaries have been found the most practical to adopt. They also allow, where the country is concerned, a competitive spirit to be introduced as between towns, represented by the municipalities, and the district behind them, represented by the shires.

American technical papers are directing attention to a potentiality of wealth, hitherto neglected, that may exist in the extraction of potash from mine dumps. Mining managers are advised to have the dumps analysed with a view to ascertaining if potash is present. In connection with,this new development some astonishing figures are given. It has been found that some of the dumps of the Colorado gold mines examined by the experts of the United States Department of Mines contain an extraordinarily large amount of potash in the aggregate. They estimate that in one case 6,000,000 tons of sand' will yield from 7 per cent, to 10 per cent, of potash. The Portland and Golden Cycle Company will treat their dumps, and from them they expect a yield of 560,000,0001 b. of potash, which would be worth over seven and a half millions sterling. The formation of a vegetarian society, under the title of “The Vegetarian Society of New Zealand,” was decided upon at a meeting held at the board room of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce on Monday. About thirty persons were present. Rules were adopted and officers were elected. Among, the honorary vice-presidents are the. Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) and the Minister for Education (the Hon. J. A. Hanan). A vegetarian is defined as “one who abstains from fish, flesh and fowl, as food, and whose diet is drawn chiefly from the vegetable kingdom, but the use of eggs, milk, butter and cheese is optional and shall not be inconsistent with ‘membership in this society.” Those who sympathise with the aims of the society and support its propaganda but are not necessarily strict vegetarians, may be honorary members of the society. The Munich Post has protested against a recent speech in Hamburg by Prince Henry of 'Prussia, in which the last battles were represented, as German victories. German newspapers say: “It is scandalous to see persons like Prince Henry giving the German people a picture of the situation which in no way corresponds to reality. We were told for a. long time that America’s entry into the war was a mere bluff, and we see to-day one part of the Press and a greater part of official orators continuing to deceive the German “public. They would do better to say openly that Germany finds herself todav in an extremely serious situation.” The Department Agent in charge of Government plant at Symmerfield, California, where potash is extracted from keln, said the Government activity in potash production will prevent Germany again becoming a factor'in the American potash market. Large deposits of potash had been developed on a big commercial scale in" California and Nebraska. Jinny other deposits recently discovered were being rushed to commercial development throughout the United States; To-morrow evening, at Whit cloy Memorial'Church, the Rev. W. A. Sinclair will give the first of a series of addresses bn “The Last Tilings,” the sub-1 jeefc being “Life comes through Death.” Miss Young will sing a solo.*

The New Zealand amateur billiard championship will' he held at Wellington early next month.—Press Association.

A meeting of Pierrots was held on Thursday evening and further arrangements were made in connection with their imoending effort to raise money for the” patriotic funds. Messrs. Payne, Avery and Whitten were elected. members, and Air. P. Foote was elected an honorary member. Air. H. W. Whitcombe was welcomed back after his absence in America. It was decided that the next meeting should be held on Friday, August 30., With a small electric battery and connections to light bulbs worn on the fin-ger-tips,, an usher in a darkened theatre or hall may now,- says an English journal, signal to a doorkeeperthe number of empty seats-available, so that the proper number of persons may he admitted to fill them. This device, recently patented, saves walking to and from the door to carry the message and conduct the persons admitted to, the distant seats. It also saves considerable time in seating an .audience. It has been brought under our notice, states the Otago Daily Times, that a Dunedin firm whose employees may he called on to attend the Kensington Drill Hall for medical examination, preparatory to ascertaining whether they are fit for active service, makes a practice of deducting the time required to. attend the Drill Hall from the men’s weekly wages. Apparently the firm in question considers the men are paid for their time by the 5s granted to each man by the Defence Department. Seeing, however, that these employees are being called on to fight for their country, and incidentally for the firm referred to, it cannot by any stretch of imagination be maintained that the firm is doing a very patriotic action.