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Evening Star, Issue 22084, 18 July 1935, Page 8

Our own reporter telegraphs from Naseby:—Wind during the night caused a slight thaw, and the Bonsmel has been postponed. If it is not held tomorrow it will be impossible bmor next week.

Through coming into contact with as 11,000-volt terminal when attempting to mend a transmission defect inside the 2YA radio building on Mount Victoria (Wellington), Stewart M Donald, broadcasting engineer, was burned on both arms and left leg. He had a fortunate escape from serious injury, as the burns.are not critical.

Consequent upon the decision of the Government to revert to the Royal Military College of Australia for training candidates for commissioned rank in the New Zealand Permanent Borces, the Commonwealth Government has invited’the New Zealand Government to appoint an officer of the New Zealand forces to the staff of the college. For this appointment (saya a Press Association telegram from Wellington) Captain J. I. Brooke, at present adjutant of the Third Field Company, New Zealand Engineers, at Christchurch, has been soclected. The appointment is not for less than two or more than three years.

Instructions have been given by the Reserves Committee of the City Council to make application to the Unemploymcnt Board for consent to the utilisation of relief labour on a subsidy basis on tree-planting works at Waipori, the men to work full time of 48 hours per week and receive standard rates of pay. The department has 322,600 trees in the nursery available for planting this season, and these would provide work for 20 , men for two months.

Tho parents and pupils attending the Otago Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools will do well to remember that to-mor-row is the last day for voting in connection with the election of members of the Otago High . Schools Board. Voting papers may be posted at any time to-morrow, but if delivered they must be delivered to the secretary’s office not later than 5 p.m.

A ring to the Health Department this morning produced from Dr M‘Ribbon, the medical officer for Otago and Southland, the comforting assurance that in regard to infectious diseases' the occurrence is just now very light, giving no cause for anxiety. The traffic returns for the tramways for the past fortnightly period, Us compiled by the tramway manager show that the revenue for the period showed an increase of £3Bl as compared with the corresponding period of last year. The increase from April 1 tp July o (14 Weeks) is £1,317, or 3.16 pCr cent. The revenue and expenditure statements indicate that the net surplus of the four branches now amounts to £2,264, being an increase of £1,625 over that shown for the same period last yea?.

The city electrical engineer has been authorised to attend the Electrical Power Board’s and Supply Authorities’ Conference to be held in Wellington from September 9 to September 13. The matter of a representative of the council attending will be determined later. ‘

The radio and electrical traders in the city are organising a radio and electrical appliances exhibition to be held in the Town Hall at an early date. The E.P. and L. Committee of the City Council has agreed to the department co-operating with the organisers and giving reasonable assistance to the project, and has also authorised a contribution of £lO towards the cost of advertising.

The General Committee of the City Council recommends that authority be granted to purchase a suitable motor car for the use of the traffic inspection staff. The committee has given this matter full consideration and is satisfied that, if the staff is to carry out its duties in an efficient manner, some means of transport is essential, and a two-seater' car of the type used throughout New Zealand by the Main Highways Board traffic inspectors, appears to be the most suitable. If the recommendation is approved, tenders would be called for the car by public advertisement.

Advice has been received by the General Committee of the City Council from the Commissioner or Transport, that it is proposed that the do-minion-wide annual check of motor brakes and lights should commence on August 1. Instructions have been given to the chief traffic inspector to make the necessary arrangements for the check throughout the city area.,

The report of the consulting engineers on the progress of the Waipori tunnel shows that for the past two weeks the contractors had 27 men employed. A further 63ft was driven in the pressure tunnel, the face being fairly soft oxidised stone, with a little water. A further 60ft was driven in the branch supply tunnel, the rock being hard and compact. Driving has now been discontinued pending the final connection with the main supply tunnel, and preparations are now under way to .start the concrete lining. The Waimea Power Board,yesterday afternoon received advice from the Public Works Department stating that a license to the Hume Pipe Company to develop the Cobb River hydro-electric scheme had been signed by the Executive Council and by the GovernorGeneral, and would be gazetted at once., The Tramways Committee of the City Council reports that a review of the fares on the Morningtoh line indicates that it is possible to extend the present concession rate for the up journey. It is accordingly recommended that the existing concession giving 11 “up ” rides for 2s be extended so as to give the holder 12 “ up ” rides for 2s, the alteration to come into force as from August 1. That the meat subsidy scheme for relief workers is a good one cannot be doubted. Beef at id alb and mutton at Id a lb are benefits which would be acceptable in the homes of many families whose. breadwinners were permanently on standard labouring rates of pay. But in any scheme, however sound, there is generally a flaw. In this case it seems to be with the method of distribution. Almost any distributing day those who wish to purchase meat in the depot off Stuart street above the Octagon have to stand a very long time in a queue. An ‘ Evening Star ’ reporter, whose attention was attracted to the queue this morning, was informed that it was no uncommon experience for fa _ housewife who had plenty of other duties to perform to have to wait over two hours for her meat. A more expeditious system of distribution would be’ much appreciated. The Benevolent Committee of the Otago Hospital Board reports; — “ During the past month 21 cases for relief have been dealt with at a weekly cost of £l6 13s Bd. Casual cases for relief amounting to £503 3s were approved. Pour men received 23J days’ work at the board’s institutions at a total cost of £l4 13s 9d.

The Benevolent Committee df the Hospital Board recommends that the position as advised by the certifying officer of the Employment Bureau that the Unemployment Board has no legal authority to provide relief work either to workers or the dependents of workers who have refused or have been dismissed from relief work, be not accepted, and intimation be sent that the arrangement already entered into whereby hospital boards are only responsible for such unemployed workers classified “ C,” W/ill be adhered to.

There was a little diversion in the Magistrate’s Court this morning, when a witness was asked to state if he had signed a certain document that_ was produced. After examining the signature, the witness said he could not recollect having signed the paper, whereupon the magistrate (Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M.) said: “But you must know whether that is your own signature or not,” to which the witness replied that he was not certain. The Magistrate: Well, then, will you cay it is not your signature? The witness, however, was not prepared to go to that length, adding that he would like to say it was his. After the magistrate bad asked the witness whether he really meant the court to believe that he did not know his own signature, the point was allowed to drop, no satisfactory conclusion having been reached.

A recommendation of the Electric Power and Lighting Committee of the meeting of the City Council on Monday night will bo that all men employed in the department on an hourly rate of pay be henceforth granted 12 working days’ holiday per annum on full pay, in addition to the usual statutory holidays. The annual cost of giving effect to the proposal is £775 14s 9d. The Main Highways Board, the Railways Department, and the Unemployment Board are co-operating in an investigation into the possible elimination of several of the worst railway crossings in Canterbury. No definite decisions have yet been made (says a Press Association telegram from Christchurch), but it is stated that at leass three or font of these crossings will be done away with by the erection of overhead bridges Plans of the proposed bridges and ramps are being prepared with a view to estimating the cost. All the crossings are admittedly dangerous. It is believed that the proposals are part of a more extensive Government plan to eliminate all dangerous crossings.

The sale of fat sheep at Burnside yesterday was a fairly even one throughout, with values ruling in buyers’ favour to the extent of Is for all prime heavy descriptions, while medium ewes receded Is to 2s compared with last sale. Hoggets sold freely at Is to 2s appreciation, realising up to 22s 6d for best, with lighter sorts telling from 12s upwards. Quotations ;—Extra prime heavy wethers, to 31s 9d; prime, 26s to 28s; medium, 22s to 245; light, from 18s; extra prime heavy ewes, to 23s 3d; prime, 17s 6d to 19s 6d; medium, 13s to 15s; light, from 9s fid.

Uncertainty as to what a day’s toil will yield in money is the common experience of the miner on alluvial fields, and the fisherman is similarly .insecure occasionally. So it is now with the men who endure daily hardships in the trawlers. The Otago fishermen are wondering where thie soles have gone to. Round the usually favoured places on the southern coast—the Nuggets Taieri Mouth, and other haunts—soles are so scarce that the boats’ crews are searching for groper, which are also not too abundant, being near the time when they regularly disappear to spawn. This morning at the market a petrol case of soles was worth about 375. When soles were plentiful recently these cases were auctioned as low as 7s each. Another favourite fish that is hard to find just now is the blue cod. The supply of these to the Dunedin market for smoking is being reinforced by consignments via Wellington from the Bluff and Chatham Island.

The postal authorities advise that the air mail despatched from Dunedin on June 26, via Singapore, reached London on Monday last.

Before this year ends the unsightly and dilapidated remains of the building at the corner of Market street and Princes street will probably cease to offend the public eye. The city building surveyor (Mr L. D. Coombs) is preparing sketch plans for additions to the car sheds that will occupy the corner. These additions include provision for the employees’ social use. At present the only purpose served by the old building is to house the Tramways Band for its 1 practices. Reluctance to disturb the band is supposed to be one of the reasons for allowing the disfiguring structure to stand so long. A considerable amount of work will be necessary to carry out these additions as suggested. Mr Coombs is also drawing plans for improving the corporation’s stables at North-east Valley, and tor additions to the Drainage Board’s workshop and store on the Anderson’s Bay road. A corporation job just about finished is the construction of a dwelling for the permanent pipeman on the Deep Creek water scheme. The house is being erected by Mr F. D. Boswell, about four or five miles this side of the intake.

Authority has been granted the tramway, manager to proceed with the erection of a shelter at the lower gate at the Anderson’s Bay Cemetery for the convenience of bus patrons at an estimated cost of £27 10s.

A protest against the proposal to take a poll within the old no license boundary of Ashburton was expressed at a largely-attended temperance rally held last evening. The meeting resolved that if in spite of its protest a special poll as suggested be forced upon Ashburton local no license votes should be taken in all other electorates in the Dominion at the next and all succeeding elections. The rally was addressed by the Rev. J. R. Blanchard (president of the New Zealand Alliance) and Mr J. Malton Murray (secretary). —Press Association.

After a discussion in committee at its meeting yesterday the High Schools Board decided that the name of the new high school now being erected in South Dunedin should be the King George V. High School. The board also decided to invite applications _ immediately for the position of principal. The name previously suggested by a sub-committee of the Old Boys’ Society was King George Grammar School, or college, or academy. The board, however, deemed it advisable to retain the designation “ high school.”

To be Well, See Well, See Stunner.—W. V, Sturmer, Optician, 2 Octagon. Dunedin. Consulting Opticians: W. V. Sturmer, F. 1.0., N.Z.; A. R. Watson. F. 1.0., 5.D.0., N.Z. —[Advt.] The Carpenters’ Union will held a farewell function in tho Trades Hall to-mor-row for P. Vorrath, one of its members, selected to represent New Zealand 'on the *4l Blacks’ lour..