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Otago Witness, Issue 4014, 17 February 1931, Page 34

A statement that England had gone a long way toward furthering Empire trade preference, but that the dominions had not reciprocated, was made in Hamilton by Mr A. E. Manning at a meeting of the Hamilton Civic Luncheon Club. An Imperial Development Board was being formed, said Mr Manning, with ramifications throughout the Empire, and it was hoped that this board would do much to improve trade within the Empire. Influential Americans acknowledged that London was still the money centre of the world. America had the money, but Britain had the financial brains. Factors contributing to the depression in England were the dumping of foreign goods, the withdraw of capital from British industries and its investment and loss in America, and the grouping and over-capi-talisation of big British businesses. Miss K. Gardiner, of the English Ladies’ Alpine Club, accompanied by Guides P. Graham and F. Alack (West Coast guides), the successful ascent on Tuesday last of Mount Sefton (10,350 feet) from a high bivouac on the Westland side above Welcome Flat in the Copeland Valley. Miss Gardiner also on the following day, with the same guides, made the second ascent of Scott’s Peak and the first ascent of an unnamed and unclimbed peak in the main divide south of Mount Sefton. Miss Gardiner has climbed extensively in Canada, besides several of the notable peaks in New Zealand in the neighbourhood of the Franz Josef glacier and at the Hermitage, including Mount Cook. Miss Gardiner is the second lady to climb Mount Sefton. The weather was perfect and a wonderful view of the Southern Alps was obtained. The naval minesweeper Wakakura returned to Dunedin on Saturday afternoon from Akaroa with the fourth draft of Royal Naval Volunteer Reservists from the Otago division. The men completed a course of training while the vessel was at Akaroa. The Wakakura will embark the fifth and final draft next Saturday, and will sail that day for Lyttelton, where the men will undergo training for a week in conjunction with Naval Volunteer Reservists from the Canterbury division. The Otago men will return to Dunedin by train at the conclusion of the training period.