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Evening Star, Issue 22955, 12 May 1938, Page 12

With a small Queensland freighter 5n tow, the tug Frosty Moller arrived off the Sydney Heads on Tuesday, tipis completing another stage of her journev to Shanghai. At Sydney the vessel will take in tow another tug, and will then set out for Shanghai with both vessels astern.

The postal authorities advise that the Waikouatiti left Sydney on Thursday with 17 bags of Australian mail for Dunedin. This should reach the local office on Monday morning. In the Supreme Court at Wellington yesterday, William George Collie, a labourer, aged 22, was found not guilty on a charge of breaking and entering the Ranfurly Club, Masterton, by night, with intent to steal. The trial began on Tuesday afternoon. The Crown’s case rested mainly upon the question of identification, as it was alleged that the accused was the person whom a constable had seen walking across the roof of a building near the club on the night the premises were broken into. The contention of the defence was that the case was one of mistaken identity, and that subconsciously the constable, who had had only a momentary glimpse of the man, gained his main description after the arrest of the accused. After a retirement of about half an hour, a jury in the Supreme Court at Wellington yesterday returned a verdict of not guilty against Joseph Urn, a labourer, aged 37, who was charged with breaking and entering the warehouse of Wright, Stephenson, and Co. Ltd., at Masterton, and stealing shearing implements, a cheque book, and a quantity of liquor to the total value of £l7 11s 3d. There was an alternative charge of receiving the shearing implements. Mr Justice Reed said that in his opinion it would be unsafe to convict because there was nothing in the evidence to connect the accused with the crime.

A polling clerk engaged to help at yesterday’s election at a Wellington booth failed to put in an appearance before 9 a.m. Looking over his list, the deputy returning officer saw that the name was that of E. Armstrong, victim of the suitcase murder. A substitute was at once appointed.— Press Association.

There was a rise of 3s 6d on prime ewes and wethers, and of 2s on other types at the opening of the fat sheep sale at Burnside yesterday. Until the two concluding races values continued firm on this basis. Prices for good quality sheep then receded to late parity. Freezing sheep brought late rates. Values were, for extra prime heavy wethers, to £1 19s; primes from £1 10s 6d) to £1 14s 9d; mediums from £1 5s 6d to £1 8s 6d; lights from £1 Is; extra prime heavy young ewes to £1 11s; prime heavies from £1 3s 6d to £1 7s; mediums from 18s to £1; and lights from 11s 6d. The following is a summary of letters dealing with the local body elections, received but not published by the ‘ Evening Star ’: —Against the Labour Party 20, from the Labour side 3, in support of independents 2. A small proportion of the letters opposing Labour were obviously from workers, one of whom came back to know why his communication was not published. Three of the letters rejected were specially directed against Cr Silverstone and four against Mr Cox. The sitting of the War Pensions Appeal Board, which was to have commenced in Dunedin early this month, has been postponed till May 23. The chairman of the board is Sir Walter Stringer, and the local members are Dr W. J. Porteous and Dr G. Barnett. The acting-registrar of pensions (Mr A. M. Boag) is secretary of the board.

The Secretary of the Dunedin Returned Soldiers’ .Association acknowledges further returns to the Poppy Day fund as follows: —-Amount previously acknowledged, £2,490 16s 7d; cash sales, 7s Od; Maniototo sub-branch (Oturebua), £ls ss; Bruce sub-branch, £55 18s 2d; total, £2,562 7s 3d. The total reached last year of £2,427 11s 5d for the Otago district has already been exceeded this year, and it is, expected that the record established in 1930 of £2,600 will be passed. The formation of a sea cadet corps in Dunedin was forecast in the annual report of the Otago branch of the Navy League, which was presented to members at the-annual meeting this afternoon. The report stated that the importance of the sea cadet movement could not he emphasised too strongly. It was intended that a corps should be formed in Dunedin in the near future, and the executive urged members to give it their wholehearted support. Active assistance in the formation of this unit would be greatly appreciated by tho executive, and anyone willing to help In this direction was asked to communicate with the secretary.

It is not often that an audience attending a theatre obtains a hearty laugh following the fall of the curtain, but this happened last night when the final curtain fell on the Capping Revue presented in His Majesty’s Theatre. One of the most outstanding performers in the concluding farce was Maurice, a particularly healthy gander, who carried off his part with perfect aplomb. The final chorus was a rousing one, based on the well-known ‘ Song of tho Vagabonds,’ and the vigour with which this was rendered caused an unexpected development of stage fright on tho part of the bird. He ran wildly round the stage; then the descent ot the curtain increased his terror. He struggled from under, and into the footlights. These bright lights were not at all to his liking, and, apparently partly blinded, he endeavoured to seek more congenial quarters. 1< or one moment he balanced precariously on the edge of the stage, then, with a protesting squawk, he fluttered into tho depths of the orchestral well and disappeared from sight.

Bystanders in Lower Stuart street this afternoon followed with interest the progress of an aged horse and a battered dray from the ‘ Evening Star ’ corner to the Police Station yard. The horse, rather diffidently directed by a constable, ambled on very leisurely, and could not he induced to quicken its pace, the constable being given much gratuitous and light-hearted advice as the cavalcade proceeded. The original driver, it is understood, will not regain possession of his horse and dray until he has answered a charge of intoxication.

The postal authorities advise that the Waitaki left Melbourne on Wednesday for Bluff with 14 bags of Australian mail for Dunedin. The mail will reach the local office on Monday evening.

The opportunity of viewing the sketch exhibition of the Otago Art Society before it closes on Saturday at noon has been more freely accepted by the public. The display, which is in the society’s new rooms in the Cromwell Chambers, Dowling street, is unquestionably the most selective of these annual series. The sales are reported of Kathleen Salmond’s ‘ Rosa Ragosa,’ Max Walker’s ‘ Mixed Flowers.’ and Mrs P. L. Ritchie’s ‘ Mohaka River.’

It has been reported that, owing to the acute shortage of pigs both in the No;'th and South Islands, and the consequent high price being paid for them, the wholesale price of bacon has been advanced as from Tuesday last. The retailers have been forced by this rise to increase the retail rate, and the minimum price of bacon was advanced this morning to Is 6d a lb..

At a short sitting of the Magistrate’s Court this morning, before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., judgment by default, with costs, was given for the plaintiffs in the following cases:—The Bruce Coal Company Ltd. v. H. Walker, £1 11s 3d, goods supplied; Smith and Smith Ltd. v. William Andrews (Cromwell), 16s Id, balance of account due; Thomson, Bridger. and Co. Ltd., v. James Douglas Baird (Skippers), £1 8s (id, goods supplied; Betty Burgess v. Walter Kedzlie, £lO, amount lent. The official count at Port Chalmers booth for the Otago Hospital Board gives Mrs C. A. Fraser 730, and Mr H. S. Sheat 302. This increased total in the final return from Port Chalmers will probably serve to return Mrs Fraser to the Hospital Board. An association message from, Whangarei states that the ratepayers of the Bay of Islands Power Board area were emphatic yesterday in favour of a £200.000 loan proposal' for electric reticulation of the fpr northern areas. The voting was: For, 939; against, 253,

Eye strain—for eye comfort, for better vision, consult Stunner and Watson Ltd., opticians, 2 Octagon, Dunedin.—[Advt.j