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Evening Star, Issue 21822, 11 September 1934, Page 8

As is usual on any polling day m Dunedin, the facilities provided for ratepayers who to-day have been called upon to decide the issue as to whether the present system of rating will continue are noteworthy for efficient organisation, booths having been established at convenient places throughout the city and suburbs. As most of the voting will be done during the afternoon or the early part of the'evening it was, of course, too soon at the time of going to press to determine whether or not tlie polling would be particularly heavy. During the morning, however, the fair number of ratepayers who found their way into the booths was sufficient to indicate, on a proportionate basis, that by the time the poll closed at 7 p.m. the issue would have attracted the attention of thoroughly representative divisions. The result should bo available at about 8 o’clock. The last vote was held in conjunction with the municipal elections of 1931, when 8,129 ratepayers voted against and 5,686 ratepayers voted for the unimproved value system.

Many strange hints have been given to sportsmen, but perhaps the strangest of all has recently been advanced by a sporting doctor, the director of a large college in America. According to theories advanced by him one does not have to possess good eyesight to play golf. “If your eyesight is good,” he said, “ you are inevitably going to see extraneous objects on the golf course, but if you let the sight of these objects influence your mind the same unfortunate effect follows as occurs when you are popularly supposed to have taken your eye off the ball.” In proof of his theory the doctor related how he had made a score of 80 on a standard course while playing shades were placed over his glasses before each shot, and he hit the ball without actually looking at it. He also played his putts blind. This is good news for the poor golfer, but many people will disagree with the doctor.

Under the will of the late Mr T. C. hist several bequests of a public nature are made (says a Press Association telegram from Mew Plymouth). The beneficiaries are the Borough of New Plymouth, the sick children ot the district, and the New Plymouth Boys’ High School. Subject to a prior life interest, portion of the property, “ Marauui,” is bequeathed to the Borough of New Plymouth, forming an extension to Pukekura Park, and the remainder of the “ Maranui ” property, including the residence, is left to the Taranaki Hospital Board as a convalescent home for children, subject to the same prior interest. The sum of £2,000 is given to St. Mary’s Parochial Trust Board towards the fund for the building of a chapel for the New Plymouth Boys' Higii School.

Tiie results of the consultations between the Prime Minister (Sir Forbes) and the Railways Board concerning the closing of the Mamaku sawmill have been inconclusive. The only outcome was a statement that an endeavour would be made by the board to find work in parks of the railway service for the men who have been displaced by the closing of the mill. It was admitted by Mr Forbes yesterday that it would not be possible for employment for the men, if it were made available, to be provided at Mamaku. It has not been possible to lease the mill to the men on a co-operative basis, Mr Forbes explaining that, according to members of the board, arrangements could not be made. The hoard, however, had promised to review the position at the end of the current financial year, instead of at the end of July as was originally intended.

According to a New Zealand resident who has returned from a visit to Canada loyalty to the British Empire and British traditions on the part of Canadians is very marked. No Canadian likes the suggestion that his people are gradually becoming American in .sentiment, and he also resents any talk about the people loosening the ties of their nation to the Empire.

The walling added to the St. Clair rock bathing pool has not quite stopped the inflow of sand and stones. Some still come in during rough weather from the eastern side. To prevent this from accumulating and becoming a trouble, the chairman of the General Committee is arranging with the city engineer to put_ on a few men to do the necessary digging. Intei’esting relics of famous chieftains of the Ngapuhi tribe of North Auckland were displayed at the War Memorial Museum recently at a lecture arranged by the Maori race section of the Auckland Institute. Pride of place was given to a well-preserved flintlock musket given to Hongi Hika by King George IV. in 1820, while there' were excellent taiabas which were owned by Hone Heke and Kawiti. Apart from these there were on display silver gilt christening gifts presented by Queen Victoria to her godson, Albert Victor Pomare, the first Maori child born in England, and a silver pot presented by Queen Victoria to Tamati Waaka Nene. Mr Alexander Geddes, who presided, mentioned that he was presented with Hone Heke’s taiaha in Scotlasd, and he was led to wonder how many of New Zealand’s treasures there might be abroad. The city organist (Dr V. E. Galway) will give an afternoon recital in the Town Hall to-morrow at 3 o’clodk. The programme is a very pleasing one, including two items winch are being performed for the first time— ‘ Chant Heroique,’ by the Belgian composer Cesar Franck, and ‘ An Evening Idyll ’ (Cyril Scott). Other items are ‘Prelude and Fugue in D Minor ’ (Bach), Schumann’s ‘ Traumerei,’ Mendelssohn’s ‘Sonata in D Minor (No. 6),’ two delightful pieces by Wolstenholme—(a) ‘ The Question,’ (b) ‘ The Answer,’ a concert study by Josef Bonnet, and the Kieff processional, ‘At the Merchants’ Gate ’ (Moussorgsky). A Press Association telegram from Auckland states that the screams of her pet parrot warned Mrs D. E. Simpson of Alfriston, that her house was on fire. Mrs Simpson was asleep when she was awakened by the frightened sex-eams of the parrot, which was in a cage in the bedroom. “Bo quiet,” admonished Mrs Simpson, but the bird was so persistent that she got up to investigate- She found the adjoining sitting room in flames. The dwelling, which was of five rooms and built of kauri, was quickly destroyed, in spite of the efforts of several neighbours.

The biographical notice of Sir George M'Lean, published in last night’s ‘ Star ’ prompts a veteran working reporter to supply a supplementary anecdote. At one of the halfyearly meetings of the Colonial Bank shareholders, tne ‘ Otago Daily Times ’ reporter said to the ‘ Evening Star ’ scribe: “ I’m in dread of every one of this bank’s meetings lest I get Mr M'Lean’s figures wrong. His voice doesn’t come clear to me. How do you find it? ” The ‘ Star ’ man replied that he was constantly on the strain, and felt relieved when the printed report turned out to be correct. Therefore they agreed to speak frankly to Mr M'Lean on the subject and ask him if he would supply a statement embodying the figures used in commenting on the balance-sheet; and supply each reporter with a copy that would serve as a check on the notes taken. The pressmen were gratified to find that he took the suggestion without any protest against tlie insinuation that he had a thick voice, and that he_ promised to do something in the direction indicated. Half a year later the same two reporters found the bank meeting a joy instead of a cause for fear, each being handed a typed copy of the speech in full, and that was the practice till the end of the Colonial* Bank’s career. It is now the common practice with the leading public companies to furnish each daily paper with a copy of the chairman’s speech, and the reporters have no more to do about it than to follow the words as delivered, to make sure that there is no_ slip in the utterance. The reform is businesslike and satisfactory to all concerned.

A Roxburgh orchardist stated this morning that the apricot and peach trees in that district were showing a wonderful freeness of bloom.

Juniors of the present generation seem inclined to despise history, to treat it as of but slight importance, and it may be that some of the younger readers of the newspapers do not know the origin of the word “Jews” nor the distinction between Israelite and Jew. The subject is opportune for a little enlightenment, seeing that yesterday the indissoluble Chosen People throughout the world were celebrating the Jewish New Year _ 5695 Anno Mundi. The name Israelites was applied to the twelve tribes the descendants of Jacob until the separation brought about by the revolt or ten of the tribes from the tyranny of Rehpboam, who reigned in succession to his father Solomon. The two tribes that did not join in the revolt, Judah and Benjamin, then became the Kingdom of Judah under Rehoboam, whilst the ten formed the Kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam. So the uon-ievolters came to be styled Judahites, or Jews for short. That distinction obtained till the Babylonish captivity. Since that time to the present the descendants of Jacob have had the common title of Jews, in view of those facts it is strange that the word “ Jews ” first occurs in the Bible in relation to an event of date somewhere about 200 years after the tribal separation—namely, in the reign of Ahaz. See chapter xvi. of the Second Book of Kings, wherein is recorded an attack Upon Ahaz by the Kings of Israel and Syria and the discomfiture of the Jews.

A motor accident at Kilbirnie on Saturday night, in which an elderly cyclist was dragged about 250 ft by a motor car which did not stop, resulted in the arrest of Robert William Gunn, aged thirty-five, a labourer, on a charge of negligently driving a car, thereby causing bodily injury to Ernest Alfred Horner. Gunn appeared m the Magistrate’s Court at Wellington, and was remanded until September 19. Horner was unconscious when picked up, and was removed to hospital. Hois reported to be in a satisfactory condition.

A young man, whose name was suppressed until the facts arc gone into, appeared before Mr J. R. Bartholoinew, S.Mi., at a special sitting of the Police Court yesterday afternoon on a charge of committing rape. Chief-dc-tective Young asked for a remand until September 19, and this was granted, bail being allowed in the sum of £2OO (accused’s own recognisance) and one surety of £2OO or two sureties of £IOO, the accused to report daily to the police.

The postal authorities advise that the Wanganella left Sydney on Saturday for Auckland with twenty-nine bags of Australian mails and twenty-four parcel receptacles. The mail is due at the local office on Thursday or Friday afternoon.

At a short sitting of the Magistrate's Court this morning Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., gave judgment by default for the plaintiffs in the following cases; —Ford Motors (Dunedin) Ltd. v. ■Vlfred Robertson, £4 16s, goods; Stanton Bros. Ltd. v. Len. Stevens (Feilding). £1 12s 1 Id, goods; Lanes Ltd. v. Caherine Gibbons, £1 6d* rent*

The Port Chalmers Council decided last night not to reverse its previous decision in regard to raising a loan to tar seal certain streets. These streets constitute a highway running fi’om one end of the town to the other. _ The procedure before the council now is to ask the Loans Board to sanction the taking of a loan poll of the ratepayers. The board may decline permission to hold the poll, and as a loan may not be raised without the board first granting its approval, the council’s decision to improve the streets is hampered by a twofold handicap.

Seaside camps for children of parents in poor circumstances are becoming more firmly established in New Zealaxxd year by year, and it seems quite unnecessary to dwell on the benefits accruing from such a worthy development in holiday routine. Another departure along somewhat similar lines has been suggested to au ‘ Evening Star ’ reporter by a Dunedin parent, the idea being that some enterprising person—preferably a nurse or a kindergarten teacher—should establish a seaside holiday house to which, for the payment of x’easonable fees, children could be sent while the parents went away for a short jaunt alone. Many people will no doubt agree that there are cases in which, no matter how gx’eat the affection between parents and children, the i-epresentatives of each generation are all the better for a holiday away from one another. The fleet of pleasure cx’aft on Otago Harbour will be augmented this year by Admiral Byrd’s motor cruiser Edsel Ford. Captain B. Johannsen of the Bear of Oakland, with an engineer from that vessel, will leave to-morrow with Mr G. L. Tapley to navigate the boat from Wellington, where she has been moored since being brought out on the Jacob Ruppert. _ The craft is of typical American design, an 4 will be a notable acquisition to the local pleasure fleet. A fish merchant of over thirty yeai's’ experience says that so far as his memory is to be "trusted the prices realised at the auctions yesterday morning constituted a record. A case of soles usually brings from 18s to 245, and on this occasion the few cases offex - ed fetched from 66s to 68s. Flounders went as high as 9s 6d per; dozen, about double the ordinary price, and blue cod were bought at 3s Id each. These fish came from the inshore grounds of Taieri Mouth. The boats could not put to the open sea, the weather being so very rough. A member of the Port Chalmers Council, during a debate last xxight, became so interested by the arguments used by the mover of an amendment that he seconded the amendment, only to he reminded he had already seconded the motion which the amendment was intended to modify. Probate has been granted by Mr Justice Kennedy of the wills in the following deceased estates:—James Allan Steel (Tapanui), retired farmer; Thomas Watson (Ngapara), farmer; Annie Philomena Magee (Oamaru), saleswoman; Mary Ann Smith (Oamaru), widow'; Jess(e Arnott Gibson, widow; Wilhelmxna Clemison (Sawyers _ Bay), spinster; Agnes Brown, widow'. The enterprise of the New Zealand Paper Mills Company is causing Mataura to become more lively than usual. The additions to the old mill are being pushed on by the contractors, Denis O’Connell and Co., the finishing rooms nearing-'completion. Tenders are now called for the construction of the main mill. It is to be a four-story structure in reinforced concrete, measuring 128 ft by 96ft, the roof of asbestos cement. Solid rock for the foundation is found at a depth of lift. The machine room will be 56ft by 96ft. Thx-ee machines are to be set up. The electric installation as decided upon is said to be the biggest under one roof ever planned in New Zealand, Further developments are in prospect with regard to power installation. The architects are Mandeno and Fraser.

Chimney fires, which have been very prevalent during the past few months, continue to engage the attention of the City Fire Brigade, the last such call being received to Albert street at 6.53 p.m. yesterday. Following the example of George Walker, Dr F. Meyer, one of the visiting wrestlers to New Zealand, now uses an aeroplane to travel about fulfilling engagements. Ho flew to Dunedin on Saturday in the plane at one time used by George Walker "and now the property of Air E. Harvie, who acted as pilot. It is reported from other parts that two or three other professional wrestlers are also making use of the plane as a means of quick conveyance. There was a clean sheet at the Police Court this morning.

A ‘ Star ’ reader wishes to learn the formal significance of “posted at Lloyds.” It means that the missing vessel is no longer reinsurable, and the finality of that verdict may he gauged from the fact that within the last forty years only one ship is known to have come in after being posted. F. J. Maclean’s 1 Human Side of Insurance ’ is the authority for that statement. The vessel was the Red Rock, of Glasgow, a steel barque. She sailed from Townsville (Queensland) on Februarv 20, 1899, for (Is gw Caledonia), the voyage expected to last a fortnight. On June 7 she was posted as missing, and the names of her crew, totalling twenty-three, were published in the newspapers, but on June 1L a cablegram announced her arrival at Noumea, all well. She had run into an unusually protracted spell of the doldrums.

On Saturday the first mutton-bird of the season to be reported from about Foveaux Strait was seen by those on board the schooner Britannia on the run from Stewart Island when oil Breakseas (says the Bluff correspondent of the ‘ News ’). Mr Albert Metzger, of Bluff, who was on the schooner, immediately made a note ot the event in a diary, in which lie sets down particulars of anything of interest in the bird world coming under bis notice. This diary is kept; at the request of Mr Edgar Stead the noted New Zealand naturalist, who has thus obtained several items of valuable information regarding bird migration. The patients at the Wakari Hospital were entertained last evening by a W E.A. team and Miss Ruby Baxter and pupils. The W.E.A. team, consisting of Mesdames Watson, Griffiths, Parkinson, and MThail, and Misses Laing and Rollo, presented a dramatic sketch, ‘The Great Dark,’ which was well received. This was followed by soims by Miss Baxter, Miss Margaret Laing, ‘and Master Robert Watkins, duets by Misses Margaret Laing and Peggv Harvey, and a monologue by Master Robert Watkins. Thanks were expressed to the performers by Dr Lyth, and one of the patients (Mr A. Steven) also voiced the thanks of the Patients and Prisoners’ Aid Society. Don’t delay with eye troubles. To give complete satisfaction is the Ideal ot W. V. Sturmer, Optician, 2 Octagon, Dunedin. —[Advt.l