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Otago Daily Times, Issue 18947, 22 August 1923, Page 6

The influenza epidemic has apparently disappeared. There still remain 13 pneumonic patients in the Dunedin Hospital, three of that number being on the dangerously ill list ' Replying in the Legislative Council yesterday afternoon to a question by the Hon. G. M. Thomson (reports our correspondent), (3ir Francis Bell said it was not considered advisable at present to interfere with powers of magistrates and judges respecting the suppression of names in reports of court cases, and he indicated that nothing would be done in the matter unless further experience pointed to its being necessary. The body of a newly-bom male child was found by a milkman in a sugar sack on the bank of the Heathoote River near Colombo street on Monday morning (says n Christchurch Press Association message). The body appeared to be fully developed and was not decomposed, but an examination showed that it was stillborn. An inquest is being held. ' The Union Company denies the statement from Sydney that the Maheno is coming to Wellington to be converted into an oilburner (reports a Press Association telegram) She, is merely coming hero to bo laid up. Subsequently she will be refitted for service in the intercolonial, passenger trade in the summer months should the conditions warrant it. The Dunedin Community Singing Committee had in contemplation a Saturday night session as a finale for the present season. Owing to difficulty in securing a central hall the proposal has been abandoned, and the midday gathering at the Empire Theatre to-day will be the closing meeting. Mr W. Tyrio, in association with the Commercial Travellers’ Choir, with Mrs Wilfrid Andrews soloist and Mr Leslie Burt at the piano, will lead, and an entertaining hour* may be looked for. ■ It will be remembered that the Brighton Carriival Committee met with great success at its functions early in the year. Though the actual financial result of the different schemes was not ascertainable at the time, it was apparent that a largo sum would be collected, as the organisation of the whole movement had been left in the hands of people whose ability in this direction was proved immediately operations were com nienced. The final meeting of the committee was held last night, when the amount collected was allocated as follows: —Brighton Advancement and Amenities Society, £289 10s lid; Brighton Tennis Club (newly formed), £231 12s 8d; Brighton Domain Board, £173 14s 7d. Judgment was given for plaintiffs in the following undefended oases at the sitting of the Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning, Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., presiding;—Reilly’s Central Produce Mart (Ltd.) v. Thomas Jeffrey M’Queen (Ravensbourne), cairn £2O 8s 9d, for goods supplied (costs £3 3s); and F. J. Meldrum v. R. Fox (Greenfield), claim £6 16s for goods supplied (costs £2 0s 6d). The remaining cases were adjourned, struck out, or defendants confessed judgment. “I am greatly disappointed at the slow response which the appeal for funds to provide another motor ambulance is meeting,” stated Superintendent Napier in, his monthly report submitted to the Dunedin Fire Board yesterday. “If citizens were aware of the good work being carried out by this branch of the St. John Ambulance Association there would be little doubt that the total asked for would readily be forthcoming. One machine broke down with a patient on board during the rush period, and although both motors are in commission there is no doubt they should long ago have been relieved for overhaul and repairs.” The University Council yesterday received a letter from the town clerk, stating that the City Council, would shortly be inviting tenders for the erection of a bridge over the Leith at Union street. The bridge will bo the full 66ft in width and the waterway underneath will bo 40ft in width. The plan shows the course of the Leith much straightened and the sides of the University buildings made much safer than they are at present. Recognising that the work would be of a semi-public nature, the town clerk- reported that it had been decided to assist the University Council to the extent of contributing half the cost of the portion of protective walling on the western side, adjoining the Dental School. This offer is subject to ratification by the City Council. The University Council decided to thank the council for the letter and to refer it to the Finance and Works Committee to act.

While backing out from her berth yesterday morning (says a Wellington Press Association message) the harbour ferry steamer Muritai collided with the liner Naringa, hitting her above (he waterline and denting several of her plates. A superficial examination showed that some rivets had been loosened, but the full extent of the damage cannot he ascertained till the cargo has been' shifted from the hold. The Muritai was practically undamaged. The condition of Alexander Ralston, of AHanton, who was injured in a motor cycle accident on the Main South road near Henley on Sunday last, is unchanged. The unfortunate man, who is a patient in Dunedin Hospital, is still semi-conscious.

The leading bogey of the engine attached to the train which leaves Dunedin for Ranfurly at 11.40 a.m. became derailed yesterday near Flat Stream, owing to a boulder corning down on the line, and the Otago Central train as a consequence did not reach Dunedin until 10 p.m. The Chief Probation Officer comments in his annual report upon the criticism directed against the Prisons Board in affording to habitual criminals an opportunity, by release from goal, of showing whether they can maintain under restricted liberty the reputations they have made in prison for industry and good conduct. “Relapses of this nature are,” the Chief .Probation Officer observes, “ treated very seriously by a section of the daily press. , One highly reputable journal recently referred in somewhat scathing terms to the action of the Prisons Board in releasing such offenders from safe custody. One wonders whether the writer of the article in question had any conception of the scope of the board’s work, of the number of offenders released on probation who are never heard of again either by the courts or even by the police, who complete the full period of their sentences on probation, and are absorbed into the general working community. Obviously, there must be a percentage of failures. It is equally obvious that it is only the failures that come under the notice of the press. Their number is far exceeded by tne successes, as is shown in the board's annual report. Is the system of probation for prisoners to be judged by a small precentage of failures, because it is only that section that attracts the notice of the press? One might reasonably ask how the suitability of individual prisoners for probation is to be tested unless they are released from prison and so given a trial under our system of restricted liberty.’’

The Christchurch City Council decided, on the casting vote of the Mayor, to revert to the old system of municipal elections, known as the first past the post (says < Press Association telegram). Superintendent Napier, in his monthly report submitted to the Dunedin Fire Board yesterday, stated that out of 22 calls 10 were to chimney fires. Ho added that there were far too many of these fires. Citizens should protect their own property and see that their chimneys were kept clean.

In spite of the severe weather conditions the hill country stock lias pulled through very well up to the present time (states our Lauder correspondent). No large losses of sheep have been reported. The recent fall of snow, however, may prove disastrous. At Monday’s meeting of the Mosgiol Borough Council it was decided, on the •motion of Or Smeaton, to open a stock book, containing a list of all material in the borough yard and shed. Cf Smeaton pointed out that a general clean up of the yard was necessary, and material unsuitable for use should be disposed of. Ho also drew attention to the number of unregistered and stray dogs, and on his motion it was decided to take steps to get rid of the nuisance. On the same councillor's motion it was resolved to prepare a schedule of the hall caretaker’s duties. The American schooner Forest Home, which has been lying at Castecliff for several weeks, is now deserted (reports our Wanganui correspondent), except for the captain and a bailiff, who was installed at the instance of the Harbour Board, which has a substantial claim against the ship for harbour dues. In addition, a large sum of money is owing to the crew, and this matter will be dealt with at the court within a day or two. It appears that the bailiff is having a bad time. There are no provisions aboard the ship except tinned beef, and he is unable to leave the vessel tp lay in supplies. Attention has been directed to the matter, and the Harbour Board officials are expected to attend to his immediate wants. The case of Professor Pringle was mentioned at (the meeting of the University Council yesterday afternoon, when the council had before it the draft of a reply to Professor Pringle’s letter of May 18. The proposed reply informed the professor that the council considered it had acted very generously toward him in accepting £166 5s in lieu of the sum of £3OO which it was entitled to claim in terms of the agreement for the cost of the passage of himself and his wife and family tp Dunedin. It had, however, consulted its solicitors, who advised that his cablegram of January last could not be construed as a withdrawal of his application to retire contained in his cable of December 11, and that the council was legally entitled to deduct the whole of the passage money. The reply in this form was approved by the council. “Well, the only tiling to say is that since Marconi made his discovery more deep sea cables than ever have been laid.” This was the answer of Mr H. 6. Clark on board the cable-laying steamer Stephan, when ho was asked by an Auckland Star reporter about the effect of the advent of wireless upon ocean cables. Mr Clark ris the supervising engineer of the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company, which has just made a very successful job of duplicating the Suva-Auckland cable. Mr Clark pointed out that the Suva to Auckland duplication, which has just been completed, was the fourteenth trip on duplicating work that the Stephan had mode since 1919, and the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company’s Colonia, a much bigger boat than the Stephan, had just completed a new cable between, Colombo and Penang. There were, in fact, more cables to-day than ever there were, and there would be more still. Explaining the reason.- Mr Clark said wireless was not suitable from a commercial point cf view. As an instance, he gave the case of a man who wanted to give his principal a tip to buy, say, a certain line of rubber shares. If such a message were sent by wireless, any person within range could pick up the message and get the tip. If such a message were sent by cable it was read by the operators, and those two were the only persons outside the sender and his principal who handled the message. In comlnercial matters secrecy was essential, and for that reason the cable would hold its own against wireless.

Astronomical research has made such rapid strides during, the past 20 years that regions which were entirely unknown, to armchair astronomers of that period have been sdeu tifically explored. The development of solar research has made remarkable progress in America. At Mount Wilson Observatory, in s Southern California, extraordinary instruments and equipment have been installed with the object of keeping abreast of the times. Recently a huge telescope, towering 150 ft above the earth, containing 100 in mirrors, has been erected there, with such light grasping powers that the faintest stars and the nebulae, as well as the enormous eruptive prominences, can be clearly seen. In a lecture before the Royal Society in Melbourne, Dr E. J. Hartnung explained the methods adopted at the Mount Wilson Observatory. Of late, he said, the question of the measurement ot stellar diameters had assumed more importance. It was believed that the blue and while stars were the youngest, and that there Was then a steady progression through white and yellow to deep red stars, which were gradually becoming cold. Evidence had been accumulating that the red stars must be divided into two classes—the “giants,” or those of enormous dimensions, and the “dwarfs,” which contained the stars of relatively small dimensions. The example of work at Mount Wilson must be an inspiration to everyone interested in astronomy, and he hoped when the Federal Government Observatory at Canberra was’ established on modern lines that the best equipment available would be utilised. Surely, what America had done Australia could do also.

In our issue of yesterday, Mr J. M. White, acting secretary of the Waikouaiti and Waihemo Herd Testing Association, was represented as saying that “another 800“ cows could be secured in the district. The figure should have been 200._ A concert by the Girls’ High School Choir will be held in His Majesty’s Theatre tomorrow evening. The choir, which has a membership of 60, will be under the leadership of Mr Paget Gale. Mr C. A. Martin will preside at the piano. Make Williamson’e, 31 Princes street, your jewellers. You deal with the practical people then, and have satisfaction always.—Advt. Notwithstanding the frantic efforts of numerous imitators, our factory has to continue at top speed to cope with the everincreasing demand. The manufacturers of •• No-rubbing ” Laundry Help.—Advt. Be your own washer lady. Use Fairy Wonder; no other eoap required; 3lb packets, Is lOd.—Advt. Heinz Olive Oil. Bearer than the rest, but so good you’ll be glad you bought it— Advt. cor influenza take Woods’ Great Pepper* mint Cure. —Advt. A. E. J. Blakeley, dentist, Bank of Australasia, corner of Bond and Eattray streets ;next Telegraph Office;. Telephone 1859 Advt. Who is Peter Dick? The most reliable watchmaker, jeweller, and qualified optician. Always the leading firm for repairs. Established 1889. Dunedin. —Advt.