STORM SIGNALS.

Southland Times, Issue 18936, 24 September 1920, Page 4

STORM SIGNALS.

During the past twelve months the country has been faced continually with the threat of serious trouble in the mining industry. Conferences and compromises have averted a general conflagration when all hope of keeping the peace seemed to have fled, but though an actual cessation of work has been averted the unrest has remained and now the Prime Minister is warning the country to be prepared for anything. Many factors have contributed to the continuance of the coal shortage in New Zealand and of late not the least important of these has been the succession of irritating strikes in some of the mines. The public unfortunately knows little of the facts of these various outbursts of temper. One day we are told that miners have ceased work because some of their number will not contribute to a levy to assist the people in Broken Hill, on another it is because the railway fares arc not to the miners’ liking and on a third the reason given is that a certain foreman is not iiked. The latest stoppage in the State mine is not explained, except by a recent warning from an Inspector of Mines that the miners intended to strike four days in every fortnight. All these trivial points arc of importance to the country, contributing as they do, to the suffering of the people who arc least able to help themselves. The limitation in the supply of coal, whatever the cause, has the effect of putting the poor people in a worse position because the blow falls on them first. Families who can afford to lay in large stocks of coal may be able to tide over a temporary shortage, hut the poorer folk have to proceed from hand to mouth and they are the first to have to go without fires when the miners decide to stop work or go-slow. The Prime Minister in hi.s warning is not. very definite. There are rumours of a cut in the railway service and this means also that supplies of coal for lighting and for industrial purposes are threatened. Mr Massey docs not say exactly why and when .the cut may be made, but the facts before us at the moment suggest, that the position in the coal industry is extremely delicate. The situation has been building up steadily during the past year, but the public generally knows vcrj r little about the causes. It only knows that whatever happens it will have to pay, that strike or lock-out, compromise or surrender, the burden will come back upon the consumer, hitting hardest the people least able to pay. The miner is fighting a selfish battle, however much he may disguise it with brave words, and the coal-owners arc looking after their interests, although it must he confessed that their concern for other industries has prompted them time after time to give way before the increased demands from the men; but the public pays and it cannot be expected to receive with any pleasure the Prime Minister's ominous warnings. The situation is extremely grave.

A further rise in the price of bread is notified as from September 27, the new prices for a two-pound loaf being sixpence over the counter and 6td delivered.

Those interested are reminded that the grazing rights over the Borough reserves will be submitted to auction by Messrs Bray Bros, to-morrow.

A first offender, charged with being drunk and disorderly, pleaded guilty and was fined £2 by Mr G. Cruickshank, S.M., at the Police Court yesterday morning.

The Coaldalo Company’s siding on the Ohai line is nearing completion, and this company will probably be railing coal out before the end of the month.—Otautau Standard.

A painful accident befell Mr Thomas Stalker, of the Bluff Press e-taff, while he was endeavouring to start an oil engine yesterday afternoon. The engine back-fired and one of his fingers was badly crushed and torn in the machinery, necessitating several stitches being ins-erted.

The Invercargill railway hooking office will be specially opened between 7 and S o’clock to-night, for issue of tickets for the early express to-morrow. On account of the Southland-Otago football match at Dunedin, the bookings are expected to be heavy.

At the Magistrate’s Court yesterday before Mr G. Cruickshank, S.M., judgment by default was given for plaintiffs in the following eases; —Alex Storrie, Ltd. v. F. Dunnich for £27 Is lOd, with costs £3 13s; ,1. H. Tat tersfield v. James Barrett for £2B 7s 9d, with casts £3 os; Invercargill Corporation v. S. Glasson for £2 2s 6d, with costs 7s.

A very’ fine scam of coal has been struck on the property of Mr J. J. 11. McLean, Birchwood. The coal is near the surface and the seam is reported as having a depth of 14 feet. A syndicate has acquired the mining right, and expects to put coal on the market this summer.—Otaulau Standard.

The motor ambulance made two trips to Bluff yesterday. On the first, occasion an officer of the s.s. Paloona who is reported to he suffering from pneumonia, was brought to Invercargill for hospital treatment. On the second occasion a school girl was taken to the hospital suffering from what is believed ro be diphtheria.

There is less growth at present than there was hack in July, is the opinion given by’ a shrewd observer who moves round the country’ a great deal (says the Otautau Standard). Grass is short and making extremely little headway; frosts and easterly winds are stopping growth. A fortnight’s warm weather and sunshine would remedy the trouble.

The meeting of the Labour Carnival Committee, held in the Y.M.C.A. was well attended, a large number of ladies being present. After the large number of letter.? received from all over New Zealand had been attended to wishing the carnival success, the. secretary reported having waited on various firms in regard to a Poster march. The response, he said, was poor. It was decided to abandon the march. Donations towards the Carnival were given freely to make up for it. It was decided to hold a Baby Show, the Plunket Society to be asked to assist. The Society would also be given a bay in which to demonstrate to mothers the great advantage to be obtained from the proper feeding of children.

No definite answer, but a hint of what the answer would be, was given by the Minister of Education in Parliament, on Monday in reply to a question by Mr Plarris (Waitcmata), whether he would favourably consider the request for registration of the newly-formed Auckland Primary School Teachers’ Association. The Hon. C. J. Parr stated: “The statement of the honourable member that there was a vote of 95 per rent, in favour of the new association is misleading, since it probably refers only to a vote taken at a meeting. There are over one thousand teachers in the Auckland district, and the list of members of the new association contains less than fifty names. The objects of the proposed association, as get out in its application, are practically identical with those of the Auckland branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute, of which branch the members of the new association are also members. It would be a difficult process for the Department to deal with two registered societies in the same district, each society claiming to represent the views of the primary school teachers in the district.”

A Wellington Press Association telegram states that the Featherston Co-operative Daily Company has decided to consign the whole season’s exportable output of cheese through the Bristol Producers’ Association.

Messrs Dalgety and Co., Ltd., have purchased the property now occupied by Messrs Sargood Son and Ewen, Ltd., in Don street, and in due course will transfer their offices from Tay street to Don street.

The Corinthic, due at Wellington next Monday from Southampton, is bringing a large English mail for New Zealand. The Manama, which left San Francisco on September 14 for Wellington via ports, has an American parcel mail consisting of 966 hampers and two bags of letter mail for the Dominion. She is due at Wellington about October 4. The Niagara, which sailed from Vancouver on September 17 for Auckland via port', is bringing mails from the United Kingdom, Canada and United States. She is due at Auckland about October 6.

The story of how a dog was responsible for saving the life of a boy conies from Canimbla, nine miles from here (writes the Cowra (N.S.W.I correspondent of the Sydney Evening News I. The five-year-old son of Mr W. Peake was playing on the bank of a creek near his home, when he fell into the water and was carried down the stream. At once the dog dashed off to the house, and by his behaviour drew Mrs Peake’s attention. He fawned and whined, convincing her that something was amiss. She conveyed her fears to her husband, who noticed that the dog was wet, and went to the creek. Here the first thing that he noticed was his son’s cap floating on the water. A few minutes’ search down the stream brought him to the spot where his .son was clinging to the limb of a tree in the creek. The boy was exhausted when found, and could not have possibly held on more than a couple of minutes longer. After being taken from the stream he was for a long time prostrated.

Some individual is making a fairly frequent practice of slashing and ripping up upholstered scats in the Christchurch picture theatres (says a Christchurch journal). The latest act occurred on Wednesday evening when a leather-covered seat in the Liberty Theatre was slashed beyond repair. In three instances an accompanying note signed by “Working Man” intimated that this extraordinary procedure was taken by way of protest, against the high rales of admission. Some time ago such a note was left on a mutilated seat in the Liberty Theatre when rates had advanced owing to the screening of a special attraction. Numbers of scats have been ruined since then. This theatre has a particulary expensive form of leather covering on the seats. In practically all instances the scats are ripped in the form of a diagonal cross. Five other theatres also suffered iu the same way, but in a less degree.

At the enquiry in New York into the murder of Mr Elwell, writer on bridge and man about town, it came out that he was bald and wore a wig. In his house were found no fewer than 40 wigs. So perfectly made were they, and so well fitting, that many of his most intimate friends never suspected that he had not his own hair. “Have you ever known a man have 40 wigs'.'' 1 a hairdresser was asked. He thought for a moment. “No,” he replied. “But one of my customers has quite a dozen." The modern wig is quite different from the crude affair of a few years ago. Properly made, it defies detection. The man who is careful of his personal appearance must have several wigs, showing the growth of the hair at different stages. After he has been wearing the long-haired one for a day or two he remarks casually to his friend and daily associates; “I must get my hair cut.” Next day he appears in o short-haired wig which gives every appearance of having been newly cut.”

“It is hoped that the Government’s immigration policy will be the means of attracting to our Dominion many workers of the type so much desired,” states the annual report of the Wellington Industrial Union. “In every skilled trade a serious shortage of labour continues to exist. Miss Girdler, holding the rank of captain of the Imperial Aviator Corps, and Miss Watkia, holding similar rank in the V.A.D. Corps, have visited the Dominion. These ladies were sent out by the Imperial Government to investigate, and to report upon their return on the general conditions and opportunities for female workers in the overseas Dominions. They were waited on by a committee of our association and we were informed that there were 300,000 women and girls in England who bad worked in the various branches of industry during the late war. Many of them were anxious to come to (he oven-ear. Dominions to work. Misses Girdler ami Watkin were much impressed with (he labour conditions of our Dominion.”

“An important step was taken during the year in the inauguration of a scheme for the treatment of venereal diseases, say the Director-General in his annual report, “New Zealand is relatively free from these diseases as compared with other lands, but it must be admitted that of late years there has been a distinct tendency towards increase. Four full-time medical officers who had special experience in the Army in the treatment of venereal diseases have been appointed, one for each of the main centres. Their duties include the charge of a clinic in their home towns, together with the general supervision of the campaign against the diseases in the whole of the health district. As part, of their routine work they visit smaller towns and confer with hospital boards and arrange for the establishing of clinics in these places. While at present the majority of the cases are ex-inernbers of the Expeditionary Forces, there is an ever-increasing proportion of civilians presenting themselves for treatment. To ensure early and adequate treatment the State pays the whole of the expenses in indigent cases, ’’

Antarctic exploration continues to exert a charm over the public, not because of its novelty’, but on account of the solution of its great mysteries at the hands of scientists. Among the curious polar phenomena hitherto beyond the ken of average human imagination, said Sir Douglas Mawr-on, in a lecture in Adelaide last week (says the South Australian Register) was the fact, mentioned by’ the lecturer, that it had never been known to rain in the antarctic. It was always dry snow that fell. He also remarked that many people once believed that the whole antarctic region was a vast accumulation of floating ice. Now, however, it was definitely known that there existed a stratum of solid rock. Some day, when the climate of the earth possibly got warmer, the great ice formation, at. least 1000 ft deep in places, would melt, and reveal whether or not the so-called antarctic continent was a group of rocky islands buried beneath an ice cap. Sir Douglas explained that the average temperature at the south pole was 50 deg. colder than that at the north pole.

The annual social and concert in connection with the young women.’s branch of the W.C.T.U. was held in Victoria Hall on Wednesday evening, and was largely attended. “This branch of the Union is a very progressive one,” said the president (Miss Seed) in her address, and judging by the interesting facts given by that lady the Y branch, as it is popularly named, is certainly a live one. It gained three banners duimg the year for obtaining most financial members. Besides holding educational classes during the winter months, the branch has assisted in making the lives of the inmates of the orphanages in Invercargill a little brighter, and has sent donations for the W.C.T.U. work amongst the Maoris. It had also assisted by collecting for “Pity Week" and the Children's House. The stage in Victoria Hail was artistically decorated for the occasion, and represented a gipsy camp in the desert of Egypt. Some 23 young lads and maidens, suitably attired, sang several appropriate choruses, and were assisted in the programme by Misses Skipworth, Lcetc, Blackmore, Wesney, Aitken, Williamson, and Molly Ronald, and Messrs McLean, Lee, Kelly, Pierce, Richards and Wallace. At the close of the concert the novelty of an audience buying its own supper by auction was witnessed, the boxes containing cakes, eJc., being prettily garbed with paintings of flowers and other ornamentations.

The cement shortage in New Zealand is now a greater trouble than it was a year ago. Wilson’s big works in Auckland, from which 6,530 tons of cement came in August, had to close down for want of coal on August 28, and we have not heard of their reopening. Thus the whole burden of supplying the Dominion is thrown on the Golden Bay Company’s works at Takaka and the Milburn Company’s works in Otago. In regard to the Milbum Company, unfortunately their stocks are almost exhausted, the operations having been retarded lately by the poor quality of the coal supplied from the West Coast. It is bad luck that the output should be thus restricted at a time when the Dominion at large is crying out for cement.—Dunedin Star.

Mr J. E. MacManus, president of the Otago branch of the New Zealand Workers’ Union, has received from the Minister of Public Works a communication dealing with the wages of public construction workers. The Hon. Mr Coates explains that in respect to the union’s demand for 16/4 per day for general labourers or hour-to-hour casuals such an amount refers only to men required for less than four weeks, and that if such worker’s employment exceeds four w’eeks, then the rate is reduced to Is 104 d per hour for the whole period of employment. Mr MacManus points, out that the Ministerial reply evades the point that the railwayman W'ho are paid at the rate of 15s a day do not lose time —a very material difference in regard to out-of-door employment. The new rate is retrospective as from April 1 last.

Saturday was the SOth anniversary' of the ceremony of taking possession, in the name of Great Britain, of the site of the city of Auckland. Captain Hobson, New Zealand’s first Governor, decided shortly after his arrival at the Bay of Islands in January', 1840, that the then capital, Russeii, was unsuitable as a permanent seat of government. Investigations in regard to a new capital resulted in the selection of the present site of the northern city. A Government party, which arrived in Waitemata on September 15, 1840, in the barque' Anna Watson, landed on September IS, when the British flag was hoisted on the promontory afterwards crowned with Fort. Britomart. Salutes were fired from the barques Anna Watson and Platina, and the health of the reigning sovereign, Queen Victoria, was drunk at the foot of the flagstaff. The event, which marks the actual birthday of Auckland city, was further signalised by a luncheon on the Anna Watson, and the holding of the first regatta on the waters of the Waitemata.

The old argument concerning the depredations of shags among young trout was revived at the annual meeting of the Otago Anglers’ Association on. Wednesday night by Mr W 7 . Morgan, who said that he had counted as many as 23 shags going up the Waikouaiti River of an evening, and had seen them diving into pools and bringing fish out. He suggested that the association should spend portion of its funds in the destruction of shags. Mr C. A. Wilson slated that the Acclimatisation Society endeavoured to kill off so many every year, but the more they were killed the more seemed to some back. The society paid 6s a head, on condition that the birds wore shot three miles inland. The ranger said that it. was not the eels but the shags that were the enemy of the trout. Mr 'Williams said he had been fold that two gentlemen offered to shoot shags at Tomahawk, but were refused ammunition by the society, and he considered that if that were so the society was to blame in that case.

Mr A. J. Campbell, late with Guy’s “Canza” Studio. Dunedin, has arrived in Invercargill and has taken over the management of the Aristo Studio. —Advt.

The success of the Spring Show at Thomson and Beattie’s has been instantaneous. The business done is a clear indication that the right goods hate been imported and that the values are good. The Show will be continued to-day and Saturday.—Advt.

GOOD IDEA. —It’s a good idea to keep your eye on Baxter’s prices (see over leader).' It will be profitable for you to make your purchases of groceries at Baxters. The lower the price the quicker the saIe.—S.P.Q.R.

Tennis Racquets are here! They corns as harbingers of summery days and flannel toggery, keen to provide healthy sport and recreation. From the factory of the A, J. Reach Company of’Philadelphia, these racquets combine quality and modesty of price. The demand for them will he instantaneous and inquiring friends are warned not to lose the advantage of the earlycomer. Prices: 12/0, 17/6. 21/-, 22/6, 29/6 at. Hyndman's, Dec Street.—Ad\t.

Call and secure the Bargains offering— T. P. ROBINSON, Tay street.—(Advtj

LACES. —Lace is to-day more than ever before entering largely into the adornment of underwear garments for ladies, maids and girls. Recognising this fact., Price and Bulleid, Ltd,, at present are showing some very fine samples of the lace maker’s: art. The makes are superior and the patterns dainty. If interested in lace buying, then do not, fail to see these goods. They are just off the water from overseas markets. The smartest dressers are now buying their Costumes ready-to-wear at THE ‘'ECONOMIC,” Ladies' Outfitters, 60 Dee street. Styles, sizes, and prices to suit ail. (Advt.) PRE-WAR PRICES. The cost of manufacturing "Fluuizol’ has greatly increased; but the Proprietary' has refrained from raising the original prices—l/ 0 and 2/6—which still hold good. I Advt J Shirts that represent our idea of exceptional value. They are good and stylish. Hundreds of good desirable pattern? are here, priced for quick selling. Shirts, slightly soiled, only a few left, usual price 10/6, 11/6, Sale Price 7/11. Office Shirts, usual price 12/0 to 16/6, Sale Price 10,6 to 14/6. All our famous working shirt--, usual price 12/6 to 16/6, Sale Price 10 6 to 14/6. Silk shirts in white, tussore and pongee, u»ual price 14/6 to 27/6. Sale price 12/6 to 25/-. Men's warm wool and union shirts, usual price 12/6 to 21/-, Sale Price 10/6 to 19/6. A splendid showing of Boys' Shirts. All are greatly reduced in price. Men’s, boys’ and youths’ Pyjamas ail in desirable patterns at quick sale prices. 1: you cannot call, mail your order to-day. Sec windows for splendid value at 11, an.! J. SMITH, LTD., Progressive Stortv- and Leading Shirt Manufacturers, Tay Street, Invercargill and Mara Street. Gore.—Advt.

High Grade Made-10-measuro Suits now hocking at UNDIULLS, opposite Poet Cilice. — tAdvt.)

“Hasten now to make assurance doubly sure." Wise words at tins season, when winter’s clue complaints threaten from every point. An emphatic assurance of immunity from lung complaints, chest troubles, coughs, colds, and influenza is obtained by taking Baxter’s Lung Preserver—a sure, safe remedy at ail tunes It has a rich, pleasant taste, and its soothing action never tails to stop the tickle and give ease to the sore throat. A wise plan is to keep a bottle always handy. Large site G—at ail chemists and grocers. — CAdvt.) WHY ELECTRICS ARE ECONOMICAL. One special advantage of the electric motor lorry is that when at u standstill it ceases to use up energy. The foremost electric lorry ol to-day is the ''ORWELL.'' It is built by Ransomes, Sims aud Jeuenes of Ipswich. England, and is expertly built in every detail. THE NEW ZEALAND EXPRESS 00., LTD., Sole Agents.— (Advtj

“Washing Day is revolutionised by the use of "NO ROBBING LAUNDRY KELP’ and “GOLDEN RULE SOAP 1“ They’re new and up-to-date labour-saving inventions. Imitated but not equalled!—(AdvtJ

MASTERS, LTD., were the originators of the 10 per cent, discount to returned soldiers. Other storekeepers have copied os and we now go one better. Wc now invite all discharged soldiers and those waiting discharge to have their military hats reblocked, free of ail cost, by the only hatter in Southland. We still give alO per cent, reduction to ail returned soldiers.— MASTERS, LTD., Dee street.— (Advt.l