People and Their Doings.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 600, 2 November 1932, Page 6

People and Their Doings.

What Ranjitsinhji Thinks of Pataudi : Evans of the Broke Married a Christchurch Girl : An Amusing Incident After the Melbourne Cup.

■REAR-ADMIRAL E. G. R. Evans, C. 8., D. 5.0., who has been promoted to ViceAdmiral, was known as “ Evans of the Broke” on account of his exploits with the Dover Patrol during the war. Vice-Admiral Evans is one of the Navy’s most spectacular figures. He visited New Zealand with Scott’s ill-fated Antarctic Expedition of 1909 and is well-known to many people here. He married Miss Hilda Beatrice Russell, daughter of Mr T. G. Russell, a solicitor of Christchurch. He relinquished command of the Royal Australian Navy last year. He served as navigating officer of the Antarctic relief ship Morning to the Discovery Expedition in 1902-4, and made two voyages to the South Polar regions to the relief of the Discovery when the ship became frozen in M’Murdo Strait.

land. In 1856, the Wellington Provincial Council passed an education measure providing for the establishment of schools by resolution of a meeting of electors called for that purpose. The meeting also had power to elect a committee and to vote a levy, not exceeding £1 per annum, on all houses in the school district. The scheme was not a success; the levy was boycotted and the measure was not carried into effect. About the same time the Otago Provincial Council imposed a poll tax of £1 on all adult males for the purpose of education. The community refused to pay the tax, and it was dropped. The early records do not show whether endeavours were made to enforce similar taxes in other provinces, but it is understood -*that at one time or another, schemes of this nature were put forward, but were not enforced, public opinion being so antagonistic that they were dropped. The original draft of the Education Act of 1877, establishing the national system, does not show any reference house or poll taxes. « V & New Zealand will miss through the decision of the Nawab of Pataudi to return to India after the English cricket team’s Australian tour may be gathered from a correspondent’s description of his play against Western

In 1909 he joined the British Antarctic Expedition, as second .in command, and after the death of Captain Scott took over the command of the expedition. On the final stage of the return journey Lieutenant Evans (as he then was) found that he was suffering from scurvy. In spite of his orders to his two companions, Chief Stoker William Lashley, R.N., and P.O. Thomas Crean, R.N., to leave him, they strapped him to a sledge and dragged him nearly 100 miles to safety. For this they received the Albert Medal. His services in the Antarctic regions brought Lieutenant Evans special promotion to Commander. ■9 9 W I~)URING the early days of the late war he commanded the Mohawk in the bombardment of the German army right wing on the Belgian coast, receiving mention in despatches for this service. In 1917 he wen the D.S.O. while in command of the deltroyer Broke, when that vessel, with H.M.S. Swift, engaged and defeated six enemy destroyers, sinking three of them. He was later given command of the cruiser Active. As captain of the cruiser Carlisle, on the China station in 1921, he went to the stranded steamer Hong Moh, off Hong Kong, and succeeded in taking of 1100 Chinese coolies. His gallant services oh this occasion were rewarded with Lloyd’s gold medal and the Royal Humane Society’s silver medal for saving life. Following his command of the Fishery Protection Flotilla he commanded the battle-cruiser Repulse during 1926-27. Vice-Admiral Evans is, in his leisure, a writer of adventure stories for boys. & ® ® CORRESPONDENT writes: Can you supply the following information: (1) Was there ever a poll tax in New Zealand specially ear-marked for education? (2) Did both unmarried men and unmarried women have to pay it? (3) Was it very unpopular? (4) How long was it operative?—Both poll taxes and house taxes were once levied for the purposes of education in New Zea-

Australia at Perth two 'days after landing. “ Pataudi revealed the master batsman. Fairly tall, his rather slimly built frame does not suggest unusual stamina, but he spent four and a quarter hours at the wickets and was comparatively fresh at the finish. In those four and a quarter hours he gave onp of the most delightful displays of batting one has seen. “ The famous Ranjitsinhji is said to have

*pHE BOOTS of 67,000 visitors have had their effect on. the floors of the McDou* gall Art Gallery, and in places the mosaic in the hall has been chipped. This is now under repair, but the cork flooring in the rooms is also losing its first freshness and getting rough and scratched. It is hardly likely that people here could be persuaded to change to slippers when they go into the Art Gallery, but that is what is done to preserve the beauty of the floors in many of the show places at Home and on the Continent. Very often felt or straw slippers are used, and these go on top of the shoes. Although they are awkward to walk in, a sliding motion being necessary, they prevent damage by nailed shoes and clicking high heels. J)URING THE DESCRIPTION of the Melbourne Cup over the air yesterday afternoon the announcer gave an amusing description of an incident which happened when the race was over. Peter Pan, the winner of the Cup, led the way into the birdcage, but Yarramba, the second horse, moved up from the second place to the first place, and with a flick of the tail across the face of Peter Pan then turned round and appeared to bow to the winner. Yarramba then returned to the second place. But if the right of enacting any little satirical comedy belonged to any horse it was to Shadow King, the only horse to be placed three times in the Melbourne Cup without a first. Last year Shadow King took second place and the before third place. 9 & CIXTY YEARS AGO (from the "Star” of November 2, 1872): Golf.—The game of golf is growing in popularitv. and when the materials, which are expected by the next San Francisco steamer, arrive, a good club will no doubt be formed. There is generally a good muster of players in Hagley Park on Saturday afternoons. Reprehensible Conduct. —A very reprehensible offence has recently been committed on the racecourse. The Jockey Club have this year formed an enclosed lawn for ladies adjacent to the stand, which they have also at no little expense planted with a number of ornamental shrubs. It is needless to say that the work effected a very desirable improvement, and should have been carefully protected, but so far from being the case, some person during last week lifted a sheep over the paling fence into the enclosure, and the result has been that nearly all the shrubs have been eaten off, whilst none have escaped serious injury. The offence must have been committed wilfully, and it is to be hoped those who are responsible for it will be detected and punished.

declared that Pataudi is an even better batsman than his own nephew, Duleepsinhji, and on this innings one might easily agree. “ He is a stylist who gets his runs without apparent effort, and gets them in every part of the field. Except for a few minutes after he had completed his century, there was no violence in his batting. He got his runs quietly, but at a fair pace, by being always in the right position to meet the ball, .using his flexible wrists in placing it to the best advantage, and by a display of footwork that was an object lesson to other players. He was never out of position, was very seldom troubled by the bowling, and was always well behind a perfectly straight bat.”