TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12085, 14 August 1917, Page 2

TOWN AND COUNTRY.

I The Bank of New Zealand's pink 10s I note has not been a success That is to sav. that its quality has been found to be deficient, and in frequent use it becomes disintegrated at the fold a good deal quicker than the orthodox note engraved on parchment paper. The shape of the note is also an awkward one in banking practice. For these reasons, among many (says the "Dominion), the I pink notes are to be called in shortly, ! and in their place is to be. issued a very handsome new note, in size not differing materially from the Commercial Bank's neat 10s note, but of an entirely different design and colour scheme. "Fancy a schoolboy sitting down to I tackle a subject like that,'' said a member of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce when the subject of the essay for the annual Chamber of Commerce prize was announced. " There is not a man,"' he continued, "who can deal at all satisfactorily with this subject."' The chairman promptly said that it was a topical theme, "and probably," he naively suggested, '"the schoolboys will do well with it, as tney can deal with it with fresh minds." The Chamber j agreed to approve the recommended ! subject-. It was "The Commercial Policy of the Allies after the War." An Auckland man has received a letter from a friend at. New Plymouth, in wlr-ach reference as made io the wet weather, and then the writer adds that the top of Mount Egmcnt has entirely I disappeared from view. The explanation of this is proba bJy that the recent earth tremors had the effect cf shaking the scoria near the top of the mountain and caused it. to cover the ice. The lake in the crater is almost a glacier, and glimpses of this can be got from crevasses in the side of the mountain. The eai-th tremor may easily have caused scoria to slip down and fill these places temporarily, _ Respecting the age at which a youth is able to _ handle a, double-furrow plough, a North Ctago farmer writes to the " Ota-go Daily Times " : " A contractor's team of five horses was employed not so long ago ploughing on my farm, and I was surprised and amused to see a small boy handling the plough dexterously On' being asked his age, and how he was getting on, he relied that he was fourteen, and was getting on all right—and he evidently was doing very well, as I went down the furrow with him to see how he was managing the 'outs and ins.' He was getting over _lhe ground much faster than the ordinary run of grown-ups, and handling his heavy well The manly little fellow was quite" perkv and proud of himself, and T was pleased to bo able to congratulate him on his work" Even more surprsing than the fact that a pretty societ-v girl is pantrymaid at one military hospital is the'news that- a peeress is a hall porter of another! says a. writer in "an EnHir.h; paper. The peeress in question is Lady Calthorpe, whose post at a hosmtal in town is thus officially desisnated. Lady Calthorpe is a charming American who married into a famous military family. Its present- hejid, the son of a. distinguished Crimean veteran, was formerly a. captain in the Royal Fusiliers. Lord Calthorpe served with distinction in the South African war, and was one of the first to ride into Mafeking. His only son is keeping up the tradition, the Hon Frederick Gough-Calthorpa being a lieutenant in the Yeomanry. The "family seat is Perry Hall, near Birmingham, and most of the residential suburb of Edfrbaston belongs to the Gough-Calthorpes, as well as Gough Square, London, including the house where Dr Johnson lived, in which he compiled his dictionary. There was at least one man at the King's Theatre last night (says the Wellington "Post" of Monday) who did. not agree with everv+hing said by Mr P. C. Webb, M.P., avid he stated his disagreement in unmistakable terms, Mr 'Webb was condemning the prison system and the mingling of first offenders with hardened criminals. " As a matter of fact," he said, " there is not a trace of classification in the prisons now." Immediately from the back of the hall there came a voice, "It's a lie." Amid angry protests from various parts of the theatre, Mr Webb challenged the interjector to stand up, when he offered to make this wager—that he would pay the man £lO to. use as he liked if "he could find any traceof classification in the prisons at Wellington or Christchurch. If the man could find no such trace he should pay £lO to Mr Webb for the benefit of the dependents of the men in gaol "It's on," replied the man briefly. "Tery well," said Mr Webb, "wait in the hall after the meeting. * v Mr D. G. A. Cooper, chairman of one of the Wellington Military Service Boards, keeps a couple of old ladies in pickle, whom he produces at intervals tor the edification of a. certain class of men, who claim they can't do much work themselves, and are reluctant to release their sons (says the " Manawatu Times"). At Wednesday's sitting a healthy middle-aged man stated that he could not milk eleven cow 1 ; and do the other farm work alone. ' Mr Cooper: "What do you think of an old lady sixty-five, who milks twenty-five cows?;" Witness: 'Probably she had to do it, but she must he a Briton." The chairman : " She is share milking. Now don't you think you could go one better than she? You'surely won't be beaten bv an old lady of sixty-five?" Witness: "I don't feel I can "work now like I used." The chairman: "I'm feling that way myself. No'V, you won't let that old lady beat you?" Witness: "I'm not thinking about her, but about myself." i The chairman; "When you say you'! can't milk these cows, I do think about the old lady!" Witness: <f lf you say the war will be stuck up for want of my boy, I sav_, take him; but he has always been "the pet —seme boys never answer you back, and there are always some that do. But if you want, the boy take him, and if it came to the worst I would go myself." The juven'le probation system experimentally conducted in Auckland under the direction of the Education Department for several years past, has (says the Auckland "'Star") proved so successful that t-ha Department has appointed probation officers to operate similarly* in the other city centres, of New Zealand. The appointees are Messrs J. Dineen (Wellington),, A. Bissett (Christchurch), and E. Surtees (Dune-din), who have spent several days in Auckland in consultation with the local officer, Mr F. S. Shell, in order to acquaint themselves with the various phases of the work prior to taking up their duties. The juvenile probation officers are concerned chiefily with chldren under the age of sixteen years who may ccme under observation of the police for actual offences, mischief, or lack of parental control, but in actual experience the duties of the juvenile probation coyer a rather wider I sphere, so that their influence may [ dovetail'with that of the police probation officer, and the various religious social missioners of the centres in which they operate, The measure of success of the work is, largely dependent on the per onality of the r fficer, and the fortunate results attendant on Mr F. S. Shell's benevolent surveillance of youthful indiscretions in the Auckland province have satisfied the Education Department of the feasibility and usefulness of the scheme-