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Evening Star, Issue 19763, 13 January 1928, Page 4

Having travelled a good deal recently throughout Otago, Cr W. J. Lewis, of the Peninsula County Council, has come to the conclusion that between Onmaru anil Balclutha there is a road no more sorely worn through traffic than the bench road from Portobello to Dunedin. At the monthly meeting of the council yesterday some discussion on tho subject _ elicited the information that approximately the average number of bus runs per day on the road was eighty-seven, the highest number recorded being ninety-four. Also, as many as 125 car and thirtyseven lorry runs were usually made. What do you know. about the dog tax? The dog tax and the question of appointing a collector to collect the dog tax interested the members of the Peninsula County Council at its monthly meeting yesterday. First of all it was decided that the lee for being the owner of a working or collie dog should be 2s 6d, and in the case of a sporting dog 7s 60. Not much argument about that. But when it came to appointing a collector under the new agreement a few differences of opinion were expressed which involved a plunge into the depths of the psychology of collecting. One councillor had in view for the position a certain party whom ho declared to be not only the ideal collector, but also a man who had a discerning eye for any mongrel animals which needed extermination. “ I believe,” he said, “ that collectors are born; they have to have a peculiar temperament to carry out the job.” Although his nomination was quite favorably received, it was decided to terminate the present agreement and call for fresh applications, so as to give everybody a chance. “If we looked only for a collector who is an expert at exterminating dogs we soon would not be in need of a collector at all,” remarked the chairman (Cr H. Macandrew) amid a chorus of laughter. However, the council does not anticipate that the Peninsula’s canine population will be decimated, because it was decided that 500 collars be tendered for. ,

The Otago Centre of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association has met with a ready response from the public for the billeting of .intermediate and junior swimmers visiting Dunedin for the New Zealand national swimming championships next week. At the present time, only three swimmers remain to bo billeted, their names having come to hand only to-day.

Everybody has heard of the “ Government stroke,” the alleged “ goslow ” action of the employees of the dominion’s ruling body. Fortunately, however, it has now become merely a time-honored joke with no particular significance. At their montldy meeting yesterday the members of the Peninsula County Council at one stage found themselves involved in a minor debate concerning the merits and demerits of “ banjo swingers ” when one member referred jokingly to the exponents of the famous' “Government stroke.” Whereupon sturdy defence of these workers came from the chairman (Cr H. Macandrew) and Cr R. Morrison. “During my career I have had many railway employees under me,” declared Cr Macandrew, “ and I could wish for no finer men. Of course, how they shape depends to a large extent upon the foremen.. The bullying kind do not get the best out of them.” “ Splendid fellows,” agreed Cr Morrison. Referring to the those men who, quite,unsuited to hard work, had been forced through unemployment to labor on Public Works jobs, this speaker stated that too much could not be expected of them until they were used to the conditions. It takes very little imagination to' read between the lines of a letter received by a Dunedin resident from a farming relative in Waitoa to call up visions of the effects of the sweltering beat being experienced in the Thames Valley. According to the writer the settlers in that locality are positively gasping for rain. A really serious drought has come upon them, and the land for miles around is thoroughly parched. Only a fair amount of tank water is available, and on account of the presence of peat in the' swamp near this particular farm the well water is not fit to use. At the moment of writing there was no prospect of rain, and consequently great anxiety was being felt. An association message from Hamilton states that an outbreak of fire this morning practically gutted a tworoomed cottage, occupied by E. Willis, at Frankton, and owned by Mrs Sykes, of Frankton. The building was insured for £2OO in the Standard Office.

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