CHILDREN AND BOWLERS.

Evening Star, Issue 22572, 13 February 1937, Page 16

CHILDREN AND BOWLERS.

The Reserves Committee of the City Council is almost certainly wrong in the approval it has given to the leasing of a portion of the Caversham children’s playing field to mate a new ground for a howling club. It is true that the area sought to be diverted has the least use for children at the present time. It is unkempt and altogether unprepossessing, due to the fact, no doubt, that levelling work has been in progress, making an end of all attempts to preserve a presentable appearance. The reserve as a whole just now is not the sort of place to which a patriotic citizen would take a visitor to show him one of Dunedin’s beauty spots. 'The small patch that is occupied by swings and similar contraptions on which children can disport themselves makes the only part of it that is in keeping with this city’s general conception of how reserves should be kept. But that is not to say that the whole of it could not bo made beautiful and attractive for children. It is to be improved—but not, primarily at least, for them. The Caversham Bowling Club has a ground, leased from the council, which may require to he reduced at some not distant time for purposes of street widening, and the Reserves Commit-' tee has approved of the clilh’s request that a new ground should be found for it on the higher part of the children’s reserve. The ground would have to be levelled and made suitable, and that would be done, we understand, at the club’s expense. The best case that can be made for granting the application is that by that means, and by the rent which would accrue from the club, the council would he aided in putting the rest of the reserve into model order, including the piping of a creek, and the children’s practicable playing area would be increased.

“Thrift! Thrift! Horatio” may ho the- natural comment. But that should not be, in this matter, a first consideration. There are a principle and a history which should he remembered. This ground was made available for a children’s playground through the efforts of the late Mr Mark Cohen, backed by public opinion, when it was proposed to put a road through it. It was understood always that the whole, not a part of it, was to be a children’s reserve, and it is not too large an area for such a purpose. Yet part of it has been fenced off for a tennis club, and it is proposed now to take another segment, which presumably would he also, in due course, fenced off, for a howling club. Even so have the purposes of reserves been narrowed on repeated occasions, and the practice is always bad. Hopes might have been felt that the Labour Council, in such a matter as this, would be better than such of its predecessors as have erred, but the Reserve Committee’s recommendation raises a doubt. The chairman of the committee, Mr Batchelor, has made hold to pronounce that, even after deduction for a bowling club, there will be sufficient room for children on the reserve fifty years hence. Mr Batchelor has small faith, apparently, in an improvement of the birth rate. But apart from that consideration, if this request of a bowling club is granted who can say that, long before fifty years have elapsed, a croquet or some other club may not require equal treatment, or the bowling club feel a need for enlarging its ground? And a precedent once set is not an easy thing to get away from. There is one point which we overlooked in presenting the committee’s case for a lease. It is the prospect—described as “every prospect”—that if the children’s lights are trenched upon now, another jilayground will he provided for some of their number on the hillside above Kew. The council might bind itself firmly to that compensation, but no council can bind its successors, and the municipal fathers who will follow this regime may have Jess funds than at present are envisaged for “a playground within half a mile of every home.” There must be other sites for a bowling club in Cavershain,

Torrential rain, accompanied by vivid lightning and heavy thunder, drenched Oamaru shortly after noon yesterday and caused miniature floods in parts of the town. The storm came up out of the south-west with startling suddenness. The fury of the storm can be gauged by the fact that the overseas vessel Zealandic, at present in port, was made to sway so violently that one of the gangways was smashed. Otherwise no damage of a serious nature occurred. The storm passed as suddenly as it came, and 15 minutes after the first thunder clap the skies were again clear. The hearing of an application for a Dominion award for journalists employed on metropolitan newspapers was concluded in the Court of Arbitration at Wellington yesterday. The evidence and the submissions by the parties^— the New Zealand Journalists’ Association and the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association —occupied two days and ahalf. Mr A. W. Croskery conducted the case for the journalists and Mr J. M. Hardcastlo represented the employers. The court reserved its decision. A correspondent writes to say that, as a frequent visitor to tho Botanic Gardens, ho was surprised to find that tho deer, quite an attraction for some years, had been removed from their pen near the kiosk. Had they, he asked, suffered the same fate as the guns? “The dear have removed themselves,” said the superintendent of reserves (Mr D. Tannock) when inquiry was made this morning. “ They broke out of the pen and are in the bush, but they will come hack in the winter, when food is scarce there.” The city organist (Dr V. E. Galway) will give an after-church recital in the Town Hall to-morrow evening, at 8.15. The organist has arranged a programme which includes four items not previously performed at these recitals: — 4 Festal Prelude ’ (Thomas Dunhill), 4 Canzona ’ (Wolstenholme), Concerto in G (Bach), Choral Preludes, ‘ A Rose Breaks Into Bloom ’ and * Adorn Thyself, My Soul, with _ Gladness ’ (Brahms). Other interesting, pieces are Sonata No. 1 (Mahdelssonn), Romanza (Beethoven), Berceuse (Jarnefolt), Coronation March (Meyerbeer). The assisting artists will be Miss Ruth Miller, who will sing ‘ Gentle Shepherd ’ (Pergolesi), and ‘The Blacksmith ’ (Brahms), and Mr William Clarke, who will ph«r * Novelette in F ’ (Schumann). _ ‘There will he no charge for admission. The postal authorities advise that the Rangitiki reached _ Auckland from London on Friday, with 86 hags of English mail and 23 parcel receptacles for Dunedin. The letter portion of the mail will he to hand on Monday morning and tho balance on Tuesday evening.

" This man is piling up a list for himself,” said Sergeant Boulton of Donald Matheson, who was before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., on a charge of _ drunkenness, in the Police Court this morning. Defendant, who was convicted on a similar charge yesterday, was fined 20s. in default 48 hours’ imprisonment. A first offender for drunkenness was fined 10s, in default 24 hours’ imprisonment. A chimney fire in Harrow street was attended to by the city brigade yesterday afternoon, while at 2.1 this morning a call was received to a house in Cumberland street. Only slight damage was done to some clothing. The restrictions having _ been lifted by the Health Department in respect to the epidemic, the St. Clair Improvement Association has definitely decided to hold its annual carnival on the Esplanade on March 3,4, 5, and 6. An enthusiastic committee is in charge of the arrangements. The twenty-first - anniversary of the founding of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association will be observed this year, and suitable arrangements for observance of the occasion have been made by the Dunedin branch. As part of the programme Mr B. J. Jacobs, of Palmerston North, who is a Dominion vice-president of the N.Z.R.S.A., will give a talk at the monthly luncheon of members at the club on Tuesday next, and ,in the evening he will address ex-servicemen in the social hall on matters of general interest to them. Approximately 100 applications were received by the Dunedin Returned Soldiers’ Association from ex-servicemen in Otago for inclusion in the Coronation contingent to represent New Z3aland m London, and these wero posted to Welligton to-day. A ballot will be held bo select the successful eight men. Following a meeting of the South Island Championship Regatta Committee at Port Chalmers this morning, it was decided to cancel this afternoon's regatta. If possible the interprovincial eight-oared race for the Edmond Challenge Shield will be rowed at 6 p.m., and the committee will neet this evening to consider holding the other events later. In view of the damage heirg cansed by pnkeko and the substantia increase in their numbers, the Wangaiui Acclimatisation Society has requited the Government to allow a short ojen season of 10 days this year. Pukekc are very numerous in the Wanganu; district, where they cause a good deal of damage to farm crops. This bird has been known to disturb tbe nests d wild and domestic duck. It is also tnder suspicion as a destroyer of pheasints’ eggs, but the Wanganui society his no direct evidence about such depredation. It is believed, however, that a short open season would be the most elective way of keeping the birds in cluck. A familiar landmark in Wellington—the big electric 2YA sign on Mount Victoria —no longer sheds itl red beams over the harbour at night. No decision has yet been reached about vhether the sign will he replaced with mother sign referring to one of the two transmitters which will ho located in the present building on Mount Victoria The present 2YA plant will soon h< transferred to Titalii Bay, where it wil bo used as a transmitter for 2YC. A lew one-kilo-watt transmitter will bo iistalled next month on Mount Victoria, the present 2YC plant being retained is a standby for the other three transnitters. New Zealanders like god magazines, but when they cannot afferd them they will read something cheap. This opinion was expressed by Mr C. More, manager of Gordon and Gotch Ltd, Wellington, in an interview. Compaed with that of Australia, he said, lew Zealand’s taste in literature was high, and in magazines Now Zealamers preferred the bettor quality mateial from England. This was probabE caused, said Mr Moore, by Australia’spopubition being concentrated in the big cities, the ratio of urban to rural population being roughly three to two, wide that in New Zealand was just tbe oppsito. For some reason the concentratiol of people in big cities seemed to ppvide a market for the poor quality migazines. Business conditions appapntly were a powerful factor in detefnining the type of reading people boufbt. In the depression there was somi outcry against the quantity of back lumbers of cheap American magazines king dumped in New Zealand for sale by the bundle, but returning prosper!y bad diverted tlie buying of the penile to the bettor magazineso or at loastcurront issues of |he poor ones.,

When, some future historian comes_ to write tho history of tho laws of New South Wales he will call this the era of strange laws, of laws that are half cooked or half boiled, or man-mauled or mangled (writes a correspondent of the Melbourne ‘Age.’ The county council has taken over the control of the electrical supply for the metropolitan area (except for Balmain and the Railway Department), but it is forbidden'to use electric light itself other than for lighting its offices or for advertising purposes. Iho council desires in il littni na I e the city in a way that it has never been Ht before during tho Coronation, so as to give pleasure to the people and lu make Sydney a bright snot on. the map of Australia. But it is not allowed, aeceording to tho law, to show a light as largo as half a candle power, unless the council puts under the spot light “ this is an advertisement.” “ God save the King and Queen, and use our refrigerators in summer and cool down with one of our patent fans ” is tho way in which tho illuminations will have to - appear. “ Long may they reign over tho Empire on which our powerful new sunrise globes never set ” will be another one. “ The crown of all family life is to smooth things out with a fiat iron, all electric ” is another. The Parliament that put out an act like this should be playing knock-knock as an intellectual pastime. The Lord-Mayor of Sydney, Alderman Howie, has announced his intention of refusing a £750 supplementary allowance which was voted to him, and will conduct the city in the way it should go, contentedly and quietly on £1,500 a year (states a correspondent of the Melbourne ‘ Age). The recent increase in the annual registration fee for Alsatian dogs and those even partly belonging to this species has resulted in a large number of owners sending these animals to the lethal chamber (says the Melbourne ‘ Age). It has been estimated by ‘an official at the Dogs’ Home that Alsatians or semi-Alsatians are being painlesslv put to death at the rate of between 300 and 400 a year, or an average of one per day, despite the fact that the increased registration fee is not payable until March next. But owners apparently feel that it us useless to feed the dogs if they are unable to register them in two or three months’ time. Parliament recently increased the registration fee for this species of dog from 5s per annum to £2 15s. The original Bill fixed the fee at £5, hut Alsatian lovers in Parliament, although unable to defeat the measure, managed to carry an amendment reducing the proposed fee by £2 ss.

In the sugar areas of North Queensland there have been recurrences or continuations of what is known as the Blade Hand trouble, a form of blackmailing with violence, even to shooting, arson and damage by high explosives (writes a correspondent of the Melbourne ‘ Age ’), The Italians deny that there is in operation a Black Hand society, saying that the blackmailing and the other crimes are individual or small group “ unofficial ” acts. The situation is so serious that the Police Commissioner (formerly Captain Carroll. M.C.) has officially visited several of the more important centres, and imiT bo supposed to have reported to the ’'Government. It is extremely difficult to get evidence against suspected persons. Certain casual workers or small business men are supposed to be associated with the crimeSj but it is one thing to have a certainty in one’s mind and a very different proposition to take action which would lead to deportation. And even deportation is not possible in the case of a man who is a naturalised Britisher.

“ Would you say there" is any difference between good and clever driving?” asked Mr A. R. Cooper, city traffic department prosecutor, of a witness in the Magistrate’s Court, Wellington. _ “ I would say they mean the same tiling,” was the reply. “Is it not rather true,” said Mr Cooper, “ that the clever driver gets out of a difficulty by doing the best thing possible in the quickest time, but the good driver does not get into difficulty.” The magistrate, Mr E. D. Mosley, ventured the definition that a good driver was one who drove according to the laws of the country. 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, Eoslyn, Kaikorai. .Methodist: Trinity, Central Mission, Mornington, St. Kilda, Caversham, Dundas Street, Abbotsford. Baptist: Hanover Street, Caversham, Mornbigton, South’Dunedin, Eoslyn, Sunshins, North-east Valley, Green Island. Congregational; Moray Pisco Church, United. Church of Christ: 6t. Andrew Street, North-east Valley, South Dunedin, York Place Hall. Salvation Army. Playfair Street Hall, Christian Science. Theosophical Society. Spiritualists. Orange Hall. The Ist Eegimenial Band will play a select programme of music at the Botanic Gardens to-morrow-The Eailway Department advertises in this issue particulars of a special cheap day excursion, Dunedin to Invercargill, on Sunday, February 21. Two fast trains will be run to Invercargill, returning 1 the same day. The United Starr-Bowkett Building Society, during February and March, will dispose of £3,800 by sale and ballot. Eye strain—for eye comfort, for better vision, consult Sturmer and Watson Ltd., opticians, 2 Octagon. Dunedin. —[Advt.]