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Otago Witness, Issue 3524, 27 September 1921, Page 3

“It is not true that good speakers are born and not mado.” said Mr B. Flohm, judge of the elocutionary events at the competitions, in an address to competitors (says the Dominion). lie said that 90 out of 100 people could produce their voices well if they would submit to the necessary discipline and go through the exercises with proper discrimination. It was often said by someone who could not sing, “Oh, I have no voice.” But the fact that he spoke at all proved that he had a voice, and Mr Flohm said that if there was no physical defect in the throat anyone could learn to sing. The objection that one might be “tone-deaf” was also a negligible one; for in his long experience he had met only one person who was really tone-deaf. What did exist was a great deal of tone-dumbness, which could be overcome. While a party on the Tauranga launch Sea Queen was fishing on Penguin Shoal, about 12 miles from Mount Maunganui, a large whale, estimated to be 70ft long, suddenly appeared a few feet from the launch. The whale cruised round the boat for some time, and one occasion camo so close that one of the party was able to deal it a blow with a stick.

The illegal sale of cigarettes appears to bo an extremely profitable business, according to a deputation of New Zealand tobacconists, which waited on the ActingMinister of Labour in Wellington on Thursday. Various instances of big sales by confectioners and others who did most of their trade after hours were given, but the most striking came from a Taranaki representative. A restaurant keeper of the district, is was stated, had been prosecuted for selling cigarettes, and had admitted that, between the time of receiving tlie summons and his appearance in court, he had sold £4O worth of tobacco. Mr Alex. It. Fraser, who is an associate of the Royal College of Art and a member of the Itoyal Society of British Sculptors, is one of many who is at present devoting his talent to producing suitable designs for war memorials. A specimen of liis work, typifying a New Zealand bomber in action, was last week exhibited at our office. The statuette in a small model of a bronze statue depicting a 6oldier in the act of throwing a bomb. The artist has succeeded in a marked degree in conveying a spirit of action in poise and movement. Mr Fraser is well known in the dominion, having taught sculpture in the Wellington Technical College. “The New Zealand Bomber,’’ tho cast of which was brought to Dunedin by Mr Albert J. Rae, could be reproduced as a life-size figure, and those who are interested in war memorials will doubtless avail themselves of an opportunity to view this example of the art of one who himself was engage*}, in France during the late war.

A resident of Ravensbourne had a startling experience on Saturday, 17th inst., cal culated to leu\e a feeling of grave uneasiness in the neighbourhood until such mystery as attaches to the occurrence has been fully' cleared up. A lady who was occupied in the front of hothouse, hearing a dull thud at the back, went through to the kitchen where she found that a bullet hail penetrated the ceiling, eplintered a ease on the mantelshelf and, glancing off, chipped a plaque on the adjoining wall. This was at about 10 minutes past five, and subsequent investigation showed that the bullet found on the floor was from a .303 service rifle and that it had jjassed through tile roof from somewhere in the direction of the Relichet. BayRifle Range. It was not a ricochet. The range from which the bullet may possibly have come is three-quarters of a mile away, and there is n steep 1:ill intervening, m> that, if it diil come from there it must have been fined at a very itigii election. '1 he matter has been reported to the police who ate prosern!mg inquiries. A Press Association wire from Timaru says: In connection with the murder of Constable Dorgan the police are seeking the assistance of the public to trace two men who left Timaru on a no sy motor cycle on the night of the murder, and were heard passing through To iiiika, Geraldine. Arundel, Ashburton, ami t'hcrtsey, and nailed at a store at Diinsanifel at 8 a.m. for petrol. The elderly storeman took no note of them by which be could recognise them. The tracing of this journey give* interest to a noise something like- a, pistol

shot heard by those standing beside the body of the murdered man in the street which was supposed to be the back fire of a motor bike. The award in the Otago and Southland section of the shearers and shed-hands’ dispute has been liled with the Registrar of Awards. The terms of the award are similar throughout the dominion. Our London correspondent, informs us that Mr F. M. B. Fisher, a member of the Reform Government in New Zealand from 1912 until early in 1915, has been selected bv the Anti-Waste League as its candidate for the Hornsey seat, North London, in the House of Commons, It is reported from Papeete (September 5) that the French Government has just granted an American company a franchise to build and operate a drinking palace and casino within two miles of the capital of the Society Islands (says a Press Association telegram from Auckland). The site occupies about 50 acres, and is a miniature Paradise, surrounded by coral rock. Accommodation for 200 guests will be provided in the first unit, and other units will be added as required. It is unlikely that, the casino will be opened before 10 months hence. Sir James Allen has decided (says our London e-jrysspondent) that the remaining £7531, of the total sum of £55,667 subscribed by the people of New Zealand to the Save the Children Fund, shall be allocated to the British Committee for Relief in Poland.

Recently His Excellency the GovernorGeneral received a communication from Dr Philip Harper, who is in charge of the Leper Asylum, Makogai Island, Fiji, soliciting Christmas gifts tor the inmates of the institution, and the question of bringing an appeal before the public of New Zealand has been placed in the hands of the Minister of External Affairs, the Hon. B. P. Lee. On Thursday Air Lee had an interview with Mr Alfred Nathan, whose firm, .Messrs L. D. Nathan and Company, are New Zealand agents for the Fijian Government, and arragements have been made for the reception of donations, money, books, and other suitable gifts at the premises of Afessrs Nathan i and Company, Auckland. The firm will see that the gifts are carefully packed and shipped to Fiji. Persons whose sympathies towards the unfortunate subjects who are inmates of the leper asylum, lead them to make gifts are requested to mark parcels plainly, “Donations for the Leper Asylum, Fiji.” There are 230 patients at the leper asylum, three being Europeans (one a New Zealander) and the others are Fijians, New Hebrideans, and Solomon Islanders, and shortly 11 additional patients (Samoans) are to be received in the institution.

What is coney seal? It appears to be a fur that is neither coney nor seal. The Australian Commonwealth Public Service Arbitrator was recently enlightened as to what the famous coney sealskins were originally, and where they came from. While giving evidence, Mr J. Musgrave, senior inspector of Customs, Sydney, produced an invoice for skins imported into the Commonwealth. He informed the arbitrator that the item for rabbi taking, shorn and dyed, was that well-known and valuable article called coney sealskin. “People seem to think that coney seal is some mammal from Russia or somewhere,” added the witness, “whereas it ia simply Australian rabbitskins that have been sent to England to be shorn, dyed, and returned to the Commonwealth.” A fine sample of the vigour of the pioneer settlers of New Zealand was given by Mr Clark, who lived on the Otago Peninsula for many years, but who is now a resident of Dunedin, at the jubilee ee'ebrations of ex-pupils of the Portobello School on the 20th inst. Mr Clark, w'ho was invited to speak on behalf of the expupils of the school, stated that he was ! not. accustomed to speech-making, but he | quickly disproved this statement by his | witty remarks. In the course of a few j minutes he had persuaded the audience to j join him in singing verses of well-known Bongs, and he followed this by singing por- ! tions of the. Psalms. Mr Clark, who I possesses an excellent voice, is 85 years of ! age. lie landed on the Peninsula about ; 62 years ago, and for many years filled (he i position of precentor in the Portobello j Presbyterian Church. A Press Association message says that : tile Timavu Hospital Board last week passed ; a resolution approving of the Health De- | partment in dealing with venereal diseases I in urging still more strenuous efforts to i control and extirpate it, and suggesting the 1 punishment, of patients who do not continue their treatment to the satisfaction of the doctor in charge of the case. I Heavy penalties for failing to attend military parades were imposed on a number of territorials and cadets by Mr J. W. Poynton, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court (says a Press Association wire from Auckland). One offender was deprived of civil rights for 10 years, and several others were fined £5. About 20 youths were prosecuted. In the majority of cases attendance had been unsatisfactory for a long period, and • the defendants had not responded to rei peated notices from the department. ! An Invercargill telegram save that at i the Orepuki Court on the 20th Maurice J. W. Smith was committed for trial (bail 1 being allowed) on charges of obtaining £5 ; from each of two farmers by falsely repre- ! senting that he was an official of the In- , come Tax Department, and that the law 1 required them to purchase a book. The book was entitled “ The New Zealand i Farmers’ Complete Bookkeeper,” the price of which was £5. The accused was further charged with attempting to obtain money from eight others by means of a similar representation. It. was shown that accused . had no connection with the department. | Gi'eymouth reports a partial cure of a I case of blindness by Katana, the Maori faith-healer. Mr Carl Heslin, aged 25 years, had been totally blind since he was live years of age, the cause Ixjing attributed to measles. Ho had been writing letters to Ratana for four months, asking liis intercession for the regaining of his sight. Ratana’s reply was read io him, and not long afterwards Mr Heslin noticed jan improvement in his eyes. Later, he ■ could distinguish daylight and the movement of people, and he is confident that he j will receive further benefit from Ratana’s i intercession.