Untitled

Evening Star, Issue 21716, 10 May 1934, Page 8

Tiie postal authorities advise that the Brisbane Maru left Melbourne on Monday for Wellington with five bags of Australian mail for Dunedin. The mail is due at the local office on Monday morning next.

A social evening was given by the Mayor of West Harbour (Mr Arthur Smith) on Tuesday evening. The evening was spent in dancing, song; and storv. There were sixty couples present. and the dancing was under Mr Lewis Gillanders. The following took part in the concert items: —Mrs F. I. MTvor, Miss H. Westwood, Mr John Galloway, and Mr G. Nash. The Monte Carlo was won by Mrs W. Connor and Cr J. L. Page. The supper was dispensed by the councillors’ wives, and was very much aprpeciated. Hearty cheers for the mayor brought a very successful evening to a close. A young man from the country had bis lirst visit to a Greymouth dentist recently, and had two teeth extracted (states the ‘Grey Star’). The nurse left for him a glass of Condy’s crystals, with which to swill his mouth. He drank it. The nurse returned, and noticing the glass empty, again filled it. She then left the room, and as the young man was again emptying the glass the dentist returned. Ho said: “ What did you do with the Condy’s crystals?” The young man replied: “ I drank it. J thought it was port wine.” The attendance at the Dunedin Horticultural Society’s show yesterday was greater than the society expected in the wet weather. The commendation by those who did attend is so Ivcarty and supportable by fact that a large crowd is sure to attend this evening. Begg’s Orchestra is to supply the music. Four sections in the Arthurton Settlement were offered on renewable lease at the Lands Office in Dunedin yesterday. Arthurton Settlement, previously known as the Golden Valley estate, is about a mile and a-half from Waipahi railway station, the altitude from 600 ft to 1,400 ft. The property lies to the sun, and for the past two seasons has carried 4,000 sheep and 100 cattle. Six applications were received, but only two went into the ballot, this being for section 2, containing 1,302 acres, and the draw resulted Jn the section going to Mr Jack M‘Kay Faulks, of Gore. The three remaining sections are now open for selection. 'l’he polling in the borough of Lawrence took place yesterday to decide the cpiestion of the raising of a loan of £2.500 for the erection cf a new town hall. The poll favoured the proposal, which was carried by a substantial majority, the voting being: For the raising of the loan, 168; against, 42; (informal, 2.

The operations of the Fletcher Construction Company in its contract on the Dunedin Post Office building are daily watched with great interest by the public. The lower portion of the steel structure is going up apace. , It began at the north-west corner, is now nearing the north-east corner, and will bo in band on the Bond street frontage next week. The scaffolding that is in course of erection outside the steel work is for the purpose of enabling the fitters to get about aloft. It lias nothing to do with the building of the stonework that is to clothe the steel. The stonework will not be begun until the steel frame is completed to the roof. The electric crane now in use is to be relied on for the upper lifts to tho very top, but very shortly it is to be helped by a second crane.

A young teacher in the Wanganui Education Board district, -who took up a position at a school a considerable distance from homo, and who, of course, had to board, states that it was soon necessary to make a change in that respect. The proprietors of tlie boarding establishment were so mean that they would allow the radio set to be used only on Saturday evenings, and then with the electric light switched off. Some night's it was “as cold as charity,” and although firewood was plentiful in the district, there was never any sign of a lire in the sitting room. “ Now, fortunately, 1 am more comfortably quartered,” added tho teacher, “ and liable to forget that 1 am struggling along on £4 5s per month.”

Napier is having a little joke of its own over building regulations. The council has a by-law which forbids the erection of timber buildings in a certain fixed central area of the borough, much like Wellington’s “ brick area ” by-law. One company there wants a now office and wants it in wood, but the council has given a fiat refusal—round one. The company replied by hauling along a properly registered trailer to tho site and opening up the office promptly in the morning—round two. Tho Mayor of Napier has stated that the council is not down and out yet, and that it is waiting for a report from its officers before going on to the third round. The company declares that it had no idea of outwitting the council over the by-law, but set up office in the trailer as it was tho only thing to do. Becently while excavations were being made at the Kakahu lime works. South Canterbury, a number of sharks’ teeth were discovered nearly 30ft below the ground. The teeth varied in length from over an inch upward, and were in a petrified state, but still retained a sharp edge. A sample was sent to Professor 11. Speight, of Christchurch, who stated that the teeth are called Isurus desori, a shark of the tertiary period, now non-existent, and which has been recorded from various parts of New Zealand as a fossil.

Another sea monster is exciting the people of Kawhia, according to a report from the seaport town (states the Taumarunui ' Press ’). Evidently Loch Ness has started a fashion, as recently motorists passing along the main road between Kawhia and Oparau observed activity in the shallow waters.Men armed with long poles waded about in the shallow water, while from vantage points on the hills marksmen with rifles ready kept an anxious look-out. Somebody had seen a monster —an unknown visitor from the ocean. Its presence was affirmed by more than one, in a manner that silenced the doubter, though what it was, fish or beast, nobody could say. In the Police Court this morning Claude William Porter was charged with drunkenness, and, with intent to defraud, obtaining from the D.S.A. Ltd. £2O in money by means of a ialso pretence—issuing a valueless cheque. Chief-detective Young stated that the police had been inquiring for this man in connection with the alleged issuing of valueless cheques, and a number of charges would bo preferred against him. Porter came into the police station early this morning in a drunken condition and gave himself up. He was lined 10s. or twenty-four hours, on the drunkenness charge, and remanded until to-morrow week on the fraud charge. The sale of fat sheep at Burnside yesterday showed a drop of from Is to 2s a head until the last two races were reached, when the attendance of buyers thinned considerably, and with the exception of exporters’ sheep and an odd pen of prime heavy wethers, all classes showed a further drop of Is. Due to the excessive wet weather since Christmas, there is a shortage of goloshes in New Zealand, especially in tile north, where the rush to procure over-shoes caught the wholesalers and letailers napping. As last winter was a comparatively dry one there was little demand for the foot covering, and few laid in stocks in anticipation of a wet season to follow, with the result that when the demand commenced a few months ago many North Island firms found their supplies insufficient to meet the requirements. Some hastily appealed to Dunedin wholesalers to furnish the supplies, and one local man, who had obtained some 2,500 pairs last year, was thus able to clear them at ais own price.

The opinion that the people of Australia appeared to have forgotten the word “ depression ” was expressed by Sir Harold Beauchamp, chairman of directors of the Bank of New Zealand, on his return from a visit to Australia. He said that the Australians did not seem to be worrying about the future. The great increase in the price of wool had bad a most beneficial effect. it had recently been stated that the export value of this year’s wool clip of Australia would be about £55,000,000. In the world to-day' there wore roughly 780 000,000 sheep, of which Australia had 112.000,000. “On more than one occasion,” said Sir Harold, “ I have pointed out that tho increase in flocks Is not in the same ratio as the increase in population. It therefore seems to me that it is only a question of time when the demand lor wool will bo greater than the supply.”—Wellington Press Association.

An interesting personality on the Wanganclla, which arrived at Wellington yesterday from Sydney, was Mr H. Ed gel I, who has spent many years wandering iu strange and inhospitable countries hunting and capturing wild animals, birds, and reptiles for tho world’s menageries. For some years Mr Edgell was manager lor Lari Hagenbeck, the famous wild animal dealer, whoso captures are to be seen in practically every zoo m the world. George Samuel Thomson, styling himself a professor, was fined £2 at New Plymouth for telling fortunes. A woman engaged by the police went to his lodgings, and by what bo termed scientific and mathematical calculations from the positions of signs and stars the accused told her Thomson conducted bis own case. The magistrate said he could not understand Thomson’s explanation of his work, and he bad only his word as to its success or otherwise. —Press Association.

At last night’s meeting of the_ City Council, the town dork (Mr L. A. Lewin) reported that regarding the tenders for a small portion of the Deep Creek scheme (preparation ol benching and trench work) they had dosed only that dav. There was a very large number of tenders, and they would be considered by the Water Committee as soon as they bad been' considered by the engineering department.

It has been pointed out to us that the footnote to a letter on ‘Poppy Day Relief,’ published by -us yesterday, might bo miscontrued to mea,n that the work of the Patriotic Association is restricted to the men who are not in receipt of a pension. As a matter of fact, a considerable portion of the work of the association is assisting men who are receiving small pensions for disabilities which in themselves might be small, but in times of economic depression render it difficult for tho men to obtain employment. The association does not limit its assistance to any returned soldier on the cpiestion as # to whether or not bo is receiving a pension, but considers every case on its merits. During the past year the association expended the sum of approximately £4,000 in assisting all classes of returned soldiers. In addition to its ordinary work the association contributed £225 to the Returned Soldiers’ Association for Christmas gifts and Poppy Day .work, and granted £IOO towards tho cost of the training of the sons of Now Zealand cx-soldiers at Flock House. The Minister of Health has now granted permission to the Otago Hospital Board to proceed with the erection of the new administrative block at the Dunedin Public Hospital. Exceptional circumstances necessitated the transport of racehorses from Dunedin to Oamaru to-day, and probably it was such circumstances that enabled them to be carried by the Jnvcrcargi 11-Christchiircli express train. Although the horse van was waiting at a platform close to the main platform, the horses were spared a five minutes’ wait in confinement and were walked around tho approach to the main platform. When most _ passengers were seated in their carriages tho van was shunted into position, the horses were walked along tho main platform, and were nshcrctl into tho stalls. Tho express was fourteen minutes late in leaving. The Empire Loan collection continues to attract the considerable interest it deserves. An especially fine feature is the display of etchings and peu-and-watcr drawings by contemporary artists—a section which has aroused more than usual comment. Mr H. D. Charlton Edgar is to give a short talk on the subject next Tuesday, at 8 p.m., in the Pioneers’ Hall, which will undoubtedly add still further to the interest already being taken. Save your eyes. Be wise and consult W. V. Stunner (optician, 2 Octagon), thus conserving good vision for old age-—f Advt. I At tho Moonshine Cabaret to-night, Sarrjood’s Cricket Club will bold an attractive dance. Smith’s Jubilee Band will supply the music.