Untitled

Otago Witness, Issue 3768, 1 June 1926, Page 3

Claims have been filed by the employees in the painting and decorating trade for a new Dominion award, and a Conciliation Council sitting has been fixed for June 9 at Wellington. The federation is asking for an increase in the rate of pay from 2s 2d per hour, as at present, to 2s 8d per hour. A special addition of 6d per hour is claimed in respect to roof work, tarring, dirty scrim work, fire, and swing stages, fumi gation. chipping, cleaning, scrubbing, or painting ships’ sides, etc., while it is proposed that double rates shall be paid to workers using paint-spraving machines, and that they shall also be supplied with respirators, gloves, and over alls. Other claims are made in regard to general working onditions.

Sitting in Chambers on Tuesday, his Honor Mr Justice Sim granted the following probates Daniel Black Waters (Mr H. Brasch): Isabella Finch, Tokomairiro (Mr £N C. Marshall); Patrick Rodden (Mr A G. Neill); Margaret Thomson, Pukeuri (Mr A. G Creagh); Margaret Jane Love, Green Island (Mr J. Wilkinson); William Souter. Waikouaiti (Mr W. C. Arkle); Christopher Anderson, Cilto-' (Mr A Duncan); William Alexander Chesney, Mosgiel (Mr D. Ramsay); John Doogue, Brydone (Mr A. G. Neill). A man, not altogether unknown in Dunedin journalistic circles, whilst on a motoring trip to Christchurch recently, had an experience which will warn him in future to dress more in keeping with his position. Having received an invitation to go far a day’s shooting, be set off on foot, diossed in his oldest and most decayed garments and a pair of boots which had seen better days, to the appointed rendezvous, which was a well-known hotel in the Cathedral City. Not quite certain of hie bearings, the journalist, meeting a -welldressed citizen, inquired the way to the hostelry. He was somewhat taken aback when the latter gave him the required direction, and, evidently judging the man by his clothes, added: “They’ll give you a good big beer there too.”

That a red rose is every other colour but red is one of the principles of light which were expounded to a meeting of the astronomical br:nch of the Otago Institute last week by Mr George Hoffman, the chairman of the branch. “It sounds paradoxical.” said Mr Hoffman, who was speaking on “The Condition of Things Which We Call Light,” “but a rose is only red because it refuses to have anything to do with that colou. in the spectrum, but sends it back. The colour of an object is the colour of f he light it sends back ” The speaker referred to the different theories as to wh.it constituted light. The idea that li~ht was the throwing out of particles from a luminous body seemed to have held the stage up till the seventeenth century. The theory that it was not an emission hut a wave or ridiation. was than put forward. Later, however, Newton disputed tl.at in favour of the old theory that it was an emission. A great number of the phenomena associated with light were well explained by Newton’s idea, but ti.e idea did not explain everything. In the eighteenth century Thomas Young, a thorough investigator, expounded his view-, which J were opposed to tho6e of Newton, and j which showed that light was after all a wave or an undulation in a medium. I)r i .lack supplemented Mr Hoffman's remarks, ! and the meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the speaker. The Very Rev John Walker, of Dal- j larat, who has come to Dunedin to take ; part in the jubilee celebrations of the Piesbyterian Theological College has an association with Dunedin in its early days that fairly entitles him to rank as one of the early settlers. He first came to to Dunedin with his father. Mr David Walker, as far back as 1855. and at that time his father acquired some valuable sections in Dunedin and also in Invercargill. Mr Walker spent an interesting hour at the Early Settlers’ Hall on Tuesday. and joined as a member of the Early Settlers’ Association.

At the Lawrence Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday the following persons were convicted and fined for exposing I ice-infected sheep for sale:—E. Skinner (Waitahuna). £l, and costs (13s); R. Hunter (Tuapeka West), 10s. &nd costs (7s): G. Scott (Puketi), ss, and costs (£1). Inspector Kitto appeared for the department. As a local citizen was passing over Victoria bridge (reports our Hawera correspondent) he was accosted by a young man as follows: “Here you are, old chap. I don’t want it; I am tired of life.” The “it” he referred to was a bank book, and his objective was evidently the Patea River. 60ft below. The pedestrian grappled with the young man, who had mounted the parapet, and forcibly pulled him back. The citizen then persuaded the man to accompany him up the street, leaving him for a few minutes at the corner of Fenton street while he communicated with the police. When he returned the j man had disappeared, and the police are * still searching for him. One reason for the dearth of candidates for the ministry touched on by the Rev. John Walker, of Ballarat, in the course of his address in First Church last week, was tlie poor salaries usually given. Not that the men were mercenary, he said, but they hoped to marry some good woman, and they did not want to have her heart eaten out with poverty. That vas quite reasonable- That was something for the church to think about. Many of our university-trained men were receiving far less than wharf labourers and miners. “This is inhuman and unchristian,” said Mr Walker, “and very often it is tho result of thoughtlessness on the part of the Deacons’ Court or tho members of tho church.”

For some time pact, o.i the sea beach, on the northern side of the Arahura River, north of Hokitika, the sea has uncovered patches of black sand, and has revealed some really rich in gold content, so that residents, principally Maoris, have been making profitable washings-up (says tho Weetport News). The eagerness to “gefc in on the ground floor” led to a rush,and the beach .was- pegged out for a distance ~J a mile and a-half. Maoris hold most of the claims. The beach is rich in the margin where the sea is cutting the bank of the river away, and some of the best gold was found in the early days in that locality.

“Mine is a very drv job.” said the Horn F. J. Rolleston, Minister of Defence, when approached by a Christchurch reporter on the railway station. “I’m afraid I have very little to tell tlie newspapers ns a rule. Mine is not like the job of the Minister of Health, for instance, who can always find something to talk about.” Mr Rolleston mentioned that it was said that those who spoke Isast had most time to think. “A Wellington newspaper,” he said, “commented on this saying with the remark that some member of the Cabinet must be very deep thinkers indeed. They included ms in that category.”

At the function held when the electric light was turned on at Lovell’s Flat on Friday riight, Mr Jasper Clark, the former chairman of the Otago Power Board, who was defeated at the recent election, 6poke as follows regarding the formation of the board: —“l was approached on several occasions by deputations who pressed me very hard to let the proposal to form an Electric Power Board drop, and n every occasion I refused, because I was determined that the country should be reticulated, and the majority of the '•atepayers being favourable, only the undertaker • lid have stopped me. Nevertheless 1 am quite bad T dropped out a>- that juncture the country districts would not have been reticulated for many years. A few iuiluential men who were n^ 1 satist!rd with this went secretly to Wellington, nrV Uoufht pressure to bear on the late Kr Massey with n view to delaying and fcLwkfog the v/bole bcmicee. This necessitated .« trip to put our side of he story before the Prime Minister, with the result thjet a* decided to istue a license and ufW V 9 to proceed.

r il*e rom.i'MM Appeal Board will commence \m PuMclia session to-morrow, when the chairman c( the board (Sir John Hiking) nil! praaid* The local represents* ires if* Ihr ConnsJt Joias (Governlesnt rccaasantaiive) and Dr R J. O’Neill, aWt wit represent tha Returned Soldiers’ Amooiation.

It is estimated that there are still approximately 40,000 cases of apples available for export from the Nelson district, and growers are endeavouring to secure addi. tional shipping space (reports the Mail). It is felt that the exporting of 40,000 cases will be a great relief to the local markets, 'which are likely to be heavily supplied, with correspondingly low prices. The Exporters’ Association was . communicated with on Monday by MpJkjeka growers, who stated that there were 20,000 to 25,000 cases there for export, and asked that this association co-operate in'an effort to secure further shipping space. The fact tha* the steamer Devon is going to Nelson this ’ ’i may furnish an opportunity for getting more apples away. The Norwegians, at present standing by the wlialo ’chasers undergoing repairs at Port Chalmers, were much concerned on Thursday on receipt of news that several of their ex-Bhipmates had los‘ their lives on the store ship, the Sir James Clark Ross. After discharging last season’s catch at New ork the Sir James Clark Ross proceeded to Norway, where she was put under overhaul. Evidently a poisonous gas had generated in the oil tanks, with the result that the first men to enter the hold were affected by the fumes. Other men went to their reeoue, and all were overcome by the poisonous gas. Some recovered but others succumbed to the effects of the gas.

Mr John Fuller, a member of the wellknown theatrical firm, has written all the way from Sydney to the Otago Hospital Board to point out the very bad writing of medical men. He summed up his arguments by stating that he thought students should have to pass some examination in writing before they secured their diplomas. A mass of newspaper clippings were forwarded bearing on the danger of bad caligraphy when a doctor was writing out a prescription. When the letter was being discussed at (he last meeting of the Hospital Board, Mr Morgan said he thought that so long as the chemists could read the prescriptions it was all right. (Voices: But they can’t.) In the discussion which ensued members of the board were agreed that some people’s writing could be very much improved, and that thero was a weakness in the teaching of writing in the schools. It was decided that the matter should he referred to the Hospital Committee to report. It only needs to be added that in pointing out the mote in the handwriting of the medical men, Mr Fuller forgot about the cast in his own writing. Had even an expert in writing been called on to decipher the signature “Fuller” in the letter from Sydney, without knowing anything about the complaint, he would very probably have had to have several guesses before getting the correct name.

One local wireless amateur at east did River, 60ft below. The pedestrian grapnot share the general disappointment of those who listened in to the Toti Del Monte concert in Melbourne. About 10.45 p.m. Mr D. R Booth, of George street, heard what, was evidently the second half of the programme, Toti Dal Monte singing four numbers. Her voice came through clearly and strongly. Two of the items were “Carnival de Venice” and “By the Waters of Minnetonka.” Messrs Wood and M'Cormack, of Dunedin, are the successful contractors for the new Public Trust offices, Dunedin. Mr C. W. Wood, of Christchurch, has drawn the plans, and Messrs Mandeno and Fraser are to supervise the erection.. The fol lowing tenders (for Sydney sandstone exterior) were received:—Wood and M’Cormack, £53,238; Love Bros., £53,654; W. H. Naylor, £54,771; W. M’Lellan. £55,668; R. Crawford and Co., £57,099; J. and W. Jamieson (Christchurch), £60,143; P. Graham 'and Son (Christchurch), £60,330; Ross, King, and Mullinger, £63,797; James M’Gill and Sons, £67,000; Orr vmpbell. £72,647. “1 hope the public does not expect too much from the Junior High Schools,” remarked Mr J. Stewart, principal of the Marlborough College, at a meeting of the College Board of Governors (reports the Express). “I don’t say that the cl •m? that have been made for it are extravagant, but I do say that I think the department has held out hopes that to a certain extent will not be realised. The system will not solve all our education difficulties, because it is not the last thing in education, and e en the main planks are not so sound as they se u.” The great feature of the system, he said, was that the scho«l was supposed to be a tryingout school, the teachers noting the tastes, inclinations, and abilities f the pupils, after which they recommended the walk in life in which they would prove most suitable. However, they could not always do that. “When Napoleon was going through school,’’ he said, “his teacher? reported that he would no doubt make an excellent naval officer. It wa9 a military school, and the report was no.doubt a condemnation of Napoleon as a soldier. This shows that teachers are not always right” A valuable addition has been made to tho New Zealand collection at Canterbury Museum. Through the efforts of Mr D. Reese, Christchurch, the Dominion Saw-millers’-Association has presented the whole of the exhibit of specimens of New Zealand milling timbers at the New Zealand and South Seas International Exhibition With specimens already in the museum, the display of New Zealand timbers there will be one of the most complete in the world. All the important milling timbers of the North Island and the South Island are in the new collection, including a magnificent slab of kauri three inches thick, six feet broad, and 12 feet long. The timbers must be seasoned before they are placed in the museum, and they will not be exhibited there at present.

The question of naming the bells of the Grand Carillon is raised in the following letter to the Wellington War Memorial Carillon Society by ex-Sergeant W. G. Wakelin, of the N.Z.E.F. (Wellington):— “1 write as a member of a family of five Wellington boys, whose aggregate overseas active service exceed? 20 year?, the eldest being one of those to whom it is desired to erect a fitting monument We as returned soldiers want you to know that your object appeal most strongly to us, and that we appreciate your efforts. May I be permitted to offer a hint for the naming of one of the bells; my deceased brother’s Christian name suggests it. We often affectionately refer to him as ‘Old Bill/ Almost everyone who went to the war became an Old Bill, even though they did not realise it. 'Big Ren* has become quite an institution. Why not an J Bill* subscribed for by surviving ‘Old Bills.’ ‘Old Bill’ won the war. It is possible that some such definite idea would gain the sympathy and support of a large number of old Diggers disfranchised as regards the form of memorial by a resolution of 40 members of an association, whose expression of opinion has been arbitrarily and erroneously accepted as representing some 20,000 soldier? who went from the Wellington district.” » Under a new scheme, the 1 Labour Department co-operates with, the Returned Soldiers’ Association in ftydihg work for economic pensioners. In Otago alone, there are ofer 100 such pensioners, who, whilst they can do light manual labour, are un able to cope with heavy work. Mr J. M White, secretary of the Returned Soldiers’. Association, states that he has a list of about 20 returned men seeking employment, most of whoip are unable to undertake any description of manual work.

L'unng the Exhibition period the staff of the tramways department was increased considerably to cope with the heavy traffic. Unfortunately for the employees who were taken on during the rush, the running of the trams and buses is again back to normal, with the result that the services of a large number of men are now being dispensed with. Twelve of the temporary staff have already been dismissed, six more are going to-day, and the staff wit be cut down by another 24 very shortly.

Arrangements have been made by the Manufacturers’ Association*to display New Zealand-made goods during Show Week, and these arrangements were ratified on Thursday afternoon at a meeting or representative manufacturers and retailers, presided over by the Mayor (Mr H L. Tapley. M.P.). The question of an Empire shopping week was also brought up, and a good deal of centred round thi9 question. Mr James Hogg said that there appeared to be a suggestion that it was just the retailers who were vitally interested, but he would like to say that the manufacturers were very sympathetic as well. They were, however. definitely committed to the New Zealand week. They were willing to help the Empire movement, but they wanted to push Dominion goods first. In Great Britain the slogan was: “Buy British goods,” and in Canada, “Buy Canadian goods,” and so on, and they desired to apply that principle here. The Mayor suggested that the Manufacturers’ Association should take the work on and control it, but Mr Hogg was of the opinion that the controlling body should be representative of the Victoria League, and Expansion League, and the retailers, etc He moved that a committee covering all in-! terests bo anpointed and given oower to, add. Mr George Hoffman seconded the motion, and in doing so said that he felt sure the success of the project, rested with the retailers, and that he would like to see as many retailers on the committee as would be compatible with the working of it. The motion was carried unanimously. Sales by auction of the various fittings in the stalls at the Exhibition were continued on Thursday and it was surprising to note the number of eager buyers who attended. Glass show cases, counter.;, beaver board, and assorted timber all came under the hammer and were eagerly sought after. Prospective crib owners appeared to be the busiest buyers, *»~d a number of them procured enough material to ererisubstantial and attractive seaside cottages at a very moderate cost. Quite a number of stalls sold were all the more a bargain in that the removal of them "en bloo rt would present no great difficulty, and their erection later on should not entail a great deal of labour or expense.

“The position is bad,” 6aid Mr J. M. White (secretary of the Dunedin Returned Soldiers’ Association), in response to an inquiry on Thursday regarding unemployment. The association had been able to arrange with the Domain Board, he said, to subsidise £IOO of the Poppy Day proceeds. Two men had already been placed on the work, which consisted of improvements to the reclamation areas on the beach reserve. The association had been unable to place

men in employment through tho Government or local public bodies. “I have had 26 inquiries for work during th? last 10 days,” said Mr White, “and have been able to place only two or three men. I receive between six and 12 visits a day from unemployed men.” The association’s efforts are not limited to members. It helps all returned men, including exmembers of the Imperial and Australian forces.

“Maclaggan street needs a general cleanup,” said a visitor to our representative on Thursday last. He went on to say that while passing a certain spot in the street when returning from a visit to Mornington one evening this week, he heard most disgusting language issuing from the lips of a woman standing on the steps of a house that stood back about a chain from the road. He had made inquiries from several people living in the vicinity concerning such behaviour, and he had met with a reply: “Oh, that is quite a usual thing up there several nights a week.” The visitor informed the reporter that he had seen many uninviting back streets in other centres, and he had come to the conclusion that none of them looked so uninviting as Maclaggan street after dark. ‘The language that I heard issuing from the lips of that ‘woman quite convinced me that she was eitl intoxicated or that she was just a casual visitor to the house and had been taken down.” The visitor also said he was of the opinion that the City Council and the police would only be doing their duty if they “thoroughly white-washed Maclaggan street.”

It is reported (saya our London correspondent. writing on April 16) that the genuine MS. of Oscar Wilde’s Salome has at last come to light in the library of the late French writer. Pierre Louys. It is written in two copybooks, h a neat, clear hand, with a number of small corrections. Some of these are merely orthographic and grammatical, and are obviously not in Wilde’s bandwriting. They may bo ascribed to one or more of tho French literary friends who revised his text beforo it was printed. Thero are many variant# with the editions, tho proof shoots have been altered in several places while the book was passing through the press. Tho manuscript will bo told in the middle of May, with other autographs from the Pierre Louys l library.