IN TOWN AND OUT

Southland Times, Issue 25309, 12 June 1935, Page 6

IN TOWN AND OUT

NEWS OF THE DAY Cancer Research Fund. The City Council last evening voted £5O to the King’s Jubilee Cancer Research Fund. Tramway Revenue. The tramway revenue for April was £1539 9/2 compared with £1271 7/8 in April, 1934, and £1426 8/9 in April, 1933. Portrait of King. The City Council last eveningagreed to expend .up to £5 purchasing a facsimile colour reproduction of the portrait of his Majesty King George V. by John A. A. Berrie, R.C.A. *»* * •

Postal Facilities In Suburbs. Notice of his intention to move that representations be made for postal facilities in the suburbs was given by Councillor A. W. Jones at last evening’s meeting of the City Council. • * • •

Theatre Bookings. Civic Theatre bookings from April 1 to April 30, 1935, amounted, in receipts, to £162 5/- as against £lOO 5/4 for the corresponding period last year. The figures in respect to Victoria Hall bookings for the same period were £3 (£2 5/-). * * * *

City Estimates. The estimates for 1935-36 will be considered at a special meeting of the Finance Committee of the City Council on June 19. It is hoped to have the complete estimates ready for submission to the council at its next ordinary meeting or at a special meeting.

Renewal of Street Name-plates. At last night’s meeting of the Invercargill City Council, the City Engineer, on the recommendation of the Works Committee, was authorized to replace street name-plates where necessary, using the type of plate with black letters on a white background, double sided, at an estimated cost of £5O. * * * * Need a Chairman Vote? The voting in some of the divisions at the City Council last evening caused Councillor H. Ritchie to inquire from the Mayor whether there was one rule for him as chairman that he need not vote and another for the councillors that they had to vote. “If the motion is already carried by the vote of councillors there is no need for me to vote,” said the Mayor. ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Mataura Dairy Factory. The intake at the Mataura dairy factory on Monday aggregated only 1300 gallons, a considerable drop on the quantity received at the corresponding date last year. At the present rate of intake and in view of the severe weather conditions it is not anticipated that the factory will continue much longer for this season. —Mataura correspondent.

Opposition to Hoardings. When an application for permission to erect a hoarding on a vacant section in Dee street came before the council last evening Councillors G. J. Reed and A. W. Jones spoke strongly against the disfigurement of the city by hoardings. Councillors H. Ritchie and E. J. McLauchlan submitted that the hoarding in question would hide an eyesore. The application was granted. ♦ ♦ » » The Timaru Seat Mr W. formerly rector of the Timaru Boys’ High School, was waited on by a deputation of nearly 100 representative citizens of Timaru on Saturday afternoon with a request that he should allow himself to become a candidate for the Timaru seat at the forthcoming general election. Mr Thomas promised to give the matter consideration, stating that he would announce his decision at a later date.

Increased Power Board Business.

An idea of the regular increase of Power Board business was given by Mr L. B. Hutton (chief engineer) in his monthly report to the board yesterday. Mr Hutton stated that 35 new consumers were secured during May, and 40 installations were connected; also 83 extensions were made to cld installations. There were two ranges and 13 motors added, and the total extra connected load was 197 k.w. ♦ * » » Lecture For a Doctor. t As an Invercargill doctor was motoring along a city street a snowball shattered his windscreen. On beholding a group of boys nearby he got out of his car and began a friendly lecture on the danger of shying snowballs at passing cars. He had not got far before an angry woman, the mother of one of the boys, appeared on the scene and adopted the role of lecturer, castigating him for being a spoilt-sport and for forgetting the days of his youth. * * * ♦ Plunket System For Japan.

As a thanks-offering at the birth of a son the-Empress of Japan has decided to defray the expenses of instituting the Plunket system in her country. This in itself is a compliment to the system which Sir Truby King inaugurated in New Zealand and which has been adopted in other parts of the world. Furthermore, a New Zealand trainee, Miss McLean, matron of the Karitane home in Sydney, has been asked to go to Japan to organize the movement. A Civic Welcome.

At last night’s meeting of the executive of the Southland Men’s Hockey Association, the secretary (Mr G. D. Anderson) reported that in response to the executive’s request, his Worship the Mayor (Mr John Miller) had expressed his willingness to tender a civic welcome to the visiting All India team at the rotunda at five o’clock on Thursday afternoon. It was also mentioned that the-Caledonian Pipe Band would attend Saturday’s match and give bagpipe selections. ♦ * ♦ ♦

Auctioneers’ Licenses. “It has been the custom of the council in the. past to give different firms a turn as city auctioneers,” reported the Town Clerk to the City Council last evening. “I would suggest that each year a ballot be taken under the supervision of his Worship the Mayor to decide upon the firm to do our business for the ensuing twelve months, such ballot to be taken among firms nominating us to receive a part of the license fees and not having already held our business. An appointment is necessary for the year commencing July 1, 1935.” The Town Clerk’s suggestion was adopted. * *

Power Board and Council. In connection with the dispute between the City Council and the Power Board the council last evening decided that the board be informed that the council had not considered the question of increasing the present plant at the city power station; also that in the opinion of the council, arbitration such as suggested by the board was unnecessary. It was decided to again request the board to state under what conditions and at what rates it was prepared to supply the whole of the council’s requirements for electricity supply for a term of years. » * * » University Climbers Benighted. The 17 members of the Canterbury University College Tramping Club who climbed Ben More (5436 ft last Sunday will for a long time retain

vivid recollections of the snowstorm which swept the plains during the week-end (says the Press). The 50mile journey back to Christchurch from Porter’s Pass took from 7 o’clock on Sunday night until 5.30 on Monday morning, and was made extremely unpleasant by the bitterly cold conditions. Trouble with snowdrifts and derelict motor-cars turned what is normally a two-hour drive into an allnight succession of stoppages. * » ♦ » Record Power Output.

“A record output of electric power for one month was established at the Monowai power station during May. The output for the month was 2,749,220 units. This exceeds by 145,000 units any previous monthly output for a 31 day month,” stated the chjef engineer (Mr L. B. Hutton) in his report to the Power Board yesterday. “The biggest daily output was on Thursday, the 9th, with 106,400 units. The highest observed peak was also on the 9th, at 11.4 a.m., with 6600 k.w. The half-hour peak from 11-11.30 on the same day was 6600 k.w. and the hourly peak 6500 between 11 and 12 noon. A similar peak was recorded between 5 and 6 p.m. on the 3rd—a Friday.” ♦ * * ♦

Books Missing. “At the annual stocktaking in September last, it was found that 49 volumes were missing from the shelves— Lending Department 39 (Fiction 31, Classes eight), Reference Department seven, and juvenile three,” states the annual report of the Librarian of the Invercargill Public Library. “This is the smallest loss to be reported for quite a number of years. The books missing from the Reference Library are as follows:—Pears Cyclopaedia; Westermarck, Hist, of Human Marriage, vol. 1; Page, Automobile starting; Sanson, Every man his own builder; Chambers, Elizabethan Stage, vol. 1; Villon, Poesies; Joyce, Ancient Irish Civilization.” ft * » 4 Traffic Lectures. “While I fully appreciate the request of the Southland Education Board in suggesting that I give some lectures to school children on the various phases of traffic regulations and road safety, it is with reluctance that I feel that I shall have to decline the invitation owing to the numerous calls which will be made on my time for some months to come,” stated the city traffic inspector (Mr E. Stopford) in a report to the City Council last night. “In traffic and transport control the next three months is the busiest period of the year, and there is a likelihood that my duties would suffer should I devote any time to any other subject no matter how praiseworthy. I thank the Education Board for the opportunity to give these lectures, but cannot see how the matter can be given attention in the meantime.” » • • « Decrease in Readers.

“The past year shows a slight falling away in the returns in all departments of the Invercargill Public Library, the principal reason being the long spell of summer weather, which old identities all say has not been experienced for over 20 years. This has been the cause of readers and subscribers to cease frequenting the library as much as in the past.” This was an interesting extract in the annual report of the librarian (Mr H. B. Farnall) presented to the City Council at its meeting last night. “The subscribers’ roll shows a total of 1032, which is 73 less than last year. Extra books issued amounted to 23,930, a decrease of 1615; books reserved 1988, a decrease of 208. The total number of books issued to subscribers amounted to 95,108, showing a falling off of 4250. It is pleasing to note that the falling off in these figures is confined mostly to the issues of fiction, the figures for sociology, science and travel showing a considerable increase. The fine summer experienced is one of the reasons for the falling-off, another is the want, of a more popular system of subscribing to the library, such as a small deposit and a charge for each book as taken out. A third reason is that the lending library is not situated on the ground floor, so that the climbing of the numerous stairs could be obviated. This latter reason has been emphasized very often by the older, and also the more delicate readers, who naturally are affected, and in consequence are compelled to withdraw their subscriptions,” added the report.