Overseas Mails

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23829, 8 June 1939, Page 10

Overseas Mails

The Empire mails despatched on May 18 reached London on Saturday last.

After Hours’ Trading A Press Association message states that a warning against after hours' trading was a feature of the Wellington Licensing Committee’s annual meeting yesterday, and several applications for the renewal of licences were adjourned for three months. Iceberg Sighted

The Port Line steamer Port Wellington, which left Port Chalmers on May 28 for London, via Cape Horn, has reported by radio that she passed two “ growlers ” in latitude 52deg 24min south, longitude 142 deg 57min west, and a large iceberg in a position, latitude 52deg 34min south, longitude 138 deg 41min west. The Port Wellington, when she sighted the ice, was five days’ steaming, approximately 1600 miles, from Otago Heads. The “growlers” mentioned in her report were relatively small masses of ice floating nearly submerged—probably the remains of disintegrated bergs.

Municipal Organ Recital The programme arranged by Dr V. E. Galway for his next after-church recital in the Town Hall features some items worthy of special mention. A concerto by Charles Aisson (1710-1770), (a) adagio and allegro, (b) air with variation, (c) molto allegro. This concerto is being played for the first time at these recitals. The “ Peer Gynt” Suite (Grieg), (a) Morning, (b) Death of Ase, (c) Anitra’s Dance, (d) In the Hall of the Mountain King (request item). Other items of interest are Bach’s chorale “Now Thank We All Our God,” Hollins’s popular “Spring Song,” "Lullaby" (Brahms;, and Widor’s brilliant Toccata in F. Dr Galway will be assisted by Miss Marion Jeffery and Mr Roy Kerr, who will play the Sonata for Piano and Violin in D (Handel). There will be no charge for admission.

Winter Sketch Exhibition The standard attained by exhibitors at the Otago Art Society’s winter sketch exhibition, which is now open in Dowling street, is well up to that reached in the past, and as the scope of the work Is wide, embracing an extensive variety of subjects, those to whom such an exhibition is always a pleasure, and an education, will find much to interest them. Otago scenes are well represented, and treated in varying styles, while portraiture and still-life form a strong section of the collection. Another feature worth noting is the display of pottery in the crafts section, while some high-class needlework, the product of the Art School, under the direction of Miss Moran, is an interesting part of the exhibition, which will remain open to the public for another two weeks. So far, attendances have been good.

“ Contrary to Fact ” Exception was taken at the annual provincial conference of the Farmers’ Union yesterday to the statement by the Prime Minister (Mr M. J. Savage) that the Dominion President of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union (Mr W. W. Mulholland) did not enjoy the confidence of the farmers of the country, and a resolution was passed with the idea of impressing on the Government the fact that the farmers of Otago at least stand foursquare behind the leader of the movement. The resolution, which was moved by Mr A. C. Cameron and seconded by Mr Stuart Sim (Crookston), was as follows; "‘That this conference greatly resents the statements recently attributed to the Prime Minister to the effect that the farmers of the Dominion are not behind Mr Mulholland, and assures the Prime Minister that as far as Otago is concerned his statements are contrary to fact.” The resolution was carried unanimously amid scenes of unusual enthusiasm.

Strange Sanctuary With sportsmen, more perhaps than any other section of the community, the old adage about distant fields holds good. Often anglers and shooters will travel long distances seeking their quarry when quite probably there is a trout in the pool in the next door property or a pheasant in the neighbour’s garden. This was illustrated effectively to two Rotorua sportsmen recently when, within 20 yards of the shooting base on the Rotorua Gun Club’s ground at the corner of Clayton road, they put up and bagged two cock pheasants. There is probably no more shot-over piece of ground in the district, yet here these two pheasants had found sanctuary.

Map-makers’ Worries One of the minor problems connected with the Nazi advance over Europe is to keep map editions abreast of changes in this volatile world. An American firm has begun issuing a monthly news map which can be subscribed for annually, and the recent editions include the latest ChineseJapanese battle lines, with descriptive text. It costs the map-makers from £25 for a minor change, up to £6OO for a big change in ordinary maps, and the more or less recent Austrian changes, in wall maps, schoolbooks, globes and pocket maps, cost one firm £15,000 —which did not include printing or the capital tied up in old maps. The disappearance of the Czech State as an autonomous unit necessitated another big change.

The Acme of Service It is taken for granted In modern business that the customer should be treated with the utmost consideration, but the extreme lengths to w ( hicn a large Sydney firm is prepared to carry this principle has provided a Dunedin resident with some amusement. Requiring a copy of a Western Australian newspaper, the Dunedin man wrote to the Sydney firm enclosing the equivalent of 4d to cover cost and postage. In due course he received a receipt for this sum. This was followed by a letter acknowledging the order, and in a few days came another letter stating that the firm’s efforts to obtain the copy were still being pursued. Finally, the newspaper arrived by book post, carefully wrapped in an expensive cardboard covering, and with it came a manifest indicating that the deal was complete. Excluding the time and cost involved in thq sending of so many letters, as well as the cost of the newspaper, the Dunedin resident estimates that the Sydney firm spent 9d in postages. He feels that he is morally bound to pay the full postage on the newspaper' itself, and, together with a letter conveying his thanks, the Australian firm will receive in a future mail a twopenny stamp.

Returned Soldier Farmer* A thorough investigation Into the position of returned soldier farmers who are unable to farm economically, and of returned soldiers and uneconomic farms, is shortly to be undertaken by a commission representing three Government departments and the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association. The inquiry will be wide in scope, and the commission will be able to make sweeping adjustments where necessary. The departments concerned are State Advances, Lands, and Pensions, which have agreed to ratify recommendations of the commission. The commission is empowered to redistribute land, in agreement with its occupiers, so that units now uneconomic may be made profitable; to pay for land with other land or in cash; or to make compensatory pensions adjustments. The investigation is to cover all soldier settlers throughout New Zealand holding Crown lands or who are mortgagors to the State Advances Corporation. The investigation will begin in Canterbury, where, it is stated, the position is most acuta.

Cabinet Changes Discussed With the opening of the new Parliament approaching (states the Star-Sun> party circles are again discussing the allocation of portfolios. The suggestion has been made that the Prime Minister (Mr Savage) should take an early opportunity of reviewing this important question, and of making some changes that are considered necessary to meet recent developments in the country’s position. It is said that members of Cabinet themselves favour a reshuffle of the portfolios. Most important of the suggestions that have been made so far is one which advocates the centralisation of the control of all means of transport under one head. The adoption of this proposal would transfer the portfolio of railways from Mr D. G. Sullivan to Mr R. Semple, the present Minister of Transport. It does not embody the merging of the two departments concerned, but simply takes a wider view of the meaning of the portfolio of transport. Supporters of this proposal point out that the transfer of the portfolio of Minister of Railways would leave Mr Sullivan free to concentrate his attention on the exacting duties he is called upon to perform as Minister of Industries and Commerce.

“ Wellington Lead* ” “ I am proud of the response to the appeal to the people of Scottish ancestry to build up the Scottish regiment in Wellington,” said the Mayor of that city (Mr T. C. A. Hislop) at a social function conducted by the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Scottish Regimental Association. There had been a splendid answer to' the call, and he had been glad of the opportunity to help the development of the regiment, he said. It was sometimes said that people in other places did things better than Wellington, but in the end Wellington led the way. Since the appeal for recruits for to* Territorial forces had been made Wellington had been a long way ahead of any other province. It had about a quarter more recruits than Auckland, inj which province was a third of the (entire population of the Dominion.

The Railways Department advertises in this issue the calling of tenders for the purchase for removal of a dwelling at Kensington. ■ ' _ ... Tenders are invited by the Public Works Department for the following: Black wire and cable and boxes. We have received £2 from Anonymous ” for the Chinese Orphans Funol Barth Electric. Lid., 36 George streel. invite you to go along and see their fine selection of New Season’s Radiators. ranging in prices from 12s 6d to £ll ss. See their window display of High-class Fires. Buy Radiators for winter warmth and comfort.—Advt,