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Evening Star, Issue 21966, 28 February 1935, Page 10

According to a written statement circulated in the House of Representatives on behalf of the Minister of Labour, the Government this session will not repeal the amendments made in 1932 to the Arbitration Act. _ “ Notwithstanding the improvement in trade and business,” the statement explained, ‘ many industries are still experiencing great difficulty in carrying on. ;—Parliamentary Reporter.

Stating that he would take an opportunity of going through the evidence, Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., yesterday afternoon reserved till Friday his decision in the case in which live charges of shop-lifting were brought against Mary Hunter, 64 years of age. For the defence Mr C. L. Calvert called a number of witnesses to testify to the good character of the accused, who stated that the numerous articles found at her house were all obtained honestly by her, and that she intended to open a shop and had been looking for premises for some months.

The monthly meeting of the Dunedin Drainage and Sewerage Board was neld last night, the mayor (the Rev. E. T. Cox) presiding over the following attendance:— Messrs J. L. M‘lndoe, W. A. Scott, J. J. Marlow, J. B. Shacklock, A. H. Allen. M. Silverstone, and W. Begg. Mr H. C. Campbell was •granted two weeks’ leave of absence. Tn moving the adoption of the Works Committee’s report, ,Cr Marlow drew attention to the following clause:— “ Authority .has been granted the drainage engineer to proceed with the construction of two No. 1 mud tanks, one at the north-western corner of Forbury road and Onslow street, and .the other on the north-eastern corner of Forbury road and Albert street, and to connect these by means of a 9in pine to the 12in stormwater sewer in Albert street. The tanks are required to replace existing old-type tanks, with defective 6in connections, which have given a good deal of trouble with blockages. The estimated cost of the work is £6O, and wifi be a charge against the item for mud tanks in the new £IOO,OCO loan schedule.” This report and also .that of the Finance Committee were adopted without discussion.

Hot baths for relief workers and othere in poor circumstances are to be provided by the City Council at the municipal’ baths for the price of threepence a bath. Cr M‘lndoe (chairman of the Genera] Committee) made this intimation at the meeting of the City Council - last night, and stated that the decision was the result of the representations of a deputation that recently waited on the council. Relief workers and their families and others would he allowed the facilities that existed at the baths for a hot bath, the charge to be made being threepence as compared with the ordinary charge of ninepence. “ The work of shifting the tram track in Cargill road is proceeding very satisfactorily,” said Cr W. A. Scott (chairman of the Tramways Committee) at the meeting of the City Council last night. He stated that about 22 chains of rails had been laid down, and further ground had been opened up for another length of the track. The fine weather bad facilitated the work.

“ We have to admit that Leith improvement work is somewhat overdue, but the fact, as should be realised, is that the engineering staff has recently been specially engaged with the water business,” said Cr J. J. Marlow, in moving the adoption of the Works Committee’s report at last night’s meeting of the City Council. Cr Marlow was referring to a clause which, in reply to a deputation of relief workers, stated that, in view of the fact that definite proposals bad not yet been finalised regaining the portion of the Leith Stream to which the council was giving consideration, and also that the current financial year was drawing to a close, the matter had been recorded for consideration with the'allocations for the incoming financial year. Seconding the adoption ,of the. report, Cr M., Silverstone said* he hoped that a report on this work would be placed before the council very shortly. He knew that the staff had been busy, lately, but the fact remained that if something were not done they might meet with some other misfortune. The report was adopted. The increased takings at the swimming baths as a result of the hot weather were referred to- at the meeting of ..the City Council last night by Cr MTndoe. The revenue of _ the tepid baths, he said, showed an increase as compared with the corresponding period of last year of from £674 to £733, the St. Clair Baths an increase from £l3O to £l6l, and the takings at the St. Clair surfing pavilion had increased fr6m £3l to £96, a total increase in the three cases of from £835 to £990. _ Found guilty of being intoxicated in charge of a motor car, Charles William Mack, company direc'tor, was fined £ls in the Petoue Court, Wellington. The case arose out of a mishap at Day’s Bay on December 29, when the defendant’s car ran off the road on the foreshore and capsized. Evidence was given that the car was erratically driven and was swerving and zig-zagging all over the place. The first prize in the competition for designs for the Hastings clock tower has been awarded (says a Press Association telegram) to Mr Sidney G. Chaplin, of Hastings, and the second prize to Mr Clifford Sanderson, of Auckland. The first price is 25 guineas and the second 10 guineas. The Borough Council has already set aside the money and tenders- will be called when the final plans and specifications are prepared. After remaining firm .from the opening, the sale of fat sheep at Burnside yesterday eased over the last races, the drop in extra heavy ewes amounting to 2s and 3s a head. Prices: Extra prime heavy wethers, to 295; prime, 26s to 27s 6d; medium, ,21s to 245; light, from 18s; extra prime heavy young ewes, to 275; prime heavy, 22s tp 24s 9d; good quality ewes, 17s to 20s; medium, 14s to 16s; light, from 10s. Intuitively a woman knows her opportunity. Cromwell district, like the rest of the country, had experienced a severe spell of dry and scorching weather, and farmers were at their wits’ cud until the splendid rains of last week. Nature’s response was almost instantaneous, and as the rain fell on a parched but warm pasture, a change of colour was quickly in evidence. Every farmer’s heart was glad; and at the moment a sheep farmer’s wife, an ardent supporter of the Cromwell Jockey Club, got busy on the phone, and one by one she communicated with all ’ her neighbours who (she knew) had resigned membership of the club. “ Good morning, Mr So-and-so,” was her bright salutation, “ what a wonderful rain,” and “ what a'lot of money it will mean to us.” In almost every case the farmer communicated with took the bait. “ Yes, it will mean pounds to me,” and so on, ad. lib. The next stage was easy. The enthusiastic lady, gently hut firmly led the erring ones back to the fold. Nature and tact combined that the Cromwell Jockey Club should this year obtain a record membership list. Success repaid Mr Alfred Walmsley last year with his classes for music instruction such as would qualify men and women with voices for enrolment in the singing ranks of the Dunedin Choral Society and he is thus encouraged to begin those classes again in about a fortnight from now. As a result of the work so far the men now make an effective balance with the women in the choir, and there are vacancies for sopranos as well us the other voices. The instruction last year was in reading and part singing. In the classes now to be resumed voice culture will be part of the tuition. There is already such a response to this service on behalf of the community that Mr L. S, Adams, Mus. Bach., has complied with a request to assist Mr Walmsley 'in tne teaching.

We are living in halcyon days (writes the Sydney correspondent of the Melbourne ‘ Age ’). Apparently we are not far from the return of the golden age. A watchman who was bitten by his own dog made a claim for payment under the Workers’ Compensation Act. And he got it. It appears, however, that the employer of the watchman told him that he would have to get a dog to aid him in Ins watchfulness. He got one, and the dog got him. After all, the judgment is quite logical. The dog was part of the paraphernalia with which he performed his duty, and was to him the same as the tools of a tradesman, which might, under certain circumstances, inflict bodily harm, incapacitating him'from His work. But it carries a longer way. Supposing a flea, which got off the rat the dog caught,, bit the -watchman and he contracted bubonic plague, would the employer be responsible? Or let us say the dog spread hydatids and the watchman was afflicted, w;hat would happen then? But every.dog has its day, and the effect of the judgment will be to make it a stipulation that watchmen watch without dogs in future and the notice “ Dogs not admitted ” will be exhibited on all establishments where watchmen are kept. This dog has made trouble for the rest of the canine world. During the palmy days of anticipation it was the fashion t 5 compute the potentialities of the centenary in astronomical numbers (says the Melbourne ‘ Age ’). The public was informed that there would be so many thousands of visitors who would spend so many hundreds of thousands of pounds and bring to this country so many millions of pounds’ worth of publicity. It is always hard to reduce the value of publicity to an exact figure, so even to-day no one can confound those who spoke, thus airily,, but in regard to the number of visitors and the amount of money spent during the peak period of the celebrations there is agreement that expectations were not realised. Now the centenary council has a little problem all to itself, namely, the way to sell commemorative plaques at £2 2s and £1 Is each, florins at 3s each, with a currency value of 2s, and volumes of the official history at 12s 6d each. There were 500 plaques fashioned, and 233 have been sold. There were 3.000 histories published, and 400 have been disposed of, many being gift copies. There were 75,000 florins minted, arid 11.000 have been purchased. So it seems that' the centenary council was quite sincere in its excess of optimism. From an authoritative medical source it is learned that research work in nervous disorders, such as that which is being tarried out by Sir Henry Dale in London, has been going on for some years. According to a cable on the subject which appeared in last night’s issue, Sir Henry Dale and his colleagues of the National Institute for Medical Research have made some remarkable discoveries concerning the' nervous mechanism of the human body, the findings helping Bo explain the action of drugs on the nervous system and being linked up with the effects of vitamin B in cases of nervous disorders. Although it is not regarded as likely that Sir Henry’s discoveries will completely revolutionise the treatment for this type of ailment, there is no doubt that they will be regarded by the medical profession as being of very great importance. ■ The fact, that nothing has been heard recently about the Dunedin maternity hospital prompts a request for information as to how this project now stands. The answer is this: Plans for the building submitted by the Otago Hospital Board were not approved of by the Health Department. -By that department 'the plans were remodelled. The experts who acted on behalf of the Hospital Board were not satisfied with the remodelling, and made . intimation to that effect to the department. Thereupon it was arranged that the department should send an. officer to Dunedin to confer with the architect (Mr Wales), Dr Dawson (professor of obstetrics), and others concerned, and it is for the coming of that officer that the scheme is hung up. That the matter is evidently not treated as urgent may be taken ias an unexpressed vote of. confidence in the existing arrangements that serve the Dunedin district and far afield. Such a thought reminds one that at the Batchelor Maternity Hospital over 5,000 births are recorded with a minimum of mortality. The programme arranged for this morning in connection with the conference of the New Zealand branch of the . British Medical Association included demonstrations and lectures, at the Public Hospital and the Medical School, followed by a visit to the University Museum.. The psychiatry section paid a visit to Seacliff during the day, and this afternoon a garden party was held at Professor Dawson’s house in Garfield avenue. An American publishing company, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, has offered two valuable scholarships to young New Zealand writers in the form of literary fellowships each worth 1.000 dollars. According to advice received by Dr James Higkt, rector of Canterbury College,” the award is being made for any type of literary work. Applicants are expected to forward samples of work already done, whether published or unpublished, together with a detailed synopsis, or tentative table of contents, of the project for which the award is asked. Testimonials are also, required from three responsible persons as to the character and qualifications of the Applicant. Houghton Mifflin, will expect to publish the work, ■if successful, on the usual royalty basis.

The comparatively new fashion of “ shorts ” for lawn tennis has found many adherents among male players in Christchurch this season (states today’s ‘ Press ’), although so far only three or four of the leading women players have appeared in this muchdiscussed garment. There was considerable playing activity at Wilding Park last evening, when no fewer than _8 ranking list' players were engaged in their final challenge matches of the ranking list season. The extent to which thd new mode has invaded the city may easily be realised, for sis out of the eight players wpre wearing short trousers. The drought this summer has been a very expensive _ one for Hie North Canterbury Acclimatisation _ Society. At the meeting of the council of that body last evening (records to-day’s Christchurch ‘Press ’), it was reported that several rivers in the district had in parts dried up, and that losses of fish had been considerable. Mr C. F. Champion reported that efforts had been made to save some of the fish, and that the society’s two rangers had been employed on the work. A truck had been hired for part of the job. The society could not afford to buy trucks. The postal authorities advise that the Wanganella left Sydney on Tuesday for Auckland with seventeen bags of Australian mail and seven parcel receptacles for Dunedin, also the London air mail despatched on February 7.. The mail is due at the local office on Tuesday afternoon,

In accordance with a decision reached at a meeting of the hoard of directors this week employees of the Christchurch Gas Company are to have restored to them the full amount of wages cuts made in June* 1931. The restoration is to be retrospective from January 1, 1935. One “ drunk ’’ engaged the attention of the City Police Court .this morning, John Pringle, who pleaded guilty, being fined* 10s, in default twenty-four hours’ imprisonment. IVlr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., was on the bench. Naval regulations provide for diving exercises by a ship’s recognised divers at least once a month in shallow waters and once every three months in deep waters, the differentiation between the two depths being 12ft or more. Curiosity attracted a waterfront crowd to the vessel. this morning to watch the men satisfying this naval. requirement from one of the cruiser’s pinnaces. The Wharf Hotel, in Lower Rattray street, was sold in the auction rooms of James Samson and Co. yesierday to Mr Alan Messent for the sum ■of £7,550 after spirited competition, bidding starting at £5.000. The property was submitted for auction, under instructions from the executors of the estate of the late Margaret Mills, the owner of the hotel for many years. The vital statistics for the month ended to-day were as follow, the figures for the corresponding period of-last year being given in parentheses:—Births, 96 (104); deaths, 75 (58); marriages, 52 (70).

Don’t delay ■with eye troubles; they lead to other troubles. Sea the optician without delay. To give satisfaction. is the ideal of W. V. Stunner, optician, 2,Octagon, Dunedin,—[Advt. I ' The Railway Department advertises. In this issue particulai'g of cheap rail and motor tours to Eglinton Valley, Lakes Te Anau and Mauapoun. The attention of all friends, supporters, and contributors to the Mayor’s Relief Depot, St. Kilda, is drawn to the annual meeting in the depot on Friday evening, when the report aryl balance-sheet will be presented.