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Evening Star, Issue 21570, 16 November 1933, Page 10

In its mayor (the Rev. E. T. Cox) Dunedin evidently has one who is prepared to champion its cause in every possible way. In welcoming the delegates to the Methodist Synod at a social last night, His Worship had nothing but tire highest praise for the city. After reminding the visitors of the wealth, enterprise, and culture of Dunedin, he went on to outline the attractions of various public possessions. He said that the Willi Eels wing of the Otago University Museum was fit to rank as a wing of the British Museum at South Kensington, and that the Town Hall and its appointments ranked first in the Southern Hemisphere. The mayor concluded with a few words of praise for the Dunedin climate. Hearty in which tho mayor joined, was stimulated later when the Rev. E. J. Handy, of Balclutha, who is the guest of Mr Cox during his stay in Dunedin, rose, and, after apologising for his provincial accent and country ways, stated that, while in Dunedin, he had heard many sounds to remind • him of his country home, one of these being “ the crowing of the cocks.” Authority has been granted by the Hospital Committee -of the Otago Board to forward to the' Minister of Health the tentative sketch plans submitted by Messrs Mason and Wales tor the erection of the proposed new maternity hospital, tho estimated cost of the building, exclusive of fittings, being given at approximately £25,000.

Dunedin is well abreast of the times in its method of teaching cricket. Due largely to the efforts of the local coach, Mr F. T. Badcock, a series of cinematograph films, in which a number of Dunedin cricketers are seen in action, have been taken. Yesterday afternoon tho films wex-e shown, to the pupils of M'Glashan College, and it is Mr Badcock’s intention to extend to other schools this modern and valuable means of gaining a knowledge of the finer points of the game.

The xxatural habitat of the sheep is usually x-estricted to the rolling pastures of the country, and it is only on rare occasions that it has the opportunity of viewing tho mysteries of the outside world. The unusual sight, therefore, of a lamb walking complacently along Highgate taking no notice whatever of either person or vehicle, caused considerable surprise and amusement to pedestx-ians in that locality last evening. Tho lamb, a pet one, belonged to a farm in the vicinity of Wakari, and true to the traditions of Mary’s animal in tho nursery rhyme, it was faithfully accompanying its owner along this busy thoroughfare.

An idea of the benefits derived from the recent rains in Canterbury may be gleaned from the fact that one farmer expects now to have a bumper crop of 60,000 cabbages, representing about £4OO in money. Owing to an inconvenient drought last year ho lost 50,000 cabbages.

A party of Dunedin motorists return) ing from the races in Christchurch recently have every reason to x'emember Ashburton for the inhospitable reception accorded them by a precocious schoolgirl member of tho local population. The girl, with one hand behind her back, was seen standing at the side of the road eyeing the approaching car intently. Then when it was nearly abreast of her she suddenly brought the hidden hand into action, and sprayed tho windshield with a fusilado of stones. Fortunately the glass bore up well to the attack, or else the consequences might have been serious. An incongruous touch to tho incident was lent by the fact that in the vicinity worc a number of notices and placards extending, in effect, a hearty welcome to visitors to sojourn a while in the borough.

At the opening of the fat sheep sale at Burnside yesterday values were on a par with last week’s rates, prime woolly ewes, if anything, selling in the vendors’ favour. The opening prices were maintained until the last two races were offered, when medium descriptions depreciated to the extent of about one shilling. The prices were: Extra prime woolly wethers, to 37s 6d; prime, 32s 6d to 345; medium, 27s to 295; light, from 255; extra prime woolly owes, to 31s; prime, 26s to 27s 6d; medium, 2ls to 235; tight from 37s j prime shorn wethers, to 27s 6d; medium, ; 6d to 255; light from 19s; prime shorn owes, to 23s 6d; medium, from 18s to 19s 6d; light from 14s. Tho Takapuna Borough Council does not mean to insist on the wearing of neck to knee bathing costumes on its beaches, despite tho old by-law which remains on its books. The council decided last night that bathers may wear anything that conforms to tho not immutable standard of common decency. —Auckland Press Association. Possession of tho old Plaza Theatre will be taken by Amalgamated Theatres early in the now year, some months sooner than was at first anticipated. Alterations to the building will then proceed, and it will bo renamed the “ State.” The theatre will be equipped with tho new “ Widerange ” sound system, and it is stated that no expense will bo spared to make it thoroughly up to date. Films secured by the company under its recent contract from the Fox-Gaumont-British studios will be shown.

The sitting of the Magistrate’s Court this morning was an unusually short one. Judgment by default was entered in only one case, that of tho D.I.C. Ltd. v. Andrew F. Jesporson (Drummond) for 02 10s, an amount due for goods supplied. Tho application made by tbo dean of tbo Faculty of Medicine for a resident research fellow in clinical medicine at the Dunedin Hospital is recommended to the Hospital Board for approval by the Hospital Committee*

Several consignments of frozen fish were being to-day prepared for carrying to Australia on tho Monowai, making together one of the biggest shipments in recent years from the catches of Port Chalmers fishermen. Flounders, soles, and barracouta were the principal lines, also smoked haddock. The exporters were taking particular pains with the packing and the sorting, so as to win and hold favour in the Australian markets.

Keen interest has been taken in; l the West Harbour cpieen carnival. Tonight will bring to a close the competition among the three candidates, whose returns must bo handed in by 8 o’clock. Although • tho support afforded the effort has not been ail that was expected the organisers are not' disappointed, as they feel that they will not fall very much short of the £3OO that they set out to raise. Preparations for the final function, the crowning ceremony on November 22, are in hand. Tho proceeds of the carnival are to be devoted to the West Harbour mayor’s relief fund. When smoke was seen issuing from the cellar of Messrs .1. Wren and Company’s varnish factory in Stafford street at 7 o’clock last night a call was sent to the brigade, but the services of the firemen were not required, and the alarm was recorded as a justifiable one. Very large supplies of strawberries are' now coming to the local market from Roxburgh, Alexandra, and Waimate, and are being sold for about Is a pottle. It is anticipated that better prices will bo ruling with an improvement in the weather. Tho first strawberries to reach the Dunedin market were received last Thursday from Miller’s Flat, and at auction realised 3s a pottle. The next day came the first consignment from Alexandra. The first cherries of the season were received on Tuesday from Weanga, realised Is 5d a lb, and further supplies came through from Christchurch tb-day. Tomatoes are in heavy supply from Christchurch, and the market is coming back. Lower prices are also ruling for peas on account of the supplies from Waimate. Australian oranges arrived on the local market yesterday, but these will not be enough for the demand. No further supplies will be received for three weeks. Whitebait was in meagre supply at the Dunedin market to-day, partly owing to the recent rains and partly to the fact that higher prices are obtainable in Christchurch. The New River, near Invercargill, provided some of the whitebait that reached Dunedin this morning. Payment of the unemployed charges at the Chief Post Office of Dunedin is this November at about the normal rate. As usual, some taxpayers like to get the duty off their minds at once, whilst others hold back and chance having to stand in queues. A unique feature of the woodworking department at the Technical College, and one which should attract niuch attention from visitors at the annual parents’ day to-night and to-morrow afternoon, is the reorganised machine shop. Each machine is now a separate unit, which has dominated overhead shafting and drives. This has been made possible by the installation of a nfotor for each machine and short vee belt drives. The motors and drives are fully enclosed in panelled guards, making the shop very safe from an operator’s point of view, in addition to giving it an appearance of tidiness and compactness. The Dunedin Technical College is the only one in the dominion possessing a machine shop with a complete unit’ drive equipment, and the preparation of all timber from the rough for all the woodworking departments and college maintenance is carried out in the machine shop. All the operating is done by the instructor, but senior students receive instruction in sharpening, setting up, etc. Tho vee drives are found to bo extremely efficient, starting up quickly, and obviating any loss of time. The War Pensions Appeal Board will commence a sitting in Dunedin on December 6. Tho members of the board are Sir Walter Stringer (president), Dr W. Carmalt Jones (representing the Pensions Department), and Dr W. J. Porteous (representing tho R.S.A.), and the secretary is the local registrar of pensions (Mr E. W. Fulton). The trophies won by members of tho R.S.A. in billiards championships and in miniature rifle shooting will be presented at the meeting to bo held in the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall on Tuesday, November 21, when the general secretary (Mr S. J. Harrison) of the N.Z.R.S.A. will address tho meeting on subjects of interest to ex-servicc-men. The R.S.A. Choir will be present, and will contribute a number of musical items. j Further improvement to the sound equipment at tho Grand Theatre is announced by tho management. At tho beginning of this month it was reported that a “double-throated” unit had been installed. Since then, however, the Amalgamated Theatres Ltd. has contracted with the Western Electric Company providing for the installation of a new “ widcrange ” system in all its theatres in the dominion. The Grand’s new plant will be brought into operation to coincide with the release of ‘ The Good Companions ’ on November 24. It was explained to a reporter that tho “ widerange ” system handled a large frequency range of sounds than could be recorded and reproduced on film. The previous range of 75 to 5.000 cycles of air vibrations could be decreased and increased to 40 and 9.000 cycles. Tho result was that sounds of both high and low extremes, such as a whisper or .thunder, could bo hoard at their natural pitch without distortion. The effect was more marked when music was being reproduced. There was a clean sheet at the Police Court this morning. Fifty-five minutes behind schedule time the express from Christchurch arrived at Dunedin at 5.12 last evening. Tho delay was the result of difficulty encountered in negotiating tho grade in tho vicinity of Waiaroka, where a drizzling rain had made the rails very greasy. The train was a heavy one, and the engine could not pull the load up tho slippery incline, so the train was halved, one half being pulled to the top and braked while tho engine returned for the second half. The express would have been able to continue its journey a little earlier had it not had to remain at the top while the north express passed. The Benevolent Committee of the Hospital Board reports having dealt with thirty cases for relief at a weekly cost of £l6 11s 9d. Casual cases foxrelief amounting to £605 15s 5d have been approved. Twenty-eight men received 148)- days’ work at the board’s institutions at a total cost of £93 16s 3d. Sava your eyas. Be wise and consult W. V. Stunner (optician. ?■ Octagon), thus conserving good vision for old age.—[Advt.l