Untitled

Evening Star, Issue 19665, 19 September 1927, Page 6

Thc little community of Glenorchy, at the head of Lake Wakatipu, has been agitated for some time past over tho grazing on the commonage. There are quite a number of such commonages in Otago, set aside by the Provincial Council in the early days lor the grazing of cows and horses belonging to the miners. Glenorchy was one of those. The administration was in the hands of a committee, most of the members of which have either died or loft, and it was alleged that some residents were turning that state of affairs to their own advantage by taking up too much of tho commonage. As the result of inquiries tho Land Board cancelled the committee’s rights, and called upon the residents to hold a public meeting to elect a- fresh committee. This was done. By all accounts it was a stormy meeting. Last week the Land Board granted administrative rights to the new committee on certain conditions—that noxious weeds and rabbits are to be kept in check over tho whole 775 acres, that tho commonage bo fenced, and that all bona fide residents have the right to graze cows and horses, any disputes as between the committee and the residents to be bottled by tho Land Board.

Mr Caf&n, secretary of the Otago Hunt Club, said to-day, in answer to an inquiry, theft the gate receipts at the races on Saturday were larger than last year, that the totalisator money is well up in spite of the late arrival of some of the town patrons, and that the financial outcome of the meeting is better than for many years.

Otago sheep farmers arc full of hope as to the coining wool season. So iar the prospects as to the clip are quite promising as to condition and quantity, and recent operations in the Loudon market lead to the expectation that when the New Zealand auctions open—the first is to be at Wellington in November—the prices will be in favor of the sellers, at any rate for fine wool. Present values for fialf-bred stand at present at about Id per lb better than at this time last year. A reasonable forecast by an expert as to prices at the opening of the New Zealand sales is that the finer wools will realise about last season’s prices if not a little higher, and that it would he hazardous to rely on any improvement in cross-bred. There is likely to bo a full bench of buyers, since a number of new men arc coming out and most of the old bidders will bo present, i Mr H. T‘. Milnes, of Christchurch, the senior of the-active buyers in New Zealand, is the new president of the Wool Buyers’ Association in succession to Mr Walter Hill, who died as the result of an accident sustained last November.

Joseph JRobort Salter (aged sixteen), Harley William Dear (aged sixteen), Walter Richard Dear (his brother, aged seventeen), and Cecil George Robertson (aged nineteen) were sentenced to-day by Mr Hunt, at Auckland, to one year’s Borstal detention on a series of charges of converting eleven motor ears to their own use.—Press Association.

A Wellington Association message states that Lome James Lipsott, who knocked down a boy on tho Hutt road while riding a motor cycle unlit, and when ho was in a drunken condition,, was fined £lO, and his license was cancelled for 19-’B.

A correspondent sent this question to the editor to-day: “To settle an' argument will you please state how much death duty would bo paid to the Government if John Smith died, leaving £3O,UUI) to his widow' in trust far his three children?” The answer is that the Death Duties Department would assess the estate duty at 14 per cent, on tit© £5U,000— namely, £7,ol)o—and that in addition to tho estate c tj succession duty would bo assessed actuarially, probably £I,OOO approximately, it depending upon the widow’s age and her expectation of life. Old-timo raihvaymon still in tho service wore pleased to see Mr Andrew Duncan in town last week. Ho was station master hero for a while, and a most efficient officer, and was promoted to the position of traffic manager on tin West Coast. Now', in retirement, ho lives at Auckland, and came down hero lor a visit, leaving for the north this morning. His appearance on the station recalled an incident of his official days. A member of Parliament rushed on to tho station, hound for Wellington, just as tho express was leaving, bringing luggage to last for tho session, and he ordered one of the porters to put the bags into tho carriage. Tho porter was about to try to obey, though ho did not know how to cram the things in, when Mr Duncan came along to see what was causing the delay, and he promptly told the porter to wheel the baggage to the van. Thereupon the atmosphere became stormy. “ Don’t you know who / am?” roared Mr Member of Parliament. “ Yes, personally, but not olii daily,” was the unruffled reply of the vtiilion master, and, despite protests ami threatenings the boxes and bags went into tho van. In after years both men laughed over the rumpus, the M.P. really admiring Mr Duncan for his devotion to duty.

At the annual meeting of the Dunedin Cricket Club, held on Saturday night, the following resolution was, on the motion of the president_ (Mr Geo. Wycherley), carried' unanimously:— “ that the Dunedin Cricket, Club offers its hearty congratulations lo Mr T. K. Sidey, ALP., on the plucky manner in which lie has, on a tricky wicket, withstood the many ‘wrong ’mis’ sent along by tho opposing forces and established a substantial lead on the first innings iu tho match for the Summer Time Cup, and expresses the hope that, on this occasion, ho will he successful iu scoring an outright win.” Already tho benefits to he derived from tho passing of tho Summer Time Hill are becoming apparent. Connected with tho work of the Otago Harbor Board at Aromoana there is a suggestion afoot that in the summer months a, double shift should be worked. Although tho matter is not yet definitely settled, tho resident engineer, Mr 0. 11. Davis, considers that the scheme would bo especially practicable under daylight saving conditions. The Caversham Literary Club was addressed by Messrs J. W. Aithen and J. V. Hanna on Saturday evening. Air Aitken’s subject, ‘ A Alan is Better Worth Endowing Than a College,’ gave him an opportunity for stressing the desirability of vision and tho need lor making tho most of life by cultivation of fine taste in literature and art and ideals of life. Air Hanna spoke onthc ‘ Human Alotor Cur,’ and showed the discrepancies which exist between the care of one’s body and that of one’s car, comparing tho car parts with similarly functioning body organs tq ■illnsti ato the results of neglect and abuse Eight charges of obtaining money by false pretences were admitted to-day by Douglas Vernon Denny, aged 20. The police* stated that the accused had been employed by tho Aerograph Studios in Juno last, and while in Napier ho terminated tho engagement, but went on collecting money on tho firm’s behalf. Ho was at present serving two months’ imprisonment for false pretences and a month for a breach of his probation Following tho conviction for theft at tho beginning of tho year, ho will now servo another three months at tho end of tho present term.—Wellington Press Association telegram. A clothing shop at flic corner of Maclaggan street and the Arcade was broken into during the week-end and about £3O worth of clothing stolen. Entrance was effected .through the cellar and thcnco through a trap-door into tho shop. Tho police are investigating. Tho stock and fittings of the tobacconist shop occupied by K, G. Ajtken and owned by H, Green were destroyed by lire at Frankton early this morning, while the stock of tho adjoining premises occupied by 0. Good was damaged by smoke.—Hamilton Press Association telegram.

A Wellington Press Association telegram states that, although search parties comprising the whole of the island Bay fishing fleet were in the strait all day yesterday, there was no sign of the two fishermen who have boon missing since Thursday last, and grave fears arc now entertained for their safety, but the search has not yet been abandoned. .Inquiries are being made in the Marlborough Sounds, One of the biggest pieces of work on hand in connection with the reconstruction of the mole at the Otago Heads is the tunnelling of the big quarry from which the rock is procured for the building of the sea wall. During the visit of Otago Harbor Board members on Saturday great interest was shown in the .work at this locality. On the completion, of the tunnel the engineers of the board are going to charge it with enough explosive to bring down a very largo portion of the whole hillside. It is expected that fully 18,000 tons of rock-will be shattered and transferred piece by piece to the mole. On tfie occasion of the big blast a special trip will bo made to the Heads by the board’s members and engineers. At the infant school in New Plymouth this .morning the Minister of Education formally opened the first open-air classroom built in tho North Island, and stated that it was the department’s intention to go on with the policy of building similar rooms.—Press Association.

For spectacles that soothe fcbo eyes consult W. V. Stunner, D. 5.0.1., G.A.0.0., 2 Octagon. Our business js exclusively optical. —[Advt.] A public meeting of the Dunedin City Ratepayers’ Association will be held in the Burns Hall to-morrow evening, when the various forms of rating will bo fully discussed. Messrs .T. Rhodes, W. .T. Boardman, and M. Silverstono will give short addresses on the subject.