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Otago Daily Times, Issue 21988, 24 June 1933, Page 10

Suburban Trains Delayed Through a stone becoming wedged in the automatic cross-over points at Eavensbourne, the Dunedin-Port Chalmers railway service was held up for an hour on Friday night, with the result that the train that generally leaves Dunedin for Port Chalmers at 7.18 did not get away until 8.25, and the train from Port Chalmers that should have reached Dunedin at 7.30 was delayed at Ravensbourne until after 8 o’clock. It was also found necessary to hold the 8.11 train from Oamaru at St. Leonards. Unfortunately, the mishap occurred at a particularly busy period, but the Traffic Department did all in its power to minimise the delay, and as soon as it could conveniently do so it diverted the bitses from the Port Chalmers road service and transported the passengers, with the exception of those on the Oamaru train, by this means. Community Singing The attendance at the community singing session which was held at the Empire Theatre between 12.30 and 1.30 yesterday afternoon was even greater than those at the previous sessions of the season. The singing was led by Mr F. H. Dampen, and the large audience joined in with a will. Miss Rita Holmes, at the piano, was again responsible for much of the success of the entertainment. The feature of the session was the introduction, for the first time, of “ Good-bye Depression,” a bright composition by Mr A. Harrison, a Dunedin boy, who is now residing at East Taieri. This was sung by Mr Bert Rawlinson, the audience joining in with the chorus. The collection, which is to be devoted to the relief of distress in the city, amounted to £9 2s 7d, but the sum of £2 5s has to be added to this figure as the result of the generosity of a wellwisher, a lady over 80 years of age, who forwarded for sale a hand-' worked table centre, which brought the satisfactory sum mentioned. The committee has expressed the hope that all listeners-in will signify their appreciation by sending in donations. City Fire Call At 1.36 p.m. yesterday the City Fire Brigade was called to the Central Chambers, Bond street. It was found that a false alarm had been registered. “ The Crucifixion ” To-morrow evening, at 8,15, in the Town Hall, a choir of 450 voices, drawn from the local church choirs, under the baton of Mr Alfred Walmsley, will present Stainer’s ‘''Crucifixion.” This great work, depicting the Saviour’s passion, never loses its appeal to the great mass of the music-loving public, whp will no doubt welcome an opportunity of again hearing the stirring chorus “Fling Wide the Gates ” and the beautiful unaccompanied chorus, “God So Loved the World.” Sung by this specially trained choir, and with Dr Galway at the magnificent Town Hall organ, the rendering of this beautiful work should be worth listening to. The solos are in the capable hands of Messrs E. Drake, E. R. Benton, and A. Fleming, L.A.B. A silver coin collection in aid of the Mayor’s Relief Fund will be taken up.

Taierl County R-aad Signs At yesterday’s meeting of the Taieri County Council it was decided to erect classification signs on the county roads, the permission of the Post and Telegraph Department and the Electric Power and Light Department to be asked for permission to use the poles for such purpose.

Stability of tfie Bank* It is unfortunate," said Sir George Elliot, in seconding the motion for the adoption of the report at the annual meeting of the Bank of New Zealand in Wellington yesterday, “that success in any direction seems to be unpopular in New Zealand, and, owing to its wonderful .recovery and large profit-earning capacity, the Bank of New Zealand has not escaped the blight of carping criticism. In view of its falling profits, however, it may yet become a truly popular institution. That we have so far weathered the economic storm of the past few years is due in no small measure to the strong financial position of the banks and other lending institutions trading in New Zealand, and this should never be lost: sight of. The fact that they have, without straining their finances, been able to write off bad debts aggregating millions of pounds evidences conservative management in the past.” Seal in Wellington Zoo Some days ago a crab-eating seal was discovered in Wellington Harbour, and was subsequently captured and placed in tile Wellington, Zoo. Considerable cor- - ' respondence has appeared in the local papers (reports our Wellington corresemdent) urging that the seal be released, since the Zoo conditions are almost certain to prove fatal. A city councillor (Mr Burns), acting chairman of the Reserves Committee authority controlling tlie Zoo, has been looking into the question, and affirms that the seal has a better chance of living in captivity than if released to take its chance against scarcity of food and attacks by killer whales. In these circumstances, the Zoo authorities contend that it is reasonable to keep the seal and give it expert attention. Valuable Bequests Under the will of the late Mr B. H. Moller bequests subject to a life interest of £2OO each were made to the following (says a Press Association telegram from Nelson): —Presbyterian, All Saints’, Methodist, and Baptist churches, St. Mary’s and St. Andrew’s Orphanage, New Zealand Cancer Fund, Nelson Fire Brigade, Regimental Band (Nelson), Rose Croix Chapter, Trafalgar Royal Arch Chapter. Bequests of £IOO each were left to the Nelson Football Club, the Athletic Cricket Club, the Y.M.C.A. Cricket Club, the Nelson Rugby Union, the inmates of Renwick Cottages (Nelson), Lodge Juvenile Oddfellows, and the Nelson Horticultural Society. Two hundred and fifty shares in A. J. Green's Investment Company, Auckland, were left to the Jubilee Institute for the Blind. Public and Local Body Debt Steps were taken yesterday morning at a meeting of Canterbury members of Parliament and representatives of the Canterbury Public Accountants’ Association, to call a conference to discuss a proposal that the New Zealand public body debt and local body debt should be paid in gold to be won in New Zealand by means of a national gold mining expedition. The meeting (says a Press Association telegram from Christchurch) discussed the proposal put forward recently by Mr W. M. Tyera, a former president of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. The assistance of the Government in planning the scheme is advocated. The scheme is to utilise unemployed labour. Excessive Cost of Government . The excessive cost of general and local body Government in New Zealand and the existence of overlapping were the subjects of brief reference in the address which Mr R. W. Gibbs delivered as chairman at the annual meeting of the Bank of New Zealand in Wellington yesterday. “During the year,” he said, “an Economic Commission was set up, and, after many weeks’ careful study of the economic situation in New Zealand, made known its findings, which were, considered by some to be somewhat drastic. The conclusions of the commission,‘however, on the need for reducing parliamentary and municipal representation are, I think, endorsed by most. The overlapping of the various local body and municipal boards, numbering 699, has for a long time been a matter of adverse comment, and the sooner these and the other important recommendations made by the commission receive serious attention the better will it be for the community at large.”

Warnings Unheeded “For many years past,” said the chairman of the Bank of New Zealand (Mr R. W. Gibbs) at the annual meeting in Wellington yesterday,, “warnings have been reiterated from this chair against the orgy of lavish public and municipal spending which set in after the war., years, warnings which nevertheless fell on deaf ears. Such a warning was issued from this chair in 1927, but since then the Government’s indebtedness has increased by £36,000,000 and municipal indebtedness by £9,000,000. It is, perhaps, fortunate that we have been made to realise we have reached our limit, and that lenders, will think twice before allowing this suicidal policy to continue.” Attacked by a Stag While pig hunting on Broadlands, Me E. Earle Vaile’s property at Reporoa, on Sunday last, Hurunui Wharewhiti had an unenviable experience when he was attacked by a large 12-pointer stag. On going into the scrub Wharewhiti saw something move which he took to be » wild pig. On approaching he found' it to be a stag, which immediately made a fierce attack and threw him to the ground. Wharewhiti, who is a powerful man, seized the antlers of the stag, and a great tussle ensued. He called his dog, which had strayed away. He had a very anxious time until the dog’s arrival. Immediately the dog saw the stag he rushed at it and a battle then ensued between dpg and stag. This gave Wharewhiti the opportunity to get on his feet, and he then attacked the stag with a sheath knife and ended the fight by cutting its throat. Fortunately Whatewhiti escaped injury. Events of the Past At any large gathering of men there is usually to be found a humorist or two. The conference of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association in Wellington which concluded on Wednesday night, was no exception; in fact (says the Evening Post), the proceedings—as it is not unnatural to expect when returned men get together—were often enlivened by the wit of some of the delegates. One in particular, from Canterbury, established something of a reputation in this respect. He was in good form on Wednesday evening. Among other subjects upon which his comment amused the gathering was a proposal that the wives and families should accompany New Zealand ex-soldiers on a suggested pilgrimage to the battlefields overseas. Facetiously he suggested that the “wives and families” should not be included in the party. He said he visualised complications and maintained that no ex-soldier would have the pluck to visit Armentieres again with a wife and family.— (Loud laughter.) The objection was not sustained, the remit being adopted in its entirety. Hanged by an Arm A peculiar and painful accident befell Mr E. Middlemiss, of Yelverton, Marlborough, on a recent afternoon. He was engaged in topping a large willow tree on his property, and to prevent the branches falling into a nearby creek, and looped a stout rope across a higher limb and tied one end out on the branch he was cutting. In some unaccountable manner the other end of the rope became twisted round his body and wrist as the branch commenced to fall, and he was suspended high up in the tree with the whole weight of the 18 inch branch straining on the rope. Every effort to free himself failed, and it was not,until half an hour had elapsed and darkness had fallen that his shouts for help were heard. He suffered a badly crushed wrist and abrasions to the body, and was suffering severely from shock.

Her. J. K. Archer’s Loss The Deputy Mayor of Christchurch (the ftsv. J. K. Archer) was the victim of a ■lean theft on his return from Invercargill on Tuesday evening. He was expecting a friend to meet him and on the arrival of the express at the Christchurch railway station he placed his bag on a seat while he looked round. On returning y about three minutes later, tl* bag had disappeared and all efforts made since then to trace it have been fruitless. Mr Archer said that the loss was a serious one to him, as the bag contained, in addition to a suit of clothes, a pair of boots and other personal belongings, several valuable books and a number of notes of sermons and speeches which were useless to anyone but himself. It would cost him about £2O to replace the articles in the suit case, but what he regretted most of all was the loss of such things as his Bible, which he had used for many years when preaching, and various other articles which were of practically no intrinsic value. At first it was thought that someone might have taken the suit case by mistake and gone on to Wellington with it, biit thorough inquiries were made by the Railways Department and the Union Steam Ship Company without any trace of it being found. A Question of Speed Laughter followed the statement by Senior Sergeant I. Mathieson in the Timaru Police Court on Thursday morning that he could run for a short distance at a speed of 20 miles an hour. It was during the hearing of a charge against a motorist of driving in' a manner which might have been dangerous to the public. The defendant stated that he was travelling at a speed not much more than 20 miles an hour. “That’s very slow,” stated the senior sergeant. “Why, I could run for avshort distance at that pace. The magistrate expressed incredulity, which only stimulated the senior sergeant to add that 15 miles an hour was merely a walking pace. “Tell that to the marines, muttered a solicitor in court.

Pole Vault Record Suggesting that a protest should be made against the granting of the New Zealand pole vault record to an Otago competitor, Mr L. E. Smith told a meeting of delegates to the Canterbury Amateur Athletic Centre on Thursday night of statements he bad heard regarding the manner in which the event was carried out. The chairman (Mr M. Leadbetter) said that Mr Smith was on dangerous ground m making allegations on hearsay. Records were granted on the recommendations of officials. No action was taken in the matter.

Maori Cemetery “Desecrated” Muzzle-loading revolvers, ammunition, Maori curios, greenstone and bunches of the rare feathers of the huia were found in a cave in a North Auckland district recently. There are two caves in the locality, and they are regarded by the Maoris as tapu. Last Sunday a party was organised, and with the aid of a rope over a steep cliff-face the first cave was reached After a little digging the store of old weapons was unearthed, and further exploration brought to light many interesting things. Human bones were strewn on the floor/ Arrangements have been made to visit the second cave. Representatives of Te Atarana Maori Association in Auckland commented strongly on the matter and said that it was purely desecration to disturb Maori burial places. All the burial places were well known to -he old Maoris, but because they had been declared tapu had bever been molested, it was customary to keep them as secret as possible owing to the fear of violation. Great resentment was felt by the Maoris at the present-day tendency, even by accredited scientific bodies, to search old Native burial grounds for curios. The fact that huia feathers were reported to have been found, showed that the grave was not an old one. One of the ie Akarana representatives succinctly put the Native viewpoint when he said: What would be said if Maoris went and desecrated European graves? ” , .. ... ,

Old Legal Authority Quoted During, the hearing of a civil action concerning a racehorse, heard before Mr W. R. M‘Kean, S.M., in the Magistrates Court at Auckland on. Tuesday, defending counsel quoted from a Queen’s _ Bench finding in England 92 years ago in support of his case. In an old English dispute and the present-day Auckland case, a bay horse wag the subject of the litigation, and, in both cases, in spite of the changes in monetary values in nearly a century, £3O was the original amount of the purchase money. City Police Court There were no cases set down for hearing at the City Police Court yesterday. : The Mayfair weekly dance will be held in the Early Settlers’ Hall to-night. Will Smith’s Jvapai Band will supply the music. The representative Association football players will be the guests of the evening. . ... , On Thursday night the United StarrBowkett Building Society will dispose ot The Bungalow Cabaret will hold its weekly dance at St. Kilda to-night. These cold nights the log. fire is much appreciated. The Savonia Band will 'Supply the music. . , Mr' J Y. Hanna advertises in another column 'particulars in reference to his correspondence course in physical culture. Numerous people outside of Dunedin have enrolled in these courses, ihe peisonal letters which arrive daily express the wonderful results that have been achieved. The system of work given is graded and simplified and so easily explained that all exercises can be performed without difficulty. The Railways Department advertises in this issue particulars of a special cheap day excursion Dunedin- to Invercargill on Sunday, July 2. The intention is to make the excursion as attractive as pos : sible bv putting on fast special trains and exceptionally cheap fares, and also reserving seats for both journeys for one B^’rhe B Railways Department advertises in this issue particulars of special excursion fares and train arrangements in connection with races at Oamaru on July 1 A special train, stopping at certain stations, will leave Dunedin at 7.42 a.m.. arriving at Oamaru at 10.52 a.m. (connecting with train to racecourse at a.m.). Return train leaves Oamaru run., arriving at Dunedin 8.39 p.m. C W Sundstrnm, Dentist. 53 Moray place, Dunedin. Will visit Waipiata Monday July 17; Raufurly, Monday, July 17; Nascby, Tuesday, July 18. Advt. Every Austin car is qomplete with accessories. There is nothing necessary which is omitted from the full equipment, so the first cost is the full cost.—Austin Motors (Otago), Ltd., 284/6 Princes street, phone 13-215. —Advt. A Frank Anderson, dental surgeon. Princes street, Dunedin, will visit Waipiata and Patearoa Thursday, July 20; Ranfurly, Friday, July 21.—Advt. A E. Blakeley and VV. L llagley dentists, Bank of Australasia, corner ot Bond and Rattray streets fnest Telegraph Office) Telephone 12-359 --Advt Wireless Repairs executed at shortest notice—Barth Electrical Supplies. Ltd., 50 Princes street, Dunedin.—Advt. Save your eyes. Be wise, and consult W V Sturmer, optician (2 Octagon) thus conserving good vision for old nge.Advt.