STEWART ISLAND NEWS

Southland Times, Issue 22067, 14 July 1933, Page 4

STEWART ISLAND NEWS

PERSONAL. (From Our Correspondent) Mrs Francis, Invercargill, has arrived to spend a holiday. She is a guest at Oban House. Mr J. T. Gardiner, Halfmoon Bay, returned from Invercargill last week. Mrs Askernd, Halfmoon Bay, was a passenger for Bluff last Thursday. Mr G. M. Turner, Halfmoon Bay, left last Thursday for a visit to Dunedin. Mrs Herron, Pukerau, who has been staying with her sister, Mrs Cameron, left by the Tamatea last Thursday. Miss Spencer, Bluff, has been spending a holiday with Mr and Mrs J. Campbell. She returned to Bluff last Thursday. Mrs J. Hansen, Halfmoon Bay, returned from a visit to the mainland last week. Mrs West, Ringaringa, arrived by. the Tamatea last week. She had been visiting Invercargill to attend the Native Land Court. Mr and Mrs Nairn are the guests of Mr and Mrs Squires at Halfmoon Bay. Nurse Committee. The monthly meeting of the Stewart Island Nurse Committee was held on Thursday, July 4. Mrs H. Pollock presided over Mesdames W. Oswald, R. Traill, C. C. Thompson and C. Johannsen. The principal business of the afternoon was the discussion of ways and means of raising the £5O guarantee towards the salary of the nurse. In difficult times like the present it was realized that £5O was a large amount to raise because the only means at the committee’s disposal were street collections and entertainments. It was finally decided to hold a euchre party and dance on Friday evening, July 14. Cribbage Evening. The School Committee held the second of its series of cribbage evenings on Friday, July 7. The following were the prize winners: Ladies, Miss Walscott; men, Mr J. Bragg jun. Consolation prizes were awarded to Mrs J. Fife sen., and Mr H. J. Jordan. Girl’s Hand Burned. A painful accident happened to Betty Hamilton, the 10-year-old daughter of Mrs J. Hamilton of Halfmoon Bay. The child was playing with a celluloid dog and placed it on top of a small night light, which caused it to ignite. She immediately took it in her hand and ran to her mother. The child had the presence of mind to plunge her burning hand into the folds of a large cushion which put the flames out. It was then found that the remains of the dog were stuck fast to the hand and could not be removed until Mrs Hamilton had poured a liberal supply of oil on to it. Sister Casey was early on the scene and dressed the wound, which extended over almost the whole of the palm and inside the fingers. Betty suffered considerably from pain and shock, and as her condition was not altogether satisfactory she was taken to the mainland on Monday morning to receive medical attention. “T. 8. on Mutton Birds. The initials “T. 8. stand for a wellknown and respected resident of Halfmoon Bay. Unfortunately the Sydney Customs officials think they stand for “tubercular.” Mr T. Bragg obtains his supply of mutton-birds from his father, who operates on the island of Tia at the entrance to Port Adventure. When packing the initials “T. 8. are branded on the bark sheathing of the kits to distinguish them from others. Recently Mr Bragg sent two kits packed in a case to a friend in Sydney, thereby involving him in trouble. Mr Bragg has now received a letter from his friend giving a graphic account of his efforts to obtain possession of the case, extracts from which are given below:— “Your letter of the 15th inst reached me on the morning of the 22nd, the Waikouaiti having arrived on the evening of the 21st. I went into the city directly after lunch and though I was at the Customs Office by 1 p.m. and kept going without a stop, it was 4.30 before I had my case out of the Union Steam Ship Company’s shed. It is a great business getting anything cleared here. From the Custom House to the U.S.S. Company office at the wharf, from there to the wharf branch of the Customs, who insisted on the case being opened and the contents inspected and weighed, then back to the head office of the U.S.S. Company to pay the freight 8/-, then to the office of the Harbour Trust to pay sd, back to the office at the wharf to declare their value, then back to the Customs House to pay duty, primage etc. 8/6, then back to the wharf office to show my receipts and get a clearance, then lump the case through the sheds to the U.S.S. Company’s office to show receipts there and obtain a gate pass, then a carrier to the railway across the bridge, and another carrier to home. Had I any idea of the amount of writing connected with the business I should have engaged an unemployed clerk for the afternoon, which would have saved me three days in bed with writer’s cramp. The particulars I had to furnish in triplicate at each office I visited covered pretty well everything from your name and address, the country of origin of the birds, whether alive, fresh, salted or smoked, what I paid for them, what I intended doing with them and why, whether they had been examined and passed by the stock inspector on the island of Tia and if so how came they to be marked ‘T.B.’ on the bark covering and could I swear that it did not stand for ‘Tubercular,’ and in the event of an outbreak of an epidemic would I be prepared to surrender myself and the birds for medical examination when called upon. However, I floundered through it all and got home with the birds and have heard nothing since."