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Otago Daily Times, Issue 19261, 27 August 1924, Page 6

The position regarding unemployment in Dunedin is not so acute as was the case a few weeks ago. This is due to the fact that the Public Works Department has absorbed a number of men at Tnrras and Chatto Creek, while a good many men have been placed at work on tho Exhibition grounds. The secretary of the Otago Labour Council (Mr L F. Evans) reports that although no more men are needed for work at the Exhibition he has succeeded in placing some men in casual work about the city. , As far as the local office of tho Labour Department is concerned there are only the names of about a dozen unemployed on the books, and six men were placed in employment last week.

From the response made to the intimation that damaged silver coins might be exchanged at the bank for undamaged it ■would appear that Dunedin is not much troubled with that kind of silver; either that, or the canny citizen of these parts knows how to .pass it on. One local church produced over £lO worth of such silver accumulated since the opportunity was given about 20 years ago to exchange at the bank mutilated coinage, but the response generally has been small. The opportunity to exchange will not bo available after tbo close of the month. A representative meeting of residents of Opoho took place at the Church Hall, Opoho, on Monday evening with the object of arranging methods of celebrating the starting of the car on the extension to the district. The chairman (Mr H. P. Harvey) announced that Cr J. S. Douglas (chairman of the Tramways Committ.ee>) had informed him that the City Council: was arranging for some small function in connection with the starting of the first oar, and had asked what the residents intended to do, as there was a desire not to clash. The traffic manager (Sir Mackenzie) had explained that the opening day would not lie the Ist of the month, but some day during the first week in September. The appointment of the following committees suggests the methods by which the residents intend to celebrate the event to which they have so long looked forward:— A committee to ascertain the exact day of the opening and to suggest to the council to make it Saturday, September 6; a sports committee to arrange for children’s sports on the Opoho Cricket Ground; a catering committee to arrange for refreshments being served in the pavilion; a decorations committee to decorate the lino of route and erect a triumphal arch; and a dance committee to arrange for an evening dance in the football pavilion.

The discovery of an empty cashbox with a key attached was made by some tramway workmen on Monday afternoon while they were engager! removing some sleepers bom a pile in Andci son’s Bay. The workmen assert that the box must have been there for about six months, judged from (he time that the pile was last disturbed. The cashbox, which is at present in the possession of Superintendent Norwood, had evidently been opened by some sharp instrument, and the contents, if any, extracted. As stated in onr issue of yesterday’s date (be problem of conveying fat stock to the railhead has at all times been a difficult one, but wo understand that for some years past settlers in the Upper Clutha Valley have utilised motor transport for the purpose. A staunchly-constructed doubledecked framework is placed in a position on a lorry, and by those means from 62 to 64 fat lambs are taken in one load to the railhead at Cromwell, 40 miles away. As the cost of this method is 2s 6d per bead, n framework of the kind described has been built for use on wagons, and it has been found that a team started shortly after midnight has been able to complete the journey wthin 24 hours at a considerable saving in expense by the owner of the stock that is being forwarded to Burnside When motor transport is employed the journey is, of course, completed in shorter time, but the cost is necessarily heavier than it is when horse power only is utilised.

The people of Waipawa are in trouble over the inscriptions on their war memorial. There are objections to the wording on sectarian grounds, and several of the churches are protesting through their representatives. Others are objecting that the memorial is being used to glorify (hose who took part hi the unveiling and dedicatory ceremonies to the disparagement of the soldiers who gave (heir lives and for whom alone the memorial was erected. The Borough Council has been asked to deal with the objections.

The boys of the John M'Glashan College spent a busy and profitable day on Saturday working to obtain funds for the European Students’ Belief Fund. A number of the boarders found work to do about the college grounds, while the day boys obtained “jobs” from their parents or friends. As a result of the day’s wora the sum of £l7 9s was raised.

The postal authorities advise that mails which left Wellington on July 22, Via Sail Francisco, arrived in London on August 22. Seventy-four bags of letters and newspapers are expected here to-day by the Union Company’s Moeraki, from Melbourne, via Bluff.

In November of last year Daniel Dunn, aged 16 years, who resided in South Dunedin, lost his eyesight as the" result of an accident, and ho was sent to the Jubilee Insitute for the Blind in Auckland. In order to assist the boy in the future, a benefit concert was held in the St. Kilda Town Hall last night. The hall was packed, and the entertainment was a pronounced success. Mr J. W. Dove opened the function and outlined the object ior which the money was needed. He stated that the concert was due to the efforts of the Forbury School Old Boys’ and Old Girls’ Clubs, with the co-operation of the Southern Football Club. An excellent musical, vocal, and elocutionary programme was submitted, I the following contributing items :—Mesdames Norman Blair, M'Fadyen, Misses L. M‘Donald, B. Martin, M. Wheeler, E. Pearce, Messrs F. Taylor, J. O’Connell, N. Tate, G. Luckhurst, A. Snell, Major Lampen, Mr and Mrs Gard'ner, and Leaden's Jazz Band. The accompanists were Misses M. Caddie, and E. Paine. Supper was provided, alter which dancing was indulged in until a late hour.

After the P/ime Minister’s indications at Levin that more capital for the State Advances Department is to be provided shortly, the impression has become fairly general (says our Wellington correspondent) that very shortly authority will be sought for a new loan, and that this will be used for meeting the needs of settlers.

It is not believed that any damage has been ddne to the plates of the Rio Claro, on which steamer the coal in the bunkers became heated (says a Wellington Press Association message). General cargo was between the heated coal and 30,000 cases of oil, and if the flames had broken out the position would have been most serious. A strict watch is being maintained, but it is believed that the danger of the fire spreading has been removed.

A representative meeting of women teachers in Wanganui (says a Press Association message) passed a resolution protesting strongly against differentiation of the salaries of women and men, and demanding equal pay for equal work, asserting that differentiation is a retrograde step and a serious blot on the otherwise progressive administration of our present Minister. The resolution added that the women teachers were determined to have this differentiation abolished, and the general public would never hear the last of it until this occurred.

A big consignment of Australian-grown wheat arrived yesterday by the Wsitomo. The shipment' was loaded at Port Pirie (says a Wellington Press Association message), and comprised 6017 tons, or 73,874 sacks, 31,000 being for. Wellington and the balance for Auckland. It is stated that the wheat is of good quality and is in excellent condition. Another large consignment is coming by the motor ship Hauraki, loaded at Adelaide and Wallaroo, and consists of 8000 tons. It will be discharged at Lyttelton and Auckland.

In response to a resolution passed by a recent meeting of the Dominion Farmers’ Union urging the Railway Department to accept liability in' the case of loss or damage to goods loaded by consumers at officered stations, th© Minister (reports a Wellington Press Association message) says that in such cases the department is unable to agree to accept liability.

The inquiry conducted by the Scientific American regarding the validity of the claims made by the Abrams practitioners has provided some remarkably interesting reading, as the work of the committee of experts has been fully described as the inquiry progressed. As far as readers could judge, the investigation was conducted with the utmost care to give the Abrams theory every chance to justify itself. Many tests of different kinds wore proposed and carried out, in every case with the full approval and willing 00-operation of “E. R. A.” (Electronic Reactions of Abrams) practitioners. The Abrams experts claimed that their system enabled them to diagnose diseases with something approaching mathematical certainty, far exceeding the accomplishments of orthodox medicine. Under test, they “crashed” again and again, and scored no better than they could have dene by pure blindfold guessing. The diagnosis is carried out by the aid of an electrical apparatus consisting of quite ordinary instruments grouped in a way which electricians find quite unorthodox. It was one of the curious features of some of the tests that the diagnosis proceeded without any difficulty (though without any greater or less accuracy) when the apparatus had been put out of action unknown to the operator, and even when the specimens supposed to be under test were not in the instrument at all.

“Recently a tramcar was delayed' for nearly four minutes because a mother did not render reasonable assistance to a conductor in the closing of a large push cart, the conductor having to remove pillows, etc.,” stated a report from the Works and Traffic Committee, which was presented to the Christchurch Tramways Board at its last meeting. “The push cart was out of repair and) some parts came adrift. The owner wanted the board to pay for this. Push carts are always a trouble to conductors, and to the public, but the board nevertheles accepts them on the cars because it is conventient for mothers with children in their care to take the push cart with them. The committee has decided that no push cart shall be put on to a car by a conductor unless it is first folded and fastened by the owner.” “We will soon need special trams if push carts go on getting bigger,” said the Hon. J. Barr, when the report was presented (reports the Lyttelton Times). On bis suggestion, it was decided to frame a by-law on the lines of the report.

There can be little doubt os to the need of improved communications between Britain and Australia and New Zealand (says the Australian and New Zealand Trade Journal). The business community at both ends suffers a condition of affairs which would be ludicrous if it were jet of very serious importance. At a time when ocean transit has been improved out of all resemblance to the conditions obtaining a-quarter of a century ago, the efficiency of the Australian mail service, for example, has declined to a status which would have been criticised then. The steamers engaged in the service boast, it is true, their share in the improvements whiph, in th© interval, have revolutionised ocean travel. But the mails to and from Australia can provide no more than a fortnightly delivery of letters either in the commonwealth or in the United Kingdom—and a fortnightly delivery of letters between two such countries, at this stage of the world’s progress, is almost unbelievably behind the times. The whole question of ocean mails needs searching investigation. Things seem to be merely muddling along because of difficulties which ought to be swept out of the path of British-American and British-New Zealand communications. Trade especially . calls for drastic change in a situation which, by delaying correspondence, hampers and handicaps vitally necessary exchanges of information.

Wo have received from F. T. B. a contribution of 10s towards the Barnard o Homes Fund. Wood’s Great Peppermint Cure for coughs and colds never fails.—Advt. Ever miss a train? It’s mighty irritating. Buy your watch at Williamson’s, the quality jewellers, and bo sure.—Advt. The Pacific Storr-Bowkett Building Society invito applications in the now (No. 5) group. £IOOO free ballots and sales, office, 86 King Edward street.—Advt. A. E. J. Blakeley, dentist, Bank of Australasia, corner of Bond and Rattray streets (next Telegraph Office). Telephone 1859. Advt. Save your eyes.—Consult Peter G. Dick. D.8i0.A., F.L.0., London, consulting and oculists’ optician.—“ Peter Dick,’’ jewellers and opticians, Moray place, Dunedin.—. Ads*-