Gift to Presbyterian Church

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23463, 30 March 1938, Page 8

Gift to Presbyterian Church

An announcement that a contribution of £3OOO in instalments of £IOOO a year for three years had been made by an Auckland resident to the Presbyterian Centenary Thanksgiving Fund was made by Mr S. J. Harbutt at a large meeting in St. James Church, Pukekohe, last night. The meeting was under the auspices of the South Auckland Presbytery (says a Press Association telegram) and was called to discuss the campaign to raise £300,000 as a fund to commemorate the centenary of the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand in 1940. “ Medical Socialism ” “ The doctors are to be the next industry to be socialised,’ remarked Mr S. G. Holland. M.P., in a political address in Christchurch, when attacking the Government for its interference with private enterprise. “Each doctor will have so many persons on a panel, and if you want another doctor you will have to pay so much mileage. If you happen to have an appendix for which you have no further use and your doctor is not particularly good at that job it will be just too bad,” went on Mr Holland. “There is a consolation, though. He will be under written contract to the Government, and therefore will be bound to give it a go.” (Laughter.)

Creches In Church One of the details which ha* Impressed Mrs Julia Shelhamer, who Is at present visiting Dunedin with her husband, the Rev. E. E. Shelhamer, the American evaneglist, is that young mothers in Australia and New Zealand do not bring their babies to church with them. The Daily Times reporter to whom she made this remark yesterday morning thought that this was rather a curious wish for a platform speaker to voice until he was informed that, in many churches in the United States, there are creches attached where the infants are given every attention while their mothers attend the service. In the larger churches, she said, check tickets are handed out, and, if a baby becomes too fractious to be controlled by the attendant, its number is displayed in the quarter of the church where the mothers have reserved seating accommodation, and the parent goes to the rescue. Not so Much Starch “ New Zealanders are very like the English, but with the starch left out,” said Father Owen Dudley, a noted English lecturer on religious, social, and moral problems, who is at present in Wellington, in an interview. Though he had been in the Dominion only since the beginning of February, he said he had become greatly attached to the country, of which he had seen a good deal while on his tour, and one of his main impressions was that the people themselves, whether Catholics dr not, were quite unprejudiced so far as religions were concerned. Exhibitions in United States The Government had been presented with a difficult problem as regards the Golden Gate Exposition at San Francisco in that it was one of two similar exhibitions taking place in the one country, said Mr R. H. Nimmp at the last meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. The Government had been committed to support the New York exhibition, but the San Francisco one would be equally as important to New Zealand, and any expenditure in that direction would be justified. The Eglinton Valley Road With the exception of the men actually working on the job, there can be few in New Zealand who have a better knowledge of the Eglinton Valley road construction than Miss Frances Barnett, of Christchurch, who, for the past five years has been in the habit of spending a few weeks in that region each season. She is a keen walker and spends most of her time in making trips to various points along the road and the adjacent valleys. She is a familiar figure to the workmen and officials, and, in appreciation of her interest in the operations, a bridge in the Homer section, with a picturesque outlook, is to be named the “Frances Barnett bridge.” She has also been favoured with special privileges, and on her last visit, from which she has just returned, she was allowed for a minute or two to use one of the electrical compressors drilling in the Homer Tunnel. To a Daily Times reporter yesterday she remarked that the tunnel had now been drilled for 1100 feet and that work' on the portal was also being carried out. Other changes she noticed were the size of the married men’s camp at Cascade, where there is also increased accommodation available for visitors, and the progress on the Marian road. She also remarked that much more of the work was being done under contracts than had been the case in the early years of construction, and the tunnelling was among the sections so affected. “ Disease-minded New Zealanders ” "We in New Zealand are diseaseminded when we should be healthminded,” said Mr C. S. Falconer, seer retary of the Commandery in New Zealand of the Order of St. John, at the annual meeting of the Canterbury and West Coast Centre of the St. John Ambulance Association. “We spend money putting up large and expensive hospitals, but not on the promotion of health. We have more doctors in proportion to population than any other part of the world, and we also have a larger proportion of mental cases.” No Disturbanc® A meeting addressed in Christchurch on Monday night by Mr S. G. Holland, M.P., was one of the quietest in recent weeks—certainly the quietest addressed by a speaker or speakers of the National Party. The hall was not large enough to accommodate the many who wished to hear Mr Holland (says the Press), and an overflow meeting of some 50 persons outside the hall heard his address by loudspeaker. There were no more than two interjections in the whole of Mr Holland’s speech of nearly two hours. Loud and prolonged applause greeted his confident claim that electors were flocking to the National cause from North Cape to -Bluff, and that a decisive swing from Labour to National would be seen at the next election. Liquor in Tourist Hostel* The opinion that hostels at tourist resorts should be licensed to sell liquor was expressed by the Minister of Public Works (Mr R. Semple), when the case of the Weheka Hostel was presented to him by Mr M. Sullivan and a deputation of Weheka residents. Mr J. O’Brien, M.P., said that provision for licences for hostels could be made by an amendment to the Tourist Act. as no Government appeared to be willing to tackle the question of licensing reform. Mr Semple said he considered that Weheka, and all places which catered for tourists, should be licensed. “Only four Bills—national health, superannuation, education, and transport—will probably be introduced during the final session, and then we will go to the country,” Mr Semple said, in reply to the suggestion that the Tourist Act might be amended. He would, however, discuss the request with Mr Langstone. Blood Transfusion Machine The first of its kind in the world, a portable blood transfusion apparatus, has been brought to New Zealand by Mr Garth Williams, a. New Zealander, who arrived at Auckland by the Tamaroa on Sunday after spending 12 years in practice as a surgeon in London. It is expected that the apparatus, which is a notable advance on that generally used, will excite considerable interest among New Zealand medical men. The apparatus was specially designed by Mr Victor Riddell, F.R.C.S., as a result of his experience of the disadvantages of the present apparatus for blood transfusions. “This apparatus,” said Mr Williams, “has been designed to do away with the difficulties faced in ordinary transfusions. What in the past has been an extremely complicated procedure is, by the use of this machine, rendered relatively simple, as all the clumsy features of the old apparatus have been eliminated.” “A Curse on the Road ” “Motor cyclists are a curse on the road when they are sober, let alone when they, are drunk.” said Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M., in convicting an apprentice motor mechanic, aged 19, who pleaded guilty in the Police Court at Auckland to a charge of being intoxicated in charge of a motor cycle. After hearing the evidence, the magistrate said the accused would have to walk to work for three months, during which time his licence would be cancelled. He was also fined £lO, in default one month’s imprisonment. "You are being let off pretty lightly,” the magistrate added.

Tram Company’s Intention* “Absurd ” was the description applied by the chairman of directors of the Dunedin and Kaikorai Tram Company, Ltd. (Mr A. Sligo) yesterday to a statement with respect to the company's plans made by Cr Batchelor at the meeting of the City Council on Monday night. Cr Batchelor stated that he had been informed by a shareholder that the company intended to pull up the rails before its deed of delegation expired and thus place the council in a quandary. Mr Sligo pointed out that the deed compelled the company to continue its service until the expiry date, and that it was liable for a substantial monetary penalty for each day on which it failed to run its trams. In the circumstances it was absurd to suggest that the company might follow any such course asi that to which Cr Batchelor had referred. Loan Art Exhibition Large attendances continue to view each day the loan art collection now being displayed at the Logan Park Art Gallery. Yesterday morning over 200 school children visited the exhibition. and they displayed keen interest in the famous masterpieces from the National and Tate Galleries. In the afternoon a short lecture on the exhibition was given by Mr Gordon Dovey, of the Dunedin Art School, and this was followed with marked attention. Visits will. be paid the exhibition each morning this week by school children, and a further lecture will be given to-morrow evening. The exhibition will be concluded on Thursday of! next week, so that there remain only a few more days for those who have not visited the display to see an exhibition of British art that has never been equalled in Dunedin. A Report Denied A report that the B Class Station 4ZM has been sold to the Government for the sum of £2OOO is without foundation. When the matter was referred to Mr J. Walls last night, he said the statement was incorrect, although negotiations were still being carried on between the station and the Government. No definite agreement had, however, been arrived at. Education Proposal Criticised The proposal contained in the suggested Education Amendment Bill of introducing an annual election of members of educational boards was criticised by Mr S. B. Sims, who is a member of the Auckland Education Board, at a meeting of the Board of Governors of the Hamilton High SchooL He said that, speaking broadly, he was in favour of the Bill, but there were various details which would be subjected to criticism. “It seems to me that a body like an education board should have a certain tenure of office extending for more than 12 months,” Mr Sims said. - “ Such a short time would serve to disorganise any policy which might be applied. It is desirable, however, that one board should control * primary, secondary, and technical education, as, to my mind, coordination has always been needed The powers of education boards have gradually been whittled down by the department, and this seems a good opportunity to have them restored.” Owing to the demand for air travel accommodation at Easter time, it has been found necessary to add an extra plane from Dunedin. A special public notice regarding the service appear* in this issue. Eye Strain.—For eye comfort or better vision consult Stumer and 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. Telephone 12-359.—Advt. For rings, watches, and jewellery, try Peter Dick, jewellers and opticians. 58 Princes street. Dunedin. —Advt.