100 YEARS AGO

February 12, 1919

● Daily Telegraph

A London man now working in a Tyne shipyard has tattooed on either cheek a snake’s head which he says was done by the order of a U boat commander after his vessel had been torpedoed. When the man was taken in the submarine, he refused to obey the commander’s order to go on his knees and curse England. He was afterwards tied to a bar and tattooed with an electric needle by two Germans. He and 19 others were then turned adrift in a boat without food.

● Hawke’s Bay Herald Tribune

Owing to the scarcity of labour in the timber mills and the fires in the Main Trunk district, The HB County Council is experiencing great difficulty in obtaining suitable timber for bridge decking. Judge Davis of the Native Land Court will hand over to the Maoris at PakiPaki on Monday next, the flag which has been presented to them by the Government in remembrance of Maori soldiers.