NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1807, 28 March 1918, Page 1

NEWS AND NOTES.

The following story comes from a 'Midland war hospital:—First Orderly: “We’ve just got a chap in who has lost his voice, and the M.O. says he won’t get it back unless he has a bit of a shock.” Second Orderly: “I think I can put him right. I’ll give him some of that ‘ere marmalade in the morning, and if that don’t bring out a few words, then e’s absolutely hopeless!”

One would hardlyh'redit this, but it is true, says the Western Star (Riverton). A local boy, on active service in France, while watching Gorman prisoners passing by, was greeted wdtli the salutation: “Whatho; how’s Tuatapere?” Glancing in the direction of the voice, he was astonished to recognise a German with whom he had worked in the bush out w T est.

The swordfisli" with a broken sword, which was captured at Russell on Friday, was received in. Auckland on Saturday morning, and has been proved to be the one which rammed the launch Virgina on February 19th. Upon examination it was found that the original sw'ord, about 2ft. in length, had been broken almost exactly in halt. The fish weighed 2671 b., measured 10ft. Sin. from the tip of the sword to the tail, and Min. in girth. The fish M to be preserved.

Matin Kapa, of Kaikohe, Bay of Islands, writes to the Auckland Star: —“In reply to the Arawa tribe’s report in your paper, I should like the following to be a reply regarding native enrolment: —We, the Maoris of the North Auckland district, do not consider it quite just that the Arawa tribe, Rotorua, should classify our district with the "Waikato, regarding loyally to King and Empire. There is no opposition to conscription from us. Wc have forwarded to the Minister for Defence the following telegram:—“We will assist in this good cause to the very end.”

.Settlors in the backblocks who have had the sad experience of seeing their cattle die as the result of eating tutu will no doubt be astonished to learn that the plant has a value, and that attempts have been made for many years to acclimatise it in Europe. Tutu, or, to give the botanical name, Coriaria nsafolia, is Vtatcd to grow only in New Granada and New Zealand. Some 350 years ago the Spanish Mission, in the former place discovered the value of tutu for the purpose of making an everlasting ink. It is asserted that a captain’s log and mission documents which had been written with ink made out of tutu still exist in Spain, and, although over 350 years old, the colour remains as good as ever. What is even more strange, some documents recently recovered from a ship sunk many years ago could clearly be read, as they were also written with tutu ink, which is jet black. Recently United States Consular reports contained the formulae for making ink from tutu berries. It is also slated that this ink has been used by the Government of Spain for official documents for over 300 years, the ink being supplied from New Granada. This plant, which lias been attempted to be destroyed on most farms omaccount of the danger to cattle, is stated to have a large pereenage of potash, and efforts were made by th£ Germans to acclimatise it in Europe for that reason, but without success.