A Clean Sheet

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23830, 9 June 1939, Page 8

A Clean Sheet

There were no cases set down for hearing in the City Police Court yesterday morning. Fire Brigade Calls At 5.15 p.m. yesterday the City Fire Brigade was, called out to a chimney fire in Arthur street. The South Dunedin Brigade attended a chimney fire in Forfar street at 8.50 p.m. A malicious false alarm called out the brigade to the corner of Vogel street and Manor street at 11 p.m. Poppy Day Appeal With the addition of the sum of £2 Is from the Queenstown sales, the Poppy Day fund, the Dunedin Returned Soldiers’ Association reports, now totals £2660 11s lid. Arbitration Court Mr J. A. Gilmour, industrial magistrate, will preside at a sitting of the Arbitration Court on Friday, June 16. Industrial disputes only will be dealt with by this court. War on Wild Pigs The Department of Agriculture has decided to pay a bonus of Is a head for the killing of wild pigs as from June 1 to February 29, 1940. In 1937 a bonus was paid in respqct to pigs killed in certain counties only, but the current bonus will be paid to those killing pigs anywhere in the Dominion. The payment is subject to the production of the snouts and tails to the district inspector of stock. These trophies of the kill should be presented in a green state. of Maori Life In an endeavour to raise funds to enable him to accept an invitation from Lady Haig, widow of the famous general, to visit Scotland this year with films of Maori life, Mr Hemi Bennett, a son of Bishop Bennett, is at present entertaining Dunedin primary school children with instructive moving pictures of the arts and crafts of- the Maori. When Lady Haig was in New Zealand a few years ago she was deeply interested in Mr Bennett’s efforts to preserve by means of films various aspects of Maori life before the arrival of the Europeans, and she invited him to go to Scotland to show his films in an endeavour to raise funds for the relief of destitute children and war widows. Mr Bennett has been showing his films all over the Dominion, and will visit Australia with them next month. He hopes to raise enough money to pay the expenses of a party of eight Maori boys to Scotland. He deplores the fact that so little of the arts and crafts of the Maori is being preserved for future generations, and he has tried in vain to induce the Government to take films tc be kept in museums for screening when there are no longer old Maoris left to demonstrate ancient customs and enact old legends. Mr Bennett may film one or two Maori legends in Otago before he loaves for the north. Bluff-Picton Highway An assurance that an effort would be made to complete the sealing of the Bluff-Picton highway as soon as possible was given by the Main Highways Board in a letter received by the executive committee of the South Island Motor Union at a meeting in Christchurch. The union recently forwarded to the Highways Board a resolution requesting the board to accelerate the sealing of the unsealed portion of the highway in commemoration of the centenary of the Dominion. “Your union will, of course, appreciate that it is not practicable to have the whole of this highway sealed by the end of the centennial year,” the letter stated, “ but the board will use its best endeavours to carry out the work as soon as possible and will, as far as funds and other circumstances permit, accelerate sealing operations.”

! Unreliable Affidavits “ The court should be able to rely on what is stated in an affidavit,” said Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., when refusing to make an order against a married woman in a judgment summons case in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning. “ Unfortunately, I have found that you cannot always rely on an affidavit. They are made very loosely at times. That being so, I am afraid I cannot depend on the information in this affidavit, and so no order will be made.” Art Society’s Sketch Exhibition Amid the attractions of Winter Show Week the Otago Art Society’s annual sketch exhibition is not being overlooked, and visitors to the society’s club room in Lower Dowling street find considerable merit and interest in the numerous impressions of Otago and New Zealand landscape in oils and water colours which are on view. The art union was drawn on Wednesday evening, and the winning numbers were published in our issue of yesterday. Afternoon tea will be available at the club room to-day. The exhibition will be brought to a close on Thursday next. Foreign Languages The value of New Zealand students learning French or German as a spoken tongue is questionable, but to find an occasional student studying these languages because they are the languages of great literature would be pleasing, states Dr F. H. Spencer, in his Carnegie Corporation report on technical education in New Zealand. Europe, says Dr Spencer, is 12,000 miles away, but its literature need not be.

New Poetry Priz» Nearly £4O has been subscribed in the Dominion to the Jessie Mackay Memorial Fund, which will be used to endow a small annual prize for poetry written by Dominion writers. The aim for the fund is £IOO, and subscriptions are being raised by the New Zealand centre of the P.E.N. It is hoped, if the subscriptions allow, also to place a memorial plaque to Miss Jessie Mackay in the National Library. The Man in the Street

Dr F. H. Spencer, of London, who visited New Zealand in 1938, says in a report just published by the Carnegie Corporation.; “The man in. the street, of both sexes, is pleasant, courteous, and relatively well informed. His speech is not unpleasing. Some people have found him dull and slow. But these critics are from those lands of bright sun and effervescent atmosphere which may account for their own flamboyant and excessive heartiness. An Englishman, however, finds this absence of unintermittent talk, this relatively quiet and reserved bearing, the inclination to abstain from slapping a new acquaintance too instantaneously and too heartily upon the back, by no means strange.” Deluge and Whirlwind Torrential rain at New Plymouth yesterday morning was interrupted in the central part of the town (says a Press Association telegram) by the passing of a whirlwind, which, however, did no damage. Stratford experienced a deluge at the same time, and the railway yards were under water. In the past four days nearly 12 inches of rain have fallen on the northern slopes of Mount Egmont. Record Building of Dwellings

The erection of 187 new dwellings valued at £189,424 10s (states the Southland Times) was authorised in Invercargill during the year ended March 31. This total included 151 private dwellings valued at £.153,817 10s and 36 Government houses valued at £35,607. The number represents an increase of more than 50 per cent; in both number and value compared 'with the previous year, and is believed to be a record for the city. A total of 744 permits for work totalling £297,498 was issued during the year, compared with 648 permits for work estimated to cost £322,823 for the previous year. The total building authorised during the year included £83,137 of ,Government work, compared with £144,750 in the previous year, so that the actual city building was £214,361, compared with £178,913 in 1937-38. The permits issued through the city engineer’s department last year were a record when Government building is excluded. Like a Summer’s Day With the shortest day less than a fortnight way, yesterday’s weather was unseasonably warm, the maximum temperature of 65 degrees being the highest recorded since the middle of last month. Though the sky was overcast in the morning, the sun came through before midday and Conditions became very pleasant, the warmth being tempered by a slight breeze from the south-west. The sharp fall in pressure recorded during the two previous days failed to bring the inclement weather which might have been expected, and last night the indications were for a frost and more clear weather. Tuberculosis in Dairy Cows The opinion that the dairying industry could not stand a complete application of tlxs tuberculin test for dairy cows at the present time was expressed by the Minister of Agriculture (Mr W. Lee Martin) at the South Island Dairy Association’s conference yesterday. The question arose when Mr W. Muir (Tuturau) asked what the Government proposed to do to make the test universal. “The problem is a national one,” Mr Lee Marlin said, “ and much is being done. But with as high as a 60 per cent, reaction to the test the industry could not afford the wholesale culling and slaughterings that would be necessary. In the ibeantime the Health Department considers that the pasteurisation of milk is an adequate safeguard. Both the Department of Agriculture and the Health Department are alive to the matter, however, and as soon as a universal tuberculin test is warranted it will be applied.” Manufacture of Tyres The proposed establishment of an industry in New Zealand for the manufacture of lyres for motor vehicles is to be discussed in Wellington next Wednesday, when a deputation representing the motoring interests of the Dominion will wait on the Bureau of Industry. The president (Mr W. R. Carey) and the secretary 'Mr P, Harvey) were appointed to represent the South Island Motor Union on the deputation at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the union in Christchurch. Mr Carey said that from the motorists’ point of view it would be necessary to see that the quality of tyres was maintained, that the prices were watched, and that tyres of all sizes were provided.

Heavy Killings of Lambs Unexpectedly heavy supplies of fat lambs at the end of the season have prevented the closing of the freezing works in Southland, which were to have ceased killing yesterday. Full boards of slaughtermen are working at present, and supplies are sufficient to keep them fully engaged. Killing will be continued to the end of the week and for two or more days next week at two or more of the works. The good feed position throughout Southland has enabled graziers to fatten more lambs than they expected earlier in the season. These lambs are now ready for drafting, and growers have been waiting for the end of the season before drafting, so that they could send away the maximum number of lambs.

Disabled Soldiers’ Pension* “It is the duty of gny Government to foster the activities of the disabled soldiers,” stated Mr. El J. Anderson at the annual reunion last night of the Dunedin branch of lie New Zealand Expeditionary Force| Amputees’ Association.* “ and if any Government or outfit tries tq submerge the activities of disabled soldiers, St will meet with the opposition of all [returned soldiers’ organisations.” Mr Anderson was referring to the. proposal,'to merge returned soldiers’ pensions in the social security scheme, and he urged a review of the whole' of the returned soldiers’ pensions scheme. “ The Pensions Act, 1915, shoiuld be made the Pensions Act, 1939,” jhe concluded, advocating an immediate review of present legislation, r The terms should be worthy of services rendered to the country arid suitably to the conditions under which we exist to-dav.” i

Early Colonial Bedhead A massive kauri] bedstead. ■ said to have been the property of Captain William Hobson, thfe first Governor of New Zealand, has ! been presented to the Auckland City Council for the Old Colonists’ Museumi (says our special correspondent) by (Mrs R. L. Birks, of St. Heliers. Mrs Birks purchased the bedstead several years ago from an old couple living jin a cottage in the city. Their reason for selling it was that they were abdut to move into the country. According to what had been told them when) they acquired the bedstead, it had [formed part of the furniture of the .first Government House. Although (its connection with Captaih Hobson cannot be proved, the bedstead is definitely interesting as an example of early! colonial craftsmanship, and will be fan acquisition to the Old Colonists’ Museum.

Blowing Hot and j Cold Temperature variations when travelling from London to Sydney by flying boat were I tremendous, said Mr F. G. of Wellington, who returned this week from a trip to England and thse ; Continent. When crossing France [the temperature outside the machine j was 15 degrees'below zero at one time, while at Allahabad, where the machine landed, the temperature was 112 degrees in the shade. Though the flying boats were centrally heated, the soured and heating insulation in them wafc nothing like perfect.The New Zealand Press “The press, [too, especially if one remembers the possible circulation,', is of high quality, ; with little sensationalism, and editorial writing of high calibre,” says t)r F. H. Spencer, in a Carnegie repbrjt on technical education in New Zealand/ “ Every, one of. the four principal I cities has at least one (and often :tyo) solid, well-written daily papers, and T was surprised, both at the numbera and at the quality of the papers published in the smaller towns. If the [ absence of sensational-, ism and the, presence of well-written editorial columns and' sound 1 criticism in, the press pre evidence of a conservative outlook, may such conservatism endure, (in some other respects the country ednnot be accused of conservatism/ An! educational'; system which the conditions I have described must have many merits." Cameras and -Cars . The proposal to equip traffic'officers with cameras,] for the purpose of showing a car’s exact position on the road, was taken exception to at a meeting of the Wellington Automobile Association. The secretary (Mr W. A. Sutherland) expressed doubt as . to the fairness, of sue la photographs since the photographed would not be ,so , placed as to record 'the car’s true, position. .It had been Qfbeij demonstrated that the camera couljlj lie. Another - member said that inspectors were now supposed to be gentlemen of the road. Providing them with ejameras would be a reversion to “the bhrbarous days of traps and pimps.”| -It was agreed that the North Island Motor Union should take up the subject and that its opinion should be voiced before the Minister had been, committed to the purchase of cameras.]

Particulars of a special train leaving Dunedin at 8.30 a.m. op Sunday for Christchurch are advertised.

For ringd watches and jewellery, try Peter Dickl jewellers and opticians. 59 Princes Dunedin.—Advt.