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Otago Daily Times, Issue 20612, 10 January 1929, Page 8

• The postal authorities advise that the steamer Manuka, which is. due at Wellington on Sunday from Melbourne, is carrying 133 bags of mail from the United Kingdom and the East, and 11 bags and five hampers containing Australian mail matter for Dunedin. The letter portion should come to hand nest Tuesday afternoon, and the balanc of the mail the following day. The chairman of the Otago Harbour Board (Mr H. E. Moller) states that the construction of the new dredge Otakou is well ahead of the contract time, but that progress had recently been retarded by the very rough weather experienced in Paisley, where the dredge is being built. The intercolonial passenger steamer Manuka, which left Melbourne on Tuesday morning for New Zealand, will make a call at Milford Sound to give the passengers an opportunity to view the scenery. The ship should reach Wellington on Sunday, and is due at Dunedin on January 17.

Everything gives promise that Dimed in’s favourite seaside resort —Warn 115ton —wilt be en fete on Saturday week, when the James Powell Convalescent Home purposes holding its inaugural garden fete. Last evening several members of the committee visited the' home, and were much impressed with the beauty and surroundings. It is ideal, and our readers can be assured, given fine weather, that they will be well repaid by visiting this beautiful home and grounds. Everything is being done by an enthusiastic committee, supported by the willing help of the local residents, to make all visitors, young and old, to spend a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Among recent gifts to the Auckland Museum are a number of relics of the Moriori, found on the Chatham Islands. The articles, w-hich were presented by Mrs W. Parnham, of Rotorua, comprise several adzes, patu, or clubs, and a tooth pendant. All are in a good state of presrvation. Another gift is a Maori paddle, presented by Mr S. H. Dando, of Raglan, which was found in a swamp at Raglan. It is also in good condition. All the relics will be placed among the exhibits in the Maori section of the museum.

At the meeting of the Otago Land Board | yesterday , a request was received frbm William M'Breen for a rehearing of his application for section 17, block IV, Tiger Hill subdivision. This section was a permanent reserve for gravel purposes, and ■was held by Mr M'Breen under a temporary tenancy. The Vincent County Council, however, had certified, that the reserve was useless for gravel- purposes, and as a consequence the reservation was removed. Mr M'Breen then applied for a permanent tenancy, and Messrs R. Farmer and M. J. O’Connor also applied for the land. Mr M'Breen is ■■ the- holder of a-fair-sized farm in Ida • Valley, and the gravel section lies almost in the middle of the farm. The other two applicants are landless. Mr W. A. Bodkin appeared for Mr M'Breen, and stressed the fact that access to the section from the outside was difficult, ■ and that it would involve the ereettion of a bridge over the Ida Valley Creek, and an expenditure which the Vincent County Council was not prepared to undertake. He also pointed out that’ if the section were taken .from Mr M'Breen it would seriously handicap the working of the rest of his farm. It was explained that the board had previously decided that the section would be' opened for public competition, but in view of the representations placed'before it the board decided to suspend action in the meantiiiie and that the commissioner should visit the locality and report. There were generally smaller entries: at the Burnside stock sale yesterday, with very little movement in values. Fat cattle were a little dearer at the outset, but. they .fell again towards the close of the sale. The fat sheep pennings ■ were about 2000 in number, and the quality was. a shade below normal, there being fewer prime sorts and a heavier proportion of light and medium wethers and mixed ewes. The, demand was brisk throughout,-but there was no change in prices. The best wethers made to 45s 3d and prime to 41s 6d. The best ewes were’ worth up to 36s amT prime to 325. Values per pound were: Extra heavy wethers sid, light prime 5Jd, prime ewes sd, and lighter sorts 4d. The lamb entry was small, only about 600 being forward. Quality was medium with a few .pens of special sorts.'. The sale was not brisk, and medium and unfinished lots met with a very indifferent reception. Values generaly, however, were on a par with those of last week. The best lines made up to 365, and others from 25s to 335. Unfinished lambs were not wanted at all. The price per pound was from 9jd to lOd. There were only 119, head of fat cattle in the yards, comprising mostly cows, heifers, and medium steers, with a very small proportion of prime bullocks. The sale opened strongly for the first few races with an advance on late rates, but any ground that was gained was lost before the last lot had been disposed of. Extra prime bullocks made to £2B 2s 6d, and prime heavies to £24. Medium and light stuff , sold well at from £lO 10s to .£lB 10s. Cows and brought from £ll 15s to £2O. The values per .lOOlb were: Prime ox beef 67s 6d to,. 60s, prime heifers 50s, and cows and light heifers 40s to 42s 6d. The pig entry -comprised 155 fats’and 110 stores. Baconers sold better than last week, and porkers Were firm at late rates. Only good stores were easy of sale.

The probable effect upon city buildings of the vibration from the underground railway beneath Auckland has been raised in view of the early start to be made upon the Morningside deviation (states the New Zealand Hei";ld). Within about three or four years there will be a large, volume of heavy railway traffic passing beneath the heart of the city from the new Auckland railway station at Beach road to Newton road, a distance of one mile and ■a-quarter. Above this subterranean route stand hundreds of dwellings and commercial structures, including some of the city’s largest buildings. The foundations of one house in Parnell recently had to be reinforced owing to the severe shaking whichaccompanied'the passing- of heavy traffic.' So pronounced was the- vibration in this case that ornaments were knocked from the shelves. It is considered doubtful by experts whether sufficient information is' available to make any pronounced judgment in regard to surface traffic Vibration. The effect of vibration on buildings is modified by numerous considerations. The width of the street and the nature of the building itself are both important.. In addition, the nature of the ground upon which the building, is erected must be taken into consideration. A building on a foundation of clay is more susceptible to vibration than one built on gravel. Any overseas, tourist taking his first look at Huriwai Beach on a fine Sunday might be pardoned for jumping to the. conclusion that ' the adult population of New Zealand has not out-grown the juvenile joys of building moated castles in the sand (says the Auckland Star):. The spectacle of scores of men and 'women digging for dear life, to the accompaniment.'of gleeful shouts, such as “Gee! Here’s a beauty! ” or “Look at this whopper!” is typical of North Auckland west coast beaches only. Those who dig have no . thought of sand castles, for they seek the elusive toheroa. Burrowing deep, into the sand, the toheroa does his best to conceal his biding place, but he can’t live without an airhole, which gives the clue to his whereabouts. Thousands of beach worms live alongside him, and though the toheroa’s neighbours, leave- holes, P too, the practised eye of the beach diggers can distinguish the difference. Most visitors to Muriwai take a hand at digging, for the toheroa makes wonderful soup. Indeed, when the Prince of Wales had finished a plate of toheroa soup he immediately ordered more, thereby setting a new standard in table manners as far as this delectable dish is concerned. The export trade in toheroas is increasing yearly, and in other parts of the world toheroa soup' is the most expensive procurable, with the possible exception of genuine turtle. A 10-year-old Nelson boy who was on a holiday last week at Ruby Bay had a narrow : escape from being attacked by sharks. The boy was in the water a little above his knees when his uncle, who -was sitting on the beach, saw two shark fins only a few feel away. He called out, and luckily the boy did not pause but came out at once. The sharks did not go very close to the shore, but one of them appeared to be a good size. The two sharks swam about all day, and several attempts to shoot them were unsuccessful.

The Old Stone Jug, an historic building on the Great North road, Auckland, which has been unoccupied for many years, is to be utilised' as a chemical factory (states the New Zealand Herald). The small building has played many parts since its erection in 1858, first being used as an inn, then as an outpost during the Maori wars, between 1860 and 1866. It was a well-known gathering place for the militia then stationed at Point Chevalier, and such famous names as those of Major Von Tmpsky, Lieutenant Chevalier, Lieutenant MfDonnell, and Major Gundry are associated with its history. Even although the Old Stone Jug has remained vacant for years, with its slate roof falling in places and its windows warped and broken, a special interest has always surrounded it as a relic of the earliest days of the district. The -property has been leased by the City Council. The new tenant intends to repair the building and renovate the interior. The ground floor will be used as a factory and the walls are to be decorated, with Maori paintings, and the ground floor and windows will be left open for the benefit of passers-by who may desire to see the interior.

A 14-months-otd Wellington baby played a disturbing prank on his mother early one evening last week, when, with surprising strength for a toddler, he slammed the door on his parent after she had entered the pantry. As the door had an outside lock only, the mother remained a prisoner for half an hour, being unable, until then, to attract the attention of neighbours. Fortunately there was ventilation, provided through, a built-in meat safe. ,

It is not generally known that the Rail, ways Department grants a liberal conce#> sion to parents travelling, accompanied by their children, for journeys of not less; than 20 miles. The-price of three adult second class return fares provides tickets for father, mother, and. all their children under 16 years of age. The following examples are typical of the substantial savings made possible by the concession irate: ‘ Two parents and four children, aged 14, 13, 10, and 9 years may make the return journey between Wellington' and'Napier at. a cost of £6 5s 6d—a saving of £4 Ss Bd.on the ordinary fare. A family of similar proportions travelling between Christchurch and Dunedin would pay £4 16s 8d less than the ordinary rates. The provision of such a liberal concession will be_ a boon to many families who would otherwise be debarred from the benefits of an occasional holiday jaunt; „ T ,^F re l llave bee n complaints lately from Wellington motorists wlio, not having the good fortune to own a garage, park their C f fu for . tlle n , ight in P r ‘''ate right-of-ways, of the depredation of what they describe as the new sneak thief.” In the past car equipment—spanners, jacks, pumps, etc.— have disappeared overnight from motor cars (says The Post)but gear of this kind is now left untouched—petrol is the aim sinhio I ?°’° r tWe£> With an up-to-date mphon it is .easy to. pump the petrol out Unv- Car u- ank ' Wise is the motorist who, leaving his car at night on a side road, fro “ Ms ** -

are • already in train for Ratana s birthday celebrations; which will be on a grand scale (states the Wanganm correspondent of the Lyttelton Times). t is expected that the gathering will be RataL a f ttl ’P aB kst Janua ry 25, when Ratana temple was;dedicated. There will bano suck ceremony on this occasion, but SenfSindude sports, With "7W Of ’ M, U ', thday oake and soft drinks, a Maori To “° hard stuff " remarked „ Maori to a newspaper man. “Any Maori Tdf he Lave to buy it ou£ S * ake * i nto te P a hinTinside.” The rule is strictly .. enforced that no iSe tL^n 136 brought into the pa except mside the person, and if a man happens fllcfeJ 5 r " ° verload ab oard. fines aSfc. tw ';.i C 0 Very few Maoris go there ntox.cated. A 8 a matter of fact. the followers of Ratana are a sober people.

Snookum, the Antarctic-expedition dog now on Quarantine Island, will be convcyed to the Barrier by the Eleanor Bolling. The dog, which made the voyage from Los Angeles by the American freighter Golden Cloud'towards .the end of .last year, has gained many '.friends among the visitors to the island during the past few .weeks. On the long voyage into the. ice regions Snookum will • have the company of a dog of mixed' breed. This canine was picked up by the crew of the Eleanor Bolling at a port of call when on the voyage from New York to ■Dunedin. The dog has remained by the ship ever since, and has already had a taste of the Antarctic regions, as he journeyed south when the Eleanor Bolling towed the City °-iii r r ° r h to the ice. pack. .Snookutn. will ■ be brought from Quarantine Island and placed on board the Eleanor Bolling to-day. **

The wheat harvest in New South. Wales is expected to exceed 50,000,000 bushels. In practically every wheatgrowing centre in the State (reports our Sydney correspondent) the year closed with yields much heavier than were believed possible a’ month ago. The official estimate of the harvest is 48.000,000 bushels, but this is regarded, unofficially, as an under-esti-mate. The estimated return of 12 bushels an acre over the whole State is higher than the_ average: yield, for the: past 10 years. This is attributed to improvements in cultural methods, and to work in some measure of the Royal Agricultural Society in promoting field wheat competitions; .

-acknowledge calendars for 1929 fipju.the followingMessrs;Keith; v'* n ? Ba n Co., J. M. Huber Inc (New Printing. Inks) , , the. New' Zealand £™Wung Go., and the T. and Q. Mutual

After taking'; your holiday snaps you want them-' carefully developed ■ and printed. Sprosen, chemist. Octagon. Dunedin, .are specialists in this work. Send your films to us and you will be delighted with the results. —Advt.

If you are an angler, wireless enthusiast, or keen on electric lighting, power, or dical apparatus, go to Barth Electrical Supplies, Ltd., 90 Princes street, Dunedin.—Advt.

Those desirous of having electricity-in-stalled id their bouses should consult thd tstewart_Electrical Company, 171 Rattray street. Time payments arranged, from 24 Sd a week.—Advt.

A good remedy for Coughs, Colds. Bronchitis,. etc M is a -household necessity at this period of : the. year. Be prepared. Get a bottle of Pearson’s Cough Balsam to-day;-Is 6d and 2s 6d.—Pearson's Pharmacy, Prince Albert road. St, Hilda Advt

parties sbould be equipped with JJield Glasses, a splendid range of which, are stocked by W. V. Stunner, Optician, Octagon, at half, the usual prices; No more suitable Christmas present.—Advt. , E J Blakeley and W. B, Bagiev, dentists. Bank of Australasia, corner of Bond and Rattray streets (nest Telegraph Office) Telephone 12-359.—Advt: Diamond Engagement Rings.—Before purchasing compare bur - values; largo selection just landed; superior quality.— Peter Dick, the most reliable jewellers, watchmakers, and opticians. 490 Moray place, Dunedin.—Advt.