AN EASTER PARADOX.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17903, 7 April 1920, Page 4

AN EASTER PARADOX.

The weather during the Easter holidays, in what many northerners imagine to be our* harsh Otago climate, was warm and exhilarating, tempting all classes to make holiday according to their various, dispositions and inclinations. To many the enjoyment of a holiday finds its most felicitous expression in the puisuit of sport of some kind or another. Easter is more or less a carnival time for bowlers,. lawn tennis players, and others, who seize the opportunity of engaging in healthy and stimulating competition. It is also a time at which there is extensive catering for the tastes of those who follow "sport" in the more restricted sense of horse racing. And thereby hangs a theme for seasonable moralisation. The times are reputed to be hard in the sense that everything has become exceedingly cosjjy. The cost of living is unprecedentedly high. The currency is depreciated. Complaint regarding the difficulty of making both ends meet is general, and he would be hailed as an individual of singular experience who would deny the justice of it. In the circumstances an unsophisticated person might imagine that our population would be giving some outward evidence of a measure of impecaniosity, and that it might have been found gazing somewhat wistfully at the shop windows in which the Easter attractions were dressed. He would hardly have expected to learn that the amount of looss cash available for speculation was so large as the records show it to have been. The race meetings of the last •few days have furnished a fair test of the money-spending powers of a large .section of the people. All over the country there has been evidetfce of an abundance. of money for betting purposes, and the totalisator investments, which have been increasing steadily in volume for the last year or two, far from now showing any decline, have been soaring to the attainment of fresh records. <• The largeness of the attendance at the Easter meetings may have contributed to this result, bat that is only by the way. The fact remains that at a time when the struggle for existence, owing to the vastly increased cost of living, is supposed to have become more or less acute in New Zealand as elsewhere, indisputable evidence is offered of what seems to be an even enhanced spending power on the part of that section of the community by which the race meetings are attended. But the persons who throng the racecourses and form the queues in front of the totalisator windows are not drawn solely or even mainly from what may be called the t moneyed classes. They are representative of all classes of society and of all callings and occupations. Manual workers and men employed in offices, shops, and factories form the bulk of them. The growth of the totalisator investments and the popular discontent over the depreciation of the currency are things which are somewhat incompatible, nor is any explanation of their co-existence that suggests itself of a highly satisfactory nature.

TCarly yesterday afternoon tho City Fire Brigade received a call to Camim street, Roalyn, where a fin> had broken out in some scrub. Tho flames were quickly suppressed, no damage Iwing dono. Two uiadiinu guns havo bt-on allotted to tho West Harbour liorough Council by tho local Distribution of War Trophies Committee. Tho guns havo not yet reached tho committee's hands. Tho bookings at the Dunedin railway fetation for i'Jaster Saturday and Monday totalled 7085, as compared, with 5609 for the two oorrufipondiirg days oi 1917, when excursion tickets vtrprc last issued. The details show that there worts 3026 passengers for north of Dunedin on tho two days mentionod, 1668 for Port Chalmers, 876 for Mosgiel, and 1626 lor south of Mosgiel and Oiogo Central. Tho grand total for the four days (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Monday) was , 16,559, as against 14,168 for tho corresponding days in 1917. Tho details of tho infectious diseases in the Dunedin and Fever Hospitals for tho week ending at noon on Monday aro as follow:—Scarlet lover —admitted 1, discharged 1, remaining 10; diphtheria—admitted 5, discharged 2, remaining 9; enterio —admitted 1, remaining 1; mumpsadmitted 1, remaining 1; influenza—admitted 6, discharged 11, remaining 5; pneumonic influenza —admitted 4, discharged 4, died ], remaining 5; —total infectious cases in the two hospitals, 51. ** At tho request of tho Otago Expansion League, Su- (jeorgo i'enwiok and Mr H. L. Tapiey (chairman oi the Harbour Board) aro to visit Milton to-morrow evening to ( addiress u- meeting of fanners and townspeople in furtherance of the HaweaNVanaka hydro-electric scheme ior this part of tho dominion. As our readers know, the Expansion League has taken this project energetically m hand, and, in company with )t a ahairman and some members J ol tho committee, tho chief electrical expert for the dominion (Mr L. Birks) and tlio Commissioner of Crown Lands (Mr It. T. Sadd) made an exhaustive examination of the source of tho proposed power, and many of the country districts that will I coma within its scope were aleo visited.' As a result of that visit, great interest was awakened in the eoheme. Mr Charles Toddi (chairiittui. of the leaguo) and Sir George Fenwick have since addressed meetings of farmers and others at Clinton and Bolclutka, and at those places, following tho example set in Central Otago, strong committees were formed to arouse the interest of farmers and others and set tho necessary preliminaries in motion. Milton hus already arranged with tho City Council to bo connected; with the Waipori system for power and lighting purposes, but it is anticipated the farming community of tho Tokomairiro dtistrict will heartily support tho Hawea-Waaakar scheme when it comes into being. An unusual incident brightened otherwise dreary proceedings in tiie City Police Court yesterday, during the hearing of a charge of drunkermesa. The offender was quite deaf, and was, therefore, unable to answer tho usual questions or hear the evidence on which he was convicted. Detective Ha.ll, however, stepped forward and said he understood the deaf and dumb alphabet, and with him as an interpreter there was no further difficulty. A first offender for drunkenness was fined 10s, in defaidt 24 hours' imprisonment, by Mr H. Y. Widdowson, S.M., in tho City Police Court yesterday. ' Jwncs Fiifrley was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within 12 months, on condition that he took out a prohibition order. A youthful Maori named Robert Teau wag brought beforo Messrs J. M. Stevenson and N. Dodds, J.P.'s, at the Port Chalmers Court yesterday on charges of drun-' kenncss and resisting tho police on Monday evening at Portobello. He pleaded guilty, and when questioned by Sergeant Dougan said he was 20 years of age, and that a publican had served him. The bench said it was regrettable that a ladl under 21 should bo supplied with liquor, although, from his appe'ar&nce, ho had no doubt been taken to 'be older than he really was. Accused was convicted and discharged for drunkenness. For resisting ho was fined 50s. One night rocsntly the lighthouse-keeper at North Head, Manukau, saw a wild-look-ing man emerge from tho bush on Mount Beason and wave a cloth or handkerchief (states an. Auckland Press Association telegram). Tlie kee;»er concluded the- visitor waa an escaped lunatic, and hastened to advise the police. Tho latter were unnblo to reach the lighthouse tliat night. but got in touch with two bushmen, who, early in tho morning, found the man sleeping in tho lightkeeper's chair, the mechanism being nono the worse for his guardianship. Hβ proved to be a harmless old man, suffering from ill-health, who had motored from Titarangi, dismissed his taxi, and got lost in the bush. Coming upon tho lighthouse, he conceived tho idea of signalling a passing steamer. He was in a very low physical condition, and was conveyed to- the nearest police station, where he satiified the police that, beyond eccentricity, there waa nothing to warrant his detention. He was ultimately handed over to his friends. * A traveller in Central Otago hoars wonderful tale s of cheques made by rabbiters these days. Some of the rabbiters are becoming employers of labour. One man is employing a lad from town to help him. He gives the lad £6 a week and found. Tho rabbiter's cheque runs from £40 to £50 a fortnight, leaving him a handsomo return from his labour. Three pounds per | day is now considered a very ordinary return for a rabbiter. Sportsmen who have been in the habit 3 of spending their Easter holidays in Central Otago always make a boast of being a'blo to go on any property without let or hindrance. Easter of this year gave them a rude shock when they were peremptorily ordered off ground on which they had shot over during the last 10 or 15 years. 'ITio runholders do not object to the shooting, but tho rabbdter who had tho blook reckoned that the shooters were interfering with, his living. Of course, the price oi rabbite (2s 3d a pair on the fence) was at the bottom of the trouble, and tho bigger the price the more greedy the rabbiter becomes. As most of the shooting men are of mature years, and never willingly do damage, they feel it hard, tihat the Old World restrictions as to game are being introduced into this young country. Tho township of Waipiata, on edgo of tho Maniototo Plain, is a very busy place at present. The rabbit factory which was oponed some 12 months ago i s now a thriving institution, putting (trough, some 10,000 rabbits a day. About 60 men are employed in the works canning rabbits and preparing them for canning. Within the last few weeks a digester has been added to the plant, and cull sheep are being rabbits is also put through the digester, turned into .manure. Tho offal from the rabbits is also put through the digester.

Four or five powerful motor lorries scour the plain picking , up the rabbits ofE the fences where tho rabbiter has placed them. They run as far as the Styx, some 30 miles down tho plain. An up-to-date motor garage has been added to the company , s plant, and in tho event of a breakdown in any of the lorries, a motor cyclist mechanio is soon winging his way out to repair it. Tho local factory is paying out £500 a day for rabbits, and tho wages bill i s £I£oo a fortnight. Truly, the rabbit has made a wonderful change in the township of Waipiata. The long spell of dry weather in Otago Central is haying a disastrous effec'; on tho pastoral country. Not only is tho pasture on tho high country parohey, but the low lands be*x a very brown appearance. The eupply to th» dairy factories haa consequently, very materially diminished. The blight and dry rot is attacking the turnips sown for winter feed, and in gome district;, especially in the south, shoals of blight can be seen on a bright day winging their way from one field to another. In some paddocks not a vestige of green i s seen on the turnip, it having been withered by the disease This means that the winter feed is being considterably reduced, and unless a good downpour of rain coinee soon to stay the ravages of this insect, the outlook for farmers' winter feed is none too bright! Added to this is the fact that tho freraing chambers are ra-ptdly being, filled up, and unless t'nese can be substantially drawn from in the , hear future there will bo congestion here, and surplus- stook w ll not lind an outlet from thia quarter. Altogether, tho outlook for current price 3 being maintained for stock is not bright. Present indications point to e, sufasiantiaj fall.

The Railway Department wag recently recfuostod by tho Wost Harbour liorough Council to trim sonio trees. overhanging tho main road at Itavonsbourne. In duo time tho work vvae done, but tho way in which it was carried out was roundly conilomnod by O Larnocih. at a meeting of tho council last night. "They might have sent srmio person with a little feeling for Nature, ,, h 0 xa-jd. "It is nothing but brutal vandalism tho way they have mutilated fchoao trees. Tlioy aro now an eyesore to people passing through, ami a. disgrace to tho district." Strange, to say, Or Barker expressed tho opinion that tho trees hud not bcon cut ouftioiotitly l»low. Tho department, he said, had no alternative but to do as it liad <}ono. Mr 11. Clark, president of tho Auckland branoh of tho Doot Manufacturers' Aoisootiitton, was seen by a Star reporter regarding a. statement by a nieimjor of a Wellington iirm dualing lai-gely in lodes that tho quantity of luathor in an nvero-go paii - of boots is not more than 21b, tuul that, as hides had not advanced more than one shilling per pound, he asked: "How, then, does tho bootmaker justify the suggested increased price of lOs to 12s per pair in his prices V" "1 am prepared," said Mr Clark, "to give £26 to any charity ho likes to namo if that gentleman can prove thut only two pounds of leather are required for the manufacture of a pair of men'B working boots." Mr Clark added that it took about seven pound* of hide to produce the leather required for one pair of men's working boots. "No doubt the price of hides is satisfactory to brokers and dealers •in these- goods," ho continued, "but are tho small larmers reaping tho benefit? As far as I can learn, unless a farmer is in an exceedingly big way, or a shareholder in a freezing company, ho receives absolutely no benefit whatever. For instance, although hides aro , fetching such high prices, at the last sales at Wcetfield beef fell 4s per owt, ■which means about £2 10s per bullook, although tho hide stands at about £3. A farmer acquaintance of mine two weeks ago sent some fat oalvee, six months old, to auction, and thdy realised only £2 10* each, yet tho skin alone was worth £1 10s. It seems to bo tho dealors in. hides who are reaping the benefit, and tho public have to pay. My association, howeverj is thoroughly at one with the suggestion of a Wellington dealer in hides that a public inquiry should be hold regarding the matter, and the whole question thoroughly ventilated." Price variations in tho dominion continue. They are difficult to understand. A tin containing l|oz of tobacco—reputed 2oz —is obteunabU in Waihi for Is 4d, in Auokland for Is sfd, in Wellington for Is s£d. in Whangarej for Is 6d. Cigarettes that cost 10d in Invereargill are obtainable in Now Plymouth for 7|d' (says the Wellington Post). J)n the other hand, New Plymouth sells rump steak for Is 2d per lb, whereas the Dannevirkc price is 10d. Waihi retailers charge Is per lb for pork sausages, which in Dunedin are purchasable for 7d, and in Wellington cost Bid. The distinction of obtaining tho highest retail price for a log of mutton is shared by Hamilton and Rotorua, where it costs 10d per lb. In some oases variations of from 25 to 50 per cent, are to bo noticed in the prices of idientical articles - in different places. The figures aro those furnished by the Government Statistician. Wholesale prices also show variations. For instance, household soap, New Zealand! ; made, selling at £52 per ton in Dunedin, is obtainable in Wellington and Auokland at , £39 per ton. Building bricks are £4 per ICOO in Wellington, and £3 2s 6d in Dunedin.

Leather (first quality brands) is about the same per lb in the four centres. Ordinary building rimu is £1 6a 3d per lOOffc in Auckland, £1 8s in Wellington, £1 4s B£d in Christchurch, and 19s in Dunedin. In ■ sentencing two returned soldiers on murder charges in Sydney, Mr Justice Wade said that if accused' were not returned soldiers he would have felt compelled to impose the maximum sentence. Returned soldiers, hardened 'by the horrors of war, had bouome indifferent to the value of human life. He had noted the frequency of deaths through the use of deadly weapons on littlo or no provocation. It was a bad force that would spread rapidly, and the people would not havo that security which they were entitled to as a civilised community if it wore continued. Thi 3 dreadful callousness, resulting in crimes, was a product- of the war. William Henry Blackburn, 40, whs found guilty of the manslaughter of John William Holton in his room at a houeo in , Surry. Hills on December 10. Hβ was ewitanced to seven years' penal " servitude. George James Cook, 43, was found guilty of manslaughter in connection with the death of Hettie Coogan at a house in Surry Hills on December 4- The evidence showed that Cook returned from thn war to find Coogan, who had been his sweetheart, living with another man. Later, he visited her, and alter he left the woman was found in her room dead, her throat having been gashed with a razor. Cook was sentenced, to 12 years' penal servitude. Disorderly scenes were witnessed at the Auckland Railway Station on Thursday evening prior to tile departure of thfi two represses for Wellington (reports the Kew Zealand Herald). At 7 o'clock several hundred people had assembled at the entrance gates, and those who intended travelling by the first express were push-' ing and struggling to 'bo, admitted to the platform. As every seat on the train had been booked, only reserved ticket holders were allowed through the gates. They had great- difficulty in making their way through the crowd, and in the ecramble the women fared badly, and a -number wore on tho verge of collapse. The orowd became even more excited when the gates were opened to admit passengers for the secondl express. The asphalt had by this time becorao very slippery, owing to numerous bags of fruit having been dropped by passengers in the rush, and the" fruit having been troddten on by the ■ crowd. In consequence, it wae a difficult matter to stand up in the surging crowd. Many seats on the train had been reserved, including 80 for a party of Mormons and 40 for university students. The majority of, the waiting crowd had not reserved seats, and when they were refused admittance to the platform they hooted vigorously. A number of extra carriages were put on, and eventually everyone secured seating or standing accommodation on the train. The train did not leave until 8.10 p.m., half an hour after schedulo time. The materials and the conditions in the interior of t3i© oarth, stateg the United States Geological Survey, have long been a favourite subject of speculation among scientific men. According A tho modern rnlithemafcical theory of the propagation of earthquake waves through the earth, the outer rocky shell of the oarth, which is about two and a-half times as heavy as water, extends to a depth of less tlian 1000 miles. Inside of this shell ie some material, proba/Wy metallic, which ig more than five times as heavy as water. Estimates, of the temperature at the centre of

this nucleus range from 3000 degrees to 180,000 degrees 1< , .. bat these figures have little or no value, for mathematicians havo not yet fonndi the law of tho distribution of temperature from the surface to the centre of the earth. The depth to which a mining shaft oan be sunk is limited by tho heat of the rooks, as tho temperature at the de-pth of a mile in nearly all parts of the eartih is so high that workmen cannot live in it, even with ventilation. The Danes have a society unlike those of any other people wo know. It is known as "The Maiden Insurance- Society." Its aiim is to provide for a class—single women of well-to-do families. It shelters and cares for them, and furnishes , tihem with "pin money." Its metihods are thus described: As soon as a girl child hs born to him the father enrols her name in a certain association, and pays a certain sum, and thereafter a fixod sum to the society. When she h;u reached the age o£—we beliove—2l, end is not married, s>ho becomesentitled to a fixed income and to a suite of apartments in a large building of the association, with gardenc and part about it, inhabited by other young or elder ladies who have thes become members. If hor father dies in her youth, and ehe desires it, she has shelter in this building, and at a fixed time her own income. When she dies or marriaa all this right to income lapses, and tho money paid swells the endowment of the association. Her father may pay for 20 years, and then her marriage cuts off all the odvantage- of the insu-rance. But this 'vory chance must enable the company to dharg% lower annual premiums, and mrJi* the .jjurden less on the father insuring.

A conskterablo quantity of articles which aro alleged' to have been stolon from pisneiißcn' luggage is at present lying at llio rlctectivo offico awaiting cL-iims for ownership. Two arrests Iwivc Ixk*!l made In connection with tho mattor, and will probably follow in duo course.