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Otago Witness, Issue 4033, 30 June 1931, Page 44

The application of Charles Seymour Trillo, a taxi proprietor, for a motion ordering the quashing of sections 2,3, and 4 of .the Christchurch City Council’s by-law No. 17 was not upheld when Mr Justice Adams gave his reserved judgment in the Supreme Court. The by-law forbids the use of a loud speaker in the streets to solicit patronage for taxis, such as Trillo uses near the railway station. The application was opposed by the Christchurch City Council. The motion was based on the grounds that the by-law was unreasonable and ultra vires; that it was partial and unequal in its operation; and that it was oppressive.

Mr and Mrs John C. Begg (Roslyn) and Miss Begg landed at Southampton from the Oronsay and spent a few days at Bournemouth on their way to London. On arrival in England (says our London correspondent, writing on May 21) they learned of the death, which occurred on the previous day, of the Rev. Charles Begg. D.D., of Bath, who spent some of his younger days in Dunedin in pioneering times. Dr Charles Begg was the last surviving son of the Rev. James Begg, D.D., of Free Church disruption times in Edinburgh, the grandfather of Mr John Begg. Miss Begg has-entered the Royal College of Music, where she will continue her studies, and in July she will- attend the International Music Congress in Lausanne, whither her parents will accompany her. The summer is to be divided between Great Britain and the Continent, and during his movements in the Mother Country Mr Begg hopes to learn what a casual visitor may learn of the conditions here as they affect New Zealand commercial and agricultural interests. “ One cannot help sensing,” he remarks, “ the- feeling of difficult times which are indeed almost world-wide. The recent 'drop in wool, as compared with the March sales, was anticipated as a reaction 'from over-hopefulness i n March. An exceptionally well-informed man told be one thing which should be gratifying to New Zealand, namely, that a trend in fashion towards strong wools was setting in among Central European peoples. However, for the present, fine wools are sustaining values best on the market here.” Mr Begg hopes to join here and there with the party of Empire farmers who will be touring Great Britain this year. The travellers have already been to Wales, and have stayed at Swansea with Dr A. Clarke Begg. In October Mr and Mrs Begg expect to leave for home, but their daughter will remain in England for some time longer. The development of lemon and orange gardens in the South Island is a possibility if the South Island main trunk line is completed. When members of the Railway Board visited the Claverlej’ Filats on Friday (says the Christchurch Times), they were shown through the extensive garden at the Claverley homestead and saw numerous lemon bushes in bearing. Oranges were also growing, but these had not reached the ripening stage. Spring flowers were in bloom and the various fruit bushes were in bud. Lemons and oranges are grown in a number ofplaces near Kaikoura, while lower down the coast, at Gore Bay, another extensive area produces exceptionally early spring crops.

The Hastings Borough Council has announced a reduction of the borough rates from 6.32 d in the £ to sd, a total of £BOOO. The general rate is to be lowered from 21d to l|d. The Mayor said that the reduction was not an indication of lower rates for more than the current year, but was the only measure of practical assistance to the ratepayers, many of whom had suffered financial loss through the earthquake. The salaries of the borough staff, £5OO and above, have been reduced 10 per cent., and the others 5 per cent. The council adopted a resolution in anticipation of the preparation and approval of a town planning scheme. The resolution limits the buildings to a height of 60ft, with a maximum of four storeys, and makes compulsory provision for light and air space. Recently the Flock House trustees offered to hand over to the Government the fine property of the Girls’ Flock House, at Palmerston North, and its equipment for one year, free of all charges, and to give a lease for five years at a rental of 5 per cent, on its low initial cost. It was understood that the Education Department favoured the proposal, and placed it before Cabinet. The com plete scheme was for one year’s training of New Zealand girls in poultry farming, beekeeping, small fruit and flower culture, and'the lighter sides of dairying at an extremely low cost to the trainees. Mr T. B. Strong, Director of Education, advised the trustees on Saturday that Cabinet had declined the offer. Mr T. R Lee, managing trustee, states that the offer is not in the meantime withdrawn.

Reference to the fact that the Maori has- recovered much of his old agricultural skill is made in the report of the New Zealand Land Settlement and Development League, which was presented at the annual meeting of the league in Auckland on Thursday evening. “The executive,” the report says, “has been very pleased with the splendid progress made by Sir Apirana Ngata in the settlement of Maoris. The work laid out by him is an indication that we have arrived at a time when the Maori has gone through the period of adjustment in relation to civilisation, and has recovered his old agricultural skill, with the added benefit of knowledge brought to him by the white man.”

An unusual accident occurred during a golf match between Alexandra and Clyde teams. - A member of the former team, Miss R. A. Scott, was struck on the side sof the face by a ball driven by another player (writes our Alexandra correspondent) and was rendered unconscious for about 20 minutes. She was attended by Dr K. R. Brokenshire, who was playing on the links, and he stated that had the ball struck Miss Scott an inch higher the accident would probably have had fatal consequences.

The advantage of an organised search of the swamp at Kaitaia, where the muchdiscussed “lintel” now in the Auckland War Memorial Museum was found, was mentioned at a meeting of the anthropolgy and Maori race section of the institute and Museum in Auckland on Wednesday night. It is considered that evidence regarding the origin of the carving, which, it is said, is not a true lintel and is foreign to Maori art conventions, possibly awaits discovery. Up to the present (says the New Zealand Her-ald) no satisfactory theory as to the origin of the carving has been advanced, though there is a strong belief that it has affinities with an art in Borneo. No clue has been given by the wood. The most recent suggestion is that the carving was brought to New Zealand by the French navigator, De Surville, who called at Doubtless Bay after a voyage in the East Indies. It is thought probable that the search will be made and light may yet be thrown on the culture which produced one of the most controversial art discoveries in New Zealand.

Imprisoned in a burning motor car on the Kaitaia beach about two miles from Mangonui at a late hour on Tuesday night, Messrs C. Povey and B. Kitchen had a narrow escape from death, and were taken to hospital. The two men were returning from Mangouni to Peria in a sedan car. When they were about two miles from Mangonui the car went over a small bridge and landed upside down on the beach in the rising tide. The occupants were imprisoned in the car, and one of them lighted a match to see how to get out. Benzine had been leaking and suddenly the car became a mass of flames. Luckily the men were able to get through a hole in the floor and escape, but were badly burned about the face, arms, and body. Mr Povey suffered very seriously. They walked in a dazed state to Mangonui and were taken to hospital.

A gift by an anonymous donor of 20 acres of land near Castlecliff as a permanent health camp was announced at the annual banquet of the Wanganui Rotary Club on Saturday night. The land is to be vested in the Wanganui Education Board for the benefit of all children of the education district. An appeal made for trees and shrubs brought immediate promises of 2000 trees for planting. The land is situated close to the Castlecliff tram and school, and will have all the city facilities and services.

A recommendation that all trade unions in New Zealand give consideration to the question of cancelling their registration under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act—which would place them outside the jurisdiction of the Arbitration Court—-and the formation of a Do-minion-wide labour organisation to cooperate with the National Council of the New Zealand Alliance of Labour in obtaining industrial agreements for the wage-workers, is contained in a circular which has been sent to all trade unions bj’ the National Industrial Council, the organisation that was set up at the recent Dominion conference of trade union representatives in Wellington to direct any action that might be taken as a protest against wage-cute. The circular expresses the opinion that the Arbitration Court will probably impose further cuts, particularly when trade unions apply to it for new awards, and that the first thing required by the workers in New Zealand, if they are to maintain their standards of living, is some national organisation to place. What seemed like the first mutterings of real civil war were becoming apparent in Australia, said Mr E. W. Yates, a business man of Auckland, who has returned by the Ulimaroa from a short holiday’ in the Commonwealth. Depression was bad enough over there, he said, but what impressed him was the air of secrecy which the man in the street wore. Nobody seemed to trust anybody whom they did not really know, and topics discussed with acquaintances were merely banalities. The things which lay nearest their minds, the things which really mattered, were left unsaid. That attitude, he thought, was, in a measure, the result of the uncertainty engendered by the wavering policy of the Government. Nobody knew what was what. That was in the more comfortable classes. In the poorer classes discontent was rife, and was being openly expressed. One expression of that .dissatisfaction, aggravated by the real and continued want of food and warmth, was the anti-eviction demonstrations, an account of one of which appeared in the press a few days ago. These demonstrations, it was commonly admitted, were organised by the Communistic element. Such demonstrations were common in the larger cities, and only an unusually large one found its way into the newspapers. The route of the Napier-Gisborne railway will be inspected by members of the Railway Board between July 8 and 11 in order to ascertain the nature of the country that will be served by the line and generally acquaint themselves with the local features relevant to the inquiry. The board will be willing to receive any representations regarding the railway, but these must be made in writing to the general manager in Wellington.