NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2079, 17 January 1920, Page 1

NEWS AND NOTES.

A member of a National medical association tells the following story at the expense of a physician: “Are you sure,” an anxious patient asked, “are you sure that I shall recover? I have heard Unit doctors have sometimes given wrong diagnoses and treated a patieht for pneumonia who afterwards died of typhoid fever.” “You have been woefully misinformed,” replied the physician, indignantly. “If I treat a man for pneumonia, he dies of pneumonia.” Among those who arrived by a liner recently (says the Sydney Bulletin) was a young Australian officer and his English bride, a most mat-ter-of-fact and frugal little lady. At Suez the wife, looking over the side, got mixed up with some tackle, and went overboard. The lieutenant immediately sprang to the rescue, and the pair came to the surface together, the bride in the hero’s arms. They were hauled aboard amid cheers for the boy. The wife was a little distressed—until she surveyed r hush aid’s eiotaes. "I’m so sorabcut your suit, William,” she .u then, “it’s ruined, and it was j unnecessary. Any of the natives raid have rescued me for a shil-

A remarkable instance of a long(1 ‘laved delivery of a newspaper sent through the post has just, come to light. In March, 188!), 30 years ago, a copy of Hie Christian World was dropped into the post office at Edinburgh. It was addressed to a young man, who was then a cadet on a sheep station in Canterbury, New Zealand. In due time it arrived in Lyttelton, where it appears to have been secreted in the tower of the post office by someone, tor-what reason it is impossible to guess. There it remained undiscovered until the oilier day, when it wa| found and forwarded to the address it bore. But the young man bad become a man of 46,' 1 and bad long since departed for other parts. The postal authorities, however, made a praiseworthy effort to trace his whereabouts, and at last succeeded in locating him in Auckland, where lie occupies a prominent position in the railway service. The-paper was accordingly forwarded to him, and has now, after an interval of over a quarter of a century, come, into his possession.

Apropos of the demand for a change in the administration of Public Works, the Vigilance Committee, reporting on the progress of the Mangahao hydro-electric works, complains of the go-slow policy of the Government, refers to the obstacles and delays and the need of reorganisation, and concludes: — “Wo wish to do justice to the excellent work done by the retiring Minister for Public Works, the Hon. Bir W. Fraser, but we think it will be admitted that a young, vigorous man is needed tor that position, one with a vision to grasp the greatness of his opportunity, and with the energy to reorganise his department and remove the vexatious x’ed tape regulations and methods that hamper his officers and tend to discourage enterprise and initiative in them. A ‘big’ man is wanted'for the enormous mass of constructive work that is now years overdue. We trust the Premier, in his choice, will be able to fill the position suitably.”

Writing lo the Otago Daily Times, a correspondent, dealing with the political situation, asks: How are we going to “Edenise” our position ? He goes on to say; My only answer to that would be to call all hands to the pump. How many a gallant vessel was saved through the energetic spirit of its crew while the decks were a wash and the ship was on a lee shore. Labour will have to smash Labour, as 'Bolshevism is going to smash Bolshevism. Twentynine years l ago official Labour put five members into Parliament, and ; ; .n those enlightened times only eight official Labour candidates 'were returned out of 45 candidates put forward by the party and sharing 31,033 votes between them. On the other hand, Independent Labour contested five seats, and won three with 12,812 votes. Therefore it is “up to” all unions that are not affiliated with the present official Labour Party to exclude all extremists from executive ' positions, as they acre the principal factors of the downfall of Labour, Independent Labour is the only hope for the future. All that is required is a leader. Twenty-three years ago a resident of Rongokaka, near Eketahuua, went away on a holiday, leaving his father, who was about 63 years of age, in charge of the home. From that time until a few days ago the whereabouts of the father has been a mystery, (hough at, .the time a search party was organised and’the bush country of the district scoured intermittently, for weeks, without success. A few days ago a resident of Rongokaka discovered in the open bush on the fop of the ridge on Mr Hughau’s properly between Ron-

gokaka and Putara, the skeleton of a man. The sequel to the ancient tragedy was enacted before Mr J. D. Wilson in the Coroner’s Court at Eketaluma, when the. remains were proved to be those of the missing man, William Samson Collier. A verdict of “death from exposure and starvation through losing his way- in the bush” was pronounced. The remains were identified by means of a pocket knife and boots -found with the skeleton. A remarkable thing about the affair’ was the wonderful 'State of preservation of a hat which was found with the remains. It was little the worse for its exposure to the vigorous climatic conditions of 23 long years.