Feelings of a Car

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23884, 11 August 1939, Page 8

Feelings of a Car

When counsel for plaintiff asked for £lO general damages, with respect to damages done to a car in a motor collision in a civil claim heard before Mr Justice Blair in the Hamilton Supreme Court, his Honor intervened and said: “ I have never heard of a claim for general damages to a vehicle. I do not understand it. You cannot hurt the feelings of a car. As far as I know, a car has no feelings. Perhaps it is just as well. There can be no ' general damages for the loss of reputa- | tion of a car.” After his Honor’s observations, counsel abandoned the claim for general damages. ' The proceedings for the recovery of special damages, including an amount for the loss of the use of the vehicle, then continued.

Triple Dead-heats The 'announcer at Riccarton yesterday, after the conclusion of the running of the Islington Handicap, in which Settlement, Tidewaiter and Lowenberg ran a triple dead-heat, stated that he did not think that this had ever occurred in New Zealand before. In the late eighties or early nineties, however, Sir William, Huntington and Little Fraud ran a triple dead-heat at the Dunedin Jockey Club meeting at Forbury Park. Overseas Mails

The Kairanga left Sydney on Wednesday for Auckland with 27 bags of Australian and Empire mails for Dunedin. The mails should reach the local office on August 17.

Farmers and Defence An endorsement of the Government’s increased programme of expenditure for defence purposes was made at the quarterly meeting yesterday of the Otago Provincial Council of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union. The discussion arose out of a comment on the subject by Mr W. A. Scaife (Pembroke). “It has been stated by the Government that its extra taxation is to cover increased expenditure on defence,” Mr Scaife said. “ and, while we object to the new taxation bearing most heavily on the farmer, we should make it clear that our attitude to the extra defence expenditure is one of sympathy, not criticism.” The Cook Islands

A Press Association telegram from Wellington states that regulations gazetted last night revise the Cook Islands immigration regulations to conform with the New Zealand and Western Samoan ones. Authority is also given for a reduction of the Cook Islands radio listeners’ licence fee from 25s to ss. Value of Secondary Education

Figures supplied to the Dunedin Vocational Guidance Association by the Dunedin primary schools show that there has been an increase in the proportion of boys and girls who have, after leaving primary school, continued their education in a secondary school. This (states the annual report of the association) is pleasing evidence of the continued appreciation of the value of free secondary schooling. The association’s experience goes to show that the maturity gained by the additional time thus spent at school is of almost inestimable value to the pupil when he has to face the difficulties of the workaday world. As business and industrial life become more complex, parents should recognise that a longer school preparation is necessary for worth-while callings.

A Figure of Speech “I don’t mind going there, but I’m not going to allow you to drive me there in five minutes,” said Mr E. L. Walton, S.M., in the Wairoa Magistrate’s Court to Mr. H. R. Bannister, of Hastings, counsel for the defendant in a damages claim, who suggested that the magistrate should view the site of the accident out of which the claim arose, on the Frasertown road, near the racecourse. Mr Bannister suggested that the visit would only take about five minutes. In reply to the magistrate’s retort, Mr Bannister said "five minutes" was only a figure of speech. ■ ■

Heavy Potato Plantings All gardeners, from the most modest amateur to the largest supplier of the market (states the Auckland Star), appear to be seeking profit from the present shortage of potatoes. Planting is going on all over the North Island, and the demand for seed has been so keen fp.r the-last month that the price has risen almost as high as that for table potatoes. From Pukekohe and Gisborne come reports of substantial sowing, and round Auckland is plenty of evidence of the same activity.

Farmers’ Union Subscription The fact that the delegates from the Otago branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union had tried hard at the recent Dominion conference to have the annual subscription fixed at 255, was explained to the quarterly meeting of the council yesterday. Mr D. H. Cockburn said that they had been beaten on that point and had been left with no option but to agree to an increase to 30s. There, had to be an increase on 20s, and the position had become such that it had to be 30s or else no increase. “We did our best to have 25s adopted, but we were left without any option,” he said. Domestic Coal Supplies

Although the acute shortage of Kaitangata and Southland bright coals in Dunedin, which was caused by the closing of the mines during the worst of the snow storm, has improved considerably, supplies of coal from the southern mines are still coming in somewhat slowly, and merchants are working on a very close margin of supply and demand. The mines are now reported to be working full time, but they have still a considerable deficit to make up in their orders, and it is not anticipated that the position will return to normal for approximately another month. Sufficient supplies are coming to hand, however, to enable local coal merchants to meet all reasonable demands, and only the larger orders qre being reduced.

Publicans -and Sinners “ The Government is turning us all into publicans and sinners, who I believe, were an execrated class about 2000 years ago,” commented Mr James Begg at the quarterly meeting of the Otago Provincial Council of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union yesterday. “It is turning us into collectors of all sorts of taxes, and the position is an unenviable one.” “We have to tax ourselves and pay it over to the Government,” agreed another member. Dead Fish on Beaches

The beaches in Akaroa Harbour have been strewn with conger eels, butter fish, sea horses, starfish, and crabs of all colours since the snowstorm in July. The "heavy seas running during the gales and the amount of snow water reaching the harbour were thought to be the cause of the dead fish on the beaches. Mr F. W. Williams, of Robinson’s Bay, however, has another theory. He states that on Wednesday, July 19, about fi p.m., there were two very loud explosions, which were easily heard in his home. Thunder and lightning came soon after, but the sound of the explosions was quite distinctive, and only a few seconds separated them. Other residents of Robinson’s Bay also heard the explosions. Mr Williams reports that he examined the beach in Robinson’s Bay next morning, and found the dead fish there, and, in addition, a dead seal, four or five feet long, with a bluish short-haired skin. He noticed also that the water in the bay was peculiarly discoloured. Mr Williams’s theory of the explosions is that they took place in mid-harbour, between Robinson’s Bay and Brough Bay on the western side. Dead fish were also found at Akaroa and Takamatua in fairly large quantities, and some of the fishermen consider snow water killed them. An Unlucky Investor An investor at Wednesday’s trotting meeting at Addington was the victim of a painful accident. The investor had just handed his pound note across when the “ close ” signal was given in the totalisator. The shutter was instantly and forcefully slammed down, catching the ends of two of the investor’s fingers and injuring them to an extent that required prompt ambulance attention. The shutter was temporarily raised for the note to be pushed backhand it was rescued by a friend, the victim giving little thought to notes or dividends for a few races.

Fire Brigade Call At 0.2 o’clock this morning th£ Central Fire Brigade answered a call to the Port Chalmers Fish Supply in Rattray street. The building is of brick and wood, and slight damage was done to a window frame. A defective chimney was the cause of the outbreak. He Owned the School

An amusing story of a visit paid by him to a country, school in Otago was told by Mr D. C. Cameron at the jubilee dinner of the King Edward Technical College last night when proposing the toast of “ The School.” He and another member of the Education Board, he said, were inspecting the school, a small one, in order to decide whether it should be consolidated with a larger one some miles away, and in the playground they saw the nine pupils, standing in rows of three, doing physical exercises. He was approached by a burly farmer, who asked for what purpose they were visiting the school. When given the reason, he exclaimed with Some pride that they could not consolidate without his permission, as the school belonged to him. “The three children in the front row there are mine,” he said, “ two in the middle row are mine, and one in the back row is mine—and I have two more at home to come yet.”

“ Outlook Never Worte ” “ The outlook for the sheep farmer was never worse in the history of New Zealand than it is to-day,” said Mr Ebenezer Hay, of Pigeon Bay, president of the Canterbury Sheep Owners’ Union, speaking at the annual meeting of the union. In 1936-37 we enjoyed good prices for wool and meat, but there has been a rapid’ drop in values since, with, unfortunately, a steady increase in costs,” he said. “ The average price a bale at the Wellington wool sales in January for the last three years is as follows:—January, 1937, £24 6s; January, 1938, sl6 7s sd; January, 1939, £l4. 15s 9d. Lamb has dopped more than Id a lb, and ewe mutton about the same. There have been increases in internal costs all along the line. The costs In the freezing industry show a steady increase. Perhaps the best way to show this is in freight carcass charges. In the 1935-36 season freezing costs a freight carcass were 31.29 d, in 1936-37 40.60 d, and in 1937-38 45.22 d. On top of all these increased costs the farmer has to pay more for many things that he requires on his farm owing to higher costs in secondary industries and protective duties. These costs are the result of the policy of the present Government. It seems incredible that any Government could be so shortsighted as to continue a policy which must in the long run prove disastrous to our primary industries, but , that is what is happening. Sympathy seems to be with the secondary industries only.”

“ Hard ” Education “ There is a movement In some spheres of learning to make education easier from a psychological point of view,” said Mr O. G. Begg, replying to a toast at the jubilee dinner of the King Edward Technical College . last night, “but the pupils at the evening classes of the college get their education in the hardest way possible. Engaged in earning a living in the day time,” he said, “they continue their studies at night in an effort to improve themselyes, and they are all the better as men and women and as citizens of the town in which they live.” i • -

New Zealander’s Pottery A small collection of seven pieces of pottery designed by Mr Keith D. P, Murray,.; a former. Aucklander, who holds a leadihg place •in British industrial art, has been purchased by the Auckland City Council and is now on view in the Auckland Art Gallery. The collection is made up of one cream-coloured jar and six cups. The latter are in black and dark brown jasper ware, and are decorated’ with reeded mouldings. Mr Murray went to England a number of years ago to practise architecture, but soon made a name for himself as a ’ designer of glass, pottery, and silverware. His work gained much distinction in the British Art in Industry Exhibition in 1935, and has been exhibited all over the world. Unfair Advantage

A protest against what he described as the unfair comp etition between the railway road services and privatelyowned transport companies was, made at the quarterly meeting yesterday of the Otago Provincial Council of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union by Mr James Begg. The new increase in petrol taxation weighted the scales still further against private enterprise, as the petrol used by the Government service was tax free, he said. His motion; “That where Government services are in competition with private enterprise they should be debited with petrol taxation so that the position may be made clear to the public ” was carried. “People see that the railway road services are doing well and say that they can do the job better than struggling private companies,” Mr Begg explained.

Presbyterian Boys’ Choir A new departure in the customs of the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand is represented by the establishment of a boys’ choir at St. Andrew’s Church, Symonds street, Auckland. Since the decision to introduce choristers some months ago (reports our correspondent) 19 boys have volunteered, and their contribution to the Sunday services is regarded as a most successful innovation. “So far as I am aware there is no other boys’ choir in a Presbyterian Church in New Zealand, and they are far from common in the church in other countries,” stated the minister at St. Andrew’s, the Rev. P. Gladstone Hughes. A movement was at present on foot lor choristers to be robed in simple vestment.

The Dunedin Telephone Exchange notifies all subscribers whose halfyearlv subscriptions remain unpaid that their telephones are liable to be disconnected, should accounts not be paid by August 15." We have received 2 S 6d from Inasmuch ” for the Chinese Children Refugee Fund. , . For rings, watches and jewellery, try Peter Dick, jewellers. 59 Princes street, Dunedin.—Advt.