GENERAL ITEMS

Gisborne Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1444, 3 May 1905, Page 3

GENERAL ITEMS

Describing a friendly meeting between a Russian and a Japanese officer on the Sbaho, the Express correspondent at Kobe mentions the ouiious fact that the accepted Russian time varied by 65 minutes from the Japanese. The Maori race are worth saving, and it would Be a lasting national disgrace to look on at the decline without serious effort to arrest it. • If the taxpayer is troubled with any consideration as to the expense of remedial moasures, he will be the moro easily able to overoomo it by remembering that Maoridoin constitutes a very largo proportion of the charm of the country°as a tourist region. But that is a rather mercenary point of view. —Blen-

heim Express. Thoughtful observers have noted of recent years an increasing tendency amongst young men to content themselves with being spectators at sports instead of takiog an active part therein. This tendency is to be deplored, as lookers-on do not derive the benefits from a health point of view that should be the one great essential governing outdoor pastimes of all kinds. Wanganui Herald. The war correspondent of the olovo wires a suggestive hint as to tne horrors of the retreat from Mukden. When the retreat was ordered, soldiers of all arms swarmed to the railway and stormed the carriages; They climbed on the roofs, they mounted the couplings : in some cases they were even hanging to the axles of th© wljssl?/ Some of the roofs collapsed under the heavy weight of the soldiers on the top. One train could not move, because of |itho packed masses of soldiers hanging on the working parts, until » general appeared and restored order by turning half the men off the train, j General Kuropatkin, it is reported, formed up a couple of the retreating regiments and led them against the advanoe guard of the Japanese with coloursjflying. A motor vehicle for the delivery of milk has made its appearance in Christchurch 1 during the past few days, and is stated to be the first of the kind in use in New Zea.

land. , . As the potato disease has made its appearance in various parts of the oolony, the Orders-in-Council passed on its first appearance quarantining cortarn infected districts have been revoked. A correspondent, at present working on a threshing mill, writes to the Southland Times, .stating, as showing the increased value of sheep, that at oyer 20 farmß where the mill has been grass.th-.-es.hmg at only two have the men Been mutton on the table at meal times. The hands are quite familiar with beef. . The Russian political movement mainly depends upon the fate of Roshdestvensky and his fleet, a consideration which may account for the manner in which the Russian Government has been straining its relations with France, in order to gain to its ships every advantage. That the Russian admiral will endeavour to avoid engagement until every available ship has ioiued him and will Btop at no subterfuga to put his entire fleet into fighting hisi la a necessary sequence—according to Russian logic—to the most crucial position in Russia itself. Were the May Day unrest in the Russian towns to bo suddenly aggravated by nows of the annihilation o£ the Baltic fleet anything might happen. But failing that incitement to the forces of political reform the May Day demonstrations of the workmen must necessarily fail to shake the recovered strongtb of the Russian autocracy. —Now Zealand Herald, In the course of an interview with a representative of the London Daily Chronicle just before leaving England on his present tour. General Booth stated : “ The Army will be on independent organisation —more or loss the servant and friend of all,” said the General. “ I made a desperate effort to obtain recognition for it with two of the leading Churches of this ooautry. And they wore nervous. I failed. Therefore I concluded thutitwas the Lord’s will that we should make a separate body. I was always against the idea. All my life I had seen the' evil of so many divisions. I used to say that if I hod not been directed into another line of iabor E should have consecrated myself as an apostle of peaoe, going about getting churches, that are now held apart by the most trivial differences, iDsg union. And I deplored the possibility of my being the founder of another.” There was a moment when Dr Benson, as Bi3bop of Truro, and Canon Westcott, afterwards Bishop of Durham, came to General Booth suggesting co-operation. But the moment was missed. “I have a powerful body of men—strong minds, great notions of liberty,” said the General. It would have been all but impossible to work harmoniously with the olergy, who were yery far from our ways of thinking. It was better for us therefore to work side bv side—like two riverp—bridges here and there, so that we could cross ovgr and see each other from time to time. , r _ The ignoring Of ritual —and more especially the oacraments— might, I suggested,have been an obstacle ; for the Salvauon Army does not insist on baptism, confirmation, or even the Holy Communion. “ No, replied the General, “ we have not one so htarv word to say against the sacraments.