Untitled

Evening Star, Issue 18543, 28 January 1924, Page 6

The Lyttelton watersiders decided to take their postponed annual holiday today; consequently there was no response to the call for labor, and no work was done in the port. A cargo of Nelson fruit by the Cygnet is liable to damage, ns a part is consigned to Invercargill. Tho shipping companies have made a complaint to the Labor Department that the picnic day was selected without the consent of the companies.-—Press Association. The Hospital Committee of the Otago Hospital Board announces that word has been received from Messrs Watson and Sons that the 25 m.g. tube of radium has been forwarded to the Bureau of Standards at Washington for measurement, and that only a very small quantity of the material was lost when the tube’was accidentally broken.

At a meeting of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, held hero yesto'dathe following motion was carried unanimously:—“That the executive be urged to press for an immediate increase in wages owing to the increased cost of living, and that the meeting pledges itself to support it in whatever steps it may take to secure same; also that n wages committee be appointed immediately to deal with this matter.” A motion was also carried congratulating the Labor Party in England on its assuming the reins of office.

A Gisborne telegram states that a Scotch concert, featuring an address on Robert Burns by Mr J. R. Kirk, and including popular songs hy Burns and Scotch instrumental airs, will be despatched by the Gisborne radio to-night from 8 o’clock.

Alfred James Massey, a second offender for drunkenness, pleaded in extenuation of the charge that ho met some friends, and was celebrating “ Bill Massey’s ’’ coming hack from England, and got drunk. Massey, who did not claim any relationship with the Premier, said that he had a job to go to in the country, but the magistrate refused leniency, and imposed a fine of 40s and issued a prohibition order Christchurch telegram. The Palmerston Borough Council has offered a site for a hospital in the borough, and the Otago Hospital Board has advised the Palmerston Farmers’ Union that when a hospital committee has been set up the board's architect would be instructed to prepare plans.

“ Wo are bound to have, bo far as I can see, a substantial surplus at the end of the financial year,” stated tho Prime Minister in the course of an interview at Wellington. “ I have not had an opportunity of consulting with my colleague, the Acting Minister of Finance, nor with the Treasury Department since I came back, and I will not have an opportunity for a day or two; but I understand the position is very good, and that a further remission of taxation may be hoped for.” Asked whether it was likely that Parliament would meet somewhat earlier than usual this year, Mr Massey said: “There again I must consult with my colleagues, but just at present I see no reason why Parliament should meet earlier, or much earlier, than usual.”

At 6.55 p.ra. on Saturday the City Fire Brigade was colled to Bird street, St. Kilda, to a lupine fire, and again at 10.5 p.m. to Moreau street and Victoria road, where another outbreak among the lupines had occurred. The areas affected were not great, and in neither case_ was damage done. This morning at 3.25 another call was received, to 52 Wesley street, South Dunedin. A scullery, a washhouse, and a coal shed attached to a five-roomed house had caught fire and were gutted. The cause is unknown. Mr Cecil Chave is the owner and occupier of the house, which is insured with the State Insurance Office for £SOO. The contents were insured in the same office for £260. An automatic false alarm _ caused another turnout at 8.9 this morning, to Hallenstein’s warehouse, Dowling street. Some time ago the Hon. G. M. Thomson suggested that Quarantine Station should be procured as a site for the infectious diseases hospital. The matter was considered by the Finance Committee of the Otago Hospital Board, who has reported unfavorably on the proposal.

The Taieri County Council is to receive a fairly solid subscription the expense of putting in order the bridges, on the road to Taieri Mouth and smoothing the road generally. The donations collected from residents and visitors by the committee that volunteered to help in the matter already amount to about £6O.

Tho thermometers in Dunedin registered np to 77 in the shade yesterday—perhaps a trifle more. Tho figures, however, do not give a real Idea as to the great glory of tho day. A fine day in Dunedin is one of the best, and yesterday was a champion day—tho sky cloudless, tho gentlest of zephyrs tempering the sun’s rays, tho heat of tho baking rather than tho perspiring sort—that is to say, the heat of the oven as distinguished from tho heat of tho Turkish bath. In such weather as that of yesterday ono can work with pleasure.

A very large number of requests have been made to the Lands Department for copies of tho map of tho ton runs in tho subdivided Mount Pisa block, indicating that there will be many applications for this coveted land. Tho ballot is to bo at Cromwell on February 21. Tho Otago Hospital Board’s Finance Committee recommends that when the South Otago Hospital Board is in a position to treat a portion of its own patients at Milton and Owaka Hospitals tho fee for treatment of patients from that district should bo reduced to 9s per day. It is also proposed that tho annual payment of £1,250 should be maintained.

The first Dunedin mayor to wear tho robe of office was Mr G. L. Denniston, who held tho position in 1901-2. Mr Taploy is the seventeenth mayor since then, so tho robe has had much wear, and it will not be accounted a prodigal expenditure that tho council is having a new ono made.

Tho intense heat continues (wires our Clyde correspondent). Yesterday in tho sun tho thermometer registered 130 degrees. In the afternoon huge billowy white clouds began to mount up, and there were present all tho indications of a thunderstorm. A few peals of thunder were followed by a short, heavy shower. This waa the only result. This morning It is 94 degrees in the shade.

Messrs J. Tait and J. if‘Ladd an presided at tho Port Chalmers Court this morning. Gilbert Scott was fined 10s for drunkenness and 20s for damaging fittings in the lock-up.

The police have received advice that a fire broke out at Hesson's grocery store, Alexandra, after midnight on tho 26th. Damage amounted to £25.

In the opinion of the medical superintendent of the Wellington Hospital (Dr D. M. Wilson) it is desirable that the Hospital Board should make a rule that “ no liquor shall bo brought into hospital premises by any member of tho staff.” Any offender should bo liabio to dismissal. “This is an unwritten rule,” says Dr Wilson, “but I think it might be made a ‘written’ one.”

Mount Egmont’s snowline waa lowered by about 400 ft by Tuesday night’s cold snap. The cap was so small on Monday (says the Wellington ‘ Times ’) that a party of climbers who had never done any mountaineering before made the trip from the Dawson’s Falls mountain-house to the summit and back in seven hours. The party included several ladies.

Several dead sparrows have been seen lying on tho roads or footpafhs in the suburbs of Wellington recently. The strong winds experienced lately probably accounts for this (says tho Wellington ‘Times’), as the birds find it hard to battle against tho wind, and when exhausted are easily battered to the ground. A party from the Post and Telegraph Department will leave Wellington about tho end of tho month for Cape Maria van Diemen to erect a temporary wireless station for carrying out direction-finding experiments for the Marine Department, Tho party will join tho s.s. Tutanekai at Auckland, and sail round tho coast. The party -will be in charge of Mr A. Shrimpton, Chief Telegraph Engineer, who will make the trip overland.

A good story is going the rounds regarding a lady in connection with the repent Hastings municipal by-elections, fa which Messrs Fowler, Langley, and Beamish were the candidates. The lady tells the story herself. “ I was rung up and asked if I wanted a car to take me to the booth, and I said ‘Yes.’ ‘I suppose you're to vofo for Mr Langley?’ and I said ‘Yes.’ ‘Oh, I’m so pleased; tho car will be down at once.’ Then I met Mr Fowler, and he said: ‘I needn’t ask for your vote, Mrs , because you always support me,’and I said ‘Yes,’ so he was pleased, and soon after I met Mr Beamish, who asked me if I was going to vote for him, and I'said ‘Yes.’ In the end I voted to please myself, so we were all pleased.”

Strong comment on the extent of the opium traffic by Europeans was made to Grey ‘ Star ’ reporter by Detective Young. “ This disgraceful trade is going on every day,” declared the detective. “There are apparently plenty of allegedly Christian people willing to make drug fiends of the Chinese residents of this town just for the sake of a few shillings' profit. _ It is a dastardly traffic, and the police intend to mate an example of the first individual caught at it. Tho reason generally offered for tho purchase of opium is that it is-required for horses. If that could hold any water at all, there must be a lot of ‘ doped ’ horses in the district. The chemists are probably quite ignorant of what is going on, but they should use every discretion, as there have now been two cases In which tho existence of this traffic has come to light.”

A sure indication of better times is given in the report presented by the Social Welfare Committee to the Wellington Hospital Board last week (savs the ‘ Dominion This shows that‘for the four weeks from December 4 to January 1 only nineteen fresh applications had been received. On December 4 the number of cases standing on the books was 107; twenty-two cases had terminated during the month, leaving 104 standing at January 1. How unemployment had fallen off was indicated by the fact that in August there were thirty-eight applicants for relief, in September twenty-six, in October thirty-one. in November twentythree, and in December only nine. “ I have pleasure in informing the board,” said Mr J. Petherick, chairman of the Social Welfare Committee, “that the number of unemployed seeking relief from the committee now stands at two. In nil my connection with the board I have never known such a satisfactory slate of affairs. It is easily a record. The amount paid out in relief under the heading of unemployment only amounted to £6 for the month.”

If the story of two young men from the South Island is to be believed (says the. Auckland Star ’), there is a regular young army of unemployed in Auckland, following on the inevitable slowing down of the wheels of trade after the Christmas and New Year rush. In conversation with a ‘ Star ’ reporter, they stated that for the past seven weeks they had been looking for employment. What they wanted was not a job for a day or two, but something which would bring in wages for about a month, so that they might gather together the wherewithal to return south. Scanning the daily advertisement columns keenly and early, they made it a practice to make a bid for anv sort of job that promised to be at all permanent. They are now weary, disappointed, and drawing rapidly near to the day when the exchequer will register “ nil.’’ Forty, fifty—in ono instance eighty—men were usually before them whenever they arrived at the placed named as the depot for applications. Every kind of job, from draper’s assistant, store hand* lorry driver, lift man, to laborer had been tried, but without success. Always the long queue, and tho announcement, taunting in its frequency, ‘'The job has ‘been filled.” One of the southerners looked at the rapidly-moving throngs in Queen street, and remarked that it was strange that, in a town apparently so busy and prosperous, two well-set-up young men should feel the pinch.

A popular danoe to-night in the South Dunedin Town Hall; Sunshine Band*

Yes, wo have no bananas, but plenty cheap Jam and, Jelly. Jars.—Todd's White House, George street.—[.Advt.] A complimentary social has been arranged to do honor to Mr G. A. Martin (president of tho Otago Cricket Association)!, who ig leaving Dunodin in a fow days’ time to take up his residence in Wellington. Tho gathering will take place in the Tudor Hall at the Savoy on Thursday evening neat, when the O.G.A. and its supporters and tho Carisbrook Club will both take tho opportunity of marking their appreciation of My Martin’e services to the game. Occasion will also bo taken •to do honor to tho .Otago team for its performances in the series of Pltmkeb Shield matches this season. It is expected that a largo number of those interested! In cricket will attend. For underclothing, gcrra-loden handkerchiefs, etc., “No-rubbing’’ Laundry Help ■has no equal.—A. Goodley and Sons.—[Advt.] lllingßworth’a British-made roll film ,fs issued in aji standard sizes to suit all makes of cameras. Obtainable at all dealers,— H. J. Gill, Frederick street. —[Advt.]