NEWS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14841, 5 December 1913, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

All th© Canterbury trout streams were reported clear yesterday morning. At the military display on Wednesday the prizes for the cadets' squad drill were awarded as follow: —No. 66 Company, 93' points Ist: No. 67 Company, 91 points 2nd, and No. 87 Company, 86 points. 3rd. Altogether seven teams competed.

The secretary of the Christchurch Shorthand Writers' Association has received from Sir Isaac Pitman and SonsBath, England, the results of a speed examination held last August. The following candidates havo been successful in obtaining Pitman's first-class speed certificates: —Miss Ivy Straw, 120 words per minute; Misses Florence Bell and Isobel Brake, 100 words per minute; Miss Agnes Cunningham and Mr W. J. Doavoll, 90 words per minute; Misses Vera Smith and Mary •Strauts, 80 words per minute.

The tendencies of the modern age were referred to in pessimistic terms by Canon Vaughan in a sermon at St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney, last week. '-'We know," he said, "that the history of 'The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' declares that the last stages of sin, before the judgments fell in Rome, were luxury and indifference. In view of this, we must feel uneasy about the condition of the world to-day. W© see luxury and indifference towards all things that have to do with vital religion. .We see excess or extravagance m show and glare, and in habits of living; in fashiona and dress, and in recreations and amusements. All these things are noted, not only by the soberthinking man, but by the man-in-the-street. He notes the indifference to those principles of business that make for righteousness, and indifference to personal, or home, religion. It is becoming a i are thing to find families mak___ an onen profession of relicion."

The selection of a New Zealand Rhodes Scholar will be made on Wednesday next, 10th December. Tho Selection Committee will meet at Government House, Wellington, at 10.30 a.ra. on that date. The increase confidently expected in the amount of passenger traffic from Wellington to Auckland coincident with the opening of the Exhibition has not taken place. Although excursion fares are ruling, the response of tlie publio to the concessions made by tho Hallway Department has been very poor. A marked falling off ia the number of bankruptcies in Wellington is shown both in the __ure_ for last month and. for tho expired portion of tho present year. Since tho beginning oi the .year there have only been nine petitions filed, as compared with eighteen in tho corresponding period of 1912. One bankruptcy was recorded last month, as against" four in tho previous November. A somewhat curious incident in connexion with tho Aucklaud Exhibitions clock in the front of tho Palace of Industries occurred on tho oper.ing day. The largo hand of tlie timepiece at 11 a.m. came to a full stop against an electric glob© which had beeu displaced, and the small hand ceased work in sympathy. Tho result was that for the remainder of the day tho clock marked tho time as that of the official opening coremony. Many visitors remarked upon the clock's insistence upon thus accentuating its record of tho important hour in question. Incidentally the big hand was somewhat* bent as a result of the pressure against the electric bulb.

An interesting observation upon tho validity of Native marriage was made by his Honour Mr Justice Chapman in a judgment delivered at the Supremo Court at Wellington on •Tuesday. The case before his Honour concerned tho land of a Native woman, who was married according to Maori custom to the plaintiff. There was no pretence, said nis Honour, for suggesting that marriage not in accordance with the law of New Zealand had any validity If the Native Land Court recognised tho right of the issue of customary unions, including those which were polygamous, a recognition which might well be necessary in-the interests of justice, the Supremo Court did not interfere, but that circumstance did not give to such marriages even th© colour of validity.

A very heavy southerly swell has boon battering tho stranded steamer Tyrone during the past few days, and tho salvage party has been driven ashore for tho present (says yesterday's "Otago Daily Times"). Owing to its change of direction the sea has been striking the vessel under her stern with resistless force. Her rudder has been smashed off short, and a huge rent, I2ft by 2ft, has been torn open in her stern plating. The stern half appears to bo immovable, but the forward part of the vessel rises and falls about 2ft at the bow with the movement of the waves. The improvised. suspension bridge connecting the wreck with tho shore has been so badly damaged that the men cannot use it to leave tho wreck, and they have to clamber down ito the rocks and climb up the-cliffs in order to "'com© ashore. There are still about 1300 tons of cargo in her hull, hut a large proportion of it is now embedded in the " sand" which has been washed into the holds. The salvage party is confident that'a good deal of the remaining cargo will be brought ashore when tho weather moderates.

The fine moral effect of compulsory drill ou the rising generation is noted with satisfaction in the Australian police force. , Officers in Melbourne from the Chief' Commissioner' (Mr Sainsbury) downwards, when questioned as to tho behaviour of lads and youths since tho Act camo into force, slightly over two years ago, wero mbsi> enthusiaatio in their praiso of tho now system, says the "Melbourne Age," Mr Sainsbury eaid that the benefits de-rived-from compulsory drill were so ob--vious that it was superfluous'to state them. Tho trainees had less time fqr loitering about the streets and contracting evil habits, and tho whole tendency of the drill was to make better lads of them. Sergeant Stapleton, who has had lifelong experience of the riso and growth of the "push" , nuisance, said he was convinced beyond all doubt that military training was. a, most powerful element in the suppression of larrikinism, and was producing a better type of. youth, mentally and physically. "The best thing ever introduced." was Sub-Inspector O'DonnelPs tribute to th© Defence Act r and he w_s quite, at a >loss to, see why » single objection should; be voiced against compulsory training.

On© of th© discoveries made by Dr. Eric Mjoberg, tho Swedish scientist, who recently spent nine months in Northern Queensland, is N that certain species of whito ants in that region have regular cemeteries wherein their dead are deposited. Dr. Mjoberg says-.. —"The particular specie- to which I am referring build their'nests in the form of mounds made of clay. Whenever! sliced off the apex of a mound I invariably found that the galleries were full of ant corpses. I searched other partst of th© nest, but could' never find any dead ants there. Each colony consists of about 10.000 of these little creatures, and the daily mortality must be fairly high. The graveyard is situated in the hottest part, and the reason no doubt is that Nature's sanitation process is thus assisted. I made nn opening at the base of one nest and killed 20 ants, and after painting each of tho corpses rv>d, put them back in a gallery. On the third day I opened the top of tho nest, and there were 15 of. the marked corpses. The top of the nest is continually exposed to the sun's rays and the corpses are soon reduced to powder. Tbe tiny henps of powder are cleared away to mrike room for fresh corpses, and removed to a lower chamber, and there stored, in one big hean. My theory is that this material is then used as a food, for if the matter were useless it would be t.nken from th© nest altogether. I found other creatures inhabHiiff ants' nests, «ome of which wore nr-lntibtedly tijtcd for the Tni-"wp of extracting the equivalent of milk."

Mr Courtney Vassin Hatfield, who is 25 years old, has dropped into a legacy of a quarter of a million of money, _a>-s an Orango telegram to Sydney "Sun. He was share-farming with Mr Leith Lararock on a block of land near Cargo. They had cleared the land, sown their wheat, and after hard work, were waiting for the earth to smile with a harvest, when the news came to Hatfield that an uncle, who had been a ranchholder in Texas, had died and left him the money. "I don't know how to analyse mv feelings," ho remarked when questioned on the subject. ' When the news of my good fortune camo through I confess that I vras somewhat excited, and momentarily lost my power of speech. A friend of mine told m© that he would have dropped dead if anybody had informed him that he had been left a quarter of a million. 1 hope to live to enjoy it. You see, as far as I am concerned, it was not unexpected news. My father is _a station holder in North Queensland; but I left homo some years ago with a determination to make my own way in the world. I was determined that 1 would not be dependent -pon anyone; and I was bursting my way through difficulties, having just managed to keep my head above water." His first act was to civ© his tmrtner his sharo of the crop, and his first business on arriving in Orange was to visit Mrs W. Lamrock, his partner's mother, to break the good news to her that his fortune had come at last Mrs Lamrock assisted Hatfield when he arrived in Oran-e a weary wayfarer, sore at heart, and depressed. Hatfield's uncle was a Mr >*«».» Texas rancher, d # leav ' n s £750,000 to he divided between his sister (Hatfield's mother) and her two .sons, so that each got £200.000.

At Wellington yesterday, M&r____,%__K Ellon Seymour was committed for tr_Jrl__r on a charge of murdering her -l&tCfl' mate chitu, Thelma May Data Eastbourne. ■'. ' *■ £&■ , At a meeting of the Wa_B__jC« Drivers" Union Mr J. „. McCi_la_S?_| was nominated as tlie presentatire on the Arbitration - and -Mr T. Long (of deputy representative. \ *^B At Auckland yesterday, Oortoa" w Rosser Weir, restaurant keeper fined £00 lor making a false eotrt■_!*"__ " his wages book. His girls were b_n_' 8 paid las,' whereas 2__ a week w_tj*i.B corded in the book. -"Hj Tho Timaru branch of the Canto. "-£ bury General Labourers' t-iO-\W*S night passed a resolution expressing yj__-IS opinion that tho proposed am-j_(ae£ : __ ' ia tho Arbitration Act wore the _-_! I drastic attempt to interfere with, tit* ■ liberty of tho workers ever i_txo«h_»i » in New Zealand. - , |B Tho Wanganui Supreme Court,**,' 8, occupied for two days in the heating 5 "ML a re-trial of the compensationitsS HP Broad v. the King (says a Press AssoSu "__--** tion messace). This was a case m __io_ _f Mrs W. F,r Broad claimed £2000 as"S" 8 result of a collision between a woW- ■ cycle, which her husband was R and a train at n level crossi_g2' B Marton last Anril, in wliich her W 8 band was killed. No new fact* *«r_ disclosed in tlio evidence. The jwvt awarded £2000 damages with tea/ ' * Certain law points were reservedW.argument. _ *? As there havo boon several a«_J<nl_" of lato with lifts in Melbourne, t__ Government purposes to introoW legislation which will make f_r ti»greator safety of the public. Brief**' the ordinary commercial lift w3l J**' subjected to the same stringosit t«|» that now obtain in the case of ; lifts. Not only will the ropes i»r tested, bu£ the safety-grip appita_-- M also. Thero aro 2000 lifts in VioVjm* E and thoy aro each estimated to way* an average of 100 people a day, so Q_v . tho need for making amnio -rorfoia' for tho safety of the publio is obtimfc': , A meeting of the Schedule Coonjli' tee of the Domain Rose held last evening. It was stated' St. Messrs Stannock (Dunedin), Mao&jjzie (Oamaru), Rogers and Sinclair laifc consented to act as judges of ths Bft|/ Show, whilo Messrs J. Erwin and f£r Drury were appointod_ to ao£ as j-djs* , in tlie sweet-nea section. It wa* decided to allot th© aewincc -tacg&jL" offored by Beath and Co. as "_ , prize for tlie best exhibit in the -bet.' It was further resolved that all exk-ftf must bo sent in by 11 a.m. to-moTrp, nnd that tho decorations judged at 2.30 p.m. on the «-ame thsX Refreshments will ho provided d-ritjf the show. Large entries have beca «.-. ceived in the decorated parasol sec_tt£' and particularly in the roso d»p% : and the sweet-pea exhibition, which pist mise to bo the most successful fetfeas"' of th© carnival. .*_fc It required a lot of ingenuity andi large share of luck to get a rne&lM k tho Auckland Exhibition on the epG f ing day. The two tea-rooms and* xqf-luncheon-room were quickly cd. states tho "Herald," and tho more enterprising of tho crowd » r covered small tea-rooms tucked attf in unexpected corners inside the -iptf" ings. These, however, were too Boil, to afford much relief. The waiting s-fe'; proved quite inadequate, and Sf neatly-uniformed girls wero winfottßf. by others who were not allowed t% to don a uniform. Tho final. was when the provisions began tojptiS out. and the allowances of cakca aajtS, I scones had to be cut down. EveaWf* water wbb at-a premium during W rush hours. Some of the girls whoipij. pressed into service in the had obviously but little tra__itfjs|l waitresses, but that mattered % finer points of waitresses are iflWif,,. . when it comes to a scram-lsss%; a cup of tea and a bun. Eraa fa® disconcerting' question, "Knvt'Vpu urn ~ a -ticket P'! waa qniclsly forgottonf if vM waitress promised to fetch wwl you went nnd pnr_h-s.ed X which'had to be surrendered befo»l|f«g i were privileged to refresh yourself*.^ Tho visit of the Whit© Star "_n«ri» Zealandic to Anckland . at the p*sE_--_|flt time recalls tho circumstances of.iargß last visit to New Zealand waters, * wa's in* May of this year (report* Wyß "Herald") that tho JZealandic at Timaru. for the purpose of -fttatiliß big shipment of frozen meat and produce for London. Th© watex-fcrjl workers at the South Canterbury porJfS were then on strike> and there Vmm every indication that the vessel wo_«|M he held up." But several wealthy jqetifeH dents of South Canterbury, busuJMjM men of Timaru/ and a lara© number J$M sturdy young farmers bffei'cd their **ftH vices as waterside wprkem, and, the supervision of the ship's officere, tfl| l H| Zealandic was loaded:in record timjJK with 60.000 carcases of mutton and 1000 casks of tallow and other She was then timed to Bail at 4 a'fixeddny for another coa_tal p«B and punctually at the honr she tho breakwater :_ndcr cheers from lie large assemblage of Zealandic has again'returned Zealand; when Itt-our;troubles a»«i|_ pying a good deal" of attention, "_ 3 5__|i * is* a singular coincidence that ™*8!M \ Timaru was the only port on jta«Mfc, her last visit, it is one of the fewlMjg; edin ports'* which has during the watersid© workors' t The following mteresting : Mr 11. 'McNabis printed by ot»«_»K WeUington-papers:—"ln yo_ffr"PS* of yesterday's proceedings*atLSt.-H>«_»4 Presbyterian Church Dr. Gfbb to state that tho Presbyterian -mR conducted on the Petono bcacbrf» wg Sunday following the arrival «Jsk Bengal Merchant 'was the £»*_*?flf%: of any church for a ment in New Zealand.' If reported the genial doctor is his local ecclesiastical hi-tory, Buller, then on a visit to Port son, met the first ships on their * rti some considerable tiro© beforo '-jsgy . Bengal Merchant arrived, And Pf 8 tho first sermon to the now For twenty-six years .beforemissionaries wero at tjie Bay?^*? 1 and it is inconceivable that preached to" the hundreds of «*^_s' : latterly' resided ot tha jw_| Governor Hobson and his Russell before the Bengal arrived, probably 2000 Etiropeffl» in tho North Island at the fully a score" of missionaries * s *ljtf : §a gaged on th© island, and have been somethin_ very w _^ Sl if,- apart from Buller's &™&.23hM&>> Petone beach service was W-JBjtf'im; service of. any church for a settlement in New Zealand.' ~*sM. Valuable evidence was givea __*Sl?. the Milk-Commission in South A«g__;., last week by Dr. Hone, who _ftj__*s ß '" t the opinion that tbe solution of tWg-» : blem- how-best to impiov© tw ?wgs.- : of pure milk did not merely beJB provision of an abundant '1--» , J'S\ public should be educated *W?Jf tbe vital necessity for tho of largo quantities of milk in *j&%3!& years of life, especially ** ,mon __%__S_i' ing classes. The matter of * 6 }*S# down the cost of milk had also »5| considered. For every pint <*; l tt*m milk daily which ho added to ha <HM dren's dietary ho was i-tw»« _SI« weekly exT;cnses by Is. M- JP*j£&M sent economic condition- he how they could expect sumption if an improvement in meant an increase of pnee. r properly effective they should *™£$g£M reduction of cost. They should give facilities for the kcc?i-_ f 3Kl| pure in the houso, and to «l U "%SM Burners in the use of those / a «fS_i_| TSiat imnortant factor tias ateo g!S__a ally overlooked. The corking milk and its delivery in scale constituted an ideal system, j ness advoca'tetl two deliveries d the instruction of people how WJ*E&m milk cool after delivery by meal **jl2g|fß chests or otW w-i-'-* *->«>* m^tll«||B

Mr Hunter, of 280 Columbia road, ' "fivdenham, has presented tho Publio G_rdens with a new randial. which has. hwn constructed by the donor. The r*rden_ have already ono sundial which *T situated in front of the curator's n_D«! and it is intended that tho new icouisition shall be erected in the centre ' " oft-e Rose Garden. A reliability trial for motor-cycles »*tb side cars, will be organised by tha Vnrth Canterbury Motor Cyclists' C*ub and the trial is scheduled to be r_n on December 16th. The course ia from Christchurch to Akaroa and back. The first prize """H be 40 P er cent - of the entry fees, and a certificate, the «cond prize 20 per cent., and the third prize 10 per cent, of the entry fees. Entries date on December Bth, at noon. __t the meeting of the Wellington Cricket Association a letter was received from a Gisborne player asking if th© captain of an opposing team might ob}Jt to a bowler playing in black trouJers, and, if so, on what grounds. The * chairman remarked that according to the rules of cricket a man might play < in a_v clothes he pleased, but some local rules provided that players must te clad in white. Only one prisoner appeared before Jlr H- W. Bishop, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court yesterday. William , Spnggtas, alias McAlister. a man of twenty-four years, was charged with being'an idle and disorderly person, in ; that he had insufficient lawlul means of support. Chief-Detective Bishop was granted a remand until Wednesday next, as he had a further charge of bicycle stealing to lay against the accused.

Criticism has been directed against ' the policy of the Federal Government in giving Rear-Admiral Patey a freo hand in the training of tho fleot and in - tbe matter of appointing other British - officers for naval administration purposes. As regards tho appointments, th© Prime. Minister (Mr Cook) said that of course the claims of Australian officers would receive every consideration if the officers were eligible for vacant posts. The guiding principle in making -appointments would be efficiency first and last. For the rest, he would only say that Rear-Admiral Patey was in Australia to develop the fleet into an efficient instrument of war. Any suggestions that the admiral had to moke in regard to carrying this out would probably receive the approval of ~ the Gorernment. Mr H. B. Sorensen, Consul for Denmark, has received a communication •• from tho Danish Department of Foreign , ■ Affairs asking for information regard- ,.. ing Rasmus Peter Petersen, a Dane, w_o was in Dunedin, and was last - heard from in 1867-8. He is 6ft Bin, . blue eyes, and one of his arms is ■ - tattooed. \ Aa Vice-Consul for Norway, 'Mr Sorensen has received from tho Enquiry Office of the Norwegian Salvation - Army a request for information regarding Nils Christian Andersen, a Norwegian, 47 years of age, medium height, dark, who was last heard of 6ix years ago, when ho gave his address as 60 Gloucester street, Christchurch. His brother is, anxious to hear from him. Mr Sorensen will be glad to have information regarding these men sent to him.

Hitherto in Australia wireless telegraphy has been confined to the coast- j fine, and for th© most part, business has been, restricted to , ships at sea (says the "Age"). In the near future residents of tho country districts are to be given tho privilege of sending and * receiving messages by this up-to-date method of communication. The expense of erecting poles and lines lias prevented the linking up of a 'number of outback places with - the telegraph f system, as much -as £2000 or £3000 being' involved in such a comparatively short extension as 100 miles. On the * othor hand, means of communication could be provided over the same distance by wireless for £200. The Federal wireless expert has assured tho Post-master-General that the. system could f_» be operated -in the country ' just as .' i' economically and efficiently as the tele- _. v graph, and Mr Wynne has decided that future small extensions shall be made by wireless. Some difficulty is antici- ''"•■-, pated'-t the outset in obtaining trained operators, but this is expected to disappear gradually. . ■ Mrs Rollcstcn, specialist in Hair and y Faco Treatments, and Electrolysis, " Qualified London, Paris, and U.S.A., t v ' h)ghe3- modicai references, hairwork of every description, Dominion Buildings, Cati'Gdral squarei Christchurch, also at Wellington. ■■■, 1 " 6 We understand that... Mr Stewart KoTnoson, Cashel street West,-has pur--hasea-.ai. large stock of boots from the shop at the corner of Lower High ' street iind St. Asaph street. Crowds are, flocking for boot bargains, and an ' extra, stafiHs engagedi 6 The tide of bargains, leading on to money-saving is .at the flood, and __. availed of by thousands. ■.•' Recognising; . that to make this extensive sale a sue- ■ cess at \the present time, it'would'be necessary to submit to positive sacrifice, : ■ Messrs T. ■ Armstrong and ; \- Co., "Ltd./ ' __ faced the situation,_ and hav©,Vby pronounced price-cutting, commanded suc- _ cess. JDrapery and clothing for the time being is within the reach of all at either of Messrs Armstrong's Btores. 6 Motor A_ce^orie_.—Lycetfc Bblte, _ ' --inch, 13s, f-iheh, 15s, I-inch, I7s 6d ; f ** . Hutchinson. Heavy Tyres, 37s 6d; Assorted spares kept, also best auality 4„ repairs, at J. H. Suckh'ng ana Co., Garage, 117 Worcester stre-t. 6

X * -- Walter J. Watson, D.8.0.A., London, Expert Optician (near Kincaid's). ,', - Accurate Sight-testing and Spectacle- _*_ fitting. Repairs to Frames and broken fX Looses matched; Charges moderate. 8 Work good y charges reasonable, time taken the shortest possible. That's the >j kind of eervice you get when you emt ploy us. : We forward parcels, move '» - furniture, pass entries, provide storage. *;_ The N.Z. Express Co., Ltd. 6 < If ;y"ou want . clean.' pure, honest : drinks every time without fail, ask for, ' ' and get, Thomson's Raspberry Vinegar. i < Its purity is unsurpassed, its quality uneanalled. Made from tho juice of the finest raspberries. ; No adultera- _ ton. All grocers. Ford and Mirams, agents. ' 4 Every day new discoveries are being ** * JJ__f 6 - *°ao of ths latest is Rheumaline- . ' th© surest cur© for rheumat- . ism yet discovered. The results achieved are astonishing. In test cases more -than 90 per cent, of sufferers were cured; amongst them persons bedridden I- ' ' I_ r y ears -Rheumaline-Oxygena cured I*9 ™f* completely. Full particulars from -.4-. sole, proprietors and distributors, Dominion Rheumatic Cur© Syndicate, ax,. -_-Q_, Dunedin. ■" 1 SORTING THE TWINS. Twin brothers who have been called np for service in a Paris regiment are so alike that it is impossible to distinguish between them. The other day 0 &e of _tho pair wag confined to barracks, but by changing his cap with »t- regimental number for that of hit, brother tho defaulter .was able to pass .*«« guard with impunity whenever he - wished to go out.. The colonel of the has now issued the following order;— "The soldier Bonhomme (even C number) will Wear his hair as long as the regulations, construed with the utmost leniency, will allow, and will shave his beard-aad moustache. The soldier Bonhomme (odd number) will allow his beard and moustache to grow full and will, have bis hair regularly, cut as -closely as possible by the regimental I: barber."