IN TOWN AND OUT

Southland Times, Issue 20939, 23 November 1929, Page 8

IN TOWN AND OUT

NEWS OF THE DAY. Professional Grass Track Racing. A movement is on foot to form in Invercargill a professional grass track motor cycle racing club, and it is not improbable that professional racing will shortly be seen here -, . * A Nasty Accident. A lad, twelve years of age, named John Crooks, residing at 70 Tramway Road, South Invercargill, was admitted to the Southland Hospital at 8.45 last evening. It appears that, when chopping wood, he gashed the third and fourth fingers on his right hand. An operation was performed and at a late hour he was reported to be quite comfortable. * * * * Married Female Teachers.

The attitude of the Southland Education Board with regard to the employment of married female teachers was once again made clear at the monthly meeting yesterday, when the appointment of a teacher at the Edendale School was being considered. The chairman (Mr A. W. Jones) stated that the board was not in favour of positions being granted to married female teachers except in unusual circumstances. Motoring to Oreti Beach.

Profiting by the splendid summer day yesterday, many cars travelled out to the Oreti Beach by the" new bridge and road. Although the approaches to the bridge are not quite completely metalled, they present no difficulty to cars. The road on the western side of the bridge is rapidly being beaten down and the whole trip to the beach can be recommended to motorists.

Alleged False Pretence. Charged ■ with obtaining the sum of £4 in cash and £1 in cheque from Robert Leslie Dignen Wilson by means of a valueless cheque for £5 drawn on the Bank of New Zealand, a young married man was arrested by Acting-Detective Rusbatch yesterday afternoon and brought before Mr W. H. Woodward, S.M. A request for a remand till next Wednesday was granted and publication of accused's name was suppressed in the meantime.

» * * * Interviewing School Children. That the police had no legal right to interview children during school hours without the sanction of the Education Board concerned was a statement made by the chairman (Mr A. W. Jones) at the monthly meeting of the Southland Education Board yesterday. Mr Jones quoted in support of his statement a legal opinion on the subject given recently at Auckland, and said that in his opinion children should not be interviewed at school, but at their homes. *- * *

Invercargill Successes in Paris. Word has been received that Messrs F. H. Taylor and F. R. Petrie have added to their past successes by having pictures ac‘ cepted by the Toronto, Pacific, New Westminster, and Paris International Salons of Photographic Art. Entries for these salons are made from prominent amateur and professional photographers from all parts of the world. This is the first time that Invercargill pictorialists have been represented in Paris, where the pictures received very favourable comment. » * * » Proficiency Regulations.

“I see by the morning’s paper that the Minister of Education has directed the Department' that the new regulations governing the proficiency examinations are not to apply this year," said the chairman (Mr A. W. Jones) at yesterday’s meeting of the Southland Education Board. Continuing, he said that credit for that was due to the Southland Times and the leading article it published when advice was first received of the new regulations. The Times had got Mr Jones to take the matter up, which he had done, and as the result of an application by the Federation of Educational Associations, the Minister had instructed the Department to hold the regulations over until next-year. * * * ♦ A Narrow Escape.

A resident of South Invercargill had a narrow escape from serious injury at the Nith street railway crossing about 5.10 last evening. He was riding his motor cycle in a southerly direction along Nith street and failed to notice that the railway signal was against him until about half a chain from the railway line, when he saw that the Clinton to Invercargill mixed train had arrived at the crossing. In his endeavour to pull up, the motor cycle skidded and he fell within a few feet of the engine. When the train pulled up within a short distance, the railway officials found the rider had escaped injury, though the motor cycle was badly damaged. The matter has been placed in the hands of the police.

Bluff Road and Relief Works. In conversation with a Times reporter yesterday, Mr L. A. Niederer, member for the Waihopai riding in the Southland County Council, said that the question of replacing men on the Bluff Road depended entirely on the number of horse teams that could be obtained. The council had advertised for teams, but had received a reply from only one man. The matter was now left in the hands of the engineer with power to put on as many men as he could conveniently employ in proportion to the teams he could procure. With eight or nine teams 20 or 25 men could be employed. It would be economically wrong to employ more men than the teams could cope with. An interesting point was that the council had received a very poor response to their call for road contracts, and it seemed that the contractors could not get men. *

Boys’ High School Hostel. At last night’s meeting of the High Schools’ Board of Governors, a letter wbs received from the Department of Education stating that a substantial grant for a boys’ hostel had been made. The amount of the grant has not yet been declared. “Undoubtedly it is the consummation of a .long struggle,” said Mr Strang, “and I think we can congratulate ourselves on having got the Department to give our boys’ school a hostel. I think we should particularly thank the Minister of Education for what he has done for the board and the school, in this direction.” The secretary was instructed to write thanking the Minister for his assistance. “I think the chairman should be congratulated for his assiduity,” said Mr J. Gilkison. “I should also say that Sir Joseph Ward and the Hon. P. de la Perrelle have done very much towards securing this grant,” concluded Mr ,Strang.

Delay in Removing School. Expressing dissatisfaction at thp delay in the removal of the school at North Chatton to North Waikaka, a deputation consisting of Messrs A. Clelland, 0. H. Dillon, C. Hewlett and W. Graham, waited upon the Southland Education Board yesterday. Before the deputation was heard, the chairman of the boardt>;(Mr A. W. Jones) briefly detailed the work done in assisting the committee. The deputation stated that negotiations were in progress 18 months ago and up to the present time nothing had been done. The settlers in the district were so interested in the matter that they had offered to shift the school themselves. Mr Jones, in reply, explained that the hold-up had occurred in Wellington, the Department considering that the cost would be prohibitive. He personally was in favour of the new site if not consolidation, and he assured the deputation that the delay was not on the board’s part. A resolution was subsequently passed that the board accede to the request to have the school shifted as soon as possible to Mr Robertson’s corner on the conditions outlined by the deputation.