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Evening Star, Issue 19407, 16 November 1926, Page 6

Having previously made complaints without satisfaction to the Union Steam Ship Company, a Dunedin firm asked the Chamber of Commerce Inst night to take up the brief on its behalf. Messrs Irvine and Stevenson wrote complaining of the delay in delivery of goods by steamer from Dunedin to the West Coast and Gisborne. Mr H. G. Campbell said the chamber had approached the Union Company, which was making inquiries, but in any case satisfaction would not bo reached. Since the generator at 4YA has been repaired the transmissions have been received with greater clarity and strength all over New' Zealand. The radiation output has been increased, and in certain parts of Otago, where fading was bad, a marked improvement has been reported. Letters from Nelson and Napier have been received recently, stating that the reception has been better from the Dunedin station than from any of the other Now Zealand stations, being at good loudspeaker strength. Also reports have already come to hand saying that the Knox Church jubilee service on Sunday night came through excellently.

Commencement of the summer timetable of the railway express service between Dunedin and Invercargill earlier than December 6 in each year has been urged by the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce. Last night the chamber received a reply to its request from the Minister of Railways, who could not see his way to accede. Me wrote that the traffic would not warrant the service being commenced till near Christmas; it had been started earlier last year owing to the Exhibition “ 1 didn’t anticipate that anything -would be done, and nothing has been done,” was the comment of the president, Mr H. C. Campbell.

*An Invercargill Press Association telegram states that the Supreme Court opened this morning. There was only one criminal case. Allan Bolhngton, charged with escaping from the Borstal Institution, was ordered five years’ detention* , _ .

“ Ambiguous,” commented members of tho council of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce last night, when a reply was received from the Stores Control Board that in the past it had not been the policy to divulge the prices of tho successful tenders, but the gazetting of the results in the future would receive consideration. Mr H. C. Campbell said the chamber ( had achieved its aim in that the prices would be gazetted. Members disagreed, taking the reply as meaning that only the name would be gazetted. Mr G. Benson: “The chamber should not accept that reply.” Mr F. J. Shortt said ho understood that in all probability the results would be gazetted. The chamber decided to press its claims that the names and prices of successful tenders should bo given on application being made to tho board. They did not desire the information to be generally published. Tho register at the Labor Department’s unemployment bureau was purged yesterday, the total on the roll now being 181. There were no fresh applications for work this morning, and two laborers were placed. Two farm jobs arc offering, and there is a vacancy for a married couple. Skilled tradesmen are not difficult to place, but the supply of laborers is still considerably greater than the demand. “ Support your' own. race and keep New Zealand white” is the plea of the White New Zealand League, which has its headquarters at Pukckohe. The Dunedin Chamber of Commerce last night received a letter from the league asking for support of its objects and of tho protest against a further influx of Asiatics into the dominion. From the pamphlets forwarded, Mr H. C. Campbell said, the photographs showed that a fair number of Asiatics were settling in the .northern districts _in rough camps, and were competing in the labor market. Tho influx of colored races had brought homo to tho league founders the desirability of keeping tho population of New Zealand white. Hindus and Chinese wove going into the district. but the influx was not so visible in Diniedn at the present time. Tho president said the chamber should support tho league, and forward its protest to the Minister. Members; “Hear, hear.” When Mr Campbell asked if ho could take the remarks as favoring support, members exclaimed “ Certainly.” A private screening of the Paramount picture, ‘The Vanishing Race,’ is to bo held at tho Empire Theatre to-morrow. Members of Parliament, clergymen*, and school teachers have been invited to attend.

It was reported to the meeting of the Education Board to-day that the Education Department had approved of the purchase of Mrs Miller’s property as an extension of the Mornington School site, the area of the new ground being roods 18 poles. The Chairman (Mr J. Wallace): “I am glad to be able to tell you that. They will have an ideal school section up there now. They have waited for years for the section.” Mr J. H. Wilkinson said it would ho good news for the Mornington people. It was decided to thank the department. Protests from tho New Zealand Association of British Manufacturers and Agents and Messrs Ross and Glendinning, Ltd., were received, by the Chamber of Commerce last night, when Mr G. Benson moved that the council send a protest to the secretary of tho Telegraph Department and the Post-master-General, copies of the letters before the meeting to be forwarded. Ho said it was generally known that the New Zealand Government was a shareholder .in tho Pacific Cable Company, and, therefore the dominion would have representation at the International Conference, which fixed the new regulations. Individually New Zealand and Australian business men used the cables more than any other commercial interests in the world, and they had very great grounds for complaint. “The very fact of our distance from tho trade centres of tho world is in itself a need for our use of cables,” said Mr J. Phillips, who seconded tho motion. > “ The increase is a retrograde step.’’ Mr Benson added that the first notice of the increase was received from tho Telegraph Department on November I, and the Cable Board’s intimation did not come to hand till November 11. That fact was worth noting. The motion was carried unanimously.

Tho Pacific Cable Board advises that one of tho two vessels engaged duplicating the Pacific cable arrived at Fanning Island on Sunday morning and commenced laying the shore end of the cable yesterday. The Faraday, which is laying the section between Fanning Island and Suva, is working on the shore end at Suva. She has still 485 miles of cable to lay to where the intermediate section is buoyed.—Press Association.

Although only one “ drunk appeared at the City Police Court this morning, a magistrate, three police officers, the assistant clerk of the court and two reporters were required to he on duty. The country's revenue only henofittod to the extent of a modest 10s

A Wellington Association message states that a five-roomed house and its contents, owned and occupied by Mr H. Pope, at Lower Hutt, was burned last night. An insurance of £3OO was on tho house, hut there was nothing on the contents.

Timber can bo imported more cheaply from America than it can be bought for in New Zealand. This was stated at last night’s meeting of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, which had before it a letter from the Federated Saw-millers’ Association giving particulars of the timber industry in New Zealand. The industry, the association claimed, was menaced by the huge and unnecessary importations of timber. The adverse state of the trade balance of the dominion had been brought home of late by the trade depression and tide of unemployment. Mr H. C. Campbell (the president) said that the Auckland Chamber had criticised the figures before the association, and the matter was to be brought up at the conference of chambers next week. Air H. Halliday said the question was one of price. Even at the saw-mills New Zealand timber w-as dearer than imported timber. His firm had recently purchased 600,000 ft of timber. The lowest price in New’ Zealand was 34s 6d, and they had actually landed American timber at 23s 3d, and that included duty. “ How on earth can our New Zealand mills compete?” ho asked. At the time of the purchase, it must be said, the American mills were price cutting, but even at ordinary times best Oregon timber could be bought for 32s Cd or 33e 6d. Mr Campbell said that in the; past iw’enty-five years the price of timber in New Zealand had advanced by-500 to COO per cent. Bobbed hair annoys Air Zano Grey, the American author. In his book on New' Zealand fishing he mentions touching at Tahiti, where the women “wore their hair in braids down their backs, like American schoolgirls of long ago, when something of America still survived in our girls. These Tahitians,” he says, “had light-brown, sometimes nut-brown and chestnut hair, rich and thick and beautiful. What a delight to seel What pleasure to walk behind one of these barefooted and free-stepping maidens just for the innocent happiness of gazing at their wonderful braid! No scrawny, shaved, bristling necks, such as the flappers exhibit now to man’s bewildered disgust; no erotic and abnormal signs of wanting to resemble a male I Goodness only knows why so-called civilised white women of modern times wmnt to look like men, but so it seems they do. If they could see the backs of the heads of these Tahitian girls and their long, graceful braids of hair, that even a fool of a man could tell made very little trouble and was so exquisitely feminine and beautiful, they might have a moment of illumined mind.’ 5

There was no call on the Dunedin Stock Exchange this morning owing to the death of one of the members.

Tho postal authorities report that the steamer Karetu, which left Sydney yesterday for Bluff, has seven bags and one hamper of Australian mails for Dunedin. The matter is due here about Monday. A big two-cabin—or “ bogie ”—tramcar interrupted- the services for about twenty minutes yesterday. At 4.20 p.m., as tho car .was turning into lower High street to go around the balloon loop, prior to journeying to Forbury Corner, the rear bogie came off tho points, and the back portion of the car swung across the main north line. Traffic via the Princes street lines and north via Castle street was blocked until the “ break-down gang ” from the tram sheds had replaced the car on the rails. In the Christchurch Magistrate’s Court, David Charles M'Gill, a clerk, aged thirty-one, was charged with having stolen, in March, 1926, at Invercargill, the sum of £l7, the property of the Electrolux Company. He was further charged with having failed to comply with the terms of his release on probation at Dunedin. On tho application of tho chief-detective, M'Gill was remanded to appear at Dunedin on November 18.

Construction of the new Cavershacm School is now well advanced, and most that remains to be done is finishing work- The new building will be ready for occupation at the commencement of tho 1927 school year. The school committee informed the Education Board to-day that it wished to have the gymnasium removed from tho old to tho new site, and asked if tho board or tli© department would bear the cost of the removal. The architect was instructed to report to tho next meeting of the board.

Tho loud laugh is not the only sound that speaks the vacant mind. One or two telling situations in the play ‘ White Cargo ’ were marred for some occupants of the dress circle at His Majesty’s Theatre last night by an insistent, annoying, and inane giggle from a girl in one of the rear seats.,. It is a pity that this should be, for nothing disturbs the intent watcher of a play so much as an ill-timed giggle from near at hand.

Tho New Zealand Broadcasting Company has secured the services of Mr J. M. Prentice, “Undo Jack” of 2BL, Sydney, as chief announcer. Mr Prentice will organise the studios of_ the four New Zealand stations, visiting the maud training the announcers. He will also act as adviser on all questions relating to programme preparation and presentation.

A temperature of 102 dog in the shade was endured while the steamer Kamona was at Grafton (Clarence River) last month, when tho bush fires were raging in Queensland and New South Wales, an officer of the ship said to-day. The nearest fire-ravaged place was Lismoro, eight or nine miles distant,, but at Grafton, as well as intense heat, there was dense smoke. “ A north-west wind carried the smoke overland, and for five days it was worse than fog. Wo couldn’t stick inside. We couldn’t breathe,” stated tho officer. The Kamona reached Grafton on October 15 and left on October 25 for Port Stephens to continue loading. This morning when the ship arrived at Dunedin the glass registered only 49deg, and. as tho officer remarked with satisfaction, “it.is a change from 102 deg.”

Another sale at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery Society’s exhibition is of ‘Tree Penis, West Coast,’ a study in water colors by Albert J. Rao. _ A number of lady members of the society have arranged* to provide afternoon tea to-morrow. Visitors are deeply interested in the paintings and artcrafts work, also in the pictorial photographs that are displayed under the direction of tho Dunedin Photographic Society. None of the recognised arts has made such rapid and satisfactory progress during the past twenty-five years as that of pictorial photography, and the Art Gallery Society, in granting space for the display now made, is deserving of general thanks. It is a forward move. The exhibition is open to all photographers, professional, and amateur. It is tho only one of its kind held in the dominion, and is rapidly taking its place with those of the overseas. photographic salons. Prints have been sent Irom various parts of the dominion, and entered into competition for the awards given by the Dunedin Photographic Society. Mr A. 11. O'Keeffe judged the prints. Mis awards wore printed in yesterday’s ‘ Star.’ The highest award—the bronze plaque for the best picture exhibited — goes to Miss Una Garlick (Auckland), and it is a well-merited win.

Passing the prison gates this morning, a newspaper man mot Ensign Coombs, the Salvation Army Samaritan officer, in a hurry, as usual. “ I’m on my rounds,” she said, “and it isn’t all sad work. Calling here and there, amongst the poor, I am giving an eye to what is wanted here and is a necessity there, so that in my yearly distribution of a thousand Christmas gifts some good purposes may bo served. If no actual need is suggested by my observation I ask what 1 shall tell Santa Clans, if I meet him, and the common answer from penniless children is that they would like dolls or horses or some other _ kind of toy that they have been sighing tor. Today I came upon a variation ot the appeal; ‘We don’t want toys this year; we’re saving our pennies to buy a sofa: for grandfather when be comes out ot the hospital.’ Touching, wasn’t it? A sofa is a big thing for Santa Clans to carry round and squeeze down the chimney, lint perhaps it may bo managed. Wonderful how faith works. In another home I found seven children, and only three chairs. That, too, looks like an awkward proposition; still, it cannot he impossible, lor there must bo a sofa and chairs waiting to bo lent to the Lord.”

Wo have seen the new penny stamp just issued for the dominion It is a great improvement on the now designs we have had of late, notably the Exhibition set and the new 2s and 3s Values. The new stamp has a fine portrait of King George in military uniform, and the portrait compares very favorably with all other British dominion portraits of the King. The border is of Maori art design, and the color red as usual. «

In April last, when Police Commissioner W. B. MTlveucy was in Dunedin, a deputation of business men waited on him and asked that the status of the local police district should be raised by the appointment of an inspector. An unfavorable reply tothe proposal was then made. Last night the Chamber of Commerce received a letter from the Otago Expansion League stating that the mayor (Mr H. L. Tapley, M.P.) had informed the league that a more suitable time to press the claim had now arisen. Mr H. C. Campbell, the president, said that the administrative heads in Dunedin were the superintendent and subinspector. The superintendent was absent through illness, and it was anticipated that he would be off duty for some months. As the sub-inspector had no power to act on tiro imprest account, from which the men were paid, an inspector had to be brought from Christchurch, which necessitated an expenditure of ICs per day. Mr F. J. Shortt said the interview with the Commissioner had been very satisfactory as Mr MTlveney had stated his sympathies wore with Dunedin, where he had been stationed originally. He would make inquiries and see if the appointment of an inspector was warranted, but he had given an adverse reply. On the motion of Mr J. Phillips, who urged that Dunedin’s police status should be the same as the other cities, the chamber decided to again press its claims for elevation by the appointment of an inspector-

The Director of Education has advised the Education Board that the Education Department recognises that at some future date a new school in place of the Albany Street School will be erected on the new site, but states that no funds are available at present. The Minister 'of Education has also advised that the matter will receive his earliest consideration.

The long arm of coincidence was In evidence to a Levinite recently m a rather remarkable fashion (says 1 the ‘Chronicle’). Mr G. N. Newman, of the Newman Transport Company, was commissioned by a Levin resident to pick up and transport to Levin a ship’s boat the latter had purchased in Wellington. On doing so Mr Newman found that the boat was the identical craft which, nearly twenty years before, had saved his life and those of fellowmembers of the ship’s company of the steamer Rakanoa. The vessel was commanded by Mr Newman’s uncle in 1907, and she went ashore near Westport. The officers and crew escaped in the No. lifeboat, and it was the selfsame boar that came to Levin per Mr Newman’s lorry;’ the Rakanoa having been dismantled and disposed of. “We are good friends,” admitted a witness in the Supreme Court at Wellington when lie was questioned regarding his attitude towards another party in the case. “I bought a racehorse from him.” Mr Justice MacGregor; “That is a severe test of friendship, isn’t it?” (Laughter.) Witness. “ Yes. Our friendship has survived the horse deal.” Counsel: “It has won a race or two, hasn’t it?” Witness; “Yes, it has had a win.” Counsel: “The friendship is therefore sealed.” (Renewed laughter.)

A further .consignment of animals and birds for the Auckland Zoo arrived by the steamer Canadian Scottish from Montreal last week. The vessel’s live cargo consisted of two porcupines, two racoons, two “deodorised” skunks, two prairie marmots, two turtles, two coyotes, and a pair of great-horned owis. All the birds and animals arrived in good health after their long sea voyage.

For glasses guaranteed to suit consult W. V; Simmer, G.A.0.C., D.S.O.L, 2 Octagon, Dunedin; ’phone 7,s2s.—[Advt.] Every lady loves the fascinating beauty of a good diamond. Williamsons, the jewellers, show the brilliant kind.—[Advt.)

Train arrangements and fares in connection with the Otago Show and Forbury Park trotting races arc announced by the Railway Department in this issue.

A novel scheme for raising money will bo launched on Monday next, November 22, in the Y.M.C.A. buildings, taking the form of a gallery of photos of loading professional and business men and women of this town. Over 200 photos will be on view, and the public aro asked to guess tbo names of the originals. Substantial prizes aro being offered, and it is anticipated thfjt a great amount of interest will bo aroused.