NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9791, 15 October 1917, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

A long Cabinet meeting is to h« held to-day, the main business to be considered at which is understood to bo the order of business for tho remainder of the session. The Prime Minister hazarded tho opinion last week that the end of the session would be reached ,a fortnight from Saturday last; but, as he immediately added, “no one can tell.” The House of Representatives meets at 7.30 this evening, when the report of the Cost of Living Committee is to be presented and discussed. )

Among those meeting and officially welcoming the returned soldiers on their arrival on Saturday morning were two representatives of the Y.M.0.A., Messrs A. H. Sansum and -P. Battey.

The Boilermakers’ Union held a meeting on Saturday to discuss the proposals put forward by the Conciliation Commissioner. Mr Hagger is sanguine of a successful nerjlement without reference to the Arbitration Court.

A meeting will be held' to-night at the Borough Council Chambers, Eastbourne, under the auspices of the Second Division League, for the purpose of explaining the object of the league and to form a suburban branch committee.

A Rotterdam correspondent tells the following story: A German, tired of life and worrying oyer the war, decided to commit suicide. Ho went to a chemist and purchased enough poison to kill a dozen men. He took it, but it was a substitute, aud did him no harm. He then bought a rope to hang himself, the rope broke; it was made of paper. Then, seeing he could not kill himself, ho decided to have a good meal, went to a restaurant and ordered a plate of Hungarian goulash. It was also a substitute, ahd two hours later ho died.

Tlie Salvation Army’s public food kitchens at Home have caught the imagination, matched the pockets, and supplied the needs of the people in a remarkable manner. Perhaps the most popular kitchen in ail the country is located at Gateshead, which is daily besieged with crowds of women and children. “Dundee has awakened to the needs of the times along the lines of specially selected, economically purchased and scientifically-prepared foods within reach of and at the proper hours for the working classes. Long queues of women may be seen waiting outside the Edinburgh and Leith food kitchens. On the opening day, just* three months ago, only three customers put in an appearance, now 500 families are supplied each day with dinner, and a second kitchen has been arranged to meet the demand.

One of the most amazing pictures in the senes of Canadian war photographs at the Grafton Galleries shows simply a crucifix (says the “Westminster Gazette’’). It is all that is left of the “Village of Misery’’ after successive bombardments by German and British gunners. So completely was the village wiped out that, as a guide to incoming British troops, its name was chalked on the base of the crucifix. The soldiers who wrote the inscription passed on, and were succeeded by a company of Field Engineers, and these, “entirely without irreverence” — according to the official account—“hut in a purely matter-of-fact spirit, employed the crucifix, the only available place, for fixing the telephone wire.” The need for receiving and passing on messages that might help to victory was too Urgent to admit of other considerations.

John McFarlands appeared before Mr S. E. McCarthy, 8.M., on Saturday to answer charges, *(1) on July Ibtn, 1917, at 'Wellington, ho did obtain goods, valued at ±l 3 19s, and £1 Is in money from one William Dentico by means of a valueless cheque j G 1 on August 17th, 1917, at Feathereton, did forgo the name of C. Mathews to a cheque for £ti, drawn on the Bank of Now Zealand, Grcytown, in favour of one John Forbes, and did utter the same on Wilham Smith, with intent to defraud; and (3) on December 23rd, 1916, did forge the name of John McMaeter, at Carterton, to a cheque, valued at £l2, drawn on the Bank of Australasia, at Featherston, in favour of one Robert Clark, and uttering the same on Sidney Davis with intent to defraud. On the application of the police, the accused was remanded for • week.

At the Alexandra Hall Last night Mr Rod Ross gave an address under the auspices of the Wellington Social Democratic party on “The Armies of Capitalism.” In the course of his remarks he said that the crimes or capitalism were not confined to one country, but were international. I 0 capitalists called upon the workers bo patriotic, but did not live up to their own teachings. They were prepared to starve the people by cornering or destroying foodstuffs rat than, sacrifice one jot of their ptoh ?" Bv their actions the capitalists ma th*e poor poorer and the noli ricer. The callousness and bruta.;ty of e capitalist class of Great Britain o 1840 was being repeated to-day in aR the countries engaged in this war, and the lesson to be learnt by the working classes was that they snoujd be masters of their own political destinies by forming themselves Labour parties in order to control the means by which they live.

Donnelly’s Hair Restorer—A real Hair Tonic. Cures dandruff, stops hair falling. Chemists, stores, hairdressers: 2/6. Donnelly’s. 65. Vivian street-

The Khandallah Bowling; Club wilj open its season on Saturday next.

Tho Pacific Ca-blo Board announces that tho«ro will be heavy delay on all classes of United Kingdom, traffic, especially on deferred messages.

At tho meeting on Saturday evening of the Onslow Borough Council, a letter was read from tho lOuindallah Tennis Club, saying that owing to the increased cost of living, many of their members had boon obliged to cancel their membership. Tho letter also men tioned that tho- club had twenty members on active service.

Tho following are tho winning numbers in the public art union drawn on Saturday, at 8.30 p.m., at the Art Gallery, Whitmore street:—lst, No. Joo> Abercombic, £7; 2nd, No. 1137, Alex. Gray, K.C., £5; 3rd, No. 303. H. 'll. Cook. £1; No. 126. Tmgcy, £4; 5 th, No. 140, Hunter, £3; 6th, No. 203, W. G. Foster, £2.

With reference to tho recent official announcement in tho press than the German raider had not been roaponmblo for the sinking of tho s.s. Wairuna, it is now officially fcho naval authorities in Now Zealand fbhat there is no truth whatever in tho rumour that tire Wainuna’s crew were landed on any part of tho American coast.

While working at a Scatoun quarry on Saturday, a single man, George Murlison, residing at Young s Private Hotel, mot with a serious accident. He was preparing for rock-blasting operations, when the charge of explosives blew back in his face, injur.ng him very badly about tho face and head. Ho was admitted to tho Jiosp.ial, whero he is in a serious condition.

The case of George Winterourn, who had been convicted on Wo charges of forgery and uttering at Otaki, was again before tho Chief Justice on baturday morning. Mr J. J. McGrath, who appeared for tho prisoner, explained that arrangements had been made for his client to go on his sister s rarrn neai Marion, and His Honour consequently granted probation for a term of two years

Corporal H. Wilson, a Hull man, who bad been a prisoner of war in Germany since October, 1914, la , v S' ©d and reached Switzerland. \\uson, who belongs to the Coldstream Guards states, in a message to his father - ran away from Germany on July 2/tti, swam across tho Rhino, and arrived in Switzerland. lam now in service, and hope to return to England. Wilson was in the Mons retreat.

At a meeting held last week of the Wellington Labour Representation Committee a communication was received from the Wellington Trades and Labour Council bearing on the continued rise in tho coat of living, and it was resolved to endorse the resolution passed at the cost of living protest meeting held at the Hown Hall, and to call upon the Labour members ot Parliament to take action in Parliament.

Air Kingdom Gould, eldest sou of the multi-millionaire, Mr George Gould, was recently the target of widespread nawapaiper publicity, owing to his action in claiming exemption from military service on tho ground that he has a wife to support. Mr Kingdon Gould married on July 2nd an Italian artist, Miss Annunziata LUcci. Ho was carefully examined by physicians in Now Jersey and pronounced in excellent physical health. After filling his exemption claim Mr Gould to Lakewood and refused to bo in tor viewed.