Untitled

Otago Witness, Issue 3808, 8 March 1927, Page 47

A learned judge and a youthful stock agent of evident enthusiasm together provided one of the sidelights of a case in the Napier Supreme Court last .week, in the form of a contest in arithmetic (states the Telegraph). Tho witness had stated that the accused man bought 14 cattle from hnn, four being at one price, three at another, and seven at another. "Well, how much would that be altogether?” inquired Mr Justice Ostler. “I could not say off-hand,” replied the witness, “I would have to work it out.” “Do so, and I will, too,” remarked his Honor, and the pair comaf meed some feverish figuring, the judge wirli his pen in his note book and the witness with a pencil on a piece of paper, with the result that the former just beat tho witness to the correct answer,'

Nino bankruptcies were notified m tho lastest issue of the New Zealand Gazette, eight of them being in the Nort’ Island. Latin has been eliminated entirely from the curriculum in some of the secondary schools and in others the study of the classics is pursued in the higher forms only (states the Auckland Star). Is this change the cause of poor compositions in tho annual competitions for essay prizes through New Zealand? There has been such a lowering of the standard as to arouse severe comment from members of the NewZealand University Council. Professor J. Macmillan Brown, the chancellor, said at tho Senate meeting last ’~eek that he regretted the modern tendency, and considered the classics had an important influence upon the art of expression. Certain it is that.boys love to refer to Alma Mater and the various inhabitants of the underworld in their original literary productions. The effect, for from being ludicrous, is often inspiring to the youthful imagination, and doubtless has an idealistic influence upon a boy’s character. The problem of the site of tho Women’s Rest Room has been solved by the leasing of premises in Princes street. The General Cctr.miftee is reporting to the City Council that arrangements have now been concluded with the Perpetual Trustees Company for taking over the tenancy of portion of the premises in Princes street required for the Women’s Rest Room. The occupation will probably be secured within a period of one month from February 17. The lease will hold good until April 1,1934. Although land values generally have been, receding of late, in sympathy with the diop in value of primary products, river flats still command a high price. An inst: nee of this occurred last week (writes our Balclutha correspondent), when portion of the farm of Mr F. Plow, Paretai, adjoining the Molyneux River, an area of B*3 acres, was sold at £2l 10s an acre. There is no house on the property, so that the price represents the actual land value.

The Government Statistician surveys, in the latest issue of the Abstract of Statistics, the record of the Dominion with relation to accidental deaths. During the 54 years from 1872 to 1925 the annual rate of deaths from accidental causes decreased from 10.27 per 10,000 of mean population for the quinquennium 1872-76 to 4.60 per 10,000 for the four years 1922-25. is a most remarkable decrease, and represents a decline of nearly 45 per cent., or 0.8 per .annum. An outstanding feature is the steady fall from quinquennium to quinquennium, the figures showing that the rate decreased 36 per cent, during the first 25 years and 40 per cent, over the remaining years of the period. Deaths, how-

ever, from traumatism by motor vehicle are steadily increasing, the toll in 1925 being 103 as compared with 94 in 1924, while the rate rose from 7.24 per 100,000 to 8.12. The death rate from this type of accident has increased 44 per cent, since 1921. Traumatism by railways shows a slight, upward movement in the rate, no doubt the result of the increased number of collisions between motor--vehicles and railway trains, the deaths fro-n -which are charged to the heavier and more powerful vehicle. The number of deaths accredited to traumatism from tramways' and from other vehicles shows a decided increase, In the latter class this is the direct consequence of a great falling-off in the use now made of horse-drawn vehicles.

Advice has been received from the Ammonia Company of Australia, to which the City Council has for many years sold amnicniacal liquor from the gas works, that, owing to severe world-wide competition by firms which are manufacturing-synthetically, they are no longer able to make a commtucial proposition by treating ammoniacal liquor from gas works at the price which they have hitherto paid for 'it. The company suggests that the council convert the liquid into a more profitable form, as, for instance, by n<aking sulphate of ammonia, and, as an alternative, they offer to continue taking our output at the reduced price of 2d per 100 ounces. The gas engineer has reported to the Gas Committee that it is not possible to manufacture sulphate of ammonia at the works and sell at a price which will compete with the synthetic article, and that there is no alternative but to accept the acompany’s offer, as there is no other means of disposing of the liquid. It is recommended, therefore, that the Ammonia Company’s offer be accepted, and that the agreement be for a period of live years. Iti. ight, perhaps, be mentioned that other works in the Dominion are now treating the material as waste and pumping it into the sea. Some concern is being expressed by the Paretai and Otanomomo settlers at the prospect of the early closing of the post office there, although it is understood that a rural delivery will be continued from Kaitangata across Inchclutha to Paretai.. The settlers are hoping th- 1 *- the telephone bureau will be continued, and it is said that arrangements could easily be made for a settler to carry it on with the aid of his family. The settlement is flourishing just now, as evidenced by .the attendance at the school—namely, 36 pupils, under one teacher. A few more children and the school would be entitled to two teachers. Visitors to the settlement lately have waxed enthusiastic concerning the splendid crops of turnips. These are entirely free from blight of any sort, and are extremely well forward in growth, delighting the heart of grazier and dairy farmer alike. There is practically no alteration in tho position of affairs as far unemployment at Kaitangata is concerned. For some weeks past meals were supplied to children attending the public school, and the Otago Education Board sent a cookery instructress to Kaitangata for the purpose of attending to the cooking of the meals. The matter of the continuance of this was left in tho hafids of the head master of the school and the chairman of the school committee. It was decided that there was no further need to continue the supply of meals, and this was carried into effect on Friday. The cookery instructress has returned to Dun- | edin.