Untitled

Evening Star, Issue 20982, 22 December 1931, Page 8

Of the offerings at the Dunedin wool sales last week 110 per cent, sold under the hammer, and tlio results were even hotter than that statement discloses, since about half the quantity passed in changed hands on the Friday morning after the sales, before the visiting buyers went away, leaving only 5 per cent, unsold. In the majority of the second-thought transactions the initiative was on the part of the grower. That is what commonly happens. Buyers’ limits are generally fixed, whereas growers arc at liberty to speak lor themselves and abate a farthing or whatever it may be, if so disposed, to realise promptly. One of our leading men in the wool business has figured out that the prices obtained in Dunedin were fully up to London present values. During the past six months the Returned Soldiers’ Association has been able to provide a great deal of assistance to ox-servicemen on relief work by providing them with several days’ work during their stand-down week, and to date the amount expended in wages in this way is £2,375. This money was made available through the generous public response on last Poppy Day and various donations to the association. The work has been provided at Chisholm Park, where a golf course has been constructed. During last week 104 men were employed on the job, and this week about a similar number have been engaged. Work on the links ceased to-day. As the result of the recent decision of the Arbitration Court that employees would be entitled to be paid wages if the boot factories remained closed (as was intended) for a period of a few weeks over the holiday time, the boot manufacturers have decided to keep their factories open as usual. It is possible that, as a further resuft of the decision, a number of unskilled workers will be permanently dismissed. —Christchurch Association message.

A ■Wellington Association message states that Dr. Kidson, 'director of Dominion Meteorological Services, returned by the Rangitane from England, where he attended the centenary meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. He also attended a meeting of the International Meteorological Society at Locarno, Switzerland, and went to Norway _ to study the advanced meteorological work being carried out in that country. Among the arrivals by the Rangitane at Wellington this morning was Lieu-tenant-general Sir Henry Lawson, K.C.8., who spends a short holiday in Now Zealand as the guest of Lord Bledisloo before visiting his brother, Sir Jas. A. Lawson, in Australia. Ho proposes to stay in the dominion until January 12, and hopes to visit Rotorua, National Park, and other spots in the North Island, afterwards visiting the Franz Josef Glacier, the Duller Gorge, and the Southern Lakes. Sir Henry Lawson is a prominent worker for the League of Nations, and is sanguine that its efforts to prevent serious warfare in the Far East will bear fruit.— Press Association telegram. The secretary of the Otago Anglers’ Association supplies the following _ information:—At Lumsden the conditions are excellent, fish in the vicinity of the township rising freely to the fly. Heavy fish are being caught in the Mossburn district. The rivers thereabouts are in good order. Gatlins River has been good, but is now low and clear. Rain is badly wanted. The best river in the district at present is probably the Tahakopa, in the upper reaches. The Maclennan is also good; the Owaka very low and weedy, but the fish plentiful. The Puorua, Glenomaru, and Waiwera are hopelessly low and weedy. The Mataura is in excellent condition and good baskets are being secured. The Pomahaka was high and discoloured on Friday, but the weather is now more settled, and this stream should he in good condition for Christmas. It is improving daily. Visitors say that the Pomahaka is full of fish. The Waipori dam is still furnishing good sport. The Shag River above Glenpark dam is reported to bo almost unfishable owing to weed. Good night fishing is being got from the pool below the dam.

Big engines for use in the North Island are being built at the Hutt Railway Workshops. The steel castings of these engines, however, are coming out of tho Hillside Workshops, which lias tho largest and most complete foundry belonging to the service.

Those of our citizens who take note of the rises and fails in the Dunedin reservoirs and record the same, should register the fact that the total stored water yesterday morning was 104,040,000ga1, a loss for the seven days of six: and a-rjuarter million gallons. Jn our paragraph last night the lintoypo made an obvious mistake as to the figures,

On Sunday evening the cantata ‘ The Life Divine ’ (Joseph Elliott) was, rendered by the Caversham .Baptist Choir to a crowded congregation. After a brief service and a few introductory remarks by the Rev. H. E. Edridge, the minister of the church, a number of solos from ‘ The Messiah ’ were rendered by the soloists, Miss Florence Sumner, Miss Helen Roy, Messrs G. Crawford, and William Hilliker. Tho choir of forty voices .then delighted the largo congregation with a well-balanced and finished rendering of the cantata, which traces the Gospel story from the events preceding the birth of Christ, to the triumphant resurrection. The performance reflected the greatest credit upon the choirmaster, Mr Charles Clark, who was ably assisted by the organist of the church, Mr C. W. Clark, who also shared with Mrs Frank Clark the duties of accompanist.

Mr P. A. de la Perrelle, M.P., received advice yesterday from the Unemployment Board (says a Press Association telegram from Invercargill) that a subsidy of £3 a ton is payable on hemp exported to places other than to Australia. The hoax’d in the meantime is meeting the difference in exchange in anything exceeding £5 per cent.

A genei-ous donation of sausages by a local butcher has enabled the Returned Soldiers’ Association to considerably increase the size of the Christmas parcels which are being distributed on Thursday to over 700 ex-servicemen who are not happily placed at present. Both single and married men will participate in the distribution, which will take place between 9.30 and 4.30. There was much activity in the social hall today in the packing of the parcels, which entail a great deal of work. Ait event unique in the history of Wellington and which aroused much interest on the waterfront occurred in Wellington yesterday morning (says a Press Association telegram), when the Wellington Hai’bour Board served a writ on the Richardson steamer Pakura, claiming £5,000 salvage. The Pakura struck an unknown rock while approaching the Tora landing on the east coast on November 7. She was towed off the rock the following day by the Harbour Board’s tug Toia, which then towed her to Wellington. The Pakura was extensively damaged, and spent three weeks on the patent slip undergoing repairs. She left hero on her first trip since the mishap last Tuesday, and returned to Wellington yesterday morning from Gisborne. Shortly after her arrival the writ was solemly attached to the Pakura’s foremast. The writ was a wordy legal document of extreme length. A further message to-day from Napier states that the manager of Richardson’s states that the writ on the Pakura was issued by mistake and has been withdrawn. The claim will be settled in the usual way, by arbitration. •

Save your eyes. Be wise, and consult W. V. Stunner (optician, 2 Octagon), thus conserving good vision for old age.— [Advt.] S. E. Ferguson, jeweller, optician, corner George street and Moray place. A choice selection of Diamond Engagements Rings selling now from £5 10s. Christmas presents in groat variety.—[Advt.]

According to custom, Messrs Thomson and Co., cordial manufacturers, have issued a beautiful coloured picture for presentation to their clients. It is a reproduction of a portrait in oils of a charming girl, very skilfully done, showing firmness of line and a most effective colour scheme. This picture is admiraby adapted for framing. The inscription on the picture is “ Purity, 1932,’’ v/lik-h uo doubt is intended to convey the quality of the firm's