IN TOWN AND OUT

Southland Times, Issue 25359, 10 August 1935, Page 4

IN TOWN AND OUT

NEWS OF THE DAY Whitebait Running. Whitebait have commenced to run in Southland streams. Those who have gone out in quest of the little fish have found them very scarce, but this is usually the case at the commencement of the season. ♦ * \* * Travel on Deferred Payment. New Zealanders have grown accustomed to buying furniture, radio sets and motor cars on the deferred payment system; but some of the great shipping companies have gone one better. It is now possible to take pleasure cruises on the instalment plan. A deposit of 25 per cent, has to be made before sailing and the balance can be paid in regular instalments after the cruise is over. ♦ * * »

The “Tin-Can” Mail. The letters sent by the Union Company’s Monowai on her recent pleasure cruise to the South Sea Islands for posting at Niuafoou, “Tin-Can Island, will not reach their destinations for some considerable time. It is understood that there will be no vessels calling at Niuafoou until September or October by which the letters can be returned. The island is an isolated one, and is dependent for mails upon vessels calling at infrequent intervals. * * * * “Here We Are Again!”

The Invercargill railway station was thronged upon the arrival of the express from Dunedin last evening. In addition to the Otago Rugby team there was on board the Dunedin mercantile houses’ team and also old members of the Star Football Club. A happy note was sounded when the well-known Southland cornetist, Mr E. Hunter, struck up “Here we are again”—an echo of popular pilgrimages in connection with Otago.-Southland games of recent years.

# ♦ * * Visit of Orphan Club Members. A splendid climax to a day of excitement should be forthcoming at the Invercargill Orphans’ Club to-night when a contingent of 50 members from the Dunedin Club will be the guests of the Invercargill Club. The visitors will provide the programme, endeavouring to dissipate in music, song and story any worries that may follow the afternoon’s football. It will be the Invercargill members’ turn to entertain to-morrow, when the visitors will be taken on a motor drive to Bluff. They return to Dunedin by Sunday night’s express. « * * * Use of Rail Cars.

At the present time the use of petroldriven rail cars on Southland lines is being considered by the Railway Department. The cars have given every satisfaction in the North Island. The petrol-driven rail cars under order by the department are of the sedan type, with flanged steel wheels. They seat 65 passengers, carry a ton of luggage and travel at 45 miles an hour. Should Southland be granted two of these cars, it is probable that one will be placed on the main line and run between Gore and Invercargill, while the other would run on the Kingston branch between Invercargill and Lumsden. ♦ * * * Star Jubilee Celebrations. The Star Rugby Football Club’s jubilee celebrations commence this afternoon with a parade of members and a procession from the Post Office to Rugby Park. The procession will be headed by the Pipe Band. This evening the jubilee banquet will be held, and to-morrow afternoon, at Rugby Park, there will be an open-air church parade at which the Battalion Band will be in attendance. Other functions follow next week. The club has engaged a room at Everybody’s Hall and displayed there are old and modern photos, banners and trophies. It is an interesting exhibition. Members of the first Star Rugby (earn (1886) who will be present at the jubilee celebrations of the dub to-day are Messrs P. P. Cuff, A. Findlay, H. Graham, J. H. Hughes, R. D. Donaldson, J. Aspray (first secretary) and H. Donaldson (first captain). **■ * * Dustless Roads. “Summer is coming,” remarked members at yesterday’s meeting of the Southland County Council when a letter from the secretary of the Automobile Association (Southland), Mr J. S. Dick, stating that a meeting- had been held between a sub-committee of (he association and a committee from the Southland League to discuss dustless roads, was read. Mr Dick asked if the council would appoint representatives to meet these committees in private conference to discuss dustless roads generally. “Dustless roads mean modernized roads and modernized roads mean money,” remarked the county chairman (Mr T. Golden), “but a discussion will not do any harm.” It was decided to appoint Mr Golden, Councillor L. A. Niederer and the county engineer to attend the conference.

A Football Photograph. In connection with the jubilee of the Star Football Club, it is interesting to note that a Bluff resident has a large photograph of the Britannia team, taken in 1900, which has printed across it the caption: “First team to beat the premier Star team since 1895.” According to the owner of the photograph the game was played on the East Invercargill ground in ±9OO and Britannia won by three points to nil, the winning try being scored by V. Metzger, a wellknown resident of Bluff, but formerly of Waikiwi. The victory was the cause of great rejoicing in the club and was celebrated at an oyster supper given by Mr J. H. Kissell (one of the vice-pre-sidents) in the Prince of Wales Hotel, which stood on the site of the present Grand Hotel. The Britannia Club went out of existence shortly afterwards, its members being absorbed mostly by the Star and Waikiwi clubs. Many of those in the photograph have heard the “Last Whistle” (including all the vice-presi-dents), but some of the players still remain and no doubt have vivid recollections of a memorable victory. Following is a list of the officials and players photographed: J. A. Hanan (president), W. Little, W. Ball, J. H. Kissell, G. Double (vice-presidents); T. Pratt (secretary); W. Myers (captain); C. Purdue, R. Matson, H. Hill, T. Pascoe, J. Derby, A. Reid, W. Ball, G. Glennie, E. Purdue, V. Metzger, R. McGregor, P. Fraser, T. Maley, A. Geddes, A. Small, C. Mathieson and W. Hannah.—Bluff correspondent. * * » ♦ Moving a House. A free entertainment was provided for more than a hundred people in Spey street yesterday afternoon when an old wooden residence, the site of which is to be used for up-to-date offices for a carrying firm, was removed by a lorry, assisted by two small caterpillar tractors. The firm contracting for the removal of the house had divided it into two, and it was not anticipated that the operation of taking out the front section would prevent any great difficulty. The soft nature of the soil, however, caused the wheels of the under-carriage to sink to a considerable depth, and for a time the efforts of the lorry, pulling in front, and the tractors, pushing in the rear, failed to accomplish the task. Judicious jacking was performed and the big structure was successfully drawn across the footpath on to the road. Then began a laborious journey into the Winton district, with the lorry doing the hauling. In the city area two

men with long poles had to accompany the load, pushing up the telegraph and electric wires to a height sufficient to enable the house to pass safely under them. In the meantime the tractors gave a taste of their strength by pulling out two enormous concrete blocks On the site where the old house had rested. The afternoon disclosed one fact—that there is a surprising number of amateur engineers in Invercargill. The amount of gratuitous advice that was offered when operations were held up would have made entertaining, reading at an engineers’ conference. For a time the removal threatened to cause a minor traffic jam, but the city traffic inspect tor’s presence soon righted matters.