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Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1744, 23 October 1917, Page 2

, An amusing story is told of a boy who wa% asked: “What would King Alfred think of Home Rule if he were alive to-day?’' The boy 'U 1 ,- swered: “If King Alfred were alive to-day he would old to take any interest in politics.” With "five silver ribs, a silver plate in his head, a glass eye, and bullet wounds in the neck, back and face, a withered arm, and a shoulder wound, Lieutenant William Kennedy, son of Mr Peter Kennedy, of Cobram, farmer, has been nursed back to life by his sweetheart.

An American cablegram reports that “Bo'b” the exworld’s champion heavyweight pugilist, is lying dangerously ill in Chicago. He belonged to. Timaru, South Canterbury, and is about 60 years of age. Since leaving the ring he has been on the stage, but started life as a blacksmith.

Mr Massey stated in answer to a question put to him on the subject, that he assumed the next meeting of the Imperial War Cabinet would be held in London about April next, but no communication on the subject had yet been received. If the Cabinet was convened, arrangements would be made for New Zealand to be represented. On Saturday night the police at Petone raided a billiard in the town, and arrested the proprietor, a man named Jones, for permitting gambling on his premises. The game of chance that was alleged to have been in progress is known as the “crown and anchor.” Jones was subsequently admitted to bail.

In Trentham Camp Orders it is announced that the following soldiers, having been convicted by district court-martial of disobeying lawful commands given by their superior officers, have been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment with hard labour: —51,625 Private H. J. Levett, Trentham Details; 64,795 Private N. M. Bell, Trentham - Details.

A reservist who appeared before the Military Service Board at Hamilton stated that he and his. wife milked 109 cows between them. He added that although his wife met with a severe accident, breaking a rib and a bone in her wrist, she was in the milking shed at 4 o’clock the next morning, and did her share of the milking. Recent travellers through the Manawatu Gorge say the road is in a shocking condition for motorears, being covered with huge pieces of broken rock in the shape of “road* metal.” An Overland car which tried, to make the run a day or two ago had a blow-out. To save her she was run into the bank. Damage £100! The Pahiatua track is much preferable, says the Palmerston Times.

It is expected that Parliament will close its doors this week, and no one probably will regret that happening. -Ministers will be glad to be able to devote their time wholly to their administrative duties, members will be glad to get back to their homes, while the general public will welcome relief from the possibilities of further legislative surprises and financial imposts. —Dominion.

This afternoon a combined deputation from the Wellington Education Board and the Wellington School Committees’ Association will wait upon the Minister of Education, at the old Parliamentary Buildings, for the purpose of urging him to bring before Cabinet the necessity for an immediate grant of increased capitation to enable committees to properly carry out the work of cleansing schools.

Mrs Sampson, secretary to the Port Melbourne Labour League, and a prominent Red Cross worker, whose husband is serving at the front, was found dead with her throat cut. Budd, a returned soldier, who previously boarded at Sampson’s house, was discovered in his lodgings with a badly-gashed throat. His condition is critical. It is supposed that Budd murdered the woman, and then attempted to commit suicide.

Male adults travelling by train to the races in Wellington on Saturday were given a surprise when they were accosted by civilian police and requested to produce their enrolment certificates. Not all of them could do so, for people arc apt to forget such things unless reminded. Where the certificate was not produced the name and address of the man were taken and his explanation was recorded. At the racecourse gates a similar task of examination was undertaken by the military police. . - -

“It is of course against the rules to take away stock found,” writes an Auckland officer on the Sinai front. “One day our regiment rounded up a nice little mob of sheep, which were divided around the squadrons, and in most eases promptly cut up and placed out of sight. One sheep was tied up at the headquarters- cookhouse for the colonel's mess, when an assistant provost marshal rode up. The cook did the best he could, and threw an overcoat over the live meal. The assistant provost marshal. began complaining to the colonel about our regiment confiscating sheep, and the colonel was just busy explaining that his boys wquld not think of doing such a thing, when the animal under the coat bleated and wriggled, and ths coat fell off, and the sheep had % game with himself by gamboling round on his tether only a,few feet from the assistant provost marshal, There was a rotv, of course, but that did pot matter. We bad the

Mr John Kay is leaving the Aramoho railway station staff to lake up relieving work. Mr J. W. Curtis, : statioumaster, in Mr Kay’s acceptance of a small token of esteem, paid a tribute to the latter's good qualities, and expressed regret at haying to part with him after an association of over five years. Other speakers were Messrs R. D. Paterson, W. J .McGonagle, T. Ellis and H. Douglas. Mr Kay was stationed at Foston some years ago.

A young woman who was ac-: costed by a man in a Christchurch suburb last 1 week gave her persecutor the surprise of his life. The man persisted in following her, and announced 'his intention of seeing her home. She told him plainly that his company was not desired, and as he persisted in the error of his ways, she attacked him with her fists, in the use of which she was extraordinarily proficient. The first blow sent the man reeling two yards backward, where his head came in contact with a post, and he subset quently received a severe drubbing, his face being much cut and batter-, ed.

A resident of Lyttelton has in his possession an improvised explosive bullet, found in the bandolier of a captured Turkish sniper by his son, who is fighting with, the New Zea-. land Forces in Palestine. The device (says Christchurch Press) had been made by cutting out half of the lead from an ordinary sporting riflq cartridge, and inserting a detona-i tor. The bullet had been carried for safety in the sheath of a regular Turkish service cartridge. A bullet of this kind, fired at a distance of from 500 to 700 yards, would explode on impact with terrific force, inflicting a frightful wound. The sniper, in choosing for this Hunnish device a bullet such as might be used in deer-stalking, was evidently actuated by .the fact that the.comparatively soft report-from sporting ammunition would make hist detection more difficult, and also that what was lost in length of range was more than compensated for in effectiveness.

Whilst a party of boys were walking along the banks of the Manawatu River at Te Matai on Saturday afternoon, they made a rather gruesome find. In a pot hole in the river they discovered the body of a man, which had apparently become entangled with some object in the hole. The police were soon acquainted with the matter, and Constables Gow and Andrews went out • and brought the body to the Palmerston morgue. The body, which had evidently been in the water for some weeks, appeared to be that of a man of about 35, sft. 6in. in height, and well set up, with brown hair and light moustache, and was clothed in a dark vest and trousers, heavy underclothing, and cotton shirt, cashmere socks, and heavy working boots. coat was missing. There was an upper and lower false set of teeth in the mouth, 'one tooth from the former being missing. An inquest will be held. . . . '"T “I am not a superstitious man, neither is Admiral Halsey,” said Sir Joseph Ward, at the Navy League ; demonstration at Wellington, in telling the story of the Maori mat presented to Capt. Halsey when on his visit to New Zealand. Capt. Halsey promised the Maoris that when H.M.S. New Zealand" went into action he would wear the mat, and when the cruiser was going into action against the Germans, at the time that she put in the shot that sank the Blucher, the men in the turret were surprised to see their commander come up with nothing on but the Maori mat. (Laughter), When Capt. Halsey left the New Zealand he handed the mat, to his successor, Capt. Gi’eene, and he also wore it in the battle of Jutland. “Whether there is anything in it or not,” said Sir Joseph, with a smile, “the fact remains that, though the New Zealand has been in the thick of things, she has only been hit once,, and the sailors are all very grateful to the Maoris for their gift.”

In introducing the subject of his address on “Hydx-o-electricity” before the Philosophical Society at Palmerston last week, Mr J. A. Colquhoun quoted Principal Griffiths in his address as president of the education section of the British Association, which demonstrated the vpluo of educating the worker. The quotation was as follows: —“It should be our mission to make evident to the working man his indebtedness to the ■pioneers' of science. ’ De-, moixstrate the close connection betweenihe price of meat and the use of the refrigerating process founded on the investigations of Joul and Thomson. Show the driver of the electric tramcar that his wages were coined by Faraday, make the worker in steel realise his obligation to Bessemer, the telegraphist his indebtedness in Volta and ■ Wheatstone, and the man of the wireless station that his employment is due to Maxwell and Hertz. Tell the soldier that the successful extraction of the bullet was accomplished by the aid of Rontgen, convince the sailor that his good landfall was achieved by the help of mathematicians,- that the lights which warn him of danger owe much of their brilliancy to Tyndall, and to Kelvin in due the perfection of his'compass and sounding line. Impress op all wage-earners that had it not been for the researches of Lister, they or some member of their family would not be living to. enjoy the fruits of their labours. When we have educated the man in the street, it is possible we may succeed in the hardest' task of 'all,' that of edupatipg o«r legislators/ 7 . ■, ■ „ *

At a meeting of Dunedin master drapers, at which all the largest houses were represented, it was agreed, states a Dunedin paper, to close the shops daily between the hours of 1 and 2 o’clock for lunch, and on Fridays between 6 and 7 o’clock for tea. This course has been adopted as a “war measure,” being rendered necessary by shortage of male assistants. ' The object’ is to carry on with as small a staff as possible in the meantime. The resolution will take effect from sth November. The meeting decided, with a view to reducing the number of deliveries, to ask customers to carry their own parcels whenever possible.