NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24423, 8 October 1940, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

poor support accorded by the public to the bands of the city was referred to by the Mayor (Mr A. H. Allen) at L.st night’s meeting of the City. Council, The subsidy of £350 given by the council to the various bands, he said, was insufficient for them, and they had to struggle hard for their existence. He hoped that when next year’s estimates were being considered the sum would be raised to £SOO. “My remarks are prompted by the unenthusiastiq and undemonstrative display given by the public during a parade of reserve men last Friday,” the Mayor said. “The lack of enthusiasm was most depressing, and it was possibly due to insufficient music, which reflects the lack of public support. The bands practically rely on what we give them, and I hope our grant will be increased next year.”

Monster Procession . A meeting last evening of the Dunedin City Council received a deputation from the Queen Carnival Committee, consisting of Messrs S. P. Cameron and L. H. Frude, and granted permission for the staging of a monster procession through the city streets next Friday evening. It granted also an application that all tram traffic should be stopped between the Exchange and Frederick street from 7.30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The members of the deputation said that there was great support for this occasion, and that the procession promised to be an extraordinarily attractive one. Public Health Returns During the week ended at noon yesterday two cases of erysipelas were admitted to the Dunedin Hospital, where the patients are still being treated. At the Logan Park Hospital four cases of measles were admitted, two were discharged, and five remain. Four cases of chicken pox and two cases of scarlet fever also remain in the institution. Advertising Signs

The fact that numerous signs had been erected on verandas outside tobacconists’ and other shops in the city was referred to by Cr M. C Henderson at last night’s meeting of the City Councii. He said that many of them had been put up without permits, and that the large number of them made it difficult for the corporation to keep track of them. Steps were being taken to have all the signs noted, and shopkeepers would either have to obtain permits or remove the signs, Timber Exports to Australia

The absence of American and Scandinavian supplies of timber on the Australian market is reflected in the increased Australian demand for New Zealand timber. This development has improved the West Coast timber prospects, and district millers are now able to dispose of the surplus, after meeting New Zealand demands, to buyers in Australia. Australian orders are being received regularly. Mosgiel Water Supply In his monthly report to last night’s meeting of the Mosgiel Borough Council, the borough foreman stated that the supply of water from Whare Flat to the reservoir continued to be very satisfactory—so much so, lha' the pump had not had to be used for a period of seven months. The saving in pumping charges had been considerable, and there had been no necessity to supplement the pure stream water with water from the well, a fact which had doubtless been appreciated by housewives.

Housewives and Milk Zoning The rejection of milk zoning at Ashburton by many housewives in the borough, which caused the abandonment of the scheme after one day's trial last Tuesday, has met with the approval of a group of interested housewives at Auckland. The following telegram was received at Ashburton on Saturday:—“ Congratulate housewives on the stand taken regarding milk zoning dictatorship.—Auckland housewives.”

Gas or Electricity? The rather amusing sight of two advertising hoardings, on opposite side of King Edward street, one urging the public to cook with electricity and the other advising the use of gas, was mentioned by Cr W. B. Taverner at the meeting of the City Council last night. The electricity sign had the advantage, he said, because it was illuminated by electric lights, and the chairman of the Gas Department probably found it impossible to light his sign with gas lights. Both advertisements were on Railways Department hoardings, and the council was paying rent to the Government for their use. Cr D. C. Cameron said both advertisements were temporary, and would eventually be removed to a hoarding on corporation property.

Gift from Tokelau Islands The sum of £IOO has been given by the community of Fakaofu, in the Tokelau Islands, towards the Western Samoan war effort, according to a Press Association message. The community comprises 575, Polynesians only. Coconuts form their only staple item of trade, and the quantity available is so small that shipping is irregular and at times rare. A gift of £IOO and others of £ll in all to the Red Cross Society have been made, however, irom accumulated savings. Dairy Factory Mishap

An unusual accident occurred at the Pahiatua Dairy Company factory at Mangamutu. A cream separator was working at 6500 revolutions a minute, equal to ,400 miles an hour, when suddenly the holding-down clamp came apart, the result being that the discs flew in all directions and cut pieces of machinery and a long length of water piping. Large parts of the concrete wall were also damaged. Fortunately, the factory employees were in other rooms when the accident happened. The noise was heard a-quarter of a mile away, and the scene afterwards resembled the result of a bomb explosion. The cause of the accident was the crystallisation of the steel holding-down band. Unusual Fish A large, strange-looking fish, about 7£ft long, and with such soft flesh that it was difficult to land, aroused considerable interest when it was found on the coast north of Whakatane recently. As neither the Maoris nor the local ranger could identify it. the head was preserved and sent to the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Mr A. W. B. Powell stated that the head was that of a silvery oar, a deep-water fish, which cannot survive m surface waters. There have been several other cases where fish of this been washed up on the coast of New Zealand, and a cast of one is on exhibition at the museum. The fish has a long vermillion-coloured fin alongi its silver back and a crest on top of its head. Vegetable Trophies

That there is no lack of originality in the Pukekohe district was revealed at the annual golf tournament held on the Pukekohe golf links by the Franklin Returned Soldiers’ Association. All profits are to be devoted to the crews of minesweepers on the New Zealand coasts, and, in order that (here should lie no drain on the receipts, prizes took an unusual form that combined ingenuity with thrift. The winner of the championship was awarded a necklace made from new potatoes, and the runner-up received his compensation in the form of a replica of a golfer, built from a potato, carrots, and onions. The presentation of the prizes drew applause, and there was general comment on the originality of the idea and the craftsmanship of the women who had been responsible for the creations.

Removal of Gaol Urged The view that the Auckland prison at Mount Eden should be removed to a position well away from the centre of the city was expressed by the Mayor of Auckland, Sir Ernest Davis. The gaol is approximately one mile and a-half from the Chief Post Office, and is now surrounded by a thickly-popu-lated residential area. “ I have thought for some time of bringing forward the suggestion that the gaol should be tranferred permanently from Mount Eden,” Sir Ernest said. “Modern practice is to have prisons away from the centres of population. Time was when the present site cf Auckland's gaol was on the outskirts of the city; now it is on the inner approach to one of our finest residential suburbs. I think it should be removed, to an outer area away from the busy town life. The building is not a thing of beauty, and its appearance has a depressing effect on the immediate surroundings. If the gaol were situated in open country it could be better guarded, it could be made self-support-ing, and it would impart an isolation influence to its inmates, which, in spite of lock and key. the gaol in its present position dees not give.”