IMPERIAL DEFENCE.

West Coast Times, 6 September 1909, Page 2

IMPERIAL DEFENCE.

The chief points in the scheme of Imperial Defence have come over the cables by instalments, and probably the principal of them have been at least indicated. It appears that the desfres of Australia and Canada to found navies of their own have been accepted among the ruling conditions, and that SO far as that side of the schema is eoneerned, $eetio,ns of the British navy will be considered Australian and Canadian respectively. Whilst it is generally recognised that the principal duty of the Navy is to secure the safety of the seas surrounding Great Britain and the Mediterranean, it will always he an important part ef its duty to patrol the Pacific, and it can make very little difference in the paper result if an Australian Navy relieves a unit of a British fleet of part of this duty instead of the Australian gontribution being added to the Home* fleets,, anjj three units of a British feet instead of two are stationed in the Pacific. The effect of Australia possessing her own ships, however, must have a very important bearing lipo.n thg minds of Australians. It would be a stimulus tfl their patriotism, whilst an annual contribution to the British Navy as "k whole might be felt as a tax for which there was (so long as peace is maintained) no appreciable return, %w Zealand's annual contribution, it is stated, wpujd be applied towards the maintenance of the China unit, of which some of the smaller vt*«^el§ M'Quld have New Zea- 1 land as headquarter*, Th|* China Seas are a very far cry from New j Zealand. It^ would seem more reasonable to attach New Zealand to Australia, and eventually it must come to this, if New Zealand is to be able to feel herself in near touch with the Navy, which is desirable, for the reason above indicated regarding Australia.. New Zealand's armoured prnisei- is to b c stationed in China; but tha£ need not count in the arrangement at a||. The ship was to be a gift to the British Navy, without any suggestion of a local use. In stead of a Dreadnought, the Home (Javernment. will take New Zealand's gift in the s.hnpe of an armoured cruiser of the Indomitable plass. These are ships of about 17,000 tons, full .«peed about 25 knots, protected with 7-iux*. apmmir and carrying eight 12inch and swae $Hfilh?r guns. The type of the class has wiade runs across the Atlantic! Nt equal to best mail boat speeds. As there w»uid be only one ship of this type in the CMna Seas unit it is not likely that she would ibe a frequent visitor to New Zealand, wjjpreas the Australian flagship of the same *yi>« flrotrnWy would be, if New Zealand were attached fpr Naval purposes to Australia instead of to a distant China. Whoever has had the preparation of the cable news for this Dominion has paid very little attention to. the subject of land forces, and it

appears from cabled statements that' this subject was not paid much attention to by the Imperial Conference. It .was dealt with by a "sub-confer-ence," after "the main conference." Tli© vague hint given of the conclusion come to savour very much of the barrack-yard. The result is "a plan of so organising the forces of the Crown wherever they are that. ... in case of real emergency the forces- of each Dominion can readily be combined into one homogeneous Imperial Army." This hints at a degree of preparation of dominion forces which would be practically impossible on a large scale. It seems so distinctly to imply the creation and maintenance of permanentforces; or at any rate a training approximately resembling that of the British army; and neither Australia nor New Zealand could afford to give, such training to any large number of men. Nothing less seems to be implied in the reference to the combination of these forces into one homo geneous Imperial Army. Universal training is the favourite proposal in this country; and universal training, | though it might be carried out to : most serviceable extent, could not bexpected to bring men up to the pitcl of discipline and technical efficiency required of the members of the Im perial Army. The comments of Home papers which have been sent out do not appear to allude to this question of the land forces; they are so completely absorbed in the naval preponderance idea. There is no reason to suppose that New Zealand's representative pressed the importance of the former upon the Conference. Sir Joseph Ward had not shown 'any keen' appreciation of it before he left for London, and the insistance of the people at Home on the paramount importance of the Navy wTrald- tendto make the whole of the delegates j forget all about it. Sir Joseph Ward however, will be here presently, and he may be able to throw another light on the whole matter. Anyhow, this is New Zealand's own business, and New Zealand must attend to it, no matter what scheme of another kind _the General Staff of the British Army may have formulated for the "subconference."

The Hokitika School Committee meet to-night at 7.15 o'clock

The annual meeting of the Arahura Dairy Factory Coy., Ltd., will beheld in the County Chambers on Saturday, 11th September, at 2.30 p.m.

The alterations to the ordinary timetable in connection with the opening ceremony of the -Ross Goldfields Ltd.., is announced in this issue.

The Hon. J, MeGowan, ex-Minister of Mines, Wellington, left for the West Coast on Tuesday evening to open the new electrical mining plant in connection with the Ross Flat Goldfields Ltd.

The gold medals presented to the Hokitika Football- Club by Messrs Mlphel and Melnitosh and Dee for the player playing the best football for bis team have been awarded to Messrs Wallace (senior), Head (junior), and Ward (Presidents).

The Nelson representative team arrived in Hokitika on Saturday evening's train, and were scorted to the Red Lion, Hotel where they were welcomed by his Worship the Mayor (Mr H. L. Michel). Yesterday afternoon the team were taken to the Mahinapua Lake by motor launch,

A private letter received by a member of our staff states that Mr Eissenhardt, of Greymouth, who recently underwent an operation in a Wellington private hospital, is making rapid progress towards recovery. Mr^ Eissen ; ardt'sj many friends will be glad tc learn that he expects to be sufficiently recovered in a few weeks to return to Greymouth.

For some days Cabinet has been busily engaged framing the estimates for the current year. According to the "Dominion,' 1 the main effect of the retrenchment policy will only be apparent in the figures from September Ist. when the salaries of most of the offiials who have been retired ceased. It is, expected that the Estimates will continue to engage the attention of the Ministers for some time.

A meeting of the Women's Benevolent Society was held on Friday afternoon. Present : Mesdames Leach (chair), Holmes, Bock,; Fowler, Parkhill and Reynolds. The minutes of the previoiis meeting were read and confirmed and a small aount of ordinary biisiness transacted. Mrs Jones and Mrs, Bock were appointed viitors for the ensuing month.

In connection with the bicycle race on Cass Square on Saturday the language made use of by one of the contestants after the event \fas not fit for the ears of the young ladies- and girls who were within hearing distance. Although perhaps provoked at the time the young man referred to should not have given expression to his feelings in the manner indicated.

A young man named Charles Cooper was admitted to the Kumara Hospital on Wednesday evening, from Otira. He was going through the evolutions of Indian club swinging with a pair of empty bottle* when they clashed together, and the broken glass inflicts ed serious injury on his left hand,

severing the tendons. His injuries were attended to by Dr Morkane. It will probably be some 'weeks before he will be able to leave the institution.

The bicycle race for £28 a-side between Caliari and Blackmail was decided on Cass Square on Saturday afternoon. Both men started from the same mark and at the sound of the pistol Caliari got away with a lead of a length or more. The advantage was maintained by Caliari for nearly a lap but Blackmail, who seemed to have the race well in hand, passed his opponent eventually winning hy a length. Considerable interest was manifested in the event, fully two hundred people, inclusive of those taking part in the hockey fixtures being present.

The Municipal Band under the conductorship of Mr R. Phillips gave a choice programme of music on Cass Square yesterday afternoon. The following items were given : March, "Sejmar Abbey,*' gverture, "The Golden SeepiiV tt" a & K > "Q ueen of Pearls," march, "Pomp and Pageant," selection, "A Souvenir of Spain," march, "Orion," selection, "De Treizchulz," sacred 'marph, "Silver Cross." The music of the b,and was, greatly appreciated by a ]arge number of people, who wiil look forward with pleasure to a similar programme in the near, future.

The usual practice of the Fire Brigade will be held this evening at the regular hour*

The members of the Municipal Band have kindly consented to take part in the Ross Goldfields celebrations on Wednesday.

The football match between the Nelson representatives and the Hokitika seniors takes place on Cass Square at 2 o'clock this afternoon.

During the month of August there were 1106 arrivals from oversea ports at Wellington, 705 male and 294 female adults, and 106 children and infants.

The Licensinug Bench will sit tomorrow. The principal matter to be dealt with is an application from Mrs Briggs for a publican's license. n A Christchurch flourmiller said to a Star reporter that there would be plenty of cheap flour next year. "This warm, soaking rain is just the thing we want," he remarked.

His Worship the Mayor proclaims Wednesday next a public holiday in connection with the opening of the Ross

Goldfields Ltd. The Mayors of Grey■nouth, Rlimara and Ross Fave also declared a public holiday for the occasion. Mr Jeremiah Pritchard, the- wellknown brewer, with his usual generosty, has donated to the people of Ross a hogshead of his celebrated XXX Ale to assist in commemorating the commencement of the drainage of the Ross Flat. In anticipation of the large number of visitors expected to visit Ross on Wednesday he Borough Council is having a general clean up in the townshi. A gang of men is engaged on the the streets which are getting a genera] clean up,. _A special report of the football match between the Nelson representatives and West Coast played at Greymouth on Saturday appears on page four. It will he observed that the game was won just on time by one point as the result of s penalty. Bligh, who put the leather through the posts was carried .shoulder high off the ground, amidst the greatest enthusiasm. Cripps, the Sydney boxer, wrote to the Christchurch Boxing Club, thanking the club for the attention shown him during his visit to Christchurch. He referred in the highest terms i* the manner in which his contest with Griffen had been carried out, and said that the conduct of the audience was a revelation him.. He had boxed in Australia, America, and England, but had had to visit New Zealand to learn how boxing contests should be conducted. Dr Neeley, a director of the Ross Goldfields Ltd: arrived from Christ- ■ church on Saturday night. He will attend a meeting of the Board to-morrow* and will be present at the ceremony in Ross on Wednesday. The Hon James McGowan, who performs the opening ceremony, is expected to arrive to-day while a number of shareholders and others interested are expected to arrive to-day and to-morrow. The Railway Department is arranging to carry between two and three thousand to and from Ross on Wednesday. An Auckland resident) disapproves of the large amount of dentistry earon in New Zealand, and he thinks there is a simple way of lessening the demand for false teethe lie writes to an Auckland paper : We are becoming a toothless people. The cause, no doubt, is the lack of lime. Our cereals meat, vegetables, and water are produced from land deficient in lime, which is an essenial in the formation

of bone. It seems to me it would be of great advantage if lime were put into the drinking water. It must do good, purifying the water if' nothing more. It might also be put into our wheat before grinding, and our raw sugar and our milk. What would purify milk more than a pinch of lime in he pail before' straining ? If there were more lime in food and water there would bo less work for the dentists. If the system had been in operation in New Zealand when Mr Hogg committed his unfortunate indiscretion during the .short session, it would (says the Lyttelton Times) have been for his fellow members and not for the Prime

Minister to decide whether he had forfeited tho confidence of the country. Probably this would have made no difference in the ultimate result, but it would have given the member for Masterton an opportunity to appeal to a wider tribunal, and it would have saved Sir Jospeh Ward from an unpleasant duty. These, however, are among the least of the advantages the system would confer upon the country, and we hope that the new Parliament will be given an early opportunity to express an opinion upon the Elective Executive and that before his final retirement from politics Sir William Steward wiU have the satisfaction of seeing the reform of which he has been .such a capable and consistent advocate placed on the Statute Book. A man who for some years past 'has been employed in a responsible and lucrative clerical position in Timaru left some weeks ago on a holiday, a severe attack of influenza having left Mm in rather a depressed state. He went to the North Island for his holiday, and was due back some time ago. As he did not return, inquiries were set on foot, with the result that it is now believed that he is in America. Another Timaru man, associated with the grain trade, has also disappeared. It is believed that the latter has gone to one of the Australian cities. With respect to" the first mentioned (says the Timaru Herald), his employers, Messrs Tripp and Rolleston, solicitors, ' had their books audited, and the auditor's report is embodied in a circular which assures the firm's clients that the trust accounts are correct. It is, however, understood that there" is a considerable shortage in the firm's own account. * There is not a particle of opium r.r' other narcotic in Chamberlains* Oongh Remedy, and never has been since it was first offered to the public. It is as safe a medicine for a child as :'or an adult. This remedy is- famon* for its cures of colds and croup, and can , always bo depended upon. For sale wholesale and retail b.y J. theanejy and Qq., agents. A student at the 'Varsity Took Logic and Pyschology j Great was the. strain upon his brain, When working there till tea time came. And when at last his meal he took, Calm and contented wag his Ipokj His nerves were soothed, no worry, he Had had a cup of «9t19 TWi

The present year is apparently destined to be a period of records for tlip Magistrate's Court at Wellington, says the Dominion. A short time a^o a case in civil jurisdiction occupied about ten days in hearing, and now a tlaim has been filed, the details of vhich extend over 97 sheets of manuscript, and make a total length of 18 yards lOjin. Previously the record in this line for Wellington was held by the details of a butcher's account filed in 1575, and making a length of three yards.

There is being installed in theWairoa (Hawkes Bay) district an important and most interesting experiment. It is the establishment of an admir-ably-thought-out scheme of co-operat-iye flaxmilling, the dominant feature of. which is that the income of the men will vary according to the quality of their work and the market valuse of hemp, and tha th econtract be ing for six years there will be every inducement for the men to manage the flax crop to the best advantage. The men will thus have every opportunity of proving the feasibility of the principle when conducted on. a liberal basis, and have a chance of demonstrating that if given a monetary interest in their work they will carry it out in a crediable manner. The originators of the scheme are the M. F. Bourke Flaxmills, Limited, which has given over its valuable Wairoa property for the mill-hands for a period six years.

Ernest J. O'Neill, of buekjuraping' fame, occupied the dock at the Suprw.e Court, Palmerston North, recently, on a charge of issuing a valueless cheque on the Bank of New Zealand, Taihape, on May 4, 1909. Evidence went to show that O'Neill found himself in Longburn with empty pockets. Hp borrowed a blank cheque, and crossing

out the word Palmerston^ inserted Taihape , where he had at r.ne tiice had a bank account at the bank. The cheque was dishonoured, "as the account had automatically closed two years previously. Morgan, the proprietor of the Longburn Hotel, to whom the cheque was uttered, placed the matter in the hands of the police, and O'Neill was arrested. The defence was thataccused had' gone to Longburn to see McMahou, circus proprietor, .^nd finding him "broke" had written out the cheque to provide his train fare. Accused had been led' to believe he had still a credit balance at Taihape, where his transactions with the bank hud amounted to £500 a year. He bad also £78 coming from his solicitors .and lie thought they had paid the money to his account. He also had an amount running at Christchurch. His Honour summed up, in favour of the accused, who held a good character, was a man of property, but undoubtedly careless. The jury retired, for a few minutes, and returned a verdict of r>ot guilty. His Honour said he 'quite sgreed with it, but hoped accused would be move careful of his bank account in future.

A Modern Warehouse.— We a<'e confident that the big alterations which, v c have made to our drapery warehouse will be found much more convenient to our clients than our old warehouse. A new stock of 58 packages of the newest goods now showing. Would you like to see them — prices the lowest ai ways ._Wm. McKay and Son, the leading drapers.