NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26904, 16 October 1948, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

“ Fairness to the Press ”

“After the statemeik recently issued by the New Zealand newspaper proprietors, I think that, in fairness to the press, we should go into committee,” said Mr A. R. Kingsford, chairman of the Nelson Harbour Board, at the conference of the New Zealand Harbours’ Association in Dunedin yesterday. In the statement referred to by Mr Kingsford, the newspaper proprietors noted the increasingly frequent rulings by local bodies that reporters should exclude from their reports certain portions of proceedings or discussions held in open meeting. The subject of discussion by the conference at the time was the decentralisation of overseas shipping, and Mr D. A. Robertson, New Zealand general manager of the Shaw Savill and Albion Company and chairman of the Overseas Shipowners’ Allotment Committee, expressed the wish that his remarks should not be reported. The conference accordingly went into com-' mittee while Mr Robertson was speaking. Crown Range Road

The Crown Range road is now open to traffic. Advice to this effect was l’eceived last night by the secretary of the Automobile Association, Otago, Mr P. F. Harre, from the Lake County engineer. -

Canadian Art Exhibition Considerable interest has been shown in the exhibition of Canadian water-colours which is on display at the Art Gallgry. The attendances each day have been good, the visitors including a bus load of school children. The exhibition will be continued for another three weeks. The Sunday hours at the Art Gallery are from 2 to 4 p.m.

“ Ferntree Cottage ” “ Ferntree Cottage,” on the Taieri road, at Halfway Bush, the interesting history of which was traced in an article in our columns yesterday, is, while of considerable dimensions, diminutive in comparison with the stately brick residence of Mrs Jessie Thomson, the widow of Mr Alexander Thomson, who is now the owner of the, land and buildings mentioned in the subject of yesterday’s survey. Mrs Thomson, who has seen the district develop since her arrival in Otago in 1862, lives in the more modern, residence, “Ferntree Cottage” being occupied by her son, Mr W. A. Thomson. Annual Funerals

“Many persons think that an Igloo is a snow house in which Eskimos live,” said Mr H. J. Critchfield, speaking at the Christchurch Travel Club. “Igloo merely means a house, which may be made of wood, sods or snow,” he said. “ Very few 'Eskimos live in snow houses, which are mainly used by hunting parties in pursuit of seals, bears or foxes.” An unusual custom in Alaska, he said, was the annual funeral. During most of the year the ground was so heavily frozen that it was impossible to dig graves, so the bodies of the dead were laid aside until late in July each year, when it was possible to dig a grave. Taking the Oath

Two witnesses refused to take the customary oath on the Bible in the Magistrate’s Court in Christchui’ch on Thursday, insisting on the alternative affirmation. A witness is equally entitled to take the oath on the Koran, but it would be worth his while to have other evidence supporting his claims to Mohammedanism. A Hindu may swear on the Vedas, a Parsee on the Zendavesta, and a Jew on the Old Testament or Pentateuch. Chinese may kneel and break a saucer ■or blowout a candle, with the words, “If I do not speak the truth, and as this candle has been blown out. may I be blown out likewise.” The Chinese may also cut off a cock’s head or burn a piece of paper on which sacred characters have been written.

Price of Gold The reduction from £ll an ounce to £9 in the price paid by jewellers for fine gold would make some difference to the cost of manufactured articles, but it would vary considerably with the type of article, said an Auckland manufacturing .jeweller. The new price was announced in Wellington this week. With some gold -articles, the manufacturing cost was much greater than the cost of the metal, said the jeweller. In articles such as fancy brooches and fancy mounts, the manufacturing charge might be 75 per cent, of the total cost, and thus the alteration in the price of gold would not make a great difference. The cost of the gold in gem rings was a negligible part of the whole. The gold in some simple articles, however, accounted for most of the cost, and the difference might be noticed there. Amnesia After Concussion

Every person who suffered concussion developed some degree of retrograde amnesia, or loss of memory, which might be from a fraction of a second up to five years in duration, said Professor E. F. D’Ath, professor of pathology at the Otago Medical School, giving evidence for the plaintiff in the Supreme Court at Timaru in a civil action arising out of a motor accident. The state was from the time the accident happened, backwards, he said. This loss of memory might continue for a variable period. In the great majority of cases, patients recovered a good deal of their loss of memory, but were always left with a small period immediately before the impact—a fraction of a second up to a few seconds or a minute—the memory of which they were never able to recover. Impressions during that small space of time were just being formed when the blow came, and as they had not become consolidated in the mind, they were lost, never to return. 1 i For men's youths’ and boys’ footwear, at reasonable prices, try Harold Beath, Stuart street (next Turnbull and Jones).— Advt.