GENERAL NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 285, 11 May 1915, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS.

Hill 01) is an important strategical point south-east of V|ires, winch was recently captured by the British artcr severe lighting. As if formed a screen foi* tin; German artillery positions, determined ell'orts have been made by the Germans to repel tin; Hritish t but theii attacks have been successively defeated. A subaltern of the :lr;l (Auckland) 'Regiment, Lieut, llellaby.. arrived in England in the second week of the war, and having offered his services to the War Ollice. \u° was ifivni si in t)u> Ist Devonshire Reiriir.enl and has been on active service' ever since lli , s I . tn ;" elder brothers are Willi the Loyal I'ielil 'Artillery.

There appears to be an impression on the part of some motorists, launeli-own-ers and other users of petrol that thoie is a shortage of petrol in the country. While it is true that the world's demands on the spirit are enormous just now, especially in connection with the war, Xew Zealand appears to have abundant supplies in-stock and aoat. A Wellington merchant states that there is not the slightest ground for fears of a shortage. "'Stocks in hand are plentiful," lie adds, "and we are. just advised by'cable that ship bound elsewhere and carrying suflicient supplies to last Xew Zealand 'or four months, has been diverted to this country and will arrive here next month. There is no of any shortage of motor spirits in Xew Zealand." Rabbits are becoming very numerous in the localities inland from the Bay of Islands. They are not described as a nuisance at present, but it is felt that if nothing is done to keep thcin iu check the settlers will suffer. The rabbit-in-fested area stretches from Waitangi to Waimatc, Ohaeawai, Kerikeri and Kaavakawa. The animals have been in the Waimate district for the last three or four years, but it is only during the past IS months that they have got right to the harbor on that side. Years ago the pest was cleaned out —which was accomplished with greater ease, in that the rabbits did not burrow sufficiently deep in the heavy soil. They certainly did not make headway as they nave done in the Waikato, and further south, but their return is viewed with apprehension.

I Particulars of the death of Mr. Frank iT. liullen, the famous writer of sea i [dories, was received in Sydney last week | bv Mr L. M. Pattinson from his brother, Mr. William I'attinson, who was with I Mr. Rullen in Madeira when he died. Ee- | ferring to his trip to Madeira Mr W.Pati tinson wrote: "1 was having a fine tim» | when my friend took ill. 1 dressed him ' the day but one before he died, gave him j u hot bath, and put him to bed. Next i morning 1 persuaded him to stop in.bed, !as he looked so feeble and worn nut. Dr. I Grabh.am was attending him. lie came twice a day, and was very kind, and did | all he could to help me in this trouble. i Xcxt morning early the manageress knocked at .my bedroom door, and when I I opened it she said Mr. Bullen had been, j found dead when the maid took in hij cup of hot milk and coffee. It was a I (;reat shock. We buried hirn in the j little English cemetery. I was the only friend to follow him to his grave. I little thought I should be Frank Bullen's ' only companion on 'his last sea voyage.' " j 'Some time ago an appeal for £7~>,ttoo ■ per month from Australia and Xew Zealand was made by the Belgian Commission in England, and it was decided that New Zealand should contribute £L"),0(/0 per month, the Government giving .UijlKX) per month, and a subsidy of £1 for .ill' up to £SOOO on donations made by the public. An official statement from the Treasury has been published showing that New Zealand's contribution for April came to £1!),053 his Gd for the Belgian Relief Fund. A reporter asked the 'Minister of Defence (the Hon. Jas. Allen) if it were intended to give monthly any excess of the .Clo,000 decided on as our share. 'Mr. Allen replied that such was the intention. Some districts had donated more than the share apportioned to them, and had | asked that it should be sent on. The I Government had no objection to this, ! but he pointed out they could not give more than the €SOOO monthly donation and the subsidy up to £3OOO. It was Very satisfactory, he added, that the contributions had been so generous. Probably the most surprised man in South Canterbury on the first day of the opening of the shooting season was one who met a shooting party in a motorcar as it was returning to Tiimi.ru from the Hook (says the Herald). The car party included one of the champion shots of New Zealand, though the man on the roadside did not know that, nor hdd he any reason to suppose that tliero was a loaded gun in the car ready for use at j short notice. As the car, travelling at i about '2O miles an hour was passing the man referred to, the champion marksman shouted out in fun: ''Throw up j your hat." To his surprise the man did precisely as he was told, sending his hat, an almost new felt one, spinning high in tne air, never dreaming, presumably, that anything more would happen. Quick as lightning the man in the car fired, and the look of bewildered astonishment on the face of the owner of the hat can be better imagined than described wliaa lie saw the crown shot clean out of his hat, and the brim riddled beyond repair. The car did not stop, but the shooting champion, when he saw what he had done, threw his own hat to the astonished man on the roadside.

A muss of evidence and opinions ott the subject of forests considered in their relation to rainfall anil the conservation of moisture lias been collated by 'Mr. J. B. '.Maiden, State (iovernment botanist, anil is published in "The Forest Flora of New Sofith Wales." The ea.su for and against is presented, especially in regard to the broader (picstion of the effect of vegetation on the conservation of moisture, to whicfi. in Mr. Maiden's view, sullieient attention has not been directed in the public discussions on forests and rainfall. "Taki'nir an extensive territory," says Mr. Maiden in his introductory remarks, "it appears to be indisputably proved that, forests do not increase rainfall; it is as fully well proved that they conserve the rain that fails, and, therefore, every ,'Wl'ort should lie made to save them from unnecessary destruction." In a final word he remarks that a proper understanding of the principles which underlie the relation# of forests and in'oisture is of interest in two special wavs —first, as regards the, water supply of a lar«re eitv, and, secondly, as regards the distribution and conservation of moisture over the whole of the State, treasonable expenditure for research would In' justifiable, if they could be thereby placed in a position to deal less empirically with the rainfall they receive and to know how to conserve it more* wisely than they do at present.