NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26909, 22 October 1948, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Mushroom* in Winter

If a prize were offered for winter mushrooms a Dunedin resident would win it. He is Mr W. H. York, of Musselburgh, and the secret of his success appears to lie in a heap of cow manure. Mr York obtained a load of the manure from Portobello, and it had not been lying for long in his garden before the first mushroom appeared on it. Since then the mushrooms have continued to grow periodically throughout the winter. With the advent of the recent spring weather, they are continuing to grow. Unmistakably mushrooms, they are of a particularly large size, and their performance suggests that a variety of all-the-year round mushrooms has at last been evolved.

Donations Approved Two donations were approved by the Otago Harbour Board at its meeting last night. They were £25 to the Otago Expansion League and £5 5s to the Otago Annual Regatta Committee. Crane Charge* Approved

A special meeting of the Otago Harbour Board last night adopted a bylaw adjusting the crane charges to cover the new five-ton cranes. Additional charges, which have been approved by the Price Tribunal, will be an extra 7s 6d per lift between three and four tons, and an extra 15s per lift between four and five tons. Submarine Cable

In answer to a question at a meeting of the Otago Harbour Board last night, the chairman, Mr W. R. Clarke, said that the Post and Telegraph Department’s submarine cable from Maia to Macandrew Bay would be laid in a particularly deep and wide area, and the presence of the cable would not affect dredging. If the board wished to dredge the area over which the cable was laid the department had agreed to lilt the cable. Lower Gold Output

Gold production in 1947 at 112,2600 z declined by 701 loz on 1946, and was the lowest since 1920, when the total was 109,1090 z, according to the annual mines statement, which has been presented to the House of Representatives. The 1920 figure was the lowest since 1860. Last year 221.9849 Zof silver was produced, compared with 224,3410 z in 1946. Practically all the output came from the Martha mine, Rest Beds at School For some time past the Otago Education Board has provided, at its own expense, rest beds for infant pupils. Advice was received from the Education Department yesterday that all infants who travel long distances to school will be provided with standard rest beds at the expense of the department. The canvas covers will be supplied direct from Wellington, and individual boards will be required to arrange for the making of steel frames. Restoring Naval Balance Nelson was the only seaman who was honoured by having his statue erected in London, said Commodore G. K G. Simpson, Chief of the Naval Staff, in an address to the Navy League last night. He was surrounded by other figures, none honoured for naval prowess. However, naval balance was how being restored, as busts' of Lord Jellicoe anc} Lord Beatty were to have been unveiled in Trafalgar Square yesterday, Trafalgar Day. Flight to Timaru

A Dominie aircraft will make a flight from the Taieri to Timaru and return on Sunday, accommodation being available for six passengers. It is a National Airways machine which has been chartered by the South Canterbury Aero Club from the time it takes off from the Taieri until it touches down there again on Sunday evening. During the day at Timaru the aircraft will be operated on “joy flights ” by the South Canterbury Aero Club.

School Expansion The growth of school rolls in many parts of the province continues to provide the Otago Education Board with the problem of building additional classrooms and even of considering the advisability of new and larger schools. Details of expected increases in the roll numbers at the Duntroon. Kelso, Owaka, Pine Sill, and Tapanui Schools were received by the board at its meeting yesterday ■ morning. Varying courses of action, including the investigation of new sites at Owaka and Duntroon, were suggested. New Arrangement The Otago Education Board has decided that as from the beginning of 1949 the Kensington School will be a contributing school to the Macandrew Intermediate School. The new school at Kensington is now nearing completion. and will be ready for occupation in February. As a contributing school it will take pupils up to the Standard IV stage only, and the pupils will then transfer to Macandrew Intermediate. St. Clair, Caversham, and Forbury Schools are also contributing schools to Macandrew Intermediate.

Shooting Rights “ I think it is a piece of impudence,” said Mr E. B. Boyd (Clinton) at the executive meeting of Otago Federated Farmers yesterday, when a remit from the Strath-Taieri branch —“That this branch strenuously objects to the Southland Acclimatisation Society’s aim to require owners to purchase shooters’ licences,’,’ was being discussed. “The society has no right on private property,” he added. “Who feeds the game all the year round when all is said and done? ” The remit was carried.

Separate School The Otago Education Board has decided to recommend to the Education Department that the Sara Cohen Open Air School be established as a separate school. Up to the present it has been a side school to the Caversham Public School. It has had its own teacher, but the head teacher at Caversham has been responsible to the board. The Caversham School • Committee, which has also had responsibilities in connection with the open air school, concurs in the proposal to establish it as a separate school. Additions to the building ai'e now being completed, and the number of pupils will be increased at the beginning of 1949. The Butter Ration The Dunedin Housewives’ Association considers that New Zealand people should be rationed for the sake of Britain, but should sacrifice for her alone, and not for Canada or the United States, where butter is not rationed. At the meeting of the association yesterday afternoon it was decided to write to the Minister of Supply, Mr Nordmeyer, requesting that the ration be increased to Jib a week. The association also agreed to write to the Minister of Health, Miss Howard, requesting that tuberculosis patients should be given a generous increase in their butter ration after returning home from sanatoria. Boys’ Shorts The New Zealand Men’s and Boys’ Outerclothing Manufacturers’ Federation is concerned at the supply position of boys and youths’ shorts. Factors governing the supply of shorts are labour, plant and material. The first two are in reasonable supply, but the chief factor preventing full supply at Ihe moment is material. The type of material needed is made from worsted yarn, of which it is well known there Is a world shortage. The federation considers that the reasons underlying the shortage should be known and appreciated by the public, as well as the fact that every endeavour is being made to supply sufficient at acceptable prices.

Clothing Position During the past year the clothing supply position had shown a marked improvement, and in the majority of lines supply had equated demand to a point where consumers were given selective purchasing, said the president of the New Zealand Council of Garment Manufacturers’ Federation, Mr J. J. Delahunt, in his address to the annual conference of the manufacturers at Napier. “ Shortage of the requisite basic cloths and yarns and the unwillingness of labour to engage in certain phases of production are factors which preclude a fuller supply of a comparatively smaller number of clothing items.”

Kot rings watches and jewellery, try Peter Dick, Jeweller. 59 Princes street. Dunedin.—Advt.