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Otago Daily Times, Issue 22713, 28 October 1935, Page 8

A Despicable Trick An unusually mean trick has been played on the children of the local unemployed. By false representation, some irresponsible person secured the insertion in the Daily Times on Saturday of an invitation, in the name of Mrs R. S. Black, to the children of the unemployed of any electorate to attend a party to-day. So obvious and so tactless an electioneering expedient was never considered by Mrs Black or her party, who regret very much that the children of the unemployed should have been so misled and disappointed. With that expression of regret we wish to associate ourselves. The Labour Representation Committee has requested us to state, on its part, that it also dissociates itself from the contemptible trick which some person, with a distorted sense of both decency and humour, has thought fit to play.

Cruiser Dunedin The cruiser Dunedin attracted a large number of visitors on Saturday afternoon, and again yesterday afternoon. The public will be admitted to the ship today from 2 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. A party of marines and sailors spent the week-end with members of the First Battalion of the Otago Regiment at the camp at Whare Flat. A very enjoyable dance was given by the ship’s company in the Town Hall Concert Chamber on Fiiday night, while on Friday afternoon the officers entertained a number of friends on board. The Dunedin was originally scheduled to leave port to-day, but on account of the holiday she will not sail until 4.30 p.m. tomorrow. Akaroa and Lyttelton will be the Dunedin’s next ports of call.

Labour Day Originally celebrating the adoption of the eight-hour day as the standard day’s work in New Zealand, and for many years a day of some political significance, Labour Day, which is held on the fourth Monday of October each year, is now taken very much for. granted, little thought being given to its origin. The Labour Day Act of 1899 directed the second Wednesday in October to he observed as a holiday—as Labour Day—and it was so observed until 1910, when the fourth Monday in October was ' substituted. Even before the official observance of Labour Day, events were held annually in various parts of the country in honour of the efforts of the late Mr S. D. Parnell to secure the eight-hour working day, the events consisting of sports, processions, and speeches. The popularity of the more spectacular side of these demonstrations gradually waned, and from the beginning of the Great War the political side of the day’s observance completely disappeared. Labour Day celebrations are now devoted to sports, picnics, and race meetings. Auckland Traffic Officers Officers of the Traffic Department of the Auckland City Council will be the envy of many men this summer, for they are to be attired (says our special correspondent) in light and airy khaki uniforms. In the past they have sweltered while on point duty like the average male, but during the hot spells to come they should be able to go about their duties in reasonable comfort. North Bound Express Delayed A hot box of one of the second class carriages was responsible tor the northbound express being delayed at Dunedin on Saturday. The defect was discovered when most of the passengers were on board, and these had to vacate their seats rather hurriedly. As the carriage was in the centre of the train, considerable time was lost in cutting it out and drawing to a branch track, the operation requiting a good deal of shunting. Several carriages were then added to the tiont of the train to accommodate the large number of travellers. The express, which consisted of 14 carriages and three vans, was despatched at 12.6 p.m. —31 minutes later than schedule. Farming in England That the land is better farmed in the North of England than in the south is the opinion of Mr J. 11. Rhodes, of Christchurch, who returned last week from a visit to Great Britain. “ I was very much diappointed with the appearance of farming land near London, most of which is badly farmed and infested with noxious weeds of every sort,, including ragwort and creeping thistle.*' said Mr Rhodes. “ The further north one goes the better the land appears to be farmed.” He added that this year there had been a very dry season in England, and losses from fires, particularly alongside railway bnes, had been considerable. Australian Aerodromes

The poor condition of the main Australian aerodromes compared with those in New Zealand was mentioned by Mr J. D. Power, New Plymouth, who has returned from a visit to Australia. “ The New Plymouth aerodrome at Bell Rock is immeasurably superior to those at Sydney and Melbourne,” he said. “ Our surface is far smoother and much better constructed. The surface of Mascot almost resembles a ploughed paddock compared with that at the New Plymouth air port.” The surface at Mascot was oo poor that the big Sydnev-Melbourne air service aeroplanes did not dare take off with a full load of petrol, said Mr Power, and all had to make a stop at Canberra to refuel. Mr Power had a flight in an aeroplane at Mascot, and before the landing the pilot warned him what to expect when the machine made contact with the ground. The Mascot field was large enough for any transtasman aeroplane to take off, but the surface made it impossible to do so with a full loud of petrol.

Reclamation at Napier Five pumping units for the draining of the 7500-acre block, otherwise known as the Ahuriri Lagoon, Napier, are to be built by Metropolitan Vickers, .the wellknown English firm (states the Hawke’s Bay Herald). It is expected that this plant will be on the site within six months. The contract for the units has been let by the Public Works Department, and its completion will mark the major step in the settling of this area, which was raised by the 1931 earthquake. Cloisters to Politics “ I am against the appointment of economic advisers to and by the Government,” said Sir Alexander Herdman at Meadowbank last week (says the Auckland Star), when he criticised the raising of the exchange rate., “ I have the greatest respect for university professors; I owe them much for their kindness and what they taught me years ago. But I hold this view: Take them from the cloisters of the university and dump them into the middle of political life, and their opinions will not be of much value. Had we acted on the advice of men like Sir Henry Buckleton, Mr A. D. Park, Mr Downie Stewart, and others, instead of professors with no political experience, the compact made at Ottawa would have been kept and the exchange would not have risen more than 11 per cent.” New Zealand Song Birds In the course of a lecture delivered in Lower Hutt last week, Mr Johannes Andersen drew attention to the essential difference between the songs of New Zealand birds and other birds. While other birds sounded certain notes, they never sang them in the same order. New Zealand birds, on the other hand, had definite themes which they always followed. Another distinctive trait of New Zealand birds was their morning choruses in which perhaps thousands of birds of different species joined in complete harmony. A peculiarity of the grev warbler was that in different districts, though it sang the same notes, it had a different theme for each district, so much so that a person aware of the fact could tell in what district he was by this bird’s song. Cleansing Vines of Pests A viticulturist from Auckland, who was in Wellington recently, said that a new and effective way of cleansing vines of pests is now practised with success in Auckland. Formerly, just before leafing the vines had to be scraped and painted with a disinfecting oil to make them reasonably clean of destructive insect life. Now' that tedious process had been superseded by using a jet of steam, which effectively “ cooked ” every living organism without injuring the vine itself. German Artificial Wool “New Zealand sheepfarmers have little to fear at present, at any rate, - from, wmolstra, the new German artificial wool,” said Mr J. W. Tattersfield on his return to Auckland from England on Wednesday (states the New Zealand Herald). Samples w r ere difficult to obtain and the makers were preserving a discreet silence as to production costs, which were believed to be greater than those of New Zealand crossbred wools. The substitute had all the bad qualities of artificial silk with none of the good manufacturing qualities of the natural crossbred wool. No Slums in City “It is not to the credit of a country like New Zealand that any of its people should be poorly housed,” said Mr A. S. Taylor, chairman of directors of the Christchurch Building and Land Society, when speaking at the annual meeting of the society last week. Mr Taylor added that although there were no slum areas in Christchurch there were what could be described as slum houses. The old and out-of-date house constituted a problem which would become more pressing as time went on. It was a problem that would have to be faced, not only by building societies, but also by the Government, municipal authorities, and all other bodies interested in housing. It could not be denied that many house properties had reached a stage of dilapidation which required drastic reconstruction or actual demolition in the near future. Legal Habit Checked The practice which has prevailed in the Supreme Court for a number of years of counsel repeating replies of witnesses to questions for the convenience of the judge’s associate, who has been typing evidence, w'as checked by Mr Justice Northcroft during the hearing of a collision case in Christchurch (says the StarSun). After Mr Thomas, appearing for the defendant, had repeated a witness’s reply his Honor asked counsel to desist. Mr Thomas explained that it was a practice which had grown up through witness’s replies not being audible to the associate. His Honor replied that if the replies were not audible to the associate they would not be audible to the jury, so witnesses would have to speak up. Several times later counsel found himself starting to continue the old practice from force of habit, but managed to pull himself up in time. “ The Anzac Spirit ” A tribute to a Christchurch air transport enterprise which is not without unintentional humour is paid in the English periodical, the Aeroplane. This paper publishes the following note, under the title “The Anzac Spirit”:—“On December 31 that sporting undertaking known as Air Travel (N.Z.)., Ltd., started the first regular and unsubsidised air mail in New Zealand. The service is flown between Hokitika, Haast, and Akarao, which are in South Westland. Hokitika, in fact is a few miles from Greymouth. The managing director and pilot is Mr J. C Mercer, who lives at Hokitika, and the secretary is Mr A. 0. Wilkinson, who inhabits Cathedral square, Christchurch. Both Hokitika and Akarao are tourist resorts in the Southern Alps, the highest peak of which is Mount Cook, and though there is a good deal of communication between them, there is no railway and the road service is slow.” the place “Akarao ” referred to is probably Okurji. There is no mystery about it. Williamson’s rings sell because they represent full value, and the designs are popular You get dependable service, too. 31 Prin ccs street. —Advt. See easy, see well, see Stunner ami Watson, Opticians, 2 Octagon, Dunedin.— Advt. A. IS. J. Blakeley and W E Bapley. dentists, Bank of Australasia, corner 01 Bond and Hattray streets (next Tele graph Office) Telephone 12-359.—Advt Who is Peter Dick? The leading firm tor optical and jewellery service. Peter Dick, jewellers and opticians. 490 Moray place. Dunedin —Advt.