NEWS BY MAIL.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 July 1924, Page 1

NEWS BY MAIL.

RKPI.ANTING TIIK WOODLANDS. LONDON, March til . Fine headway has been made by the Kore-dry Commission in replanting Kngiish and Welsh woodlands which were denuded of their timber in the war an 1 in planting suitable other laud. The planting programme lor the season now nearing its close is 0,700 acres, of which since November about

• j,• M>:) have been eoinplctcd. The work has been in prcgres.s lor neatly live years, and when l lie ptesent season ptogr.imme i- linished more than 22,<<oo acres will have been planted. I lie Commission saves the cost .if transport by having it- own tree nurseries close to each planting area. Another plan adopted is to sow seed- of trees direct in the forests. One and a halt to 21b of -ceil is required to sow an acre. Some ol the larger schemes include the nearly l(llll) acres planted this year between Brandon ami Theiford. Norfolk; ol)i» acres this year at Rendleshain, and altogether in the eastern counties more than Sillily acres-. At ( annock, StaMordshire. up to the beginning ol the present sea-on loin acre- have been planted. There have been other heavy planting- in Wales. Brants up in IN! an acre are made to pi-irate owners lor every acre planted and ptepared for planting, and up to L'2 lor every acre cleaned of scrub lor suhseipieiit planting, on condition that unemployed labour, ex-Serviee men if possible, is I'ligai/ed. ion .MILKS CL\ M YSTKIi Y. LONDON, May 20. •Mr Arnold l.ottis Chevalier in his "I realise on the Trite Dynamic Flight ot Projectiles’" deals with the theory underlying a discovery made by Mr Leslie Taylor lhat projectiles, whether shells or bullets, are more olfcctivo and have a greater range when their length i- increased and when they are given a long, holloa head. The hook is dedicated to that great artillerist Admiral Sir Perry Scott and is of no little imporlame to those interested in the si-ieiii i tic- development of gunnery and ordnance. The most interesting conclusion in it is that the < limns acted on Mr Taylor's principle in designing the shells for their "big Berthas." with which they bombarded Parts at a range of 77 miles. From i lie fragments recovered of tin* shells actually tired by these gmt', Mr Chevalier has reconstructed the original projectile. It is. by the way, important that no "dud" -hells were discovered. and that the original guns have never been surrendered to the Allies or di-closed to them. lie gives reasons for concluding that flic projectile was fired from the gun with about twice the ti-nal velocity, and that "to the improved design data ami suecilicaliun ol the shell alone maybe ascribed the extraordinary ranging

powi r obtained.’’ The .-hell probably contained violent liquid explosives; -’ii strong smell of ether accompanied e.-n-lt httr-f." Tie believes that tile charge of the gun was arranged to hunt backwards from the muzzle towards the breech. There is -till tt larg.- element of mystery about the "IC-rthas."

GERMAN* W'ALLOW IN LUXURY LONDON", June 2.

What ITerr .Maximilian Harden has to tell the world about his country in “Germany. Frame, and England" will explain why the Nationalist-- have attempted hi- life. He i- one of those German.- who speak the truth, and hi- hook i- an extraordinary one. which merits the closest study.

Of the ex-Kaiser he tolls this really remarkable store:

William gave for the German students’ relief fund (for which English people were pestord with appeals*), oO gold marks (C2 10s); a truly imperial present, and a third or half of what one of hi- portrait postcards, adorned with his "William 1.R.,-’.’ brings him in. These he sells in any quantity desired. Often he goes in person to the dealer and rereives his money in Jus own hand.

As for the bankruptcy of Germany, he states: Germans fill the saloons, dens, palaces, zoos, cafes, parlours, and bars, and eat cava ire, English oysters, Perigord truffles, California fruit; drink Bordeaux, Burgundy, champagne, whisky, -Mocha coffee, beer from Wenceslaus’ Bohemian realm. In Berlin stores there is no evidence of poverty: Glance in the shop windows. Never was there such an abundance of the richest articles of luxury spread before the eye. The most precious stones, treasures of gold and silver, bronzes, Siberian sable, blue fox. the finest porcelain, genuine old Persian rugs. Who buys them ‘i lie rideuled the tale that for these extravagances the foreigner is responsible as “one of the 777 reckless lies which a mob-consciousness christened patriotism consecrates as an end and aim,’’ Among the gems of the book is a letter issued in Germany secretly by the Nationalist, calling for a propaganda against the Allies in the Ruhr. Tt megs: Sensational and practical form of Press reports. Propaganda in railway trains by travelling speakers. More pictures of the Ruhr in newspapers and periodicals, in public places in show windows. Pictures of martyrs of the German cause.

Winning over of foreign journalists by all means. Giving all imaginable facilities for sending favourable news; offering obstacles to the sending of hostile news. . . Use of wireless in German and foreign language without charge for neutral and friendly reports by foreigners.

There are two pages, closely printc of these suggestions for “doping” puli lie opinion.

Herr Harden protests strongly against another department of German propaganda, which is trying to prove that Nicholas 11. of Russia and M. Poincare fell upon poor innocent William If. and caused the war. The Germans, he says, “fancied that the hour for the inevitable decision had struck,” and rushed into the conllivt convinced that they were going to win. WHEN VICTORIA WHIPPED THE EX-KAISKR. LONDON, June 2. London of long ago and the lives of many notable people of bygone days pass together like a moving picture through Mrs K. M. Ward’s delightfml “Memories of Ninety Years.” Mrs Ward—who will be UJ on Sunday—is the mother of “Spy,” Sir Leslie Ward, tlie famous Vanity Fair cartoonist, who died two years ago. In the London that Mrs Ward recalls so vividly, people used to walk to Brompton to hear the nightingales; Katon-squarc was a strawberry field, and there were “only two houses in what is now Yio-toria-streel.” As a little girl she used to enjoy an outing to Chelsea,

ihen a lovely little village, “bringing hack trophies of wild flowers which grew in the lanes in rich prolusion.” Her marriage in ISIS, before she was lb. was secret, and it was followed .nine months later hv a ''runaway honeymoon.” We drove to Iver. near Slough. to rooms which Wilkie Collins, who played the part of fairy godmother, had found for us. ... My poor mother never really forgave me. Later, when Queen Victoria visited the voting couple's studio she "rumliicliU'd on the tact that Alice was extremely fair and Leslie dark.” The Queen said: If i had a darkhaired child 1 should indeed he proud. Mine were all alike, neither dark nor fair. 'The Queen had a method ol "reducing her children to order which had a magic elicit.” She would stamp her loot once, very decidedly. . . Hue day when they had heen rather turhulenl 1 saw this done, and the children vanished i|iiicil.v to another part of the room. 'The Queen, laughing heartily, said: "1 expect von often have to do i hat w ith your children." When the ex-Kaiser, as a child, paid his grandmother a visit at Windsor it was not long helore "his native impudence asserted itself.” Reminded to make his how to a noted German professor of music who was present, "the sullen child tool; not the slightest notice of the royal command, and the Queen gave him a salutary lesson." 'Taking him by tin* shoulder, she led him from the room, every inch contested. Imt the Queen's superior height wa- 100 mui!i for him. In the next room she administered a sound whipping—then led him into Hie presence ol the professor. 'This time lie needed no request, lie made his how with hi- knuckles screwed into his eyes, which were dim with weeping. After this, Prince William had a rcs|K*et for hi- grandmother which lie never lost.