Overseas Mail

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22831, 16 March 1936, Page 8

Overseas Mail

The Monowai left Sydney at 5 p.m. on Friday for Auckland with 10 hags of Australian mail for Dunedin. The mail is due at the local office on Wednesday afternoon.

Fire Brigade Calls A chimney fire in George street was dealt with by the City Fire Brigade at 8.30 a.m. on Saturday. A second call was received at 4.9 p.m. yesterday to a bush fire in Regent road, Cosy Dell. No damage was done.

Capsize in Harbour The 14-foot yacht Rada, sailed by Harold Latimer, who had with him as crew Allen M'Lean and Hugh Foster, capsized off Waverley Point in a hard south-west puff early yesterday afternoon. There were no other boats in the vicinity, but the plight of the young yachtsmen were seen by Mr C. J. Nelson, the caretaker at the boat harbour, who immediately put out in a launch, picked up the youths and towed the>' submerged yacht back to the boat harbour. None of the occupants of the boat was injured, and apart from the chill of the immersion, suffered no ill effects. .

City Police Court At the City Police Court on Saturday morning, before Mr 11. W. Bundle, S.M., a first offender for drunkenness was fined 10s and costs (10s), in default 24 hours imprisonment. Noel John Hagarty, a labourer, aged 33 years, pleaded guilty to charges of drunkenness and of having procured liquor during the of a prohibition order. When asked if he had anything to say, he stated that he had given two pints of blood for a blood transfusion a few days previously. He was convicted and discharged on the first charge and a fine of 20s was imposed on the second charge, the magistrate warning the accused that he w-as liable to be sent to Roto Roa Island.

Sunday Excursions The railway excursions to Dunedin from Invercargill and Timaru "esterday were patronised by a large number, of people, a total of over 1050 arriving in this city by the two trains from the south and one from the north. The Invercargill trains brought 360 and 246 excursionists respectively, and the Timaru train carried 450 passengers. The day was fine and the trains ran to correct schedule, without any untoward occurrence to mar the success of the trips. Kingston-Queenstown Highway

The official opening of the KingstonQueenstown road has now been fixed for April 4. On that day the road will be opened for ears travelling from Queenstown to Kingston up till noon, and the highway will then be closed to all traffic until 1.30 p.m. A ribbon at the Kingston end will be cut, and the cars will form a procession to Queenstown, where the oflicial opening ceremony will be conducted by the Minister of Public Works (Mr R. Semple) at 3 p.m. A banquet celebrating the occasion will be held in Queenstown in the evening.

Early Snow on Egmont A heavy mantle of snow completely changed the appearance of Mount Kgmont at the beginning ot last week. Ihe mountain had a summery aspect on Sunday, but on Monday morning the blue had changed to white down to bush level in what is considered by an old resident of New Plymouth- as almost a record fall for this time of the year.

Maori Stone Adze i A relic of the early Maori days in the Fcilding district has been unearthed on the farm of Mr W. R. Hills, at Makino. On an area which Mr Hills had often ploughed he found a stone adze, it was in perfect condition, possessing a smooth finish to a keen edge and was an excellent representation of Maori workmanship.

Joke Against Minister The Minister of Mines (Mr P. C. Webb), who has spoken strongly of “ comic opera ” mining methods, was surprised at Thames last week to find that he is the holder of a mining claim at Thames on which these methods have been employed. This property, known as the Relief Claim, was taken up by the Thames Prospecting Association and was later transferred to the Minister of Mines, who holds it in the name of the King, so that it could be used in connection with unemployment relief. The Minister enjoyed this joke at his expense. Hospital Administration Block

The Otago Hospital Board proposes to hold an official opening of the new administration block at the Dunedin Hospital on Monday next. This building is replacing part of the old administration block, portion of which has been removed, and the balance will be demolished at an early date to make room for the new corridors and lecture .theatre. The old building was originally an exhibition building and its association is historical. The boaj’d regrets that on account of limited accommodation only those who have been officially invited to be present can be admitted to the opening function, but ample opportunity will be given later on for an/ citizens who may be interested io inspect the building and its equipment. The usual visiting to the Hospital on this day will be suspended, except to those on the seriously or dangerously ill list, and it is hoped that the public will respect the board's desire in this matter.

Destroying White Butterflies A competition established among school children by the Whangarei Horticultural Society for the collection of white butterflies ‘has resulted in very satisfactory numbers of these pests being destroyed. Two children have each handed in 7000, three others 5000, and numerous others between 1000 and 2000. Tlie president, Mr C. V. Stringer, said that the presentation of prizes for the children by business people and other residents had doue much to encourage the children, and the society was sparing no pains in its effort to keep down the number of butterflies. Value of Marksmanship

“While we all hope and pray that the British nation will never have to make war on another civilised nation again, we cannot delude ourselves into the belief that an emergency might not arise,” said the Governor-General, Lord Galway, at the presentation of prizes after the national rifle meeting at Trentham. “We are living in extremely difficult tomes, and although New ZealanVl is at the far end of the world from troubled Europe, all New Zealanders ax - e following with interest the news sent to them at present. We hope and pray,” said his Excellency, “ that wisdom will be given to the statesmen who are now studying the European problems. We hope they will be able to disperse the dark clouds that are hanging over Europe. In thesp difficult times it is essential that we should be prepared, and an accurate knowledge of rifle shooting is a great asset to any country.” Stage Artists in Demand

The demand for theatrical talent at present exceeds the supply, according ■to Sir Benjamin Fuller, who arrived at Wellington last week from Australia. Sir Benjamin said that there were definite indications of a theatrical revival in Australia and New Zealand, and that there was plenty of opportunity for gifted artists. There was no doubt, he said, that the stage could not rival the popularity of the kinema screen; the talkies were here to stay. But there was always a demand for “ flesh-and-blood ” shows incorporating originality and novelty. ' The modern theatre-going public was no longer content with the old-time formulae of solos, duets, and high-kicking ballets. It wanted to see real talent. A letter from his London agent, said Sir Benjamin, indicated that there, too, the search for clever stage artists was a full-time task. He, himself, considered that Australian talent was just as good as imported.

Smokeless Furnace There is an invention operating in various parts of New Zealand which not only saves one quarter of the fuel bill but also almost entirely eliminates the smoke nuisance. The system has been invented, by a New Zealander, and the product is manufactured in the Dominion. The secret of this system’s success is correct firing. A screw conveyor carries the coal slack from the bunkers and ensures that there is no handling. The coal is discharged into vertical shafts, or guns, above the furnace. The mouths of these guns protrude into the furnace, and when the coal stream leaves the guns it strikes a spreader which converts it into a fine spray. This ensures perfect coverage of the furnace bars. These bars are corrugated and air is forced from below and causes perfect combustion. This means practically the total elimination of smoke and, besides the saving in fuel, there is no necessity for a fireman.

Better Outlook for Miner* The Minister of Mines (Mr P. C. Webb) referred at Waihi last week to the interest that miners had in the prosperity of the industry. Actually the miners were shareholders because all they got out of the industry was represented in their properties. The desire of the Government was to maintain harmony between the men and the companies. “ The companies have had trials and tribulations in the past, but now they will have the sympathetic support of the Government,” said the Minister. “We want the men and the companies to get closer together. If the companies want to get offside with the Government they will try to victimise a few men. The Government will not tolerate any form of victimisation, and if there is any victimisation the companies can expect 100 per cent, hostility from the Government.” , -

Power Wires and Aviation “ There is no doubt the power wares are a menace, and that their removal, in the interests of safety, is necessary,” wrote the Minister of Public Works (Mr R. Semple) in a letter received by the Hamilton Borough Council respecting an application made some months ago that pow'er wires which pass the western side of the Waikato airport at Rukuhia should be removed. The wires were Controlled by the Public Works Department. The Minister stated that it must be recognised by now that the aerodrome was a local responsibility, and that,’ had it not been for the initiative and generosity of a local citizen, Mr C. B. Smith, Hamilton would not now be provided with the very fine aerodrome it possessed. Mr Semple added that the Government had offered to find £3OO of the cost of removing the wires, provided the council contributed £165. Mr Semple said he considered the Government's offer was a very reasonable one, and he asked if the council would pay the £165 mentioned. Concluding, the Minister pointed out that until (he wires had been removed the aerodrome was not likely to receive a licence for commercial use by regular air services. The letter was referred to a committee for consideration.

The drawing of the Leap Year Art Union will begin at 6 p.m. to-day at the Masonic Hall, The Terrace, Wellinirton. Now, isn’t that fine? My ring dame from Williamson’s, the ring specialists, where the good rings are made. Princes street, opposite the Savoy.—Advt. Rye Strain—For Eye Comfort, for better vision, consult Stunner and Watson. Ltd.. Opticians. 2 Octason, Dunedin.—Advt.

A. E. J. Blakeley and W. E. Bagley, dentists, Bank of Australasia, corner or Bond and Rattray streets (next Telegraph Office) Telephone 12-3S9.—Advt. Those who are requiring an Engagement Ring will do well to inspect our stock. Peter Dick. Jewellers and Opticians 488'Moray place. Dunedin.—Advt.

M iss Martha Boswell, elder of the Boswell sisters. United States radio and l inema stars, was recently married to Major George Lawrence Lloyd, who served in the R.A.F. during Hie world war, and is now manager of a New York insurance firm.