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Otago Daily Times, Issue 18563, 25 May 1922, Page 4

Members of the Early Settlers’ Association mot Mr R. W. M'Viliy, general manager of railways, yesterday afternoon at the Early Settlers’ Hall to discuss a matter in connection with the railway 'overbridge, which now abuts on the new Donald Reid wing. Mr J.*M. Dickson, M.P., and Mr D. Galder (president) explained that the association had no desire to have the bridge shifted from its present position. A decision was quickly arrived at. No alteration is to be made, but a guard fence is to be brought out from the foot of the bridge to the pavement in Lower High street.

Cr Shaddock informed a Daily Times reporter yesterday that the ag-cement which the residents of Tomahawk are required to sign before being connected with Waipori power is at present being circulated in the district for the necessary signature#, v As soon as this document has been signed and returned the work will be proceeded with. In, moving the adoption of the Tramway Committee’s report at the meeting of the City Council last evening, Or Scott stated that the large motor had now been installed in tramcar No. I—popularly known as “Big Lizzie,” and this car was again in the service. The trucks had also been fitted with tired wheels, bringing the oar into line with the other long cars. Cr Soott said that there was now only one of the new oars still to be put into commission.

A collection of books from the -library of the late Bishop Nevill was offered at auction .by Messrs. John Reid and Sons; yesterday afternoon under instructions from the Trustees,' Executors, and Agency Company. The books were chiefly of a theo-, logical nature, but included a number of well-bound classics in other departments of literature, and" some dating back to the early part of the seventeenth century. Most of the lots went for very moderate prices. The Dictionary of Universal Biography, in five volumes, went, for three shillings; a very large, handsomely-bound Bible with Authorised and Revised .Text in parallel columns brought 2s, and several volume* of Pope’s Homer were knocked down at 7s fid. There was spirited bidding" for Hochstetter’s New Zealand, which was ultimately disposed of at £2 Ss. A curious old Bible and Prayer Book of 1620, with many quaint additions and comments, brought £l.

A congregational meeting of Knox Church was held last night, 'when it was decided unanimously that Knox Church tin-' dertake the maintenance of a missionary of its own in the foreign field, up to the amount of £450 per year. Various members spoke enthusiastically of the proposal, which was well' received.

In the course of his report to. the Waihemo County Council yesterday, the ranger had occasion to mention one point which was received; with much amusement. Since his last reportehe had caught only one cow wandering on' the road, and that belonged to a councillor.- , There were several inquiries as to who was the offending councillor, and whether he, was penalised, but no information on that point was obtainable.

There were extra large yardings in all departments at Burnside yesterday, particularly so in the fat sections. The resiflt was a general depreciation of values. The large entry was doubtless accounted for by an impression which has gained currency that no sale will .be held during Show Week. This rumour, however, is without foundation, the stock agents and butchers, at a meeting during the day, having decided l to hold next week’s sale as usual. The yarding of fat cattle, numbering 350 head, was much in excess of requirements. Some good quality animals were forward, many of them being' doubtless intended to decorate butchers’ shops during Show Week. Prices declined from IQs to 2Os a head, prime ox beef being worth up to 82s fid per 10011'. light and inferior up to 21s, and cow and heifer beef from 17s fid to 18s, fid. There was a very large entry of fat sheep, over 4000 being penned, tEe major being of excellent quality, includihg a fair number of wethers suitable for show purposes. It was a sick sale throughout, exporters being apparently timid owing -to the threatened cessation of freezing operations ■ Values depreciated all round, heavy ewes and wethers easing to the extent of Is a head, and fighter quality were back fully 2s. Prime heavy wether mutton sold up to 4d,. and prime light wethers up to 4ld, while ewe mutton made from 2Jd to 3d per lb. Lambs were in good supply, but the quality was only medium. The demand was dull, and prices declined to the extent of from 9d to Is a head. Prime lamb made from 7d to 7Jd. There was a big yarding of store cattle, over 300 head being offered. Some well-bred animals were forward from Central Otago, Wakatipu, and South Otago, included in the entry being an excellent line of four-year-old Hereford cross and shorthorn bullocks from Ormaglade Station, which realised from £7 to £7 10s per head. There was very little competition for young and low-conditioned stock, and prices declined about 10s per head. There was a medium yarding of pigs, and' competition was fairly keen. Prime baooners sold at from fid to fi£d, and porkers from 6|d to 7id per lb. When a 1 morning train from Palmerston is late in reaching the ejty, a special train has occasionally to be sent down the harbour side as far as Burkes to pick up belated passengers. Yesterday the Mayor of Port Chalmers asked Mr M'Villy that such special should go as far as Mussel Bay. The general manager said there were difficuties, 'but he would look into, the'matter.

Two ex-councillors are likely to be nominated for the vacancy - in the Port Chalmers Council, caused by the recent resignation of Or D. M. Mawson. One of the prospective candidates is said to have put a hundreds names of electors on the supplementary roll, which closed last night. Nominations close on the 31st inst.

The publication in the Otago Daily Times of extracts from its issues of 1862 is appreciated by many readers (writes our Waitahuna correspondent), especially 'in • the locality where many of the incidents referred to took place. “Established 1861” may seem commonplace and be uninteresting to the uninformed, but to the residents of Waitahuna Gully and Waitahuna it is full of incident and reminiscent of that stirring period in the history of Waitahuna Gully during the early sixties. An ancient land mark, built by Mr Thomas Dewes as a general Store, and for many yeans also used as a post office, was sold under the hammer last week for the insignificant sum of £3l. This building was -at one time the centre of a hive of industry, such as is now difficult to imagine. Where the population numbered thousands, and the township consisted of innumerable calico tents, stores, saloons, bakeries, butcheries, and other establishments such as are associated with a gold rush, there now'remain a few scattered dwellings, old tailings, some gorse and manuka scrub, and two sluicing claims, the only evidence of the departed glory of the “golden days” of the alluvial gold mining industry. Considering the monetary insignificance of the auction the attendance was surprisingly large, and possibly the associations, past and present, were in a measure responsible for the large assemblage the company thus unconsciously paying a last tribute to the memory of former days. The Sailor Gully Sluicing Company (Ltd.), which acquired the property, contemplates sluicing at an early date, and many are the conjectures of the local residents as to the results of the wash-up. The returns, Waitahuna Gully, 1922, may again be interesting. In the course of proceedings yesterday regarding the seamen’s dispute before the Arbitration Court at Auckland (says a Press Association message), Mr W. T. Young said the Northern Steamship Company- was only a small factor. It was Lord Inchcape and the P. and O. Company—the greatest maritime octopus the world had ever known—that were before the court, and they proposed to take out of the pockets of the working men, their wives, and children something like £500,000 per annum. Mr Smith: Oh. no! Mr Young: I will let you know something -about that later. Of 14 bankruptcies notified in the last iorr«s if the' New Zealand Gazette 10 were ,ir* North Island and the remainder in j tha Canterbury district.

It is understood that after a complete inspection the Health Department does not.. favour the Waipiata site for the proposed sanatorium. Representations are to be a made to the department as to the suitability /; of a site immediately on the Naseby side of the Ranfurly nursery, and also as to a site at Galloway.

A meeting of the Waihemo Domain Board was held yesterday, \yhen the following were present Messrs W. Ritchie (chairman), J. S. Miller, J. O'Connell, H. O’Neill, A. S. Cambridge, W. Freeland, A. Murray, and G. Ross. The inspector’s report was read and adopted. The matter of fixing the grasses for sowing down was left in the hands of Messs Miller and O’Neill. Mr O’Neill inquired whether it' would be possible to have a domain at ‘Dunback. Macraes, or Goodwood. He suggested that a ground could be procured and paid for out of the board’s funds. Mr Cambridge agreed with Mr O’Neill, but pointed out that the domain at Palmerston wa£ for the use of the whole county. It was decided to obtain further information on the subject. A Taumarunui Press Association message says that word was -received by the town clerk to-day that the requisite 50 pof cent, of leasees had made application to the Commissioner of Crown Lands, and paid a deposit for the purchase of the freehold of Taumarunui town from the Natives." The Government will now proceed v*th the purchase in terms of the regulations provided under the Act. The new tenure will materially assist the borough in negotiating loans for improvements.

In connection with a paragraph which appeared in our issue of yesterday In respect to the Officers’ Training Corps building. Dr Cameron (Chancellor of the University) asks us to make the following statement: —“If your reporter had made his inquiries respecting this matter in the proper quarter his search would not have been 'fruitless.’ The building is still in the bands of the contractors. The money with which it was erected was received by the University from Lord Liverpool for the express purpose of erecting a drill hall for the Officers’ Training Corps, the plans were submitted to him, and approved for that purpose, and the council cannot use the building for any other purpose until it is clearly shown to be impossible to carry out that purpose. Furthermore, the fact that the corps' is non-existent is no proof that it will not be revived, and I understand that, efforts are now being made to revive it.” Private advice has been received that the Prime' Minister (Mr Massey) will , arrive in Dunedin by Monday night's express, and will be in town on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday Mr Massey’s time' Will be occupied with the Winter Show arid an even,ing function in connection with the A. and P. Society. On Wednesday evening he will attend a Masonic function, and Thursday he will proceed by train oft a visit to Southland.

The recent discovery of soqp yellow silver pine logs buried in A swamp in the Ngaire district, Tkranoki, is referred to by A correspondent Of the New Zealand Herald as follows: —“It'may not be generally known that a silver pine forest once occupied the swamp lands in the vicinity of iFTankton, Rotatuna, and Taupiri. With the 'draining of these swamps and the consequent ..sub* • sidenoe the ancient forest became exposed to view. The timber was mostly silver pine, mingled with kauri, the. silver pice always underlying the kauri. The silver pine logs, which were in a wonderful state of preservation, yrere mostly utilised for fencing posts, and proved a considerable source of revenue to the owners of the land. That this forest was of great antiquity there can bo hardly any question, and there are evidences of the durability of the wood. A remarkable instance of this occurred at Rototnaa. By the side of the lake there, where a part of the did forest lay exposed, I saw a silver pine log, upon hioh a kauri tree measuring 7ft in diameter had grown. The silver pine must have been prostrate many years before sufficient ' vegetable mould would accumulate to form--a germinating ground for the kauri seedling. This kauri tree, was probably 400 years old before it lay alongside its host, and one cannot but guess how long tbe whole lay burned beneath the swamp. When the pine log was cut into lengths for posts the bark on the under side was still intact.

The Dunedin Commercial Travellers’ As,'ooiation purpose holding “a big day* on June 9 and 10 to provide funds for the relief of distress in the city. Donations are invited.

Visitors to Dunedin during Show Week are advised to .it once make arrangements for accommodation. Failure to obtain. this from the usual source, the bureau.will be open urrtir 10 o’clock each evening, and bookings can be arranged. Leave the traffic in yonr dust Ride a Harley-Davidson motor cycle, and -be first on the rpad.—W. A. Justice and Co., Otago ngents. 292 Princes street. Dunedin.—Advt

The run £s on “No-Rubbing” Laundry Help, “Golden Rule” “Soap, and “Keep Smiling’’ Floor Polish. Exceptional merit—that’s the reason why.—Yours truly, Con- / Burners’ Co-op. Association (Ltd.), agents for “No-Rubbing.”—Advt. ■ Men’s winceyette _ pyjamas, assorted stripes, good winter weight, men’s and 0.8. sizes; usual price,- 19s fid. May Bargain Price, 13s fid. —Mollison’s (Ltd.).—Advt. All - oars stop at the Stock Exchange Buildings. _ Here you get the finest, smartest suits that con be tailored, from £6 10s.- _ Fitted by G. S. Roberts. Late night Friday.—Advt.

The nip for nippy winter weather, 'Watson’s No. 10. Fine old Scotch whisky... Woods* Great Peppermint Cure, foi Coughs and Colds, never fails.—Advt

A E. J- Blakeley, dentist. Bank ol Aue tralasia, corner of Bond and Rattray street (next Telegraph Office). Telephone 1359. ' Advt

Save your Eyes.—Consult Peter 6. Diet D.8.0.A., F. 1.0., London, consulting an oculists’ optician.—“ Peter Dick,” jeweller ijid opticians, Moray place, Dunedin.—Adv