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Otago Witness, Issue 3861, 13 March 1928, Page 3

An offer of 700 acres of land at MaHitia Bay, on the western end of Waiheke Island and about 12 miles from Auckland c : tv’ has been made to the Auckland Citv Conn’ oil by the firm of Messrs Rutherford, Robinson, and Austin on behalf of Mr A R. Alison, with the suggestion to nave" a marine park for Auckland. Included in the area is about 150 acres of flat land where there is sufficient space for a ninehole golf course. On the hillsides there are dumps of pohutukawa and other native bush. Ihe mam frontage of the property is on Matiatia Bay, one of the most ; opuiar resorts for Auckland yachtsmen, vhile the other boundaries touch Te Huruhi P-av Church Bay, and Owhanake Bay. Across the island Oneroa Beach is less than a mile m a straight line Hatiatia Bay Las the advantage of being a safe haven‘of shelter for small craft in any weather, and one of the best bathing beaches ijj the gulf The proposed sale price has not been disclosed. , The proposal is to come before tlie City Council for discussion at an < ariv date

Stressing the value of brighter surroundings, Mr Gray Young stated at the Rotary Club luncheon in Wellington on Tuesday afternoon, that while in London he learnt of a big printing firm which up to three years ago had its works in London and its employees lived in the slums of the city. The firm was constantly having labour troubles, and it was advised to move its works into the country. It had done so, and had had no industrial troubles since' Other large firms were doing, the same He had heard, too, of a war munitions factory built in concrete, and left bare inside. It was thought that the omnlovees were not doing the work they should and it was suggested that the interior should be colour-washed and bright cartoons placed on the walls. That was done with the result that the output of the factory increased by 10 per cent. He d’d not say that the time had yet come when NewZealand factories should be moved into the suburbs but he thought the /time had arrived when we should pav more attention to the aesthetic side of life

At a special meeting of the committee of the Otagu branch of the New Zealand Institute of Horticulture, held on Thursday, it was reported that arrangements had been made by the director of the King Edward Technical College for a class in horticulture suitable for those who intend sitting for th e examination connected with the diploma of horticulture. The classes are to be held once a week and practical work will be done at the Gardens once a month. It is hoped that this class will be taken advantage of by those who wish to qualify for the diploma, and others who are interested in both practical and scientific horticulture. Apparently opinion on the daylight saving question in the Wanganui district is about evenly divided, taking the result ol the Chronicle's ballot as, a guide. Over 2700 votes were recorded, distributed ns follows: —Against daylight saving, 13715; for daylight saving, 13W. Generally speaking, most country voters recorded themselves as being against a repetition of tne summer-time experiment, while the majority of city readers ranged themselves with Mr Sidey, but this tendency was not so marked that the matter could by any means be described as an issue between city and country. Unnecessary hardship to farmers and their families was the reason given in the main by those opposed to the measure, while among those who voted for it the most widely-held opinions were that the extra hour was good for sport and gardening, with many maintaining that it effected a saving in lighting bills. The first meeting of the year ef the Dunedin Gramophone Society was" held in the Bristol Concert Chamber last week, Dr H. J. Finlay presiding. The meeting on this occasion took tho form of a demonstration of the discussion on the J anti ary and February issues of the H.M.V. and Columbia records, the demonstrator: being Mr R. M'Donald (Bristol Piano Com pany) and Mr A. Adams (Allen Young Ltd.) respectively. It was announced tha at the next meeting of the society, a fort night hence, Mr R. Stone would given i demonstration of his electric gramophone.

If more persons in Now Zealand were al enthusiastic as a man in on e of the Dominion’s outposts, the Olympic Council would have no difficulty in raising funds to send a full team to the Olympic Games at Amsterdam (says the Evening Post),. The names of a number of contributor* to the fund were read out at the meeting of the Council of the New Zealand Olympic Games Association on Tuesday night, and included in the list was:—J. W. Pr’endeville, Chatham Islands, £l. Air Prendeville takes a keen interest in sport, a:.d when the appeal for funds was made to send R. A. Rose abroad, he also forwarded £l. A brother of Mr J. Prendeville, the chairman of the Management Committee of the Wellington Rugby Union, Mr ,1. W. Prendeville, is an old Wellingtonian, and was a prominent athlete some years < go, being the three miles champion of New Zealand in 19-05, 1905, and 1907. A tuatara lizard “ fully three feet in length ”is reported from Auckland. Mr D. Munro, sanitary inspector for the Auckland City Coirncil (says the Auckland Star) was inspecting at the rear of Jagger’s old tannery, and had-walked down a °srna!l gully when he was astonished to see a very fine specimen of a tuatara lizard lying basking in the sun. The lizard, upon the nearer approach of Mr Munro' quietly got up and slid away into tho scrub. “It was the largest tuatara lizard. I have ever seen,” said Mr Munro. “ I estimated it was fully three feet in length, which is a most unusual size for °tho tuatara. It would be a good thing if a fine specimen could be secured and placed in the Zoo.”

The length of time that timber will last when underground and covered from tha action of the air was illustrated when excavating the foundations for the Vulcan buildings at the corner of Queen street and Vulcan lane in Auckland (says the Star). At a depth of 15 feet a rimu tree was found 'which measured 2ft 10:n through. What was apparently some form of chib was also discovered. The presence of a rimu tree in Queen street goes back to the days when there must have been a flood down the gully from Grey street, and no doubt a swirl of back water anchored it in the position where it has just been found. Even since Auckland was founded, there was on one occasion a flood that was caused by a tree getting across the gully and damming the waters, until there was a lake about the foot of Victoria street. A stable was at that time straddled across the creek, and in order to release the water that had backed up, men got to work with a beam and smashed through the walls of the building, thus letting the flood have a free course.

A very happy thought prompted the friends 'of the late Mr Gresley Lukin, lor many years editor of the Evening Post, to perpetuate his memory by the setting up of a fund for expend t ide upon a memorial garden as an adjunct to the Otari Reserve, or Wiltons Bush. The trustees of the fund, which now amounts to £l3O, have forwarded the cheque to the Mayor of Wellington (Mr G. A. Troup), •i ith a request that the work should be put in hand at once and that the garden, in which shall be grown many varieties of alpine plants native to the higher altitudes of New Zealand, shall be known as “The Gresley Lukin Alpine Garden.” The matter has yet to be laid before tho council as a whole, but already a spot has been i-elected, not far from the bridge entrance, and the collection and establishment of specimens is to begin right away. The Manawatu and West Coast Dairy Companies’ Association, representing 28 dairy companies on Thursday recorded its objection to daylight saving as being incompatible with farming operations, and urged all members of Parliament strenuously to oppose the re-enactment of tha measure. The Rev. Howard Elliott, organiser of the P.P.A., aroused considerable indignation in Wanganui recently by an attack on the Church of England, so much a a (says our own correspondent) that the Wa,, nganui Ministers’ Association took tha matter up. During the discussion the opinion was expressed that Mr Elliott had. mad© an unwarranted attack on certain local clergymen who are members of tha association, and, by certain statements, which amounted to an interference in tha domestic affairs of the Church of England, might make it increasingly difficult to ol> tain unity and loyalty in that denomination. After a lengthy discussion the following resolution was passed;—“That we las an association repudiate any attack made by the Rev. Howard Elliott on the Church of England clergy in this city, and i dissociate ourselves from the appeal made by him at the close of the lecture.” I A telegram from Wellington states that amended rules of appeal to the Privj Council are gazetted.

Both the Returned Soldiers’ Association and the Navy League in Christchurch are up in arms against the decision of the City, Council to remove from the city’s reserves all guns and trophies of war. They claim that the council is not fairly representing the opinion of’the citizens. At its meeting the Returned Soldiers’ Association passed a motion of;strong protest,. and it has been decided to call a public meeting of protest

A new exhibit appears’ in one of the windows of New Zealand House to-day (writes our London correspondent, on January 24). From several printed placards passers-by may learn much about the cheese from the Dominion “ New Zealand leads both in quantity and quality of cheese sent to the Home Country, made on the' Empire’s dairy farm.” “The finest cheese in the world comes from New Zealand, the Empire’s dairy farm ” “Always ask your grocer or dairyman for New Zealand cheese.” “ About 50 per cent, of cheese imported to this country comes from New Zealand.” These are the proclamations the public may read for themselves. Better still, there are 16 fine cheeses in the window to give point to the assertions, and in the middle of the group is the “ Hansen ’’ Challenge Trophy, awarded for the best exhibit of colonial cheddar cheese at the dairy show of 1927 to the Edendale Dairy Company Large framed photographs of dairy factories and farms aro hung as a background to the exhibit. If one requires a further guarantee of quality one has only to go inside the front doors, where the air is redolent moro of a Tooley street store than of a West-End reception hall In order to teach forestry to Auckland University College students, an area of 53 acres has been acquired near Swanson (states the Star). There is a quantity of native bush and light vegetation on the property, the intention is to carry out experimental planting on a large scale, and permanent camping quarters aro to be provided. It is proposed that students shall visit the station during holidays and weekends as part of their forestry course. _ The use of symbols for certain traffic signs under the motor vehicle regulations is approved by a special Gazette supplement issued on Tuesday evenivg. The symbols number 22 and relate to signs indicating the nature or condition of the road, -such as a sharp bend or turning, a steep hill, narrow bridge or loose gravel requiring slow speed ?nd extra eaution on tho part of the driver,

Mr R. Farrant, secretary to the Association of Superannuated Public Servants (Otago branch), advises that ho has received word from headquarters in Wellington that payment of the high cost of living bonus is to be extended to SenTember 30, 1928. ‘

A very small black kitten effectively held up tho tram traffic in Wellington on a recent morning opposite th e Government Buildings (says the Evening Post). A Lyall Bay tram had just stopped when the kitten sauntered across the road and proceeded to explore the under-carriage of the tram. Visible agitation on of several ladies on the pavement caught the attention of tho motorman, who alighted to see what was the trouble. To see was easy enough, but to remove it was quite another thing, for tho kitten chose the most inaccessible of the many inaccessible spots to be found under a tram. Its tail, -however, proved to be its salvation, for by that appendage it was finally pulled out to safety protesting vocally and with claws and teeth. The kitten was replaced inside the fence of the Government Buildings, whence it had probably strayed, and the tram resumed its interrupted journey.

The Mayor of Port. Chalmers (Mr T. Anderson), at the Borough Council meeting on Monday night, announced that the Perpetual Trustees, on behalf of the estate of the late Miss G. L. Mitchell, had forwarded a case of valuable books, which would be placed in the reading room of the Mechanics’ Institute. Tho councillors said it was a valuable present, and they passed a resolution of appreciation and thanks.

A motor bus was shipped last week from Auckland by tho steamer Hineinoa for Norfolk Island (states an exchange), where the residents are awaiting its arrival with feelings of keen anticipation. A short time ago the first motor car made its appearance at the island, and ns every horse and goat bolted on sighting it, special restrictions had to be imposed, one being that a prior announcement of any proposed journey has to be made. Since then the motor fleet has grown slowly. The bus is to be used for conveying tourists round the island, and on race day—the big annual, event of tho island—it will probably be in. keen demand to convey the residents to and from tho course. .

A telegram from Blenheim states that the record temperature for this summer of 82.5 deg in the shade was recorded at. 11 o’clock on Wednesday morning.

The manager of tho Dunedin Tourist Bureau (Mr Marshall) states that the wireless telephone which was recently installed at Glade House has proved very successful. This, incidentally, is the first telephone of its kind in New Zealand. It operates from Te Anau up the lake, and was installed at a cost of £2OCO. An ordinary telephone service in that locality would have involved an expenditure oi fully £lO,OOO.

Works of art, plate, articles of jewellery, musical instruments, and such- baubles, which conform with the definition of an amateur trophy, do not, apparently, appeal to tho aesthetic taste of a local swimmer who won a prize at a recent swimming carnival. His order, which came before tho Otago Centro meeting last week, was found, somewhat to the amusement of the members, to be for a motor car spotlight. The President (Mr J. L. MTndoe) remarked that he could not see that such an artickPcame under tho heading of a trophy, and despite a member’s suggestion that it would be engraved, it was decided that the account be not passed for payment.

Sharp comment was made by the Chief Justice, Sir Charles Skerrett, in the Supremo Court at New Plymouth, in the course of the hearing of a claim for compensation for land taken for public works when counsel for the Taranaki Power Board said the board had not given claimant access to a stream for water for his stock, because ho had not asked for it. “ Then I am bound to say,” said the Chief Justice, “that that is not the way in which local bodies should take land for public works. They should take it under conditions which are the least onerous to owners.” His Honor added,that he would have thought that in such a case as the one before the court the first consideration of an engineer would be to seo that what was done did not deprive the owner of tho land of access to water for his stock. For a considerable time the police in Invercargill have been worried by reports of missing cycles, and despite the closest watch the mystery remained unsolved until Monday (says the Southland Times). Their surprise can be imagined when 28 missing bicycles were found in a stable at the back of one of Invercargill’s business premises, and the purloiner of the cycles was found, to bo a child of about five years of age Evidently his passion for the wheeled machines led him into cycle-kleptomania and his parents were as surprised as the police, when the “plant” was discovered, the child having taken pains to keep his cycling secrets from his people. Twentyeight bicyclo owners are now feeling relieved and in all probability a small child is still feeling the effects of a heavy parental hand.

At a certain country church, on a very hot afternoon recently (says the Church News), the vicar arrived to find entrance to the church held up by a host of furious bees. They had reason to be annoyed. For some years they had enjoyed undisturbed possession of a. covered-in space above the vestry, and flourished amazingly. But Jeshurun waxing fat and kicking came to object to the occasional presence of humans making weird noises below, and the wardens decided to root them out. Operations had been suspended in medias res on this particular Sunday; tho bee-robber had taken the honey, but had not hived the bees. And they were angry. As the vicar unsuspectingly camo through the gate, an armed guard swooped round him. Clerical dignity was dropped in the flight for cover. “ Stand still,” shouted a brother more expert in dealing with bees, but who could stand still under such an assault? Any way, the vicar escaped for tho nonce unscathed. Then an elderly gentleman with a beard came through the gate—and fled with both hands covering his hirsute entanglement. Volunteers had broken through the bees’ barrage and brought out some seats, for the church was alive with bees, but no sooner had the congregation seated itself and the vicar produced his portable font for the baptism (which was due to be performed at the church font), than a small cohort of bees drove them all further away. And even there speed was necessary. Singing under the circumstances was out of the question—all were too nervous. And the unhappy vicar had to perform the ceremony with two or throe, persistent bees—the female of tho species being more savage, etc.—hovering menacingly around his head. At last one of them swept in with so straight a drive that his fortitude gave way and he smote at it, satisfactorily, and was proceeding with his address, when to the amazement of the congregation—and momentarily of the vicar—the churchwarden leapt out of his front seat and grabbed at tho vicar’s .hair! Ho had observed that the bee was still entangled and was rousing herself for a last assault!

“ There, are few parts of the British Empire that are more interested in the sea and ships, particularly sailing ships, than New Zealand ” (says the Navy), “ and. the decision that has just been reached by the . chambers of commerce of «he Dominion to acquire a square rigged training ship will find great favour. What they really desire is a big stationary vessel after the fashion of the Worcester or Conway, with a small sea-going tender, but this is not financially possible, and it is now suggested that a 400-ton’ square rigged sailing ship, to be manned entirely by boys with one or two. petty .officers, should be acquired. Training cruises all over the Pacific will be undertaken and the youngsters on board - will bo given a sound practical knowledge as well - as theoretical classes. This question of tho advantage or otherwise of sail training continues a vexed one in this country, but the system is rapidly gaining favour on the Continent, and the Germans .still insist on sail experience before’ granting any.sort of ticket. . ...

The Mayor of Wellington, Mr G. A. Troup, believes in daylight saving as a means towards the better health of the community, and particularly, of course, the health of indoor workers, whether shop, office, or factory. “ I think that on the whole daylight saving has been proved to be very beneficial,” he said to' an Evening Post representative, “ and it does not seem to have brought about in any way the confusion and disturbance which some anticipated for it. There can be no question of tho value of daylight saving to tho various sports bodies in giving them more sunshine in which to play their games, but its effects, to my mind, go much further than that; the health of the people as a whole must have correspondingly benefited from the increased hours of sunshine during the time the Summer Time Act has been in operation.” As far as he was able to judge there had certainly been ,no diminution in the efficiency of employees, another bad point which some had anticipated for daylight saving. As regards the city services’, there was no difference whatever during the -working hours, but at the end of the day tho employees gained in sunshine. The extra hour must have taken many people out and about, for strolls in the evening and for longer outings on half-holidays, outings which would not have been taken but for tho inducement of the longer evenings Speaking generally of the health of Wellington people, Mr Troup said that he would be disappointed if next year Wellington’s low death rate—already the lowest of tho four main centres—was not lower still. A telegram from Christchurch states -that under the will of the late Mrs George Murray ’’Aynsley the Society for the . Prevention of Cruelty to Animalsbenefits to the extent of £lOOO. Since November 9 the Wellington free ambulance has attended 1305 cases, covering in all 15,660 miles.

Inquiries made among some of the larger local carrying firms show that the übiquitous motor lorry has by. no means ousted the horse from its place in tho world of transport. For short-distanco Haulage, the horse is still very much in demand, and, in fact, is found to be much more satisfactory and economical for work within the city radius than motor vehicles. Ono firm - alone, whoso ramifications are Dominion-wide, has at present in commission, in addition to its fleet of motor vehicles, no fewer than 40 horses, all of which aro kept constantly busy. Over long distances the motor lorry, of course, by reason of its superior speed, scores, and in some cases its use is preferable on a short run where a good deal of manoeuvring is required. When it is realised that a horse can be stopped and started 50 times in a day without entailing any additional expense beyond its three meals, its advantage in. the matter of cost over motor which, every time it stops or stalls uses enough fuel to run it a fair distance on a level road, can easily be gauged.

In their- innermost hearts, what do tne New Zealand farmers think of the Summer Time Act? Speaking to a couple of South Otago farmers on Wednesday—and South Otago farmers as a class are alleged to be hostile to the Act —our representative dared to broach the subject. “ Personally, ’ said one, much to the inquirer’s surprise, “it doesn’t trouble me a bit. It seems to me that the farmers, having declared their hostility to daylight saving even before tho Bill became an Act, have maintained this attitude just to save their faces, and for no other reason. “ Mind you,” ho added, “ I can’t speak on tho subject as far as children are concerned, for I have none going to school.” Tho other farmer, however, was able to speak from that point of view. “ I cannot see that it makes the slightest difference,’’ he said. “ I have a family, and my children are not any worse off for daylight saving.”