Vice-Regal Visit to Dunedin

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22498, 16 February 1935, Page 12

Vice-Regal Visit to Dunedin

On February 26 their Excellencies will make their farewell visit to Dunedin. They will arrive from the south by the 11.20 a.m. express, and at the Town Hall in the evening they will be the guests at a function which the citizens generally will be invited to attend. In the course of the evening Lord Bledisloe will be presented, oh behalf’ of the city, with an address attractively bound in a folio of New Zealand ferns. A musical programme arranged by Dr V. E. Galway will be contributed. At the close of the function an opportunity will be afforded for representative citizens to bid farewell to Lord and Lady Bledisloe. Lord Bledisloe will then proceed to the evening session of the annual conference of the New Zealand ■ branch of the British Medical Association. Their Excellencies will leave for the north by the 8.40 express on the following morning.

Probates Granted . Mr Justice Kennedy has granted probate in the estates of Henry White, of Caversham, carpenter, and John Dickson, of Kuri Bush, farmer.

Fire Brigade Calls At 11.6 a.m. yesterday the South Dunedin and Green Island Fire Brigades extinguished a small fire at the residence of Mr F. G. Rankin, Neill street. Green Island. The fire was caused by painters burning paint off the outside wall of the house. There was very little damage. At 4.2 p.m. the City Fire Brigade extinguished a chimney fire at No. 2 Granville terrace. A Notable Sunflower

A few days ago there appeared in the Daily Times a paragraph regarding a sunflower plant, the stem of which grew to a height of seven feet and carried no fewer than 28 blooms. A claim that a resident of Blackstone Hill, Central Otago, has an even more remarkable specimen has now come to hand, the plant in this case having reached a height of seven feet 10 inches and carrying 37 blooms.

School*’ Summer Schedule Now that the very hot spell seenee I* have passed, it is felt that the health of the pupils will not be endangered by full-time lessons, and accordingly all Otago primary schools will revert to the usual schedule on Monday. In the case of individual country schools, it will be left to the discretion of head teachere and the committee to close' the school for a half day if the weather makes this course advisable. A Christchurch Press Association message states that all the primary sehools in Canterbury and Westland will also resume full-time teaching from Monday.

A University Problem "How can a place be found in the modern university system-for the student with a creative instinct? ” asked Dr if. P. Keppel (president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York) at the University Club luncheon yesterday. The question, he said, represented one of tne major problems of the present time in American universities. The university system as was constituted to-day was far more likely to kill such an instinct than to foster if. The difficulty, ever, was what could be done about the .small but very definite element the stream of humanity represented by such students. In America they were looking for a niche for such men instead of simply- expecting them to conform to the general pattern.

Prospector’s Lucky Escape A singularly fortunate escape from drowning was experienced last Sunday when a cloudburst occurred iu the gorge of the Sowburn Creek, about - two miles above Patearoa, and a prospector who was working at the lower end of the gorge was able to climb out to safety just as the wall of water reached the place where big sluice, boxes were situated. The deluge which followed ttie cloudburst’ washed a .large quantity of debrisi into the stream, and the volume of w r ater caused two dams to break,-with the result that in a very few moments there was a raging, torrent rushing through the gorge. , Considerable damage was done to ,tl» land on either side of the stream as, far down as the main road through Patearoa. • '

Extermination of Shags - “It should be ‘war against shags' throughout New Zealand,” said Mr C, A. Whitney at a meeting of the council' of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society on Tuesday. Mr 'Whitney stated that the shag was responsible' for much damage among small trout and other fish, and suggested that all acclimatisation societies should be requested to pursue the extermination of the ■ birds. The chair.- - man; . Mr F. E. M‘Kenzie, said shagshooting parties were, already accounting for large numbers of birds during-each 1 breeding season. ' Words of Praise

High praise for the newspapers of the Dominion was expressed by Mr J. M. Drew, Leader of the Legislative Council of Western Australia, to a Christchurch • Press reporter. He. said that they were not so compressed .as '. the Australian papers, and the, news was rhuch easier to read. The absence of prejudice was remarkable, and all through them he noted ) the calm argument and the effort do be :■ fair. 1 He was also very pleased with the type of people he had met in New Zealand. They appeared to be of a superior grade, and he had sometime* stopped stray persons to ask them questions just to judge their characters., He was very pleased with the whole atmosphere of the country. . .

Monowai Power Plant Mr A. A. Mac Gibbon, of Gore, a member of the Southland Electric Power Board, has forwarded to the Southland Times an article in which he suggests that the plant should be disposed of to the Government, and advocates an allround reduction'in the .charges for power. After outlining the history of the undertaking and setting forth the reasons for his proposals, Mr Mac Gibbon concludes: “Our l:greatest, need" at; present is in; creased power, and-1 favour dealing with the Government and getting rid of Mono? wan The position is a simple one, and all difficulties. should be .' easily overcome. The power is available;; why not take advantage of it? Monowai has never had any fascination for me,.and I believe we would be well rid of/it, but, of course, we want to be able to say to the ‘taxpayers that we have made a satisfactory deal. That can be! done without a doubt, but the board must hear all that is going on. Until we get more power we cannot extend our lines. 1 or reduce’our charges. Delays are dangerous, and , should bo avoided. People are willing to use more power, but must get a concession in price first, and as the people in Southland have already paid heavily for what they have got it is surely reasonable that the board should, without: delay, take such; steps as will increase our, capacity and, enabld us to reduce charges all round.”. Criticism of Matron '.-

Referring to dissension jn the Waihi Hospital Board at a meeting of the board on Tuesday evening, Mr C. Copestate said that reports of meetings had been broadcast - , from North; Cape to Bluff. The hospital had a very bad name, and consequently coyld not obtain a decent nurse; . If the matron, he said, • treated nurses better and showed more tact it would make, it easier for all concerned. These remarks followed the reading of-a letter- 9 from thd matron, Miss M. K. Stevenson, who referred to difficulties, in securing the services of a trained staff. 1 The more efficient nurses, she pointed out, were not available, 'and very few of those appointed' were capable of taking theatre work. Referring to the rather drab life of a nurse* the matron contended that social amenities were not extended to nurses by the public, and that their spare time was principally spent in the nurses’ home or at'the pictures. With a view to offering better inducement, she suggested the appointment of three staff nurses at a salary of £9O per annum. On the motion of the acting chairman (Mr A.-JI. Maunder)’it was decided.to receive the matron's letter and take no action. Archbishop Congratulated

A motion of congratulation to the Anglican archbishop on his long service ai Bishop of Auckland was passed with applause at a meeting of the Auckland Presbytery on Tuesday evening. The Rev. J. Comrie, who moved the motion* said the event was a' notable one in the history of a sister church, with which the Auckland Presbytery had been on friendly terms since the earliest days.. The motion expressed hearty congratulations to Archbishop Averill, adding that the presbytery rejoiced in the catholicity of spirit manifested by the archbishop and m the friendly relations between the two churches. The motion also paid a tribute to the archbishop’s work in the interests of Christianity and social amelioration. Scolded R. L. Stevenson

Mrs W. E. Clarke, the wife of one of R. L. Stevenson’s great missionary friends in Samoa, who once soundly scolded Stevenson for taking part in a paper chase on a Sunday, is still alive, living in London. She told him that he ought to ha ashamed 6f himself for setting so bad an example, hot only to the natives, but also to the young Germans and young Englishmen there. It is said that Stevenson meekly accepted his “dressing down,” and publicly admitted that he had done wrong. The story was told at a recent meeting o! the Robert Louis Stevenson Club in London, when a speaker was describing Stevenson’s early prejudice against missionaries that eventually turned to admiration and sympathy. Later Stevenson referred to them as “ the most useful citizens in the Pacific,” probably more because of their social and humanitarian efforts than their spiritual work. Mrs Clarke’s husband, he said, he esteemed and liked “ to the soles of his boots.” The meeting of the club sent, a letter of good wishes to Mr* Clarke.

Qrange* and Potatoes Mr W. E. Nicholson, a fruit grower •{ Sutherland, about 20 miles from Sydney, speaking to a Christchurch reporter, said that a very foolish situation existed between New Zealand and Australia, with the Dominion ' embargo on Australian citrus fruits and the Australian embargo on potatoes from New Zealand. To settle disputes of that nature, he said, it was necessary that potato growers and-citrus fruit growers should confer and not delegations from the respective Parliaments.’ At the beginning of December oranges were being sold in Sydney in halfcases containing between six dozen and six doien and a-half for 2s, delivered at the door. When the demand was fairly good a case of about . 150 oranges realised 1 5s. In New Zealand early in January cases containing between 170 and 180 were being sold by the merchants to the shopkeepers at about 345. It was an absurd position that potato growers in New Zealand were feeding last season’s crop to pigs, when supplies eoidd have been taken in New South Wales last August,

Japan’s Industrial Progress The remarkable progress in Japanese industry, in methods and in quality of production, was remarked on by Mr S. R. Norris, who returned to Auckland this week by the Marama from a three months’ business tour of China and Japan. Japan, he said, was manufacturing goods that were worth while buying from the point of view of-quality, but what the effect on world trade was going jto be was hard to say. As far as commerce was concerned, there was no unemployment in Japan, and factories wore working full time. From the Japanese point of view operatives were well paid. A girl in Japan might get 30s a month, and would'be better off than the English worker who received, say, £1 a week, it did not matter, from the Japanese point of view, that there was a disparity in the nominal amounts. What did matter was the buying power. Conditions were hot so bright in the farming community. In the region to the north of Tokio many of the . fanners were faced with starvation. The Government was giving aid, and voluntary subscriptions were being collected throughout the country. At present the Government was trying to launch a scheme whereby farmers in that particular area would he moved elsewhere. ■ ■ .

N*w Sloop Wellington The new Imperial convoy sloop H.M.S. ../Wellington, which left England early thil' month' to replace H.M.S. Laburnum on the New Zealand station, will reach • Wellington on May 13. Her ports of call on the voyage to New Zealand will be Gibraltar, Malta, Alexandria, Port Said, Aden, Colombo, Singapore, Batavia, Bali, Thursday Island, and Sydney. After leaving Sydney the sloop will call first at Wellington because she bears the name of. Wellington. H.M.S. Leith, which arrived at the end of last year to replace HM.S. Veronica, paid a visit to the Scottish port after which she is named before homing to ; New Zealand. It is 'customary for ' cities after Which vessels of thfc Royal Navy are named to present an engraved plate or some similar token '•"to' the ship. The sloop will be at Wellington from May. 13 to Slay 17, when she will leave for-Auckland. Like, the Leith, the Wellington is an oil burner, -and i» also similar to the other, vessel ' in tonnage, length,’ and armament.' The Wellington was built at Devonport, England, and was launched oh Slay 29 last year, in the presence of the High Commissioner for New Zealand, Sir James Parr. - i

Particualrs of train arrangements in -. connection with the Dunedin races at Wingatui to-day and the Gore races on February 20 and 21 appear in our advertising columns. • ■ ■ Particulars of a railway excursion to Invercargill on February 24 are advertised in-this issue.- :• The Railways Department advertises in ■ this , issuer particulars' of motor trips to, . the -Milford -Boundl road, .Eglinton Valley,. -i;*nd^,Lakes -Te • Anau ; and Manapouri, v ‘being, arranged »n Similar lines to those recently conducted by the City Corporation. The Dunedin ; Starr-Bowkett Building Society will hold a meeting • on- Wednee- . day night to dispose of £ISOO by sale. The monthly concert and dance of the Dunedin Burns Club will be held in the Early Settlers’ Hall on Wednesday evening. ; . ■Portobello Railway Ferry's Time Table altered. See front page of this issue.— Advt; ■ f •A, Frank Anderson, Dental Surgeon, Princes; streetjL.Dunedin, will visit Waipiata and Patearoa on Thursday, February 14; Ranfurly, Friday, February 15. ' —Advt. .. . . -■ Are you engaged? We are; in making the’good rings that ate favourably known throughout' the Dominion. First cost price* at Williamsons,/ Princes street. — Advt., - ,■' --iv■ ■ v-, ■ G, W. , Suhdstrum, Dentist, Dunedin, will visit Waipiata, Naseby, Ranfurly on Monday, February 25, and Oturehua .and Palmerston Tuesday, February 26, 1935. —Advt. ■ . Donald Stuart, Limited, Slate Merchants, Experts in Asphaltic and Bituminous Applications, including Rock Asphaltes,. Sheet Aspbaltes, Bituminous Felts, Bitumens, Bitumen Paint, Bitumen Compounds, Cork Insulation, 82 Bond street.—Advt.

A. J; J. Blakeley and W. E. Bagley dentists, Bank of Australasia, corner of Bond and Rattray streets (next Tele- , graph Office) . Telephone 12-359. —Advt. ' . Eye troubles are progressive troubles, and lead to other troubles. 'To relieve present troubles and prevent future troubles see the Optician, W. V. Stumer (2 Octagon, Dunedin), and have your eyes tested and effective lenses supplied. —Advt.