LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12506, 19 December 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tho secretary of the St John Ambulance Association (Mr C. J. Treleaven) has received the following communication from tho secretary of tho North Canterbury Hospital and Charitable Aid Board (Mr W. S. Wharton), in connection with tho epidemic:—“ Will you kindly convoy to tho members of your association an expression of this board’s very hearty appreciation of tho services rendered by your members? Especially were they noticeable in hospital work, there undertaking work in any department necessary. Many of them also were engaged in the work outside, and there is no question that tho training and knowledge which they had gained as members of your association fitted them above others for the work that they undertook so willingly and carried out so well.”

The Science Congress that will ait in Christchurch under the auspices of the Now Zealand Institute will begin on February 4 and conclude on February S. A provisional programme drawn up provides for public lectures, including a botanical evening, a geological evening, and a science and industry eveniug; papers and discussions on‘biology and agriculture, geology, chemistry, physics and engineering, and general subjects; excursions, and on the last day, a garden party at the residence of Mr E. F. Stead, Ham, Eiccarton. Thfi public lectures and meetings will be open to nll ( interested, but tho excursions will be restricted to members oj institutions affiliated to tho New Zealand Institute. The week-end excursions suggested are Lake Coleridge and Arthur’s Pass, and the afternoon excursions Dyer’s Pass and the Sugar Loaf, Eiccarton Bush, the Agricultural College at Lincoln, tho Aviation Company’s grounds, and Lyttelton Harbour.

A meeting of patrolmen and depot workers, who helped in tho campaign against the influenza epidemic in the Addington district, was held in St Mary’s Schoolroom last night, Mr I). M’Cracken presiding. The Mayor (Mr H. Holland) wrote enclosing a resolution passed at a meeting of district! chairmen to the effect that no committee should go out of office before notifying the central committee of cases in its district still requiring attention. It was stated that a sub-committee was

A remit was received by the Philosophical Institute insc evening from the Otago Institute, regarding the protection of seals and the native birds of Now Zealand, and this the president (Mr W. H. Skinner), thought they should back with all their power. The matter had been referred by the council to the general meeting for a definite resolution. For years past ho could never understand why sealing had been allowed to go on. Ho thought seals were rigidly protected, but apparently they were not. The seals were still on the south-west coast, but they were diminishing. They wore asked to support the New Zealand Institute in any action that might he taken. Mr Godby said that the Acclimatisation Society had been moving to get native birds put on sanctuary islands. Ho thought it might be possible for tho_ Institute to confer with the Acclimatisation Society. He would move that the Institute heartily approved of the Otago Institute’s remit to protect seals and native birds, and that the matter should bo referred to the new council, and that they should appoint a sub-committee to confer with Mr ID. F. Stead. Mr L. Birks seconded the motion. Hr Chilton thought they should give an expression in regard to the seals. He was of opinion that it was a most suicidal policy of the Government to allow the seals to bo slaughtered. Mr Skinner said that Stewart Island was a sanctuary for native birds, and where they were protected properly they seemed to thrive. The motion was carried. During the discussion on the annual report of the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury last evening, Dr Symes said he would like to mention one feature that might deserve the attention of the new council—that was that they had fewer members now than they had between thirty and forty years ago. although the population was now three times as great. Was it that the community of Canterbury was less intellectual? He thought they should seek to extend their influence in the country districts. Dr Chilton said they should raise their membership to two hundred. Thirty or forty years ago the Institute was not an active working scientific body, and its meetings were of a more “popular” character. The individual members of the Institute were scattered far afield, unto Honolulu and England even, and all over the Dominion. _ Naturally, the members outside Christchurch did not get much benefit from the meetings, but it might be possible to arrange occasional meetings at places near at hand. He would like to urge that the Institute should undertake some work ns an Institute—select some subject at which they could work. They had formerly taken up the preservation of seals, and investigations as to Otira tunnel and artesians. Ho thought tho incoming council should decide upon some subject upon which they as a whole could work. After further discussion it was resolved to make a recommendation/ to the incoming council to consider the extension of the Institute’s influence in tho country districts. “ Why is it,” asked Dr 0- Coleridge Farr at the meeting of tho Philosophical Institute of Canterbury last evening, “that the Parliamentary vote for the publication of the journal of tho New Zealand Institute is the game now as it was fifty-two years ago?” Science was the study of truth and all their industries depended on scientific knowledge. When tho world had started out on an epoch of scientific knowledge the result had been marvellous. Dr Farr was resuming his seat after making other remarks when tho president (Mr 'W. H. Skinner) said th e speaker had) asked a. question. Dr Farr: “I will have to ask it many times before I get an answer.” Mr Skinner said the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon G- W. Russell) was now in Christchurch and the matter could be brought under his notice. Dr Cliilton, in commenting on the fact that tho statutory grant—■ £soo—was the same now as' in 1866, said that on one or two occasions a few years ago increases had been made but the fixed sum allowed was still unaltered. “There is only one sure way,” concluded Dr Chilton, “of getting an increase and that is to increase the scientific knowledge of the general community and thereby increase the scientific knowledge of the Government.”

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At its meeting yesterday afternoon tlio Board of Governors of Canterbury College agreed, in consequence of the influenza epidemic, that the candidates for junior and senior scholarships, senior free places and for matriculation should bo allowed to attend the high schools for the few weeks of tho first term of 1919 until tho results of the examinations are known.

A cable message published in Australian papers states that many rumours wero in circulation in Copenhagen regarding General von Ludendorff. No one doubts any moro that ho has fled to a neutral country. One frequently hears that his nervo ultimately collapsed to such an extent that ho had) recourse to drink, and imhilrtd alcohol until he became senseless, in order 'neither to see nor hear anything moro. At the annual meeting of the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury last evening the retiring president (Mr W. H. Skinner) said that there was something lie wanted to put right in connection with the discussion that had taken place at a previous meeting concerning th e preservation of tho site at Burnham from which the observation of tho transit of Venus had first been made in New Zealand in 187-1. He had omitted to mention tho great obligations they were under to Mr T. A. Archey, who was for so many years in chargo of tho Burnham grounds, and who had done much to protect tho actual observatory site.

dealing with cases still requiring attention in the distinct. The Iteligf Committee reported that it had held four meetings, and dealt with thirtyeight cases. In five cases rent had been paid, and in six cases coupons had been issued for goods. The report was receired. It was decided that the secretary should furnish tho Town Clerk (Air H, R. .Smith) with a list of families m which tho_ father and mother or either had died during the epidemic. A voteooff f thanks was passed to the members of the Canterbury Automobile Association for their services during the influenza epidemic. A vote of appreciation to tho lady workers, who bad assisted in the Addington district, was also carried.

. Though camouflage colourings on various overseas steamers that have been employed in the war zone all differ in details from one another, there is apparent a certain degree of uniformity in the general idea. Notable exceptions from this rule, however, are provided on several vessels which have visited Melbourne recently, states the ** Argus.” Port officials had become accustomed to the irregularly shaped patches of grey, yellow, green black and red on the hulls, funnels ana superstruatures of vessels arriving from abroad; but the Ellorman liner City of Karachi ivas an example of an altogether different system. Her port side resembled a huge draughts board, the squares being regularly and carefully painted in blue and white, while on the starboard side was traced a confusing array of wavy green handty which crossed and recrossed in such a way that at a distance .of about 600 yards lit was difficult to detcomins/ where the hull of the ship ended and the weather-stained' river wharf came into view. Even more remarkable was the design employed on the British India freighter Orissa. ' On a grey ground was painted a succession of black zig-zag bands, the continuity of which was preserved even on disconnected sections of the superstructure by the adjustment of sheets of canvas to fill the gaps. Another device adopted on Australian steamers to deceive U-boat pirates has been the covering of deck-houses and fittinp with canvas painted a particularly bright shade of pea-green, which in the distance merged with foam-topped waves. Imitation bows and foam-trail painted at the stern of a vessel, collapsible masts,'and black imitation funnels painted on canvas and leaning in the opposite direction to the real funnels, are other optical illusions which have proved too much for submarine commanders and have saved from destruction many vessels.