Overseas Mails

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23649, 5 November 1938, Page 12

Overseas Mails

The Maunganui left Melbourne on Wednesday with 34 bags of Australian mail arid the Empire mails: of October 20, 22 and 23. The mails should be to hand on Monday morning.

Shortage of Caddies The appeal which the Otago Golf Club has made for caddies for the New Zealand golf tournament next week has met with a poor response. The secretary (Mr W. G. Wight) stated yesterday that, besides inviting youths to act, the committee had asked members of the various clubs in Dunedin to give their services, but in neither case had the response reached the numbers required. He asked that golfers who were in a position to do so should assist by acting as caddies even for one day.

Tramway Revenue Decreases In his report to the Tramways Committee of the Dunedin City Council the tramways manager advises that the position from April 1 to October 22 (29 weeks), compared with the same period last year, shows a total decrease in revenue of £998, or .93 per cent. During this period the revenue on the city electric lines declined by £3069.

Street Sweeping In view of the success of the experimental daily sweepings of footways on both sides of the main street between High street and Frederick street, authority has been granted for this work to be carried out permanently, and in addition it is proposed to employ a man with a small hand-cart to tidy up the main, street each evening, commencing from the time that the regular sweepers cease work in the afternoon. It is considered (states the report of the Works Committee of the Dunedin City Council) that this further addition to the street cleansing arrangements should remove all cause for complaint regarding the streets, and in future, the terms of the by-law which prohibit the sweeping of rubbish from shops and other premises across the footway will be enforced strictly.

Bishops and Retirement Commenting on the announcement of the retirement of Archbishop AverilJ in 1940, the Rt. Rev. C. A. Cherrington, Bishop of Waikato, stated in the current issue of the Waikato Diocesan Magazine that he thought it was a pity that bishops should retire. "That a synod should appoint a coadjutor bishop with the right of succession on the death of the diocesan would, in my opinion, be infinitely preferable." Bishop Cherrington wrote. "To be a bishop of a diocese is a life-work and it is only after years of experience that a bishop can give that wise guidance and counsel that are so necessary From that he is precluded if he retires No bishop can or would presume to advise or dictate to a successor. Having been chosen and having accepted a call, a bishop should retain the sphere to which he has been called till God removes him. We wish the Archbishop many years of rest and peace when the time comes for his retirement to take place early in 1940."

Victims of Depression "I hope that such an experience will never be ours again," said Dr J. D. Salmond at last night's session of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, referring to the depression years, " but if it should, I say with all the force at my command that whoever is left to suffer as a result of it, it should not again be our adolescents."

Fire Brigade Calls A chimney fire in High street required the attention of the City Fire Brigade at 9.17 a.m. yesterday, and at 10.13 the brigade was called out to 54 Loyalty street, where, as the result of a defective copper boiler, fire broke out in a detached washhouse. Only minor damcge was caused by the outbreak.

Knocked Down but Uninjured A fortunate escape from a serious accident was experienced by a woman who was wheeling a perambulator across the roadway in Lower Stuart street yesterday afternoon. When she had covered approximately half the' distance she was knocked down by a motor car, but, luckily, was not injured. The mishap, which occurred at 4.35' p.m., interrupted traffic for a few minutes, as a large crowd of people quickly gathered at the scene. A Mixed Bag

A Taieri poultry farmer who has been using Australian wheat for fowl feed for some time past received a pleasant surprise when he opened a bag of the imported grain yesterday. After removing a bushel or so of the wheat, he came across a hard shiny substance which on investigation turned out to be a bottle of beer.. It had not been opened, and the contents, which according to the label had been brewed in Geelong,-gave general satisfaction to those who partook of them.

Guy Fawkes Day Grotesque effigies, blazing bonfires, and exploding fireworks throughout the city to-day will recall an episode in British history that has been observed throughout three centuries with somewhat more spectacle than the importance of the incident warranted. In the mind of Robert Gatesby was formed a plot to destroy King James I and the Houses of Lords and Commons on the occasion of the opening of the new parliament on November 5, 1605. A cellar was obtained under the House of Lords and this was filled with casks of gunpowder and faggots. A soldier named Guy Fawkes was allotted the dangerous mission of firing the gunpowder when the King and his parliament were in the building above. Details of the plot leaked out, however, and the leaders were caught. Since then November 5 has been known as Guy Fawkes Day, and, wTtile it seemed in danger of dying out a few years ago, various commercial organisations have this year brought the famous "gunpowder treason and plot," firmly before the notice of the children of the city, with the result that to-day celebrations should be on a fairly large scale.

Return of the Writs The formalities in connection with the general election of members of the House of Representatives are now pracally completed. Tuesday is the date fixed for the return of the writs by the various returning officers. The Clerk of Writs is required to forward a list of the members of the new Parliament to the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The writs were issued on Sep tember 22, returnable in 40 days, A writ is a formal document authorising a returning officer " to proceed according to law to the election of, a member of Parliament to serve in the House of Representatives" for the particular electoral district concerned. It sets out the dates for the closing of nominations and for the taking of .the poll. The scrutiny of the rolls and the official count must be completed before the return of the writ, the final formality being the publication in the Gazette of the detailed voing figures. All vot ing papers are finally sent in sealed packages to the Clerk of the House of Representatives. They are kept unopened for a year, except in cases where they are required for the purposes of a magisterial recount. When the year has expired the anopened packages are destroyed by fire in the presence of the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Clerk of the Writs. Thus is the secrecy of the ballot preserved.

Le Quesnoy Anniversary The capture of Le Quesnoy by the New Zealand Division, an important operation of the Allied advance in France., occurred 20 years ago yesterday. The Allied forward movement began at the end of October, and on November 4, 1918, the main attack commenced on the Le Quesnoy-Valenci-ennes front. By 8 a.m. the New Zealand Division had surrounded the fortified town of Le Quesnoy, but it was not assaulted until the afternoon. Scaling ladders were used to storm the ancient walls of the town, and, although the attackers were prevented from taking the keep by machine-gun fire, the Germans, who had refused a.verbal summons to surrender, were forced to do so when the New Zealanders attacked on the flanks and broke through the enemy lines. Auckland Rate Revenue

An improvement in Auckland city rate collections is revealed in a comparison of receipts for the first seven months of the current financial year with the corresponding period of 1937. Up to the end of October a total of £131,099 was collected, as against £121.980 from March to October last year. In view of the late distribution of rate demands the position is regarded by the civic authorities as most satisfactory. The council estimated for a total sum of £564,375 from rates for the year. A substantial sum. £36,175 out of the amount collected representi: payments of arrears of rates. The council has now received 91 per cent of the £40.150 which it budgeted to collect in the form of outstanding rate:; this year.