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Evening Star, Issue 15293, 19 September 1913, Page 6

At the meeting of the Catlins-Tahakopa Railway League held this afternoon a letter from the Minister of Public Works to Mr James Riddell was read. This letter was a reply to the representations made at Caberfeidh on 26th February last that a siding should be provided between Papatowai and Tahakopa. The Hon. W. Fraser wrote :—“ I am advised that the settlers between Stewart’s corner and Mount’s saddle, on whoso behalf I understand your representations were chiefly made, will have direct access to Caberfeidh station by a road metalled most of tho' way, while from your own place there is road access to Papatowai, miles away. Certainly the roads are not always in good condition, but after the line to Caberfeidh is opened for traffic it is hoped that metal of good quality will be brought by rail for their improvement, and the settlers on whose behalf you spoke will have little reason to explain of want of access to a station. Under the circumstances I regret that I am unable to see my way to entertain your request for another siding near Stewart’s corner.” The two little girls Johnson, the custody of whom was the subject of an application to the Judge last Tuesday, were erroneously stated to be boarders at the South Dunedin Convent. They are inmates of the St. Vincent de Paid Society’s Home, South Dunedin. It is understood that there is a. prospect of the Government agreeing to the proposal that tho Dunedin City Council should engage the services of Mr Parry, electrical engineer at tho Lake Coleridge works, for tho purpose of obtaining a report on the Waipori scheme. In reply to Mr T. K. Sidey, M.P., the Minister for Public Works states that tho representations made as to provision for the Gatlins railway line as far as Stocldart’s will ha ye his consideration^

number of prisoners received by the Dunedin gaoler during the year 1912 oci S males and 25 females, totalling 251. The total number received till August 31 of the current year was 237. The average number per day during 1912 was 24.81, and the average per day till August 31 this'year 23.27. The gaoler states that he had more longer-sentence prisoners last year.

Most of the Taieri property owners are losers by the recent floods. Rome are in a sad plight. On one farm there is even now 3ft of water. Much of the grass is spured. The stock are doing no good. Everybody who knows the facts is sympathising. One sympathiser has actually done something. Mr Fraser, K.C., has prepared a petition to Parliament asking for an inquiry by Royal Commission. This is to be sent round, for signature. What is to be done is a hard question. A suggestion meanwhile is to buy a disused gold dredge and scour out the river from Henley upwards, and elevate the spoil so as to construct stable banks.

A radio-telegraph office has been opened at the Chatham Islands. During a discussion in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon on the necessity for increasing the salaries of teachers in the State schools it was stated that only eight teachers in the Dominion received £4OO a year, not one of the eight being in Otago.

Mrs George Hartmann, who is only 19 years of ago, and has only been married two months, decided on August 8 (says a New York telegram to the London ‘Telegraph’) to share a living death with her husband, who lias been adjudged a leper at St. Louis (U.S.), and will be sent to a leper farm. Hartmann was a soldier at the Philippines, and once guarded a leper camp there. The only other occupant of the leper farm to which he has been banished is a Chinaman. The husband tried his hardest to persuade his young wife to remain away, but she replied: “No; I’m your wife, for better or for worse. My place is by your side.” Like her husband and the Chinaman, she will have to wear a white robe and a monk-like cowl covering on her face. A bell will be attached to her neck, so that the ringing may mark the approach of one with the plague.

A merciful and most unusual course was taken by Mr Laurie, one of London's minor judges, at the London sessions on August 5 in the case of Patrick O’Grady (25), who was convicted and sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for theft. It was slated that the prisoner was nob long married, that his wages were only 22s per week, and that poverty had caused him to commit the theft. After O’Grady had been remitted to the cells, his aunt tearfully informed the Judge that prisoner’s child was dying, and she asked that ho might have an opportunity of seeing the “little mite” for the last time. His Honor thereupon ordered the prisoner to be brought back, and addressed lum thus: “You may go and see your sick child. I withdraw the sentence/and release you to come up for judgment a fortnight hence. I will not say what I will do with you then.” “Thank you, sir,” said the young father, with tears in his eyes, as he left the court. After giving the statutory half-holiday a brief trial over the winter months, many Invercargill business men (wires ’ “ Our Own ”) are reverting to the old practice of closing on Wednesday. It was felt at the time that general uniformity would eventually be arrived at, and that before long the great body of tradespeople would fall into line and close on Saturday. This expected uniformity did not materialise, and the result was that, while many offices released their employees on Saturday, the retail businesses remained open. The moral to bo drawn from the experiment is clear in a town of limited population such as Invercargill: two half-boli-days for business people are unworkable. The High School Board of Governors met yesterday afternoon, there being present the Hon. T. Fergus (chairman), and Messrs Gall aw ay, Stewart, Ross, and Israel. A communication was received from tho Education Department to the effect that a voucher for the sum of £1,572 15s 6d, capitation on account of free pupils for the second term of 1915, had been passed by tho Treasury. An application from the rector of the Boys’ High School for £ls towards the school games funds was granted, and £l4 9s tkl was voted for requisites at the Girls’ High School. The board dealt with the revision of teachers’ salaries in committee, and declined to perijuit the publication of the list as revised.

Messrs A. Aloritzson and Co. have sent the following letter to the Hon. R. H. Rhodes, Minister in charge of the Health Department:—“Wo have not heard from you the result of your tests by your experts of the German yolks and albumen which we have imported for years into this country. We have had a communication from the manufacturers in Hamburg that the articles under review are absolutely pure, and we should be pleased if you would remove the restrictions. In the meantime, we may inform you that your action has caused the price of eggs to rise considerably, compared with tho prices of last and previous years. At this time of the year, instead of selling the eggs at lOd and they are being sold at Is and Is that is for unstamped and stamped eggs respectively, and, as we have pointed out to you before, tho market may net come back, owing to the increased demand, anticipating the stoppage of tho German importations and no additional supplies of fresh eggs coming forward. We think this is a very important matter to the consumer. Prices of food have gradually gone up, and this action of yours adds another nail to the coffin of the poorer people and the working man, upon whom this extra charge will fall very heavily.” A number of pastoral runs in Otago, which were offered for selection last February, and then withdrawn in view of forthcoming legislation, will be opened again, probably next February.' The new legislation gives lessees the same, right of renewal as is conceded to tenants of grazing runs.