Overseas Mail

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22100, 2 November 1933, Page 8

Overseas Mail

The mails which, left Wellington on October 3 per the Makura, via San Francisco, reached London on October 31. Self-denial Appeal

The Street Day at Christchurch on behalf of self-denial resulted in a sum of £340 being collected, an increase of £2O over last year.

Visit of Cruiser Diomede The cruiser Diomede, which is making a short visit to Dunedin, will be open to the public this afternoon and also tomorrow between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Yesterday morning Captain C. M. Graham, officer commanding the Diomede, returned official calls, visiting the Mayor (the Rev. E. T. Cox) and the chairman of the Harbour Board (Mr H. C. Campbell). At His Majesty’s Theatre last night the cruiser's concert party gave a variety entertainment in aid of the Mayor’s appeal for the children’s Christmas treat.

Probate Granted Mr Justice Kennedy has granted probate in the following estates: —John Francis Andrews, of Tahakopa, farmer; Edward Holmes, of Brighton, retired hotelkeeper; Arthur Gethin Creagh, of Oamaru, solicitor; Florence Lydia Muir, of Dunedin; Emma Whittlestone, of Abbotsford; John Quinn, of Oamaru, retired farmer; Thomas Logan, of Otama, farmer; Mary Sillars Wilson, of Makarewa; Helen Russell, of Gore. Letters of administration have been granted in the estate of Donald Cargill, of Dunedin, accountant. Dominion and Depression “ Englishmen and Australians ' seem less depressed by the depression than New Zealanders,” said Mr C. F; Cotter, of Christchurch, on Tuesday, on his return from a tour abroad. “ They have not ‘ got right down to it ’ in the same way, and they seem to have ■ more confidence and optimism in working to makethings better. New Zealand is depressed by the outlook of the people on their troubles. Australia is busy and confident, and Britain is enjoying much brighter times —factories are busy, and the people are getting back to employment.”

Burnside Stock Sales

In a yarding of- 224 fat cattle at the Burnside sales yesterday there was an excellent selection of prime medium ox beef, with a smaller proportion 1 of extra heavy bullocks than usual, and a short supply of cows and heifers. The market opened with values showing a reduction of 10s to 15s per head on last week’s rates, but halfway through the sale the drop was fully recovered, light primes selling particularly well. Best bullocks made to £l7 7s 6d, medium £7 10s to £9 10s, light £5 10s to £7. Best heifers and young cows made to £7 12s 6d, - medium £5 to £6 10s, others £4 to £5. A large proportion of shorn sheep was included in the yarding of 1500, with more ewes than usual. The demand was better, the opening prices showing a rise of Is and Is 6d per head for all classes. With minor fluctuations, the advance was steadily maintained until the conclusion of the sale. Best woolly wethers made to 34s 6d, medium 27s 6d to 30s, light 22 s to 255. Shorn wethers made to 25s 9d, medium 19s to 225, light 16s to 18s. Prime woolly ewes sold to 27s 3d, medium 20s to 245, light 15s to 19s. Another excellent yarding of 160 lambs was offered. The quality was good throughout, and the opening values were equal to those obtained at the previous sale, but halfway through prices dropped Is per head. The sale, however, finished strongly at an improvement on the opening rates. Best lambs made to 265, prime 21s to 245, light and medium 17s to 20s. In the store cattle section a larger yarding than usual was penned, *

the total offering comprising 215 head. Graziers did not operate so' keenly, and slightly reduced prices had to be accepted. Good conditioned three and four-year-old steers solfi to £6 12s 6d, well-bred two-year-olds to £3 14s, 'boner cows 20s to 345, and graziers’ cows 37s 6d to £3. . An entry of 40 dairy cows met with an average market, £6 being the best price obtained. Fat pigs, which numbered 133, were in excess of requirements, and in consequence lower prices had to be accepted. Best ba'eoners Siade to £2 12s, and good quality bacon ms from 35s to 395. The store pig market again attracted a large number of buyers, and last week’s unchanged values were fully maintained. A Foolish Act

A young woman, publication of whose name was prohibited, appeared before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., in the City Police Court yesterday, and pleaded guilty to having stolen a purse containing 2s 6d and a tube of lipstick valued at 2s 6d. Chief Detective Young explained that on the evening of September 30 the accused attended a dance hall in the city, where she was introduced to the complainant. During the evening the complainant got up to dance, leaving her handbag on a seat next to accused. While the dance was in progress the accused left, ‘and on the complainant examining her handbag she found the articles mentioned in the charge to be missing. The purse was later found in another hall, and when it [was discovered that the accused had also visited this dance she wag interviewed, and admitted the offence. Mr C. M. Barnett, who appeared for,the defence, said that the accused had hitherto borne a good character, and suggested that the matter might be held over her head to give her an opportunity to rehabilitate herself. Characterising the accused’s action as foolish, and one arising out of sudden impulse, the magistrate adjourned the cage for six. months., A man, whose name was ordered to be suppressed, also appeared before the court and was charged with breaking a pane of glass in a neighbour’s Ihouse. On the application of Senior Sergeant Mac Lean, who stated that the defendant had been suffering from hallucinations and had been acting very peculiarly of late, the man wag remanded for a week for medical observation. ' • '

Psychic Phenomena and Crime; , At the rally of the Spiritualist Church of New Zealand held in the Scots Hall at Auckland on Sunday, - the ;chairman '

(Brother John Hughes) asserted, on the authority of a London doctor who was in Auckland last week, that Scotland Yard retained the services of a -number of spiritualistic mediums in connection with the tracing of crime. This, said the speaker, was a further tribute - to the value of modern scientific psychic phenomena in the realm of human progress.

Bluff-Stewart Island Shipping Service

The Bluff Harbour Board Empowering Bill, which it is understood simply proposes to give the board the right to subsidise the shipping service between Bluff and Stewart Island, will be introduced in the House of Representatives to-day (says our parliamentary reporter) if the opportunity is given for the introduction of private members’ Bills. Mr P. A', de la Perrelle gave notice, yesterday afternoon of his intention to introduce the Bill. ' /

Community Singing • - Another “ Community Sing ” is to be held to-morrow, ft has been organised by the Central Mission to augment their funds to provide Christmas. cheer for needy children, and it will be held in the Octagon Hall. The Rev. Leslie B. Neale will be associated with Mr W. E. Sinclair in the leading, and Miss Rita Holmes will be at the piano. Mr Frank Cowley will assist the singing at the organ, in addition to contributing a solo. Supplementing the usual 'bright chorus singing, Miss Gwenda Burt will be heard in vocal solos. The National Reel Party (Misses May Wilson, Lorna Budge, Olive Scott, and Maisie Scott) will give dances, and Miss Winnie Todd will be seen in the solo dance “Ship, Ahoy!" The men on leave from the Diomede will be specially welcome.

A Minister’s Bequests The estate of the Rev. I>. D. Rodger, Presbyterian minister, of Auckland, who died on .September 30, has been sworn for probate at under £2500. The testator, by his will, leaves three £IOO debentures in the Presbyterian Girls’ College to be held upon trust for the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand for the purposes of the home missions, foreign missions, the Maori missions, the New Hebrides mission, the beneficiary fund, and the Presbyterian Social Service at Auckland. All are to participate in equal shares. The sum ,of £SO is bequeathed to the Auckland Centre of the St. John Ambulance Association, and a like amount to the Auckland Hospital Board and the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, for the purposes off the Women’s Beneficiary Fund. The bequests are to be paid out of the -income from a 1 mortgage.

Canadian Prairie Chickens Efforts were, made over' 50 years ago to introduce to New Zealand the Canadian prairie chicken, but success did not attend the venture. That was the reason why the Otago Acclimatisation Society, at its last meeting,' decided not to make another attempt. Mr G. M. .Thomson, in his book “The Naturalisation of Animals and Plants in New Zealand,” has the following notes under the heading “ Prairie Hen —“ The Canterbury Society imported 17 (out of 28 captured) in 1879 from Topeka (Kansas), and turned them out near Mount Thomas. In 1880 it was reported that ‘the prairie chickens which were obtained last year have not' been seen or heard of for some time.’ But in 1885 we read: ‘About a dozen of the prairie hens, imported four years ago, have been seen on a farm af North Loburn, in fine plumage and apparently good condition.’ This is the last record of them. The Auckland Society introduced 20 of the birds in 1881. In the following year, out of a very large number shipped at San Francisco, about 40 more were received. Half of these were sent to Otago, and (it is said) the remainder were stolen. I cannot find any report of their liberation in Otago. But neither in the north nor in the south did the species succeed in establishing itself.” • *

Excursions to Invercargill For the benefit of those who wish to attend the band contest at Invercargill on Saturday and return on the same day, the Railways Department has arranged to run excursion trains, which will allow passengers to have a comparatively full day in the southern city. Leaving Dunedin at 6.38 a.m., the down train is scheduled to stop at the principal intermediate stations and arrive at Invercargill at 11 o’clock, the return train being timed to leave at 11.30 p.m. and reach Dunedin at 4 o’clock on Sunday morning. Two excursion trains will run to Invercargill on Sunday. The first will leave at 7.20 a.m., and will make only three stops ■ —at Caversham to pick up passengers and at Milton and Clinton for refreshments. It is timed to reach Invercargill at 11.20, while the other, which will leave Dunedin at 7.30 a.m., will stop at intermediate stations, and will arrive at Invercargill St mid-day.' The return trains will leave at 5.30 and 5.50 p.m., arriving at 9.28 and 10.12 respectively. Suburban Railway Fares

" At last night’s meeting of the Mosgiel Borough Council the Mayor (Mr A. F. Quelch) referred to railway fares between Mosgiel and Dunedin. Endeavours had been made, he said, to encourage people to live in Mosgiel, but the railway fares, being higher than in other centres of population, acted in the opposite direction. A quicker service was advocated by Cr Frew, and at the close of the discussion it was decided to ask the General Committee to take the matter up .and see if any improvement could be obtained.

New Zealand’s Only Marathon The, only full-length Marathon Race that has ever been run in New Zealand was conducted by the Wellington Centre of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic and Cycling Association, according to a statement made by Mr J. W. Heenan at the annual meeting of the Wellington Centre on Monday night. Mr Heenan said that the race took place in November, 1909, from the Basin Reserve to Mason’s Gardens at .Taita and back. The winner, a man named Thompson, of the Audit Office, covered the distance in two hours 58 minutes. In support of his contention that such races did no harm, Mr Heenan remarked that the competitors In that Marathan had only a couple of months’ training, and yet all were still alive and flourishing. A One-man Defence

How lor four months he comprised the whole of the local naval defence of the Dominion is a story told with some measure of humour by Captain J. R Middleton, R.N., D. 5.0.. director of naval reserves in New Zealand, who will shortly retire from the position. During his final visit of inspection to the Canterbury Division of the reserve on Monday night, Captain Middleton told the story, remarking that it referred to that period some eight years ago, during which the preliminary work of formation was being carried out by him and he was the only member of the reserve. Although Captain Middleton is naturally sorry at leaving a position which, has practically earned him ■ the title of the “ father of the R.N.V.R.,” he is thoroughly pleased with the success of the reserve, and pays a great tribute to the co-operation of the officerr. and men, particularly to the manner in which he had received the ungrudging support of the officers, After his inspection of the Canterbury Division he texpressed the view that it was one of the\most efficient and impressive parades he had seen during his whole stay in New , Zealand.

When in doubt about your roof ring Donald Stuart, Ltd., and put off roofing worries for years.—Advt. A. E. J. Blakeley and W. E. Bagley, dentists, Bank of Australasia, corner of Bond and Rattray streets (next Telegraph Office). Telephone 12-359. —Advt. , Note our new address for Electrical Goods, Repairs, and Fishing Tackle is 36 George street. —Barth Electrical Supplies, Ltd.—Adit. Save your eyes. Be wise, and consult W. V. Sturmer, optician (2 Octagon), thus conserving good vision for old age.— Advt. i