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Otago Witness, Issue 3870, 15 May 1928, Page 3

It is evident from the discussion at the Progress League’s Conference that little is known concerning Maruia thermal springs (says the Westport News). The visiting delegates were surprised to hear or their curative properties. In a hazy i sort of way they had heard of the springs but not attached to them the importance they deserve. Having heard from those who have visited the springs personal impressions of their value, based on cures effected, the delegates were anxious to know more of them in order that they might morg fully report to their respective leagues on return to their homes there is not the least doubt about it, that these springs have been neglected. Had they had half the attention devoted to them that lias been given to Rotorua' or Hanmer springs. Maruia would to-day be one of the outstanding health resorts of the Dominion, for the curative properties of the springs are said to be even gi eatei than those of the thermal springs at either Rotorua or Hanmer. The colder touch in the atmosphere, instead of beinoa detriment to the patient, is said to be quite the reverse as it tends to quicken the appetitie, and thus restore the health of the patient. Every effort should be made to have greater publicity given to the curative properties of the springs, and nothing should be left undone to assure better access and more adequate accommodation. The springs are too valuable an asset to the people of the Dominion to be left in their present isolated and neglected state.

A correspondent forwards us the following interesting shipping comparison:— Hurunui, left London for Auckland, Dunedin, and Bluff on March 16: due in Dunedin on May 14. Port Dunedin, left London April 5 for Dunedin direct, due May 12. It will thus be seen that the Hurunui will not reach Dunedin until 59 days from her departure from London, whereas the Port Dunedin should be here in 37 days—a difference between the two of 22 days.

A telegram from Napier states that when the lights failed on a lorry travelling in darkness over longoio Hill on the Wairoa road, the driver lost h s bearings, and before he could pull up the lorry slid off the road and went about 100 ft before being stopped by a tree. The driver was not injured, but 23 sheep, which the lorry was carrying, were killed outright, while a further 20 to 30 were injured to such an extent that they were destroyed. One of the oldest and most historic vessels of the New Zealand coastal fleet, the Waverley, is reported to have been sold by the Patea Farmers’ Co-operative Freezing Company to S. Wood and Son, Ltd., shipwrights and boatbuilders, Wellington. The manager of the Wellington firm would, however, make no statement to the Evening Post as to the present ownership or future activity of the vessel. The Waverley is of particular interest in that she was built in New Zealand over 45 years ago, and continued running between coastal ports until the end of last year, when she was partly overhauled and withdrawn from the Patea-Wellington service. The Waverley was built in Auckland to the design of the late Captain W. J. Gibbons in 1883 by Messrs Bailie and Seager for the Patea Shipping Company. For many years she was used between Patea and Wellington, and was then sold to the Anchor Shipping Company, which employed her in the West Coast-Nelson-Wellington trade. During the time she was owned by the Anchor Company sho was lengthened at the company’s foundry at Nelson. She was subsequently sold to the Patea Farmers’ Co-operative Freezing Company, and was insulated to carry frozen meat between Patea and Wellington.

In the Magistrate’s Court at Queenstown on Thursday, Theo. A. Hanson was charged with the theft, on May 5, of the sum of £22 odd, the property of the New Zealand Government, and also that, being an officer of the Railways Department, ho did, for fraudulent purposes on Maj’ 7, destroy by fire certain documents. The accused jvas remanded for a fortnight, lie was granted bail, and was ordered to report to the police daily.

•In the Woodhaugh Gardens is a Turkish pontoon captured by the New Zealanders at the Suez canal in February, 1915. It was made in Constantinople and transported hundreds of miles across the Sinai Desert only to be captured by the New Zealanders in their first engagemen,. At the meeting of the executive of the Returned Soldiers’ Association last week Mr H. Skinner referred to the pontoon as being more or less priceless, and stated that it was far more valuable as a souvenir than the machine guns and artillery that were scattered about the town. At present, however, it was neglected and was half-covered with rubbish. A sub-committee was appointed to approach the Reserves Committee of the City Council, asking it to find a better place for the pontoon.

Mr 11. D. Skinner, president of the Otago Institute, asked at the meeting of members last week if the institute was only marking time, or was it going forward, and, if it was going forward, what objects had it before it? The institute Was nearer its sixtieth year of life than its fiftieth, and yet if they looked through the records they would discover that the membership had not increased. He thought there were two factors which had affected the position. The first was that the papers which were presented to the institute were much more the fruit of specialisation than was the case when the institute was founded. The second factor was the marked increase in the competition of other societies and clubs. He thought that in the future they must content themselves with the more limited field of science. Within that field there stood the two groups of the physical sciences and the natural sciences. The speaker then outlined some of the measures which he thought would bring increased interest and membership in the institute.

Two minor operations were performed by Dr E. H. Roche,- surgeon on the New Zealand Shipping Company’s Hororata, during the vessel's voyage from Southampton to Auckland. One of the patients was a boy and the other was a member of the crew. Fortunately, when the operations were performed the weather was fine, and they were not serious enough to necessitate the stopping of the vessel. Both patients recovered rapidly, and were walking: about when tlic vessel arrived at Auckland on Thursday.

Writing on April 5, our London cor?* respondent quotes the following appreciation regarding New Zealand which appaared in the Advertisers’ Weekly:— “Few of the British colonies or dominions put up such a fine piece of publicity as does the New. Zealand headquarters in the Strand, where its window displays are usually most attractive, and where Mr Amery, on behalf of the Empire Marketing Board, formally opened .the New Zealand apple season by eating an apple—but not in the window."

The Christchurch Presbytery does not approve of women being elders of the Presbyterian Church. A remit from the General Assembly proposing that women should become eligible for this office was before the meeting of the presbytery yesterday, and was negatived after a brief discussion. “ These manufacturers simply base their prices on the imported article,” declared Mr J. Christie, referring to a letter from the New Zealanders Ironmasters’ Association, which was read at the meeting of the South Otago Hospital Board on Tuesday. The letter requested the board to support as far as possible Dominion industries by purchasing goods and material manufactured in New’ Zealand. Mr Christie went on to say that the first move lay with the manufacturers tnemselves. If they would market their products at prices which would compare favourably with those of imported mate rial, they might reasonably expect some consideration. Mr Christie then moved “ That a reply be sent to the Ironmasters’ Association stating that if Dominion manufacturers would market products of equal quality and price to those imported from other countries, the board would be prepared to support the association’s proposal.” The motion was seconded by Nir J. Mosley and carried.

At the meeting of the Otago Acclimatisation Society last week the question of persons who were convicted of a breach of the shooting regulations forfeiting their guns was. ventilated, and it was urged that sportsmen should be thoroughly given to understand that they were liable to be deprived of their guns, some of which were very valuable. It was also pointed out that, in consequence of a conviction, such sportsmen might be refused a license for the ensuing season. Finally, it was decided that Mr Turner, a member of the council, should be requested to bring the matter before the society’s next monthly meeting in the form of a recommendation.

lhe institution of the post-graduate course for nurses at the Wellington Hospital marks a big advance in nursing education in New Zealand,” says Kai Tiaki, the nurses’ journal. “In a recent communication from England a nursing leader congratulated the New Zealand nurses on their course, planned to bring together the institution and the public health nurse, thus introducing a wider aspect of nursing as a whole. Many comments have been made as to the course, including so much which is relative to public health, but this has been done intentionally to bring about this object of correlating the preventive with the curative work, in the hospital. This means that in future all nurses leaving will have a wider understanding of medicine and the social conditions of the people, so making them more efficient and understanding. The course for some time will be limited to 20 students, and applications have already been received for the 1929 session.!

A gift of £5OO has been received by the University of Otago from Mrs Al'GillBrown, and will be used to found an annual scholarship for the commerce faculty. Students will be required to have passed either the matriculation or the accountant's preliminary examinations, and will be recommended for the scholarship by the Professorial Board. One scholarship will be awarded each year, and the term of each is two years. “ There can be little doubt that the chief causes of earthquakes are strains in the earth’s crust produced in various ways. These strains are much greater than would be produced by variations in atmospheric pressure. Nevertheless, the variations in load on the earth’s surface due to changes in air pressure amount to very large quantities. One would expect, therefore, that where the earth’s crust was under a severe strain which was working up to the production of an earthquake, the earthquake would be very likely to be precipitated by the occurrence of very high or very low pressure. ffhe pressure changes during the occurrence of very low pressure are usually more rapid than during that of high pressure. Consequently, the association of earthquakes with low pressure is likely to be more marked than it is with high pressure.” The foregoing is an extract from a letter received from Dr Kidson, director of the Meteorological Office, by Mr J. Beadle, of St. Clair. As a matter of fact, Dr Kidson adds, it has been found that although, of course, earthquakes occur under all conditions of weather, they are rather more frequent at times of very low pressure than when it is nearer normal. Some time ago, an earthquake was experienced in Taranaki. A cyclone was centred over the northern part of the North Island at the time, and barometers were unusually low. Earthquakes have been known to follow typhoons in Japan.

, A lucky escape from death was the experience of a young married woman who was travelling from Palmerston North to Te Kuiti one day last week. In the early hours of the morning, when the train was within five miles of Te Kuiti, the woman left her husband in the carriage, thinking that as the train had slowed down it was reaching her destination. Her husband followed, found that his wife was .not on the platform, and raised the alarm. The train by this time had reached Te Kuiti, where a search was made, but without result. Search parties left immediately, and a railway “ jigger ” was sent out to stop a goods train which was following the express—but the woman could not be found. Later in the morning it was learned that the woman had fallen off the train and had made her way to a farmhouse, from which she had telephoned to friends in Te Kuiti, who sent a motor car for her. Except for a few bruises she was not harmed b.y her fall.

The Education Department las granted Air G. E. Varley Hudson, head master of the Normal School. Auckland, leave to judge the school singing competitions at the Waikato Winter Show, but it refuses to pay him during his absence. This information was given the Show Association on Saturday. Members considered that the action of the department was very parsimonious, especially in view of the fact that the show was entirely an e9ducational one. It was admitted that there was certainly a need, for tightening up education finances, but this was a very petty way of going about it. The association decided to pay Air Hudson and to take up the matter with the department.

An interesting automatic device attached to wireless apparatus, which gives warning of S.O.S. signals and other messages without the necessity of having a man on watch in the wireless room, has been fitted to the wireless on. the New Zealand Shipping Company’s steamer Hororata. It was used for the first time on the Hororata during the voyage, which ended at Auckland on Thursday. The device operates a signal in the wireless room and in the cabin of the wireless operator, which tells him that the ship is being called. There is still scope for improvement. Flashes of lightning and other atmospheric conditions are apt to interfere' and set the signals going. This occurred several times during the voyage, lightning being a frequent cause. Reference was made at the meeting of the executive of the Returned Soldiers’ Association last week to a proposal which had been made on the completion of the Dunedin War Memorial that an explantory tablet should be placed in the ground at the foot of the monument. It was stated that a sum of money had been handed to the City Council for the purpose, and it was decided to approach that body, asking that further steps should be taken to carry the proposal into effect.

The enrolment of students at the Otago University for the year 1928 has been completed, and the total number is 1184. This is made up as follows:—Arts and science, 490; law, 88; medicine, 218; dentistry, 94; home science, 115; commerce, 156; mining, 23. Last year the total was 1133, and the details were:—Arts and science, 447; law, 84; medicine, 207; dentistry, 113; home science, 115; commerce, 145; mining, 21. Under the will of the late Gilbert M’Lean. of Christchurch, the following charitable bequests have been made:— To Nurse Maude, District Nursing Association, Christchurch, £500; St.. Paul's Presbyterian Church, for the benefit of of the Sunday School, £500; St. Paul’s, Christchurch, for the Indian Foreign Mission Society, £250; the trustees of the Presbyterian orphanages, Christchurch, £400; the Salvation Aripv. Christchurch, £250.

The Makarora correspondent of the Cromwell Argus gives some particulars of the heads secured in the recent deerstalking season in that district. Mr John Black (Dunedin) made the trip up the Blue River, where one good head was obtained, and Air Wilson, also of Dunedin, spent several weeks stalking up the valley near the Dividing Range. The party from the Wills A’alley (Westland) spent the latter part of its tour stalking in the Levene Valley. Each member of the party secured a trophy, Mr Livingstone’s head from the Wills country being amongst the best heads taken out. One good head was taken from the Wilkin Valley, reported to be the best head in Otago. This was secured near the border of the Lake Society’s district, and has focussed attention in that direction, where up to the present few sportsmen have trod. Air Williams, an overseas visitor for the stalking season in South Westland, had a long and very successful tour. He took with him four fine heads, while others were sent out earlier in the season. One of his best trophies was a 14pointer, 43in long and 40in wide, also a 16-pointer. Colonel and Airs Strutt (England) w’ere also very successful. Colonel Strutt secured two nice heads. Airs Strutt is the first woman to enter this remote and little know’ portion of the Westland deer forest, where she remained many weeks from 40 to 60 miles from any settlement, or other women. Heavy downpours and record floods hindered latter operations.

Ratana (says an Wanganui corresponddent) is now going in solidly for cultivation and proposes to put down about 150 acres in wheat and potatoes. Last season the w’heat field proved very successful, so this season the area to be cultivated has been considerably extended. Ratana is, himself, working in the field, and he has three tractors employed. If one could accept as authentic the 'celebrated story of Jack and the Beanstalk there would be every reason for believing that the remarkable vegetable climbed by him was a New- Guinea butter bean. The reason for this conjecture is to be found at the annual ■winter show of the Dunedin Horticultural Society in the Early Settlers’ buildings, where a New Guinea bean of mammoth proportions is being exhibited. It has been grown by Airs C. King, of Opoho, and is fully 43in in length and 154 in in circumference at its thickest part. It weighs 131 b, hangs fVom a vine like any ordinary, modest bean, and is said to have a flavour resembling that of vegetable marrow’. Briefly, it is just the thing to show,any American visitor w'ho “ guesqes ” and “ calculates ” that everything is bigger in the United States.

In the appendix to the annual report of the Board of Health the following paragraph appears, under the heading of Hospital Boards ”:—“ There is not a great deal of kudos in hospital board work, and men seeking merely personal advancement in public life do not as a rule use the hospital boards as a stepping stone thereto. Thus we find them free from those individuals who, though looming large in the limelight, yet on account of the many irons they have in the fire and the little real interest they have in any one else but themselves, are of but little value to the bodies of which they are members. Hospital work is by no means simple. Even the lay administration is highly specialised, but it contains problems and questions of enthralling interest. It is small wonder, therefore, that we find men giving up other public body work and devoting themselves entirely to hospital board activities, often during the entire span of their active life.” ITis Honor Air Justice'Sim has granted probate in the estates of the following persons:—Andrew Given. Dunedin (Air I*. S. Anderson) ; Archibald Edmiston, Owaka (Air W. Allan) ; and John Gamble, East Taieri (Air W. Allan). Letters of administration were granted in the estates of Edmond Joseph Alurphy, Dunedin (Air G. Gallaway); and Ellen Carslaw M’alker, Oamaru (Air A. J. Grave). According to results obtained from the census of 1926, the Government Statist" tician states that 94.60 per cent, of thb population of the Dominion was of unmixed European descent. Alaoris of full blood numbered 45.429 (3.23 per cent.) ■ and those of mixed European-Alaori anccstary a further 24,294 (1.72 per cent.). Race aliens (persons of other than European and Alaori origin) reached a total of 6302, comprising 0.45 per cent, of the total population. The European population numbered 1,332,114, an increase of 188,928 since the census of 1921. The other nationalities numbered: Chinese, 989; Indians, 951; Polynesians, 697. Figures for Chinese showed a decline of 134 males and a gain of 112 females. Indians numbered 71 more than in 1921; Indian half-castes were 300 in 1926, as compared with 53 in 1921.

The playing strength of Rugby football in New Zealand was set down at 30.000 (apart from boys playing for their schools) in the annual report of the NewZealand Rugby Union, presented to delegates -(reports the Wellington Post). Air J. Rrendeville (Wellington) suggested that, as most teams, with emergencies, consisted of about 20 players', a fairer estimate of the number of players in the game -would be 40,000. The number of teams playing under the jurisdiction of the N.Z.R.U. was shorrn as 1876.