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Evening Star, Issue 22560, 30 January 1937, Page 14

“ I might be inclined to he a little biased, but after seeing the newspapers in Australia, I would like to compliment the Press in New Zealand, declared Mr H. M. Christie, M.P.,- who returned to Wellington from Sydney by the Awatea yesterday. Mr Christies main impression (says a Press Association telegram) was that the newspapers in Australia were striving after sensational nows. The standard, he considered, was much below that in the Dominion.

During January the sun has been showing signs of great activity. There have been many groups of sunspots and (a Press Association telegram says) some of the individual spots have been of large dimensions. Whenever the limb of the sun has been examined with a spectroscope active prominences in considerable numbers have been present. On Thursday the sun showed a very disturbed appearance. In all 124 individual sunspots were counted by observers at the Dominion Observatory, although a- great many of them were small. The most active group was 86,000 miles in length and had one complicated spot composed of three large nuclei. This whole spot measured .29,000 miles over its greatest length. At the fortnightly meeting of the Port Chalmers Court yesterday, Mr N. Dodds, J.P., and Mr W. G. Love, J.P., were on the bench. Judgment by default for plaintiffs was given as follows; J. Watson Ltd. v. James Poison, £3 16s 6d (goods), with costs (29s 6d); Thomas Anderson v. William Dillon, £8 15s (rent), with costs (265). The final of the Public Service annual howling tournament, in which section and greens finalists were decided at the Anderson’s Bay and Caledonian greens yesterday, will be played at the Kaituna green on Tuesday next at 2.30., when the railways and telegraph representatives will meet.

A new scale of hairdressing prices has been agreed upon by the Master Hairdressers’ Association,, the only difference from the present scale being that a neck trim is 9d instead of 6d, and secondary schoolboys are to be charged Is for a haircut instead of 9d. The other prices remain as at present.

On the question of wages, no settlement was reached at the hearing of the dispute between th<? Dunedin and Suburban General Workers’ Industrial Union and 89 employers at the sitting of the Conciliation Council yesterday afternoon. The employees asked for 2s 6id an hour and the employers refused to consider more than 2s 6d an hour. The question of holidays also remained in dispute, the application by the employees for the payment of the statutory holidays being refused. The hearing was adjourned until February 15.

The Otago High Schools Board wishes to make it clear that pupils will not he enrolled at the high schools on Monday and Tuesday next as previously announced; nor will the rectors of the bovs’ schools and the principal of the girls’ school be at the schools to interview parents on those days._ New dates for the enrolment of pupils and interviews with parents will be announced later. The board asks, however, that intending new pupils of the two hoys’ schools should give immediate notice to the secretary of their intention to enrol. Such notice is not required in the meantime from intending pupils of the Girls’ High School.

A decision was made recently whereby persons in receipt of allowances under the War Veterans’ Allowances Act were to be ineligible for unemployment relief benefits under the Employment Promotion Act, as from the end of January, - from which date they would revert to the full war veteransallowance. However, as this decision resulted in. many of those, concerned being without income from the last week in January until the date of monthly pension payment at the _ full rate late in February, the Minister of Labour has now authorised the granting of reduced unemployment relief payments at the maximum rate of 10s per week for single men and los per week for married men for eaeh of the four weeks in February. ’these are the maximum rates which may be paid without adversely affecting their veterans’ allowance. Those persons concerned are advised io make application for the above beqs&i jfcheir; r local emfiloymea£

In a period of less than seven months, membership of trades unions in Canterbury has almost trebled (says the Christchurch ‘ Press ’). Surprising figures have been produced during the last few days, when union secretaries have been compiling the returns which they are required to furnish to the Government by the end of this month, and these figures the secretaries themselves ascribe almost entirely to the compulsory unionism legislation which became effective on July 3 last year. Since that date the membership of unions with headquarters at the Trades Hall —and there are many with headquarters elsewhere—has increased from about 7,702 to 20,057. The total union membership shown in the Labour Department return last year for Canterbury was 13,140, many of the unions contributing to this total having their headquarters elsewhere than at the Trades Hall. Some of them are in South Canterbury, and the Waterside Workers’ Union, one of the biggest unions in the province, is not included. It is likely therefore than when this year’s return is published by the Labour Department the grand total of membership in Canterbury will be found to be nearly 40,000. A malicious false alarm caused the City Fire Brigade to turn out to the corner of Maryhill Terrace and Vickery street at 11.1 last night. “I hold the view that if a body temporarily embarrassed is doing beneficial work for the public and helping a good cause that body’s claims to conduct an art union within the law are entitled to every consideration,” said the Hon. W. E. Parry, Minister of Internal Affairs, in reply to a request from a deputation that an increase in the profits of recent art unions meant all the more money available for the relief of distress. More than £60,000 from this source has been paid out to mayors’ funds and deserving institutions during the past 12 months. —-Wellington Press Association.

To mark the coronation of King George VI. 1,600 acorns will be planted throughout New Zealand by motorists’ organisations. The acorns have been specially selected from the pick of English oak trees under the supervision of the head of the Kew Gardens. _ They will be brought to the Dominion in cool storage and will be distributed, 800 to each island.—Wellington Press (Association. '

Mr Langstone, who has been touring the Northland for the past week, is now in the extreme north, where he is investigating the position of the settlement of Maoris at Tehapua on Parengarenga Bay (reports a Whangarei Association message). Yesterday he inspected the Maori settlement at Ahipara, ten miles west of Kaitaia. The area under the consolidation scheme consists of 2,264 acres, carrying 586 cows, 204 heifers, 31 bulls, and 33 working horses. Good progress was reported, but one leaden- complained that the young Maoris were being taken from the land in order to obtain the attractive wages offered on Public Works. He declared that they were spending their money in liquor in stead of improving the lands, and suggested the cancellation of licenses in the district. Other speakers pleaded for the retention of the young men on the land and provision for its better use.

The postal authorities advise that the Waikouaiti left Sydney on Thursday for Bluff with nine hags of Australian mail and seven parcel receptacles for Dunedin. The mail should be to hand next Tuesday evening or Wednesday.

The postal authorities advise that the Tamaroa, from London, due in Welling l ton Thursday next, has 571 hags of mail and 428 parcel receptacles for New Zealand. The local portion should come to hand on Friday afternoon. A police officer who was a witness in the bank shooting case and a wellknown court official just escaped playing the leading .roles in another shooting tragedy yesterday (states the ‘ Southland News ’). The police officer was in charge of the revolvers which were exhibits in the case, and he was taking them into the court, when the official wished to have a look at them—just out of curiosity. One. of the revolvers contained two live bullets, and while the official was handling the revolver ho accidentally discharged it. The police force nearly mourned the loss of a competent member, for the bullet _ just missed, and lodged in the wall of the corridor of the court building. The bullet was dug out, and is now a potent reminder of a narrowly-averted tragedy. The report of , the shot startled some of those seated in the Magistrate’s Court during the opening proceedings of the case arising out of the death of Michael Fletcher, but few realised how close they were to another sensational event.

Notification of Sunday services as enumerated below appear in our Sunday services advertising columns Anglican: St. Paul’s Cathedral, All Saints’. Presbyterian: First Church, Knox Church, St. Andrew’s, Musselburgh. St. Stephen’s, Roslyn, Kaikoni. Methodist: Trinity, Central Mission, Mornington, St. Kilda, Caversham, Dundas Street, Abbotsford. Baptist; Hanover Street, Caversham, Mornington, South Dunedin, Roslyn, Sunshine, North-east Valley, Green Island. Congregational: Moray Place Church, United. Church of Christ: St. Andrew Street, North-east Valley, South Dunedin, York Place Hall. Salvation Army. Playfair Street Hall. Christian Science. Theosophical Society. Spiritualists. Orange Hall.

The St. Kilda Band will present a popular programme of music at St. Kilda Beach to-morrow night. Eye strain—for eye comfort, for better vision, consult Sturmer and Watson Ltd., opticians, 2 Octagon. Dunedin. —[Advt.l

In our report on the Domain Board meeting Cr Silverstone, in speaking during the tip discussion, was credited with saying: “ The council has not got the money,” whereas he actually stated that the Domain Board had not the money.