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Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2515, 17 July 1915, Page 5

• Mr,. T. B. Gibbs, of_Hinds, received a telegram 'from the Minister of Defence to the effect that his eldest son,, Lieutenant Thomas Lomax Gibbs, was wounded at'the Dardanelles on June 28. (Lieutenant Gibbs, who is an old boy of the Christchurch Boys': High School, for active .'service on the outbreak of the. war, and ■ went with Major J. Finky (formerly ■of Lowclifie • and: later of Ashburton), with, the Can•terbury. Mounted Regiment of the Main !-Expeditionary Force, and was attached ito the Headquarters Staff as_ a signall- . ing officerV He is a partner in the firm ! of Messrs. D. Miller and Co. (T. B. ■ Gibbs and Sons), storekeepers, Hinds. Lieutenant Gibbs, who was exceedingly popular, took a very keen interest in. .volunteering, and for .a V considerable ..period before'going to the front he was in command of the Hinds Signalling Corps. Lieutenant Gibbs had attained a'very high .standard of efficiency as a signalling officer, and the body'of men 'ho had under him wore unsually well equipped, ; and particularly well trained by Lieutenant Gibbs, ill this important branch' of army service field- work.

To get a true perspective of ovents of 'this war one has to compare them with parallel historical cases (remarks an exchange). Many people; believe that Germany's submarine and .mine blockade is a more serious tiling than it really is. In 1812 England was'at war .with France and America, and in seven months of that year American'warships and privateers alone captured' 500 British ships—an average of 2| vessels a 'day; and in three years' the average was maintained, and. 2500 vessels were captured: ; The American edition, of the '"World's Work" for June gives interesting statistics that show from February 18 to May 7, 1915, or 78 days, there was a total loss of 90 ships destroyed trading to Britain, or an aver- | age of 1-16 per day—less than one-half of the average 100 years ago at tho t hands of America. As England has 13,058 vessels engaged in her trade, it' will take Germany, at the present rate, 30 years 10 months and 7 days .to destroy the fleet if she can, without touching our newly-built ships in replacement. • Dreadful as the wanton and reckless loss of life and destruction of non-combatant ships may be, it is but a. poor result for the German polcy. as compared to tho British losses ■it)o years ago in open naval combat Urith Franco and America.

K letter was read at ' a meeting ; 'of the Pahiatua. Council from Mr. George Lauchlan, '"Wellington-, consulting engineer for the municipal electrical scheme, stating that in view of the present unsettlod state of trado and tho increase in tho price of plant and other material necessary for electrical installations, ho was firmly of opinion that tlio council would be well advised not to call for tenders at tho present junc-i turo, but postpone the schenio for, say, twelve months. Tho council resolved that tho scheme bo not proceeded with at present, in accordance with tho engineer's advice. With regard to the loan of ten thousand pounds from tho Bank of New Zealand, raised at five per cent., the Mayor explained ho intended to interview tho manager of the hank. Ho pointed out, however, that the council had taken up tho loan, and perhaps it was just as well, as moupy would