In Town And Out

Southland Times, Issue 23026, 21 October 1936, Page 6

In Town And Out

Assistant Sexton.

The appointment of Mr R. M. Patterson, of Invercargill, as assistant sexton at the cemetery was made by the City Council last night. The appointment had been recommended by the Reserves Committee. Coronation Celebrations.

Invercargill should be well lit for the Coronation celebrations in May next year. The Trading Committee reported to the City Council last night that it had decided to recommend the purchase of 1000 extra light bulbs for street illumination at the time of the Coronation. The recommendation was adopted. Trafalgar Day.

To-day is Trafalgar Day, the 131st anniversary of the great British naval victory at Trafalgar, in which Lord Nelson’s fleet of 27 ships defeated a combined Franco-Spanish force of 33 sail. On that memorable day in the history of the Empire 21 of the enemy ships were taken or destroyed without the loss of a single British vessel.

Report on The Trams. “Have we heard nothing yet from Mr W. McKenzie (Dunedin) about the report on the trams?” was a question asked by Cr A. W. Jones at last night's meeting of the City Council. "We were to get a report in six weeks, but it is about three months since he was here.” It was agreed to ask Mr McKenzie when the council could expect his report. Infectious Diseases.

Only one case of pneumonic influenza was notified in the Invercargill city area during September as against 19 for the previous month, stated the report of the city inspector, Mr R. Bleakley, to the City Council last night. In addition, two cases of scarlet fever had been notified last month, four of pulmonary tuberculosis and one of puerperal fever. Electricity and Gas Charges.

The question of electricity and gas charges is one which the Trading Committee of the Invercargill City Council has under consideration at the present time. At last night’s meeting of the council the committee’s report contained this information, also that the committee had under consideration the following matters: Offering, if possible, better terms for the use of ranges and hot water services in respect to power supplied off peak load hours; and the question of negotiating with the Government for a new agreement. Practical Gratitude.

A spirit of generous independence, unfortunately as rare as it is admirable, is shown in a letter that was received by the Auckland Hospital Board on Wednesday. “A few years ago the Hospital Board very kindly assisted me when I was greatly in need of help,” ran the letter. “Would you please accept Che enclosed £lO with my sincere gratitude?” The writer is a woman who received treatment from the Hospital Board four years ago, when she was not in a position to make payment. The sum that she has now so freely given is more than the amount that was due by her to the board, which greatly appreciates the gratitude shown in so tangible a form.

Increased Tram Returns. Last month the Invercargill tramway service earned over £2OO more revenue than for September 1935, the figures being as follows: —1936, £l6Bl 9/6; 1935, £1419 17/10. The number of passengers carried last month was 223,382 as against 189,164 in September last year. For the six-monthly period ended on September 30, revenue from the trams also showed an increase on last year—£99s2 17/10, as against £9368 0/7. The total number of passengers carried had been 1,319,337 as against 1,261,620 over the same period last year. The revenue per car mile for the six months was 12.82 d against 12.25 d last year. Passengers per car mile were 7.07 as against 6.8.

Entitled to Morning Tea. The opinion that tradesmen who are required to work a consistent eight hours a day are entitled to a break in the morning for a cup of tea, was expressed by the Conciliation Commissioner (Mr M. J. Reardon) during the hearing of an industrial dispute in Wellington. Mr Reardon said he understood that one large concern had threatened to dismiss workers if they were seen drinking a cup of tea or eating during the morning. This was a very short-sighted policy on the part of the authorities. A man who was forced to have an early breakfast in order to get to his job on time felt in need of a bracer about 10 o’clock in the morning.

Busy Tourist Season Expected. Another busy tourist season may be expected according to advice received from the New Zealand Government Tourist Bureau in Melbourne by Mr W. A. Pickford, officer in charge of the tourist office at Invercargill. The Melbourne staff has had to be increased to cope with the extra business, and advance bookings for 52 tourists have already been received for the first three trips of the Marama. A big proportion of these Australian tourists will be landing at Milford Sound, beginning their tour with the now famous walk over the Milford Track. “It would appear that more people will take the opportunity of seeing the beauties of the track than there were last year,” Mr Pickford told The Southland Times yesterday.

Scientific Research. An article in the Connacht Tribune gives a glimpse of the endeavours of the Research Council to provide for the industrial development of the Irish Free State. Professor Thomas Dillon, who has been engaged for some years on industrial research work in Galway, has been making investigations into the industrial possibilities of seaweed. Professor Dillon said that he had been working for the past ten years on the composition of seaweed with a view to reconstructing the kelp industry, which failed as a result of the fall in the prices of iodine. Almost every country has realized the importance of keeping its industries up to date by the application of scientific research and have founded organizations for this purpose. The Free State Industrial Research Council was set up by Mr Sean Lemass, Minister for Industry and Commerce, in 1934. Professor Joseph F. Donegan has entered his second year’s work on the industrial utilization of carageen. Professor Donegan’s wife is a sister of Mr J. J. Lenihan, of Elies road, Invercargill.

New Zealand Penal System. “We have not the intention in mind to make prisons larger, more numerous, more beautiful or imposing,” said the Minister of Justice, the Hon. H. G. R. Mason, speaking on the penal system at the People’s University in Auckland. As he saw it, he said, in history there had been three phases or periods in the principle of detention for criminality. First, that the breaking of laws should be followed by suffering, or at least discomfort, as a deterrent; second, that the period should result in the doing of something utilitarian and useful.

that society should not unduly be saddled with the cost of maintaining law-breakers; and third, that constructive reform should aim at evoking the strength of the prisoner’s own character in an effort for self-reform. The Government had every faith that social reform outside the prisons would result in these institutions being greatly curtailed—indeed, there had of late been proportionately to population a notable decrease in prison population. Each member of society, however, had his or her own freedom of choice of action. Penal reform started not in the prisons but in the schools, and education for citizenship would result in automatic removal of the causes which made the .penal system necessary.