LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Star, Issue 18083, 26 September 1922, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

In tho window of Mr Williamson, jeweller, Princes street, ds to be seen a vcry'-nico poet seedling narcissus raised by Mr W. Reid, Woodhaugh. This is of interest' as showing how seedlings from late flowers like pheasant eye. come much earlier. It is a fine large -sound flower with bright-colored eye. Tlie -British Medical Association now has 23,925 members. In a" discussion at the Glasgow session of the. association on,- the question of organisation, especially in regard to overseas branches, proposals were adopted giving effect:to Australia’s wishes to make its branches incorporated branches, writes the ‘ Post’s ’ London correspondent. Dr Wilkinson (Victoria) said they felt in Australia that this, was going to be a‘ matter of great importance to them. It would enable them to work out their medical affairs in the manner that seemed beet to them, but without any break or wrench from tho parent association, and that to them had been tho most vital factor of all. Among the things salvaged! from the fire at tlie tea kiosk in the Botanic Gardens, Christchurch, were a waitress’s apron and a dust bin. A young man donned the former and improvised the lid of tho latter as a tray and went round soliciting orders. Two other youths started a game of draughts on one of . the tables (silver coins versus bronze), but the gamewas too slow, and “two-up ” held sway: till the “eagle oyo of the law ” persuaded them to desist. Another young man risked flying sparks and pieces of tiles in a hunt after a rat. On being successful he was loudly cheered. Youth will have its fling 1 In the course of one of his Prohibition lectures Mr “Pussyfoot” Johnson (relates the Taranaki ‘ Daily News ’) asserted that the liquor traffic delayed America in joining the AUidS in the late war. “ That being the case,” was the substance of a poser pul to him, “is it the liquor traffic that is'keeping America—a dry country—-from offering assistance in the present Near Eastern crisis?” Mr Johnson said he did not know. Since tho three cables were broken in Cook Strait, a few weeks ago, another of tho older lines has shown faults, and is not working at full speed. One of the broken lines has been repaired, and the cable ship is at work repairing the others, and if the weather holds good the repairs will be completed in a few days. The work of repairing the Cook Strait cables, however, is the rjfrt precarious of any place in the world, as the strait is subject to all variations in the weather, and a swell invariably means a cessation of work until favorable conditions again appear. Tiro movement by old boys of the Auckland Grammar School to show what affectionate memories they, cherish of their experiences under Mr Tibbs os head master illustrates again how the influence, wielded by a strong man at the head of a great school persists in the minds of the boys (writes " Mercutio” in the Auckland * Herald ’). Something of the atmosphere of awe and veneration clinging to ‘‘the head ” lingers in the, memory. An illustration of this, not applicable, of course, to Mr Tibbs in any way, is given by a very entertaining writer on school life in England, discussing Just this point. He explains that he had asked a man who had been a pupil under a certain very famous head master, for some characteristics of the great man. To his surprise tho ex-pupil did not seem to remember any. Asked what his head master’s conversation was like, he replied; “Bless you, he never conversed. He just told you to do a thing, and you did it. But ho was a great man, the groajgfct in. the world.” “But surely you met him sometimes?” persisted the questioner. “Yes, I met him all' right, several times, generally to my sorrow. Now you have reminded mo of something) the old swine was left-handed. A great man.” A correspondent from Eruitlands (Otago Central) writes that the weather has been very fine and mild during the past week, and very favorable for the lambing season. Conditions aro somewhat dfy, and the country generally could do with a good soaking rain. There is every prospect of big crops of apples at Eruitlands this coming season. Emit buds are now swelling, and, given favorable weather conditions during the next month, all varieties of apples will set heavy- crops. ’ During the early part of October Erjfitlands should' be a sight well worth seeing, with its 40,000 apple trees in bloom,; its green lucerne and grass paddocks, and ini tho background tho snow-capped Old Man Mountains. This little valley that was onco Bald Hill Flat is now Fruitlands both in name andi reality. Visitors and tourists in Central Otago during the early part of October would be well advised to take a trip through Fruitlands Valley and see tho wealth of apple blossom. An interesting relio of Maori days has been unearthed by Mr Milne on his farm at Peebles (says the Oamaru ‘Mail’) in the shape of a large piece of greenstone, 15rin longj sJ)in broad, and thick, and Weighing about 51b. Apparently it was being fashioned into the head of an adzo-lifce tool. It was well shaped and edge was being put on it. Those who speak with some authority say that it was most probably brought from the West Coast, as stone of its- kind is unknown in the district. From a collector's standpoint, tho find is said to bo of some value. A social celebratory of the twenty-first anniversary of the Eoslyn Presbyterian Church was held last night, some 160 attending. Addresses were delivered by tho Eev. E. J. Tiplor, the Rev. W. Gray Dixon, the Rev. W. R. Hutchison, and tho Roy. H. Maclean. Between the speeches of tho evening songs were rendered by Mesdames MTvay and Lawn, and Mossn J. Paterson, W. Crowes, and H. M'Alum. Special anniversary services were held at the church on Sunday. A schedule of rules for registration was adopted at a meeting of the Otago Radio Association last night. Arrangements were also made for the organisation of instruction classes in wireless telegraphy and i telephony and Morse operating. Members wore warned as to the necessity for exercising discrimination in tho purchase of apparatus, and were invited to bring along their instruments for testing. The association, which has a membership roll of about 200, has secured rooms & Lower Moray place, and has made arrangements for the erection of tho aerial for its station between the city converter station building in Cumberland street and the premises of Messrs John phambors and I Sons. Good progress is being made with I tho manufacture of the transmitting set, i and it is anticipated that the association i will be ready to begin broadcasting as I soon as the valves come to hand. The as- ; Bociation will be working with up to ; 100 watts, and should be heard by crystal receiving sets up to a distance of ten rililes. By valve receivers the station should bo heard anywhere in New Zeaj land. > The waterside workers’ dispute was conI tinned in the Arbitration Court at. Wel- | ling ton yesterday. Oscar M'Brine, president of the Auckland, Waterside Workers Union, said that tho present membership l of tho Auckland Union was 1,255. ino ' number of members this year was less than last year. He |iadi known regular waterside workers go for three or tour weeks at a time without getting _ work, although they were genuinely seeking it. Witness asserted that considering the hours worked and the dangerous and hard nature of the occupation, ’the average amount earned by the waterside worker I was not a living wage. Anyone, ho I 'thought, would admit that £1 12s 2d, j which was tho average for a busy year, ! was lower Uian the basic wage. was tho lowest class of labor in the. dominion —that was when you remembered the number of hours worked, the overtime worked, freezing work, coal, etc,, the average pay received by the waterside workers was below the basic wage of labor. Witness said he knew that it was difficult to get some people to believe that the waterside workers were not wealthy, but anyone who knew the houre they worked and the hard and dangerous nature of the work must admit that on tho average they were underpaid.