DUNEDIN NOTES.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 3234, 3 April 1917, Page 5

DUNEDIN NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspond aii i Ex-Mayor of Dunedin, Josep.i Bn.i u waite, was not unknown, 1 think, to the .citizens of Queens town ami to some of them the news of his death will have come with something in the nature of a shock. He was a pleasant, courteous man of great persistence and tireless activity. Not. perhaps, the best sort of opponent to get into a newspaper correspondence with for he never let a-subject drop, or rather his own attitude thereon. until warned by the editor that he would have to intervene with his "knock-out" blow. If I remember rightly Mr Braithwaite, when a councillor, in order to express his protest over some question, a decision, that had gone against him in the Council resigned his seat, offered himself for re-election, aud, there being no opposition, was back again in no time, having vindicated his position. as happy ana cheerful as ever. The only thing that was at all noticeable about tne performance was that nobody noticed either it or him. As Mayor, Mr Braithwaite looked the part and knew it. He realised one's ideal, outwardly at least, of what a mayor should be. After bi*s term of office he concerned himself chiefly and wisely with his own business, i» which he had his share of troubles. Within the last 12 months or so, he was Interested in one of the far too many moving picture shows that disfigure Princes Stand there he passed much-of hw time. His latest of many letters to the press was some tnree weeks ago when he wrote aefending tne cinematograph a* a healthy pastime. The last call came swift and suddenly. He was talking with an acquaintance of mine in a St Clair tramway car on Monday evening (26th) and a little later was seen by the same person, walking with his wife towards the beach. He retired to rest as usual and about two o'clock in the early morning of the next day (Tuesday) he was dead. A. blessed way in which to disappear from a none too happy world yet one that is not free from pain to the survivors. It would hardly be correct to describe the people of Dunedin as thoroughly free from anxiety. The war news is having a depressing effect and while everyone Is a« satisfied and determined as ever to carry through the war to a triumphant close thfere is also more frequently heard the prayer that the awful conflict may Boon b% over. The British entry into Bagdad set our hearts a jumping and our tongues chattering, the revolution in Russia caused us to open our eyes in wide amaze and to ask all sorts of impossible questions and, then, the a king by the assassin of the seas of those two fine New Zealand steamers, the Otaki and the Rotorua, sent our high hopes crown with a rush. Possibly', in time, we as a Dominion will know oeyond fear or doubt thai we are at war.

We are having all sorts of appeals before the military board—some good and some bad. It is dillicult to understand why a man who Is single. capable and with no pressing ties should be exempted, or why another whose profession is already fairly nu merously represented, and who i<ok unto himself a wife within the last 12 months, is granted a "stand over - * while the man who volunteered and was turned down, then got married and is doing fairly well, should be again called up. It remains true, I am afraid, that there are hardships and that there are cases in which pressure w brought to bear. The "indispensable" plea is purely nonsense, or deliberate humbug. No man is "indispensable"—not even the great Lord Kitchener—and J. sometimes catch myself wondering what sort of beings these 'indispensables' think themselves to be, if ever they think about it at all—which is doubtful. The two Dunedin newspapers, commencing April 2, intend to advance their price from Id to l£d a copy. What effect this will have upon their sales and, therefore circulation, it is not possible to estimate but I conclude that one very early result will be that the majority of those families who have been in the habit of taking the two papers regularly will in future only take one. This, however. is certain: the newspapers have l>een heavy losers and will continue to be losers even at l*d. This price will not nearly cover tne cost. In Wellington where there are three papers, flwo morning and one evening the proprietors have made the price 2d. And even this will only partly recoup them. The cost of paper ha- trebled and not only paper bat ink and metal and everything in daily use a< well. No one has resisted the advance in the selling price of the papers more strongly than the proprietors tltemselves, and t&at for the simple reason that they knew their readers would, in some cases, fall off. It is an unprofitable change for them, but for two years and more they have Staggered under a burden too Iteavv to be longer borne. Therefore they must try to save themselves portion at least of the continued loss. As for the rest of us, what we have to remember is that the coming of peace will mean the return of the penny daily.