New Zealand

Southland Times, Issue 22969, 15 August 1936, Page 21 (Supplement)

New Zealand

Schools May Be Affected. Headmasters of secondary schools in the Dominion have at frequent intervals in the last few months made reference to the effect of the Government’s industrial legislation on school attendances. The provision to pay the basic rate of pay to apprentices reaching the age of 21 years may cause, it. is feared, a decided movement on the part of both employers and youths to begin apprenticeship contracts at as early an age as possible. Southland’s Progress. Southland easily leads the South Island in the progress its factory production has made in the last 25 years. The gross value of factory output in Southland in 1934-35 was 147 per cent, greater than in 1910-11, and every other South Island province lags far behind that figure— Canterbury’s rate of progress being less than half Southland’s.

The Budget Debate. The presentation of the Budget is invariably followed by a great deal of talking in the House of Representatives. Opposition members rise to enlarge upon the blunders made by the Government in its financial proposals; Government members rise to defend their party. For more than a week the debate on Labour’s first' Budget dragged its weary length along. There were some effective speeches and some indifferent ones. Because Opposition speak- > ers were caught napping the debate came to an unexpectedly early end on Wednesday.

West Coast to the Hollyford. Mr Semple, the Minister of Public Works, stated in the House last Friday that the Government intended to construct a road down the West Coast to link up with the Te Anau-Milford road in the Hollyford Valley. The highway system in South Westland now ends at Weheka. When this township is linked with the Hollyford it will be possible to get in a motor car at Invercargill, drive up the West Coast of the South Island and return via the East Coast without traversing the same ground. And during the drive it will be possible to see the finest scenery that the Island has to offer. Later it was announced by the Government that the road from the West Coast to Makarora at the head of Lake Wanaka would first be constructed.

A Maori Jury. It is a maxim of law that a man has the right to be tried by his peers. This principle was strictly observed in a case before the Supreme Court at Gisborne this week w’hen an all-Maori jury was empanelled to try a native. It is stated to be the first time such a trial has been known in Gisborne.

Imprisoned in a Freezer. When a member of the Auckland Meat Company’s staff went into a freezing chamber on Saturday morning to take the temperature he pulled the door to. Unfortunately the catch of the door locked and he was unable to open it. He realized that in such a low temperature he would freeze to death if he remained inactive, so he set to work with a meat hook and tried to break through the wall. This not only helped his chance of escape but kept him warm. He had reached the outer skin of the wall when the noise he made was heard by a visitor to the shop and the prisoner was released. He stated that in another three-quarters of an hour he would have fought his way out, but he was not sorry that his exertions were saved.

I Southland Rugby Union Jubilee. This is the 50th year of existence of the Southland Rugby Union, and next week-end golden jubilee celebrations will commemorate the event. Chief interest will centre in Saturday’s celebrations. The OtagoSouthland representative return match will be played on Rugby Park, and since about 2000 Dunedin supporters are coming down with the Otago team, there should be a record gate. Bands will be playing and past and present footballers will be on parade. In the evening there will be a jubilee banquet. A church , parade on Sunday and a jubilee ball I on Monday will conclude the celebrations. The primary schoolboy representatives of Otago and Southland will provide the curtain-raiser for the inter-provincial match. Speed Limit in Towns.

The Minister of Transport has definitely fixed the speed limit for motor vehicles in cities, boroughs and town districts at 30 miles an hour. This is part of his campaign to reduce the number of motor accidents in the Dominion. Most motorists agree that 30 miles an hour is quite fast enough for driving in towns. The only criticism of the Minister’s proposal is that in a long-drawn-out township like Mataura the motorist is unduly re-1 stricted.

Blood-coloured Trail. Boys who read detective stories (and what boy doesn’t?) must often have followed in imagination a blood-coloured trail, but last weekend harriers in Canterbury followed one in actual fact. Sinister looking, dark red stains ran from Clifton Spur to the foot of the Evans Pass, down towards Taylor’s Mistake, over Scarborough and back to Clifton Spur. But it was not blood that caused the stains. Because paper would not show up on the snow the trail-layers had bought a few ounces of red crystals and it was these which, on melting, gave the snow such a sinister colour.