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Evening Star, Issue 22277, 2 March 1936, Page 8

Excellent progress is being made with the Knigston-Queenstown road. Thirty additional men from Queenstown and the district have started work on the Queenstown end of the road (says the ' JVlataura Ensign '). About 170 men are now employed on the road. The road is in good order and many ears and motor cycles pass through each week-end; but as the road is not open yet, permission must be obtained from the overseer, Mr J. J. Jones. The weather has been fine and full time is being worked. Claiming that the natural facilities at. Waikokopu hold out the prospect of the development there of a deepwater port second to none in New Zealand, a deputation from the Wairoa Harbour Board has opened official negotiations for the. creation of a special harbour authority representing the Wairoa, Poverty Bay, and East Coast Districts, to expand the present port. The deputation waited on the Gisborne Harbour Board at its last monthly meeting and secured a promise that, at a convenient time in the early future, members of the Gisborne Board will meet the Wairoa Board at Waikokopu and hear details of the expansion scheme. Doubt as to the wisdom of holding an exhibition to celebrate the centenary of New Zealand in 1940 was expressed by Professor F. P. Wilson, president of the Wellington Early Settlers and Historical Association at the annual meeting of the association. Professor Wilson mentioned that several centenaries were coming off in Australia. He thought South Australia proposed to celebrate its centenary with an exhibition, and there were, he believed, one or two American centenaries about the same time. He expressed pleasure, however, at seeing some evidence of activity on the part of the authorities responsible for holding the celebrations.—Press Association. An indication of the patronage accorded the Sunday railway excursions to Timaru was furnished by the number that made the journey yesterday. Despite promise of rain throughout the day, there were 394 persons on board when the train left Dunedin at 7.20 a.m., and. that number was augmented by the many excursionists who joined at intermediate stations. The South Canterbury town was reached at 11.50, the weather being fine but dull. The return journey was commenced at 4.55 p.m., the train arriving back at Dunedin again at 9.28 p.m., punctually on time. When the Christchurch public is asked to support a deserving cause its response is seldom other than generous (says the ' Press '). Fine weather and an excellent programme made that response even more certain yesterday when the Canterbury Aero Club, with the co-operation of numerous other bodies, held an air pageant at Wigram aerodrome. It was part of Canterbury's effort to swell the benefit funds for the widow and family of Spuadron Leader M. C. M'Gregor. Last night a splendid concert was given by members of the ' White Horse Inn ' Company in* the Theatre Royal. As the result of these two performances, the funds will benefit by about £SOO. At the pageant the gate takings were £157, and the takings for the passenger flights were £56. These with other small amounts yet to be received should make the total from the pageant about £220. The theatre takings last night were about £250, and a further substantial sum was raised by auction. The small expenses of the pageant are being ■ met by the Canterbury Aero Club, and the expenses for the theatre performance were nil. February was a fine, warm month in Southland, with an almost total absence of stormy weather. The rainfall at lnvercargill was 2.33 in. The shade temperature reached 81 on Friday, February 10. Eleven hours of sunshine were frequent, and on two days 12| hours were registered, states a Press Association message. " Waikouaiti founded Port Chalmers and Port Chalmers founded Dunedin, and so Otago grew." In that vein the Mayor of Port Chalmers spoke at a gathering of early settlers on Saturday at Waikouaiti. Other speakers also mentioned Waikouaiti's close link with early colonisation. Saturday's picnic gathering was a happy combination of members of the Port Chalmers 01(1 Identities' Association and the Early Settlers of Waikouaiti. Attendance was restricted to early settlers and descendants of early settlers. Numerous though the latter were they did not have it all their own way. A venerable settler of 94 years said a few words; a motherly lady of more than four score summers sang the old favourite song, ' Ever of Thee I'm Fondly Dreaming.' Every note of it was true and the sentiment sweetly reminiscent. The picnic programme featured sports, bagpipe music, afternoon tea, and renewal of old friendships, all those fixtures serving to make the gathering so pleasant that quite a number of the' participants spoke of making it an annual fixture. Probate has been granted of the will of Sir .James Mills, his New Zealand estate being sworn at under £160,000. There are no public bequests.—Wellington Association message. There was no business to come before the quarterly meeting of the Dunedin Licensing Committee set down for this morning. The week-end weather was not good on the Taieri. Saturday was showery, and the same weather was experienced yesterday forenoon. In the afternoon the sun shone out. but a cold wind was blowing. Peals of thunder were heard about 5 p.m., and shortly before nightfall rain fell. It did not continue long, but while it lasted was fairly heavy. The sight of a railway porter running with two suitcases from the station iplatform, with a young lady hurrying at his heels, just after the departure of the south express this morning, caught the attention of those on the platform. The porter dashed onto the roadway, hailed a taxi, and bundled the two cases in, while the young lady took her place in the rear seat as the car moved off. It appears that the girl was bringing the cases to a passenger on the train, but was rather belated. However, the cases were eventually transferred to the express at Caversham, where the taxi driver asked the stationmaster to hold the train hack while his fare located Her friend in the train.

For sheer audacity the sequel to extensive thefts from the garden of a Mornington resident must be without parallel. His garden has been systematically raided and denuded of prize rose bushes over a period of weeks without any culprit being discovered, and in an attempt to stop the operations of the thief he recently bought a fox terrier to guard his property. Now the dog and its chain have been stolen. Vacations over, about 1,000 young men and women returned or made first entry to the University of Otago when it reopened for lectures to-day. Enrolment applications were less numerous than anticipated, the wet weather doubtless accounting for this, as they may be completed on any day during the first week of the term. It was an easy day, taken up principally by newcomers making the acquaintance of their lecturers and being informed of their year's programme. But before any of this they attended in large numbers, assisting to crowd Allen Hall for the customary inaugural address, delivered on this occasion by Dr R. AV. Souter, recently appointed to the chair of economics as successor to Dr Fisher. His listeners also numbered the professors and the Chancellor (Mr W. J. Morrell), and he was introduced by Dr W. 1). Cnrinalt Jones (chairman of the Professorial Board). He spoke on the student's relationship to the university and gave an example from economics, showing that the truths about everyday life are identical with the general lessons of other sciences. The rush of shipping work at Port Chalmers last week, largely consisting of wool from the second wool sale, is said to have been the biggest rush experienced since the war period. To-day the wharves were deserted, the final wool ships having sailed yesterday for London.

Kyo strain—for eye comfort, for better vision, consult Sturmer and Watson Ltd., Opticians. 2 Octagon. Dunedin.—[Advt.l A meeting will be held in the Radiant Hall to-night, to discuss the closing of Frew's Dog Hospital.