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Otago Witness, Issue 3877, 3 July 1928, Page 48

No advice has been received by the district engineer of the Public Works Department regarding the construction of the new Post Office in Princes street. The site is being fenced, and the preliminary work is to be carried out by the department, but nothing further will be do* l6 until the contract has been let. When interviewed on Friday, the district engineer, Mr F. S. Dyson, stated that he could give no indication as to when tenders would be called for and, as far as he was aware, the matter was still under consideration.

A recent fire in a film office, when some firemen were overcome by the fumes, was referred to at the meeting of the Wellington Fire Board on Friday. It was stated that analytical investigation showed that the gas present was carbon monoxide, its effect being aggravated by the acrid vapours and oils deposits. The superintendent pointed out that the fire had been smouldering for some time before it was discovered, and all the circumstances were most unusual. There was no indication when the brigade arrived that gas masks would Be needed.

At least one person in Dunedin is wearing a hat which is not his own, and he would probably be surprised to hear that his present headgear is the property of the city’s chief detective. When that officer prepared to leave the court on Friday morning he found that his hat had disappeared, and after the court had adjourned only one hat remained on the row of pegs. There would be no need for suspicion that the interchange was not a mistake were it not for the fact that the hat which remained was much inferior to the one which was taken. At the monthly meeting of the Waikouaiti County Council on Friday it was decided to approach the local members of Parliament—Mr J. Bitchener and Mr J. M‘C. Dickson—asking them to urge upon the Government the necessity of an amendment to the Counties’ Act so as to allow county councils to abolish riding accounts. The decision was arrived at through the peculiar position of one of the four ridings in the county, which had easily. the largest rateable values, and materials for road maintenance more convenient, being in the best financial position. This riding, with the lowest rates had the largest credit balance, and the riding with the highest rates had the greatest debit balance. As ratepapers generally are users of the roads all over the county, the councillors considered that it would be an advantage to abolish riding accounts and institute one general account onlv.

Speed and a minimum of waiting are not aspects of the railway service for which the provincial slow trains are well known amongst the travelling public, and those whose misfortune it is to have to use any of the Oamaru-Dunedin or Clin-ton-Dunedin slow trains do so with fear and trembling. However, in spite of the bad name this service has earned for itself, the record of passengers from the south on Thursday is not often beaten. At 2.50 p.m. passengers boarded the branch train at Owaka, en route to Dunedin—a distance of 71 miles. The day was far from warm and the antiquated heating appliances on the train did little to comfort the passengers during the repeated long waits experienced at Stirling, Lovell’s Flat and Milton. After six hours and 10 minutes, the chilled and tired passengers were deposited on the Dunedin Station, having taken from 2.50 to 9 p.m. to traverse the distance that many trains in other parts of the world could cover in little more than 60 minutes. “ I am not a member of the British Medical Association, nor am I on speaking terms with many of its members, but from what I see of them in their cars, there is not too much of the milk of human kindness about them. lam not blaming the individual members at all—l blame the system which is at fault.” This statement was made at a public meeting in Auckland on Thursday night by Dr E. S. Dukes _( reports our special correspondent), his address being advertised as “ medical ignorance and worse.” He severely criticised the methods of the British Medical Association, which he characterised as an astute trade union. He was inclined to agree with Oliver Wendel Holmes, who had said that if all doctors and drugs were thrown into the sea it would be better for the world. Sir James Barr, who was president of the British Medical Association in England in 1927, had said that surgeons made their living out of the ignorance and utter incompetence of physicians; that medical science bad been long at a standstill, and that disease was more prevalent to-day than half a century ago. Dr Dukes said that doctors should be paid by results, and in cases of death should be compelled to pay funeral expenses. Without health, he said, life was a burden and doctors had failed. All that medical men set out to do was to make money. Fashions in medicine had changed without lessening the death rate. Medicine was a business, and there were too many temptations put in the way of doctors. After answering a number of questions, and a suggestion had been made by a member of the audience that a society should be formed with members included who were not attached to the British Medical Association, Dr Dukes was accorded a vote of thanks.

Apparently one Dunedin schoolboy is aware of the advantages that follow the adoption of a policy of waste not, want not, and unless his views undergo a decided change he should be ensured of comfort in his old age. Recently he handed in his homework, consisting of four sums, written on a piece of paper no larger than two inches and a-half by one inch. To find room for all that the paper contained, it may be well imagined, was a work of art. Evidently the lad’s ability as an arithmetician, however, is not commensurate with his ability to make a little go a long way, for'only one of the four sums was correct.

“ From a buyer’s point of view, all other forms of publicity such as mail order work and posters are subordinate to a newspaper’s priority,’’ declared Mr J. L. Hay during the course of an address to the Canterbury Advertising Club on Thursday night. Advertising, Mr Hay continued, ranked highly in any business to-day, and the most enterprising and successful concerns were those which had a very liberal advertising policy, in fact, advertising in New Zealand had become an irresistible force, and, as by far the greatest medium for advertising, the newspaper. had to be reckoned with. The newspaper occupied a very high place in New Zealand, and gave a far better service than did many journals overseas. From the point of view of journalism and advertising, the New Zealand newspapers enabled the advertiser to reach the public without delay, and laid themselves out to give him the characteristic advertisement he desired.

The latest addition to the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company’s fleet is the motor ship Taranaki, which arrived at Port Chalmers on Saturday on her maiden trip from London to New Zealand. Specially built for the economical handling and safe carriage of New Zealand products to the London market, the Taranaki embodies various practical ideas evolved from post-war experience. Her six hatchways are fitted with no fewer than 20 electric winches, several of the hatches having four each. Every derrick gives maximum effect to its power unit, and when not in use, does not hamper the free navigation of the ship. The holds are insulated for the carriage of 138,000 carcasses of mutton, in addition to other cargo, and throughout the ’tween decks powerful fans circulate cooled air for the safe carriage of fruit and cheese. The Taranaki, which is a twin screw motor ship, did 16.2 knots on her trial trips on the Clyde, and on the run to New Zealand, via Panama, a distance of 11,349 miles, she recorded an average speed of 13.07 knots. As the machinery is new, it was run at reduced revolutions. When the ship encountered some- very bad weather in the vicinity of the Chatham Islands, her master (Captain C. Woods, D. 5.0.) further reduced her speed for a day, with the result that the vessel emerged from a trying experience with only a few awning spars damaged. The Taranaki has two masts and a squat funnel, but every room, including the saloon and smoking room, is fitted with electrovapour heaters, and also electric fans for controlling the air circulation pleasantly.

The members of the Bates College (Maine) debating team arrived in Dunedin on Saturday afternoon, and were met by the executive members of the Otago University Students’ Association, Dr Fisher (president of the Debating Council) and others. They were conveyed to Knox College, where they will be the guests of the master during their stay in Dunedin. On Sunday they were taken by motor to Palmerston, and from there to the Bushey Park estate, where the manager (Mr Twaddle) kindly took the party over the property. Last evening the first debate was held in the Allan Hall, and the visitors were afterwards entertained to supper at Studholm House. The University Club has invited the visitors to lunch to-day, and this evening will be spent in dancing at St. aMrgaret’s College. The public debate .will be held to-morrow evening in Burns Hall, and on Thursday morning the debaters will leave for Wellington, en route for Australia. The general electoral roll will be closed on Thursday next, and those who wish to have their names included on it should see that their applications are sent in without delay. The Electoral Act, 1927, makes registration and notification of change of address compulsory. A novel excuse was urged before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., in the Children’s Court on Saturday morning, when a boy, 15 years of age, was charged with cycling on the footpath. It was contained in a letter from the boy’s mother, which read as follows:—“I very much regret that my son should have done this foolish thing, but I would point out in his defence that he has just arrived from the Old Country and evidently laboured under the misguided opinion that he had more freedom here than he did at Home.”

A matter of some interest to residents in the country districts was referred to a meeting of the Hawke’s Bay Education Board a few days ago, when, in regard to the conveyance of country children to schools, the Education Department wrote forwarding a copy of the motor omnibus regulations. The provisions of these regulations do not apply to school motor buses, but it was thought that due heed should be given to them, especially in connection with the provision of safety devices. The letter asked the board to take steps to see that all school motor buses comply in a reasonable degree with the regulations. Mr G. A. Maddison said he thought that the regulations should be, made to apply to school children, and it was decided that in letting contracts for the conveyance of children in the future it should be a condition of the contract that the regulations be observed.

Charged with failing to account to the Lands and Survey Department for various sums of money amounting to £l3 15s received from Florence Emily Smith, between March 26 and May 16, a married man, whose name was ’ordered to be suppressed, pleaded not guilty in the City Police Court, before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., on Saturday morning. On the application of Mr A. G. ifeill, who appeared for the accused, a remand was granted until Friday next, bail being allowed in the accused’s own recognisance of £5O and one surety of £5O.

Excitement reigned at Spreydon Park, Christchurch, at the conclusion of Nomads v. Thistle senior Association football match on Saturday (says our special correspondent). As the referee’s final whistle went a Nomads’ player ran directly for a Thistle man, his intention evidently being to carry out a threat he had made during the game to “ clean him up." The spectators also rushed on the field gesticulating loudly, but blows were prevented by players on each side grabbing the two men-and marching them by force off the field. As they left a number of women spectators commenced to thresh the matter out, and in a few seconds all the material was available for another fight. However, wiser counsels prevailed, and some men managed to persuade the women to depart. The final episode was that one of the women stopped the referee to give him her idea on his capabilities, but he left her before she could tell him all die wanted to say.

Mr E. Murray Fuller’s exhibition of contemporary British art at the Early Settlers’ Hall was brought to a close on Saturday. Mr Fuller is well pleased with his visit to Dunedin. “It has been very gratifying to me," he said, “ to bring pictures to Dunedin and find the public take an intelligent interest in their exhibition. There are some people who have been at the gallery every day it has been open.” Mr Fuller anticipates that he will return to Dunedin at a future time with another collection of works by famous painters and etchers. To our representative he expressed his thanks to the public, to the Dunedin Public Art Gallery Society, and to Mr Neilson (secretary), for support and assistance given to him. That there should be a more systematic control of the national parks and reserves of the Dominion was the opinion expressed by Professor H. H. Corbin, president of the Auckland Council of the Institute of Horticulture, in his address at the annual meeting. He stated that there was no other country in the world possessing more interesting and valuable public reserves than New Zealand. It was the duty of the citizens to protect and preserve their reserves, as they formed great national assets, which attracted people from other countries. The management of these areas should not be haphazard; their control should be vested in some body far removed from local prejudice. Every privately-owned forest was run on a plan which provided for continuity of policy and steady development, and, as these reserves cost large sums of money annually, their control should be taken very seriously. A definite working policy should be set out and followed. Any steps taken for the purpose of improvement would be prejudicial to the reserves and to the interests of people using them unless the controlling local bodies were well informed by men with some scientific knowledge. The meeting carried a remit to the annual Dominion conference along the lines of Professor Corbin’s suggestions. A peculiar position has arisen in connection with the Mount Roskill Road Board s proposal to finance the reconstruction of the boundary roads by sharing the cost with the Auckland City Council and extending the payments over five years at the current rates of interest. On the suggestion of Mr S. I. Goodall the matter was referred to the Auditor-general, who has replied stating that such an agreement would be ultra vires. The Audit Office would have to treat the transaction as illegal borrowing. The Road Board decided to advise the City Council accordingly, and to state that the board was therefore unable to carry out the proposed agreement. Mr Goodall was empowered to confer with the City Council. The four cups which the Institute of Horticulture is importing from England and which are to be awarded to the four main centres for the encouragement of horticulture, are expected to arrive in the Dominion shortly. The arrangements for disposal of these cups are now practically completed. They are to be challenge cups and will be awarded to recognised horticultural shows by judges drawn from the roster of qualified men which the institute is now preparing. A great deal will be left to the discretion of the local horticultural societies in the matter of awarding the trophies; they ' will have power to vary the class of plant or flower for which the award is made each year, and may make other regulations. The institute aims only at promoting horticultural interest and raising the standard of the country.

Oysters will be sold in Auckland for the first time this season on Wednesday, July 11, and the indications are (says the Auckland Star) that there will be plentiful supplies of good quality. Twentyone men are engaged in picking at Russell and at Kaipara, and a further eight have been sent to various parts of the Hauraki Gulf and the Great Barrier Island. It is expected that there will- be at least 400 sacks of oysters for sale at the Government oyster depot on July 11. The supply will be regulated through the season to 450 sacks a week, of which about 400 sacks is the normal demand, as shown by past experience. As an extra three weeks has been allowed for development, the quality of the oysters should be unusually good this season. , Referring to a suggestion received at a meeting of the Waitemata Chamber of Commerce from the Hikurangi Chamber of Commerce, that the Government be urged to institute a national system of control over hawkers, Mr 8. E. Kennings said that the real hawker was frequently less of a nuisance than the salesman nominally representing a large organisation, but actually entirely dependent upon his sales for a living. The speaker said that in any case it was undesirable to give the Government any more opportunities than were necessary for adding to legislation that already encroached upon the individual liberty to an irksome degree. The chamber carried a resolution endorsing the view that more control was needed over the activities of hawkers, but expressing the opinion that such control should be left in the hands of local bodies. Fourteen bankruptcies, of which nine were in the North Island, were notified in the latest issue of the New Zealand Gazette.

A meeting of working members of the Dunedin Public Art Gallery Society was held at the gallery, Logan Park, on Saturday afternoon, for the purpose of considering specific proposals by the council of the society respecting the representation of artist members on that body, and also respecting the setting up of an arts committee. The meeting was well attended, and after an interesting discussion it was decided to submit certain counter-proposals to the council for its