THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15,1924. THE EXHIBITION ENTERPRISE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19277, 15 September 1924, Page 6

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15,1924. THE EXHIBITION ENTERPRISE.

first annual meeting of the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition Company, which is to be held this evening, will constitute an occasion suitable for a survey both of what has been accomplished in the furtherance of the Exhibition project and of the task that yet lies ahead. The general situation may be regarded as very satisfactory and encouraging. Within the twelve months of the company’s existence a great deal of preliminary work has been accomplished with results upon which the directors are to bo congratulated. Substantial progress has been made with the erection of the Exhibition buildings, and in this connection it may be suggested that a visit to Logan Park is not less instructive than the company’s annual report. At the same time the people of Dunedin and Otago may be reminded that there is room for something more than an attitude of admiration on their part of the activity that is being manifested on the selected site. This admiration may be most suitably expressed in the display of a more widely spread desire for personal identification with an enterprise which closely touches the credit and the interests of the community. The Exhibition must receive, the warm support of all who are interested in the welfare of Otago if it is to represent to the best advantage the whole-hearted effort of which this part of the dominion should be capable, and it is pertinent to draw the attention of business men and others, who are not included among the shareholders of the Exhibition Company, to the circumstance that financial support is still needed to complete the subscription of the capital which, apart from Government contributions, is sought. Nothing succeeds Tike success, and the more enthusiastically the people of Otago support the Exhibition project the more assuredly will they attract interest and support for it from other sources. The Exhibition will prove a source of benefit not to Otago only, but to the whole of New Zealand. That fact cannot be too widely appreciated, and it is satisfactory to note that it is beginning to impress itself forcibly upon the imagination of residents of northern portions of the dominion now that the Exhibition buildings are taking visible shape. The Exhibition will be a much more extensive affair than many people throughout New Zealand have yet realised. Fortunately, however, an idea of the dimensions it will assume is now being more adequately grasped outside Otago than was the case a few months ago. Recent visitors to Dunedin have found occasion for surprise at the progress that has been made in the construction work and in the unmistakable evidence of the scope which the Exhibition will embrace. It is for the people of Otago to demonstrate during the next twelve months their unquenchable interest in the successful completion of a great undertaking well begun.

funds at his disposal go as far ajs possible, would embrace it with fervour. He recognises the value of publicity, but he claims that more is being done in that direction than is known to the public. He points to the present year as one of record activity in the advertising of New Zealand, this being duo to the part taken by the dominion in the Empire Exhibition at Wembley. No doubt this year’s tale of expenditure on advertising puts that of previous years in the shade. There is reason to judge, however, that the advertisement secured by New Zealand at Wembley has not been all that it might have been, although due allowance has to be made for the circumstance that the larger dominions — Canada and Australia—ha ve been able to spend on their displays much greater sums than New Zealand could well afford. Moreover, there is a good deal in the argument used by the deputation respecting the desirability that the advertising done at Wembley should be followed up by the Government and that the publicity campaign should be sustained in a way that is not provided for at present. Speaking at the International Advertising Conference at Wembley, Lord Burnham described the advertising agent as the real interpreter of the felt wants and the unfelt wants of humanity. He also remarked that “the Old World, like Dr Faustus, would almost sell its soul for a renewal of its youth.” It may be suggested that in New Zealand the youth of the Empire finds a highly satisfactory expression, and that this country is remarkably well equipped to provide for many ot both the felt and the unfelt wants of humanity, particularly in respect of the excellent tonic for jaded travellers furnished in a wealth of scenic and health resorts not provided, perhaps, in such variety by any other country that could be named. There is no doubt whatever that the attractions which New Zealand can offer are not nearly so well known abroad as they should be. Quaint stories are circulated frequently respecting the average American’s lack of knowledge of even the whereabouts of New Zealand. This is unfortunate since well-to-do Americans constitute an appreciable percentage of the world’s travellers, and since fresh countries of interest present a- great attraction to them. On the other hand, it has to be recognised that there is considerable force in what the Minister m charge of Tourist and Health Resorts said respecting the accommodation available in the dominion at the present time to meet the requirements of wealthy tourists. It is sufficiently obvious that if New Zealand is to attract, and continue to attract, visitors of this kind in any number it must cater satisfactorily for them. It is idle to ignore the fact that New Zealand does not offer the luxuri ous accommodation that is available in other countries for persons of the class that travels expensively and that is prepared to pay handsomely for the comfort it demands. It is for private enterprise to remedy this deficiency, the Minister says, while the Government does its part in advertising outside. It may be suggested that if the Government does its part to sufficient purpose private enterprise will receive the stimulus it needs. The exceptional attractions .of New Zealand afford excellent scope for effective advertising, and whether that be achieved through picture films or through the medium of printed matter—in connection with which the value of the illustrated page should be recognised—there is undoubtedly a wide field for a judicious expenditure of money. The outlay would constitute an investment that should eventually bring a highly remunerative return.

A meeting of the Dunedin War Memorial Executive was held on Friday night, when the Mayor (Mr H. L. Tapley) presided. It was explained that questions that had arisen in regard to the foundation had been responsible for the delay, the chief one being a proposal by tho city engineer to extend the foundation, which is a floating one, and to strengthen the column at the base, so as to make the foundation absolutely stable. -t was decided to telegraph to Messrs Cummer and Ford urging them to get tho plans and specifications finally prepared after consultation with tho city engineer. It is hoped that an agreement will be quickly arrived at between the architects and the city engineer, and that tenders for tho work will be called for almost immediately. The memorial funds in hand, including the City Council’s donation, is about £7500.

The illustrations in the Otago Witness which will bo published to-morrow are of i particularly varied character. A fine double page of international interest covers a wide range of subjects. The interprovincial Rugby matches between Southland and Otago are pietorially treated, and the international Soccer contest between China and New Zealand forms the subject of an interesting series which includes a group photograph of the monster picnic at Waipori. A charming air view of “Woodside,” the Prince of Wales’s “American Home” during a large part of his stay, the Imperial Jamboree of tho Boy Scouts at the Wembley Exhibition and the Girl Guides’ Camp at Lyndhurst find a place on the front page. The jubilee and ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the Waitahuna Presbyterian Church are also illustrated, and numerous other subjects also find a place.

Trout fishing prospects for the coming season are regarded as very promising (telegraphs our Auckland correspondent), in view of the reports coming to hand from aT parts of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society’s district. It is stated that trout of fair size and condition are plentiful in many of the rivers, and that by October 1 good sport should be available. Half a million rainbow trout fry were liberated in streams in the society’s district last year, and the same number will be liberated this year. The advantage of the spoken word over the written or printed word is most clearly exhibited in the use of inflections of voice that are impossible in cold letterpress. The expression that is employed in jest appears in print as a serious utterance. Every person who was present at the luncheon on Friday to celebrate the diamond jubilee of the Dunedin Savings Bank recognised that it was in a jocular sense that, referring to a theft that was committed at the institution, the Chairman said that the trustees acquitted the then manager of “any complicity.” Th© word “complicity” was used, indeed, after a oause as though the speaker was searching for an appropriate expression, and the suggestion to adopt it came in a laughing interjection from on© of the guests who knew, as most of those present knew, that the manager of the Savings Bank at the time was a citizen of such integrity and probity as to be entirely free from even the merest breath of suspicion.

Activities in connection with the raising of funds for the Leith Bowling am; Croquet Club which had extended for about i week were concluded on Saturday night in the George Street School Hall with a euchre tournament. There was a largo attendance, and a thoroughly enjoyable evening was spent. In tho ladies’ section Mrs M‘Don ald secured the first prize of a pair of silver vases, and Mr Mitchell won a safety razor in the men’s section. As a result of the carnival and bazaar, the social and dance, and the euchre tournament, the sum of approximately £3OO was raised, and this should go a long way in carrying out work for which it was required.

In connection with the ceremony of toming the water into the new 9in main at St. Kilda on Saturday afternoon, Mr W. G. Griffin (town clerk of the borough) prepared the following interesting return of the value of private dwellings erected in the principal cities and towns of the dominion for 1923-24-:—Wellington, £649,000; Auckland, £602,000; Christchurch, £545,000; Mount Albert, £230,000; Dunedin, £218,000; Hamilton, £192,000; Mount Eden, £141,000; Palmerston North, £139,000; Timaru, £120,000; New Plymouth, £118,000; Invercargill, £117,000; Takapuna, £109,000; Wanganui, £95,000; Onehunga, £92,000;’ Lower Hutt, £85,000; Napier, £82,000; Devonport, £68,000; Whangarei, £64,000; Hastings, £63,000; St. Kilda, £52,000, There were 93 others on the list, all of which were lower.

What purported to be a message from a sinking vessel was picked up on the beach at Sandfly Bay yesterday by Mr W. Appleby, of tho Department of Agriculture. It was in the form of a scrap of brown paper enclosed in an empty bottle, the paper having scratched on it in pencil the words, “Ist June, 1908, s.s. Waratah. Going down; no hope.” The individual, whose perverted sense of humour led him to nerpetrato this palpable hoax, had not the” wit to use dates that would deceive any recipient of the message, the fact being that it was on July 26, 1909, that tho Waratah left Port Natal on the voyage in which she mysteriously disappeared. Tho following telegram was despatched on Saturday to the Hon. R. F. Bollard (Minister of Internal Affairs) by Mr W. Wright (president of the Otago Motor Club)-.—“Otago motorists keenly resent the statement attributed to yon in Friday evening’s Star, that motor drivers at present apparently assumed they had the right of the road, and were entitled to run down everyone who came in their way. We regard the latter portion of the statement as absolutely unwarrantable and grossly unjust.” The work of clearing the debris, caused by the recent fire in the sugar of milk works at Kclendtle, has been pushed on steadily, and good progress has been made (says the Southland Times). A considerable amount of the machinery has been dismantled, and now only a few machines stand on the ground floor, which is practically cleared. Some of the old piping and joints have been salvaged from the wreck, and these are laid out in orderly manner along tho front of the property. As soon as the ground floor has been cleared, work will bo commenced on tho new building, which will be a two-storeyed concrete one,. The following are tho import and export tonnages for the port of Otago from January 1 to August 31 from 1915 to 1924 inclusive:-1915, 313,858 tons ; 1916, 312,875 tons; 1917, 266,355 tons; 1918. 240,275 tons; 1919,’ 243,751 tons: 1920. 282,140 tons; 1921, 286.959 tons; 1922, 228,946 tons; 1923, tons- 1824, 285,736 tons.

Of 15 bankruptcies that were notified in last week’s issue of the New Zealand Gazette, eight were in the North Island.

This year’s report on the Marine Fish Hatchery and Biological Station at Portobello, submitted by the chairman of the board (the Hon. G. M. 'lhomson) to the Minister of Marine indicates that the work at the Fish Hatchery has an important: bearing on the production of insulin which is being investigated here by Professor Malcolm. The report states:—“Professor J. Malcolm, Professor of Physiology in Otago University, has been supplied with the epithelial islets of several fishes, notably blue cod and groper, for his researches on insulin; and also with considerable quantities of whale feed, and red cod feeding on whale feed, for his investigation on fish oils and food values. Dr Malcolm’s report on this material is as follows;—‘During the past, as in previous years, the Marino Station at Portobello has been of very great assistance in providing material for research work in this department. Mr Maxwell Young went to a great deal of trouble to dissect out the minute islets of Langerhans from groper, blue cod, and various other varieties of fish. The identity of the islets having been established by microscopic examination, we are in a position to estimate the insulin present, and Dr Stokes, of this department, is now engaged in this work. At present insulin is imported for the treatment of diabetes, but, it may be necessary or economical at some future time to depend on local sources of supply, and the islets of fishes yield a powerful solution of the substance. It would have been impossible to carry out such work without. the facilities afforded by the station, and I sincerely hope that the Government will do more and more as time goes on to increase these facilities for research.’ ” The Marine Fish Hatchery at Portobello has long been occupied on the difficult and interesting task of introducing turbot to New Zealand waters. The present position is thus stated by the Hon. G. M. Thomson in his annual report to the Minister of Marine on behalf of the Fish Hatchery Board: —“A hundred and seventy turbot, varying from 12in to 18in. were liberated some 60 miles to the south of Otago Hoads in 1916 and 1917. The remaining 14 wore kept in the hatchery tanks, and their number remained intact until tin’s past year, when three died. The cause of death was in each rase a cancerous growth close to the backbone on the under-side. As the remaining 11 fish appear to bo quite clean and healthy, though they have not grown appreciably for over two years, it seems probable that their age is the deciding factor. They must be now at least 14 years of ago, and, though this is not a great ago for fish living under natural conditions, it has to be borne in mind that these tank-fish have lived in confinement since they were If.in long. The marvel is that they have remained so healthy and immune from disease or accident. It has always been noted that when the temperature of the water they live in becomes low the fish become sluggish and cease to feed. The temperature of the water in the tanks has therefore never been allowed to fall below 4deg C. in the coldest weather, this being effected by passing it through pipes heated in a small coke heater. This last summer the fish have suffered from the heat, the temperature of the water averaging 16de<? C.. and sometimes reaching as high as 20dog C. Tile temperature of the ocean surface water outside the Hoads ranges from a little over sdeg C. in winter to 9deg C. in summer, while at denths of from 20 to 50 fathoms it is probably more uniformly between 7deg and 9deg C. We have not, the apparatus or the opportunities of recording these decner-occan temperatures. Occasional reports are still received of turbot being brought into various ports by fishermen, but no authentic information of the occurrence has yet been obtained, nor have actual specimens been received. That, the fish is in New Zealand waters is highly probable, and it may be met with some day, just as has poned in the case of both the quinnat and Atlantic salmon. Meanwhile the board would suggest to the Government the advisability of renewing the introduction of this fish as soon as the conditions become more favourable. If one© naturalised in these southern waters and available as a food fish its value would be very great. The average wholesale price of these fish in Britain in 1921 (the last year for which wo have figures) was Is 2d per lb.” At the annual meeting of Bendigo and District Methodist Local Preachers’ Association, speakers deplored the attendance of prominent church members at dances as having a baneful effect on church life. The following motion was carried:—“That this annual meeting of Bendigo branch of the Local Preachers’ Association views with alarm the tendency to worldly amusement entering into the church, especially the craze for dancing, and prayerfully asks the Methodist people not to be led away from the standard of Christian perfection, as set by the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, by this cunning pitfall of the devil.” Commenting on the resolution, the Rerv. A. Madsen, superintendent of Bendigo Methodist circuit, said the association was preserving the traditional attitude of the Methodist Church towards what was known as worldly amusements. Methodist experience returned the verdict that religious interest waned as worldly amusement gained in favour. In the matter of the excision of certain forms of amusement from the Methodist law book, such as dancing, theatre going, and gaming, it had to be borne in mind that 100 years ago the number of worldly amusements was much fewer in typo than to-day. Such matters as drink, racing, and gambling in manifold forms had risen in the scale of influence and projected themselves into moral and national thought in these days, as they were not seen at that time.

Members and intending members of the R..S.A. Savage Club are reminded tbar koreros will be resumed to-morrow evening at the It.S.A. Club.

The address on “Ramblings in Nova Sootia,” to be delivered by Mr C. H. Poole (lately through America as a Chautauqua lecturer) in the Early Settlers’ Hall to-night promises to bo of an exceedingly interesting and informative character. No charge will be made for admission. Read about the special watch value at Williamsons, The Quality Jewellers, 31 Princes street (next The Bristol), and send 25s. —Advt. Wood’s Great Peppermint Cur© for ccrcgh? and colds never fails.—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.8.0.A., F. 1.0., London, consulting and oculists’ optician. —“ Peter Dick,” jewellers and opticians, Moray place, Dunedin.— Advt.