Untitled

Otago Witness, Issue 3714, 19 May 1925, Page 3

The vexed question of turning the power of Bowen Falls to commercial uses was raised at the meeting of the Otago Institute on Tuesday, when Mr R. Gilkinson asked if the Council of the Institute had taken any action with reference to this proposed interference with Milford Sound. He noticed that the council had strongly protested against interference with tho Tongariro National Park, and here was a far worse interference in oair own province. The President (Mr J. 0. Begg) said that the council had not been meeting since the question nad become a live one, and it had not considered tho matter. Mr Gilkison moved—“ That this institute strongly protest against the proposed interference with the Bowen Falls and the National Park at Milford Sound.” There was a national park set aside for all time, and here was more than a threat, a strong movement to take these beautiful falls and use them for making power. There were the two sides to the question—those who thought the falls should be turned into money and those who desired to have our reserves and native bush protected and our magnificent New Zealand scenery protected for all time. He thought the time had come when they should have a board set up in which the whole management of the park should be vested. They had such a board in he North Island, and why not here? It should be taken out of the hands of any department and vested in a board. That was the next thing the council should consider.—(Applause.) The motion was carried without dissent. On the motion of Mr Crosby Smith the Council of the Institute was asked to take into consideration the question of advising the Government to form a board to control the park. The enforcement of prohibition ir the United States was one of the subjects dealt with by Mr Henry N. Holmes in the course of his address at the Burns Hall last week. This, said Mr Holmes, might be one of the great questions which would disturb the friendship + hat already existed between America and the other English-speaking countries. It must essentially be understood that the Americans were a mighty free people bringing into operation a tremendous social reform. The enforcement of law in fome parts was certainly not quite satisfactory, but then the traffic bylaws and the Ten Commandments were not implicitly obeyed in every part of the world. In spite of all this, however, it had been an amazing industrial success, and even the nefarious “Rum Row” hud moved back from the three to the 12-mile limit. Again, the difference in viewpoint had to be borne in mind. “Don’t imagine that a few growls in tho large centres of population truly interpret the conscience and the voice of the United States,” lie said. “That is nn instance if only a transient regime—-a fugitive phenomenon. You can’t have a perfect regime after 143 years of licensed traffic. However, right behind this great reform are the heart, the conscience, and the churches of the American people.” Sir Harry Laudor has had many pleasant experiences in New Zealand, but ho admits that one of the most enjoyable that has fallen to his lot in this country was the sampling of the apples from an orchard in Lauder that were presented to him shortly after his arrival in Dunedin on his present tour. “Thoy wore delicious,” said Sir Harry to a reporter last night. “I havo tasted apples from tho Central Statos of America, California, and Canada,” ho added, “but I havo never eaten any that were better than those grown in Central Otago.” The report of the commission which recently inquired into the deterioration of land problem is being awnited with a great deal of interest by tho settlers throughout the area affocted. Mr R. Masters, M.P., has several times urgpd the importance of tho report being made public. In reply to his last communication ho has received the following reply from the Minister of Lands, the Hon. A. D. M'Leod: “I regrot that circumstances have mado it impossible to publish the report to date. After the roturn of the Under-Socretary of Lands to Wellington the matter will oome before Cabinet with a view to obtaining the necessary authority to publish tho roport”

Mr 11. E. Combs took an opportunity at a gathering of tho Postmen s Social Club at Wellington last Saturday night to make a statement with reference to the discussions whioh recently took place at the meetings of tho Post and Telegraph Officers’ Association (Wellington branch) in connection with his political activities. Mr Combs said that as long as he carried out his duties as secretary to the satisfaction of members he could see no reason for any interference with his private activities. In so far as his duties as paid secretary of the association were concerned, he recognised that he was open to criticism and censure if he did not discharge those duties satisfactorily, and he would accent censure then, but when it came to his private life he thought it was not tho thing. So long as he was doing tho work of the assocuition to the satisfaction of members, he thought his private life ought to be left severoly alone. Continuing, he said it was due to the combinations and leagues of today that these dissensions were caused. If they allowed them to enter into the ranks of the association,' then they could not progress and satisfactorily combat such outside organisations. He appealed to tho association not to split on an outside matter, but to concentrate on its rights, inarching forward to its goal. The service was by no means a disunited one, and if they knew as much as ho did about the eutsido branches they would be very hopeful. Mr J. Gray Buchanan, a member of tho Advisory Committeo to his Majesty’s Department of Overseas’ Trade and a member of the Advisory Committee of Imperial Mineral Resources, who recently visited Wellington, had some comment to make upon the annual report of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. 4 1 agree with them as to the questionable benefit of a combine for selling,” he remarked to a Dominion reporter. “Such a combine usually leads to a trial of strength. The Imperial Conference of 1923,” explained Mr Buchanan, “was only held with one section of Great Britain represented, which will not, I hope, happen again. Hence your temporary disappointments, but the fact that the Colonial Trustee*’ Act, which was brought in to give colonies under Britain’s control cheap loans, still applies to the self-governing dominions, is a most important gift that is not generally recognised or acknowledged. Britain lends money to her dominions at rather les3 than 5 per cent., while she is getting 8 per cent, from an American colony. The 75 per cent. British labour and material decision will, I hope, not be passed by your Government. Where we have passed it as necessary in certain lines to make the finished articlos from foreign (generally French) semi-raw material to retain tho world’s trade in tho finished article, it has generally been done by works which have done this, although it means keeping their own raw material works idle. It is not, therefore, an attempt to take advantage of your preference, as many Australians and New Zealanders think.” With the’ advent of new steamers of the P. and O. Fleet and tho replacement of vessels lost during the war by both the Orient and P.O. Line, the Commonwealth Postal Department (says the Melbourne Age) hopes in the early future to restore weekly despatch of mails from both Australia and London. The Orient Company is subsidised by the Commonwealth and the F. and O. Line by the British Government, and the service is supplemented on occasions by vessels of the Common vealth Government Line. The entry of each new steamer into the service has permitted an improvement in the frequency of mail despatches, and already, for certain periods, the alternation of fortnightly sailings by the two lines renders possible a weekly despatch. For example, the Khiva, which sailed on April 28, inaugurated a series of throe-weekly despatches, being followed by the Orama (May 5), and the Moldavia (May 12), with fortnightly or weekly sailings thereafter. The Postal Department is now awaiting advices of the revised schedule of tailings of vessels of the P. and O. Line in accordance with the immediate and prospective strengthening of the fleet. The self-possession of tho American who can carry off with an airy gesttiro and % flippant remark a situation whioh would make an averago man wish he could disajvpear for a while from mortal ken is proverbial, and a story based on this trait was told by Mr Henry Holmes in Burns Hall last wcok. A distinguished American was once invited by Lord Charles Beresford to bo his guest at a dinner, and when ho inado his appearance it was in a lounge suit. To the swallow-toiled gentry around tho festive board he made his explanation. ‘You see, gentlemen," ha said, 44 1 wont across to my London tailor to order n suit, but ho could not hove it mado in timo. Tho only thing I could do was to call at a shop wore rach things were hired out for tho evening. The proprietor was oourteous. but unfortunatoly ho could do nothing for me. ‘l’m sorry, sir/ he said, 'but Lord Charles Boresfonl is giving a dinner to night to a distinguished American, and all my dinner suits ore out.' ”

Work is now being steadily carried out bv tho Harbour Board in preparation for the railway line which is to link up the r.ew shed in course of erection at Kitchener street wharf with the general railway system. Stone is being taken from the board’s quarrv at. Anderson’s Bay, and is being carried in trucks drawn by a small engino over the lino built on the retaining wall at the head of the harbour to the foreshore adjacent to the Otago Rowing Club’s sheds. Tho line over the retaining wall, it may be said, is in places of tho ■witch-back variety. The stone is being tipped on the foreshore, and ft will form an embankment from the end of tho retaining wall to the southern end of the Kitchoner street wharf. The line from tho main sy-tem will come in near the old dairy store and over the tip—hut a treat deal of filling has to he done here rrt in order to carry the line—and conftruot the stone embankment to the Kit ohener street shed. When the stone required has been brought across from tho Anderson'* Bay q airy the engino and tracks will be conveyed to the .Mole, where building-up operatic i- nro to be conducted.

The election of the chairman of the Otago Harbour Board will take place on Friday. Mr J. Loudon will be a candidate for tho position, and it is slated that Mr A. Cable may also stand.

“With the death of a Prime Minister.” remarked a recognised constitutional authority in Wellington, “the political situation may or may not suffer material changes. In the present instance no doubt the usual course will he followed. That i? to say, his Excellency the GovernorGeneral will send for one of the political party leaders, presumably the senior Minister of the Reform Government. In that case it would no doubt be the Acting-Primo Minister, Sir Francis Bell, who would bo called on to form a Ministry. Meantime, non ding developments, the present holders of portfolios in the Ministry would presumably be continued by Gazette notice in their existing offices.” The impression prevails m some quarters (snys tho Dominion) that the office of Prime Minister must he held by a member of the House of Representatives. This is not the case. In 1875 the -Hon. D. Pollen, M.L.C., was Prime Minister for a short period, and Sir Frederick Whittaker, M.L.C., filled the office from April, 1882, until September, 1883.