Sir Henry Lucy, writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, relates a story which he thinks possibly accounts for the strange performance.
When the rigid rules of the censorship, undoubtedly inspired, if not literally dictated, by Lord Kitchener were first put in force the Times, not without reason, as many think, hotly denounced them, pointing out how unfair the prohibition of war correspondents was to regiments and men engaged at the front, and how detrimental to recruiting.
After this tirade had been kept up day by day through several weeks Lord Northcliffe received a polite note from the Prime Minister inviting him to call at Downing street.
On arrival he found the Secretary of State for War in company with the Prime Minister.
Mr Asquith pointed out that the injury likely to be done by continuance of this criticism of the censor, which thinly veiled an attack upon the War Office.
Lord Northcliffe maintained and justified his position.
''I also am concerned for the public interest,'' said the war lord of the British newspaper world.
''I believe I am honestly serving it, and cannot undertake to abandon the line hitherto pursued.''
''Very well,'' said Lord Kitchener.
''This is Wednesday. You can go as you please up to Saturday morning, inclusive. But how will it be if on Monday and subsequent days there should be no Times?''
The remark was not uttered by way of threat.
It was rather a polite inquiry. But it had immediate effect.
• Mr C. O. Ayson has just returned from the Rangitata River (states the Oamaru Mail), whither he went to investigate rumours that quinnat salmon had been spawning in the creeks near the mouth.
Mr Ayson found this to be the case, and indications point to spawning having taken place in previous years.
Up to the present experts have adhered to the belief that all salmon returned to the parent stream to reproduce; but, as no salmon were liberated in the Rangitata, these contentions have apparently been upset.
The discovery is a very interesting one.
American experts maintained that salmon would never migrate more than 10 or 12 miles from the mouth of the river, and such contention may still hold good in regard to American waters, but it is certainly disproved so far as New Zealand is concerned.
The more important feature about the discovery is that the fish will ultimately spread itself in all our rivers.
Mr Ayson feels certain that spawning of salmon has occurred in the upper reaches of the Rangitata, and more than likely he will be sent there to make investigations.
The salmon is a great traveller, and in the States they have often been found 400 to 500 miles from the mouths of big rivers.
• Unless some of the members of the Ashburton Citizens' Defence Corps improve wonderfully in their shooting, local people will begin to entertain grave doubts as to the wiseness of relying on them for defence should the enemy ever trouble to invade this country (says the Ashburton Guardian).
On Wednesday evening one of the members of the corps shot through the thumb of the Ashburton Club's marksman, who put his hand up above the parapet of the trench.
But this is not all.
The rifleman was firing at No. 7 target, and the marksman was attending to No. 8 target, fully three feet away.
This will indicate that the shooting was ''somewhat erratic''. - ODT, 26.7.1915.
• COPIES OF PICTURE AVAILABLE FROM ODT FRONT OFFICE, LOWER STUART ST, OR WWW.OTAGOIMAGES.CO.NZ
