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Evening Star, Issue 22461, 5 October 1936, Page 8

The intention of the Government to abolish plural voting at municipal elections was referred to by a local business man as a retrograde step. The statement of the Prime Minister, he said, that the provision was slipped through without anyone noticing it did not accord with his views. The position was that many large companies paying large sums in rates, were disenfranchised, and provision was made about 10 years ago that a corporate company on the roll could appoint a representative to exercise a vote, such person also being entitled to vote in his own right. Trustees were also appointed to vote on behalf of estates that owned properties and paid rates. Though there were several hundreds in Dunedin who had had the right to vote in such a way in addition to recording their own personal votes our informant was of the opinion that the position was perfectly regular and fair. Unfortunately, the matter had been made a political one. A Press Association telegram from Wellington states that the Paremata bridge, giving shorter access to the favourite seaside resort of Plimmerton, was officially opened on Saturday afternoon by the Minister of Public Works (Mr Semple), who, after cutting the tape, marched across the bridge, accompanied by members of the official party. Fire broke out in the ceiling of Messrs Thomson and Beattie’s drapery emporium, Invercargill, at 5 o clock on Sunday evening, and gave the brigade considerable trouble before it was extinguished. The ceiling towards the front of the shop was blazing when the brigade arrived, and difficulty cnced in reaching the seat of the fire. Before the outbreak was suppressed about £2,000 worth of damage had been done to the stock, mainly by smoke and water. . . The exhibits of interest at the Taien flower show on Saturday included one which commanded a lot P* , att ? nt whn A prospector from the Shotover, who was passing through Mosgiel, exhibited in. a jam jar the month s wash-up, 117 oz of coarse gold, . t h° c^ rr ®“ t r> r i C e, for gold this exhibit was undoubtedly the most valuable in the hall. . . There has been a real boom m the cycling trade since the 40-hour week was introduced, said a local cycle dealer to a ‘ Star ’ reporter on Saturday. H said that sales had been brisk, and his own experience had been that number of those purchasing bicycles for the first time were going m for light machines. He had been asked to make several bicycles to order, and no doubt other dealers had had the same expenence. Two special trains ran to Lawrence yesterday for. the annual Daffodil Day ” excursion, and, favoured by bright, sunny weather, more than excursionists made the trip. The firs train left Dunedin atS.fiOa.m., and arrived at Lawrence at 11.17 with 828 passengers aboard. The second left Dunedin at 9 a.m., and arrived at Lawrence at 11.47, then carrying 580 passengers. The daffodils at. stones presented a beautiful sight, and caused much favourable comment on the part of the visitors. The first tram left on its return at 4.30 p.m., arriving at Dunedin at 7.23 p.m. The second train left 35min later, and reached Dunedin at 7.56. Advice has been received locally that Dr Milligan, of New Zealand, will broadcast from the League of Nations short wave station at Geneva (HBU) on Wednesday evening next. He will give a summary of the conference at present being held, and will speak for 15 minutes from 6.30. 4YA will rebroadcast the talk. The oyster supply practically finished to-dav, merchants using only the surplus/ The season has not been a very good one in the opinion of one leading merchant, the condition of the oysters being very unsatisfactory. They have been very dirty and full of grit, this affecting the sales to a certain extent, and merchants consider that next season something should be done to ensure the Dunedin supply being better than was the case this season. An Association telegram from Otaki states that the Community Stores were burglariously entered late on Saturday night or early on Sunday morning. £8 worth of tobacco was taken, with Creamoata and soap, etc. The till was untouched. ’ Members of the Foresters’ Lodge, numbering nearly 100, took part in the opening of a court at Otaki on Saturday night. Seventeen candidates were initiated. —Press Association. At Ashburton Leonard Frederick Martin, motor mechanic, was fined £5 and bis license cancelled till the end of the motoring year for being drunk in charge of a car. The case was the result of a collision on the Main S'outh road at Tinwald last night.—Press Association.

Under the No. 5 unemployment scheme group No. 252 will commence work at 12.30 p.m. to-morrow on Pine Hill road, at tho top of Patmos Avenue. Members of the group will meet at the Rockside road bridge at 12.30. Probate has been granted by His Honour Mr Justice Kennedy in the estates of Cornelius Pierce Goughian, farmer, Salisbury; Howitt Key Wilkinson, merchant, Dunedin; Harriet Jane Pascoe, widow, Herbert; Catherine Davis, married woman, llanfurly; George Adcock, orchardist, Alexandra; Margaret Hartstonge, married woman, Dunedin; Leander Thomas Patrick Pavlctieh. retired hotel manager, Dunedin ; Walter Ineson, storeman, Oamani; Ann Marriott Langford, widow, Dunedin; Georgina Hely, widow, St. Kilda. Letters of administration have been granted in the estates of Dinah Evaline Jane Houghton, married woman, Dunedin; and Hone Crawford Anderson, farmer, Stirling.

The supply of fish locally has not shown any marked increase during the last week. Soles are still bringing high prices on the market, up to 50s for a benzine bos. Flounders are fetching from 4s a dozen upwards. Although f roper are now coming back to the shing grounds the price is still high, as the supply is not yet equal to the demand. Whitebait has made a start from the West Coast, and the first supply arrived from Christchurch on Saturday. The price in Christchurch is about 8s a quart. Consequently the retail price has dropped here to lOd a glass, as against the Is 3d which was charged last week. Mr A. Campbell, M.P., who is down from Wellington for the week-end, informed a ‘ Star ’ reporter that £6,000 has been placed on the railway estimates for the regrading of the railway yard at Port Chalmers, and the relaying of rails in connection with the Harbour Board’s scheme for modernising the wharves at the port. In the membership campaign contest between the Returned Soldiers’ Associations of Dunedin and of Christchurch the figures at September 30 were:— Dunedin 2,136, Christchurch 1,953. Motorists as well as others realise that cyclists have a right on the road, but are entitled to complain when youths and girls on bicycles ride two or three abreast. Such a practice is exceedingly dangerous, especially for the cyclists themselves, and gives car drivers little room to manoeuvre on a busy road. On the lower Peninsula road yesterday several parties of youths spread themselves over the road by riding two and three abreast, and caused motorists a good deal of concern. Though there is at present no regulation to say how cyclists should ride on a road, apart, of course, from the requirement of keeping to the left, the bad habit of spreading across the road undoubtedly constitutes dangerous and negligent driving, and should be prohibited. The Automobile Association has suggested to the Government that the matter should bo dealt with under the new traffic regulations. A fire in the Commerce Building, Harris street, caused through ashes being left in a cardboard box. was attended to by the City Brigade at 1.41 yesterday morning. A chimney fire in Uueen street received attention at 7.36 p.m. An unexpected answer came from a Maori witness in the Auckland Supreme Court when asked by counsel why he had left the farm on which he was working at Clevedon. “ There was a rumour about the end of the worid 1 among the Maoris,” he said. Counsel suggested that the witness left because beTad bad a row with “ the boss.” but witness maintained that bo bad been influenced solely by the belief that the end of the woild was at band.