ACCIDENTS & FATALITIES.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 January 1918, Page 4

ACCIDENTS & FATALITIES.

SUDDEN DEATH AT MOKOIA. Tlie ,many friends of Mr. Wm. E. "Wills, farmer, Mokoia, will regret to hear of his death, which occurred very suddenly on Saturday night last (says the Star). Deceased, who was 45 years of age, had always enjoyed thoroughly good health, save for an occasional headache, and was about his farm work as usual 011 Saturday. He went to bed about nine o'clock, and his wife retired about. !t.."iO. At about 11.30 deceased asked his wife to get him a drink. She brought him a drink of milk as quickly as possible, but when she returned with it he was breathing peculiarly and unable to take it. Thinking he had swooned, his wife supported him on her arms for a few minutes, and then got her brother, who was staying at the house, to send for a doetor. Deceased, however, did not recover, and apparently expired almost immediately. Dr. Sloan arrived at Mokoia about an hour later, but found life extinct. He conducted a post mortem examination yesterday, and gave it as his opinion that death was due to cerebral hemorrhage, caused by the rupture of a blood vessel. An inquest was held at the courthouse 011 Monday by Mr. Haselden, S.M., and the verdict was that death was due to natural causes. Deceased leaves a widow and four children to mourn their loss.

The Greymouth Star says that a gazetted' military -deserter from Trent.ham Camp, named Daniel Hayes, was arrested at Denniston, where ho had been working in the mine. He was despatched to Greymouth to be handed over to the military authorities. Second-Lieut. A. Roots, in the course of a letter to the Mayor of Hawera (Mr. Dixon), states: "X came to England in May to join the Royal Flying Corps, and was' exceedingly fortunate in obtaining quite a long leave, by which I was enabled to see a great deal of England, which has, nevertheless, not served to change my opinion that New Zealand is the only country. After having seen Egypt. Salonika, Franco and England, my opinion remains the same. 1 went into training on July 23, and obtained my commission a few weeks ago. I like flying very much, and I have been up to great heights on several occasions." A New Plymouth authority on potato growing, writes us to sound a note of warning to those who have crops of potatoes now growing. With certain varieties, such as ■ "Gamekeepers," "Northern Star," "Maori Chief," and what might have bean planted as 'White Rock," it will, in all probability, b» found that if the crops have been in say ten to twelve weeks they will be making a second growth under the ground which is most detrimental to the crop. Although the tops may seem healthy md vigorous and apparently not fit to dig an inspection should be "made of a. root or two, and if second growth lias commenced the crop should be dug immediately. Capt. C. E. W, Bean, the Australian' war correspondent, writes: The Scotsman is, 1 think, the most unrelenting fighter that I have come across The Australian is the most severe fighter in battle, but he is quite ready to make friends afterwards with his enemy. Once he has taken a German prisoner he is apt to treat him more liberally than most troops—more so, 1 think, tiun the English soldier—and that is saying a great deal. To the Scotsman, when he escorted those prisoner* home, those prisoners are German still. He has never forgotten the tremendous losses which the Scottish regiments augered at the beginning of the war. He does not feel kindly towards the man who inflicted them. With the Australian, once the fight is over, the bitterness is left behind. The Scotsman makes prisoners, but he does not make friends. Importations from the United States bid fair to become luxuries, judging by the way freight rates are advancing. Repent quotations by cable give freights for sailers at £8 per ton, and for steamers £l4 per ton. This means adding considerably to the landed cost of goods in Auckland, when insurance, war rates, and other charges are included. Bulky goods such as motor earn will necessarily be correspondingly dearer, and the cost of future shipments of benzine is quoted on the local market at 24s to 25s per case, which adds to the cost of transit by motor-power. Australia is taking advantage of the opportunity to get its goods on this market. A large business is now being done in axe and' other handles, which formerly came from the United States, but are now made in the Commonwealth from spotted gum, which appears to be * ye r " suitable wood for the purpose.