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Otago Daily Times, Issue 19584, 14 September 1925, Page 6

THE DAVIS CUP

It was a curious coincidence that the present year, marking the 25th anniversary of the institution of the Davis Cup competition, found no fewer than 25 nations contending for' the international lawn tennis championship. Such an entry not only established a record in the history of the competition, but once again emphasised the remarkable vogue which the game has attained during recent years. In New Zealand direct * concern in the competition lapsed at an early stage owing to the decision of the governing authority, on the ground of expense, not to send a team abroad to meet the Canadians on their native heath. But the long and successful co-operation of Australia and New Zealand in the days when Brookes and Wilding were in their prime gave followers of the game in the Dominion a special interest in the 4 fortunes of the Australian team which had been despatched to America, and its successful progress to the final round was a source of considerable satisfaction. The opponents of the Australians in the final were the two young Frenchmen, Borotra and Lacoste, who had not only triumphed over the representatives of 15 nations in the European zone of play, but had won throe of the championships at Wimbledon where their illustrious countrywoman, Mdlle. Lenglen, had captured the other two. Their prowess and performances stamped them as players of eminent skill, and when they dethroned the Australians as the challenging nation and won the right to meet the United States for the possession of the cup they earned for themselves a .high place on the scroll of fame. But, while they may have entered the challenge round with a confidence born of triumph, it is not to be imagined that Borotra and Lacoste cherished many illusions as to their prospects ; of success against the American stalwarts, Tilden and Johnston, who have not only successfully defended the Davis Cup since they won it from Brookes and Patterson in Auckland four years ago, but have established themselves as the acknowledged peers of present-day lawn tennis and as two of the greatest players the world has ever seen. The failure of the Frenchmen, therefore, causes no surprise, but the heroic effort which they made—-not less in Laeoste’s than Borotra’s match against Tilden—has afforded a spectacle calculated to command admiration wherever delight is taken in the glories of physical prowess and endeavour. It has not yet been the lot of the Davis Cup to pass from the hands of the English-speaking peoples, but if it should ever do so there is no country to whom it would be more gladly resigned than to France.

One never knows what the House of Representatives will do (telegraphs our Wellington correspondent), but the progress made with the Estimates on Friday, when the remaining clauses were disposed of, justifies the supposition that the session will last only about another fortnight. Members will now be looking forward for the Public Works Statement and the Estimates, and when these have been dealt with most members will be thinking of thair own electorates and the coming election. An exceptionally large general cargo will be discharged at Dunedin this weak from the holds of the steamer West Havana, which arrived on Saturday morning from Pacific Coast ports (including Vancouver and San Francisco), via Auckl|md and Lyttelton. The cargo for this port includes 1.100,000 ft of lumber, 15,000 cases of oil, and about 400 tons of assorted Canadian and American merchandise. The remainder of the steamer’s cargo is consigned to Sydney. When steaming up the Victoria Channel the West Nivaria touched bottom. She remained fast for a brief period, after which she was refloated and berthed at the Victoria wharf. The trip from Oamaru to Dunedin by motor car usually occupies from three to three and a-ha!f hours, but some of the Otago footballers returning from the match between Otago and North Otago on Saturday spent more than nine hours on the road. The journey was a chapter of accidents. A 16-seater bus and a seven-seatel? car had been hired to convey the team to Oamaru. The bus had to stop twice on the way up to replace punctured tyres, but the journey was accomplished in good time. It was on the return trip that serioao trouble was encountered. All went well for a -time, but the occupants of the cat, on turning the corner approaching the Shag River, were greeted with the sight of their team mates marooned in the centre of the stream. To make matters worse the river was rising rapidly. The car was immediately despatched to a neighbouring farm house to procure a tow-line. One of the team, after being chased by a cattle dog, obtained a short length of rope and a coil of plough rein. During the absence of ■the more fortunate vehicle the time was occupied by the singing of “Shall We. Gather at the River” and “Asleep in the Deep,” and other more or less appropriate tunes. The return of the car (which _ was light enough to cross the rather frail bridge) was announced by loud cheers. A rerpe was thrown to the stranded bus and attached to the car, which proceeded, with the help of its occupants, and to the accompaniment of shouts of encouragement, to haul tlie stranded party from its watery resting place. Gradually the bus approached the edge, but when it was about six feet from dry land the rope broke. A second attempt was successful. It was some time the engine could be started, and it was II o’clock before the journey was resumed. On the southern side of Palmerston the bus ran out of petrol, and the contents of the only remaining tin were emptied into the tank. Then the motors ran into a heavy fog, and progress was very slow. The small car was still in the rear when the bins came to the last of its petrol again. This time, after a long delay, a supply was obtained from a farmer’s garage. The car, leavihg the driver of the bus to carry the petrol to his charge, set off for town*arriving there at about 4.50 a-m. Bus there was no sign of the bus or its occupants. Scenting trouble, the driver of the car with two of the team returned to Upper Junction to find that the larger vehicle could not be started. By this time the footballers had become resigned to their fate and were attempting to obtain a little sleep. Two heads, however, are better than one, and the engine was eventually persuaded to function again. It was well after 5 o’clock when the sleepy but cheerful footballers arrived back in town. “When It’s Summer Time in England” provides an attractive composite picture on the front page of the illustrations in the Otago Witness to be published to-morrow. The Otago Hunt Club’s meeting at Wingatui occupies a page and the Invercargill ( Competitions Society’s festival also provides a page consisting of some of the winners. Interprovincial Rugby intercolonial League football matches in Wellington and Auckland, the British Seamen’s Shipping Strike, “Veterans of Variety” in Dunedin, Bowling Council in Dunedin, a big day in bridge-building in progressive Dunedin, the Empire Press Conference delegates in Sydney, Invercargill Under Snow, Hydro-electric Operations at Mangahao, Gathering Toheroas on the Eighty-mile Beach, North Auckland, and a number of miscellaneous and topical photographs are also published. A Buick car is reported to have made an inexplicable disappearance yesterday mprning from its garage in George street. The police are making inquiries. At a special meeting of the Commercial Travellers’ Association in Wellington to celebrate the 24th anniversary of the founding of the association, the Prime Minister, who attended by invitation, reviewed the formation of commercial travellers’ associations in the Dominion, commended the work, and complimented them on their rapid growth. He paid a tribute to the magnificent work undertaken and carried out by the associations during the war period, and referred with pride to the Dominion’s trade. Mr Coates struck an Imperial note, and spoke of tho necessity for Imperial co-operation and Imperial Preference. ' The benefits ,to be derived from the introduction of weasels, stoats, and ferrets into rabbit-ridden country were discussed at. the last meeting of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society on the receipt of a letter from the New South Wales Rabbit Menace Inquiry Commission asking for the official view of the society on the matter. Members stated that the introduction of these natural enemies of the rabbits had proved a mixed blessing in New Zealand. They killed all bird life, but at the same time did a certain amount of good in exterminating rabbits, particularly when these latter posts were not proving a. really serious manace. Settlers in the Wairarapa acknowledged that the use of weasels, and stoats had been of great benefit in clearing their district of hares and rabbits. It was decided to reply that weasels and stoats were disastrous to bird life, and that tho society strongly urged that these animals be introduced only as a last resort. , It is anticipated that the Southland Boys’ High School will not be transferred to the Herbert Street School until about the middle of December (says the Southland Times). At its last meeting the board decided to vacate the old school immediately on closing for the Christmas vacation, or sooner if possible, hut no work has been done at the new school grounds for some lime owing to weather conditions, and it is deemed unlikely that the work will be comploted before almost the end of the year. A Spanish coin which (possibly) was brought to Samoa by the La Perous© Expedition over 130 years ago was discovered at Tiavea, near Alelpata (says the Samoa Times). It was received in the ordinary course of business by a trader in the. village. It is a coin of the reign of Charles 111 of Spain, and is dated 1770- It in but litlie worn, and the lettering is distinct. Around the profile of the monarch runs the Latin inscription. “Carolus IH., Dei Gratia”; and on the obverse are the words, “Hispan. et Ind. Rex me. Irtni.” The young man who received tho coin was under the impression that he had been victimised, and ho gladly parted with it on receipt of the value of the tin of bullamaka which he had vended to the native who tendered the rare money. One lorry driver in the baokblocks made a good attempt to solve the problem of the bad road difficulty, and if it did result in his being penalised to the extent of £1 and costs, he can at least lay claim to originality (writes the Stratford correspondent of the Auckland Star). At the Police Court a man named Dromgol was charged with trespassing on the railway line between Kohuratahu and Tahora on Sunday, July 19- Defendant was employed by a travelling picture showman to transport materia! by motor lorry between the places in question. The road over the Tahora saddle was impossible, and horses to tow the lorry over were unprocurable. Defendant Had been induced to go through a convenient gate on to the railway line, along which he drove the lorry. Counsel for defendant urged in extenuation that tho act was not premeditated.' The roads were bad, and the piece of line was at the extreme end of the Stratford-Tahora section. Settlers looked upon the trespassing there in a lighter manner than trespassing on tho main line. The presiding justices said they quite realised tho position, but could nob overlook the fact that trains might have been running.

I>r Elizabeth Gunn, school medical officer, stated in Wanganui on her return from abroad, that the most up-to-date school she visited in New York was one that had only been open for two months. 'There were 2000 pupils attending the institution, which was four storeys high, each floor really being a complete school for 500 children. The building coat three million dollars. Each floor had a capacious, well-appointed gymnasium, with rings ana bars, etc., and all play and exercise was done there. The school also possessed a beajutiful auditorium, having seating accommodation for 600 children, and being equipped with special small theatre seats and a lantern for films. The curtains alone, she was told, cost 1000 dollars. A spirit of levity rules at the luncheons of the Auckland Rotary Club and sometimes there is a kind of contest among members in being facetious when introducing guests. Last week, when the speaker was Mr Justice Alpors, the legal fraternity was prominent, and the first compliment paid might have perplexed a stranger for a moment. “I have pleasure in introducing Mr J. B. Johnston, vice-president of the Auckland Law Society, and more favourably known as a yachtsman,” said Mr H. P. Richmond, amid the delighted shouts of Rotarians. It remained for the Church, however, to cap this effort. A grave-faced clergyman got up and said: “May I introduce my boas, the archbishop.” Some changes on the Board of the Cecil Rhodes Trust have been necessitated by the death of Lord Milner, the appointment of Sir Edward Grigg as Governor of Kenya, and the retirement of Mr Rudyard Kipling. Mr E. T. Norris, Registar of the New Zealand University, has received a letter from Sir Edward Grigg, who has acted as secretary to the board for some time past, stating that Mr Philip Kerr had been appointed to succeed him as secretary as from July 15 last. Mr Kerr, Sir Edward Grigg states has travelled much in the dominions and the United States. The trustees intend that Mr Kerr will be spared for part of every year to travel overseas, and he hoped very soon to make personal acquaintance with all engaged in work for the Rhodes bequest. The Board of the Rhodes Trust now consists of the following: Mr Stanley Baldwin, Prime Minister of Great Britain; Mr Geoffrey Dawson, editor of The Times; Sir Douglas Hogg, K. 0., Attorney-general; Mr H. A. L. Fisher, MP Warden of New College, Oxford; and Mr E. R. Peacock, Director of the Bank pf England. A drowning fatality was narrowly averted In Oamaru last Thursday evening when, shortly after 5 o’clock, the eldest daughter of Mr William Uttley, a child about nine years of age, while running along the bank of the Oamaru Creek, just below the Severn street bridge, tripped and fell into the water. At this point the creek is several feet deep, and had a woman who was on the bridge not noticed a hat floating on the water, and later an arm upstretched, the little girl would unquestionably have been drowned.. Mr William Taylor, an elderly man, responded to the woman s cry of alarm, and, jumping fully clothed into the water, he secured the child and brought her to the bank, not without difficulty, however, as the depth of the water and the current interfered considerably with his efforts. Xno little girl was almost unconscious, but some bvstanders applied artificial respiration, with good effect, and in the few minutes elapsing before Dr Fitzgerald arnved she recovered sufficiently to be able to speak. Dr Fitzgerald had her removed to the hospital, where she was soon completely restored.

The monthly concert of the Dunedin Bam Club will be held m the Eaxly Settlers Hall on Wednesday nest. . ~ The Dunedin Euchre Assembly will hold a special tourney to-night m South Dunedin Town Hall. ... Como in and hoar tno beautiful chnnniff clocks at Williamsons, the quality jewellers (next Bristol Piano Co.}—Advt. Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure, lor Coughs and Colds, never fails.—Adrt. Farmers requiring machine-dressed seed can save pence per lb by buying from Peter Boyd, seedsman, Dunedin. —Adyt.. Eyes are precious. At first sign of weak ness go to the qualified Mid experienced years) optometrist, W. V. Stunner, 'D S O.L, G.A.0.C.. Octagon, Dunedin. Most un-to-date equipment, including latest electrically-lit testing charts, installed.— A EL J. Blakeley and W. E. Baglay, dentists. Bank of Australasia, corner of Bond and Rattray streets (next Telegraph Office). Telephone 1859:—Advt. • Save Your Eyes.—Consult Peter G. Dick, DBO A. F. 1.0., London, consulting and oculists' ‘optician.—" Peter Dick,” jeweller? and optometrists, Moray place. Advt.