In Town And Out

Southland Times, Issue 23179, 21 April 1937, Page 6

In Town And Out

Princess Elizabeth’s Birthday

Princess Elizabeth, the elder daughter of the King and Queen, is 11 years old today.

£lOO Won in Art Union

A half-share of the third prize of £2OO in the “This For You” art union goes to Mrs J. O. Harper, of Tuatapere. The ticket was bought for his wife by Mr Harper when he was at Hanmer and a half share was taken by a Mr Porter, of Christchurch. Desire for Quiet

“Among the things one most wants to get away from when on holidays is noise,” said Mr F. W. Furkert at the Rotary Club’s luncheon in Wellington. “It is most refreshing to get away from the sound of traffic and the voices of people. Not that there is ever complete silence in the fiordlands where I spent a month. On the return journey the noise of the motor-car got on the nerves’ of all of the party, and the sounds of Invercargill on a Sunday proved almost too much for us. Carriers Warned

“In my opinion the enormous amount of road work being undertaken by the Government cannot continue for many years,” stated Mr E. J. Phelan, No. 1 Transport Licensing Authority, during the hearing of cases at Hamilton. “Carriers who are seeking licences to carry reading materials for the Public Works Department should exercise some thought about whether the expense entailed in purchasing trucks for short use is justified. Operators cannot hope to come to the authority later, saying that they have trucks on hand and intend to apply for a general goods licence.” Reducing Road Accidents

The road safety campaign inaugurated by the Transport Department has not only reduced the loss of life from traffic accidents by 45 per cent., but it has saved the motoring public in New Zealand some £70,000 a year in insurance premiums, stated the Minister of Transport (the Hon. R. Semple) in an address to the traffic staff of the Christchurch City Council. Mr Semple told the traffic inspectors that road accidents had become such a heavy drain on the funds of insurance companies that there was a proposal to raise the third party insurance premium from 17/- to 25/-. The improvement brought about by the safety campaign had caused proposal to be shelved.

Hospitality Appreciated In a letter to the Mayor (Mr John Miller) the secretary of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of the British Empire (Mr A. de V. Leigh, London) says that many references to the fourteenth congress of the federation held at Wellington last October were made at the recent meeting of the executive committee, the first since the returnof the United Kingdom delegates. The members of the committee, requested me to express to you their grateful acknowledgments for the part which you took in the warm reception extended to the overseas delegates to the congress on the occasion of their visit to Invercargill,” says Mr Leigh. The committee wished me to assure you that the congress will always remain a memorable occasion to all who were privileged to take part in it.

Sale of Poppies The sale of poppies is already well under way in Invercargill and Southland and sellers report that splendid returns are being received. Small wooden crosses,, which will be planted in a “Field of Remembrance,” to be set aside in a plot in front of the Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial, are being sold in conjunction with the poppies tliis year. This innovation follows the procedure which takes place on Armistice Day in England. The crosses, which are surmounted by a poppy, can be inscribed with the name of a fallen soldier and the Invercargill Returned Soldiers’ Association is inviting the public to buy the crosses and give the names of relatives who were killed in the Great War a place in the “Field of Remembrance.” The sale of poppies opened in Invercargill on Monday and a street day will be held on Friday.

High Price of Russian Goods According to advice received by a commercial firm in Auckland, there is now a shortage of some Russian products available for export. The firm’s London principal said in a letter written last month that he was disappointed to find in Russia that the goods he went to pin-chase—mainly furs—were “terrifically dear.” He added: “We understand that a number of State shops are being opened, and as furs are very popular with the women in Russia, and they are earning good money, they are able to buy their own product. In consequence there is a shortage of Russian goods for other buyers, and this particularly applies to the cheaper grades of furs.” The Russians at the sales he attended disposed of £1,500,000 worth of merchandise, which was snapped up at advances of approximately 30 per cent., but if they had had £5,000,000 worth it would have been readily sold.

The Russian Ballet The omission of Invercargill from the towns visited by the Russian ballet has been the subject of a letter sent by the Mayor (Mr John Miller) to J. C. Williamson, Ltd., Wellington. The letter stated: “The fact that you have not included Invercargill in your itinerary for the Russian Ballet is being freely commented upon by citizens. I myself was surprised at this city being omitted, because I was under the impression that the performances you stage here are well supported by the public of Invercargill and surrounding districts. It hapnens also that upon this occasion the theatre could have been made available to you, if desired, on a Saturday evening, as at the present time pictures are not being screened. I shall be pleased if you will kindly make a note of the matter with a view to your giving our public the opportunity of witnessing the various enjoyable entertainments which you are in the habit of providing for the people in the leading cities and towns of the Dominion.”

War Considered Inevitable That war must inevitably recur was the contention of Mr R. J. Richards, head master of Christ’s College, in an address—“ The Seamy Side of War”— to members of the Christchurch Businessmen’s Club at a luncheon, Praising the pail which England had taken since the Treaty of Versailles, Mr Richards said that England alone of the great Powers in Europe had made a real and voluntary effort to disarm, cutting down her Navy and reducing her Army. But when Germany was down at the conclusion of the Great War, Britain, largely because of the influence of France, had kicked her A ridiculous treaty had been imposed on Germany, making it impossible for a decent government to rule. Now there was again the fear of war, and even Britain was beginning to rearm. It was his opinion that the world would never be free from war, Mr Richards added, and a study of history supported this belief. While he spoke against and abhorred war, he thought a certain amount of preparedness was only common sense.

Jewish Immigration The admission into Australia of specially selected Jews who have had to leave Germany was recommended by the Rev. Israel Brodie, who recently retired from the position of rabbi of the Melbourne Hebrew congregation, when he arrived a. Auckland by the Aorangi from Sydney on his way to attend a Zionist congress in Switzerland. He suggested that selected German Jews could become useful citizens of Australia, for many of those who had been banished under Herr Hitler’s rule were experts in professions and trades of a very wide range. Regarded as one of the most distinguished rabbis and Jewish scholars in the British Empire, Rabbi Brodie has been president of the Jewish Ecclesiastical Court of Victoria and of the Australian Zionist Federation. During the Great War he served as chaplain with the British forces in France, and he was appointed to the position in Melbourne in 1922.