Overseas Mail

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23222, 21 June 1937, Page 8

Overseas Mail

The air mail despatched from Dunedin on May 28 reached London on Thursday last. The Maunganui left Sydney on Friday last with 45 bags of mail and 27 parcel receptacles for Dunedin. The mail includes the London air of June 2 and 5. The air mail should come to hand at 1.30 p.m. on Tuesday next, and the remainder of the mail the same afternoon.

Hardy Swimmers Eight Spartans lined up on the starting board at the Te Aro Baths on Saturday morning (states a Press Association message from Wellington) to compete in the annual Davenport Cup Race conducted by the Early Mbrning Winter Swimming Club. A keen southerly wind was blowing, and the temperature of the water was 49 degrees. The race was over a distance of 50 yards, and was won from scratch by Mr S. M. King.

An Unexpected Thrill An unexpected thrill—not a mere make-believe of the screen —was given a fairly large audience at the Peerless Theatre, St. Heliers Bay, Auckland, on Friday night, when the spool of a film about to be screened ignited, bringing the picture programme to an abrupt end. The outbreak was short-lived, and the damage confined to the film and a portion of the projection machine. Fire Brigade Calls

An outbreak of fire in a bedroom in a three-storeyed boarding house at 112 Moray place, occupied by Mrs I. Fraser, was extinguished by the City Fire Brigade at 11.20 a.m. on Saturday, the damage being confined to a bed and some bedding. A second call, a justifiable false alarm to Douglas street, St. Kilda, was answered by the South Dunedin brigade at 6.30 p.m. A malicious false alarm was received from the corner of Somerville and Every streets at 9.23 p.m. and at 12.45 a.m. yesterday a call of a similar nature was received from the Kaikorai Valley road.

Art Society's Exhibition The Otago Art Society's Winter Sketch Exhibition at the Pioneer Hall is attracting a good deal of interest, and may be cordially recommended to the attention of the public. It provides working members v#th an opportunity of showing and comparing their work of which they aVe glad to avail themselves, and is instructive as an index to the direction in which local effort in the pictorial field is tending, and to the progress achieved. It cannot be said that there is much straying from the paths of conventionality and tradition. This should mean that the fundamentals in artistic expression are largely the preoccupation of working members of the society. In an exhibition of this kind, as would be expected, a large proportion of it is made up of representations of scenes of local and provincial interest. In addition to the very large showing of work in oils, water colqur, and black and white, there is a leavening of craft exhibits which is worthy of attention. Prevention —Not Cure

"We are gradually developing, gradually going into a kind of groove, where our minds are continually dwelling on disease," declared the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr W. E. Parry), addressing an Auckland sport conference last week on the objectives of the proposed National Council of Sport. Hundreds of thousands of pounds, he said, were being spent on hospitals. He urged his hearers to join with him in creating an organisation that would help to bring into existence a state of health which would do much to prevent people from becoming ill. He was anxious that young men and women should know something about their own make-up; the more they understood their own bodies the more would they be able to realise the benefits of physical education.

Catholic Centenary Celebrations Headed by his Excellency the Apostolic Delegate, Archbishop Panico, a strong Australian delegation will arrive at Auckland for the New Zealand Catholic Centenary celebrations on the morning of Saturday, February 26 next, the day before the official programme opens (states the Zealandia). Within the last few days, it is added, arrangements have been completed for an alteration in the schedule of the motor ship Wanganella to allow of her leaving Sydney on Tuesday, February 22, so as to arrive immediately before the beginning of the centenary- It is anticipated that large numbers of Australian 'Catholics, including prelates and priests, will travel on the Wanganella. It is pointed out that accommodation in Auckland during Centenary Week will be at a premium, and for that reason bookings should be made immediately. Tourists from Singapore

As a potential source of supply for tourists to visit New Zealand. Singapore, the city where East meets West, may have possibilities. That at least is the opinion of Mr H. J. Butcher, a member of the Council of the Automobile Association (Auckland), who is travelling by an air route to England. At a meeting of the council last week a letter was received from Mr Butcher stating that while in Singapore he had met the chairman of the Singapore branch of the Automobile Association of Malaya (Mr R. W. S. Drummond). who asked him for information concerning the main routes through New Zealand, and the attractions of a tour by motor car.

Keeping Warm The problem of how to keep warm out of doors lias been satisfactorily solved by one inhabitant of Dunedin, a member of a notorious comfortloving family, but, unfortunately, the solution is not one which is likely to become widely popular since it consists of sitting on the warm radiator of a parked car. This method has been discovered by a large grey cat which has been seen in Cumberland street, in fine but cold weather, comfortably perched on a car bonnet and taking a keen interest in the activities of the neighbourhood.

Poverty Bay Oranges Prospects for the coming citrus fruit reason in Poverty Bay are regarded as exceedingly bright. Inquiries made recently showed that the present crops are heavier than any in the past. Sweet oranges are just coming into full bearing in the larger orchards, and in the face of that, with favourable conditions from now on, a better quality of fruit will no doubt be picked, as the older the tree becomes the fruit gets sweeter and takes on a thinner rind. The fact that trees in this district are expected to yield bigger crops during the coming season will not, it is believed, have any definite effect upon the market. " Unsanding " the Sphinx

Sand has been removed over an area of two square miles at the foot of the Sphinx, and now the paws, 30 feet in height, are to be seen, according to Dr B. W. Pearcy, who returned to Christchurch on Wednesday last, after a 10 months' trip abroad (states the Star-Sun). Dr Pearcy added that people' who had visited Egypt some years ago would not recognise the Sphinx now, such was the amount of work that had been done. During the digging operations a temple had been revealed, and several new tombs had been discovered. Indeed, so great was the total of the finds that a new museum was to be built in Cairo. One of the most interesting of the new tombs was that of the mother of Cheops, which went in 200 feet under the big pyramid.

Safety-first Knowledge A novel method of spreading safetyfirst propaganda was proposed by the touring manager (Mr R. E. Champtaloup) at a meeting of the council of the Automobile Association (Auckland) last week. It was suggested that members should be supplied, free of cost, with Bridge and mah jongs scorers, with an appropriate safetyfirst slogan or excerpt from the highway code on each sheet. The plan was referred to the Service Committee.

Chinese Art Exhibition The loan exhibition of Chinese art which is at present housed in the Otago Museum attracted an unusuaily large number of visitors during the week-end, and yesterday it was estimated that the exhibits were viewed by fully 400 persons. On Wednesday evening last, the exhibition was visited by 50 members of the Chinese community in Dunedin. Boiler-makers on Loan

The friendly co-operation of the manager of the Hillside Railway Workshops prevented what might have proved to be an inconvenient delay for the Federal Steamship Company's big liner Tongariro. The ship was due at Port Chalmers for boiler repairs, but no boiler-makers were available at the Port or in Dunedin. The placement officer at Dunedin was appealed to, and he arranged with the manager of the Workshops for the loan of four competent men, whose services were required for five days. The vessel was thus enabled to maintain her loading schedule at Gisborne, Opua (near Russell) and Auckland. Such helpful action as this is specifically provided for by the machinery clauses of the State Placement Service.

Defence of Orakau

The Te Awamutu Historical Society is keenly interested in a project for a talking picture based on the epic defence of Orakau in the closing stages of the Waikato War in the sixties of last century. Some 12 years ago the story was produced as a silent film under the title of "Rewi's Last Stand," the filming taking place near Rotorua, with Maoris in that locality prominent throughout the picture. If present plans are carried out, the new talkie version will be filmed near Te Awamutu. The hastily-constructed earthworks where Rewi Maniopoto and his gallant band made their historic defence are located about six miles from Te Awamutu. Placement Services

It will be recalled that in February last Mr Hyland (Victoria) closely examined the operation of the New Zealand State Placement Service, and presumably reported the result to his Government, which later arranged for the Minister of Labour (accompanied by the officer in charge of the Sustenance Department) to make a special journey to the Dominion for the purpose of exhaustively ■ examining the system inaugurated here. Melbourne exchanges report that according to official announcements by the acting Premier and the Minister of Labour, Victoria will definitely establish a service " almost identical with that now operating successfully in New Zealand," and that orders for the necessary' forms have been placed. Particulars of the difference between the two plans are not yet available, but it is believed in official circles that it will be confined to only small matters of detail.

" Dangerous " Traction Engine Under a regulation still on the Statute Book the traction engine remains a dangerous vehicle. This point was mentioned by Mr J. H. Luxford, S.M., in the course of an address to the Faculty of Insurance in Wellington last week. "Some present to-night," said Mr Luxford, "do not remember the days when our highways knew not the smell of petrol, the days when the only mechanical vehicle that passed along them was the traction engine, now regarded as the most innocuous vehicle of all—until you happen to hit one. Yet we still have that amusing regulation on the Statute Book which makes the driver of a traction engine liable to a substantial penalty if the engine is not accompanied by at least two other men, one in front and one behind, to warn the riders and drivers of horses and vehicles of the proximity of the engine, and to assist them past it in safety. I wonder how popular the look-out man would be who stopped the driver of a modern car and asked to be allowed to assist him past? " Railway Hoardings

The Railways Department, it was stated at a meeting of the Wellington Beautifying Society, believes that all its hoardings are oil paintings at least, but the society does not, and so it proposes to carry its representations further. At the annual meeting of the society hoardings were mentioned, and the Railways Department was named as the chief offender. The general manager of the department (Mr G. H. Mackley) had taken the remarks to heart and had suggested that the best course would be for the society to wait upon the Minister of Railways and other Ministers concerned. The Railways Department was anxious to meet the society, but could not cease erecting hoardings while private enterprise—the main offenders —continued to do so, but the department was quite prepared to have certain roads classed as scenic roads, .upon which no hoardings should be creeled.

Newspapers and the Farmer A remit that all meetings of the Farmers' Union be held in committee met with little support at the annual conference of North Taranaki branches of the New Zealand Farmers' Union at Inglewood. The remit was sponsored by the Toko branch. It stated that criticism of the newspapers was not intended. Sometimes, however, things did get into the papers prematurely. Again, sometimes a matter got publicity at one meeting, while another meeting which expressed opposing views was not reported. The general reply was that the publicity given by the newspapers was invaluable. It served to keep members who did not attend meetings in touch with the workings of the union.