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Evening Star, Issue 18729, 3 September 1924, Page 6

troops 'to be withdrawn was, it lias been stated, less than the cost of two weeks of tlic military occupation thus abolished. As a result of a total League expenditure of £6,000, of which Great Britain’s share was roughly £6OO, a British loan of £2,000,000 to Austria, was converted from a hopelessly bad debt into a soiind security. That £2,000,000, it has been pointed out, would pay Great Britain’s contribution to the League for twenty years to come. The total present expenditure of the nations on armaments has been reckoned at £600,000,000 a year. A reduction of it by only 1 per cent, would bo more than six times enough in itself to keep the League running on its present basis.

The public at largo are interested in the fact that the telephone system at the Dunedin Hospital is being extended and modernised by a new installation that Turnbull and Jones are already at work on. It will very much facilitate the business of those who wish to communicate with the hospital, and also be a help to the staff. As part of the new arrangements, the Medical School over the way is to be linked up with the hospital.

One of the questions recently addressed to this office is as to whether there is any truth in the rumor that the part of King street that stands between the Dunedin Hospital and the Medical School- is to bo closed. The answer is that this matter has been spoken about quite informally at various times, and that it has not yet got to the length of a formulated proposal. The position is that the Hospital Board owns all the property on the oast side of King street between Hanover and Frederick streets, and the University Council owns most of the ground opposite, and it has sometimes been said that it wood he in the interests of the hospital patients and in furtherance of the Medical School work and the necessarily close relationship of the two institutions if the traffic on that portion of King street could be shut out by Order in Council. Some clay the .proposal may take shape. At present it is quite in the air. A Wellington Press Association telegram states that in the Supreme Court the grand jury threw out the bill in the case against Dr Martin, of Ngaruawahia, charged with manslaughter arising out of an accident in which a young widow was knocked down and killed by the doctor’s car.

The oldest resident at the Costley Home (Auckland), aged ninety-eight years, passed away recently. He was a very sturdy type of the British pioneer, and had gone through many experiences during his long life (says the ‘ Star ’). He had spent some time in Egypt, and had moved in a good position in life. One of his sous was the contractor who completed the Assouan dam on the Nile, and the father’s mind was a vast storehouse of information regarding the numerous antiquities that are found within the Nile Valley, which included pyramids, tombs, temples, palaces, obelisks, sphinxes, and many other relics of the former greatness of the Egyptians. He used to explain how Assouan is 159 miles above the ruins of Thebus, and how the Valley of the Nile became contracted, at the place where the great clams were erected, to a mere ravine. When seen lately by some members of the Hospital Board I lie old gentleman expressed the hope that ho might live to be 100, but his wish was not gratified, and after a long life of usefulness he has passed away. “A person who says there is no place for art in human life is an animal —an alimentary canal, capable only of consuming food,” declared Air A. J. C. Fisher, the newly-appointed director of the Elam School of Art, at a social gathering (says tho Auckland ‘Herald’). I would divest such a person of everything beautiful—of his house, his clothes, and his body as well—for a person who expresses those views is not fit to own them. 1 would impress upon all that art is of vital importance. No man can do anything unless he has material to handle and unless he is of a country which recognises that culture is worth while. And I would say, further, that culture and art are not to be reckoned by the dollar bill or butter-fat.” The thrust was greeted with laughter and applause. Those citizens who managed the Oriental Carnival in Dunedin and tho many who patronised it will be pleased to learn that the St. John Ambulance Association does not intend to let the proceeds lie idle. Tenders have been called for supplying a third ambulance, and, instead of preparing specifications, the executive has wisely decided to simply ask tenderers to state what type of vehicle they are in a position to provide. Tho desire is to procure the very best ambulance that can he got for the money that is available, and it may be that tenderers have ideas as to improvements in design or mechanism; if so the association will get tho benefit thereof. Alarmist reports that hostilities had taken place between members of the Wesleyan Church (Tonga) and members of the Free Church of Tonga who opposed tho amalgamation of the two bodies do not appear to have any basis in fact beyond the episode where a prominent native who, as mayor of the village, attempted to break up a Free Church gathering by flourishing a club, inflicted a wound upon one man so that the Minister of the Police Department found it necessary to take action to prevent physical violence. Nevertheless, there has been a considerable stir over the matter, which does not end with litigation over a property valued at £IOO,OOO. The Free Church won the action which its representatives brought in the Land Court, but an appeal is to be made before a special tribunal, the personnel of which is such that Mr R. N. Body, of Auckland, counsel for plaintiffs, declined to appear before it. The suggestion is that the Queen of Tonga has acted in a very despotic manner, and that the selected tribunal is not composed of disinterested individuals with the exception of the Chief Justice and one member from Fiji. Air Body has sent a letter of protest to the Queen of Tonga, and sent copies to the British agent in Tonga, with the request that they be forwarded to the Secretary of State for the Colonies.—Auckland message.

An inquest of an unusual nature was held before Mr P. K. Hunt, S.M., at Auckland last week, the subject being the skeleton which was unearthed during excavation work under the Bank of New Zealand on May 12. Dr D. N. W. Murray stated that in his opinion tho skeleton was that of a white man, aged about fifty or sixty years, and that it had probably been in tho ground for sixty years. It was impossible, of course, to certify the cause of death. Detective Meiklejohn stated that ho had made every effort to establish the identity of the deceased, but had failed to do so. He added: that a man named Hamilton disappeared about 1856, and no trace of him had been discovered. The coroner returned an open verdict.

Although New Zealand leads the world in the matter of tire people’s thrift—that is, in the amount per head standing at credit in the Savings Bank, which is £3B— are periods of anxiety which oome and go (says the Wellington ‘Dominion’). One of these periods has just passed, for, during the last financial year, the pendulum swung from an excess of withdrawals of a little over & million sterling to an excess of deposits of just under a hundred thousand pounds. The statistics show that the amount in the Savings Banks closely resembles the amount of the value of the dominion’s exports. For instance, the credit of depositors is now close to fifty millions, while the export values have just passed that mark. Which is the thriftiest district in New Zealand? If the question may be answered 1 from the state of the Savings Bank accounts at tho moment, then Oamaru holds supremacy. Compared by the average amount standing at the credit of each open account at the end of March last, the order of merit runs {fansOamaru, £BO 7s; Timaru, £79 11s; Christchurch, £6B 19s; Hamilton, £6B 18s; New Plymouth, £6B 14s; Invercargill, £6B ss; Dunedin, £67 18s; Wellington, £65 4s; Groymouth, £64 10s; Napier, £63 12s; Blenheim, £6l 10s; Nelson, £6l 6s; Westport, £59 16s; Auckland, £59 Bs,

The conversion of Leith street into one of -the garden streets of Dunedin is going on steadily as part of the work of the engineer’s staff. The operations extend round into St.. David street as far n.s the bridge. Eventually the soldiers' memorial walk, of which this street improvement is the beginning, will be all round the university area,.but on the western side the walk will bo on the university property, along the banks of the Leith, so it will not touch Gastle street. The carriage way in Leith street is being reduced from 46ft to 26ft by tho forming of a grass walk. Even at its reduced width for vehicles, Leith street will he as wide as some of, the thoroughfares in the heart of London. Tho cost of this memorial walk will not be a charge on the rates, nor on the funds of the Otago University. The students) are taking the financial responsibility, as their tribute to tho men who fought and did not coma back, and it is understood that tho money already collected justifies the going on with the scheme.

Mr Alexander, Dunedin city engineer, has already set about tho task of replacing with a now set of 14in pipes the outlet pipes of the Southern Besorvoir that have been damaged. Tho third shaft is not quite completed, but the exploration thus far has shown that the replacing is necessary, and no time is being lost*in providing an outlet that will deliver the water supply by gravitation, and enable the reservoir to be emptied when necessary. It is understood that some of the old 18in pipes are still serviceable, and these will be retained. This reservoir was to-day holding 65,150.000 gallons, Just about tho normal quantity of water. There is no present intention of emptying it for any purpose.

Tho Dunedin branch of the Bank of New Zealand has collected just about the same amount of worn silver coins as the Christchurch branch was yesterday reported to have collected, about £IO,OOO worth. The collecting finished on Saturday of last week. Tho last previous ingathering of the sort was in August, 1905. As tho coins are all light they could not bo enumerated by weighing. They had to be hand counted, and that has been a bit of a job for the bank staff. Shillings form the largest item- in the Otago total of £IO,OOO, tho shilling thus withdrawn from circulation being of the value of approximately £4,000. The old 5s piece is represented, but by only a few coins. Nearly all the silver thus collected has been depreciated by what appears to be honest wear and tear. The mutilated coins do not aggregate 2 per cent. The parcel is to be shipped to the Eoyal Mint of Great Britain.

A meeting of the Green Island Cenotaph Committee was held in_ the Town Hall on Tuesday night to receive the bal-ance-sheet in connection with the C.T. and W.A. concert in aid of the fund. The total receipts were £l4 10s and the expenditure was £2 Is 6d, leaving a credit balance of £l2 8s 6d. A public meeting was hold afterwards, when the mayor (Air Tomkins) explained what a cenotaph really was. At a former meeting a resolution was carried that a cenotaph be erected. A discussion followed, after which it was moved by Air H. Taylor and seconded by Air A. Kano—“ That the original motion be adhered to, the names of the fallen soldiers only to be inscribed on the cenotaph.” Mr Crimp moved as an amendment—“ That only the words ‘to the memory of our glorious dead ' bo inscribed.” Mr Eason seconded 'the amendment, which was carried by a large majority. Several sites were mentioned as suitable for the cenotaph, and tills matter was left in the hands of the committee. A motion that a bazaar be held to raise the balance of the funds required to make the memorial an accomplished fact, and also that the committee go on with tho work at once, was carried. Air R. Thomson and Air W. Alurib were added to the committee.

Replying in the House of Representatives last night to Air De la Ferrelle, the Hon. J. G. Coates said he had hoped that the Commission appointed to inquire into our general system of railways would have been able to commence its duties last month, but from Information received he concluded that there was still some evidence to be taken in Australia. Under thesfi circumstances tho members of the Commission evidently would not be able to leave the Commonwealth as early as anticipated. _ At the meeting of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union yesterday afternoon attention was drawn to the case which came before the Police Court on Saturday morning. Tho union felt that it showed the need of raising the ago of consent for girls to twenty-one years. For a considerable period this alteration in tho Crimes Amendment Act has been urged by tho W.C.T.U., and it was emphasised again at the convention held in New Plymouth last Alarch. The W.C.T.U. holds that such a law will automatically afford protection to boys and young men under tho age of tvventy-ona Members of the union also stressed the need for the segregation of the sexual degenerate. Probate has been granted by His Honor Mr Justice Sim in the estates of Lydia Newton Gray (Island Cliff), and George M'Leod (Patearoa). Letters of administration have been granted in tha estate of Annie Gemmell Rockfort (Evansdale). Tho formal opening of the Opoho tram service will take place at the Gardens’ corner at 2 o’clock on Saturday afternoon. An adjournment will afterwards be made to Opoho, where speeches wiU he made and a sports gathering held for the children.

Our Parliamentary reporter wires that with reference to the allegations made in the House by Mr Holland, M.P., against Air A. A. Wilson, solicitor, of Westport, Air Wilson has telegraphed giving an emphatic denial to them, and stating that he has asked for an inquiry into the whole matter. Air Wilson adds that he took the platform against Air Holland at the last election.

Our Oamaru correspondent wires that a young man named Henry J. Roskilly appeared in the Alagislrate’s Cent this morning before Air Bundle, S.AI., charged with committing an unnatural offence at Kurow Oji August 28. Accused was committed to tho Supremo Court at Dunedin for sentence.

Big variety dolls’ prams (new models), 21s, 255, 50a, 40s.—Todd s White House, Georg# Btreft.—{Advt.] Attention is drawn to the advertisement relating to the sale of work to be opened in the new pavilion of tho iMornington Bowling Olub by the mayor (Mr H. Livingstone Taploy) to-morrow evening (Thursday), and continuing on the afternoon and evening of the following two days. The sale is in aid, of the furnishings of tho new pavilion and to provide a piano for future socials and dances. Residents of Mornington will note that this is the only available hall for dances in 'the district.

filingsv/orth’s British-made roll film t* Issued in all standard sizes to suit all makes of cameras. Obtainable at all dealers.—H. J. Gill, Frederick street.— TAdvt.l

Dr V. E. Galway will give an organ recital in First Church on Monday next. _ The vocalist is Mr L. North and the solo pianist Miss Mary Fraser.