Undertakers Remove Wrong Bodies

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22353, 29 August 1934, Page 8

Undertakers Remove Wrong Bodies

Reports have been current during the past few days (says a Press Association telegram) that: following the deaths, of two patients in the Wellington Hospital a mistake occurred,, with the result, that the undertakers removed the wrong bodies. The mistake was before burial. It is stated by the .hospital authorities that the occurrence is being inquired into with a view to avoiding the possibility of similar mistakes in future. ; . V A Famous Budget

In June, 1870, Mr Julius Vogel, as Colonial Treasurer, brought down the first of really famous Budgets and outlined a lavish programme of public works. Aiming at -the .abolition of -Provincial Councils, with whom the general Government had often clashed, and insisting upon equal ' treatment of both islands, Mr Vogel announced that his Administration proposed to provide £400,000 for a trunk road in the North Island (the South Island had good, roads arid, a railway, the North Island was deficient in both roads and railways), also £200,000 to create a landed estate for the North Island, £60,000 for telegraph extension, £50,000 for road districts, and £10,000,000 during 10 years for 1600 or 1600. miles ; of railways. The era of bold expenditure had dawned. There was some hostility and much adverse criticism; The Treasurer brushed objection aside. “We shall be told. that, these proposals will"' entail on posterity an. enormous, burden,” he said. “ Granted —but' they will give to posterity enormous means out of which to meet it.” ' “ Fertiliser of -the Englishmen ”

“ I have been attacked by some Canterbury men for my views about the wheat duties,” declared Mr D. M‘Douga.ll. (the member for Mataura) in 'the House of Representatives last night. “They seem to think' they can; ‘ poke borax ’ at the Scotsmen.' Canterbury, I understand, was an English , settlement. , I seem to remember that many years ago a contingent of Englishmen went to Scotland. They got such a reception at Bannockburn that they have not left it since,. I should like some of these Canterbury . men to see what beautiful wheat is being grown on the fertiliser of the Englishmen who ate buried there.”

j # ■ Missing Machine Gua It is reported from Auckland that detectives were engaged yesterday investigating the theft • of the Vickers machine gun at New . Lynn. It is thought .possible that the gun was removed to annoy the Defence Department, as, there lias been some hostility shown by a section of the people to drills and parades ot territorials held at the hall where the gun was stored. A . nearby creek and lagoon are to be dragged.

Community Singing - The weekly community sing will be held on Friday at 12.15 p.m. and will be a combined one for adults and children, fhe sing on Monday was such a. success that the committee has made arrangements for the children to attend again and for this reason the sing will be held in toe Town Hall. Portion of the downstairs seats will be ; reserved for adults, so that regular patrons will be catered for. ‘'Big Brother Bill” will be the leader, and he has arranged some surprise items; He will.be assisted by the aunts and uncles from Station 4YA, and the Maori children from Puketeraki, under the charge of Mrs Te Tau, sen., will again be heard in attractive numbers. , ' Mr-A-Pettitt.will be at the piano. Donations may be . sent to Bogg’s, the Strand Theatre, or the Town Hall. The collection will be in aid of the Mayor’s Unemployment Fund.

City Police Court ... • . . , At a sitting .of the City Police Court yesterday morning, before Mr .J. "R. Bartholomew, SAL, Robert Kirknesa, alias Jackson, was charged with breaking and' entering, by . day .at Poolburn {the dwelling bouse of Albert John Nicholson, and stealing jewellery :valued at £22; with ..the. theft at Poolburn of jewellery valued at £42, the property- of . Sarah Josephine O'Connor; ' with the theft at Poolburn of a set of' carvers valued at. £3, the property of William. John, O’Connor; with the. theft at Ashburton of a plumber’s blow, lamp and a' pipe spanner, valued at £1 ss, the property , of . Leonard Robert M'Nally; and- with the theft at Timaru. of a spirit lamp valued at £1 10s, the property of Louis JDdyrean... On the .application of \Chief Detective Yputig the accused was remanddd {until September 5. ■ ' ■ ■ ■ '■ ■ Pronunciation of- Ski y-.- ; ‘Vyy{>; ;,y Ah

A discussion on the: pronunciation "6£ the word ski occurred 'at the ohntial meeting of the Ruapehu/Ski. ( Glub,'he!d at The Chateau, The. secretary, Mr J; C. Rennie, read an opinion .from, Mr .HSelignan, editor of -the Ski Club of Great Britain’s publication, Ski Notes , and Queries,; in- which' it" was 1 stated : that the word should .be, pronounced '' l She." The word was borrowed bodily from, the Norwegian and should be pronounced as in Norway’.' If; one ! were to sbund the k, to' be logical;,tpe. word; must/be ; pronounfied ‘‘ sky/t' ~Mr B- Syhie said it was. absurd to cliihi that the Sirius.■ Pronunciation skee ” - Was authentic, , because' the sport-had befell-introduced even in Australia;, before /Switzerland./ resolution was - passed .'that- the club affirm' the correct pronunciation'of the word to be “she.” Moa’t Skull Found', • •/ /.:////■';

■ An interesting discovery was/mad* at Tangirrioaiia' (.Wellington) recently. When a moa’s, skull was' found, about 200 yards from a creek along the beach beyond., the settlement; -. The skull was not ' badly damaged, and had probably' been ..washed Put by high seas from where it. had’been buried! So far' as is known, this is .'the first moa. skull found in these parts, although footprints /arfe/to, rbb; seep in Tangimoana along the river shore' in the papa where the : moas ’stood; years ago. These -'prints have been preserved through being Covered-with drift sand. The sand is, now; ’‘disappearing ’ from- this, .part of the river flat through the washing,in Pf the river, leaving the papa exposed;: In many places the unmistakable footprint of 1 a moa may,be : distinctly Seen,;y Centenary Souvenir# * - - r -

. The . advance guard of Centenary veniig has arrived,' and' even now (says a Melbourne paper)- there..wPiild. be ample bpportupity.v’for the “ gon)plea.t^ w -' to equip himself, He,could dry.hisface on//a/ Centenary towel, appropriately coloured, and ■ bearing, the tag " Souvenir, Melbourne Centenary; 1834-1954. ' Grown spun, and woven' in', Australia.” - Wattle blpssom decorates/ the ; inscriptiont sHe could "make/ his notes with ,a lead pencil in ,» Centenary’ notebook, and[ then Smoke a/cigarette from' : a Centenary cigarette case. .He -could-..keep his tenary stamps in a Centenary container,' and, play, bridge with ■ Centenary cards -, while he scored on a Centenary scorer. Meanwhile he could cat any pn e of 30 or more varieties of chocolate; -taking, care not to displace his Centenary necktie. Later' he, could comb his hair with a Centenary comb. Not all the souVfenjts which have-appeared So'.filr bear the’ .official badge. • Ah official, in a shop 1 explained that the manufacturer had to pay £5 for the privilege of using the badge, on. each/distinct type .of article. Some Of f the articles bear, the coat of arms of Melbourne or Victoria. Some are simply- marked i; !' Centenary, ,15341934.” ; Many souvenirs have been made from Australian tovbbd, - some decorated With poker, work depicting * j Batman, Fawkner,' Lord Melbourne, native bears, lyrebirds, ' kookaburras, ■ and , kangaroos. There , are , wooden/-plaques, notebook covers, crumb trays, hearth brushes, serviette' rings; eggeups, paper knives, trinket cases, . teapot stands, ash tr.ays, boomerangs, inkstands, and hut bowls. One firm has already sold out one consignment of metal,,badges showing maps of Australia and aeroplanes in the Air race. .. .. -■.

Crime in America •.•“Crime in America, that is, ' serious crime, is being wiped out ■as surely as night follows day, and in a, few years the gangster will be a figure ~of the .past. With the. restoration of, liquor licenses the bootlegger has practically been eliminated,” said ; Lieijtehaut .. . Prink ~, W» Speers, of Los Angelea Police - Department, a passenger on the Monterey, w'bo passed through Auckland on Saturday on his Way home after spending.,a holiday in Australia. Lieutenant Speers said that while the police always waged war against l the criminal, he thought the •kidnapping of the Lindbergh,baby ropsed '.he Government to intense action against the gangsters and kidnapper element. “ Gangster ” squads were formed, by the police, the ears being fitted with, radio,- and from that time there had been waged a war between the police and the gangsters with little or no quarter shown when they clashed. “America presents a vastly different problem to, the police as coinpared with other countries,” he said. “There is the foreign, element to be encountered,.'and partiqularly is this so in New York and Chicago. . But the Police Department; is so. wqll . organised tb-day that though, the gangsters continue, their activities are decidedly cramped com ; pared with a, few years ago. The gangster- squad ' car's ; of: : the police' -are -all fitted' with radio, - and: at the first ‘sign ! of trouble. messages arc sent out from i the central- office to the cars. The ffiess-, ages are in code, each class of crime | being gi’ven a number, and certain, ears ■ are /.told off to'go to the ..scene,, We know exadtly whether ,dt is a ; ckse,;of burglary, •a: bold-upi .street scrap, ■or any-, thing else when we set but. Every,'member, of the; police carries 1 two ‘ guus’ -because when we clash with , the desperate criminal uo ..chalices ;are'to' be taken.”'

An 'advertisement.-'!*'this,,issue gives particulars of fares and train arrangeinents ni connection -with' the Otago HuAt Club race s at Wingattii on Saturday. ’ Particulars are advertised of a Railway excursion from Dunedin to Invercargill on Sunday .next. Flaying fair is worth more to a cua. trailer than a cut price. You get conscientious service and fair dealing always at Williamson’s, the Jewellers. —Advt. x '■} A. E. J. Blakeley and W. E. Bagiey, dentists, Bank. of. Australasia, corner of, Bond and Rattray Streets (nest Telegraph Office). Telephone 12-369.—Advt.