City Police Court

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23947, 24 October 1939, Page 6

City Police Court

There were no cases set down for hearing at the City Police Court yesterday morning. A Fine Labour Day The war, petrol restrictions, and high taxation made little difference to the enjoyment of Labour Day by Dunedin people, and yesterday thousands of excursionists, picnickers, and motorists revelled in the warm, sunny weather. Train excursions were well patronised, and hundreds of motorists visited holiday resorts and picnic spots within fairly easy reach of the city. The trotting meeting at Oamaru attracted 630 railway excursionists, and 300 travelled by train to Gore for the race meeting there. Special trains to the Gatlins and to the northern seaside resorts were well patronised, and 300 members of the Dunedin Sunshine Club participated in an excursion over the week-end to Greymouth. Beaches near the city were popular, and a number of surfers found the water not in the least too cold for swimming. In contrast yvith the numbers of people at holiday resorts and picnic places, the city had a somewhat deserted appearance yesterday.

No First-class Suburban Trains Under a new system which will come into operation on November 1 all firstclass carriages will be eliminated from Auckland suburban trains, from Waitakere in the north to Papakura in the south. Records show that, of about 5000 suburban travellers on the railways every day, only 50 have firstclass tickets. With the growth of suburban population it has been found that more carriages are required on these trains.

Otago'o " Mystery." Remit Considerable amusement was caused by something in the nature of a " mystery" remit, to be presented by Otago at the conference of the New Zealand Surf Association delegates, when it was read at the annual meeting of the Canterbury Surf Association. The " mystery" remit read: " That the rules, where possible, should be strictly adhered to, as in the four-man competition last year no alteration was necessary in the land drill." " The answer is a bird cage," commented a member jocularly, when delegates, after some hard thinking, failed to find any meaning in the sentence. "It's pure Gaelic," suggested another member. "That delegates to the conference be given a free hand on the remit," was the resolution that was carried amid laughter.

Girl Guides' Centennial Camp The Dominion headquarters of the Girl Guides' Association announces that the New Zealand. Guide Centennial Camp to be held at Tauherenikau from January 16 to January 27, will not be cancelled. The numbers have been considerably reduced and the numerous overseas visitors expected, will, of course, be unable to attend. The Guide exhibit at the Exhibition will also be carried on, though possibly not on the broad lines originally intended. The association has offered its services to the Government and to the Red Cross Society. It is not yet known how these services can be utilised.

A Bull Takes Charga Running wild in the main street of Hikurangi, North Auckland, a dehorned Jersey bull broke the veranda post of a house, bent an iron gate, and tossed a drover over a fence. The bull was being driven with a herd of cattle through Hikurangi when it broke away. It first jumped on to the veranda of a house, breaking a post. The animal then went through to the back yard of the house, and in attempting to force it from there the drover, Mr W. J. Whitemari, was charged by the bull, which tossed him over a fence. Mr Whiteman was fortunate in escaping with only bruises and lacerations. Leaving the yard the bull then charged another drover on horseback, but the animal was finally securely paddocked. The incident happened just when children were returning home from school and both children and adults had to take shelter while the bull practically had charge of the town. Maginot Line Cables

" The electric and telephone systems of the Maginot Line are so protected that they are believed to be impervious to the heaviest bombing or shellfire from artillery," said Mr W. H. Gregory in an address on air. raid precautions to the Southland branch of the New Zealand Institution of Engineers. " The telephone exchanges are situated 150 feet underground while all essential services are in duplicate along duplicate routes. The cables are buried 16 feet and are covered with thick concrete slabs, while the generating plant is so situated that it is immune from damage."

A Kiwi Aloft The unusual emblem of a kiwi, four feet in height and gilded in sheet metal, on the truck of the mainmast of the New Zealand Shipping Company's steamer Rotorua is commented on in the P.L.A. Monthly, in an article on activities in the Port of London. The article states that beyond the fact that the Rotorua has tradec 1 between the Royal Decks and New. Zealand for many there appears to be no particular reason for the symbol, which was mounted when the Rotorua was converted from the Shropshire in 1923.

Army Uniforms The equipping of New Zealand troops with webb gaiters in place of puttees was suggested by Colonel P. H. Bell, officer commanding the Southern Military District, as certain to take place. Commenting on criticism of the uniforms at present being worn by the soldiers, Colonel Bell said: "The uniform of the New Zealand soldier < is being rationalised in accordance with modern ideas and in the light of investigations and trials that have been carried out at Home." The appearance of the soldiers in camp and on leave had been generally commented on. Battalion tailors were employed at Burnham, said Colonel Bell, but there was room for plenty more if they were available.

Traffic on Railways The returns of the New Zealand Railways for the period April 1 to June 24 show the total number of passengers carried as 7,001,626, which was a decrease of 120,901 compared with the corresponding period of last year, states the quarterly bulletin issued by the Department of Industries and Commerce. Passengers carried by rail numbered 5,615,208, a decrease of 34,665, and passengers carried by road motor services totalled 1,386,418, a decrease of 86,236. The total volume of goods carried was 1,859,104 tons, an increase of 49.185 tons. Live stock at 148,277 tons decreased by 8544 tons; timber increased by 2384 tons to reach 113,477 tons, while other goods increased by 55,345 tons, to reach 1,597.350 tons.

Public School Education A six months' tour of the United States, Canada, and Great Britain convinced the headmaster of Scotch College (Melbourne), Mr C. M. Gilray, who returned to Melbourne on October 9, that the standard of public school education in Victoria in mathematical and scientific subjects is as high as, if not higher than, that in any place he visited (says the Melbourne Argus). In classical subjects the schools of Great Britain still set the standard, he said. While the public schools of Australia were similar in many respects to those abroad, such an education was more within the reach of the pockets of Australian parents than those of oversea because the fees were more reasonable. He found that in England more attention was being paid to the modern course fitting students to take their place in the commercial world. This specialised training, however, was more restricted to the last year at school than it was in Australia, where the modern course embraced two or three years' study. America he found still led the way in vocational guidance, probably because the American people had more faith in it than any other country, but, Mr Gilray pointed out, Australian schools were increasingly using the system. Mr Gilray formerly was headmaster of the John McGlashan College, Dunedin.