FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 31, 6 February 1932, Page 9

FIFTY YEARS AGO

ITEMS FEOH "THE POST"

FROZEN MEAT EXPORT

'.'The export of frozen meat has been looked forward to with such sanguine anticipations as not only establishing a new industry in this colony, but also affording a profitable outlet for our surplus stock, that it is very disappointing to find tho success of the Australian experiments even yet far from established, and the industry itself in gravo danger," remarks a "Post" editorial of this date fifty years ago. "Nearly all recent shipments of frozen meat have failed to realise the promise seemingly offerediby the lucrative disposal of earlier cargoes, and, worse still, the meat has in most cases been landed in a moro or less unsatisfactory condition. Great fault has been found with the quality of the meat, inferior carcases having evidently been sent in many instances." Moreover, there have been frequent failures of the freezing operations, so that the meat as delivered has been described as more or less tainted. .... All this is very unlucky for New Zealand, where high hopes have been indulged in regarding this industry. If Australian frozen meat permanently acquires—as it seems rapidly doing— a bad name in the London markets, that will equally affect any meat shipped from this colony. It will be impossible to make Home buyers recognise the difference between. Australian and New Zealand meatf even if the New Zealand shippers succeed in avoiding the blunders into which the ■Australians have fallen. The matter is one seriously affecting New Zealand, and it is much to be 'hoped that the next shipments will be better managed and more successful." SEVENTEENTH BIRTHDAY. "The 'Evening Post' was first published on the Bth February, 1865, and . has consequently attained its seven- i teenth anniversary. We do not intend j to inflict upon our readers any auto-1 biographical notes or comparative | statistics. It is sufficient to. say that I the success which has attended tho ] journal from the first has continued dur- j ing the past year, our > circulation hay-; ing steadily and uninterruptedly increased. Its.further extension must depend upon the general advanco of the city and district in population and prosperity. There has been a marked improvement in the latter respect during the past year, and there seems every reason to believe that Wellington is at last emerging from tho gloom of commercial depression which.so long has overshadowed it. To promote the ■welfare of the community, our best efforts will always be devoted in the future as in the past." TRAINS TO MASTERTON. "Two months ago, when noticing the great improvement decided upon by the railway authorities in working through passenger traffic on the South Island lines, we expressed the hope that it would be found practicable ere long to extend a like reform to the Wellington and Masterton line. In 1880 tho ordinary journey between Wellington and Masterton occupied 4J hours, including stoppages, these latter in tho aggregate amounting to about 1$ hours, leaving three hours as the actual average running time. The experience with excursion trains has shown that this time can bo very materially reduced, but as long as all the trains are 'mixed' the inevitable shunting operations will prolong it. In fact the new time-table has actually increased the time taken on the journey to 4 "hours 50 minutes. It would be superfluous to enlarge upon the great advantage ■ to passengers of reform in the tunning time. It might increase the working expenses slightly at first, but it would assuredly repay itself in the long iun> by popularising the railway, and by rendering the journey to Masterton a pleasant and comparatively rapid trip, instead of the horrible infliction of ■weariness and monotony which it is under the existing system." A BIG EARTHQUAKE. "A good deal of alarm was caused in the city yesterday afternoon by a very sharp shock of earthquake. The • shock was unusually protracted, and consisted of a series of regular vibrations, gradually increasing in strength until the culminating point was reached, and lasting nearly a minute.- The effect was exceedingly startling, but, excepting that a large number of clocks -j were stopped, and the plaster on: walls j and ceilings slightly cracked in several j instances, no damage whatever appears i to have been done in Wellington. A j temporary panic, however, was not un-1 naturally created, especially in the case i of persons who happened to bo with-! in brick buildings at the time. ,On ' the part of these there was a general stampede, but the result proved their '. fears quite unfounded. The buildings swayed with the moving ground, but in no case was the faintest sign of weakness manifested. On the contrary, the oscillations were much more severely felt in wooden buildings, which creaked ; and groaned in a very appalling man- j ner. We have not heard, however, of even any crockery or glass being broken. It will be seen by tho telegrams published below that the earthquake was felt in nearly every part of the colony, from Gisborne in tho north to Ash burton in, the South, and from Napier in the east to Hokitika : in the west; The weather was very dull and threatening, and tho wind, which had been blowing very freely from the north-west up to the time of tho earthquake, suddenly went round to the southward almost at the very moment of the shake." HIGH HEELS. ' "A contemporary reminds Auckland young ladies that high heels are quite out of date. The fashionable boot or shoe has a low square heel, exactly tinder the natural heel, is quite plain, without any lacquering or varnishing, and .patent leather is considered 'the thing.' Why, therefore, tearfully exclaims our contemporary, do our Auckland belles still endeavour to deform themselves with those abominations of the past—high pointed heels drawn under the middle of the foot! Of course shopkeepers still try to sell them, because they must got rid of their old stocks; but that is no reason that ladies should buy. We might put a similar query to Wellington young ladies, many of whom are apparently firm believers in eternal punishment, this side of tho grave—the torture of the boot!" PRICE OF GAS. "It is satisfactory, as far as it goes, ■ ><*■ find that the directors of tho Wellington Gas Company have at length awakened to the necessity of reducing the price of gas in this city. The reduction is certainly not a very startling one, only 6d per 1000 feet, making the price 10s instead of 10s 6d. Tho Wellington Gas Company has had a very agreeable and lucrative monopoly for a long time past, but may yet discover that liberality on tho part of monopolists is the. best policy."

Mr. H. P. Isaac, M.A., principal of the Stuart Tutorial College, which has opened in Wellington in premises at the corner of Lambton quay and Panama street, linn had 16 years' experience or teaching in various New Zealand secondary schools and colleges. He recently returned to New Zealand after travelling extensively in England, Scotland, France, Switzerland, nnd Germany, in which countries he had opportunity of studying the latest methods p£ teaching.