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Otago Daily Times, Issue 15100, 24 March 1911, Page 4

Yesterday, tho sixty-third anniversary of the settlement of tho nrovinoe of Otago, was observed as a cleso holiday, and, as oxcellent weather prevailed, a very large number of people availed: themselves of the opportunity of enjoying themselves in the country or at the seaside. About £00 people went down from Dunedin to Port Chalmers, where tho Otago annual regatta was held. This formed tho principal attraction of tho day, but tho favourite resorts on the north line, the marine excursions to the Lower Harbour, and the seaside also attracted very largo numbers of people. Tho pleasures of tJio day, however, were' somewhat marred by a fairly heavy fall of rain early in tho evening, but probably few people begrudged it when they had reflected on tho amount of good it would do. In the cvoning tho annual gathering to celebrate the anniversary of tho settlement oi the provinco was held in tho Early Settlers' Hall. During tho day flags flew from many of the public buildings in the city.

When the expected proclamation under ,tho new defence system is issued on April 3 not only all young men between the ages of 18 and 21, but also all lads from 14 to 18 years of age, will be enrolled for military training. Tho latter will form the Senior Cadets. Lieutenant Thorn (formerly in the Cycle .and Signalling Corps) has been appointed Inspector of Cadets in tho Otago District, 'and is at present in Dunedin arranging for tho organisation of companies. It is estimated that Otago will yield about 6000 boys for tho Senior Cadets, and that, roughly, iooo will be enrolled in Dunodm. Tho Senior Cadets will do infantry work only, specialising, in musketry and drill. They will foe. uniformed some- i what after tho manner of the Boy Scouts, but the officers will wear the ordinary uniform of the Each company will be 100 strong, under a captain and two lieutenants, and there will be no organisation into battalions. Companies may be formed in, connection with secondary schools, Y.M.C.A.'s, Boy Scouts, churches, etc. Lioutenant Thorn is inspecting ■ tho various Cadet corps at present in existence, and if he finds.them in a satisfactory condition they may be extended into companies of the required strength. The Hon. G. Fowlds, Minister of Education, yesterday morning paid a visit to the marine fish hatchery at Portobello. In the afternoon he was present at the " at homo " given at St. Helens Hospital in honour of the birth of the 1000 th child at that institution. This morning tho Minister will pay a visit of inspection to some of the city schools, and in the afternoon will perform'tho ceremony, of laying the foundation stone of the new Y.M.C.A. building in Moray place.

Mr T. Ronayne (General Manager New Zealand Railways), Mr H. Buxton (Chief Traffic Manager), Mr James Burnett (Chief Engineer), and Mr A. L. Beattio (Chief Mechanical Engineer), returried to Dunedin yesterday afternoon by special train after completing their inspection of tho Southland railways and , tho Otago Centralline. They -will leave for Wellington this morning, and will probably return at a later dale to complete Iheir inspection of the Otago lines.

Yesterday tho Railway Department conveyed 788 persone from Dunedin to Port Chalmers, whero tho Otago annual regatta was held. The holiday bookings over the north line, between Dunedin , and Palmerston, numbered 277, while- 170 persons wore booked to Taieri Mouth. Tie' tramway traffic yesterday was quite up to the usual holiday standard.

Some years ago tlio Otago School Commissioners disposed of certain educational endowment lands in the Southland district, it being feared by tlie commissioners then in office, that should they not disposo of them and secure- for themselves, if not the endowments, at least the value they represented, the Government of the day would seize the properties and dispoee of them in order to swell ite revenue. The moneys which the commissioners derived from tho sale of these endowments was. subsequently invested on mortgage. It has sinco been urged that it was the duty of the commissioners to reinvest the money so obtained m purchasing freeh endowments, and as an outcome of the- advocacy of this policy two large properties havo been secured by the commissioners for the purposes of educational endowments. Some- months ago an estate of 6304 acres in the Mararoa and Takatimo districts, Southland, was acquired, and it hns proved a good investment, inasmuch as it is paying an annual rental equal to 5 per cent, on fcho purchase monty. Yesterday, we understand, the commissioners resolved upon the acquisition of another estate in the Southland district as an educational endowment, this being the Tero Pα Estate, of 5410 acres, situated a.bout eight miles from Dipton. As a result of the. placing out of the moneys derived from the snlo of the original endowments previously referred to, the- Otago Scliool Commissioners, after allowing for the purchase of the Mararoa Estate, had to their credit a. sum of close on £30,000. Thp purchase- of tho Tero Pa Estate has been ma<lo subject to confirma-tion at a meeting of tho commissioners to be held next week.

A joint deputation from tho. Eugenics Society and the Hospital and- Charitable Aid Board will wait upon the Hon. G. Fowlds, Minister of Education, at the Grand Hotel at 2 p.m. to-day to'urge upon him to proceed, without, dolay, with the erection of the school at Otekaike- for defective girls.

Perusal of the Consolidated Statutes of Now Zealand hae at times disclosed defect* and anomalies which would indicate that a complcto revision of tiho statutes is still highly desirable. Mr J. A. Hanan, M.P., speaking to a Daily Times reporter yesterday, said it was well known to lawyers and others that tho Consolidated Statutes presented a. good many very apparent defects and omissions. It was to be readily admitted that thoso who wero responsible for the consolidation of the statutes had performed a very heavy task, and it might perhaps bo urged in extenuation that the hurry of things was responsible for the anomalies existing. Mr Hanan considers that it is expedient that some steps should be taken to rectify theso omiesfcns during next session of Parliament. There was very slight prospeot of there being an extensive legislative programme during next session, and as the work that would bo involved in revising the Consolidated Statutes would not present anything in tho way of .contentious legislation, fcut'would simply.mean (ho rectifying of fairly patent defects, a committee might be set up from both the Upper and Lower Houses, and the whole matter thus gone into. It would, of course, be impossible for such a committee to deal with the whole of the Consolidated Statutes in ono session. In the meantime, Mr Hanan suggested, it would be advisable to obtain tho advice and assiatance of the judges and law societies of the Dominion on tho subject. In support of his suggestion for so dealing with the defects existing in tho Consolidated Statutes, Mr Hanan mentioned that at the time when Colonel Pitt was Attorney-general, the Property Law Act was revised andi consolidated by a committee of members of both Houses. Evidence was given by leading practitioners and opinions of the law societies obtained, and the result achieved was eminently satisfactory. The same course might therefor* well be followed in this instance.

A Wellington message states that it be been decided that New Zealand will not be represented officially in the expedition of scientists to Tonga for observation of the eclipse of the sun on Ipril 29. The "at home" at St. Helen's Hospital yesterday was a signal success. The grounds- • were really too limited for the great crowd. Probably everybody was jostled at son* time during the day, but nobody uttered a word of complaint. There were hundreds of babies present, the majority of whom were revisiting tho scenes of their earliest youth. The Hon. Mr Fowlds, -who was . • accompanied by Mrs Fowlds, gave a brief, * instructive speech, and, on behalf of the staff of the hospital, presented baby No. 1000 with a. bank book with 10s to credit, and baby No. 999 with a bank book with 5a to credit. But why was baby No. 1001, who was only 15 hours' old at the time of 'the presentation, left out in the cold? This is a golden opportunity for some person of benevolent mind.

We hay© the best authority for stating that the-report published from our Wellington correspondent yesterday to the effect that Professor Park is a candidate for the position of Government geologist, recently occupied by Dr Bell, is not correct.

Tho Hon. Mr Balfour, speaking in the Stuart Hall last night, found a curioue contradiction in the fact that while we sought to give the Bible to the Chinese and rejoiced that it was taught in their schools and universities we had it excluded from our own both in New Zealand and in Victoria. They were, he said, working, for the Bible in schools strongly in Viotoria, and he belioved that they would havo it yet, 'just as they had it in Queensland. It would not, of course, bo used denominationally, but as the basis of all conduct and right action.

In proposing a vote of thanks to the speakers at a missionary meeting in Stuart Hall last night, Mr G. M. Thomson, M.P., referred to the enormous amounts we wero spending in defence against problematical: enemies. In theee seas the eocponse was largely against countries like China and Japan. Ho thought we getting that one of the most valuable agencies we could put forward' for tie securing of peace was the Gospel. He believed that military training was essential, but if they would put as much money into foreign missions ho" believed they would be doing an infinitely greater work in eecuring the peace of the country.

A striking story of "the brilliant musical powers of Mr Robert Harkness. the young Australian musician who formed one of the Chapman-Alexander Mission party, was told by the Rev. R. E. Davies in, Stuart Hall last night. Mr Daviee had been present at a great meeting of 5000 converts in the Sydney Town Hall. A lady ■ rose and told how she had given up her profession as a palmist, and now had to face the world with only £2 17s and no meana of livelihood. "But," she'added, "I will cling to tho cross." Mr Harknese wrote on a. piece of paper, and then handed it over to Mr Alexander. " Sing it yourself, Harkness," eaid Mr Alexander; 'and hd did sing it himself— vroris and music that he had composed while the lady. was speaking. When he had finished Mr Alexander turned, to the choir of 400 voices, and they sang "I will cliflg to the cross." Then turning again Mr Alexander set tho whole audience singing till tho hall reverberated again and and again with the words of a hymn that had come from that woman's experience.

A young man named Owen Hughes while out rabbit-shooting at Outram -yesterday met with a gun accident. Hughes was accompanied by a companion, another young fellow, who slipped and fell while climbing an incline, and his gun went off, a portion of tho charge finding a lodgment in the calf of Hiighes's' log.' The injured man was brought in to the Dunedin Hospital, where he now is.

• This afternoon the foundation stone laying ceremony in connection with the Young Men's Christian Association's new buiWing will >be held. Tho Hon. George Fowlds (Minister of Education) will lay tie stone, • and short addresses will be given by the president of the Y.M.C.A. (Mr Herbert Webb), Messrs P. R. Sargood, G. M". Thomson, M.P., and his Worship the Mayor. Professor Hewitsan will lead the devotional exercises. A band will provido musical selections before the ceremony. A reunion of the members has been arranged to take place in the evening at tile association's rooms, Stuart street.

/ Tho work of piercing the Big Hill is likely soon to be under way. Mr Widdowson, Government engineer in charge of the Lawrence-Roxburgh railway construction, has (says our correspondent) been in' Lawrenc- from the beginning of this week making thp initial arrangements for proceeding with work.

Our Cromwell correspondent says the Racing Commission arrived there about noon on Wednesday, and visited the racecourse, leaving for Alexandra, and Roxburgh. They arc travelling by motor car, and putting in very long days, as they travelled from Naseby on the morning on which they arrived. They deserve (he says) great praise for visiting all the courses, as they can everything for themselves. Tho commissioners arrived in Lawrence on Wednesday morning about 10 o'clock, and visited the Tuapoka County Jockey Club's course at Happy Talley, Weathorstones. Messrs James Kolleher (president) and Henry Hart (vice-president) met the. commissioners on tho cour&s, and 'fully explained to them the position of the club financially and otherwise. The visit (says our corrcspon. dont) was a very brief one, and after returning to Lawrence the commissioners proceeded up country. A Press Association msvsage states that tho commissioners inspected tho Timaru racecourse yestorday, and satisfaction with tho ap- i pointments. They were particularly interested in tho 6tables and jockeys' quarters owned by the club (only onea so owned in this island), and made many inquiries about them.

The report of Mr Alexander (tramway manager) concerning concessions to travellers -will como before tho next meeting of fho City Council.

Cr Shacklcck intimated to tho City Council on Wednesday night that ho intended, in view of hie projected absence from the Dominion, to resign his seat on tho Domain Board.

Mrs Dreaver has identified additional goods in possession of tho police as her property. The value of the goods referred to is about £W, and this amount, added to the valuo of articles mentioned in the charges against the four accused persone, reaches a total of over £100.

A complaint has been made by a Mrs French (wife of a worker on the Midland railway at Cass) alleging callousness on tho part of railway officials. Her husband mot with a, serious accident on March 4 while at work, and her diargo (says a Press Association telegram from Christchurch) is that on March 7 the railway guard refused to take him to Springfield on a goods train. After the serious nature of French's injuries had been ascertained the guard ultimately oomanted, but the stationmaster intervened, positively forbidding the guard taking the man on tho train. jFrcndh hud to bo driven back to a hut, and was not taken on to the Christchurch Hospital' till tho following day. Mrs French says she hae failed to obtain ajiy explanation from tho railway traffic office, and adds that the workers at Cass are naturally indignant about the brutal treatment of one-of their number, considering that as railway workers in an out-of-the-way place tho least tho Government can do in a case of accident is to givo railway facilities for reaching civilisation with the least possible delay.

A Press Association telegram states that the Ashburton Mail and Guardian Company (Limited) has been served by Mr C. W. Nicoll with a writ, claiming £501 damages for an alleged libel in a letter eigned " Ratepayer," which appeared in tho Guardian of February 9.

•A Press Association telegram states that •M. E. Champion, the Auckland crack swimmer, who is one of the Australasian team for the Festival of Empire sports,' left Wellington for London yesterday by the Corinthic. If an opportunity offers while he is in England Champion will attempt, to swim the Channel. '

A case was tried in tho Christchurch Magistrate's Court on Wednesday involving the right to hold public meetings in Cathedral square. F. B. Cooke, a Socialist, was charged with delivering an address without having obtained the City Council's permission. Judgment was reserved.

Tho member for Timaru possesses the virtuo of candour. Speaking at the opening of an addition to tho Waimataitai School (says a Timaru message) Mr Craigie said ho had been criticised as a "loaves and fishes" mombcr. He declared that so long as the - present system was maintained ho would continue to do his best to get tho legitimate wants of his electorate supplied under that system.

Mr Oswald Kennedy, who left Duncdin at 2.5 a,m. yesterday with the object of establishing an unpaced cycling record to Invercargill and back, did not accomplish his task. Mr Kennedy informs us that when ho was going down Saddle Hill a dog ran across the road just in front of him, necessitating tho use of tho rim brake on the back wheel of the machine. The brake caught in the spokes, and same minutes were lost in putting matters right. ' Henley was passed about 2.53 a.m. About two miles this sido of Milton Mr Kennedy had a puncture, and, in effecting repairs-, ho became chilled in consequence of the keen wind. On the south side of Balclutha the roads were very rough, but good progress was made. The cyclist got within two miles of Gore about 5 minutes past 7, but owing to the chill, which penetrated his system during the stoppage, ho abandoned the attempt, subsequently riding back to Dunedin.

The 6kating enduranco . feat, which Mr John Altoua was essaying in the Garrison. Hall attracted the curiosity of a fairly largo number of people throughout yesterday. By 8 o'clock last evening he had been skating for 24- hours, and the first signs of distress having disappeared, he had then settled down to a eteady swing. Mr Altoila's intention was to ekafe for 72 hours, which meant that if he accomplished the task ho had set himself, he would finish at 10 o'clock on Saturday evening. Under the conditions of the test a fall or stoppage meant disqualification, excepting that if the skate broke he was permitted to .ceaso 6kating long enough to have it replaced. This happened yesterday morning, but Mr Altona continued skating on one -foot, and a fresh skate was placed on his other foot while he was-in motion. About 1 o'clock this morning Mr Altona collapsed in a fainting fit, and the attempt was therefore abandoned.

To-day and during-the greater part of next week Miss Passmore is holding an exhibition in her studio in the Stock Exchange Buildings of the work done by her pupils. A glance round tho room yesterday showed that a widely varied and most .creditable collection of pictures his bo?n brought together. It includes close on 100 oil paintings by a large number of artists who have been under Miss Passmore's tuition for periods varying from three months to six years. Naturally one would expect to find wide variety in the quality of tjie work exhibited, but tho collection on the whole is a very even one, and there is no picture on the walls which docs not do credit to both the teacher and pupil. Landscapes, seascapes, animals, portraits, fruit, and flowers are all well represented among the subjects chossn. Most of the picturee are taken from sketches of Miss Pafemore's own or from other conies, but somo few are direct from Nature. Probably tho most gratifying feature of the exhibition to its promoter is the exceedingly promising work put forward by some of the beginners, one at least of whom has had only three months' tuition. Tho effects arc distinctly ambitious in some cases, but in every case a satisfactory measure of success has been achieved. With such a large and even collection it would bo most unsatisfactory to make any detailed reference to tho comparative merits of tho various artists' work, but doubtless those who visit Miss Passmorc's studio during tho. next few days will have their own opinion as to ■which they would choose to grace their walls.

The oollectk.'n of paii.tinsrs by Mr Vexrett and others will be sold by auction today, at 2 o'clock, by Messrs 15 iodic and Scu-rr.

Duncdin. 23rd insf. Unofficial. Jlc-srs Ansoll, Boil, M'Dougall, on Mi«r "T-usty" Triumphs, reliability trial to Brothers iiml lack again, mn like tlio express. Probably will have to race over again.—SU-dinnn iiml Wilson, Cumberland street, agents.—Advl. A. E. J. Blakclo.T. dentist. Bank of Australasia, corner of Bond and Itattraj •treets (next Telegraph Office). Telephone K59.-Advt.

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TCno is Peter Dick?-Tlio most reliablo Watchmaker, Jewelior, and Optician, oppoeifco Palace Hotel. Moray place, Dunedin. Charges strictly moderate.—Advt.