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Otago Daily Times, Issue 19406, 16 February 1925, Page 6

The postal authorities have been, advised that the steamer Moeraki, which is due here to-morrow from Melbourne direct, ia bringing one bag and eight hampers of Aus. tralian mail matter for Dunedin. A large English and American mail is expected to reach Wellington this morning by the Maunganui from San Francisco. The Dunedin portion should come to hand to-mor-row evening, in which case the contents will 'be delivered in the city and suburbs on Wednesdav morning. His Majesty’s ship Veronica brought her brief visit to Dunedin to a close yesterday, when the warship sailed for Bluff at 1.30 p.m. The majority of the warship’s crew were granted shore leave on Saturday, and enjoyed themselves in various ways in the city. A large number were conveyed to the Wingatui races by motor car, and were the guests of the Dunedin Jockey Club. The ship’s company attended divine service at St. Paul’s Cathedral at 10.30 a.m. yesterday, the men marching from the Rattray street wharf shortly after 10 a.m., headed by the Third Artillery Band. Large numbers visited the Veronica during Saturday, and many citizens assembled to witness her departure yesterday. The warship will remain at Bluff until Thursday, and 'will proceed thence to Oamaru and other northern ports. A heavy fog prevailed at the Heads yesterday morning, and the fog signal sent its warning note broadcast for several hours. The Shaw, Savill, and Albion Line steamer Matatua left her berth at Port Chalmers at daybreak, bound for Bluff, and occupied two hours in “feeling" her way to the open sea. On reaching the Heads it was found that the whole landscape was obscured, and the Matatua was brought to an anchorage. She remained outside the Heads for several hours, when the fog lifted, and the vessel proceeded on her voyage.

One of the mains supplying water from the Southern Reservoir burst near Burnside on Saturday morning, and the supply was cut off in certain parts of the Caversham and South Dunedin districts, and also in the whole of Maclaggan street. Residents of this thoroughfare were compelled to visit dwellings in High street with buckets and petrol tins to secure water for their ordinary household use Tho position was acute, as had a big fire broken out in the vicinity while the supply was turned off serious damage might have resulted. A gang of men was engaged all day in replacing the broken pipe. The work was completed on Saturday evening, when the anxiety and inconvenience of city and suburban dwellers was allayed. The Otago Witness, which will be published to-morrow, is a specially interesting number, embracing as it does a wide variety of subjects. This applies to the letterpress as well as to the reproductions. In connection wiith tho latter the subjects dealt with include the principal current topics in the dominion, from Auckland to Stewart Island, as well as current hardenings abroad. The large gathering of early settlers in tho Gore district is dealt with in a full page of specially fine groups, and the General Synod of the Anglican Church, which has been sitting in Dunedin, provides another notable group. There is a splendid group photograph of the delegates and officials of tho New Zealand Girl Citizens’ Conference, which sat at Masterton recently. Tho Southland Teachers’ Conference at picturesque Stewart Island is an interesting study, as also are some views of American champion skaters «, Switzerland. The D.J.C. Cup meeting provides an interesting page of sporting pictures, and there are also some views of tho Feilding Show. Other subjects dealt with are the Woodrow Wilson award medal, the IMunket Shield cricket match, the Malvern Tramways Band, yachting on the \V ailemata, and a number of others.

A Press Association message from Christchurch states that on the desk of Dr 'j e!ford (medical'officer of health) on Saturday morning was a tin matchbox containing a dozen bees, which had 'been attacked by the strange paralysis noticed only in tho past few weeks. Some were bad. Others were crawling about with more or less vigour, but their wings appeared to bo paralysed. Eh- Telford explained that ho had got- the bees from an apiarist in order that a bacteriological examination might be made in Wellington,

Speakers at the Anglican Synod were not always well heard at the reporters’ table. In the valedictory proceedings consequent on Archbishop Julius’s retirement Dean Fitobett did not, os reported, say to tho Archbishop, “We have not resented your little peccadilloes.” In this part of his address the Dean said, “Your Grace retains tho efficiency of former years; from no quarter have we heard ‘superfluous lags the veteran on. the stage.’ You have always been a fighting man, and whoever crossed swords with you know ‘the stern delight that warriors fe#l in foemon worthy of their steel.’ You dealt shrewd blows, but there was always good feeling. We have been indebted to your firmness and celerity in the conduct of Synod business. We have not resented your little tyrannies; wo recognised them as paternal; wo have

oppreciated your humour and your dramatic asides; and wo feel that on your departure the Synod will never bo the sam© again.” Of nine bankruptcies that were notified in tho latest issue of the New Zealand Gazette, six were in tho North Island.

Our Middlemarch correspondent reports that the weather of late has been very varied. Last week-end thor© was a cold snap with, occasional showers. Stock continues to do well, and some very good prices were realised at the sale last Monday. Some lines of ewes, however, wont very cheaply owing to there being no outside buyers present, while th© local men had not room for them. Threshing is now in full swing, and although some of the samples are on the green side the yields are fairly good. The City Fire Brigade was called out to three minor outbreaks during tho weekend. The first call was received at 7.18 a.m. on Saturday to a rubbish fire in Cargill street. The second outbreak occurred at 11.23 a.m. on Saturday at Messrs George Clark’s (Ltd.) premises, Princes street south, where the roof of a shed next to Messrs Shacklook’s foundry was slightly damaged by tho flames. At 3.12 p.m. yesterday the brigade responded to a call to tha Hanover street crossing, where a small stack of timber owned by the Railway Department had caught five. Very little damage was don®. A Press Association telegram from Auckland states that the case in which Claude Oswald M‘Cully was fined £2O or a month’s imprisonment on Friday for trespass on a racecourse was mentioned in court again on Saturday, when Mr Poynton, S.M., said that a mistake had been made. Through the noises outside the court he and the two justices understood that the accused had been previously fined for a similar offence. This was not correct. Ho granted a rehearing for Friday next, without bail.

Probate ha s been granted by Mr Justice Sim in the estates 'of the following persons: James Hore, Francis Joseph Marlow, Thomas Butler Ley land, Jessie Bambarry, Bartlett Provo, and Thomas William Berry. Letters of administration were granted in < re Agnes Grey and Henry M'Auley, deceased.

Seven hours’ solitary confinement at the bottom of a dry well, some 25ft deep, was the unenviable experience the other day of Wallace Smeaton, aged 16, youngest son of Mrs E. Smeaton, of the Waihi plains. The well was in the course of being sunk. Young Smeaton went down a rope from the surface to the bottom of the well with the intention of getting a spade. The rope was wet and slippery, and, try how ho could, his most strenuous and repeated efforts only resulted in his getting halfway. up the shaft. He then gave up any further attempts and settled down to attract attention by vocal effort. The well was some distance from the homestead, and there was no response. Young Smeaton went down the well at about 10 o’clock in the morning, and it was not until 5 o’clock in the late afternoon, that his ■brother set out on horseback to search for him. When in the vicinity of the well he heard his brother’s voice calling for help, and quickly located him. The lad was then hauled up, and, though somewhat exhausted, was little the worse for his lonely vigil at the bottom of the well. Recently the Southland League wrote to the Minister of Public Works (Hon. J. G.

Coates) with regard to the reports that the Bowen Falls were about to be utilised for the purposes of generating electrical energy and inquiring whether such a proposal had been agreed to by the Government. On Friday the secretary of the league (Mr J. S. Dick) received a reply from the Minister in which it was mentioned that an application had been received from a syndicate to use water from the Bowen River for the purpose of generating electrical energy to be used phiefly for electro-chemi. cal and electro-metallurgical purposes, such os extracting nitrates from the air. The industry, which it was proposed to establish was the first of its kind in the' dominion, and, if successful, would enable manures, which were used to a great extent by fanners, to be manufactured locally. The proposed license contained provisions which would necessitate the works being carried out with the least possible disfigurement from a scenic point of view. “The proposal to authorise the syndicate to commence its new apd important industry has been approved,” said the Minister in concluding his letter, “but so far no license has been issued.’' A complaint that the Court of Arbitration was not making its apprenticeship orders retrospective was made to the Minister of Labour (the Hon. G. J. Anderson) last week, by a deputation representing the

New Zealand Painters’ Federation and the Wellington Trades and Labour Council. The chief speakers were Messrs F. Cornwell and W. Bromley, both of whom stated that the court had made a pronouncement to the effect that orders would not bo retrospective. This pronouncement, it was felt, was against the wish of both the employers and the employees, who at a conference over which the Minister presided agreed that orders should date back for two years. In his reply the Minister said that that was certainly the position, but his view was that the unions had proceeded under the wrong clause of the Act. There was a clause in the Act which had been put in for the express purpose of meeting the difficulty which had been mentioned, and he thought the best thing for the unions to do would ho to make a joint application to the court under that section of the Act. However, he would go into the legal aspect of the matter and let them know the result. One thing was certain. He, as Minister of Labour, could not go to the Arbitration Court and tell it that it had made a mistake.

I Dancing I .—Mr F. Reade Wauchop, who has lately returned from America and Australia, will teach at the Wentworth Dance ■ Chamber, Stock Exchange Buildings, from Tuesday, February 17, all the latest ballroom dances, including Fox Trot, Modern Waltz, One Step, and Tango. Prospective pupils interviewed from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. from February 17 onwards. Appointments can also be made by ’phono 2044.—Advt. Telephone exchange subscribers are notified that if their subscriptions are not paid by 5 p.m. to-day they will be disconnected. In that case s. fee of 5s will bo charged for re-connection. A progressive whist drive will be held to-night at St. Paul’s Schoolroom, Stuart street. Six prizes are offered for competition. Mr SI. F. Benton, favourably known in shopping circles in the city, has been appointed general manager of the old-estab-lished business known as Braithwaito’s Bock Arcade. —Advt. Beautiful Stemi-indirect Electric Bowl Fittings just landing. —Barth Electrical Supplies (Ltd.). 61 Princes street; also ail Electrical Supplies. Jobbing, and Contracting promptly executed. —Advt. Williamsons, Jewellers, can again supply their popular Welden Lever Watch for men. It’s fine value. —Advt. A. E. J. Blakeley, dentist. Bank of Australasia, corner of Bond and Rattray streets (nerS 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.—