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Otago Witness, Issue 3993, 23 September 1930, Page 46

Thowing back into the school ground a laivn tennis ball which came over into the road, a.clerk named Long strained something in his shoulder which resulted ’n considerable detention as a hospital case in Wellington. The insurance company repudiated the claim on tlie funds, but in the case heard on Friday the court upheld Long. His Honor Mr Justice Blair admitted, however, that a difficult point was raised, and a stay of execution for 14 days was made to enable an appeal to be made by the company. The Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company’s motor cargo ship Zealandic arrived at Dflnedin on Friday from Liverpool by way of- northern ports, and was safely berthed at the Victoria wharf. This is the second, occasion on which the Zealandic has been berthed at the Dunedin wharves. She discharged Home cargo at the Victoria wharf in March of this year. An unusual incident occurred during the sitting of the Supreme Court at Hamilton on Wednesday. William Morton Creighton,", a motor mechanic, of Hastings, formerly a farmer at Otorohanga, petitioned for a divorce from his wife, Mary Creighton, on the grounds of desertion. - It was stated that the couple were married in 1906 and on the husband’s return from the war he found his wife rather friendly with another man. His wife subsequently left him. The petitioner had commenced his evidence when the court adjourned for lunch. The petitioner, who had not seen his wife since 1925, invited her out to lunch, and it was subsequently announced on the resumption of the court that the couple had become reconciled. The action was withdrawn, and the couple left the court together. .

A conference of representatives of the City Council, the Town Planning Committee, the Invercargill Chamber of Commerce, the Southland League, and the Bluff Harbour Board was held in Invercargill on Friday afternoon for .the purpose of considering an attempt made by the public bodies in Dunedin to have Queenstown and a portion of Lake County included in the Otago regional planning area. The following resolution was carried unanimously:—“That this conference emphatically protests to the Town Planning Board against the re-opening of the question of regional planning boundaries as all public bodies were given an opportunity to give evidence at the inquiry and the boundaries were decided on the evidence given; that the board be reminded that in response to a question at the, inquiry the Director of Town Planning stated that no further opportunity would be afforded to public bodies to plead their case; and that the board be informed that if the Dunedin public bodies are permitted to send a deputation to the local bodies concerned—the Lake County Council and the Queenstown Borough Council—the Invercargill public bodies would claim the right to do likewise.”

Arrangements for a party of 30 boys from city and country districts in New Zealand to visit Australia during the Christmas vacation are being made by the Young Australia League. The tour will be on the lines of many which have been conducted by the league since its inception in 1905. The party will visit Sydney, Canberra, Geelong, Ballarat, and Melbourne. A special feature of the tour will be the visit to Canberra, where arrangements have been made for the boys to be shown over Parliament House and the residences of the Prime Minister and the Governor-General. From Sydney the party will visit the Blue Mountains and on their return to the city will inspect large industrial works. The tour will include excursions to places of historical interest. It has been tentatively arranged that the boys will leave Auckland on December 27, and they will leave Sydney for Auckland on January 23. It is stipulated that applicants should be between 13 and 18 years of age and be attending school. The total cost for each boy is £4l ss. In a letter received by Mr R. M‘Keen (Labour member for Wellington South) the Minister of Education (Mr H. Atmore) states that he has conferred with the Acting Prime Minister (Mr E. A. Ransom) regarding the question of incidental allowances to school committees brought before the Prime Minister by a deputation recently, and that he regrets that it is not possible during the current year to provide for the increased expenditure that would be involved in granting the request. “It is understood,” says Mr Atmore, “that boards will in cases where attendance rolls are declining make extra provision out of the vote for the purpose for the cost of incidental expenses of the schools concerned. The Prime Minister has given full consideration to the matter and regrets that owing to the financial conditions at present obtaining, no additional capitation grants can be considered at the present time.” For the next few weeks the tunnel at Waipori has to be emptied every Sunday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., in order to prepare for next winter's loading by boring through the concrete lining of the tunnel and putting in liquid cement under pressure in order to try to stop one or two leaks. The department will have to rely, whilst the tunnel is empty, on the power from the No. 1 station (which utilises the water in the river before it comes to the tunnel), the 'steam plant, and the Diesel engines. Domestic users take the greater part of the loading during the hours mentioned, and the department asks all consumers of power to limit their requirements for cooking and water-heating in every possible way, and particularly from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The directors of the Union Steam Ship Company granted a bonus for distribution among the ship’s company' of the Tahiti.

Last week an Eltham woman, who was “ seeing off ” a friend going on a long journey, found, after the departure of the train, that she had thoughtlessly' retained her friend’s handbag and all her money. Without ticket or money.the friend was probably threatened with trouble. Depositing the bag with the local stationmaster, the woman persuaded him to telegraph to the next station at which the train would make a stop, asking the officer in authority there to advance to the penniless passenger an amount equal to that left behind in her bag. This was most courteously done. There has been presented to the Wanganui Museum a little green lizard tnaultinus grayi) which brings with it a touch of history (says the Wanganui Chronicle). Mr N. Annabel has stated that this kind of lizard was discovered by his uncle, Mr Joseph Annabel, while engaged in a Government survey in -the wooded country of the Wanganui district. An account of the finding of the lizard by Mr Annabel was read by Sir Walter Buller before the Wellington Philosophical Society in 1880. The Maoris were universally afraid of the tiny reptile, which emits a peculiar chattering sound called “ laughing ” by the Natives, on being molested. The laugh of the green lizard was enough to terrify the bravest warrior and its power for evil was strangely believed in by the tribes all over the country. Sir George Grey in his “ Account of an expedition through the Interior, 1840-50,” stated: “ I have seen 20 or 30 able-bodied men fly in a state of the most abject fright and even take to the water when pursued by a child with a dead body of a common green lizard in his hands.”

The Commissioner of Taxes draws atten, tion by an advertisement in this issue to the necessity of lodging claims for deduct tions by way of depreciation of premises provided for by the Land and Income Tai? Amendment Act, 1930. Claim forms may be obtained at any postal money-order office or will be posted to taxpayers front the office of the Commissioner of on receipt of a request accompanied by 4 stamped addressed envelope. Amended regulations as to licenses to fish for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) iq the Southland acclimatisation district arq gazetted. The period from May 1 tq September 30 is declared to be a closq season, during which no person shall takq or have in his possession any Atlantic salmon, or the young or spawn thereof, During the open season in respect of thq Upukokorora and a portion of Lake Tq Anau (described), it is declared unlaw* ful to fish for Atlantic salmon except with artificial fly; and no person shall take or catch more than three Atlantiq salmon in any one day. During . thq month of October it is unlawful for any person to fish for Atlantic salmon from a boat of any descriptin. Any person committing a breach of the regulations is liable to a fine of £5O.

To be used for the erection of homeq for married blind people, two and three* quarter acres of land have been given to the Jubilee Institute for the Blind at Auckland. The gift has filled a long* felt want, states the annual report of thq institute, as before such cases had been prevented from coming to the intsitutq because of the difficulty of obtaining housing for their wives and families. Valuable ideas for the work and welfare of the blind have been brought back by the director of the Jubilee Institute for the Blind, Mr Clutha N. Mackenzie, who has recently spent some time itrtnspecting sister institutions in England. The result has been most gratifying, and thq director’s efforts are much appreciated by the board.

A severe gash in the leg was received by a farmer, Mr E. Attenborough, when he was tossed by a bull on his property at Buckland one morning reqently whilq he was preparing the animal for thq Jersey bull sale at Pukekohe (states thq New Zealand Herald). The bull W'as tied to a closed gate, and Mr Attenborough w'as attempting to adjust ; the rope when the animal charged him. Fortunately the bull tossed him over the gate and out of reach, and was unable to follow up its attack. Mr Attenborough’s plight was seen by his wife, who went to his assistance. He was taken to a private hospital. Mr Attenborough has owned the bull for many years, and it was always considered a very quiet animal.