NORTH OTAGO.

Otago Witness, Issue 4041, 25 August 1931, Page 23

NORTH OTAGO.

NEWS FROM THE DISTRICT.

NORTH OTAGO MOTOR ASSOCIATION.

The monthly meeting of the North Otago Motor Asociation was held on Tuesday evening. Captain H. S. Cox presided. The secretary reported that arrangements had been completed for the annual meeting, when Inspector Whyte would de- i liver an address to members. | The South Island Motor Union wrote | requesting nominations for the election I of officers at the annual meeting.—lt was ’ decided to nominate Mr F. W. Johnstone i as president and Messrs M. S. Holmes and J. S. Hawker as vice-presidents. Accounts totalling £8 16s 4d were passed for payment. MEETING OF CREDITORS. There was a quorum present at the meeting of creditors in the bankrupt estate of Joseph James Stevenson, held in the courthouse last week before Mr A. W. Woodward (deputy official assignee). Mr H. J. S. Grater appeared on behalf of the bankrupt. The statement submitted by the bankrupt showed liabilities amounting to about £l7O, and assets to the value of less than £5O. In his statement, the bankrupt stated that he was a married man with four children, the eldsct being 11 years. He was employed on the Tapui estate by Mr Rtiddenklau in 1925, and was with him for three years, and left in 1928. While there he received £3 a week, plus free house, meat, coal, and milk. When at Ruddenklau’s he bought a cheap motor car for £6O in 1927, and paid a deposit of either £l5 or £2O. He had to pay instalments of £4 a month, and he kept these up while there. As he had to pay too much for repairs he sold the car and bought another from Mr Gillies for £BO. He required this Second car to take him to and from his work, as he was living seven miles away. This car also cost a lot for repairs, and eventually Mr Gillies seized it. He had no assets except a little household furniture and one cow, and was unable to make any offer to his creditors at present. He was forced to file, as Mr Livingstone pressed him for payment of his account. The principal creditors were as follow: —S. Easton and Co., £5 ss; J. Heal (Tokarahi), £l5 8s 6d; N. Hood. £ll 2s lid; J. Joiner (Enfield), £34; R. S. Taylor (Windsor), £l7; Dewar and M'Kenzie, £37. G. T. Gillies, £l6; G. Livingstone, £l4 4s.

Under cross-examination, bankrupt stated that he needed the car while at Ruddenklau’s, and admitted that he paid instalments and running expenses instead of paying ordinary accounts for the necessaries of life. lie had not paid anything to Mr Joiner. He traded in the first car for £6O, and purchased the second car which was seized three months ago. His wages from Ellery on the chaffcutting plant amounted to £3 a week, and from J. M. Smith as a stud groom £3 10s a week, and. groomage fees when he was able to collect them. For about 12 months his wife had received, and was still receiving, 8s 4d a month from the Government for children’s allowance. The account due to Eckhold was for petrol only, for which nothing had been paid. No resolution was passed by the creditors, and the meeting was adjourned sine die. MINING APPEAL. Notice of appeal against the warden’s (Mr H. W. Bundle) decision to restore the title to the Maerewhenua water race held by the late Mr Richard Cook, to the mining register, is being filed by George Holloway through his solicitors. Messrs Lee, Grave, and Grave. The case will probably be set down for hearing at the next sitting of the Supreme Court at Oamaru in September. WORKER INJURED. On Thursday morning William Wylde, of the Waitaki Hydro, was brought into town in an ambulance and admitted to the public hospital suffering from severe head injuries caused through his being struck by a falling boulder.

NORTH OTAGO FARMERS’ UNION.

The monthly meeting of the North Otago branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union was held on Friday afternoon. Mr R. Walker presided. Accounts totalling £6 14s were passed for payment. The Southland provincial secretary advised that there was a diversity of opinion as to the full meaning of the North Otago remit that it be a recommendation to the Government in any future land settlement under the Land for Settlement Act, that a clause be inserted in the lease by which if a tenant wished to dispose of his lease, the land should revert back to the Crown, and the tenant be entitled to full compensation for his improvements. The Southland branch asked for a full meaning of the remit for discussion at the September meeting.—Mr D. J. Ross spoke fully on the subject, pointing out that the object of the remit was to prevent land speculation, and to encourage genuine settlers, thus stabilising land values.— The secretary and Mr Ross were empowered to collaborate in forwarding arguments in favour of the remit to the Southland branch. A similar letter was received from the Otago branch and was dealt with in a like manner.

The South Canterbury branch forwarded the following remit for consideration:— “That the Dominion Executive be asked to set up a committee to go into the question of freight, wharfage, and commission charges imposed when shipping produce between the two islands.” The South Canterbury branch considered that there was too great a margin as between the price the farmer received in the South Island and the price the consumer paid in the North Island.—After a brief discussion it was decided to support the remit. Mr J. A. Macpherson forwarded a reply from the Minister of Agriculture in reference to the reqnest for a concession on carrying feed for starving stock, stating

that there was no money available out of which the Government could assist in the matter, and that any assistance would have to be provided for by taxation. —Received.

The Dominion Executive requested branches to forward the views of members on the question of highways finance, as the union would give evidence before the special Parliamentary Committee which had been appointed to make investigations into the matter. It was pointed out that the power of diverting motor taxation expired on August 31, and the matter would be brought up shortly in Parliament, and that the Prime Minister had expressed the opinion that the ear-marking of any tax for a particular purpose was unsound in principle, so that a reduction in subsidy to county councils and other roading authorities would be probably proposed.—Mr R. Dick spoke on the serious outlook for the farming community and the heavy taxation that was being imposed for the upkeep of roads, of which the farmers were only partial users. The present Government, said Mr Dick, had piled on taxation, but had not reduced expenditure in any way. Relief would have to be given to the farmers, and a reduction in public expenditure, not of 10 or 20 per cent., but of 50 per cent, would be necessary.— Mr Kelcher supported Mr Dick, and it was decided to protest strongly against any rearrangement of the allocation of main highways revenue to.assist in meeting the shortage in the Consolidated Fund. It was decided to support a remit from the Waikaka Valley branch setting out the steps necessary to secure immediate relief for the primary producers. Messrs Dick, Rapson. Brewster and Forrester were appointed a committee to go into the question of holding competitions for North Otago in connection with the Boys’ and Girls’ Agricultural Clubs, and report to the next meeting. Mes-rs Dick and Forrester were appointed the union’s delegates to the Oamaru Chamber of Commerce.

LOCAL BODIES’ AMALGAMATION. A conference of delegates from local bodies was held on Friday afternoon, following the monthly meeting of the North Otago Farmers’ Union, to discuss the proposal brought forward last month by Mr K. Dick on the suggested partial amalgamation of the Oamaru Harbour Board and the Waitaki County Council in the interests of economy. Mr R. Walker presided, and in addition to the members of the Farmers’ Union present, there were Messrs R. -K. Ireland, N. Hayes, and R. Milligan (Oamaru Harbour Board); A. MTnnes. D. J. Ross, and R. K. Gardiner (Waitaki County Council); and J. M. Wilson and D. L. Patterson (Oamaru Chamber of Commerce). Mr Walker extended a cordial welcome to the delegates attending, and expressed the hope that even if no concrete proposal was brought forward a discussion of the subject would do good. Mr R. Dick introduced the question, and after a very lengthy discussion it was finally suggested that Mr Dick should bring the proposal forward again, after the Government commission had inquired into these matters.

’ THE REFORM CANDIDATE. Mr J. C. Kirkness, who has been selected by a substantial majority as the official Reform candidate to contest the Oamaru seat at the forthcoming elections is 44 years of age. and was born in Orkney Island, north of Scotland. He received ms secondary education at the Kirkwall Grammar School, and while working on his father’s farm, until he left for NewZealand 22 years ago, he studied by correspondence classes, and attended for a short period Skerry’s College. Edinburgh. In 1907 he sat for the United Kingdom civil service examination, and out of 1500 candidates he secured the distinction of coming firsts for Scotland and eighth for the United Kingdom. Glowing reports of New Zealand were responsible for his decision to come to this country, and he arrived in 1909 without capital, and has worked himself into his present position entirely through his own efforts. He is at present a member of the Waitaki Hospita* Board and the Oamaru Borough Council He was an active supporter of the late Mr W. F. Massey, and for the past six years he has been deputy chairman c.f Mr E. P. Lee’s Oamaru Committee. He volunteered and served for three years with the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces in th Great War.

Mr Kirkness was born and brought up on a farm at Home, and when he came to New Zealand he was engaged in the wheat-growing industry. He »v is manager of Dome Hills for some years, and for a few years he was stock agent for the North Otago Farmers Co-operative Association, so that he has been continually in touch with the farming com munity, and. is fully conversant with Ps problems. For 10 years Mr Kirkness has been associated with the land and estate business, and in his activities he has gained the confidence of the farm ing community. His selection as the official Reform candidate for the Oamaru electorate was carried out in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Dominion Council, and the meeting of Reform delegates at which he received a three to one majority of the votes cast over the other two candidates, was the most representative meeting of Reform supporters ever held in this electorate. GOLF. Owing to the rain only four players completed their rounds in the L.G.U. Medal Match played by the Ladies’ Club, the best cards being Mrs Burton 104 —29 — 75. Mrs Brown 101 —19 —82.

The second qualifying round of the Men’s B Grade Championship was again headed by C. R. Hedges with a wellplaycd 93. The leading scores were as follow: —C. R. Hedges 93, Maude 100, Ryan 101. Bailey 102, Cook 102, Widdowson 103, Day 104, M’Culloch 105, Grater 107, Smith 108. The following qualify:—C. R. Hedges 186, Bailey 195, Ryan 200. Maude 202. Cook 206, Widdowson 207. M'Culloch 2091 Main 210, Day 210. The last-mentioned two play off for eighth place. The leading scores for the second qualifying round of the Men’s C Grade Cham-

pionship were as follows: —Dennis 104, Gilchrist 110, Catto 111, Steven 111, Robertson 111, Patterson 112, Familton 118, Walker 119," Frame 121. The following qualify:—Dennis 206, Gilchrist 215, Catto 218, Stevens 219, Robertson 223, Patterson 224, Frame 229, Watson 231.

The A Grade Consolation was won by R. M’Donald. R. B. Irvine and A. W. Woodward being equal for second place. The best scores were as follow: —Roll 89, Currie 92. M‘Ewan 93. T. Wright 93, Hewat 93, M’Donald 93. Ireland 94, Ewart 94, Irvine 95.

GROUP MUSIC TEACHING. There was a representative gathering of music teachers at the residence of Mr C. IV. Naylor. Usk street, Oamaru, to listen to an address by Mr C. A. Rendle (manager of the Christchurch branch of j Messrs Chas. Begg and Co.) on the sub- I ject of group class teaching. Mr Nay'or I occupied the chair, and Mr Rendle ex- • plained that the system, which had been working very successfully in Christchurch and Dunedin, embodied the teaching of groups of pupils in the preliminary steps in preparation for private musical tuition. After hearing Mr Rendle, it was the unanimous opinion of those present that group teaching in Oamaru was desirable, and it was decided to forth a committee of those present to discuss the matter further. Mr Rendle was thanked for his address, and Mr Naylor for presiding. LADIES’ HOCKEY. The North Otago Junior and Server representative teams journeyed to Timaru ou Saturday, and engaged in matches against the South Canterbury ladies’ teams. The ground was heavy and somewhat slippery. The visiting forward line in the senior team was always dangerous, and was unlucky to have been held to a draw —-4 goals fill. The junior game resulted in a comfortable win for North Otago by 4 goals to nil. MEN’S HOCKEY. The game at King George’s Park on Saturday between Oamaru and Rovers resulted in a win for the former by 8 goals to 2, which gave Oamaru a four point lead on the championship ladder, thus making them the winners for the 1931 season. The game was very even in the first spell, and at half time the scores were 2 all. In the second half, however, Oamaru proved superior in all departments, and came off winners with 8 goals to their credit to Rovers’ 2. For Oamaru Berwick scored three goals, D. Taylor (two). Webb, Willett, Tonkin, one each, while Howie was responsible for Rovers’ two scores. Messrs Kay and Jacobs were the referees. The following is the positions of the teams on the championship ladder: —

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

The ground was heavy after the recent rains for Saturday’s games, which were resultless so far as finding the runner-up of the competition was concerned. Hydro defeated Maheno by 8 points to nil, and Athletic brought off an eleventh-hour victory against Old Boys by 12 points to 9, so that the position n.s regards Ol<l Boys and Maheno is unaltered. The game between Past and Present Old Boys, played on the Oval as a curtain-raiser, was marked by a carnival spirit, and provided continuous amusement to the spectators. The ordering off of a Past player, who donned an ex-All Black's jersey for the occasion, and the mischievous delight shown by Past and Present players in bespattering one another with mud. caused shrieks of laughter amongst the onlookers. More time was devoted to the staging of amusing episodes than serious play, and it was suggested that the referee was in league with the Past players to teach the youngsters a lesson. Be that as it may. Past Old Boys showed that they could play the game and kick goals, with the result that they ran out the winners by 23 points to 3. REPRESENTATIVE TEAM.

The North Otago representative team is as follows: —Taylor, Diver, Grainger, Kent, Gillies. Trevathan. Gaffaney, Simpson, Park. Langbein, Morland, Veitch, Sim. G. Newlands, Clark (captain); emergencies—-Spillane, MTntosh, Grocott, and Familton.

JUNIOR REPRESENTATIVE GAME

The North Otago junior representative team journeyed to Palmerston on Saturday, and play a match against the Eastern District juniors. A good game resulted, and ended in North Otago defeating the home team by 14 points to 9. The ground was heavy, and both packs played hard games.

P W. D. L. Pts. Oatnaru .. .. .. .. 8 1 2—11 Rovers .... 8 3 1 4—7 Colts .... 8 2 2 4 — G