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Otago Daily Times, Issue 21266, 21 February 1931, Page 12

A document found in the possession of a man arrested for alleged theft was read by Detective-sergeant Kelly in the Police Court at Auckland on Tuesday (states the New Zealand Herald). It was a petition signed by 126 men at the Auckland City Mission’s shelters protesting against the conditions at the “ doss-house.” Mr Kelly said the petition showed that the splendid work done by the Rev. Jasper Calder and the citizens of Auckland to assist the needy was not appreciated by the 126 men who had affixed their signatures. The driver of a charabanc, Mr M'Dowell, had a narrow escape from fatal injuries recently. He was driving a charabanc, which contained a number of passengers, to Palmerston North from Foxton. When between Karere and Longburn he heard something strike the bus near his seat, and immediately the glass in the door on the opposite side of him was shattered. Mr M'Dowell immediately applied the brakes, thinking that someone must have run into him. _ On investigating, however, it was > discovered that a bullet had struck the charabanc just behind Mr M'Dowell’s head, travelled through the bus and passed out the opposite side through the glass in the door. Neither the passengers nor Mr M'Dowell could see anyone in the paddocks adjacent-

The s.s. Eangitata, which arrived at Auckland on Thursday from London, ban English mails for Dunedin. The letter | portion will reach here by the limited express on Monday morning, and the news* : paper portion by Tuesday’s express.

Several exciting incidents were associated with a shooting tragedy at Northcote, Melbourne, on the night of February 2. Thomas Miles, aged about 59 years, shot himself dead after having attempted to shoot Miss Eva Mathers, aged 35, who had an amazing escape. Two buttons were blown oS her coat. Miss Mathers and Miles had been friendly for some time and Miles was taking her to her home from the city about 7 o’clock. They alighted from a tram and began to walk across a vacant allotment toward Miss Mathers’s home. In the middle of the allotment. Miles caught hold of Miss Mathers, pulled a sawn-off shot-gun from one of his pockets, and pressed it to her body. He pulled the trigger twice, but the charge did not explode. Then Miles pulled the trigger again and the charge exploded, tearing off the buttons from the woman’s coat. Miss Mathers broke away and Miles fired another shot, which missed her. She took refuge in an undertaker’s shop, while six men, who heard the shooting, pursued Miles into a laneway. There Sliles turned and pointed the gun at the men, who halted. Hastily placing a cartridge in the breech, he turned the gun and fired at his own heart. He died almost immediately.

In the course of a short address on “The Racial Problem in Australia” at a luncheon of the Wellington Rotary Club on Monday, the Rev. N. S. Miller, of Adelaide, referred to the progress and unresi of coloured races in the East, especially those of India, China, and Japan- He expressed the opinion that it was time that those who lived in tne less densely populated parts of the earth asked themselves if the foundations on which they built their confidence were secure and unassailable. The time had come when we must educate ourselves a# to the distribution of the races of the w;orld. Sooner or later the interests of the situation would develop themselves to such an extent that w 8 would have to give an account of our trusteeship of the lands we occupied. The speaker thought that countries like Australia and New Zealand should open their doors, especially to the people of Northern Europe. A Napier resident, who is a member of the staff of one of the banks, was getting a diamond ring which the bank was holding for a client when the earthquake occurred. He had just taken the jewel from its place when the earthquake come, and rushed into the street, putting the ring in his pocket. He was unable to find the client, and later he was brought to Wanganui by his brother. He thought that the safest place for the ring was on a finger, so he wore it. The other afternoon he lay on a lawn enjoying the sunshine and went to sleep. When he awoke the ring was gone. His agitation can best be imagined, as the diamond was worth some £2OO. Search as he would, he could find no trace of it. Later the other members of the household, who had been into the city, returned, and while changing a little girl’s clothing the precious ring fell out. That it was not lost during the trip into the city is a puzzle to the bank worker, but no doubt he has experienced so many ( remarkable happenings since the earthquake that he probably regards it as just a little bit more luck for him.

A big benefit w&uld accrue to the Dominion from the development of air services, remarked Captain C. J. Jones, formerly deputy-director of Civil Aviation in Australia, when addressing members of the Wellington Aero Club the other night. “ It geems to be a pity that some assistance has not been given by the Government for the operation of these services,” he said. “ In Australia they would have waited for a very long time if they had had to wait until the services could operate without a subsidy.” He traced the development of aviation in Australia, where the first services had been established 10 years ago. Aviation had progressed so that the Commonwealth was now almost completely girdled with regular air services, carrying mails and passengers, in addition to having inland airlines. Pilot instruction, had also gone ahead apace, and there were now 403 private pilots and 205 commercial pilots in Australia.

Reporting to the Unemployment Board concerning his recent visit to Ohinemutu in connection with the hoard’s schemes, Mr G. Finn, a member of the board, stated that the Maoris in that district were voluntarily paying the levy, They were not at all likely, said Mr Finn, to be obliged to seek assistance from the board, but desired to assist their pakeha friends in their industrial troubles.

The effect of the grossly exaggerated reports of the Hawke’s Bay disaster that were first cabled to Australia are pathetically illustrated in a letter received in New Plymouth from a New Plymouth girl now living in Melbourne. Dearest Family,” she had hurriedly'scrawled, “I am praying for you all not to be killed, hurt, or frightened this awful day, when every few yards the newsmen are calling out such dreadful stories of the New Zealand earthquake. When I came out of the display block and arcade after gazing at all the latest models there were all these big posters and all the men crying out: ‘ New Zealand Disaster! 20,000 Killed!’ There were crowds around each seller. I needn’t have paid for my paper. It was like shelling peas the way the man was handing them out. I whipped into the lobby of Capitol House, and tried to read between the lines. I wish I knew that you were all safe.”

The meeting of the Reserves Committee • of the City Council yesterday afternoon was attended by representatives of the New Zealand Native Bird Protection Society, the Dunedin Naturalists’ Field, the Otago Institute and the Otago Tramping Club, who were present at the invitation of the committee to express their views on the closing up of the scenic reserves on Mount Cargill and Flagstaff. After a long discussion of the subject the committee gave the deputation an assurance that nothing would be done in the way of destroying or removing any' part of the native bush. Nor would the committee sanction the planting of any exotie trees on the area in question. The chairman of the committal (Cr H. C. Campbell) thanked the deputation for attending, and remarked that was very gratifying to find so many citizens taking an active interest in the beauties of Dunedin.

“Any fighting in Australia will be verbal fighting,” said a New Zealander for. a long while resident in Sydney, in commenting on the recent Sydney cablegrams (states a Press Association message from Auckland). He expressed the utmost confidence that sane Labour would have the final say and that sane Labour supporters had too much property to encourage the Communist faction. Most of the talk of armed force referred to Communists. Some months ago it was rumoured that a large number of the Defence Department’s r|fles had been stolen, but that had been denied by the Government.. The number of militant Communists was by comparison very small and easily overpowered by the police when the latter chose to break up their demonstrations.

The nursing profession is a sisterhood in the true sense, and many acts of assistance and generosity to the nurses who suffered losses in the earthquake at Napier have been reported. When it became known at the Nurses’ Home at the Auckland Hospital that seven nurses from Napier had arrived at Motuihi Island with not much more than the clothes they stood in, a decision was quickly reached fimong the nurses (says the New l Zealand Herald) to provide the visitors with full kits. Wardrobes were turned over and the contributions to the gift were such that it was possible to forward to the island two boxes of first-quality clothing sufficient to fit out each of the nurses.

Regarding Professor Benson’s disclaimer T»f the responsibility for the reports of ?old discoveries at Preservation Inlet it may be pointed out that no such suggestion .was contained in the press message (states a Press Association telegram from Invercargill). This stated that indications of auriferous deposits had been found in a generous measure, and that the remarks were attributed to Professor Keble, of Melbourne, a recognised authority on the subject. An attempt to test the recollection of a witness in a collision case in the Supreme Court in Auckland drew a comment from the Bench on the value of a cross-examination based qm previous evidence. Counsel closely questioned a witness about the distance between his car and that of the defendant when it came into view. He put it to the witness that he had given a certain estimate of the distance in the lower court. “ The memory of a witness is not infallible,” said Mr Justice Herdman. “ I pay very little heed to a cross-examination of that kind. A witness might have made a calculation and forgotten all about it.”

To-day’s functions in connection with the Methodist Conference will include a garden party at 2.30 p.m. at “ Marinoto, ' the fellowship meeting at the Dundas Street Church at 7.30 p.m., and the dedicatory service of the new Mornington Sunday school at 7 p.m. On Monday, at 7.30 pan., the ordination service will take place, when seven young men will be ordained to the work.of the ministry. On Tuesday, at S p.m., the musical festival, always a special feature of the conference, will be staged in the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall. All the Methodist churches will be served by special preachers to-morrow. The first steam omnibus, built to the order of the Auckland Transport Board, was given a trial run on Tuesday (states the New Zealand Herald). The trip was most successful and the passengers expressed surprise at the remarkable performance given by the bus, which consists of an old type of chassis fitted with a Doble steam engine. The striking feature of the vehicle is the absence of clutch and gear transmission, so familiar on the common motor bhs, the vehicle moving oil rapidly from a standstill with steadily increasing velocity. The absence of gears makes for unusually smooth travelling, particularly on hills, where gear-changing in the familiar motor bus produces a jerky movement. With a load of 30 passengers the steam bus commenced diming Parnell Rise, which has a grade of 1 in 8, at 10 miles an hour and retained that speed all the way to the top. It sped along the road to Point Chevalier at 60 miles an hour, reckless of speed limits, and moved off from a standstill on a steep slope silently and smoothly. The driver said that management of the bus was mere child’s play. There being no gears or clutch, all that was necessary to do was to take off the brake and turn a wheel that opened the throttle. The bus need .not stop to replenish its water tank, as the steam, after use in the cylinders, is condensed and used again. The engine runs on crude oil, winch costs 8d a gallon, one gallon being sufficient to run at least five miles.

The Bishop of Melanesia (the Right Reverend F, M f Molyneux), who is at present visiting Gore and Invercargill, will be tendered a public welcome in the Early Settlers’ Hall on Tuesday evening, and will give an address on the work of the mission. _ ... The Rev. W. Lamb, of Sydney, will arrive in Dunedin on Monday, and alter lectures at Invercargill will commence his series of prophetic lectures on Bible themes in the Town Hall Concert Chamber on Sunday afternoon • and evening, March 8, and will continue till the following Friday with afternoon and evening meetings, as advertised in our columns. Particulars of the Central Mission services to-morrow, which will be oi a special nature, are contained in our advertising columns. » . ... _ As advertised in this issue, a garden party will be held at Larnach s Castle next Saturday, when an opportunity will be afforded to inspect the .valuable antiques. Half the proceeds will be devoted to the Earthquake Relief Fund. A request is being made by the Mayor (Mr R. S. Black) that shops and offices be closed at 11 a.m. to-day to al|ow employees to attend the Otago Aero C uo s Pa fhe Tl ßailways Department advertises in this issue special cheap fares from Dunedin and intermediate stations in connection with the official opening and air pageant at the Otago Aero Clubs aeroA carnival in aid of the Earthquake Relief Fund will be held by the Dunedin Fire 'Brigade from March 14 to Marcli

21 ■ The Railways Department advertises in this issue excursion fares in connection with the Gore races on February 2o and

25 , The Dominion Building Society notifies in this issue the fifth annual meeting and twenty-second ballot meeting to be held next Friday. .... The United Starr-Bowkett Building Society, next Thursday, will dispose of £IBOO bv sale and ballot. The Railways Department advertises in this issue cheap day excursions to Dunedin and train arrangements in connection with the New Zealand amateur athletic championships on Saturday, February 28. ' , The Railways Department advertises in this issue particulars of a day excursion from Dunedin to the Waitaki hydro works to-morrow, and draws special attention to the fact that tickets purchased for the excursion on February 8 (postponed) will be available to-morrow. Attention is drawn to an advertisement in this issue regarding the Clutha Gale-' donian Society’s annual sports meeting, to be held at Balclutha on Saturday, March 14. The world’s standard of excellence is gauged always by the continued and increasing patronage of a ■ discriminating public. So it comes that the British Austin Cars have second place in the sale of motor cars in New Zealand. The -latest models are now on view at the showrooms of Austin Motors (Otago), Ltd.. 284 Princes street, Dunedin. Phone 13-215—Advt. W. V. Sturmer, G.A.0.C., DS.O.i., optician. Consulting room, 2 Octagon, Dundin. Most modern scientific equipment for sight testing—Advt. A. E. J. Blakeley and W. E. Bagley, dentists. Bank of Australasia, corner of Bond and Rattray streets (next Tele- ■ graph Office). Telephone 12-359. —Advt. S. E. Ferguson, G.P.0.C., consulting optician, watchmaker, and jeweller. Consult us about your eyes; our advice and long experience are at_ your disposal. Optical repairs a speciality; done at shortest notice. —45 George street. —Advt. Just arrived: Winner cold water stocking dye, to dye your faded stockings to fashionable shades —gunmetal, suntan, nude, new brown, beige, bulrush, smoke grey, dago, rose glow, copper beech, Florence Mills, cocoa; 6d tube, posted 7d, from H. L. Sprosen, Ltd., chemists. Octagon.— Advt. Pat Hanna’s popular record on cricket now available on Yocalion, 2s 6d each. Lists post' free. —Barth Electrical Supplies, Ltd.', 56 Princes street, Dunedin. — Advt. A. Frank Anderson, dental surgeon, 6 Princes street, Dunedin, visits Waipiata, Thursday, March 20; Ranfurly and Patearoa, Friday, March 20. —Advt. Who is Peter Dick? The most reliable JeVellers, Watchmakers, and Opticians, 490 Moray place. Dunedin.—Advt.