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Evening Star, Issue 22031, 17 May 1935, Page 8

“I am notifying the town clerk that temporarily I am not accepting the increase in the mayoral honorarium,” said the mayor (llev. E. T. Cox) this morning. The council’s purpose in fixing the sum at £SOO without being subject to a cut was that the mayor might not be disfranchised in voting when the proposal for the restoration of the cuts to the corporation employees comes up for consideration.”

The number of schools in which religious instruction is given on the lines of the Nelson system is 68, comprising 8,092 children (states tho annual report of the Otago Education Board). The number of schools in which instruction is given under any other system is nine, comprising 522 children. Approximately one-half of the children in average attendance in Otago schools are receiving religious instruction for one half-hour per week.

A Nelson Press Association telegram states that at the first meeting of the new City Council it was decided to follow the example of the Wanganui Council and open each meeting with a short set of prayer composed by the Bishop of Nelson.

The recent purchases for the Art Gallery from the Murray Fuller collection made necessary considerable rearrangement of the exhibits, in order to give the most effective display. This has been completed, and the four paintings and six etchings secured from that collection are now on view.

The annual conference of the Otago branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union is io be opened on the evening of June 3, when Mr W. J. Poison (dominion president) will he the chief speaker. It is hoped that the Hon. Adam Hamilton will bo able to attend during tho session on the following day.

A warning against young New Zealanders with a few pounds going to Australia and spending it in Sydney, and then hoping to find jobs there wy.s voiced by Air A. C. Busholl on bis return from New South Wales. He said that the New Zealand Trade Commissioner (Mr Schmitt) was making every effort to discourage New Zealanders leaving the dominion, as they were far better off in their own country.— Press Association. The legislation making it compulsory for boards to offer trasfers to overscale teachers has resulted in many anomalies and much injustice (states the annual report of the Otago Education Board). The law disregards entirely the important aspect which locality plays in the popularity or otherwise of a position; the difference in attractiveness of two schools of equal grade may be represented by as many as 20 or 30 grading marks. It also takes no cognisance of the fact that much higher grading is necessary today to secure a position, and that many teachers now overscale who secured positions on low grading four Or live years ago, are still many marks below to-day's standard. In addition to the creation of anomalies, these compulsory transfers are increasing considerably the number of changes in school staffs. Some of those transferred have secured promotion after occupying the new position for only a short iperiocT. If the five-year-olds are admitted again, or if schools are graded on average roll, it will be found that many of the transfers effected at such all-round inconvenience have been quite unnecessary. It is very doubtful whether the saving in overscale salaries, after taking into account the cost of removal expenses, has justified the departure from the five-year overscale period, which provided ample time for most teachers to secure the type of position they wanted—in many cases promotion warranted by increased grading, and not merely a temporary transfer to an equivalent position. Pull supplies of fruit are coming to the Dunedin market. The shop windows are thus made very pretty, and consumers of low degree financially are able to buy as much as they need, prices being reasonable Of apples there is a good display in the Jonathan, Delicious, and Cleopatra varieties of the dessert class, mostly raised in Central Otago, but flanked by choice consignments from Canterbury. There is now a varied supply of cooking apples. Up to the present the Dunedin marts have been chiefly supplied this season from the Taieri, hut Central Otago is now sending Romo Beauty, Dunn’s Favourite, and other approved varieties. The Niue bananas ex the Maui Pomare were railed from Lyttelton, and received on Tuesday. This fruit is in excellent condition, and meeting a fair inquiry. Gros Colmar grapes and local hothouse tomatoes have been plentiful, and prices are firm for both lines. Mr Justice Page made his first official visit to Dunedin to-day as president of the Arbitration Court, and sat this morning to discuss with counsel the allocation of dates for industrial matters in dispute. Associated with His Honour wefe Messrs W. Cecil Prime and A. L. Monteith, the employers' and workers’ assessors. Fixtures were made for a session that will occupy practically the whole of next week. Awards were also ratified this morning in cases where an agreement had been reached by the parties concerned. It was decided that the Otago plasterers’ award should come into force on May 24. Awards will also be made in connection with the printing trades when minor technical irregularities in the documents are adjusted. A very important move in furtherance of the efficiency of the public service and its relationship to the community is the establishing of the Institute of Public Administration. That step is now definitely taken. Its avowed purposes are to promote the study of public adrainistratibu, to maintain and further the high ideals and traditions of the public service, and to promote good relationship between the branches of the service and encourage its members to proficiency in their various professions. The membership is to be for the first or clerical division. Brandies have been formed in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin, the Dunedin branch embracing Otago and Southland. The Dunedin branch met last night, and elected Mr H. L. Gibson president, Mr D. A. Young working vice-president, and Mr J. Kemnitz secretary, also a working committee of six members and eight honorary vicepresidents. Mutton birds are sometimes referred to as one of the foods from which the taste is acquired. This season the quality is so good that many persons have been induced to try them, and in Dunedin the demand is now so keen as to make the wholesalers ask for a fuller supply. Honey is another article of diet that seems to be partaken of more freely 'than in past years, but improvements in the quality have made consumers fastidious, and the inquiries by buyers are mostly for first-grade kinds. Eggs maintain their price at 2s wholesale for guaranteed, but preserved are much cheaper. At the Christchurch competitions, the dominion test recital for women, ‘ Marpessa’s Clvoice ’ (15 entries), resulted: Miss Thelma Rickard, 82: Mrs Holly Roberts, 81; Miss Narnia Newey (Dunedin), 80; Miss Josephine Kcown (Dunedin), highly commended, 79 points. The character dance, under K) (20 entries) resulted : Miss Rowena Jackson (Dunedin), 80; Master Alan Hunt (Ashburton), 77.—Press Association. An early morning call from Grosvenor street, South Dunedin, was answered by the City and South Dunedin Brigades to-day. It proved to be a malicious false alarm.

The mayor (Bev. E. T. Cox) last night opened his campaign as a Labour candidate tor the Clutha electorate by addressing a meeting at .Milton, at which the. mayor (Mr ]). M. Mawson) presided. Mr J. W. Munro, M.P., and Air Ilalph Harrison introduced the candidate to the meeting, which was a most enthusiastic one. Mr Cox, who was well received, was accorded a vote of confidence. A meeting in furtherance of the campaign will be held at-Kai tangata to-night.

An old subscriber asks for an outline of the life of the Rev. James Watkin, tlie first missionary to settle in Otago, whose arrival was recorded yesterday in our anniversary list. He was born at Alanchester in 1805; was accepted as a candidate lor the Wesleyan ministry in 1830; after ordination married Hannah Entwisle; went out to Tonga in 1831; and was transferred to Sydney in 1837. The Wesleyan authorities in New South Wales resolved to send him to New Zealand and establish a mission at Kapiti, but Mr John Jones offered to bring him across and help to support him if he came to Waikouaiti, and ho voyaged the Tasman with his wife and five children in the brig Regia, landing on May 16, 1810, and being “put up” by Mr Thomas Jones, brother of Mr John Jones. The quarters provided being insufficient, Mr Watkin turned a Native wham into a ono-roomed dwelling. He retired in 1869. died at Sydney on May 14. 1886, and was buried in the Rookwood Cemetery, Eor fuller particulars the inquirer may profitably consult the Rev. Rugby .Pratt’s 1 Pioneering Days of Southern Maorilaud.’

A return of the population of Now Zealand and its dependencies and mandated territory shows (says a Press Association telegram from Wellingto) that during the quarter ended March 31, 1935, the population increased by 2,554, compared with 2,963 during the corresponding quarter of 1934. The total population of New Zealand and its dependencies and mandated territory was 830,940 males and 798,841 females—a total of 1,629,781. The population of New Zealand proper, excluding Maoris, was 755.961 males and'729,085 females —a total of 1,485,046. The Maori population was 38.844 males and 35,734 females —a total of 74,578. _ The North Island population, icluding Maoris, totalled 1,009.472 and the South Island 550,152.

Commenting that the practice of sly grog-selling in a tourist town was not desirable and must he checked, the magistrate, Mr S. L. Paterson, at Rotorua vesterday imposed a fine of £25 on M. Kunac, a fish shop proprietor, of Rotorua, who pleaded guilty to a charge of selling liquor without a license. The police evidence showed that 32 full bottles had been fond ,on the premises, and inquiries showed that 2,000 empty beer bottles had been sold, to dealers by the defendant in the past three months. A similar penalty was imposed on W. Sands, orange drink shop proprietor, who admitted selling without a license wine to Territorials in camp at Arawa Park.

Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., presided at a sitting of the Port Chalmers Court to-day. A youth—William Gordon Moodie—was fined 5s for creating a nuisance in a right of way alongside a picture theatre. For driving a motor ear without number plates James King Campbell was fined 5s and costs (10s).

Six months’ imprisonment, to be followed by reformative detention for a year, was imposed by Mr Luxford, S M., on Albert Thomas Sims Evans, aged 25, a labourer, who admitted the theft of a diamond ring valued at £l2 from Mrs Agnes S. Montgomery at Ohan, the sentence tri be concurrent with a short one now being served, by the accused.—-Wellington Press Association.

When von can’t see—See Stunner.—W. V Stumer, Optician, 2 Octagon, Dunedin. Consulting Opticians; W. V Stumer. F I 0., N.Z.; A. It. Watson, P. 1.0.. 5.D.0.. N.Z.-rAdvt.l

'l’ho Australian Society will open the winter season with a social evening at the Vedic Cafe to-morrow night. An interesting musical programme has been arranged, in addition to which there will he bridge and euchre. Particulars are given in our advertising columns.

The Green Mill, owing to a prior hoolcJnk of the Concert Chamber, will move for IhTs Saturday to the Moonshine, George street.