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Otago Daily Times, Issue 21544, 16 January 1932, Page 10

Central Otago Railway The Cromwell Borough Council, at it* meeting on Thursday night, discussed the question of the danger of a curtailment of the service on the Central Otago railway line owing to the drift of traffic from rail to road. Speakers pointed out (write* our special correspondent) that the motor could not provide adequate transport for the varied produce from the Cromwell district, and a reduction in the railway service would be serious. It was unanimously decided to supports the Upper Clutha Farmers’ Union, as representing the producers, in its request to the community to use the railway to the utmost possible extent, in the hope that the traffic inland would be restored to the railways. Mails from Overseas The steamer Kaimiro, which is due at Bluff on Monday from Melbourne, is bringing 60 bags of English and Australian mails and five parcel receptacles for Dunedin. The mail i e expected to reach the local Post Office on Monday evening. ' . „ • District Band Contest The Otago district brass band contest, under the auspices of the New Zealand Braes Bands’ Association, will take place on Saturday next. Splendid entries have been received for the various competitions, in which 12 bands are to take part. The competitions will commence at 9 a.m. with the own choice solo (any instrument), for which there are about 30 entries. All the bands will muster at the Queen’s Gardena in the afternoon and march via Princes street to Carisbrook, where the military display ami quickstep competitions will be held, when months of hard training by the competing bands will be decided. The evening session will , open with retails of the own choice solo, followed by the own choice selection of . the junior bands, and will follow the hymn tests and the test selection. Mr W. H. Osborne, Timaru, has been appointed adjudicator of the musical part of the contest. Major 0. H. Mead, D. 5.0., and staff will have charge of the military judging. Burglars at Work Indications of the activity of burglars were discovered yesterday morning in two adjacent business premises in Princes street—Messrs G. and J. Manson’s and N the Reo Sales and Service. At the former premises, where an entry had been ■■ gained by forcing the back door, only a few razor blades were taken from the shop, and from the latter, the proprietor (Mr T. R. Taylor) found that his only loss was a few shillings, which had been taken from the till by the thieves, who •had evidently sprung the door, as they left no signs of forcing an entry.

University senate Owing to the fact that the-order paper for this year’s sitting of the University Senate was less extensive than usual, it was found possible to complete the business in three days’ time—a rather shorter peroid than is usually the ease. The senate brought its’ deliberations to a close yesterday afternoon and, with the exception of Sir George Fowlds, Dr W. P. Evan s and Messrs F. A. de la Mare and L. J. Wild, members will return to their homes by the first express to-day. Missing Boy Found The boy, Horace John Parker, who has been missing from his home since last Tuesday, was found yesterday not far from his parents’ residence in Eaether crescent, Kew. Rebuilding in Napier It is announced that the rebuilding of the Masonic Hotel, facing the Marine Parade, Napier, and the reconstruction of Hastings, Tennyson and Emerson streets, to. cost £50,000, has been arranged for. This is the largest single undertaking since the earthquake. A Special Broadcast At 3 o’clock this afternoon a programme of special interest will be broadcast from the New Matson luxury liner, Mariposa, now at New York. The programme will be given by the artists of Radio and Pathe Pictures, RKO theatre and the Broadcasting Company of America. The New Zealand Broadcasting Board, 2YA, Wellington, will endeavour to receive and rebroadcast this programme throughout New Zealand. It should be of Special interest to listeners-ih. A Successful Evangel Writing to a leading Dunedin firm the directors of a large general merchandise house in Hobart pays a high tribute to the Otago Witness Christmas Annual. The writer of the letters eiays he was much struck by the beautiful views of New Zealand scenery and the high standard of their reproduction. “It has long been,” he says, “ the ambition of the present writer to visit New Zealand, * and after looking through this Christmas \ annual one feels all the more eager to ** go and see the scenery for oneself.” Bailiff Resisted , A bailiff who visited a house in Vivian street, Wellington, yesterday with tho intention of executing a landlord’s distraint for rent met with organised resistance. Apparently the tenants had sought the assistance of members of the Unemployed Workers’ Movement. The bailiff was refused admittance, the door being kept locked in his face, and finally, not being in possession of an eviction order, he left. On the front door of the house, chalked up in bold letters, was “ U.W.M.,” representing the Unemployed Workers’ Movement, and underneath ” No evictions of unemployed. Defend the workers’ homes.” A crowd of unemployed and others collected, and two men inside the house climbed through a top window to the root and addressed those below. The police were called, but there was no dieodrerly scene and there were no arrests. A Rumour Denied A rumour current in Waimate that 500 men were to be put off at the Waitaki hydro-electric works was denied by the engineer in charge (Mr R. H. Packwood). Mr Packwood said he knew nothing of th# rumour, and he had received no instruction to put off the men, of whom there > were at present approximately 900.' A * number of men were put off towards the end of December, but this was due to the completion of the section of the work upon which they had been engaged.

Paper to Cease Publication After 65 years’ existence, the Temuka leader, a tri-weekly newspapers, will cease publication at the end of February. The decision to close down the paper was made known last Saturday (says the Timaru Post), when members of the staff were verbally notified that their employment would be terminated at the end of •' next month. Economic conditions, combined with competition _ from papers in other centres, have combined to clinch the decision to close down the paper. Tho paper was established as the Temuka Leader and Gerladine Guardian by Mr Joseph Ivese in 1877, and was subsequently sold to Mr Alexander Wilson, who, in turn, disposed of his interests to Colonel Hayhurst in 1913. On the latter’s death the paper to his widow, who, though having no interests in journalism, carried it on until now because it represented a local industry. Memorial to Sir Maui Pomare The memorial to be erected at Waitara to the memory of Sir Maui Pomare will take the form of four columns rising from the tomb containing the casket. These columns take on the appearance of Maori war canoes, cleverly combining a suggestion of European and Maori culture. The memorial has been designed by Mr Llewellyn E. Williams, of Wellington. The Government, in conjunction with the Maori Trust Board, has the matter in hand. It is possible that the memorial as originally designed will have to be somewhat lessened in size owing to the cost, but it is considered that this can be done without detracting from its dignity and grace. Dismissal of Teachers Appeals in some number have been lodged by married women teachers to whom sthe Auckland Education Board gave three months’ notice of dismissal early in December under the authority of the Finance Act (No. 4) of last session. Originally 52 teachers were affected, but some of them have voluntarily resigned. The appeals will be forwarded to Wellington, after which, it is expected, steps will be taken to constitute a Teachers’ Appeal Court to deal with them. The court will consist of a magistrate as chairman and assessors, one representing the teachers, and the other the Education Board, Appellants may be represented by advocates, but solicitors are not eligible to appear in that capacity. It is probable that the court will open its sittings next month. Whether there are appeals pending in the southern education districts is not known in Auckland, but it is believed that most of the other boards are waiting to see how the court deals with pleas of “undue hardship”, in the Auckland cases before taking advantage of the new powers ot 'dismissal.

A “ Ridiculous ” Law An interesting legal position arises in respect to the collection of special rates ' on properties over which the State Advances Department holds _ mortgages (states the Wanganui Chronicle). Mr W. Morrison (chairman of the Waitotara County) at the meeting recently, said that a test case was likely to determine the-matter. It appears that if special rates of these properties are not paid they become a charge on the council, yet there is no machinery under which the council can legally pay them. On the other hand, the State Advances Departinent, acting within ite rights as mortgagee, could claim some of the council s , property—ite lorries, rollers, etc. When this information was given to the Waitotara County, Crs Farley and Allen suggested that the department should be allowed to take the lorries if they wanted to. “Let them do it/' said Cr. Allen. ‘ “We would have them back in a ween. . A law like that is ridiculous.” Maori and Greek Astronomy * The constellation Pleiades, which visits the southern hemisphere from November to May, is now almost at its zenith. When the Southern Cross lies on the horizon, then the “Seven Sisters” ride the Milky Way at its crest. _ The origin of this cluster is shrouded in folk-lore in both the northern and southern hemispheres. The Greeks said the six brighest stars v (in a cluster of about 15) were seven of - the sisters of the Hyades who, pursued by the hunter Orion, were pitied by the gods on high Olympus and were turned into doves and placed in the heavens, where even to. this day Orion still hunts them. Even a prettier tale is that of the old Maori story-teller. When aIL .the stars were guarded by the “ fairies ' in the beginning of things, Makariti attended go well to his charge that it outshone all the others in the sky. His fellow sky fairies in their jealousy chased him for many nights, but he succeeded in protecting his beautiful star from their wrath. At last, in desperation, the leader seized a smaller star and hurled it with all his might at the fleeing Makariti. It struck his- shining burden, splintering it into ■a thousand pieces. But as they fell to the earth, Rangi, the god of all, taking pity on Makariti, gathered up the fragments and set them in the heavens as a mark of appreciation for his triumph. Whale Comes Ashore , A live whale, measuring 31ft, came ashore on Tuesday evening opposite Maules Gorge, on a beach near Dargaville, and caused some excitement amongst campers on the coast. Women who were watching from the cliffs observed the whale travelling slowly along some distance inside the breakers. Suddenly it turned as though chased, and came ashore at about half-tide. A large number of motorists went to see it. During the night it was floated off and died, becoming; stranded half a mile further south, opposite the Mahuta Gorge.

The Dunedin Starr-Bowkett Building Society will dispose of £ISOO in Nos. 4, 5, and 6 groups on Wednesday, January 20, in the Oddfellows’ Hall. Stuart street. Dunedin. Attention is drawn to the Railways Department’s advertisement in this issue referring to the running of an excursion train to Gatlins River branch on Sunday, January 24. Special cheap fares are being-issued to stations where the greatest scenic attractions are to be found. Dunedin Choral Society. Special rehearsal for studio concert Monday, 7,45 p.m., Bristol concert chamber. Bring "Elijah” and “Messiah” scores.—Advt. A Frank Anderson, dental surgeon, Princes street, Dunedin, will visit Waipiata Thursday, January 21; Ranfurly and Patearoa. Friday., Jamii-v 22.- —Advt. Although the Austin Seven is familiarly referred to as “The Baby,” this should not be taken as a suggestion quite contrary, for tall people are quite comfortable. Try the Seven Saloon.—Austin Motors (Otago) Ltd.. 284-280 Princes street. Phone 13-215. —Advt. Messrs Sundstrum and Thompson, dentists, Dunedin, will visit Waipiata and Ranfurly, Monday, January 18; Naseby, Tuesday. January 19. —Advt. Save your eyes. Be wise, and consult W V. Sturmer (optician, 2 Octagon), thus conserving good vision for old age.— Advt. A. B. J- Blakeley and W. E. Bagley, dentists. Bank of Australasia, corner of Bond and Rattray streets (next (Telegraph Office) Telephone 12-359.—Advt Gifts that please. Quality goods at reasonable prices. Let us help you to select that present for Mother. Father, Sister, or Friend. Splendid assortment of Perfumes, Face Powders, Compacts. Fancy Soaps, etc.—H. L. Sprosen, Ltd., corner Octagon and George street. Dunedin.— us know your electrical problems. We are electricians, and shall solve them for you.—Barth Electrical Supplies, Ltd,, 56 Princes street, Dunedin. —Advt.