Overseas Mail

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22823, 6 March 1936, Page 6

Overseas Mail

The Mariposa left Sydney on Wednesday for Auckland with 43 bags of. Australian mail and three parcel receptacle!? for Dunedin, also the London air mail despatch of February 17. The mail in due at the local office on Tuesday afternoon. The mails which left Dunedin on February 1 via Vancouver reached London on Wednesday last. Rates of Pay for Jurors A Gazette issued last night (says a Press Association telegram from Wellington) fixes the following rates of pay for common jurors attending any civil or criminal sitting or coroner's inquest:— For attendance exceeding three hours on any one day, 10s 6d; less than three hours, ss; special jurors, for the first day £1 and each day thereafter 10s.

Cook Strait Airways In the first two months of its service to February 29 the Cook Strait Airways (says a Press Association telegram from Nelson) travelled approximately 50,00(1 miles. The machines have flown Over Cook Strait 500 times and carried 202(1 passengers.

Swordfish and Tigers Swordfishing in New Zealand and tiger hunting in Indo-China are two ways of spending a holiday that have been selected by Mr William H. Phelps, art American merchant' from Caracas, Venezuela, who arrived at Auckland by .the Akaroa on Saturday. Mr Phelps, who lived in Venezuela for nearly 40 years, first discovered that New Zealand provided splendid sport for the big-game fisherman by reading Zane Grey's book on the subject. He is going to the Bay of Islands first, and inA'nds to remain in the Dominion for a month. Discussing conditions in Venezuela, Mr Phelps said there had been some rioting after tlie death of General Gomez, who had ruled the country as a dictator, but there had been no real trouble, and everything was now normal. Congress would meet in April to elect a permanent President. Mainly through the oil industry, Venezuela had no debts and very little taxation, added Mr Phelps. There was no income tax or real estate tax, and n» foreign domestic debts. The major oil companies had large interests in the country, but they played no part in its control.

Milford Track The Milford track, which usually closes for the season at the end of March, will remain open until April 16. There haa been a considerable increase in the number of tourists using the track this year, and they have all spoken highly of- the accommodation provided. Otago Congratulated On the motion of the chairman (Mr ft. W. M'Villy), the Council of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association decided on Tuesday night to write a letter to the Otago Centre congratulating it on the manner in which the New Zealand championships had been conducted.

The Claims of Youth The need for giving younger men a'n opportunity to take up responsible positions in scientific research work was emphasised by Dr 0. H. Frankel at a meeting of the Philosophical Institute m Christchurch on Wednesday night. In his address he referred to the method of promotion in Russia, which was by merit and not by a slow process of advance through seniority. His opinion was supported by Dr R. S. Allan and Professor E. Percival. Dr Frankel added that advance was often cramped by the dominance of boards controlling scientific work, which did not allow younger men to advance rapidly.

According to Luke "A certain man made a great supper and he bade many. . . . And they all

with one consent began to make excuse." This familiar parable in the Gospel of St. Luke had its counterpart at a local body meeting at Palmerston North. All were agreed that there should be an inspection of certain works, but wfien it came to fix a date members were full of excuses. Said one: "I*have a carpenter coming and must be there with him." Said a second: "I have 100 tons of ensilage yet to stack." Said a third: " I have barley to thresh, fences to repair, and trees to clear away." Said a fourth: " I have a lot of cows to milk," and the others looked at him aghast. As if cows should be allowed to interfere with public duties! In the end there were halfhearted promises to be there, but when the actual time conies it is the chairman's belief that there will be no need for him to search the highways and byways as did the servant of the parable. Autumn Flower Show

The gay colours of the cut blooms and the excellence of the decorative work attracted large attendances to the Pioneer Hall yesterday afternoon and last night, when the autumn show of the Dunedin Horticultural Society was concluded. The dahlias were particularly outstanding and seldom has such a fine display been exhibited in Dunedin. A very high standard prevailed in the vegetable sections, and in the opinion of the' judge (Mr •James Nelson), the display generally was the best ever shown in Dunedin. A gratifying feature of the show was the large uuinber of exhibitors who entered into competition for the first time at a society's show.

Exhibition of Lithographs Students and lovers of art in Dunedin continue to find a good deal to interest them in the loan collection of lithographs from the Senefelder Club, London, which is at present on display at the Art Gallery, Logan Park. The exhibition embodies a particularly comprehensive selection of early and-contemporary works by some of the world's most noted artists,, and, in addition, provides an excellent' opportunity to study the technique employed in this interesting branch of graphic art. Comprising 72 prints, in which a wide variety of styles in both colour and black and white printing is exemplified, the collection shows the excellent crai'tmanship that can be reproduced by this method.

Titania's Palace for Wellington Titania J s Palace, the exhibition of which has probably raised more money for charity than the exhibition of any other piece of craft or handiwork, will be in Wellington from March 11 onwards. This fairy palace took many yeai-s to construct, and is a work of amazing beauty and skill. For the last 12 years or more it has been touring the world and has been instrumental in raising over £50,000 for crippled children's funds. The Mew Zealand visit of the palace follows aft Australian one, and across the Tasman the palace created such interest that its journey to this country was deferred for some months.

Salary-sharing Keen appreciation of the New Zealand Labour Government's policy of sharing salaries with its party members in Parliament has been expressed and recorded in Australia. The secretary of the Paddingten (Sydney) branch of the Australian Labour Party has written to the Prime Minister (Mr Savage) expressing satisfaction at the example set by th* New Zealand Government in pooling parliamentary salaries, and congratulating tli9 Government on its plan.

Fishermen See " Mermaid " Four New Plymouth fishermen can claim the unusual experience of having seen a "mermaid." True, it did not look much like the mermaid of fable, with flowing locks, seductive voice and destructive designs on mariners, but science, for want of a better explanation for the origin of the mermaid of fable, says that the creature seen by the fishermen •was the origin of it. The creature which surprised the fishermen was a dugong, a species not previously recorded as having visited Taranaki waters, and one described by the encyclopaedia as " an order at once peculiar and primitive. The encounter took place off White Cliffs, about four miles from the shore. The fishermen, a party on the launch Campbell, made no attempt to molest the unusual visitor, while the dugong, on its part, obviously did not care who or what the fishermen were.

Ambulance Work in New Zealand "The work being performed in the Dominion by the association and brigade of the Order of St. John is beyond praise," said Colonel J. L. Sleeman, chief commissioner of the St. John Amublaiice Brigade Overseas, commenting on the eight weeks' tour of New Zealand, which he has just completed. " I am delighted to find that it is appreciated by both the municipalities, general public, and the press, as a general rule, for it is only then that officient ambulance first-aid and transport can be,obtained. While I have found efficiency almost everywhere I have been, in this connection there is still considerable room for expansion, for grave emergency will call for far more ambulance men and women than we possess to-day," said Colonel Sleeman. "The times we live in, with their pathetic wealth of motor accidents, demand that a countryside be scattered with men and women, boys and girls, with a proper knowledge of first aid, and with means at hand to carry the wretched victims of this craze for excitement and speed to the nearest hospital. The number of accidents is steadily mounting, and the St. John Ambulance Brigade now .has; to deal with some 500,000 cases a year," Colonel Sleeman added. "This work is performed by men and women of the St. John Amublance Brigade, who give their services entirely free and who spend' all their spare time in such humanitarian work —a fact which, I regret to say, ia not always recognised by those who depend upon them for help in their hour of extreme need."

Eye Strain—For Eye Comfort/ for better vision, consult Sturmer awd 'Watson, Ltd., Opticians. 2 Octagon,. Dunedin.—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. Those who are requiring an Engagement Ring will do well to inspect our stock. Peter Dick, Jewellers and Opticians. 488 Moray place, Dunedia.-— .Advt.