Overseas Mails

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21671, 15 June 1932, Page 6

Overseas Mails

The steamer Remuera, which arrived at Auckland on Sunday from London, brought 40 bags of English mail and 31 parcel receptacles for Dunedin. The mail is expected to reach the local Post Office this evening. Model of Ocean Liner A striking model of the large Cunard Atlantic liner Aquitania, of 45,647 tons gross is to be seen on the premises occupied by Messrs H. L. Tapley and Co., The model clearly depicts the splendid lines of the ship, and altogether it is a clever piece of workmanship. Reflected in a mirror at the back of the case in which the model is housed is the general design of the interior of the Aquitania.

Damage by Fire Fire broke out in a five-roomed wooden dwelling and shop in Moreau street, St. Kilda, early yesterday morning, and considerable damage was done before the firemen summoned from the City and South Dunedin Stations suppressed the outbreak. The fire had a fairly strong hold- when an alarm was turned in at brigade headquarters at 2.37 a.m. The shop and one room in the house were gutted, and the building suffered through heat and smoke. The fire apparently originated in the sitting room. The building, which was occupied by Mr J. Pryde, is insured for £220 with the Sun Office and for £SOO with the Eagle, Star and British Dominions Company, Ltd. The contents of the dwelling have a cover of £l5O with the Victoria Company, and the stock of the shop for a similar amount with the same company.

Municipal Organ Recital ! ■ ' ■ A municipal organ recital will be given in the Town Hall this evening, when the city organist (Dr V. E. Galway) will present an. unusually interesting programme, embracing such items, as Wagner’s Overture to “Die Meistersinger,” “The Pilgrim’s" March,” from Mendelssohn’s 4th Symphony, Fugue in D major by Bach, Schubert’s “Am Meer,” and Guilmant’s “ Priere et Berceuse.” Mrs H. C. Campbell, who is an established favourite with concertgoers, will play Symphonic Variationsjj for the piano and orchestra by Cesar Franck, the orchestral part being played by the organ. A Handsome Donation, , , :A sum of £SOO has been given by an anonymous donor to the Auckland division of the British Empire Cancer Campaign Society. The amount is to be used by the committee in Auckland, at its discretion, for any purpose for the relief or the prevention of cancerous disease. Savings Bank Interest Unwarranted Government interference with the policy of sayings banks and bhilding and investment .societies is alleged .in connection, with the recentlygazetted regulations providing for a maximum interest payable on deposits. So far as Auckland is concerned the effect of the legislation will be felt ■‘mainly"by depositors of the Auckland Savings Bank. Many of the building societies in Auckland do not handle deposits. The action of the Government is strongly resented by Mr H. E. Vaile, chairman of the board of trustees of the Auckland Savings Bank, who states that the legislation was not sought by those whom it presumably benefits. He stated that his views could not be. regarded as those of the board, which had taken no action in the far as the Auckland Savings Bank is concerned there is no reason why we should reduce the rate of interest to depositors,” said Mr Vaile. “The bank formerly paid 4J per cent., but this was reduced to 4J per cent, some months ago. There is no reason why the bank should not continue to pay at least 4 per cent., but the rate is now fixed at 3|d per cent. This will bring the rate into line with that of the Post Office Savings Bank.” Probates Granted

Mr Justice Kennedy 4 lias granted probate in the estates of the under-mentioned persons: —William M'Knight, of Ida Valley, farmer; Emma Elizabeth Townsend, of Moeraki; Susan Butters, of Ravensbourne; Jane Baird, of Dunedin; and Samuel Dripps, of Herbert, farmer. Value of Forestry “ Forestry is the most profitable branch of- industry I know of af the present time,” observed Mr J. N. M'Leod, N.H.D., of Christchurch, in the course of an address on the aims and objects of the New Zealand Institute of Horticulture, given in the Masterton Municipal Lecture Hall last week. He went oh to substantiate his view by stating that 38 years ago a large area of waste land, mostly shifting sand, near Christchurch, had been. planted with trees. One acre of it had recently been cut and milled, and the financial profit of the one acre had amounted to £4BO. Mr M'Leod added that the wood pulp industry could be developed very considerably. Finns insignig was very suitable, and the trees could be turned to account when they were about 12 years old. There were great possibilities in the tree planting industry. Millions and millions of pounds were being lost through the apathy of people who were living near sand dunes and failed to take up forest planting schemes.

Picture for Christchurch Gallery “ Timber Coming Down the Mountain,’" the picture by Lucy Kemp-Welsli, R. 0.1., R.A., which was included in Mr Murray Fuller’s exhibition of contemporary British art, ha s been purchased for the M'Dougall Art Gallery in by a man who prefers to remain anonymous. The price was 70 guineas. The picture is a masterpiece (says the Christchurch Times) and would be a notable addition to any collection. Lucy Kemp-Welsh is acknowledged to be one of the best painters of horses in present-day art, and this picture is one of her most characteristic A team of three horses is hauling timber down a wild hill slope. The man in front has waved them to a halt, while he looks for a better trail. Past the background of trees is caught a glimpse of the distant plain. The drawing is superb and the artist has caught the atmosphere in a marvellous manner. There is no fault to be found with this outstanding canvas, and the city has every reason fo r gratitude to the anonymous donor. Incidentally, the picture won a prominent place in the Royal Academy exhibition of 1929.

Conviction Quashed

The Chief Justice (Mr Justice Myers), in the Supreme Court at Wellington yesterday,' allowed the appeal of William James Baker, who was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment for the theft of & glass ring during the street disturbances on May 10 and quashed the conviction. Hi|> Honor said there was no evidence that any such ring was stolen from any of the places looted. : v . Headlamp Invention An ingenious device for signalling turn- \ ing intentions when driving a motor car at night was demonstrated by Mr J. H. Collett, of Invercargill, to the members of the General Committee of the Southland Motor Association on Monday night. Mr Collett’s invention (says- the Southland Times) consists of red lights fitted to both headlights of the car with a special red light affixed at the rear of the car. Before turning to right or left the driver operates a switch which extinguishes the headlight on the side to which the driver intends to turn and lights the red bulb in that lamp. When the driver proposes to turn to the right the special red light at the rear of the car is switched on. Several members expressed approval! of the invention, and it was decided to demonstrate the device at the quarterly meeting of the South Island ; Motor Union at Waimate net week. Novel Golf on Otranto , An innovation on R.M.S. Otranto is the installation of a golfing machine, which allows for full-blooded 'drives. Happily (says an Australian exchange) it Las no connection with the gentle putting of “ miniature golf.” The golfer takes his stand about six yards distant from a slack canvas screen, which is connected to a type of register. The canvas . yields when struck by the ball, and the movement recorded on the register represents the distance in yards that the ball would have travelled on an ordinary course. Sub-lieutenant F. L. George holds the only two records' in the game, with a' drive of 290 yards and an aggregate of 930 for‘six drives. Time and assiduous practice is all that is wanting to break the existing records and create new one*. Experiments on Live Animals The practice of experimenting on live animals was described as abominable at a meeting of the Canterbury Society for , the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals the other . evening. A letter received from ' “Le Societe Protectrice des Animaux” (Paris) referred to experiments that were to be carried out on live dogs at a dental conference at La Haye (Holland).-Each participant in the experiments, stated the letter, would open the teeth of at .least two dogs, remove the nerves, and inject into the canals the germs of human dental, disease The treated te’eth would then be sealed. The teeth of ■ the. upper ja\y would remain in that state without treatment. The lower set would be given treatment at the end of three, months. Finally, after a -year and a-half, the dogs would be killed, and the teeth examined. The letter expressed the opinion that there was no semblance of excuse for the experiments. It was decided to endorse any protest- made by the French society and to convey the society's strong disapproval to the right quarters. Tribute to the Banks , -

Dealing with the causes of the present .economic situation during .a speech at the opening of the Whakatane show, the Minister of Agriculture (Mr C. E. Macmillan) said that the depletion of the national income - was the primary responsible factor. There was a marked difference . between the primary cost of produce and the selling price of foodstuffs, and steps, must be taken to see that that difference was not increased. It-was impossible to neglect the unemployed, and the Government was not doing half what it would like to do for them. Furthermore, the position had been aggravated by the refusal or, rather, the stated inability of the Bank ,of England to take up the Short Loan Bill of, £4,000,000, with the ’ result ‘ that local banks had to be approached.. They had . willingly come! to the Government’s assistance, and.had enabled a long-dated loan to be made, together with the finding of a further £1,000,000. .

Auction of Hotel For the first time within the recollection of auctioneers and land agents, a , licensed hotel in Auckland has - been offered for sale at public auction.' ;' The hotel is the Windsor Castle, in Parnell, road. The auction took place on Friday (says the New Zealand Herald), and the hotel was bought in by Mr M. L. Gleeson, a mortgagee, for £12,350. There was an average attendance at the auction, but little keenness was evident among the buyers when the auctioneer, Mir E. Squirrell, called for offers. Bidding started at £IO,OOO, a figure suggested by the auctioneer, and it rose in £IOO bids te £12,300. The final offer was made a few; minutes after the commencement. The Windsor Castle is a two-storey building of brick on freehold property. It was sold about eight , years ago for £20,000, and subsequently changed hands fo*; £26,000. Questioned regarding licensed premises having been previously offcrell • at auction, well-known agents stated that they had no recollection of any within the past 25 years. “Although no sales of hotels at auction have taken place in Auckland, this method of disposing of hotels is not unknown in country districts,” said Mr C. F. Bennett. Industrial Research ■ 1

' Scientific investigation of the problem* confronting exporters to the British markets is bringing excellent results. That js the reassuring statement of Dr E; Marsden, head of the . ! Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, who. is at present in Christchurch. “It has always been hard to understand why our meat and other exports have not been bringing good prices on the Home market, * said Dr Marsden to an interviewer. “Of course, it is known that people prefer .fresh meat to frozen, and there was something in the colour that affected buyers. Experiments with new processes and methods of transport. look like bringing definite results. Special trial shipments of dairy produce, meat by-products, fruit and kauri gum products are meeting with success. Wc are experimenting with the production of commodities f in different ways, with the object of finding and meeting the technical requirements qf the British consumers. Real headway is being > made. It has been possible to do away with a lot of deterioration in transit, and develop new lines, which should be profitable.” The co-operation of experts in England, Dr Marsden said, wa s of immense help in research. Reports on the failings of the article, from the standpoint of the people in Britain, gave the department a line on which to work. That was a most important aspect of interImperial co-operation. The Shipping Industry Among the through passengers on the Monowai, which arrived at Wellington on Monday from Sydney, was M. J. Cochet, Pacific manager of the Messageries Maritimes Shipping Company. He is proceed- r ing to Tahiti on a visit of inspection. Interviewed by an Evening Post reporter, M. Cochet said that the shipping industry was one of the most seriously affected as a result of the depression. Passenger ' traffic to Australia had fallen off cqnsiderahly, and cargoes were affected by the high tariffs. The company had no intention of extending the service to New Zea- , land. It was very difficult to compete with the modern American liners, and the times were not suitable for shipping companies to extend their operations. Questioned about, the disaster to the Georges Philippar, one of the Messageries Maritimes luxury vessels which took fire at sea on May 16 while bound for Marseilles from China, M. Cochet said that he received advice that altogether there were 50 persons missing. The cause of the disaster was still unknown, but an inquiry would be held very soon.

A Dangerous Occupation • The Cobden-Runanga Chatham Cup replay Association football match at Dunollie on Saturday was marred by a •ection of the spectators making a demonstration against the referee (Mr T. Clark), Feeling ran high throughout the match, which was a replay ordered by the New Zealand Football Association on a protest by Cobden, whom Runapga had previously defeated. There was a large crowd present, A section of the spectators disagreed with the rulings of the referee, and rushed the field, completely taking charge. The referee was subjected to a great deal of abuse, and was struck by one onlooker. The crowd refused to leave the field for 10 minutes, after which play was resumed. The game ended in a win for Cobden by three goals to two, amidst hoots from the crowd. Runanga have now protested on the grounds that ' no time was taken off for the period during which the spectators had charge of the field. v Generous Bequests Seven bequests totalling £I3OO have been made to Wellington religious and social organisations unde r the will of Mrs Anne Anderson, who died in Wellington on May 11 at the age of 94. In addition to the specific bequests, provision is made in the will for the Anglican Boys' Home, Lower Hutt, and St. Mary’s Anglican Home, Karori,' to divide the residue of the estate equally after certain other legacies are covered. Mrs Anderson was a member of the congregation of St Peter’s Anglican Church, Wellington, for more than 60 years, and her will amplifies her benevolence in church affairs over many years. Her parents were very early pioneers, having come to New Zealand in the ship Pilgrim in 1849. The seven specific bequestte named in Mrs Anderson’s will are as follow;—St. Peter’s Church Restoration Fund £3OO, Church of England General Fund £3OO, Society for Protection of Women and Children £2OO, S.P.CA. £soo, St. Peter’s Church choir £IOO, St. Peter’s Church Girls’ Club flo6, Girls’ Friendly Society (St. Peter’s branch) £IOO. An Uncommon Fish A fish which for some time presented a puzzle to the New Zealand freshwater . research workers was taken a week ago (says the Christchurch Times) in the traps above the Skew bridge in the main drain. It was 15 inches long and two pounds in weight. The shape indicated that it was some form of salmon, but the l marking was not that of a - quinnat. It ■ was mottled, and covered with a large ■ number of spots. An examination of the I scales of' the fish revealed that it had 1 spent one year, in the river before migrating to the sea. After a year in the sea it re-entered the river, presumably to spawn. It has now been identified as a precocious male quinnat salmon, which has ripened before its time. Male quinnat generally return to fresh water when three or four years old. Snapping Up Unconsidered Trifles Two instances of pitiable poverty came under an Aucklander’s notice while he ■ was on holiday in Sydney. In Pitt street, one St the main thoroughfares of the city, he saw a shabbily-dressed woman, thin and wrinkled with age, go to a receptacle for rubbish and take out the paper parcels in it. She was looking for food. Each parcel she carefully unwrapped, and any food that suited her taste was dropped into a bag she carried. An hour later the Aucklander saw the old woman at another receptacle outside the Opera House, where a large number of people were awaiting admittance to a performance. By this time her bag was almost filled with food. On another occasion the Aucklander saw walking ahead of him a man who stopped every few paces to pick up soniething from the ground. His curiosity aroused by the inan’s actions, thd Aucks lander quickened his step, and, on overtaking him, found that he was picking up cigarette butts. 1