BEYOND BELIEF

Southland Times, Issue 20111, 23 February 1927, Page 4

BEYOND BELIEF

It seems scarcely credible that a Government Department would act in the way that was disclosed during the hearing of a case in the Supreme Court on Monday when the statement was not refuted lhat an employee of the Post and Telegraph Department had been discharged when it was learnt that he had earlier in his career been an inmate of the Borstal Institution. It was admitted by the telegraph engineer that the man concerned had given satisfaction as a linesman, but that when it had been learnt that he had been at one time sentenced to the Borstal it was decided to dispense with his services. Mr Justice Reed refrained from commenting at length on the matter, though he stated that it seemed extraordinary that in New Zealand where there was a system of reforming young people who had committed a crime a Government Department should refuse to employ them. Few will disagree with his Honour, but most will characterise the action of the department concerned as brutally unreasonable. We in this country are proud of the work the Borstal Institution is doing among the younger members of the community who fall from grace. The Government itself speaks eloquently of the great work being accomplished here. Yet in the same breath it issues a decree that exinmates of the Borstal shall not be employed in the service. The position is preposterous in the extreme. There is enough in this country of the despicable policy of giving a dog a bad name without those who lead us encouraging it. If an erring youth is capable of being reformed—and a great many are—the way to go about it is not to refuse to employ him. If all the employers in the country adopted the attitude of the Post and Telegraph Department what hope would there be of turning those who leave the Borstal into decent men and women ? The action of the department appears so opposed to all ideas of reason and humanity that it seems some mistake must have been made. Otherwise those who have issued such inhuman and inhumane instructions must have been suffering from temporary aberration or senile decay, and should be replaced by more competent and less unmerciful officers.

Advertisements regarding Motor Cars and Cycles, Professional and Miscellaneous appear on Page 6 of this issue.

The Government Meteorologist (Mr D. 0. Bates) last night issued the following forecast—Present indications are for strong and squally south-west to south-east winds. Weather cold and changeable and showery. Barometer rising.

A Wellington telegram states: —A seven weeks’ drought was broken on Monday night by a heavy fall of rain. The Mangahao electric works, which had suffered from a shortage of water, are stocked up again..

During the cross-examination of a witness in a bigamy case heard at the Wanganui Supreme Court, Mr N. R. Bain said—“ What usually happens after you are married? I suppose you hold a tangi?” The remark amused the large number of Natives present, a tangi being a ceremony over a dead person.

The Masterton Co-operative Dairy Company’s make of butter for last November and December was over 21,3111 b more than in the corresponding months of the previous year (states the Age). It has been decided to pay out 1/2 per lb for finest, and other grades in proportion according to the regulations.

Sitting in chambers on Monday, his Honour Mr Justice Reed granted probate in the following deceased estates: — William Davis, (West Plains), William Waddell, (Waikaka Valley), Robert A. Harrington, (Pahia), James Fleming, (Invercargill), William Mackay, (Wright’s Bush), William John Fairweather, (Invercargill). Letters of administration were granted in the estate of Charles Young.

The Prime Minister (the Right Hon. J. G. Coates) made a speech from the Auckland Wireless Studio, I YA, at 9 o’clock on Monday night. This speech was received at Christchurch Station, 3YA (reports a Press Association telegram) and rebroadcasted. This is the first time this has been done in New Zealand. The operation was quite successful. The reception was patchy, but on the whole was satisfactory.

The devastating effect of a blight that has attacked bluegum plantations in the Rangitikei district is only too apparent to the traveller between Palmerston North and Wanganui (states an exchange). Thousands of gums stand leafless and practically dead, and thus mar the beauty of the pastoral scenes unfolded by the way side. The introduction of ladybirds into the district some considerable time back has produced beneficial results in some instances, but it is evident that a large proportion of the trees will defy resuscitation by this measure.

In the course of some remarks at the quarterly meeting of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society at Te Awamutu last week, Mr Culpan mentioned that it had been reported to him that in the Waikino district there had been some sort of epidemic among the native birds. It seemed that it might be some sort of influenza. Kiwis and tui.s had been found dead or dying in places far removed from any place where poison might have been laid for rabbits. Personally he could not advance any other feasible explanation. It seemed to be a matter for further investigation.

A visitor, who was reading through some historical New Zealand literature at a Wanganui bookselling establishment, was much interested in a bevy of young Maori girls who were being supplied with Technical College material for the year. It was no little surprise to him (states the Herald) to note the type of literature studied by those girls, which was of itself a remarkable tribute to their scholastic ability and zeal. The Maori people are becoming highly appreciative of the Technical College, and each year sees an increasing number of pupils proceeding there from the primary schools.

An interesting visitor to New Zealand by the tourist ship Franconia was Mr H. Slazenger, a member of the well-known firm of English sports goods manufacturers. Mr Slazenger is an old English Rugby international, and played against the first Maori team which visited England in the eighties “I remember that some of them would sooner play in bare feet than wear boots,” recalled Mr Slazenger at Auckland. “Like their successors of last year, they were good plavers and fine fellows. I also saw the All’ Blacks, who, I think, were the finest team that ever stepped on to a football ground.”

A Press Association, message from Stratford reports that in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday the Borough Inspector proceeded against a firm of Wanganui service carowners on a charge of using the borough streets with a car for the carriage of passengers without holding a borough license. The car in question runs on a time-table between Wanganui and New Plymouth. For the defence it is contended that the heavy traffic license issued by the City Council at Wanganui, where the car was garaged, was operative through the country and that no further license was necessary. The Magistrate’s decision was reserved.

A fox-terrier dog, evidently in a pugnacious mood, learned the lesson that he should “tackle someone his own size” in a rather amusing manner the other day (says a Manawatu paper). Seeing an engine standing still near one of the crossings in the Square, he proceeded to attack it in the manner approved by all leaders of canine pugilism. The engine-driver, however, a humane man, released the cylinder steamcocks, with the result that the enterprising fox terrier turned half a dozen somersaults and disappeared round the corner at a rate which would make some of our leading sprinters turn green with envy.

An invention which, it is hoped, will revolutionise the gramophone industry, has been recently presented at the Sorbonne, in Paris, by Professor Pernot, head of the Phonetic Institute. It is a record on a film, instead of a disc. The film roll of 40 yards in length can take as much as forty ordinary discs, and the film is supple, therefore unbreakable, and of small volume. The film employed is used material from cinematograph productions. The inventors are Mr H. J. Johnson, an American, who has lived for over twenty years in Paris, and his wife, a Frenchwoman. They have devoted many years to the working out of their system.

An application by Alice Mary Wolf for further provision out of the estate of her father was made before Sir C. P. Skerrett yesterday, states a Wellington Press Association message. Testator died in May, 1926, leaving a will under which he gave claimant £2O, a relative in England £5O and the whole of the residue amounting to £9OO to two sons. After argument his Honour said that no sufficient grounds had been shown why plaintiff should have been practically excluded from the will. He was not satisfied it was a just thing to entirely exclude her. An order was made that on plaintiff giving up the legacy of £2O, she be paid £220 from the estate. Each party is to pay its own costs.

Export packing of fruit in Hawke’s Bay has commenced, but so far the amount railed has not been up to expectations (states the Tribune). The Control Board arranged for space for 62,000 cases to leave Wellington —20,000 by the Cambridge, which sailed on Sunday, and 42,000 by the Manana, sailing to-day. The original bookings were satisfactory, but fruit is not coming forward as readily as anticipated. It is recognised that there are several factors working against this. The market prices are attractive, and there is not the immediate need for relieving it of surplus fruit. Then the early crops are, generally speaking, light, and in some cases, particularly Dunn’s, the fruit is oversize for the European market. Added to this, the season is late. All these factors have militated against the early shipments, but growers who have booked space are urged to make every endeavour to keep up with their contracts and so keep faith with the Control Board and the shipping companies, to whom eleventh hour abandoned space is never very pleasing.

“Only optimists go into the grain business,” observed his Honour, Mr Justice Alpers at the Blenheim Supreme Court the other day. “No pessimist would touch grain,” he added.

In the report of the sitting of the Gore Magistrate's Court on Monday it was wrongly stated that judgment for £7 10/was obtained by the National Mortgage and Agency Co., Ltd., against R. Shields. Judgment was obtained by Murray and Robertson.

At a meeting of the Wellington Trades and Labour Council consideration was given to the free ambulance scheme being considered in Wellington. After an interesting discussion a resolution was carried urging all bodies affiliated with the Trades Council to support the scheme.

Sheepmen will be interested to learn that a ewe hogget from Mr Adam King’s wellknown Romney flock at Stony Creek recently shore just over 231bs wool, which realised 25/6 (says the Clutha Leader). This fleece was the only one weighed at the farm; but many others must have been of similar weight.

While ploughing operations were recently being conducted on Mr George O’Brien’s farm, South Wyndham, the blade struck on a ridge—with the result that a human skull became exposed to view. It evidently had been long embedded, as it crumbled to dust when an attempt was made to remove it. It is thought that a Maori’s head probably had been deposited there in years gone by.

“Do I like New Zealand?” asked Mr H. W. Trumble, manager of the Melbourne cricket team (says the Dominion). “I think New Zealand is what you call it here, God’s own country beautiful. I think there is no place like it, and I always try to send tourists here instead of British Columbia. ‘Get to New Zealand and make the trip through,’ I tell them, ‘and you will find everything you can wish for in sport or scenery.’ Yes, I like all sports myself, and I want to have a go at those swordfish, but I am not prepared for it this time. Mr S. McCulloch, who used to be one of our leading legislators, is coming over shortly with a full kit of gear.”

Ellen Vera Maxwell proceeded against Isobel Wilson before Mr W. G. Riddell, S.M., to recover a ring valued at £3O or its value. The defendant was runner-up in the recent beauty contest, and the ring, it was alleged, was lent at the time of the contest. Miss Wilson is the Wellington choice in the film star contest, and, as she proceeds to Auckland to take part in the final, counsel applied for a fortnight’s remand. The matter in dispute is the value of the ring, which is stated to have been lost. A remand was granted, the Magistrate stating that Wilson could be stopped if she tried to leave New Zealand, this being in the event of her being chosen to proceed to Australia. —Wellington Press Association telegram.

Between 50 and 60 farmers attended the field day held at the Gore Experimental Area yesterday, when Mr R. McGillivray, Instructor in Agriculture, gave an interesting account of the various plant disease and manurial experiments at present being conducted. As the various plots were visited Mr McGillivray explained the objects of the experiments and indicated, as far as possible, the results obtained from the various methods of treatment and from the different manurial mixtures used. Subsequently the instructor gave an interesting address, stressing the importance of the experiments as a means of gaining control of plant diseases, such as smut in oats, corticium in potatoes, dry rot and club root in turnips. Short addresses were also given by Messrs Henry Smith, J. Dickie and H. E. Bacon. At the conclusion of the addresses a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr McGillivray.

An exhibition of art work by English artists is on view to-day at the Technical School.—Advt.

You will have a well furnished cupboard with many good things, when you buy your requirements at Baxters Un-Ltd, and at the same time save a substantial sum on your monthly expenditure. Baxters Un-Ltd. —Advt.

The extraordinary bargains offered by Thomson and Beattie caused much a rush on Friday and Saturday that their staff was quite unable to attend satisfactorily to every one and the firm wish it known that these bargains will be continued all this week, or as long as they last. See their display advertisement on Page 3. Pay a visit, it will pay you.—(advt.) What’s the first thing the kiddies read, In the Southland Times? It’s about Hitchon’s famous bacon,

. They’re stunner decent rhymes.—Advt. In selecting Diamond Jewellery the purchaser's protection is the jeweller. Rankin’s enviable reputation is fouaded on years of honest trading. Diamonds sold by us are first quality stones, bought direct, and our stock leaves nothing to be desired fox style and price. Select your Diamond Jewellery in the privacy of our Ring Parlour.—T. M. RANKIN, Jeweller, Tay Street. Advt.

Thanks and appreciation from Stewarts Pharmacy to our Photographic Friends. We wish to heartily thank you all for the great support you have given us during the holiday season. We want you to know that we appreciate your patronage. We take your magnificent support as a compliment to the quality of work we turn out and to the service we give. During the whole of the rush period not once did our staff fail to maintain our same day service. We are justly proud of that fact and we will continue to do our utmost to maintain the high standard we have set. Make a certainty of securing permanent prints by letting Stewarts do your ’ developing and printing. Our methods give your prints the greatest possible permanence.—Advt.

Why is it Arthur Mee is read each week by more children than any other man on earth ? Read any of these wonderful editions he has edited and you have the answer. Here the are:—The Children’s Bible—beautifully illustrated 10/-; The Children’s Shakespeare, with Shakespearean Picture gallery 10/-; One Thousand Beautiful Things—many illustrations 10/-; Children’s Life of Jesus, artistically illustrated 3/6. N.Z. Book Depot, Esk Street, Invercargill.— (advt.) RUN DOWN. When your system is undermined by worry or overwork—when your vitality is lowered, when you feel anyhow, when your nerves are on edge, when the least exertion tires you —you are in a run down condition. Your system is like a plant that is drooping for want of water. And just as water revives a drooping plant, so Neurotone gives new’ life and new energy to a run down constitution. Because Neurotone possesses a four fold power. It is a Tonic, a Restorative, a Bloodmaker, and a Nerve Food, all in one. Therefore, Neurotone creates new strength, new blood, new nerve force and new vitality. The benefit begins from the first dose. You can feel it doing you good. You can feel your whole system being surcharged with new vitality and new life. Don’t continue to suffer needlessly. Get well the Neurotone way—the quick, sure, and safe way to obtain the new health you need.

Begin to get well to-dav. Bottles 3/6 each. Obtainable at Brown’s Pharmacy. J. H. Brown Chemist and Optician, Dee street, Invercargill.—Advt.