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Otago Daily Times, Issue 19135, 1 April 1924, Page 6

'l'm! net, Customs duly collected at the local office during tbp quarter ended yesterday amounted to £220,550 Bd, and beer duty to £61,686 9s Id. For the corresponding quarter of last year the Customs duty amounted to £224,401 Os 9d, and tho beer duty to £55.296 9s 4d. Tho Customs duty for last month amounted to £69,404 19s lOd, and the boor duty to <623.612 16s Bd. During March of last year £62,709 3s lOd was collected in Customs duty, and £17,005 13s beer duty, Tho total Customs duties collected at Christchurch for (he financial year ended yesterday (saya a Press Association ■message) was £1,053,807, compared with £884,351 for the previous your. The beer duty totalled £99,214, compared with £94,494 last year.

At a recent)meeting of the Otago branch of the Women Teachers’ Association, the following resolutions were carried unanimously: —(1) “That while approving of the general principle of the proposed scheme of salaries, wo consider the Hylton .scheme, as discussed at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Educational Institute, evefi with a reduction of £3O, if necessary, in each salary column, is much preferable to the proposed scale.” (2) “That this meeting protests vigorously against the differentiated scale for men and women.”

Tho inquest on the bodies of William Ernest Cox, of Dunback, and David Edward M’Millan, of Waitati, who lost their lives as tho result of an explosion in a quarry at the 'Milburn Lime and Cement Company’s kilns at Dunback on March 11, will ho continued at Palmerston to-day. Mr 11. W. Bundle, ft, M., will act as coroner. Commencing with the March i&stte (write? our London correspondent) Tho English lie view will contain an Empire Supplement every month. Until the close of tho British Empire Exhibition special prominence will bo given to matters relating to th display of Imperial industry and production and also to the Fellowship of the Bn tit>h Empire Exhibition, with the creation o' which a nucleus has been formed of a body of Britishers imbued with tho common aimof fostering and spreading the great ideal of a united British Empire. It is also announced that The Review' will uphold the conception of a united British Empire based equally upon mutual defence and upon community of economic interest. The Empire Supplement will provide a compact summary of all matters of broad Imperial interost. Tho problems of inter-imperial trade, transport, communication, defence, finance, and settlement will bo continuously debated in its columns by writers and public men best able to elucidate them. The editorial policy of The Review will be to press the importance of these problems, upon (he solution of which the peace and prosperity of the Empire depend.

At tho St. Kilda Borough Council mooting last night tho town clerk (Mr W. 0. Griffin) reported on the building operations in the Iwrough for tho year ended yesterday. Permits were issued for new buildings, alterations and additions to the value of £62,600. an amount exceeding tho 1923 total by approximately £11,009. New houses for which permits wore obtained nnmliorod 61, at a value of £54,155, which mis an increase of seven over the previous yoftr. The average value of each dwelling was, therefore, £BSO. Five ■shops and 32 garages were erected during the year, tho latter being an increase of approximately one-third over 1925. In reviewing the building operations during (he 12 months just ended, and the previous year, tile number of houses erected totalled LX), resulting in an increase in the capital value of the borough of well over £100,900 in tho two years. The Mayor (Mi U. Todd) remarked that the position was very satisfactory, and the report showed that ftt. Kilda was going ahead. In fact, it more than held its own with other parts of Dunedin in this respect. Several councillors also expressed their satisfaction at the contents of the report.

Our London correspondent mentions lb a t widespread interest has been aroused, not only in England, but on the Continent, by the recent departure of a party of public schoolhdh's whoso destination is New Zealand. She High Commissioner received a letter Born a correspondent in Maidstone who sa* : “I understand that some of those boys were from Dulwich College. As nm who was both educated year? ago at Dulwich and who knows Now Zealand sufficiently to look forward intensely to the day when I shall bo free to take my family there, I should very much like, to be put in touch with these Dulwich boys in their new surroundings, so that if possible I may add myself to their home correspondents,” An inquirer, wiling from Montreux, asking for further particulars of the scheme, says he has a son approaching 19 years of age, who is at present in Switzerland at Chillon College preparing for an entrance examination into Trinity College, Cambridge. In the event of his failing entirely, his father would like to have another scheme for him and ho would like him to begin active work at once. On obtaining his majority he will como into a very tidy fortune. Thi.' correspondent thought it wise to apply beforehand for particulars of the New Zee - land scheme for tho University. Incidentally, the letters received disclose the value of tho publicity which has been gained lv, the newspaper references to the departure of the advance guard of boys. So far in one week over ICO inquiries have been received from all parts of England.

For several months past many complaints have been hoard about the quality of gas at Port Chalmers. The matter has on various occasions been discussed at council meetings, occasionally such caustic terms as ‘■poison gas” being applied to describe the product of tho local gasworks. At last night's meeting of the council the Gas Committee reported that Westport coal was now being used and (ho quality of the gas was much improved.

Hie Municipal Baths, although they do not increase the city’s revenue to any great extents certainly achieve their object as for ae tho training of fast and efficient swimmers, or even the teaching of swimming, is concerned, as a glance through the list of results in (ho recent carnival wilt show. It is worth noting, too, the number of school girls who have taken a keen interest in tho pastime, and one of tho most successful in the rerent carnival was Miss M,. Sims (of High Street School), who. during the two nights of tho carnival, competed in four events, in all of which she was victorious, Her time in the first race, tho 50 Yards Schoolgirls’- Championship, was 39 3-ssre, and she won (he 75 Yards Schoolgirls’ Championship in 67 3-sseo. On Friday night she gained first place in the 25 Yards Schoolgirl*' Championship, and, being the only competitor in the 100 Yards Schoolgirls’ Championship, was adjudged the winner, after lieing paced by Miss Jepson. The distance was covered in 95 2-ssec.

The New Zealand publicity officer (writes our London correspondent) finds that there is likely ro be a big demand here for New Zealand films, and one of the most prominent firms with whom he has been in touch suggests that the office in Wellington should devote itself as much as possible to turning out films for circuit here. A film recently shown at the Tivoli included the pictures taken during the official visit of Lord Jellicoe to the Chatham Islands.

Our Queenstown correspondent reports that the Queenstown Borough Council has lodged an appeal against the decision of Mr Goo. Cruickshank, 8.M., in the action brought by Mr J. J. M'Bride for damages to his property arising out of the municipal acetylene gas plant explosion last June. His Worship awarded £llO against the defendants. Yesterday evening the streets of Port Chalmers were not lighted. This was owing to the water shortage at Waipori. For the past three months the street lights have been put out an hour earlier than usual every night in order to assist in conserving the Waipori power. Vital statistics in Dunedin for the quarter ended yesterday as shown on the records of Mr A. R. Kennedy (registrar), show an increase in marriages and a decrease in births and deaths. 'lhe figures are as follows, those for the same period last year being given in parentheses:- —Birth, 379 (596); marriages, 169 (159); deaths, 178 (204). The figures for .the month, as compared with those of the same month last year are as follows ; -Births, 133 (99); marriages, 58 (78); death?, 59 (65). The final service is to be held in connection with the forty-first anniversary of the Salvation Army to-night in tne Citadel, Dowling street- An old-fashioned tea meeting will be hold at 6 o'clock. At 8 o'clock a band festival will bo given by, the Silver Band, under the leadersnip of Bandmaster Gould. Commissioner and Mrs Hoggard will be present. For electric lamps, wireless apparatus, torches, and vacuum cleaners, and all other electrical appliances, visit handiest shop in town.—Barth Electrical Supplies (Limited), 61 Princes street. —Advt For Children’s Hacking Cough, Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure.—Advt. The Pacific Starr-Bowkett Building Society invites applications for l shares in the latest group (No. 5). Office, 86 King Edward street. —Advt. A B. J. Blakeley; dentist, Bank of An* tralasia, comer of Bond and Rattray street* inexi Telegraph Office). Telephone 1853. Advt. Choice Jewellery; compare our value*; large selection diamond rings, _ watenae. bracelets, silverware, etc. —Peter Dick, jewellers. 490 Moray place.—Advt.