Australian Mail

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21952, 13 May 1933, Page 12

Australian Mail

nuouiutuu The Maunganui, which is due at Wellington on Monday from Sydney, is bringing 20 bags of Australian mail and 13 parcel receptacles for Dunedin. The mail is expected to reach the local post office on Tuesday afternoon. Mining on Cromwell Flat Following on the confirmation by the Minister of Mines (Mr C. E. Macmillan) of the recent statement that the clauses withdrawing certain portion* of the Cromwell Flat from the operation of the Mining Act had been, or were about to be revoked, the secretary of the Otago Expansion League (Mr W. B. Steel) wrote to the Minister asking why this action had been delayed. A reply was received from the Minister this week stating that the position was a most complicated one, and he did not propose to enter into correspondence with the league as to how he should exercise his powers. The matter was at present more or less sub judice, and as some of the questions which had been raised were really matters of policy he was not prepared to say anything further at the present juncture.

Poppy Day The total for Otago in the annual Poppy Day appeal of the Dunedin Returned Soldiers’ Association is now £1670 10s 7d. The latest returns to hand are as follows: Omakau (Women’s Division of the Farmers’ Union), £2 ss; Hyde (per Mr Wilson), 6s Id; Clinton (Returned Soldiers’ Association Committee, per F, N. Hanna), £2l 6s 2d; Nasehy (W. Strong), £4 17s 7d; Henley (Mrs A. Garth), 18s; Green Island (Returned Soldiers’ Association, additional), 9s 3d; and Arrowtown (final additional return), ss. Probate Granted

Mr Justice Kennedy has granted probate in the estates of the under-mentioned persons: —Jane M'Dougall, of Dunedin; Alexander Reid, the elder, of Kaitangata, carrier; Sarah Clark Grant, of Berwick; Catherine Sawers, of Dunedin; Henry Adams, of Bomahapa, county ranger; Helen Aitkenhead, of Dunedin; Edward Henry White, of Earnscleugh, fruit grower; Janet Farquhar, of Owaka; Margaret Ranger, of Dunedin; _ Emily Crowe, of Kaitangata; and Elizabeth Carline, of Alexandra. Southland Wheat Neglected

Speaking at the annual social of th# Gore A. and P. Association, Mr David M'Dougall, M.P., explained the object of a visit to Wellington from which he had just returned. He said (reports the Southland Times) that an Otama farmer had grown 350 bushels of wheat which the millers had been prepared to purchase, but the transaction required to go through the Wheat Purchase Board, which would not sanction the purchase of Southland wheat. He had gone to Wellington to interview the Minister of Industries and Commerce and the chairman of the board, who had both expressed surprise that such a state of affairs existed. The chairman had immediately communicated with Christchurch, and in a few minutes had returned to report that the wheat had been bought- ‘‘ I told Mr Masters,” added Mr M‘Dougall, “ that if they would not purchase Southland wheat they could put an advertisement in the papers or issue a gazette notice that Southland was not a part of New Zealand, like Canterbury.” He concluded by reminding his hearers that while the Canterbury wheatgrower was given ample protection, the Southland grower of oat* had absolutely no protection.

Shipment of Bananas The Government motor ship Maui Poraare is due at Lyttelton on Tuesday with a shipment of bananas from Niue Island and Samoa. Advice has bee'n received stating that a heavy gale experienced at the Islands recently has depleted # the banana crops, and the Maui Pomaree shipment is in consequence smaller than usual. The Dunedin portion of the vessel’s consignment is expected to reach the local market on Wednesday.

War and the University Another opinion on the question whether university students would fight for their country was expressed when Professor T. G. R. Blunt was reviewing his association with Canterbury College, lasting over 30 years. When war cam# in 1914, he said, many of his friends joined at once. They were the finest body of young men he ever saw. After they had gone, students kept coming forward and coming forward, although it was then clear that they were going to experience hardships, and, perhaps, wounds and death. But they went, unselfishly and full of courage. He was sure that if war came again, which God forbid, nine-tenth# of the students would follow the same course.— (Applause.) Action such as that would defend the fair fame, and not only the fair fame, hut the very existence of Canterbury College and, indeed, th® British Empire.

Great Baiter Art Union The drawing of the Great Easter art •nion will take place at the Wellington Town Hall to-day, commencing at 9 a.m. A Superstition Squashed The Mayor (the Rev. E. T. Cox) has ■et a very praiseworthy example to the people of the city. He has just received a "chain letter” in.which the übiquitous * American Colonel ” again appears on the scene. The letter has to be sent to nine persons, and these again have to send it on to another nine. Dire misfortune is threatened the individual who breaks the chain. Many people, with a superstitious vein in their character, and ■with a fear of the promised consequences, send on the chain. The Mayor, however, has treated the chain as it deserves. His letter went into the fire. A Jury of Ten When a jury was being empanelled in the Supreme Court in Wellington in a case concerning an accident claim, it was found after 10 jurymen had taken their seats, and after each of the two counsel had exercised his right of challenge four times, that the panel was exhausted. Therefore, if the jury were to be made up to its usual figure of 12, it would have been necessary to pray a tales—that is, call upon bystanders in the courtroom. When the judge was informed that the panel was exhausted, he ordered the deputy registrar to pray a tales, and the doors of the courtroom were ordered to be closed. One counsel, however, suggested that the difficulty might be solved by agreeing to take the verdict of a jury of 10, and this course was adopted. Short Notice "My notice has been very short indeed,” said Professor A. H. Tocker at a complimentary luncheon tendered him in Christchurch as a result of his appointment as economic adviser to the New Zealand delegation at the World Economic Conference. " I knew nothing about It until Tuesday morning. I had been ■watching the capping procession, and when I got back to my office I found a message asking me to telephone a Wellington number. At last I got through, and then a voice sounded —‘ Forbes hereCan you stand a bit of a shock? Can you pack your bag in time to join me on Saturday?’ Mr Forbes explained the position in respect of the New Zealand delegation, and, as you are aware, I agreed to go.” Motor Car Insurance The majority of the motor vehicles in use in New Zealand are insured, but the exact provisions of the policies they hold (states the New Zealand Herald) are realised by comparatively few ’of the owners. The opinion is widely held that an insurance company is liable if accessories, fittings, or spare wheels are stolen from a car, but this is not the case unless the car itself is also stolen. A policy does not cover damage caused when the driver of the car is intoxicated, nor if the driver, even although an experienced man, does not hold a current license. It is not sufficient if he has had a license for the previous year, and has forgotten or neglected to renew it.

Tha Exchange Rata A special meeting of the Otago Importers and Shippers’ Association was held on Thursday afternoon to consider the coming Tariff Commission. Mr H. C. Campbell "was in the chair. Opportunity ■was taken during the meeting to pass a f motion unanimously to the effect that the association fully endorses the remarks and attitude of Mr Edwin Salmond, present of the New Zealand Importers’ Federation, Wellington, in regard to the Government's exchange rate policy, to which it is still strongly opposed.

Grace Lillian Mitchell Fund From the income derived from the Grace Lillian Mitchell Fund, which was constituted by Mies 0. L. Mitchell under her will with the provision that the income is to be used for the assistance of persons adversely affected by the Great War, the Perpetual Trustees, Estate and Agency Company of New Zealand, Ltd., as trustee of the fund, has recently made the following payments: —Dunedinßeturned Soldiers’ Association, £100; • Central Mission, £100; Patients and Prisoners’ Aid. Society, £100; Salvation Army, £100; Men’s Mission House, £100; Little Sisters of the Poor, £25; and St. John Ambulance Association, £25. Payments are to be made by the trustee to organisations and institutions and not direct to persons, and assistance from the fund is limited to Dunedin and its immediate surrounding districts.

A Hair-like Clue It is said that the moustache is coming back, but the come-back must be slow, because a passenger in a crowded Plimmerton train on a recent Sunday was identified by hie moustache alone. The passenger, Captain M. S. Galloway, tells the story himself in the current issue of the New Zealand Railways Magazine. It seems that he had lost an overcoat, which found its way to the Plimmerton station master, from him to the guard of the train, and next day from the guard back to Captain Galloway. “Imagine my surprise,” writes Captain Galloway, " when the guard, in the midst of his other worries, with a cheerful smile, sorted me out in a crowded train, and 'Are you the man who left his coat in the train yesterday?’ - ‘Yes,’ I said, and after describing the lost article satisfactorily, he brought it along and restored it to me. Flattering myself that I should be so apparently well known, I inquired how he came to pick me out in such a crowd: ‘Well, when I handed your coat to the station master 1 at Plimmerton. he said you were on the train, and he described you as having a little black moustache.

Japanese Thoroughness Several months ago n Nelson firm wrote to Japan for a certain article of wearing apparel (states the Mail). As no reply was received, a second letter was sent, to which the appended reply has been received: "Dear Sir—l have duly received your favour of February 6 with the copy of your letter dated September 5. I am very sorry that I did uot reply sooner, but the fact is that some time ago I received your letter that was returned to you once, on account of careless management of our Post Office. I strongly interrogated the chief of Yokohama Post Office, presenting the envelope returned, asking why they did not deliver the letter to our nost box that has been registered since 1917, or to our office, that they should know. The chief humbly apologised me. explaining that the error was done by a new dark just, came in. the dark’s pretext is that as the letter had not number of Post Office box he handed it to a post man. who delivered it to a post man who delivered it to (Asahi Ya) who told the pest man that they do not know such name ns Asahi Ya besides themselves—in-that time onr name was translated as ‘Asahi Ya ’ it is trouble that sometime our name is translated as ‘Asahi Ya ’ while it should he translated ‘Asahi Eoeld Shohai ’ that, is our sign in Japanese figur Moreover I regret I missed the letter since when T took it out of the envelop which I had present to the chief, and have been trying to find out it. now I have the’ particulars as to the Kimono and shall send the Kimono as soon as I have it ready. T shall try my best to send a good one. though T do not expect to satisfy the lady wlm vn' 1 ' ’t. because it ; s most hard thing in the world to satisfy Indies.” New Zealand Students Abroad

“It is noteworthy that over 90 per cent, of our travelling scholars never come hack to New Zealand.” said the Rev. H. K. Archdall, headmaster of King’s College. in his retiring presidential address rt the annual conference of the Secondary Schools’ Association in Wellington. Could one wonder at that, in view of the fact that people with higher education seem to be ruled out of the civil service.

Worship of Champions The need for keeping games in their proper perspective was stressed by the Rev. E. K. Archdall, headmaster of King’s College, Auckland, at the secondary schools’ conference in Wellington. He remarked that there had arisen a danger of over-athleticism, with the worship of champions and the making of international competitions into affairs of State. There was far too much anxiety to win, rather than to play the game as well as possible. "There is prevailing at present a regrettable view of sport which is cutting deep into the national mind,” said Mr Archdall. "This is the view that all sport is competitive in its essence, and that the chief aim is to find out what team or individual is the best. It is the spirit only which gloats over the international or interschool contests, and even judges the standing of institutions by success or failure in games. This is to turn a means to an end.” New Zealanders’ Good Fortune

A great stroke of luck has come the way of two erstwhile residents of Palmerston North, whose identity is at present unknown (states a correspondent), as they drew £6OOO in a Tattersall’e consultation ticket made out in the name of " C. and R., care of Miss Q., Box 420, Palmerston North.” It appears that Miss M. Quinn, of Broadway avenue, is the holder of the ticket, but though jubilant over the lucky strike, she says the good fortune is not hers, as she is holding the ticket for two others, men who were in Palmerston North when the ticket was purchased. Miss Quinn refuses entirely to divulge the names of those on whom fortune has smiled. She is a young woman employed as a clerk by a local firm of merchants. The fifth prize in the same consultation was won by a ticket-holder in New Plymouth. A Matter of Taste

His strong objection to tea, which he termed “ a very much over-rated beverage,” was given by Professor T. G, R. Blunt in his valedictory address at the Canterbury College graduation ceremony aa the reason for his absence from the regular 11 a.m. session of professors and lecturers at the college tearooms. “ I can’t stand tea," he said. “If the procedure here had been the same as it was in my student days in Germany, and the attraction had been a glass of light beer such as we used to have there, things might have been different.”

Experiment with Nut-grass Experiments are being carried out on several Remuera footpaths (states the Auckland Star) in an attempt to find a method of dealing effectively with nutgrass, that weed which has its roots a couple of feet under the ground, and which fights its way to the surface through two inches of asphalt. Portland road is at present being treated. Some time ago both footpaths, from top to bottom, were sprayed with weed-killer, but apparently the nut-grass thrived on this, for several patches of thick growth sprang up some weeks later. Now workmen are engaged digging 2ft down in the footpath. It is intended to spread poison on the bottom, then pack the excavation with cinders from the gasworks. It is thought that if the affected area is made airtight, the grass will not have an opportunity to grow. On top of the cinders, the footpaths will be tar-sealed and spread with coarse sand. The experiment was tried in Eastbourne road some months ago, and so far the nut-grass weed has not reappeared.

Making the Fur Fly A resident of Smithfield, Wanganui, was puzzled for two or three nights by strange noises about the house, and a search revealed a number of articles overturned in the washhouse, but did not bring to light the identity of the intruder. After a vain hunt about the washhouse, the owner thought he would try the chimney and see if there was anything alive in there responsible for the nocturnal disturbances. He kindled a fire and sent his wife outside to watch at the top of the chimney. As the fire gathered strength he heard a sneeze behind the register grate. He applied more wood, but still it was a long time before the modern salamander made its appearance. At last an opossum, unable to stand the heat and smoke any longer, hopped out into the sitting room and was quickly dispatched, and now all is quiet on the western front

Entomological Research "Reviewing the entomological research organisations of the world as a whole,” remarked Dr D. Miller during the course of a lecture in Wellington, “it is found that the United States of America takes the lead with its vast Federal and State institutions, followed by the British Empire. Within the Empire there is a central organisation in London, the Imperial Institute of Entomology, with which co-operates the Empire chain of entomological research stations. In recent years a special branch of the Imperial Institute of Entomology was established by the Empire Marketing Board at Farnham Royal, in England; the purpose of this was to supply the whole Empire with parasites required for the control of destructive insects. This Farnham Royal Laboratory has proved itself an outstanding example of successful Empire cooperation, especially to New Zealand (virtually the backyard of the Empire, when one considers its size), which in 1930 absorbed more than half of the output of that laboratory, while in 1931 shipments of parasites were sent to us totalling over 260,000 insects.”

Members and friends of the Burns Club are reminded that the monthly concert will be held in the Early Settlers’ Hall on Wednesday evening at 7.45. New members are cordially invited. The United Starr-Bowkett Building Society will dispose of £ISOO by sale and ballot on May 18.

In response to many requests, the management of the St. Kilda Bungalow Tea Rooms has decided to conduct a cabaret night weekly, and the first gathering will be held to-night. The Savonia Band will supply the music. Mr P. Hackett’s dances will be commenced this evening in the Dance Salon, Murdoch’s Buildings, Rattray street. Old and modern dances will be indulged in, and the music and floor will be of the best.

A. Frank Anderson, dental surgeon Princes street, Dunedin, will visit Waipiata and Patearoa Thursday, May 18; Ranfurly, Friday, May 19. —Advt.

Batteries with a real guarantee by a firm with a dependable name. Call and get our prices!—Austin Motors (Otago), Ltd., 284-6 Princes street. Phone 13-2)5. Advt

C. W. Sundstrnm, Dentist, 53 Moray place. Dunedin, will visit Waipiata, Monday, May 15; Ranfurly, Monday, May 15; Naseby, Tuesday, May 16.—Advt. A. E. Blakeley and W. E. Bagley, dentists, Bank of Australasia, corner of Bond and Rattray streets (next Telegraph Office) Telephone 12-359.—Advt. Bedside reading lamps, complete with tamp, 19s 6d. —Barth Electrical Supplies, Ltd., 56 Princes street, Dunedin.—Advt. Save your eyes. Be wise, and consult W. V. Stunner, optician (2 Octagon), thus conserving cood vision for old age.— Advt.