NORTH OTAGO

Otago Witness, Issue 3757, 16 March 1926, Page 32

NORTH OTAGO

NEWS FROM THE DISTRICT. TliE OAMARu" HARBOUR. There is a con.-ensv* of opinion th. t in the near fut-i.e concrete proposals must be made for improving th» shipping facilities at the Oampr-4 port. TV.-* Harbour Board is doing its best to cope with overseas shipping. and the regular visits of large cargo steamers is evidence- that its efforts have not been vvithou* success. Nevertheless, it is felt that if a new breakwater were erected, the foreshore would be greatly improved, and the co t of dredging reduced to a mr'iinui:*.. It may be interesting to know that *ho lirsi breakwater was commenced in 137! »o the plans of Mr John M‘Gregor, C.E.. the contractors being Messrs Walker ejid Cj. Tin> Oamarn Dock Trust had been endowed with 35 acres (consisting of 27 acres of the bay and eight acres of the foreshore!. and a vole of £20.000. payable in three instalments of £6OOO per annum. In 1872 Parliament- passed an Act; to authorise the raising of a loan of £70,000, to be expended on works in North Otago, including £24.000 for harbour works. In 1874 the trust was reconstituted under the title of the Oamarn Harbour Hoard, and invested with larger powers. The General Assembly in the same year passed an Act vesting 17 acres of the bay ir. the board, and emIvracing a strip of land along the foreshore. The south wall, or breakwater, extends 630 foot from the foot of the bluff. The Macandrow wharf, of a longth of 330 feet, was later extended. The breakwater is 36 feet in width, and 31 feet in height from the bottom, ut the poin Ins constructed it is built of blocks of eonerete weighing from 20 to 25 tons. On May 5. 1875. the wharf was opened in the presence of the Marquis of Normonhy, the then Governor of New Zealand, who christened the structure the “Mawindrew wharf” in honour of the superintendent. It is interesting to note that in the year 1869-7 C. when the works were started, the registered tonnage of vousels visiting the port was 30,892 tons, the number of vowels being 408 During 1875-7 b the vessels numbered 762. with n capacity of 81,015 tons register. In 1869 wool was exported aggregating 6691 bales. By 1876 tlie number of bales had inn cased to H. 505. The hi dory of the Oamaru harbour in rrnre recent years has been varied arid interesting, but there was never a time when greater optimism was displayed than now OTEKAIKE SPECIAL SCHOOL. About 30 miles from Oamaru, nestling |n un ideal spot between two hills, is the

Otekaike Special School. At this institution b< .ween 100 and 200 subnormal boys from various parts of the Dominion are being cared for and treated in a scientific manner by the Education Department. The main building is a fine stone edifice, which was formerly the country residence of the Hon. Robert Campbell. The original occupier, with a splendid regard for the future, planted a forest of pinus insignia in proximity to the homestead. This forest has come to profit, and from it has been milled sufficient timber to erect residences for the staff, schools, workshops, and outbuildings. The inmates of the school are classified and treated according to the degree of their subnormality. Some are being taught sewing, knitting, and raffia work, while others are employed in a boot shop or in manufacturing basketware from willows grown on the property. Another section is employed in gardening and farm work. The institution, as far as possible, is selfsupporting. The boys lead a healthy life, and are fed largely upon vegetables. They engage in drill and various forms of athletic exercises. Although the mental development of some is exceedingly s!o w , others show a marked improvement after being a few months in tlie institution. The s'-iff, though enforcing discipline as rigidly as the conditions will permit, is very sympathetic in its treatment of the boys. There is a dispensary in the home, which is under the charge of a qualified matron, and any of the inmates who show signs of sickness are promptly treated. A large number of the boys who have shown improvement, and wh6 have received a training in agriculture, have been licensed out to farmers in the district. It may be mentioned, incidentally, that a considerable proportion of the basketware made at the school is sold to Dunedin merchants. A HOSPITAL EXPERT. Mr MacKachern, the well-known authority on hospital administration, pakl a visit of inspection to the Oamaru Hospital on Thursday. He stated in an interview that the Hospital was now inadequate to meet the requirements of the district, and the 75 beds that the board suggested arranging for were essential, together with the laundry and the additional arrangements for the domestic staff. The laboratory and the X-ray room had his approval, and would make the institution largely self-contained, though there would always be a need to send

some few patients to Dunedin for specialist treatment. The proposed arrangements to cope with advanced tuberculosis patients were admirable, fi it was necessary to make provision for these, so that tliey might receive the best attention, and at the same time be removed fiom contact witlr those who might be infected. Alhough it was not in keeping with the department’s policy, he was an advocate of midwifery wards in the public hospitals, for there - mothers might expect to enjoy the best conditions and the most skilled attendance. He was also a firm believer in the maternity cottage hospital idea, and thought that it should be gradually developed until every outlying district had its own accommodation fo«r maternity cases. PERSONAL. News has been received of the death in Christchurch of Mr Benjamin Perry, proprietor of the Occidental Hotel, who was formerly owner of the Empire Hotel in Oamaru. Prior to coming to Oamaru, Mr Perry had been licensee of the Australasian Hotel in Dunedin. Mr Perry, while a resident of this town, purchased land at Totara, and opened up the now famous Totara stone quarry. Mr Perry retained his interest in the quarries till his death, but passed his faim over to his son, Air Thomas Perry. It was on this farm that the first reaper and binder trials in North Otago were held in 1883. Mr Perry was twice married, and leaves three sons and two daughters. He was 81 years of age. Mr Thomas Hunter, an old identity of Mooraki, died last week. For many years he carried on the fish fertilising works at Moeraki, and he was subsequently the manufacturer of the preparation known as “Hunter’s Deodorizer.” He is survived by hia widow. SHEEP FOR AUSTRALIA. Mr T. S. Little, the well-known Bordet Leicester breeder, of Windsor, has just shipped a very fine Border Leicester ram to Mr F. G. White, of Uittabab, Exeter. New South Wales. This is the fourth ram of this particular breed that Mr Little has consigned to Mr White. The ram most recently shipped is a splendid specimen of the breed. THE PUBLIC GARDENS. Mr D. Tannock, curator of the Dunedin Botanical Gardens, visited Oamaru . on Thursday. In company with Councillor Deal .(chairman of the Reserves Committee) and Mr Barnett (head gardener), he paid

a visit of inspection to the Oamaru public gardens and reserves, and made several valuable recommendations. These will, no doubt, receive the early and sympathetic consideration of the Reserves Committee, which has done a great deal of late to add to the natural beauty of the town. DUNTROON STuCK SALE.. There was only a small yarding at the Duntroon sale on Wednesday, with the exception of store sheep and lambs, for which a good demand was experienced. Cattle were conspicuous by tneir absence, and only a few pigs were offered. The range of pi ices was as follows:—Prime fat lambs. 24s 6d to 27s 6d; medium fat lambs 22s 6b to 23s 6d; fat wethers, 26s 9d to 28s; light fat wethers, 23s 6d to 25s 6d; fat ewes. 12s 6d to 14s 6d: four and aix-tooth store ewes 33s 6d; good two-tooth ewes, 31s 9d to 335; small two-tooth ewes, 28s; five-year-old ewes, 15s to 18s 6d: aged ewes. 9s 6d to 12s; inferior ewes, 5s to 6s 6d; store wethers. 16s 6d; good rap© lamb*. 20s to 21s 6d; medium rape lambs, 16s 90 to 18s 6d. GENERAL. A team from the Phoenix Bowling Club visited Palmerston South one day last week, and defeated a home team by 102 points to 1)4. The visiotrs were most hospitably entertained. As showing the heat in the soil, it may be Mentioned that rape seed sown by an Oamaru resident last week had shown above th ground hi four days. The news that an all-round increase of one Imif-penny per pound for fat lambs will take place as from Monday next has been rm-eived with much satisfaction l»y farmers in North Otago.