Untitled

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20811, 2 September 1929, Page 8

• THE RANFURLY SHIELD. There is room > for a difference of opinion whether it is in the best interests of Rugby'-football' in New Zealand that provincial, or district, teams should be encouraged, to compete for a trophy such as the Rahfurly Shield, and it is hardly open to doubt that the competition . has been productive in some parts of the Dominion of a spirit the consonance of which with the highest traditions of amateur sport may be regarded ns somewhat doubtful; No disservice would, in fact, be done to Rugby football if it were possible that , the competition should be discontinued. That is, however, not possible, and in these circumstances a duty rests upon the controlling authority to provide all necessary safeguards against the development of. any tendency towards a commercialisation of’ the game such as may he associated with the ■ existence of a belief that it is to the advantage of trade in a district that the shield should be retained in, it. These considerations apart, the supporters of football in Otago will ,ioin very cordially with those in Southland in according their felicitations to (he Southland team upon the victory that was achieved by it in its match against Wairarapa on Saturday. Their gratification will be all the more 'sincere because they had no substantial cause to look for such a result. Not only had the Wairarapa team this season beaten off -four challengers, including two that were very hopeful of success, prior to its engagement on Saturday, but it is to be admitted that the performances of Southland against other teams had not suggested the likelihood of its players defeating a combination of the unquestionable strength of that which represents Wairarapa. For example. Southland had 'in the previous week been defeated by Canterbury by 21 points to 3, and subsequent to this Canterbury was defeated by Waiyarapa by 17 points to 12. As, moreover, the Southland team, in the interval between its match against Canterbury and its match against Wairarapa, bad been “ overwhelmed ” in a , match against Wellington, and as it lacked the services of a few of its most prominent players on Saturday, its success and. the consequent recapture by it of the Ranfurly Shield, of which it was the temporary custodian several years ago, will have caused a measure of surprise throughout New Zealand. It is clear, however, from the reports of the match that the Southland team owed nothing to luek and that the victory which it secured was thoroughly well deserved.

The postal authorities advise that the steamer Ulimaroa, which is due at Auckland to-morrow from Sydney, is bringing 34 bags of Australian mail and 45 parcel recfeptacles for Dunedin. • The letter portion should reach the General Post. Office on Thursday afternoon,-and the balance of the mail on Friday. The number of births registered in Dunedin during August was 123, and in the same-period 57 marriages and 97 deaths were notified. The figures for the corresponding month of last year were;— Births 110; marriages 57, deaths 92. The 1 statistics for the eight months of the current year and those for the corresponding period of 1928, are' as follow (the figures for last year being given in parentheses): Births 977 (851), marriages 484 , (453), deaths 643. (540). It has been rumoured m certain parts ■of the Otago Acclimatisation Society’s district that the price of the ordinary trout fishing license is to be increased this year. The, secretary of the society (Mr R. Hanning) states that there is no foundation for the report, and the price of the'license will be the same as in'the past. On Saturday-Mr Thomas Chapman announced (says a Press Association telegram from Christchurch) that he. had given £2OOO to. the funds of St. George’s Hospital, an English church institution at Christchurch. . ' “It is the first I have neard of it. There is nothing in' the suggestion;” said the Prime Minister on Saturday (says our parliamentary reporter) when his attention was called'to a current rumour regarding a re-allocation of Ministerial portfolios. . It had been suggested that after the present session of Parliament Sir .Joseph Ward intended to hand over the portfolio of' Finance to Mr W. B. Taverner (Minister, of Railways and of Customs) and transfer the railways portfolio to Mr W. A. Yeitch (Minister of Labour and of Transport).' In'categorically denying the rumour, the • Prime Minister said he could' not understand how siich an ■ impression had gained currency. In connection with the present crisis in Palestine, a full page of recent photographs of Jerusalem is of interest in the illustrated-section of the Otago Witness to be published to-morrow. The - other largely , featured Subjects deal'with sport and include “South Island Primary Schools’ Association', Football Tournament,’,’ . " Interprovincial ■ School Hockey in Dunedin,” “Interprovincial Collegiate Rugby Football at Wellington,” “The Contest for the' Chatham Cup,” and “Rugby Football at Tiniaru; Tlie Beri Clip Contest” —all of which haying to do primarily with young people, makes a! special appeal. ; Other, pictures on other' topics are the two views-— ’* Picton,” and: “ The Molyneux River,” which ' make up‘ the front Old ■ Landmark ;’, Destroyed : at - St. Clair,” “Goiden Wedding at Waikouaiti,” “ Otago Harbour Board’s New Dredge,”. “ Toad that • Cam e through the Post from America;’’ London Children Enjoy Country Benefits,”'and' “TO Commemorate - the Centenary of Western Australia.” In addition, ate picturesque scenes and animal photographs to complete, the table of contents.' . ‘ ‘ After-three months’ work the Hawera .Hospital has been equipped with a radio installation, which will, enable a large proportion of the patients to enjoy broadcast concerts and other items. The plant has been designed to provide.for 85 “pil-low-phones” for : patients. • Each of thp three main wards has 24 of these outfits, and-three in the annexes to the children’s ward and 10 in the isolation ward. There are also two loud-speakers in. the children’s ward, and two in the nurses’ home. These are all connected by cables with the receiving room, in which there are a six-valv’e radio set ,and an electric grain©-, phone, enabling gramophone music to'tiebroadcast .throughout'-the' hospital. The equipment is described as of remarkably fine design and workmanship, ..Although in’most - instances excuses given by defendants in by-law cases have been . tried before, now and again; a hovel one * is“ tendered; There was ah example.- in the By-law Courfin Wellington' last .weeje (says the Evening Post), when a defeu-, dant was charged, in. addition to, having no horn bn his motor cycle, with' having \bver-loaded; the machine/ “I Ve misunderstood this third party agreement your -Worship,” he told Mr T. B. M'Neil, S.M. /‘I thought I was allowed-to carry two persons on the .machine besides myself.” “Apparently he has been unaer the impression ' that the third party insurance risk-enables him to carry two people other . than himself on the motor cycle,” said theassistant city solicitor (Mr J, Lockie). “It is certainly a novel explanation.” "How did you get this idea of you're?” the magistrate asked the ' “ I understood that was what I insured for, but I sec my mistake now.” He was ordered to'pay 10s costs. '

>A decision that any part of a salary over £2 per -week in the case of a married man and £1 in the case of a single man cab be attached by a judgment creditor was given by Mr Wyvern ■ Wilson, 'S.M., in a reserved judgment in the Hamilton Magistrate’s Court last week. , The . shortage of positions for , young teachers in Auckland is, in the opinion of Mr H. G. Cousins, M.A. (says the Star), due chiefly to the fact that teachers of high grading from the south are applying for appointments in this part of New Zealand. .When he was being accorded a farewell by students of the Teachers 5 Training College, Mr Cousins said that many ,of these teachers were gaining position's to the exclusion of students in Auckland with lower gradings. The retiring principal took occasion-to express the hope that in four or five years 5 time, both primary and secondary teachers would be trained in Auckland. He added that when the proposed pew wing was-added to the hall there would be adequate accommodation for this purpose. ', ? No reply has been received by the North Canterbury Cycling and Athletic Centre from the New Zealand Council in reply to a letter in which the centre stated tjiat it would adhere to its original intention to term the Timaru-Christchurch ,road race the “ Road Championship, 5 ’ but the council has written to the centre stating that it wiR give medals . for the local event, The New Zealand Council decided' that the road championship this year should be awarded to the Taranaki “ Round-the-Mountain 55 race and against this decision the North Canterbury Centro lodged a protest. The medals which (he council will give to the Timaru-Christchurch race arc of the same value as wefe given in previous years, when the council gave the title of “ championship 55 to the event. Despite the fact that the premiership has been awarded to Taranaki, MtC, 0. Lucas, secretary of the North Canterbury Centre, has received-advice from New Plymouth that three of the -most prominent riders in that area, S, W. M'Cftnn. N. Bellringer, and R. Yardley, will compete in the Timaru-Christchurch race. Both M'Cann and Bellringer have competed in the Timaru-Christchurch race in previous years. The North Canterbury Centre is adhering to its intention to call the Timaru-Christchurch race the championship. The question of the -power of the board to dismiss a nurse in training was raised at a meeting of the Wellington Hospital Board last week.- Mr F. Castle said it had been claimed by the Nurses arid Midwives’ Registration Board' that a nurse in, training could not be dismissed by the Hospital Board without the consent of the Registration Board. Mr Castle maintained that under the Act the board had power to appoint or dismiss, officers, including nurses. The claim that a nurse in training could not be dismissed without the cqpsent of the Registration Board was auAurd. The chairman (Mr C. M. Luke) said a letter of protest had been sent to the Registration Board, and the question was now under consideration by the Hospital Boards’ Association. The power claimed by the Hospital. Board, said Mr Luke, was necessary in order to maintain discipline in 'the staff of Ihe hospital.

' A 7? i > "Without being pedantic, I would like to comment oh the, pronunciation of the world ‘ England,’ ” said ’Mr Farquhar Young, at the Gisborne.competitions, referring to the’recitation, “A Little Bib of England.” for boys. He said some pro? nounced the word “ Ihglahd ” and' others “ England the former was correct.. This matter was thrashed out recently, in London in The Times, the consensus of opining being for “Ingland,” wmlc tbis view was also supported by the leading dictionaries. “ Anyway/”'he added, “ lug-S. land” is good enough for me; ‘England*, is affectation.” '■ 1 r* ■ •Have your diamonds attended to ■' by Williamsons. They are the practical gem experts, and welcome inquiries.—Next Bristol Piano Co.—Advt. W. V. Sturmerj G.A.0.C., D. 5.0.1., optician. Consulting room, 2 Octagon, Dunedin. Most modern. scientific equipment for sight testing.—Advt. . A. E. J. Blakeley .and-W. E. Barley, dentists, Bank of Australasia, corner of Bond and Rattray - streets (next Tele-, graph Office) Telephone 12-359.—Advt. Diamond Engagement. Rings.—Before purchasing compare' our values; .large selection; superior quality.—Peter Dick, the most reliable jewellers, watchmakers, and opticians, 490- Moray place, Dunedin. Advt. , . ■ .