Overseas Mails

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22098, 31 October 1933, Page 8

Overseas Mails

The Monowai, which arrived at Auckland yesterday from Sydney, brought eight bags of Australian mail and four parcel receptacles for Dunedin. The mail is expected to reach the local Post Office to-morrow afternoon. An American mail, ex the steamer Golden Cloud at Auckland, is expected to reach Dunedin this afternoon. The mail comprises seven bags and four parcel receptacles. Visit of H.M.S. Diomede The cruiser Diomede, which is making an extended visit to southern ports, is expected to arrive this morning from Akaroa. The vessel has been .allotted a; berth at the Rattray street wharf, and' will remain in port until November 7,when she will sail for the north. Fight Between Big Fish A fight between a whale, a thresher shark, and a - shark, the latter two in deadly combination against the former, is about the most thrilling sight it is possible to see on the ocean, according to Mr E. Eaglestone, chief steward on the Commonwealth and Dominion Line steamer Port Nicholson, which is loading at New Plymouth at present. “ The episode occurred about two years ago, when we were in the South Atlantic, two clays steaming from Cape Horn,” said Mr Eaglestone. “ Those on deck noticed a terrific turmoil in the water some distance away. It was in the ship’s course, and as we came up to it we saw what appeared to be a large bulk of wood rising up above the surface periodically. It was a most peculiar thing, and as we drew near the spot we saw that a thresher shark and a shark were attacking a whale. The thresher was about 20 feet long, and wag attacking ‘the whale from above by. ‘ standing on its tail ’ and smashing its huge bulk down on the whale’s body. The shark was gashing the unclerparts of the whale. How long the duel had been going on before we arrived we could not say, but it was still going on when we passed out of sight. It was a most rare occurrence, and is the only encounter between big fish I have ever seen in 19 years at sea,” concluded Mr Eaglestone.

Fruitgrowers’ Losses At a meeting of the South Island Fruit and Produce Brokers’ Association yesterday, presided qver by Mr E. Oswald Reilly, a motion of sympathy was ac-. corded the Central Otago fruitgrowers in their disastrous loss resulting from the severe and unexpected frost experienced throughout the district. It was further decided that the Unemployment Board be approached strongly recommending that the Government consider favourably the request of the fruitgrowers that they be afforded the benefits of the board’s unemployment scheme No. 4a, which, it was recognised, could be profitably employed in assisting the growers in their time of need.

Film Censorship' The Victoria College Council, it* meeting on Thursday, received a circular prepared by the heads of Auckland secondary schools detailing their action in bringing complaint to the Government as to the censorship of certain types of films. The circular stated that representations had been made to the Minister-of Internal Affairs that the present constitution of the Board of Appeal-was unsatisfactory, as the representative of the trade was really in the position of advocate and judge in his own cause. Professor W. -0. Gould said the Auckland Institute was requesting the Minister of Internal Affairs to reconstitute the Board of Appeal in connection with censorship. It was considered the present films were not in the interest of the young people and that ,the -board tended to over-ride the censor., A sub committee consisting of Professor Gould, Mr A. R. Atkinson, and Mr Justice Ostler was appointed to consider the circular.

The White Butterfly Rome interesting information on the subject of the liberation of white butterfly parasites in the Wairarapa has been obtained from Mr J. Muggeridge, entomologist to the Department of Agriculture's plant research station, Palmerston North, by Mr F. Norris, secretary of the Wairarapa* Small Holdings Association; In reply to an inquiry by Mr Norris, Mr Muggeridge wrote: —“Just at present I am unable to say what of parasites I will have for liberation in the coming season, nor can I state the actual date, buf most likely it will be at some period early in the new year. I should like to jjoint out that the liberation of parasites in your district in the coming season will have little effect on the, immediate control of the butterfly, and.some considerable time will yet have to elapse before the effect of their presence will be felt. The object at present- is to concentrate the hulk of. the supplies for the Wairarapa in a more or less .-central area, the idea being to ensure establishment of the parasites in that. locality. Indiscriminate ,will .be avoided as fax* as possible, as such a method is only likely to dissipate our supplies and tend to render the experiment a failure.”* 11 ‘ j , “ Last Opportunity ” '

"I have never yet been able to evolve some definite and distinct rule which could be given to a jury in such a simple form that would enable them to. understand it —I caiinot put something ,to a jury that I do not understand myself,” said Mr Justice Blair at the Supreme Court in Wellington on Friday when referring to the doctrine of “last opportunity ”... which arises in many motor accident cases." A hypothetical case of “last opportunity” in avoiding an accident quoted by his Honor was one where a man tied his donkey jn the middle, of the road and left it. A bus came along and ran oyer the donkey. The owner of the donkey then returned and saiij to the driver: “ I have been negligent ,in leaving, the donkey in the middle of the road, but you could see the donkey, and you need, not have run oyer it. You had the last, opportunity of avoiding it, and you could have done so by using reasonable care.” That sort of ca&e, said his Honor, had been varied in millions of ways, and it was always s'-tyery difficult question to decide. Although a driver might have the last opportunity of avoiding an accident, the crisis; usually developed so suddenly that there was no time for him to think what was the best thing to do. He had to act immediately, and if he did tho wrong thing, he was not,held to have been negligent, ’ but to have committed an error of Judgment. Moa Bones Found

Thu discovery of a quantity of moa bones was made on Wednesday on the farm of Mr P. F. Higgins at Moteo, in Hawke’s Bay, The bones are in a fairly good state of preservation, and consist of parts of two leg bones, a toe b'one, part of the spine 1 , and two pointed bones. Mr Higgins's-property is swamp land, and is situated about a mile and a-half from the Omarunui! property on' which; moa bones were found last year. The -discovery was made in a' ditch at a depth of about six feet, and Mr Higgins is considering sending the bones to a museum. Similar discoveries have been made in this district from time to time, and add much to interesting geological evidence that ' this part of New Zealand has undergone, many changes.;- Geologists are able to show, that violent 'earthquakes raised and lowered this part of the country in prehistoric times, and discoveries such as that made by Mr Higgins give added proof that a great deal of swamp land in this district was formerly habitable, at least for animal life. Interest in New Zealand

Dr : -A. Rose-Innes,* who has returned to Nelson after a visit to Great, Britain, said that he found New Zealand affairs much more widely discussed at Home than had hitherto been'the case. Our efforts to meet the changed conditions brought about by the depression had: been examined by many observers, and the leading dailies and financial journals had more frequent comment on the measures taken by the New Zealand Government. New Zealand , produce was much better known now than was the case nine years ago. The advertising campaigns were doing much in this direction.

Looking to the Future “ I support the idea that the future of New Zealand lies in the land," said Mr T. C. List, governor of Rotary in New Zealand, speaking at; the jubilee banquet :of the Rangiora Borough School on Saturday evening. “But what are we doing in this Dominion to provide some aid for young . people who would goy bn to the land. We have to show those children that if they, go there they will not be following a blind alley. It is up to us to find a way of making provision for them, and I am not satisfied with what we are doing at present, either for young people or for the general' unemployed. We are too inclined to let things rest. Conditions are three times as bad in the United States as they are here, but they are doing something; they are tackling the problem, and will get somewhere. We, too, should find a way out and help people to get on to the land. New Zealand will not deny those who go forward in the fullest confidence that tho best is yet to be.”

New Zealand Airways, Ltd.’ New Zealand Airways, Ltd., Timaru, has just given delivery to Mr. Angus M'lntosh, of Invercargill, the ZK-AAD Moth aeroplane which crashed at Queenstown last Christmas. The machine has received a certificate of air worthiness from the Government aircraft inspector at Sockburn. It was then flown to both Wellington and Blenheim, where, it was inspected by representatives of the aero clubs. Very favourable comment has been passed on the excellence of the workmanship. New Zealand Airways, Ltd., has four complete rebuilds in hand at the present time, two on behalf of the Marlborough Aero Club, ZK-AAA and ZK-ABZ. The other two machines are ZK-AAY and ZK-ABC, from the Hawke’s Bay Aero Club,