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Motueka Star, Volume II, Issue 50, 4 February 1902, Page 3

At the farewell banquet to the Eighth Contingent, Lord Ranfurly referred to the cabled report that a Dutch ambulance had carried despatches for the Boers in the present war. If this report was true, said his Excellency, the act was the most inhuman one he had ever heard of, or that had ever been done. Its possible effect would be to limit the the freedom allowed to ambulances. Many other reports had reached New Zealand of the abuse of the red cross. If one only proved to be correct the very severestpenalties should be put upon the abusers.

The story of Colonel Benson's death, says the Spectator, is one of the most pathetic and heroic incidents of the war. It is thus that Mr Bennet Burleigh tells it :—"Turning to Colonel Wools-Sampson to take good-bye of his comrade and friend, with whom he had made many ah adventurous trek over the wide expanse of veldt and kopjes. Benson said: '4h, Sampson, old boy! we shall do no more night together. It is all day now. Good* bye. God bless you.' And there were tears in every eye but the dying man's as Colonel Wools-Sampson hastened out into the night to duty's call. People may talk as they like of the jealously and friction between colonels and regulars, but such scenes as these testify to the forging during the warof links of Empire that nothing cansever."

When the dredging boom was at itsheight, says the Otasro Daily. Times, thefoundaries were, of course, working at high pressure, but now that the industry is settling down to its normal state,, the staffs in various workshops have been considerably curtailed, until now, in the majority of cases, the number of men employed is only about one-fifth of what were employed when the work of dredge construction, was aa its busiest.