JUSTICES OF THE PEACE

Southland Times, Issue 23025, 20 October 1936, Page 5

JUSTICES OF THE PEACE

Social Evening

SPEECHES ON DIVERS SUBJECTS A social for Justices of the Peace and their friends was held in the Tudor Lounge last evening. The president of the Southland Justices of the Peace Association, Mr W. A. Ott, extended a welcome to those present. A programme of enjoyable musical items was given during the evening, songs being contributed by Messrs P. L. Hodge and T. R. Pryde, Misses N. King and G. Cameron and Mrs H. McDonald. Mr W. M. Dobie gave a pianoforte solo. The oyster was the subject of an address by Mr E. A. Nichol, of Bluff. Not till last evening did many people realize that the subject of oysters could be so entertaining.

. Mr Nichol said that oysters had been cultivated in far off times by the Chinese, and in more recent times by the Italians and the North Americans. New Zealand’s main supply of oysters was to be found in the South Island, off Timaru and Kaikoura, but mainly in the far south. In fact oyster beds were everywhere in the Foveaux Strait regions. The beds extended for miles and often to a depth of four or six feet There was a difference of opinion on the harm done to oysters by starfish. When the oyster opened its mouth the starfish would insert one of its long fingers and then slowly but surely the other four. Although all the natural enemies of the oyster were to be found in the body of the starfish, it was the opinion of experienced oystermen that, when short of food, the starfish was a menace to the oysters. Oyster-Eating Record. Mr Nichol said that a poorer quality of oysters was found in the greater depths. Last season had produced over 50 million oysters. There was some difference of opinion on the greatest number eaten at one sitting by any man, but he had heard on good authority of a Russian fisherman who, while at Bluff, had consumed 40 dozen. Mr Nichol said that he was often asked whether he thought the oyster beds in Foveaux Strait would be depleted in the near future. Considering the rate at which they spawned and other features of their growth, he was of the opinion that there would be no shortage of oysters in this part of the world for many years to come.

An oyster lived for approximately 15 yeArs, he said, and it was edible during that time, too. Although it had no power of locomotion and could neither see nor hear, it had a sense of taste greater than that of any human being, and, what was more, it could change its sex from year to year. There were several kinds of oysters. The oysters found in the Straits were the commonest variety. Then there were the oysters found around Port Adventure and Pegasus in more or less brackish water. Both sides of these oysters were cupped and the oysters inside were meaty, sweet and milky. Near the mouth of the Waimatuku oyster shells of a larger and rounder variety were found, but he himself had never found any oysters inside them, although he had been told that some people at Riverton had found them full, but that the oyster inside was distinctly unpalatable. In conclusion Mr Nichol said that the thyrodone works at Bluff had last year used one million oysters and that the canneries had increased their output immensely. The oyster industry was indeed worth a great deal to Southland. Address By-Mr Mansfield. Mr B. P. Mansfield, superintendent of reserves, gave an interesting address on the Invercargill city gardens and their evolution and development since the early days. Many people assumed, he said, that it was more difficult to grow plants and flowers in Invercargill than in other parts of the Dominion. This was not the case. Indeed, in suitable shelter it was easier to grow certain plants and flowers in Invercargill than in other parts of New Zealand. The speaker went on to pay a tribute to Mr Thomas Waugh, who had been the first man systematically to plant trees in the city. He had obtained large quantities of the seed of Australian hardwood trees and planted it in Invercargill. Only a few of the varieties planted had survived, and several of th&e were still standing in the parks. To the gardener every hour had its appointed task. Mr Mansfied went on to give details of the nature and extent of the parks surrounding the city. The belt that surrounded the city consisted of about 106 acres; there were about 324 acres of park land and 385 acres of reserves. Then there was the Lake Hawkins area and the Sandy Point domain. This last mentioned place was possibly the most interesting part of the Reserves Department’s work. The greatest difficulty encountered was, of course, to arrest the drift of the sand. The main dune of three miles was gradually being built up, and in the future it should be possible to grow there a wide range of plants. Little progress could be made, however, till the rabbits had been wiped out. The grant by the Feldwick Trust, of £20,000, had been of inestimable value to the department and the interest went towards the upkeep of Queen’s Park, where a gradual process of development had taken place. Plans For Future. It was his idea in the .near future, he said, to set aside an area of four and a-half acres in the park where New Zealand native plants of all descriptions would be grown. It was intended to make it the most comprehensive display in the Dominion. In addition there would be an area set aside for plants of other countries, Japan, China, North America, Australia and South Africa. There had been a steady development in Invercargill over a period of years and in the last 25 years the permanent staff had been doubled. Mr Ralph Hanan gave an interesting address on London and its courts. First of all he gave some impression of London’s immensity. It was, he said, all a question of degree. To a boy from Tuatapere, Invercargill would seem a large place; to a boy from Auckland, Invercargill would seem a one-horse town. London was roughly 350 times the size of Invercargill and as large as Stewart Island. It was just one mass of houses and buildings. He then took his listeners for a short but interesting tour through London, from the Bank of England along Fleet street to the Strand, and from there along Regent street to Hammersmith and beyond. A man going to work might leave his home at 8 o’clock, but would not reach his office until 9, although the trains might travel at a speed of anything up to 60 miles an hour. There were some 5000 buses in London, and trains, nearly always full, left the tube stations every minute. Courts In London. There were two main courts of justice in London, said Mr Hanan. The first was the Royal Courts of Justice, near St. Paul’s Cathedral. Here there were 20 courts continuously in session. The second well-known seat of justice was the Old Bailey. When he visited the latter place there were four courts in session. Three xnurder trials

were being heard and a charge of receiving stolen goods. Mr Hanan said that there he had been impressed with the great independence of counsel. In England there was a sharp distinction drawn between a barrister and a solicitor. There was a tendency in New Zealand for lawyers to be obsequious in their attitude to the judge. In England it was just the contrary. In Russia they had socialized almost everything, but the one thing they could not, and would not, socialize was the work of the barrister. It was definitely an unsound policy. He had been deeply impressed Tin England with the independence of the Bar, which was the fundamental principle of the conception of British justice.