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Evening Star, Issue 21637, 5 February 1934, Page 8

Except for the crating of the wings of the Polar Star in preparation for transit to America, all work is at a standstill on the Wyatt Karp. Towards the end of this week the ship is to be towed by two tugs to the Port Chalmers dock, where she will undergo a general overhaul. Sir Hubert Wilkins told a ‘ Star ’ reporter this morning that after the Wyatt Earp comes out of dock she will come up to Dunedin to load stores before finally sailing at the end of this month for America.

A picnic and sports gathering was held at Kaka Point on Saturday afternoon to celebrate the opening of the new school, which has been erected on a more central site. The old school, known as Reomoana School, at Willsher Bay, has been closed for some years, and the children have been transported to the school at Port Molyneux. At an informal function recently Mr D. T. Fleming, on behalf of the Education Board, handed the old school building, which is erected on part of the Maori reserve, over for the use of the Maoris. The new school is splendidly situated near the seafront, and presents a very neat appearance. It is adjacent to the cottage known as the “Pilot Station,” since it was an observation point in the days when there was a trading port at Port Molyneux. According to tradition the new school occupies the site of an old tribal battlefield by the name of Tu’apokia.—Balclutha correspondent. Explosives were used by burglars, who last night entered the Gaiety De Luxe Theatre at Napier. The safe door jammed after being blown open a few inches. Only a few pounds were taken. Fortunately the large takings on Saturday night were banked. This was the second attempt to open the safe during the last two years.—Press Association.

That the Railway Department excursions have lost none of their popularity was demonstrated in the large contingent of people who travelled to Timaru yesterday. When the train left on its journey "at 7.20 a.in. there were approximately 600 passengers on board, and these numbers were considerably added to at the intermediate stations. On arrival at the South Canterbury town shortly before mid-day the ideal weather attracted the majority of the excursionists to Caroline Bay, though many took the opportunity of visiting relations and friends. After a most enjoyable stay the train left on its return journey at 4.65 p.m., Dunedin being reached at 9.26. No trace of Mrs Leighton, a young married woman, who was reported missing from her home in King street on January' 23, was found until yesterday, when a man, who was out walking with his daughter near Lawyer’s Head, found a handbag alongside the track leading to the head. This has since been identified as the property of the missing woman. Yesterday afternoon the police organised a search with the relatives, but. although the lupines and the adjacent beach were thoroughly combed, no sign of the woman could be found. The Invercargill Fire Brigade had a busy half-hour on Sunday morning from 2 o’clock, when no less fhan seven hedge fires occurred, mostly in the suburb of Gladstone. In some cases valuable trees were destroyed, besides fences and gates. This is the third Sunday morning that these fires have occurred. Apparently they are the work of a crank operating on a bicycle. —Press Association. Mr E. O. Reilly’s annual show of tladioli has developed into ono of the oral sights of Dunedin. To-day many flower lovers enjoyed the display as set out in the Central Produce Mart. Sixty varieties are benched, and there_is not a weak one amongst them. Picardy, Wairau, Blue Triumphator, Paul Pfitzer, and Frau Gertrude Pfitzer are specially gorgeous, and Green Frills is an attractive novelty. Mr Reilly evidently knows how to obtain intensity of colour and vigorous growth. The hot weather experienced in spells this summer has favoured the ripening of tobacco plants in and about Dunedin, and the successes thus recorded may tempt more garden-owners to try the experiment, in spite of the caution that our latitude is rather far south for sure results. A Mornington resident thus narrates his venture 1 procured seed from Hastings. It is very tiny seed, smaller than turnip. 1 sowed it in September. It generated satisfactorily and the plants came on without a halt. lam now smoking the tobacco. I sun-dried the leaves in a glasshouse, and crushed them with my fingers. Of course, it one wanted to preserve the tobacco he would have to cure it. What I am smoking is quite fresh. As an inveterate pipe smoker 1 expected it to taste queer, but it doesn’t, nor has it a funny odour. It serves my purpose. The cost is perhaps a farthing an ounce. If one prefers to grow from plants they can be bought at the seedsmen’s, or could be last spring.” The secretary of the Otago Labour Representation Committee has received advice from the national office of the New Zealand Labour Party that Mr M. J. Savage, M.P., Leader of the Opposition, will visit Dunedin on March 9, and will remain in Dunedin until March 14. During Mr Savage’s stay in the city he will address a meeting of branch members and trade unionists and a meeting of citizens in the Town Hall. The Labour Representation Committee will tender Mr Savage a social and welcome to the city on March 10. During his visit Mr Savage will look over the various industries and confer with local tradespeople as to their problems. It is probable that Mr Savage will also address a public meet-' ing at Mosgiel. A motor cycle belonging to Mr G. M'Queen, of Rutherford street, Caversham, was stolen from Marion street last night between 9.45 and 10.60. Some bystanders saw a man ride away on the machine, which was an Ariel fourcylinder, black, with chromium tank. It was a 1932 model, registered number 1,851. “ The average Australian has a lamentable lack of knowledge regarding the South Island of New Zealand, and many persons over there think that there are only two cities here, Auckland and Wellington,” said Mr A. H. C. Orr, who is at present visiting Christchurch after living in Sydney during the last year. Auckland, Rotorua, and Wellington were fairly well known, Mr Orr said, but the South Island was disregarded. He attributed this state of affairs to the lack of direct shipping to the South Island. Very few Australians knew that the South Island had hot springs at Hanmer, and he had met a number who did not know that Lyttelton was close to Christchurch. Shipping news gave prominence to Auckland and Wellington, but referred to transhipments to Lyttelton and Timaru. “ The time seems to be overdue for pressing the claims of the South Island to recognition,” Mr Orr said. “ When one considers the beauty of Christchurch, with its splendid public and private gardens, and Dunedin with its financial solidity and its proverbial Scots hospitality, one wonders at the lack of publicity secured by residents in the south.”

It is on record, says the ‘ Waikato Independent,’ that a certain official of the Agricultural Department, who has his headquarters not one hundred miles from Cambridge, received a very neat box through the post tire other day—the occasion of his birthday. On opening the parcel the official found, as he says, “ a beautiful posy of ragwort bloom, tied with bright yellow ribbon, and attached thereto was a yellow kewpie !’ The inspector added that he had anticipated a box of sweets or smoking material ; but the posy was very appropriate, for ho had been especially busy just beforehand in requiring farmers to clear their lands of ragwort]

His Honour Mr Justice Kennedy will sit in Chambers at the Supreme Court to-morrow morning, at 9.30, to make fixtures for all matters for the forthcoming session.

The heavy passenger traffic on express trains' from Dunedin during the past few days was well maintained this morning, and the first express south had a complement of 350 passengers, while the north express carried 370 passengers.

Mr W. H. Reeve, navigating officer on the m.v. M‘Dhm, who visited New Plymouth on leave from Sydney, mentioned an interesting fact about Pondo, in the Solomon Island Group, 100 miles from civilisation. He stated that there was a dessicated coconut factory at Pondo, where shifts of native labour were employed day and night. Six hundred boxes of the product per month were produced ready for the market. The cargo, however, was moved in surf boats, there being no wharves at any of the ports on the ship’s run. He said that once his ship took an 18-ton boiler to Pondo, where it was dumped into the water. How they got ashore and fitted it up ho did not know, but there was ample native labour available.

While motoring home a Springfield lady picked up a small child, a girl of ten years, walking along a lonely road, carrying a large bottle of milk (says the Christchurch ‘Times’). Knowing where she lived, the lady remarked: “ You have a long way to go for the milk,” but the girl replied brightly: “ Oil, no, it isn’t far; only two and a half miles.” That meant a live-mile walk after tea. “ Surely you don’t walk it every night?” asked the lady. “ Yes, for a week, and then my sisters and brothers go for a week each,” replied the child, who shyly admitted that she was glad of the lift.

What passes with some people as a sense of humour is peculiar, to say the least of it (states the Grey ‘Star’). A Greymouth garage firm has had several expensive “jokes” played upon it recently. The method adopted by the alleged jokers is to ring the garage on the telephone and order a car to be sent to such-and-such a place. In more than one case the said place has been several miles out of town. Accepting the orders as genuine, tho firm has despatched cars, only to find that the messages have been a hoax. Now endeavours are being made to establish the bona fides of telephone callers before cars are sent out.

The contractors for the Dunedin Post Office have installed a thoroughly modern stone-working plant at the old cement works in Pelichet Bay. A spacious one was necessary for the housing of such a plant, for the quantity of granite in the building as designed is 12,000 cubic feet, and in addition there is to be 22,000 ft of stone from Putaruru, in the North Island. Four 12ft gang saws are in use in the company’s quarry at the Bluff, and there is another gang saw in operation at Pelichet Bay. This saw is cutting up granite with steel shot, preparatory to this stone going on to what is known as a surfacing machine, which is driven by compressed air. This machine finishes all the exposed surfaces of the stone, after which they go through a huge carborundum machine, where the depth of the stones is finally prepared. This machine is driven by a 120 h.p. motor and can mould stones up to the width of sft. A twin carborundum machine cuts vertical joints, and in addition there is a single-bladed carborundum moulding machine for preparation of the various weatherings and small mouldings. The whole of tlio machinery is driven by direct current. As the supply of current in Dunedin is A.C., it has been necessary to instal a large convertor set, which has converted A.C. current to direct current. A compressor with 500 ft air capacity has also been installed, and air is being supplied to the masons’ bankers as the tools used by them on the hard stone are all air driven. The contractors at the present are working only eight hours on the stonework at Pelichet Bay, but as soon as sufficient stocks of stone come to hand from the quarry there will be two shifts of eight hours each, which will give employment to fifty men.

Seven steamers are at present going out from Bluff to work the oyster dredging. Each year there is generally a race between them to see which can be the first to land sacks at Bluff, and this rivalry causes the crews to resort to all sorts of expedients to outwit ono another. This year, when the fleet got to sea on Wednesday night of last week, a thick fog enshrouded the vessels, hiding them from each other. One of the skippers took advantage of the condition of affairs by towing an oil launch some distance astern, so that the connection between it and the steamer could not be seen. As soon as Ire had procured eight sacks of oysters he hauled up the launch, transferred the eight sacks to it, and thus lauded the first catch of the season by 9.30 on Thursday morning, the other vessels not returning till the afternoon. So the Oyster Derby this year was not really a race.

A large shark was seen yesterday in Company Bay. A similar sized one was observed last week at Pulling Point, and the warm weather may have induced it to swim to the Upper Harbour. People who take note of these things state that although an “ out size ” shark occasionally comes into the harbour, it is rare that more than one visits the harbour at the same time.

Probably the senior oarsman at the Port Chalmers regatta on Saturday was Mr J. Watson, an ex-resident of Port Chalmers. He was one of the founder oarsmen of the Port Chalmers Rowing Club, which recently celebrated its diamond jubilee. Over sixty years ago, Mr Watson stated to a ‘ Star : reporter, he rowed at a Port regatta against Mackley, the well-known Lower Harbour oarsman of the time. It was a dinghy-skiff race. Mackley ’vas first, Watson second, and Fred Nott, of Portohello, third.

A week-ender was busy at the Spit yesterday erecting a wire entanglement to repel' tho doming tendency of penguins. Early in the season f. pair of those fossicking seabirds built their nest underneath the floor of his crib. Their presence became unpleasantly noticeably, and after the young penguins were hatched the noise at night time was disturbing. But their cat was not disturbed. On the contrary, she was intrigued, and slept in the cellar with the penguins. When the parent penguins brought home the family fish ration in the nigl.t pussy had hier share. The penguin family was tolerated until tho young ones were able to go fishing, after which in the usual course they did not return. The abandoned nest was destroyed and its surroundings freely sprayed with Jeves’ fluid, which gave relief. The wire netting now stretched abng the foundation piles will prevent penguins from nesting underneath the ciib next spring. Save your eyes. Be wise and coisult W. V. Stunner "(optician, 2 Ootagoi), thus conserving good vision for old age.—[Advt.l Second-hand school books for all schools. Parents, what a saving! Boy, gills, technical and primary hard back cxerches, were Is, now 6d, 100 leaves; all finei school stationery. Ncwbold's new premises (late Mollison’s), 289 George slrecl, Daicdin.— [Advi.j