IN TOWN AND OUT

Southland Times, Issue 21093, 27 May 1930, Page 6

IN TOWN AND OUT

NEWS OF THE DAY Another Theatre? It is understood that within the next two weeks a new theatre for Invercargill will be under way. Negotiations are reported to be nearing completion, the intention being to instal in the new theatre up-to-date talkie equipment * Too Many Whitebaiters. .

That the unrestricted catching of whitebait was greatly decreasing the number of these small fish was the view expressed by several members of the Acclimatization Society last evening. One member said that- there was a regular procession of whitebaiters on the Oreti during the season! * * * # On the Air To-night.

To-night an important addition will be made to the programmes put on the air through the station 4ZP by the Invercargill Radio Chib. Every week a short talk on the League of Nations is to be broadcast, and the introductory 'statement will be' delivered this evening by Mr W. Macalister, the president of the local branch of the League of Nations Union. * * * * Trucks Derailed.

Yesterday morning three trucks of a sheep train were derailed at the Hyde street crossing, Gore. The actual cause of the derailment is not known, but no serious damage eventuated, although the buffers were slightly bent. No delay was occasioned in the transport of the sheep, which were immediately transferred to other trucks which were coupled up in place of those derailed.

Sheep Traffic. The railing of sheep through and out of Gore is still very heavy, although at the same period last year the inquiry for trucks was on the decline. Most of the traffic comes from the branch lines, 15 doubledecked trucks of sheep from Waikaka and 19 deckers from the Waimea line passing through Gore yesterday. From all accounts there will be further heavy railings to-day and to-morrow. » * * *

Hockey Player Injured. While the Gorge Road hockey team were playing in a match at Waimahaka on Saturday afternoon one of the players, Miss M. Patterson, was struck on the head by the ball and rendered unconscious. She received attention on the field, and on being removed to the residence of Mr James Templeton was attended to by a doctor. The injured young lady did not recover consciousness until nearly mid-day on Sunday, and although she will be confined to her present quarters for a few days, it is understood that she is now progressing favourably.

At an intersection of streets in Wanganui the other afternoon a car of the diminutive type was. struck “amidships” by a motor lorry laden with firewood. The car was turned over and was then flung on the footpath before the lorry was stopped. Though the lighter vehicle was badly wrecked the driver escaped with minor abrasions. The lorry was not badly damaged.

The unsatisfactory manner in which the Public Works Department left works which it had been undertaking in schools was referred to at a meeting of the Hawkes Bay Education Board! In fact, it was said that their work was carried out in a very lakadaisical manner, and the school particularly referred to was Bartlett’s (Kopua). The board left it in the hands of the secretary to take up the matter with the Public Works Department.

“In a recent census taken in the school, it was found that out of 654 pupils examined only 83 did not participate in any of the regular school games,” says the annual report of the Wellington College Old Boys’ Association. “When it is considered that these 83 included boys physically unfit, or travelling considerable distances daily by boat or train to attend school, it will be recognized that a very high percentage of the boys of the school participate in games.”

“It is a matter for regret that the board is unable to recover a very large proportion of hospital fees in accident cases,” states Dr C. E. Maguire, medical superintendent of the Auckland Hospital, in his annual report to be presented at a meeting of the Hospital Board. “It seems unfair that the ratepayers should have to bear the burden that should be covered by accident insurance,” he says. “Surely it is reasonable that, hospital expenses should be a first charge on insurance against accident.”

“I think we have got. over the worst of the storm,” said Mr A. E. Mabin to a Dominion representative at Wellington the other day in speaking of the wool position. “One cannot look forward to a return of high prices, at present, at any rate. The penny rise on the London market will probably be maintained, and prices may harden slightly. One would need to be very optimistic, with the general downward trend of world prices to look for a substantial increase in wool prices, especially as there is enough wool to go round.”

A young motorist charged in the Wellington Magistrate’s Court, the other afternoon with having disobeyed a traffic inspector’s signal, strongly denied he had done so (says the Post). “He had a lady with him at the time,” said the inspector, “and I think he wanted to ride the high horse.” “You were riding the high horse, not me,” replied the defendant hotly, from the floor of the Court. The defendant said that before he came to New Zealand he had driven cars in London for five years. “I know all the signals,” he claimed. “The trouble is that this man lost his head.” The Magistrate (Mr W. H. Woodward) said he was sure the defendant had been mistaken. Inspectors on point duty did not appear to him to lose their heads at all. A fine of 10/-, and costs, was imposed.

That delicate peaches will carry for weeks in cool storage was remarked by Mr R. Wylie, of Twyford, at a meeting of 'fruitgrowers in Hastings. Mr Wylie said that he was asked to send two crates of peaches to two officers on a ship in Napier. The peaches were poor keepers, known as Crimson Garland, apd the grower understood that they were to be eaten whilst the ship was in port. A few months later he was advised that the. peaches had actually been taken to England in cool storage, and after a trip of 38 days arrived in first-class condition, and were thoroughly enjoyed at a birthday celebration. As a result of this experiment, it was decided at the meeting that, at the next provincial conference of fruitgrowers a remit be discussed urging the Fruit Control Board to carry out minor experiments with a view to fostering the export of peaches.

Much of the solidity of the south is due ot the absence of a land “boom” such as we know it to some extent in Canterbury, and to a more marked degree in the North Island (states a writer in the Christchurch Press). The descendants of the original settlers “down under” are, to a large extent, “carrying on” on the original holdings of their forbears and they form quite a considerable proportion of present-day farmers. Interest on their land mortgages, based on the low .values of 30 or 40 years ago, is an incident of their operations, not a bugbear. Their equity in .their holdings exceeds that of any other individual. It is substantial and permanent, and financial stress has less effect on their position than it has elsewhere. This means much when produce values are down to bedrock, and puts the average southern .farmer on a better footing than his colleague in many other parts el the Dominion.