City Police Court

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23940, 16 October 1939, Page 6

City Police Court

There was no sitting of the City Police Court on Saturday. Newspaper Ceases Publication A Press Association telegram states that the Feilding Star ceased publication on Saturday after an existence of 60 years. The Star joined the Press Association in 1882. Among the editors of the paper were the late Mr Fred Pirani, a former president of the Press Association, and Mr Tom L. Mills, an ex-president of the Australian Provincial Press Association. £lO for Best Cheese It was reported at the meeting of directors of the Southland Agricultural and Pastoral Association on Friday that the Minister of Agriculture (Mr W. Lee Martin) had presented the sum of £lO for the cheese maker producing the best cheese at the Centennial Royal Show, to be held in Invercargill. It was decided to thank the Minister for his generosity. Control of Shipping The duty of masters and owners of all trading vessels entering the port of Auckland during daylight hours to hoist their signal letters before passing Tiritiri signal station is emphasised in a notice issued by Captain H. H. Sergeant, as chief examining officer for the port. The signal letters must be kept flying until the ships have passed the examination vessel in Rangitoto channel. In addition all fishing craft are notified to keep their registered numbers clearly distinguishable. Neutrality Impossible

The opinion that the medieval view that neutral States must choose sides during war was bound to return for economic reasons in the present conflict was expressed by Professor Julius Stone, professor of law at Auckland University College, in an address last week. After discussing the stand taken in the past by the United States in international affairs and the implications of the present debate on the neutrality law and the “ cash and carry ” policy. Professor Stone said he considered that the tendency was to under-estimate the trend of isolationist feeling in that country. At the same time he added that the “ cash and carry ” policy would entail too great a sacrifice on a State. To keep the United States out of war the republic would have to be completely neutral. “No State can remain neutral for long in modern war,” Professor Stone concluded. “It must make its choice. It may try to delay the moment, but war anywhere is now the concern and misfortune of everyone. I do not believe that any neutral will be induced to take steps to make its neutrality effective, and I consider that a choice of sides will be made on moral grounds. This will be the case particularly in the United States. All neutrals must inevitably be bound to choose between the just and the unjust cause and act accordingly.”

City Fire Call* Damage to a kitchen and a bedroom wall, to the ceilings of both rooms and to the roof of an 18-roomed, two-storeyed wooden dwelling at 12 Albany street, owned and occupied by Dr C. North, was done about midday yesterday when an outbreak of fire was caused by a faulty destructor chimney. The City Fire Brigade was summoned at 12.7 and effected a smart save. The brigade was called at 2.25 p.m. on Saturday to a gorse fire in Coney Hill road, near Allandale road, and at 2.8 yesterday afternoon to a small bush fire in Queen’s drive. Little damage was done in either case. At 6,38 on Saturday night, a call was answered from 256 Oxford street, where some soot on the side of a range had caught fire. No damage was done. Auroral Display A prolonged display of aurora australis was visible in the southern sky between the hours of 10 o’clock and midnight on Saturday. It took the form of a glowing band of green light just beneath the Southern Cross, and at times there was a distinct searchlight effect. The intensity of the light varied considerably in rapid, pulsating waves, but there was an absence of the changes in colour which have characterised some of the more brilliant displays of recent months. 33,000 Taught to Swim “ One of the greatest achievements last summer,” remarked the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr W. E. Parry) on Friday, “ was the teaching of thousands of our school children to swim.” Over 33,000 children, boys and girls, he said, had gained certificates of competency in swimming, which was a New Zealand record, and showed that very good use had been made of a Government grant of £3OOO towards the work of swimming instruction. Generous Scots “ I am amazed,” said the chairman (Mr H. C. Harley) at the meeting of the South Island Motor Union in Christchurch last week, when it was made known that the Otago Automobile Association had undertaken a safety measure involving expenditure of the association’s funds, and the Southland association had turned the idea down. The proposal was that the associations should get in touch with schools in their province with a view to painting white the rear mudguards of school children’s bicycles, where necessary. “I thought it would have been the other way about,” said Mr Harley, “that Southland would have gone ahead and Otago would say ‘it’s costing money.’ ” Fined for Not Dipping Lights The first prosecution by the Wellington City Council of a motorist for not dipping headlights resulted in a driver being fined £1 by Mr J. L. Stout, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court one day last week. An inspector said he saw the defendant’s car approaching with dazzling lights, which were not dipped, in spite of the fact that there was traffic in the other direction. The defendant’s excuse was that he did not realise that the light switch was not in the position which caused the beams to be deflected. The prosecution was brought under the recent amendment of the traffic regulations. Several drivers were fined for failing to give way to pedestrians at authorised crossings. Men for Productive Work A general willingness of most workers to fall in with the efforts of the Social Security Department to place fit men on productive farm works is reported by the registrar of the department in Napier (Mr C. V. Goddard). There is a steady demand by farmers for men for various types of work which are subsidised according to arrangements made between the department and the farmers concerned. As the jobs develop the department is securing men and sending them out, and so far the supply of labour available has been sufficient to keep pace with the demands. Mr Goddard said the men showed no reluctance when farm work was proposed, apparently realising that it was a service of national importance in the present circumstances. He had met ■\yith very few objections indeed, and in all cases those had been perfectly genuine. He believed that it would be possible to absorb practically all the fit men available in the district in useful, productive work. Rescues from Drowning A total of 45 rescues with belt and line and 111 without belt and line were effected by 43 clubs during the 1938-39 season, says the annual report of the New Zealand Surf Life-saving Association. Twenty persons received resuscitation treatment and 151 first-aid treatment. The report comments: “ The value of the operations of the surf lifesaving movement to the community is reflected in the foregoing figures and indicates the great national value of the work done by the clubs in the Dominion, To those who in any way assisted to rescue those in distress we express our heartfelt appreciation.” Revenge on Wrong Man “ I am enclosing a sum of money, which I want you to give to the owner of the car whose tyres I punctured on Saturday night,” . read a letter received in Hamilton on Friday from a person who signed himself “Ashamed.” The letter provided an unexpected sequel to an incident in a Hamilton street on the previous Saturday night, when the owner of a motor car which had been parked in the street discovered that each tyre had been punctured with about a dozen holes. “I had a row with my mate at a dance, and I was a bit drunk,” continued the writer, who enclosed a £1 note to be sent to the owner of the car. “So I looked for revenge and thought I would make him walk home. On seeing rny mate to-day, however, I found I had damaged the wrong man’s car, thanks to beer and girls. For this I am sorry, and am giving my last £1 as something toward the damage. I would go personally if I knew who owned the car.”

Additional trips by the EdievaleWaipahi road motor bus on Friday, October 20, and Labour Day. October 23, are advertised. Particulars of train arrangements in connection with the Gore races on October 21 and 23 and the Oamaru races on October 23 are advertised. Ex “ Taranaki.” A full supply of our new season’s Blue Mountain Jamaica—the world’s finest coffee! Only obtainable from A. Durie and Co., coffee specialists. 32 Octagon. Dunedin—Advt. For rings, watches and jewellery, try Peter Dick, jewellers. 59 Princes street Dunedin.—Advt.