IN TOWN AND OUT

Southland Times, Issue 22217, 9 January 1934, Page 4

IN TOWN AND OUT

NEWS OF THE DAY By Plane to Eglinton. With Flight-Lieutenant Olson as pilot, Messrs A. A. Paape, J. Stevenson and F. Keith, of Dunedin, left yesterday morning in the Otago Aero Club s Waco plane on a . flight to Lake Te Anau and the Eglinton* Valley. * Praise For Southland.

That Southland is a province with excellent potentialities and possessing some progressive towns was the opinion expressed by Captain J. Vivart, a tourist from London, during his visit to Invercargill. He remarked that the scenery was attractive with a refreshing aspect which charmed the traveller. ♦ * * ♦

Invitation to Australians. An invitation to visit Invercargill as the guests of the Southland Bowling Centre was yesterday forwarded by Mr J. C. Thomson (secretary) to the party of Australian bowlers competing in the New Zealand championship tournament now being held at Dunedin. No reply has as yet been received to the invitation.

Victorian Scottish Tourists. On to-morrow evening’s express a party of 41 Scottish Victorian tourists will arrive in Invercargill on a short visit to Southland. They will be met at the station by his Worship the Mayor (Mr John Miller) and the Chief of the St. Andrews Scottish Society (Mr J. L. McG. Watson) as well as the Caledonian Pipe Band of Southland. On Thursday they will be taken on a tour of Southland and they will depart for Queenstown at 10.25 a.m. on Friday. * * * *

Introducing Fresh Blood. There arrived at Bluff yesterday by the s.s. Poolta two outstanding young Friesian bulls purchased _by .Messrs Dalgety and Company, Limited, for Mr James Brown, “Newark” stud, Oporo. The animals, bred by Mr O. A. Cadwallader at his well-known ‘Ahikouha” Stud, Greytown, were sired by Mooic Ormsby, a son of the imported bull, Colony Champion Ormsby (324). whose sire, Sir Ormsby Maid Champion was a grandson of Duchess Skylark’ Ormsby, the world’s champion butterfat cow with a record of 15061 b Mr Cadwallader, it is interesting to note, was the judge of the Friesian section at the Southland A. and P. Association’s recent Summer* Show. * Comblcss Home.

A striking instance of the manner in which the natives of the Pacific Island' have suffered from the depression was given by Mr A. Cundall, who has hist returned from a trip abroad, curing the course of an interview with a Times reporter yesterday. “Some ot the natives are so poor that they cannot afford even the smallest luxuries. This condition has been brought about by the fact that copra, which is their staple industry, has dropped from £4O a ton to £2 a ton. It is only worth £4 a ton in Suva, and £2 on the islands. At one place we visited we saw a native girl who had had her hair clipped off because her family could not even afford to buy a comb!”

Ministers Visiting Eglinton

To-day the Hon. J. Bitchener (Minister of Public Works, who arrived in Invercargill last night, will leave for the Eglinton accompanied by the Hon. Adan? Hamilton (Minister of Unemploynient). The roaa project there is being carried out by the departments controlled by both Ministers and the trip is being undertaken in order that they may closely examine the position from all angles right on the spot and so decide how far it is wise to.continue. At the present time a Public Works survey gang, on the Miltord side of the Gertrude Saddle, is investigating the practicability and the probable cost of the mooted tunnel on the road. The Ministers are expected to return to Invercargill on Thursday. Brilliant Colours. “I have never seen such a show of them since I left Home,” a Times reporter overheard a lady visitor remark in the glasshouse in No. 2 Gardens while inspecting the great display ot regal, or show, pelargoniums now on exhibition. Many consider these flowers to be old-fashioned, and it is some years since a large, bold display ot pelargoniums has been seen, but size of flower, variety of colour, form and general decorative appearance of the present exhibition challenge criticism. There appears to be an endless range of colours, including some quite new shades. “Agalia,” “Edward Perkins and “Rotorua” are among the outstanding varieties. Hydrangeas are also to be seen in large numbers.

Spectacular Display

Large numbers of residents and visitors congregated about the rockery in No. 2 Gardens on Sunday afternoon to admire the new “Livingstone Daisy” (mesembryanthemum crini florum) which is making a magnificent display in large patches. Manj r visitors, to whom the plant was quite new, expressed delight at the brilliance and beautiful gradation of colour. Individual flowers are fully the size of a half crown. On inquiry, the superintendent of reserves (Mr B. P. Mansfield) told a Times reporter that this daisy is undoubtedly the most popular introduction of recent years. The plants to be seen in the Public Gardens have been raised from a little seed which he brought from the North Island. Although not six inches in height many of the plants are ten to twelve inches in diameter and completely studded over with myriads of flowers in every hue.

Third Time Lucky? The proposed Southland v. Otago eight-oared race seems to be dogged by ill-luck. The first meeting between the rival provincial crews was to have been at the Queenstown regatta last Easter, but bad weather forced the cancellation of the event. Then at Bluff on January 2 the water was too rough to row and the race had again to be abandoned. It has been suggested that the event should now be arranged for decision at the Port Chalmers regatta on February 7 3, but whether the race will be assured depends on the financial assistance the regatta committee is willing to offer. Although Southland has possessed its boat for two seasons now the province has not yet been represented at the New Zealand eight-oared interprovincial championship. TTiis year, however, every effort is being made by the controlling body to raise the money necessary to send a Southland crew to compete in this important event, which takes place at Wellington at Easter time.