OUR WELLINGTON LETTER.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLV, Issue 26, 28 December 1910, Page 4

OUR WELLINGTON LETTER.

WELLINGTON, December 22. The New Rhodes Scholar. G/ y UCKLAND is on top again. It / | is an Auckland boy who has ] I secured the Rhodes Scholarship for 1911. There were three candidates before the Board of Selection at Government Hou«e, M ellington, on Tuesday morning. The successful candidate was Mr. Alfred George Marshall, M.A., of Auckland University College; the others were Mr. David S. Smith, LL.B., of Victoria College, Wellington, Mr. Montague Ongley, of Otago University. Mr. Marshall is a fine stamp of young New Zealander, not only brainy, but athletic. He is a tall, slim young fellow, standing six feet one, is a pretty good all-round man at outdoor games, and is well-known in the Auckland sports circles as a high-jumper. Mr. Marshall tells me that he was born twenty-two years ago at Mangawhare, on tile Northern Wairoa, where his father, the Rev. Mr. Marshall, Wesleyan Methodist minister, was then stationed. The Rev. Marshall is now at Otautau, Southland. Young Marshall attended the Pukekohe School, and later won his way to the Auckland Grammar School, and thence to the University, supporting himself all the time by scholarships. He took his M.A. degree in Auckland, in 1909, with first-class honours in mathematics and mathematical physics. He is at present assistant to the Professor of Mathematics at Canterbury College. Mr. Marshall is a man of great natural ability, and New Zealanders may fairly look to him to do honour to his country when he goes to the Old Land. The Rhodes Scholarship carries a three years’ course at Oxford at £3OO a year. The new scholar •—the eighth from New’ Zealand—intends leaving for England about next June. He proposes using the long vacation for study of physical science in Europe, particularly in Germany. A Man s Capacity for Liquor. Some remarkable evidence concerning the drinking capacity of a deceased WelImgtonian was given this week in the course of a Supreme Court case over a disputed will. Iwo sons of the late Herbert Hill, drain-pipe manufacturer, alleged that their father was not in his right mind when he executed a will which left them out in the cold, and that he had been unduly influenced in his actions by relatives residing with him. Dr. Ewart deposed that Hill, sen., had a craving for alcohol, and an enormous capacity for drink. He saw him drunk in bed. George Hill, one of the sons, said his father bad not ceased drinking from 1906 up to the time of his death. At his father’s request, he used to carry drink to him nearly every day. The old man would drink two bottles of whisky each day, and keep on doing so for two or three months until he had to knock off through illness. Then, when he wasn't drinking ■whisky, he would drink as much as six small bottles of champagne in a day. The doctors gave him stuff to try and cure him of the habit. Mr. Justice Cooper rather ironically remarked that the son “seemed to haVe tried all sorts of ways of breaking him of drinking except that of stopping taking drink to him.” Later on in the case, after a daughter of the testator had spoken of her father's drinking habits, and said they had to supply him with drink, his Honor Baid: “Here is a man suffering from gastritis, disease of the heart, disease of the kidneys, and dropsy, confined to his bed; the doctor distinctly forbids him to have liquor, and yet we are told that the members of his family eould not keep it away from him! It is a most extraordinary case.” Property to the value of over £14,000 is involved in this case, which was still proceeding at the time of writing. LATER. His Honour, after hearing counsels’ addresses, said he considered Hill was of sound mind when he made the will, and therefore could not set a-ide the will. He gave judgment for the defendant, the Solicitor who was the execut. r of the Will. In giving judgment, the Judge

made some very severe comments on the conduct of the deceased's sons. “It is positively appalling to think,” he said, "that a man given to liquor in this way should have been supplied—according to the evidence of some members of the family—day in and day out with whisky in enormous quantities and champagne, when they must have known that the result inevitably would be eventually his death, the only excuse being that they could not keep it from him. He was forbidden by the doctor to take liquor, but, notwithstanding this, his sons took it up to him and allowed liquor—at least a bottle of whisky a day—to be supplied to this unfortunate man, and their excuse is that they were asked to do it by a bedridden man. I think, to say the least, that they were guilty of serious errors of judgment and! almost dereliction of duty in supplying liquor in these enormous quantities to their father because they were afraid that if he did not drink himself to death iu the house that he might do so iu the hotels. Surely there must have been some other means of checking this man's appetite for liquor. When he was in the private hospital and’ getting better because tiia liquor was kept from him, the family allowed him to be removed to his private house in order that he could be supplied with liquor. It is a deplorable ease. I think I am justified in making these remarks.” The New Defence Scheme. Major-General Godley, the new Commandant of the Dominion's Forces, is making good progress with the reorganisation of the defence forces. He has rearranged the head-quarters staff, has made provisional appointments of the officers and non-commissioned officers for the twenty-eight defence areas into which the Dominion was divided in Lord Kitchener's report. These officers and drill-sergeants are to go into a two months’ camp of instruction at Featherston, in the Wairarapa district, on the 7th of next month, and on the military ability they show there their permanent appointments will depend. The list of the chosen officers and non-coms, contains a good many men who saw service in South Africa. They will be the backbone of our new fighting force. The Featherston camp is the first step; during the winter the area officers will have to wrestle with the big task of making a roll of all the young men of New Zealand who are liable to serve in the Territorials, and then next summer we should see our first big training camp established on the Waimarino Plains. Resignation of Two Government Geologists. There is a good deal of talk in town in Civil Service circles and out of them, over the announcement that Dr. James M. Bell. Director of the Government Geological Survey, and his principal assistant, Mr. Colin Fraser, Mining Geologist, have resigned. They will both leave New Zealand on March 12, and go to England and Canada; it is understood that there are positions waiting for them in Canada, of which country Dr. Bell is a native. It is matter for great regret that these valuable officers are leaving New Zealand. It is pretty well understood that Dr. Bell did not “hit it” with the rugged Hielan’ Minister of Mines, the Honourable Roderick McKenzie. The retrenchment scheme, too, affected Dr. Bell’s plans for the systematic survey of our mineral-bearing districts. During his five years’ service in New Zealand, Dr. Bell has done an immense amount of good work, and has issued from time to time very comprehensive reports on the mineral areas, including the Parapara iron deposits, the West Coast goldfields, and the Hauraki goldfields. He is only thirty-three years of ago, but he has crowded a lot of work into that time. He was leading geological survey parties in the ild backcountry of Canada as far back as 1900. He is married to a daughter of Mr. Harold Beauchamp, of Wellington. Chairman of Directors of the Bank of New Zealand. Mr. Colin Fraser, who goes with Dr. Bell, is one of those brainy young New Zealanders who we can ill afford to lose. He is thirty-four years old, and is a native of Coromandel. He graduated at Auckland University College, and baa

been a geologist on the Government staff for th* past fire years, and has been Dr. Bell’s right-hand man in the survey of the mineral belts. The Knox Bequest. As the outcome of the disagreement between the trustees of the estate bequeathed by the late Mrs. Elizabeth Knox to certain charities, a petition has been filed in the Auckland Supreme Court by Mr. A. Clements, who«e views do not coincide with those of his eotrustees, Messrs. T. Buddle and F. G. Clayton, praying that the Public Trustee be appointed the sole trustee of the estate. The petition and affidavits filed by both sides have been forwarded to Mr. Justice Edwards, at Wellington, and the matter will come before him for decision on January 10th at Wellington. The late Mrs. Knox, who died in October, 1908, left legacies amounting to £22,500 for distribution among her nephews, niece®, and friends, most of whom live in Ireland and America. The residue of the estate, amounting to about £44,000, she bequeathed to certain charities, £20,000 of the amount being specified to go towards the establishment of a home for incurables, the trustees being given discretionary powers with regard to the distribution of the remainder. Shortly after the death of Mrs. Knox the trustees decided to add the residue of the estate to the fund for the “incurables’ ” home, bringing it up to about £40,000, and about 12 months ago it was further decided to hand over this money to the Public Trustee. For a while the trustees worked in amity, but some time back disagreements crept in, producing a deadlock, the result of which is that the £20,000 specially bequeathed to the institution of a home for incurables, together with about £IO,OOO, part of the residue of the estate, has been lying unproductive at the bank bn current account. It is interesting to note that in addition to the £40.000 which will be available from the Knox bequest, the late Mrs. J. M. Thompson, of Auckland, who died in June, 1906, bequeathed the residue of her estate, estimated at the time at about £ 100,000, towards a home for incurables. Under her will, however, the money was to accumulate for ten years, at the expiry of which the income front the accumulated fund is to be devoted to the support of such a home, if by then one has been established. Export of Products. The value of the principal products exported from the Dominion for the halfmonth of December 1 to 15, was £1,090,624, as compared with £902,842 for the corresponding period of last year. The values of the various commodities were as follows: £ Butter 165,302 Cheese „ 73,622 £>eei, frozen 10,892 Mutton, frozen (earcases) .... 38,282 Mutton, frozen (legs and pieces) 1,019 Lamb, frozen 18,691 Wheat 18,249 Oats 562 •Potatoes 65 Hemp 13,090 Rabbits 9,373 Tow 1,738 Kauri Gum 4741 Grain and Pulse 80 Hops 378 Hides 3,532 Skins (all kinds) 40,699 Tallow 16,508 Timber 21,722 Wool 549,745 Gold 102,334 Influx of Population. The number of persons who arrived in New Zealand during November is 4,524, and of departures during the same month 1,777. In November, 1909, the arrivals numbered 3,335 and departures 1,799. For 11 months of the current year the figures are: —Arrivals. 31,134: derartnri* 29,739. Taking the Cenans. Though the census of New Zealand will not take place until the beginning of April, preparations are already in active progress under the supervision of Mr. F. M. Wright, who was recently appointed Government statistician, to eonduet this work. Forms for filling in by householders and others are being

prepared, and enumerators to the her of 60 will shortly be appointed take charge of census districts. The D* minion will be divided into areas, rally counties or groups of counties. Each enumerator will control a small army of sub-enumerators, of whom ove| a thousand will be employed. Enumerators will be responsible to thq chief statistician for the accuracy •( returns, but there are some items of in® formation quite beyond their power t 4 reliably provide, notably the ages of women. It ie always a feature of census calculation that women's ages arq

ikot la accordance with the known ratio W population, the number of women of particular ages increasing in number up to a certain point and. then gradually declining. Boy Seonts. r A monster camp of instruction for South Island hoy scouts will be held at Wainoni Park, opening on January 4, knd closing on the 9th of the same South. The camp is being arranged ' the Christchurch executive, who have invited all boy seouts of the South Island to attend, with the object of extending the benefits of the camp as widely as possible. It is anticipated |d»at there will be about 500 boy scouts in attendance, some of them coming from Southland, others from Otago, and others Various portions of Canterbury. The attendance will largely depend on tvhether certain railway concessions can be obtained from the Government, and Efforts are being made to arrange these. The principal work of the camp will be instruction in scout work. In addition, jbere will be competitions of various Sorts, sueh as bridge and hut buildmg, Jcnotting. bandaging, etc., as well as races tand sports. Examinations will be held for various badges. His Own Money. ■A. .form coming suddenly after i* 'peaceful and favourable caim broke jpon an inebriate at the Magistrate’s Court, Wellington. The man had liad over £l6 in his possession Irhen arrested, and Mr. H. W. Bishop, >-M., gave him some fatherly advice on he risks he ran in getting drunk with so ouch money on him. The haughty spirit in the man was aroused, and he cut in tipon the magistrate’s remarks with: “I am responsible for my actions; it is my 4>wn money and I ean do what I like With it.” Then the storm broke on him, find, under the orders of the magistrate, **to get the drink out of him.” he was Whirled out of Court on remand. Blaze in Dunedin. A disastrous fire broke out shortly before nine o’clock on Thursday in the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Society’s big block of buildings in Craw-ford-street, and resulted in the structure being completely gutted. The fire obtained a big hold before any warning Mas given, and defied all efforts of the united brigades to subdue it. The building was contained by four brick walls, extending from CrawfordStreet through to Vogel-street, and having a frontage of about 70 yards. The tapper portion, where the fire started, Comprised Brydone Hall and skating rink. Half the lower floor was occupied by Messrs. John Chambers and Son, machinery agents, carrying a stock of machinery, oilmen’s stores, etc., to the extent of about £15,000, which is a total loss. The other half was occupied by Messrs. Waters, Ritchie and Co., grain, Seed, and wool merchants, who carried about £SOOO worth of stock in grain and seed. They report the loss of a portion ?(about £2000) of their own stock, while the remainder belonged to clients. The Otago A. and P. Society’s, Bray Bros.’, National Electric and Engineering Company’s, John Chambers’, Harraway’s Clark and McAra’s offices were in the front of the building. The insurances on the building were: •—South British, £3100; New Zealand, •£IOOO : Victoria, £1000; Standard, £500; North British, £1000; Queensland, £4OO. On the stock of Waters and Ritchie: London and Lancashire, £1000; Alliance, £1000; Queensland, £500; Liverpool and JLondon and Globe, £IOOO. There is some doubt with regard to the last-mentioned item. John Chambers and Sons’ stock:' Commercial Union, £6200. Graham, a member of the South Dunedin Fire Brigade, sustained a broken ankle, broken nose, and internal injuries. A civilian was also hurt, but the nature of his injuries is not known at present. (Another fire broke out about 11.15 p.m. in Taine’s chemical stores in Craw-ford-street, some 300 yards south of the big fire. The outbreak started in a back room in the top storey, and was Suppressed without much difficulty, the (damage done being comparatively small. The origin of the fire is unknown, but tv la not supposed that it was caused by A spark from the big fire, as the wind 9TM blowing in A contrary direction.

Fate of the Dues. The bottle containing an alleged message from a member of the crew of the Duco, which was picked up on the beach near Southbridge, was brought to Christchurch last week, and the actual message itself was sent to Wellington by steamer. The bottle is similar in shape to an ordinary quart beer bottle, and bears the brand “Powley and Keast.” The message was written on the back of a race card and placed inside a cigarette wrapper. The message is written in pencil in a somewhat shaky handwriting. It is stated that the handwriting of Peterson, who was on the steamer on her last voyage, is known to a Wellington resident, and that gentleman will be able to say whether or not the message purporting to come from Peterson is a genuine one or not. Arrival of Immigrants. The s.s. Waiwera, from London direct, arrived at Dunedin last week with 260 third-class passengers, among whom are 92 assisted emigrants, 28 domestics, 18 farm labourers, 6 farmers, and 12 wives coming to rejoin their husbands. The Auckland passengers leave by the s.s. Tarawera to-day. Running the Bailways. The Hon. J. A. Millar, Minister for Railways, took advantage of the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce banquet last week to defend the policy he is pursuing in the management of his important Department. He said, when replying to a toast, that he was amused when he saw it advocated that because the North Island lines were paying better than the South Island lines the rates on the former should be reduced. (Voices: So they should.) Was that the way in which they would deal with two or three branches of a private business! Would they cut down the profits of those that were doing well, and thus increase the loss on those that •sere not doing so well? (Voices: Close them up.) Of course, they would not do so, and as Minister for Railways, he would do the same as he would do in a private business. In America an experiment of cutting down fares to a low maximum had not proved a success, and England, with her 48 millions of people, and long experience of railway management, could not give cheaper fares than we had in New Zealand. He asked them where in the world could they get cheaper fares than in New Zealand? A Voice: In New South Wales. Mr. Millar said the suburban fares in New South Wales, owing to the vast population to work on, were cheaper, but the ordinary fares were not cheaper. The general taxpayer who did not use the railways should not be called on to pay, for the railways represented services rendered, and should pay their way, although there was no desire to make any profit out of them. The cost of the increased services in the Auckland provincial district last year alone was over £lOO.OOO. The district was progressing rapidly, and must have increased services. The new rolling stock that was constantly being built to keep pace with requirements, cost a great deal of money, and the railways must be made to pay interest on their cost. Thera was no philanthropy or charity about the railway service in New Zealand. A second daily express from Auckland to Rotorua, which had been suggested by Mr. Guinness, was out of the question. It would not pay. The second Main Trunk express which had been put co last year was running at a loss of £45 a day when It was taken off. He was trying it again this year to see how it would pay, but as soon as It lost £4O or £5O a day off it would come. He would not run trains like that with his own money, and he had no right to do it with the taxpayers’ money. Marine Officers’ Pay. Captain Watson (secretary to the Merchant Service Guild) returned to Wellington last week. “The award of the Court, improving working conditions and raising the wages,” said Captain Watson to a ‘‘Post” reporter, “was a great achievement. Reform had long been needed on the coast. The award begins on the Ist January next, and is for three years. Judge Higgins would have liked to make it for five years, Ijp* that the Act would not allow.”

“And the shipowners?” Captain Watson was asked. “I don't think they mind much,” he replied, “about the Increased wages or the rates fixed for overtime, but they are very much disturbed about the hours. Poiuts have been granted by the Court that should have been granted four years ago. However, they are law now.” “Has the cost of living so increased in Australia that the masters’ and officers’ wages should be raised also?” “Ihe cost of living? Why, Australia is very much cheaper to live in than New Zealand. Money go«S much further there than here.” “What will be the influence of the Australian award upon the New Zealand mercantile officers?” “1 would rather not express an opinion on that subject,” Captain Watson replied. “Will the shipowners in the Commonwealth pass the increased wages and overtime on to shippers and passengers ?” “That is for them to say. Even now I do not think the wages to be paid to masters are anything out of the ordinary, when you consider the great responsibility of the.ir position and the fact that they pilot their own ships in and out of their ports. Yes; the new award will do very well for the time being.” Pacific Developments. The Suva correspondent of the “Sydney Daily Telegraph” writes under date December 6: “Various rumours are to hand about the placing on the market in Sydney of three of the principal copra plantations in the colony. It is stated that the proposition has been successfully floated, with a capital of a-quarter of a-million sterling. It seems as if Fiji is at last coming forth to occupy her proper position as a field for the investment of capita], and while we are all sorry to see our old planters retiring, it is for the advantage of the colony, and we can only hope that this will be but the beginning of further inflowing capital for the development of our rich virgin lands. We also hear of the sale in Sydney of Captain Kaad’s Levuka business, including his steamers, the Providence A and the Motusa, and all his copra trading stations in Rofuma. Futuna, and Wallis Islands. The price paid is said to be £30,000, and to most people here it does not seem a high price.” Tramway Extension in Auckland. The rapid spread of population between Newmarket and Ellerslie emphasises the need for having the tramway service extended along the Great Southroad to Ellerslie. It is understood that an offer of £2OOO has been made by one property-owner towards the cost of sueh an extension, as he is anxious to cut up an area of land for building purposes. At the present time a petition is being circulated in the district for presentation to the general manager of the Tramway Company asking that the tram service be extended to Ellerslie. Mr. George Wilkinson referred to this matter at the last meeting of the Ellerslie Town

Board. ffe stated he had asked the cooperation of the One tree Hill Board and Remuera Board in getting the train service extended. He thought if the various public bodies interested in the tramway extension passed resolutions backing up the petition from residents adjacent to the Great South-road, the company would be likely to favourably consider the matter. On the motion of Mr. \\ ilkinson, seconded by Mr. Peak, it was agreed that the Auckland Tramway Co. be urged to extend its service to Ellerslie via the Great South-road. “ Early Doors.” At a meeting of the Christchurch'City Council a new by-law was passed avowedly with tlie intention of doing away with the practice of early doors at theatres. The new by-law provides that proprietors of theatres, concert halls, etc., shall be compelled to sell tickets for performances at least eight hours prior to the commencement of the performance. Theatre proprietors will also be compelled to have plans of the seating of the different parts of their buildings displayed at the various entrances, and a

•eat onee purchased remains at ttie disposal of the purchaser during the whole performance, and cannot be occupied by any person other than the holder of the ticket. Labour In England. Mr. Hodge, member for Gorton (Lancashire), who has just been returned by an increased majority, was a passenger from Sydney to Wellington by the steamer ' Moeraki last week. He was met on arrival by Mr. E. J. Carey (president of the Trades Council) and other Council officials, and warmly welcomed to New Zealand. Mr. Hodge talks with the caution and deliberation of the Scot, and, moreover, gives one the first impression of a man with much reserve force, having much to say much worthy of a mention, and also the ability to say it well and with force.

In the course of an interview with a representative of the “Post,"’ Mr. Hodge said that, so far as he could gather from the cablegrams, the British Labour party had lost three seats and gained four. “It is a growing party,” he said, “but in these elections the party did not run so man; men as it usually does. It is very expensive for us. and the reason is that the Osborne judgment, combined with a scarcity of money, has hampered us. A great many of the unions were very hard hit by that judgment. You can better understand it when I say that in the Old Country, officially, the cost of an election has to be borne by the candidate. Take my own ease as an example. Before I could bo nominated, my friends at Home would be required to place in the returning officer's hands a £4OO deposit, and in addition to that, to pay any further official expenses. We would probably get back out of that £4OO not more than £3O or £4O, so you see the official cost of an election would amount to £3OO. There is no payment of members at Home, as no doubt you are aware. You can understand, then, how difficult it is for ns, on the score of expense, to run an election. Nevertheless, the party is growing, and that lustily.” Asked as to whether in his judgment the strike was an ultimately effective agency in the settlement of industrial differences, Mr. Hodge declared with emphatic assurance: "The strike is an obsolete method of securing redress of industrial grievances; capital is so well organised that in any stand-up fight the worker always suffers most. In my particular trade, the iron and steel workers, we have had for many years a system of voluntary conciliation board. My experience goes to show that we have done better under that system than under any other method involving a strike. lam sure of that. I would say that when the organised employers find that the men have carried out the terms agreed upon before the Conciliation Board or the award of an arbitrator (if one is called in) they are prepared to meet employees on subsequent occasions when demands are

made for altered conditions or better wages. The attitude of the men towards the decisions of the conciliation boards or awards has had due effect upon the minds of employers when conditions and wages again come to be revised. This has been borne out by the fact that in 1899 I succeeded in getting employers in the tin and sheet mills in South Wales to form a board like that we had in the iron and steel trade, with the result that there have not been (any labour disputes since, and wages and conditions of labour have improved, whereas previous to 1899 the trade was in a chaotic condition, there was no certainty of employment, no uniformity of wages or working conditions. So far as was practicable the board has made uniform conditions and uniform wages, and manufacturers are now able to fulfil contracts. As the wages agreements are made from year to year the men and the employee* know where they are. and the latter can make their contracts accordingly.

Reference was made to the protracted boilermakers’ strike. "Ah, there,” said Mr. Hodge, “the men were forced to strike. The employers' conduct was not fair and clean. In that ease they have not acted right, they were not so quick in their action as the iron and steel trade employers were. I do not think the boilermakers’ strike would have occurred. from all I can learn, if the em-

ployers had shown a genuine disposition to take notice of and had attempted to redress legitimate grievances, and to put into operation the machinery of a board to deal with the matters at issue.”

Profit sharing was referred to, and Mr. Hodges’ opinion on that subject elicited. He did not think much of the system, because, he said, for it to be effective the men ought to have an effective share in the management, and employers would not agree to that.' Some firms put a man on the board to represent employers’ interests, but "I have usually found,” Mr. Hodge explained, "that that man was really a nominee of the firm, and had not an independent mind of his own. Besides, one man on a board of directors consisting of half-a-dozen men cannot do much good.” Mr. Hodge could hardly be expected to he a friend of the House of Lords as an institution. He went further—he was against a second chamber at all. A revising chamber might be necessary, but not a chamber having power to upset the legislation of the people. He was also an opponent of the referendum, unless the people had the initiative. Various parts of New Zealand will be visited by Mr. Hodge. He has come to see the country and study its legislation at first hand, and. he says, to learn. Rhodes Scholar. Alfred George Marshall, M.A.. nominee of the professorial board of the Auckland University College, was last week elected New Zealand Rhodes- scholar for 1911. The other candidates who presented themselves before the board of selection were David S. Smith, LL.B. (A ictoria College), and Montague Ongley (Otago University). The professor of mathematics at the Auckland University College says of Mr. Marshall:—"His work has impressed me particularly by its extreme thoroughness and accuracy. Though I have bad several students who have been very successful in my subject, I have had none with minds more severely logical and penetrating.” Other professors under whom Mr. Marshall studied at Auckland, wrote of him in similar complimentary strain, reference being made to his mental alertness, quite unusual ability, general high character and engaging personality. THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE. Alfred George Marshall, M.A., who is twenty-two years of age, has had a successful career, both as a scholar and an athlete. He was born in the Northern Wairoa, and is the son of the Rev. Mr. Marshal], formerly of Pukekohe. At the primary school, in 1901, Mr. Marshall succeeded in gaining a junior district scholarship, and next year entered the Auckland Grammar School. In 1903 he gained first place in the senior district scholarship examinations. In 1905 he gained a Junior University scholarship, and was again placed at the top of the list. He graduated B.A. in 1908, and M.A. with first-class honours in mathematics and mathematical physics, in 1909. At the beginning of the present year, Mr. Marshall was appointed demonstrator in chemistry and physics at Auckland University College, but resigned this in June, when he was appointed an assistant to the Professor of Mathematics, at Canterbury College, a post which he now holds. He has been prominent in the cadet movement, was a prominent Association footballer, successfully represented Auckland University in inter-university athletics at two tournaments, and won the open high jump handicap (from scratch) at the last Auckland Amateur Athletic meeting. In debating circles Mr. Marshall has also achieved success. FORMER SCHOLARS. Since its inception in 1904 the New Zealand Rhodes Scholarship has been won by the following students: — 1904. —James Allan Thomson (Otago University). 1905. —P. W. Robertson (Victoria College). 1900. —Robert Alexander Farquharson (Otago University). 1907. —Colin M. Gilray (Otago University). 1908. —Solomon N. Ziraan (Auckland University College). 1909. Allan MacDougall (Victoria College). 1910. Kenneth Sisam (Auckland University College). The Defence Staff. The following rearrangement at the defence headquarters of the duties of the general staff and of the Department of adjutant and quartermaster general has been approved.

Dominion section of the Imperial general staff: Director of military training and staff duties. Lieutenant-Colonel E. S. Heard, Imperial general staff. Attached to general staff. Captain H. H. Brown (Mounted Services), Captain G. S. Richardson (Garrison and Field Artillery Services). Additional officers yet to be appointed. Director of military operations and intelligence: LieutenantColonel J. T. Burnett Stuart. D. 5.0., Imperial general staff. Attached to general staff, officer to be appointed. Department of adjutant and quarter-maeter-general: Adjutant and quarter-master-general to forces: Colonel A. W. Robin, C. 8., N.Z.M. Assistant-adjutant-general and assistant quartermaster-gen-eral, to be appointed. The subordinate departments under the adjutant and quarter-master-general will remain for the present as they now stand. The duties hitherto carried out by the chief of general staff and inspector-general respectively. will be merged into the office of commander of the forces. Lower Waikato Drainage. The gist of a report just submitted by Mr. W. Breakell, C.E.. to the Waikato Drainage Association, which is advocating the reclamation of some big swamp areas near Mercer, is that the Waikato river between Mercer and the Heads is silted up, and that the waterway must be dredged to its original level in order to carry off the flood,waters. He points out that the level at Mercer of the great flood of 1907 was seventeen feet higher than the level of the flood at the top of the spring tide at Port Waikato, showing that the trouble lies between these two points. If something is not done the liability to floods will go on increasing. The proposal tor clearing out the river bed is quite feasible, and he puts down the expenditure for four years at £27,500. This report is a preliminary one, and is to be attached to the petition to be presented to Parliament next seseion.