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Evening Star, Issue 22451, 23 September 1936, Page 8

The annual report of the city valuer shows that during the year ended March 31 last 234 new dwellings were erected in the city. Of those 2 cost less than £500; 11 over £SOO and up to £6OO ; 46 over £6OO and up to £700; 63 over £7OO and up to £BOO ; 36 over £BOO and up to £9OO ; 31 over £9OO and up to £I,OOO ; 40 over £I,OOO and up to £2,000; and 5 over £2,000.

An Omakau lad of 12 years will have occasion to remember the test match played against Australia at Dunedin. He arrived by the very early morning train on the Saturday, saw the match, and, to cap the day, was a spectator at the wrestling in the evening; so that when he at last embarked on the night train for the return journey he was a very tired boy. Little wonder that he slept well—so well in fact, that not till Cromwell was reached did he awaken. The guard of the train took him home for breakfast, and then the lad set out cheerfully on his 40-mile walk to Omakau. Plodding along between Clyde and Alexandra he was overtaken by a good Samaritan who gave him a lift and thus helped the young adventurer over a portion of his long journey. The receipts at the Municipal Baths for the year ending March 31 last totalled £1,324 0s Bd, as compared with £1,270 14s 7d for the previous year. The expenditure totalled £2,346 17s 4d, the figures for the previous year being £2,288 2s 9d.

For the purpose of raising funds for the Central Mission spring fair, a jumble sale was held yesterday afternoon in the Trinity School room. The tastefully arranged stall, under the supervision of Mesdames Grantham and Dacre, was exceedingly well patronised, and the success of the function fnlly justified the work of its preparation.

An Association message from Wellington states that the arrival of the express steamer Rangitira was delayed for 25 minutes this morning owing to fog south of Mount Fox. At the fortnightly meeting of the R.S.A. Executive last evening a motion was carried that the Wellington Association be advised to watch very carefully that the disability pension _ was not absorbed in the projected national superannuation scheme.

Members of the Australian Royal Commission on Banking and Monetary Systems are expected to settle down in Melbourne next month to the colossal task of producing a report from the vast number of words to which they have listened. They have been taking evidence for about eight months, and, according to the Melbourne ‘Age,’ have hard more than 200 witnesses—experts, near experts, and enthusiastic amateurs —deliver nearly 2,600,000 sworn and contradictory words of the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” They have heard about blue money and marsupial money, about Douglas credit and purple credit, and about a bewildering array of other currencies and credits dominated by mysterious figures in the hierarchy of finance. But they have been told of no easy way of making readily spendable coin of the realm.

Four of the five members of the Australian delegation which is to discuss aviation problems of mutual interest with the New Zealand Government arrived at Wellington by the Wanganella from Sydney to-day. The representative of the British Air Ministry, Mr P. C. L. Bertram was also aboard the Wanganella. The other Australian delegate, Sir Archdale Parkhill, who will leave Sydney for Auckland on Thursday, is expected to reach Wellington early next week. The New Zealand Government will be represented at the conference by a Cabinet sub-committee comprising the Minister of Defence (Mr Jones), the Minister of Finance (Mr Nash), the Minister of Marine (Mr Fraser). and the Minister of Transport (Mr Semple). To-da.y is one of the two days in the year when the duration of day and night is equal. This is known as the equinox, the sun crossing the celestial equator into the Southern Hemisphere at 4.30 p.m. (New Zealand time). There is no scientific basis for the prevalent belief that we are more prone to experience gales and storms at the time of the equinox than at other times. Indeed, the evidence is all to the contrary, for observations taken over a long period show that there are usually fewer gales and storms at the equinoxes than there are during the periods just prior to and subsequent to these events.