Mails by Mariposa

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23330, 23 October 1937, Page 12

Mails by Mariposa

The Mariposa, which is due at Auckland on Friday next, has 232 bags of English and American mail for Dunedin. The mail should reach the local office on the morning of November 1. Dunedin-Invercargill Air Service A statement that there was no reasonable possibility of an air service from Invercargill. to Dunedin being established before the summer of 1938 was made in a letter from the Minister of Defence (Mr F. Jones) to a meeting of the Southland f-' -jcs League. It was stated by members that two new aerodromes, one at Invercargill and one at Gore, were nearly finished and it was decided, to ask the Minister to investigate the possibility of a call being made at Gore. The Minister stated that an application for a licence -for the route had been held up at the request of the applicant, pending completion of negotiations with the Government about the mail contract, and, in , any case, it would not be possible for aircraft of the proposed type to operate from the Myross Bush aerodrome in its present condition. “It appears likely, therefore, that a service over this route will not be possible until the new Invercargill aerodrome- is open.” the letter stated. Mr Semple and Mr Bodkin The episode In the House of Representatives on Wednesday night between Mr Semple and Mr Bodkin was a topic of general conversation in Alexandra next day. The facts of the case and the parties concerned are known to many residents of the town and 'the opinion was generally expressed (a correspondent writes) that had Mr Semple received a more reliable report he would have remained discreetly silent, as the history of the case, as known in Alexandra, certainly redounds to the credit of Mr Bodkin. .

New Maternity Hospital The Minister of Health (Mr P. Fraser) will officially open the Queen Mary Maternity Hospital at 2.30 p.m. on November 8, and patients will be received at the institution on November 10. The Hospital Committee of the Otago Hospital Board has authorised the Joint Relations Hospital Committee to report on the medical staffing of the hospital and the question of resident students, and arrangements have been made to take over the bookings at the present St. -Helens Hospital.

St. Clair Children's Playground The necessary working plans for the reconstruction of the children's play- ] ground at St. Clair along the lines sug- . gested by the Dunedin Amenities' Society and the St. Clair Improvement Association have been received from • the city engineer (states the report of the Tramways Committee of the City Council). The plans have been approved, and the city engineer has been instructed to proceed with the work, with a view to having the; same com- / pleted by the middle of December next. Application for a special subsidy of £4 per week-from the Department of Labour has been made, and it is anticipated that the work will provide employment for 11 men for a period of eight weeks.

Middlemarch Water Supply After a considerable lapse of time, the proposal to supply Middlemarch with water was again discussed by the Taieri County Council at its meeting yesterday. A letter was received from the local officer of health (Dr T. M'Kibbin) stating that the time for giving effect to such a scheme seemed particularly appropriate, as the Railway Department had been interested in the possibility of arranging a joint scheme. He stated that it appeared that the cost of such a joint scheme to the Middlemarch ratepayers would be about £2OOO. Cr Howell, the member for the riding, remarked that since the previous discussion the attitude of the residents, which had been favourable to a water supply scheme, might have changed, especially as electricity was to be brought into the district and involved the householders in financial guarantees. It was decided that the chairman (Mr J. A. Gow), Cr F. Howell and the clerk (Mr John Logan) should meet the local Water Committee on Wednesday and explain the position to the members, so that they could am* certain the feeling of the ratepayers.

Road Race Banned After seeking legal advice on the subject, the Taieri.County Council decided at its meeting at Mosgiel yester* day to refuse the application of the Taieri Pipe Band to hold a 100-mile motor cycle road race in the Maunga« tua district. Councillors expressed ths opinion that the council did not have the power to close the required roads for a period of about four hours as was requested and that the possibilities of the council becoming Involved i* claims for damages or other litigatioa arising out of the race were too wide.

Community Singing

The community sing held in the Strand Theatre yesterday was the final ene for the Mayor's Relief Fund, and the support accorded it by the public was as generous as ever, the attendince being large and the singing enthusiastic. Mr A. Walmsley's appearance on the stage was appreciated fully, and his numbers, "McGregor's Gathering" and "Pretty Little Creature," were well received. Mr J. H. Hamburg's item, "Harbour Lights," proved particularly popular. The collection totalled £2l, including a donation of £5 8s 6d from the staff of the Dunedin Railway Station for the Mayoress' Christmas Cheer Fund. A Christmas cake, sent from Timaru by a supporter, realised 12s 6d by auction. The leader was Mr H, P. Desmoulins, and the accompanist was Mr A. Pettitt.

Services Recognised Signal service to the Otago Hospital Board is to be recognised in the naming of the various departments of the Queen Mary Maternity Hospital," which is to be officially opened on November 8 by the Minister of Health (Mr P. Fraser). To perpetuate the name of Dr F. C. Batchelor, who was responsible for the establishment of the Batchelor Maternity Hospital in Forth street and for,many years was honorary gynaecologist at Dunedin Hospital, the Hospital Commute of the board has decided that the ante-natal clinic shall be named Batchelor Ward. The theatre block is to be named after Dr F. R. Riley, who also, over a long period, acted in an honorary capacity as gynaecologist at the Hospital. One of the two four-bed wards is to bear the name of Miss R. M. Every, matron of Batchelor Hospital, and the other is to be known as "St. Helens "Ward. Honour is to be paid to a former chairman of the board by naming one of the three-bed wards after Mr W. E. S. Knight, and the other will be known as the "Ritchie" Ward to mark the service given to the board by Dr Russell Ritchie, the honorary visiting obstetrician. " Only the Bait"

A wartime incident in Cairo in which New Zealand troops were closely concerned was recalled for the amusement of members of the Canterbury Employers' Association at their annual meeting this week by Sir William Hunt. Sir William Hunt remarked that he was told of this incident during a recent trip by air to Great Britain. Rivalry between Australian and New Zealand troops had come to a head in a street riot in Cairo, and orders had been issued that troops were not to go to Cairo except in parties of at least six. An officer making the rounds to see that the order was being obeyed found a solitary soldier leaning against a wall in one of the back streets of the city. "Don't you know," said the officer, "that you should not be here by yourself? " " Oh, that's all right," was the reply; " I'm only the bait. The rest of my pals are waiting just round the corner." Minister Congratulated

The opinion that the wheatgrowers as a whole should thank the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr D. G. Sullivan) for fixing the price of wheat at 5s 9d a bushel f.o.b. was expressed by Mr L. V. Talbot, convener of the South Canterbury Electoral Committee of United Wheatgrowers. Mr Talbot said that as district convener he was satisfied, taking the position' right through, that the growers had every reason to be satisfied with the price. Taking a broad view of the position, he felt that the Minister was to be congratulated on his efforts on behalf of the industry. Accordingly, he had telegraphed the Minister as follows: "South Canterbury wheatgrowers appreciate your efforts on behalf of the wheat industry and will assist you in every possible way."

Totalisator Permit Sought

A petition urging Parliament to inquire whether it would be in the best interests of the people if totalisator facilities were allowed at whippet race meetings is being circulated for signature in Southland. The petitioners are the president and other members of the National Whippet Racing Association of New Zealand. They state that the sport has flourished and established itself firmly in New Zealand and feel that the time is opportune for the carrying out of certain improvements with a view to still further encouraging the sport. They mention facilities granted similar associations in Britain, South Africa, and Australia.

German Trade Treaty Approved

Approval of the agreement entered into by the Government for exchange of commodities between New Zealand and Germany was expressed by the Wellington Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday night, several speakers saying that the agreement had been the subject of ill-informed criticism. Mr M. G. C. McCaul said he felt that the Government should receive a word of commendation for its action. "Since the Treaty of Versailles there has been a disastrous tendency towards economic nationalism," he said. "We cannot hope to raise the standard of living unless free play is allowed for trade so that each country may produce those articles it is best adapted to produce and so have a world market. Unless we have a large measure of freedom of trade the benefits of the world cannot be distributed. There has been a great deal of ill-informed criticism of this treaty. I have gone into the newspaper comments and have noticed people in all sorts of commercial positions have condemned the treaty, but in only one case have they given chapter snd verse." Protest Against Petrol Tax

A novel scheme which motorists' associations in parts of Australia were exploiting, as a protest against what they regarded as an excessive tax on petrol, was mentioned by an Australian business man (Mr S. A. Willmott), who is visiting Christchurch. Mr Willmott said that motorists' associations had approached owners of service stations throughout the country and had induced many of them to mark placards with the price at which they wereselling petrol. Next to their price, the figures of the tax were added so that motorists would have it brought home to them that they were paying about as much in tax as in the landed value of the petrol. The retail price in Australia, he added, was about the same as in New Zealand.

Ancient Maori Relic Believed to be 100 years old, a Maori canoe has been recovered from a farm near the foot of Mount Egmont and placed in the New Plymouth Museum. The canoe was discovered by Miss C. A. Douglas in the Inglewood district only about a mile and a-half from the radius line of the Egmont National Park. It had been doing duly as a water-trough in the cow yard of a Dudley road settler. The canoe, hewn from a totara log, is about 25 feet long The intention of the builders was apparently to float the canoe from a point near Dudley road down the Ngatoro Stream, taking advantage, no doubt, of a flood, as far as its junction with the Maunganui, and thence to the Waitara River, where it would be used for fishing. Had the canoe been floated successfully to the Waitara River, this would have been a remarkable feat. The stump of the totara from which the canoe was hewn is also preserved, and there are indications that fire was used to fell the tree. The settler in whose yard the canoe was found felt himself amply recompensed by its replacement with a concrete trough.

Sporting Instincts "The sporting instincts of New Zealanders are Just as high as ever they were and as commendable as any in the world," said Mr N. R. Bain (president of the Wanganui Lawn Tennis Association) at the annual meeting, when expressing his disagreement with views expressed on the behaviour of crowds at the recent Rugby tescs. "I have seen sporting contests in many countries, England, Australia, America," Mr Bain added, "and on the spur of the moment people have applauded a mistake by a player like Suzanne Lenglen. It has been done purely on the spur of the moment, but that does not mean that the Englishman is not a sportsman."

" Ballyhoo " in Sydney "Sydney generally is an awful example of the worst forms 'of highpressure salesmanship, cheap advertising methods, and what we Americans call ' ballyhoo '—business method." which the average American views in his own country with considerable distaste," said Professor F. W. Hart, an American authority on education, who passed through Auckland on Monday by the Monterey for America. Mrs Hart, who is travelling with her husband, agreed with his statement. "Apparently, there still are a number of people in Sydney who persist in the belief that gold bricks may still be sold to the foolish," was her contribution. She said she and other Americans who attended the New Education Fellowship conference in various Australian States were convinced that Sydney was rapidly admitting the type of American influence that sometimes made American citizens ashamed.

Claims of Southland The opinion that Southland should advance its claims as a terminal for the proposed transtasman air service was expressed by Mr A. S. Russell at a meeting of the Southland Progress League at Gore on Thursday night. Mr Russell stated that Southland was "at the tail of New Zealand and should wag its tail effectively. He said there was an advantage in shorter distances from the various parts of Australia to Southland. "The distance from Melbourne to Bluff is 1212 miles which is 438 miles shorter than the distance from Melbourne to Auckland and 283 miles shorter than to Wellington," he stated. "The distance from Sydney to Bluff is 1707 miles, being 194 miles shorter than to Auckland and 131 miles shorter than to Wellington The route between Melbourne, Hobart, and Bluff covers 1400 miles, and this is 250 miles shorter than the distance to Auckland and 95 miles shorter than the distance to Wellington." It was decided that the attention of the Minister of Defence (Mr F. Jones) should be drawn to the suitability of the landing places available and the shorter distances involved.

" International " Dancing "One of my most amusing experiences occurred when I was adjudicating at a national festival," said Mr Felix Demery, examiner for the Royal Academy of Dancing, who is at present visiting Dunedin, during an interview with a Daily Times representative last night. "A girl came on to the stage to perform in a national dance section, but it was really more international in character. Except that she did not wear clogs, she was dressed in a Dutch costume and danced to an English air played by the bagpipes."

A Dangerous Bridge The Automobile Association (Otago) has received advice that the Public Works Department is making an immediate start with the work of widening the "Dog Kennel" bridge, about seven miles north of Glenavy. The bridge, which is at present very narrow, is a dangerous one and has been the scene of several accidents in the past few years. Peace Literature in Schools

"This peace business has gone too far. We must not let these peace people contaminate our children," declared Mr W. A. Banks at a meeting of the Canterbury Education Board yesterday. Mr Banks was moving a resolution (says a Press Association telegram from Christchurch) seeking to rescind the previous decision of the board allowing the World Peace League to distribute its literature to the schools in the Canterbury district. After an hour's heated discussion Mr Banks's motion was lost, five members voting for it and six against it. The league may now distribute its literature subject to the approval of the school committees.

Members and friends of the Caledonian Society of Otago are invited to attend the Moray Place Congregational Church on Sunday night at 6.30 p.m., in celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary. Particulars are advertised.

The Railways Department is running a popular day excursion from Dunedin to Timaru on Sunday, October 31. Particulars of the trains and the special cheap fares are advertised in this issue. Seats may be reserved for both journeys for Is. The Otago Labour Day Association is holding its annual railway excursion, picnic and sports' gathering at Mosgiel on Labour Day. There will be a " bicycle hike " from Calder Mackay's, 180 Rattray street, to the sports at Mosgiel. Particulars are advertised.

Dr D. G. M'Millan, M.P., who has been closely associated with the Minister of Health (Mr P. Fraser) during the framing of the National Health Insurance legislation, has been given permission to address a public meeting in the Town Hall Concert Chamber next Thursday night to give electors some idea of how the scheme is to be carried into effect.

Mr G. W. Sellars, New Zealand's professional parachutist, will visit Dunedin on Sunday when he will make two parachute descents at the North Taieri Aerodrome during the afternoon. Ths only previous visit of Mr Sellars to Dunedin was in June when he made two jumps before a large crowd at the North Taieri Aerodrome. Form E.P. 179 A, declaration of income, for the eight weeks ending October 30, 1937. and form E.P. 32 (sixmonthly form) will be due on Monday, November 1, and must be completed and returned personally to the Employment Bureau by all men on scheme No. 5 not later than November 5. Forms must be signed at the bureau and each man must produce his levy book with the completed form. Any man who fails to hand in his form by the above date will be deleted from his group and will not be restarted until he has been regrouped by the Employment Bureau.

The Pacific Starr-BowkoH Buildine Society, on October 26, at 8 p.m., will dispose of £IOOO by sale in groups 5, 6, and 7, and £IOOO by ballot in group 8.

A. Frank Anderson will visit Waipiata and Patearoa, Thursday, Nov. 18: Ranfurly. Friday Nov. 19; Omakau and Oturehua, Monday, Nov. 22.—Advt. The fishing season has opened with excellent prospects. Rivers are all in good order, and trout plentiful. Angler? must have proper tackle. Barth Electric, Ltd., have large, up-to-date stocks well displayed. Inspection invited Prices almost unchanged. Catalogue? still available.—Advt...

Eye Strain.—For eye comfort or better vision consult Sturmer and Watson Ltd., opticians 2 Octagon. Dunedin.Advt.

A. E. J. Blakeley and W. E. Bagley dentists, Bank of Australasia, corner 61 Bond and Rattray streets (next Telegraph Office) Telephone 12-359 Advt.