NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1745, 27 October 1917, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

Mr H. A. Mackenzie, son of Professor Hugh Mackenzie, of Kelburn, is the Victoria University College nominee for the Rhodes Scholarship this year. Mr Mackenzie has had a brilliant career at both school and university. He, was head boy of Wellington College when only sixteen years of age, and Avon the Turnbull and Rhodes scholarships, besides numerous prizes. At the uniA'ersity he graduated B.A. last vear, Avinning the senior university scholarship in both Latin and French. He has been in camp since January, and having Avon a commission Avill be leaving Avith the 31st Reinforcements.

In America (says a Avritor in a Philadelphia neAvspaper), the modern tradesman seeks to satisfy his customer, and not to force on him anything he docs not Avau't, or to take advantage of him. “A fenv stores of the better class aim not to employ any girl avlio has blondined her hair, because of a theory that, inasmuch as blondincd hair is a faked article, a customer may unconsciously associate the idea of faking Avith the goods sold over the counter.”

There is a considerable avoitv looming ahead in the matter of cornsaeks and woolpacks, Avritcs “Agricola” (South Island correspondent in the Farmers’ Advocate). There is a threatened shortage of these requisites, and it behoves every farmer and pastoralist to be careful of the sacks and the packs that they have on hand. There is usually a good deal of Avastc in these respects on most farms, and an endeavour will have to be made to sort out and mend up any sacks that can be made to hold grain or grass seed.

Under the heading of Tuberculosis the October number of the Journal of Public Health states: “This disease shows a doorcase in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch Health Districts, hut there is an increase of thirty-six eases as compared with the previous mouth in Otago.” Other reports show that there has been a satisfactory decrease of diphtheria in (he Wellington district, except around Waipawa, Taranaki, and Wanganui, where more eases were notified during September than during August. There was evidence of scarlet fever throughout the whole of the Wellington district during September.

There arc few tilings which demand a heavier 101 lof lives than camphor. The reason for Ibis is that the mountainous parts of the island of Formosa, from which the world gets most ot its camphor, are inhabited by head-hunting savages, whom the successive invaders of the island have been unable In subdue. Since the Japanese look the island after their successful campaign against China in the ’nineties, they have been carrying on a carefullyeoncoived plan of gradual penetration of Hie valuable camphor regions. They make paths (ift. in width through the virgin forests. At intervals of every 120 yds. stands a guard-house, and every fourth or fifth guard-house is a small fort, entrenched ami defended by harhedwire entanglements. Telephonic iu-ler-eommuniealion, machine-guns, and all the resources of Western military science are employed.