Sale of Picture

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21986, 22 June 1933, Page 6

Sale of Picture

A further sale is reported from the recently concluded sketch exhibition held by the Otago Art Society, that of the picture “ Mona,” by Nellie Hutton.

An Alarming Experience A Press Association telegram from Blenheim states that it was mentioned at a meeting of the Marlborough Power Board yesterday that daring the month a country consumer had the alarming experience of seeing his hot water boiler suddenly blown to bits. Ice had formed in the intake and safety pipes, and when the water boiled the pressure of steam simply turned the boiler into a bomb. Fortunately no one was injured.

Heavy Stock Traffic One of the busiest periods experienced by the local railway officials for many years occurred last night, when no fewer than 245 wagons of stock had to be transported between Dunedin and Oamaru. To cope with the .rush, which was occasipned by heavy buying at the Lorneville stock sales on Tuesday, seven locomotives, in addition to the ordinary goods trains, had to be brought into commission, and the work of shifting the stock occupied practically the whole night. Burnside Stock Sales A smaller yarding of fat cattle offered at the Burnside sales yesterday sold at values for bullocks and heifers from par to 10s per head better than the last sale. There was no rise in cow beef prices. The yarding consisted of 190 head, and while a few pens of good bullocks and heifers were included, generally speaking, the quality was inferior. In the best points of an erratic sale ox beef touched 23s per 1001 b, but the ruling price was nearer 21s. Heifer beef was worth from 17s to £l, and cow beef from 10s to 13s per 1001 b. Best bullocks sold to £ll 17s 6d, heifers to £7 7s 6d, and cows to £5. In the fat sheep section a larger proportion of wethers was in evidence, and these sold at an average drop of Is per head on last week’s rates. This drop, however, was recovered at the end of the sale, the top price being 255. The total number penned was 1900. Ewes, which showed a wide range of weight and quality, opened at Is lower than last week’s rates, and closed at a reduction of 2s 6d per head. The best price realised for ew'es was £1 Is. The excellent price paid for lambs at recent sales encouraged farmers to supply the Burnside market, with the result that 2000 were penned! The quality generally was good, and export buyers competed keenly at full schedule rates. The bulk of the entry was again secured by the Belfast freezing works. Extra prime heavy lambs sold to 225, and the yarding was disposed of at an average per lb price of approximately 9}d. Another small entry of store cattle was offered. The yarding of vealers was larger than recent markets, but there was no alteration in values. Very few steers were forward, and one small pen of three-year-olds ’ realised £3 19s. Grazing cows were in good demand, up to £2 10s being obtained. There was a small entry of dairy cows, and young cows close to profit met with keen competition. About £8 was the top price for this class. A small yarding of pigs was offered. Baconers were in good demand and sold to £3. Porkers showed a slight appreciation in values. The entry of store pigs was the smallest for some time, and prices showed an upward tendency. Distress in the City Amazement was expressed by Staff-cap-tain E. Davies, of the Salvation Army, at the extent of the distress existing in Dunedin at the present time as the result of unemployment. Staff-captain Davies, who is in charge of the women’s social work branch of the Salvation Army’s activities in the Dominion, and who has had experience of the conditions obtaining in the slums of London and other great cities of the Old World, informed a Daily Times reporter last evening that cases of hardship were to be met with in this city which were quite as distressing as anything she had seen in London. In the course of her visit t 6 Dunedin she has been inspecting the various institutions conducted by the Salvation Army and also a number of homes of the unemployed. As an instance of the conditions which were encountered, she stated that she found one family, consisting of a mother, father, and two children, all of whom were sleeping on the one bed. They had no mattress, beyond the ordinary wire springs, a makeshift having been constructed of two sacks filled w r ith rags. The Salvation Army authorities were able to supply a mattress and quilt, and, as the mother was departing, she remarked that that had been a “day of blessing,”, as another well-wisher had sent a donation of food. High Schools Board Election The biennial election of two members to the Otago High Schools’ Board of Governors tp represent the parents of pupils attending the Otago Boys and Girls’ High Schools will take place shortly. .The parents’ representatives at present are Messrs J. C. Stephens and J. J. Mallard, and they are eligible for re-election. The board yesterday fixed July 21 as the date for the election. School Attendance and Competitions At yesterday’s meeting of the Otago Education Board, a letter was received from the headmaster of Oamaru South School intimating that six children had been absent for from two to three days for the purpose of attending the dancing competitions held in Dunedin at the beginning of June. “This matter is becoming worse and worse,” said the chairman (Mr J. Wallace). “It is time we put our foot down.” Mr Wallace went on to say that the parents could be proceeded against for allowing their children to be absent from school. He was as keen on competitions as most people, but he failed to see why children should be kept away from school to attend them. It was decided to write to the parents drawing attention to the board’s powers in such cases, and warning them that if they offended again they would be prosecuted. City Police Court In the City Police Court yesterday morning, before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., John Anderson was charged with being found drunk in a public place and with casting offensive matter in a public place. He pleaded guilty to both charges, and was fined 10s, in default 24 hours imprisonment, on the first, and 20a, in default 48 hours’ imprisonment, on the second.

Cargo of Scrap Metal A wide variety of scrap metal is on board the British steamer Helraspey, which left Auckland yesterday for Japan. The vessel has 7600 tons of scrap in her holds. She loaded 1000 tons at Westport, 4500 tons at Wellington, 1500 tons at Port Chalmers, and 600 tons at Auckland. At Westport the metal loaded consisted largely of old mining gear. At Wellington she took on board rusty ships’ anchors, twisted davits, arid other old ships’ gear, as well as a large quantity of railway and other scrap. The old metal loaded at Port Chalmers consisted chiefly of old railway iron, and it was this class of scrap which comprised the bulk of the 600 tons loaded at Auckland. Her ports of discharge in Japan have not yet been announced. The Helmspey is the second steamer to load scrap metal in New Zealand this year, and as the amount of cargo offering at the present time has exceeded expectations it is likely that a third vessel will be chartered to load at Dominion ports for the East.

Recovery from Broken Neck Mr R. Bryant, a well-known business man and treasurer of the Foxton Racing Club, returned to his home during the week-end after a long period in the Palmerston North Hospital, during which time he was treated for a broken neck. Mr Bryant suffered the injury in a fall down the bank of a creek on his property several months ago, and was admitted to the hospital in a critical state. After treatment he was permitted on Sunday to return to his home. He is now able to take a few steps with assistance, and has regained partial use of his arms.

Tramway Losses When the question of falling tramway returns was before the meeting of the City Council last night and councillors were suggesting various means for improving the position, the chairman of the Tramways Committee (Cr H. C. Campbell) said the corporation might consider itself very fortunate that its tramway losses were very much smaller than those of northern centres. The Mayor (the Rev, E. T. Cox) said that the decreases in revenue for the previous year in northern cities were: —Christchurch, 15.5 per cent.; Auckland. 7.7 per cent.: Wanganui, 7.1 per cent.: and Wellington 7 per cent. The fall in revenue in Dunedin for the same period had been only 3.4 per cent. The fall in revenue for the Kaikorai Tram Company’s line tor the year ended December 31. 1032, was 6-3 per cent., compared with only 3.8 per cent, on the Roslyn line.

Spirit ot Rivalry Many seafarers show considerable interest when the well-known coasters Cairn and Holmdale come together at any port, as there is a spirit of rivalry in regard to the speed of these steamers. The vessels were together at Wellington on Monday and both left that port at 5 p.m. direct for Dunedin. On this occasion the Calm easily beat her rival, as she arrived in port two hours before the Holmdale. The weather was very favourable, and 'the Calm made a fairly fast trip, steaming the 341 miles in 36i hours (wharf to wharf), while the Holmdale occupied 38| hours. The two ships were in company for a short distance after clearing Wellington Heads, blit the Calm then drew ahead and the Holmdale was left well astern during the night. The Calm reached Dunedin at 5.30 a.m. yesterday, and the Holmdale at 7.30 a.m. Both vessels have frequently made the trip from Wellington to Dunedin in 34 hours.

Gift to Library A valuable and interesting addition to the books in the reference department of the Public Library has been made as the result of the gift by Dr D. Colquhoun of a collection of 53 volumes, embracing Shakespearian commentaries and the works of the poet. Included among these is a number of books. which have not previously been seen by the Library officials, some of them, in addition to their literary ■worth, being beautifully printed and illustrated. One particularly noteworthy volume is “ The National Shakespeare," this being a facsimile of the text of the first folio printed in 1623. The illustrations in this case are by Sir J. Noel Paton. Two miniatures have also been given, by Dr Colquhoun, one being \of Shakespeare himself and the other of that great Shakespearian actor David Garrick. The collection, which has attracted a good deal of attention, i s at present on view in a special case in the New Zealand section of the reference library.

Rival Publishers Seeking, an injunction to prevent the International Press Service Association (New Zealand) from publishing a book of New Zealand biographies with the same or a similar title to one of his own, Dr Guy Hardy Scholefield, parliamentary librarian, brought an action before Mr Justice Ostler in the Supreme Court in Wellington on Tuesday. Dr Seholcfield’s book is Who's Who in New Zealhnd, and the court was asked to determine whether the title of another publication was so similar to that of Dr Scholefield’s as to be likely to deceive. After some discussion between counsel and the judge, the parties, after the case had proceeded for teome time, adjourned and a settlement was announced, the defendants undertaking to change the name of their publication, and to pay costs (20gns) and disbursements. Location of Ships’ Bells

Reference to the location of ships’ bells is frequently made in the columns of a northern exchange, and the subject has aroused widespread interest. The bell of the old passenger steamer Mararoa and the bell of H.M.S. New Zealand are in the Dominion Museum. The bell of the Dartford, which was a Union Company training ship for officers in the early part of this century, and which is now a hulk sin Auckland Harbour, is in the possession of Captain C. F. Post, of Upper Hutt. The bell of the Rakanoa is in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve headquarters in Wellington. The Rakanoa, formerly named Bells, was built in 1896, and after many years’ useful service for the Union Company, was scuttled in Cook Strait in March, 1928. The bell of the old Opouri is on the steamer Opihi, which is frequently in port at Dunedin. The steamer Progress, which was formerly a dredge at Oamaru, and which was wrecked at \Ohiro Bay, near Wellington, in 1931, carried the bell, of the barque Ann Gambles, 424 tons, which was wrecked at Bluff in 1878. This bell is now presumably buried in the shingle at Island Bay. The bell of the ship City of Auckland; which was wrecked on the beach at Otaki in 1878, is believed to be in an hotel or boarding house at Otaki. Post Office Site in New Light

During recent weeks there has been a considerable accumulation of water on the Post Office site, and, viewed from some of the higher buildings in the vicinity, the scene has not been a particularly attractive one. But even ugliness can, under certain conditions, assume an unsuspected beauty. This seeming paradox was exemplified yesterday morning, when, as a result of the severe frost on the previous night, the " Post Office lake ” was frozen over and the ice, catching the rays of the rising sun, became an iridescent surface, from which the varied colours of the dawn were reflected with striking The sight was much admired by some visitors to Dunedin who had previously not been greatly impressed by the unpicturesque foundations of the Post Office to be, but it is doubtful if the scenic amenities revealed should be regarded as a sufficient compensation for the procrastination ot the Government in proceeding with the work. The appearance of ice on the surface of the water gave rise to the suggestion in other quarters that if the pres-* ent severe frosts continue the novel sight of open-air skating in the centre of the city may yet be witnessed. ,

The Rev. Mr Nicholson’s Mission Continued interest is shown in the series of meetings which is being held in the Allen Hall, University buildings, during this week. Mr Nicholson is a man whose wide experience and whose important message ensure for him a ready hearing whereever he travels. He has just concluded a very successful mission in Auckland, where for weeks on end hundreds of people had to be turned away every night from his meetings, and though the present series is specially for students, ample accommodation will be provided for other members of the community for the remaining nights of the week.

For years the Austin Seven has been without a peer, either in performance or price. See the latest “ Seven ”to realise progress in small * cars. —Austin Motors (Otago), Ltd., 284/6 Princes street, Phone 13-215. —Advt. A. E. Blakeley and W. E. Bagley dentists, Bank of Australasia, corner of Bond and Rattray streets (next Telegraph Officel. Telephone 12-359.—Advt Wireless Repairs executed at shortest notice. —Barth Electrical Supplies, Ltd.,' 56 Princes street, Dunedin.—Advt. Save your eyes. Be wise, and consult W. V. Sturmer, optician (2 Octagon) thus conserving good vision for old age.— Advt.