New Sails Needed.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 February 1939, Page 6

New Sails Needed.

When the Imperial escort vessel H.M.S. Leith next visits Bluff the harbour master (Captain N. B. W. Haszard) will be ready for it with a brand new set of sails. During the recent visit of the ship, Captain G. R. Waymouth, who is in command of the Leith, challenged the harbour master to a whaleboat race, and won by a fair margin. At the conclusion of the race he challenged the harbour master to another race on the occasion of the next visit of his ship to the port, and it was this challenge that was the basis of a request by Cbptain Haszard at a meeting of the harbour board for a set of sails.. Captain Haszard explained that it was his desire to avenge his defeat at the hands of the visitors, and the board agreed to provide the sails. Sir Robert Anderson suggested that the board should pay for the sails only if Caplain Haszard’s crew won the race. ‘That should at least put the men on their mettle,” the harbour master said. Affairs of Honour.

The voyage of the Adelaide, which sailed for Port Nicholson with a party of the New Zealand Company’s immigrants on September 18, 1839, was stormy in more ways than one. A quarrel had occurred which surpassed the venom of most shipboard quarrels. One account says several quarrels. The gentlemen involved were able to persuade the Captain to put m at Cape Town to afford them an opportunity of fighting it out with the craditional pistols for two and coffee for one. One combatant, however, .ook the original line that though perfectly willing to be shot at, he woulc, not allow himself to fire in reply. This oroke up the duel, which degenerateci mto a battle in the Law Courts, end.ng in the would-be duellers being oound over to keep the peace. Thej continued the voyage together, one ot the parties feeling so apprehensive chat he carried a loaded pistol about aim until he landed, which was as the chronicler remarked, "a melancholy picture of the frailty of human nature.”

•‘A Monstrous Idea.” The establishment of State lotteries .n New Zealand has been discussed at intervals during the last six montns oy various local bodies, and opinions generally have been divided. At a meeting of local bodies at Auckland last Julj' a resolution was moved and seconded that the matter of organising a State lottery, to finance at least the nospitals of the Dominion, be placed oefore the Government. It was eventually decided, however, to defer taking this step. In the meantime, the subject has been largely reviewed by the churches, which generally do noi favour the establishment of a State lottery. "A monstrous idea,” is the text of the caption of an editorial on national lotteries in the current issue of the "Methodist Times,” in which the hope is expressed "that the Government will not coquet with this reprehensible idea, but will turn a deaf ear to any oilers, however financially alluring, to permit the establishment of a national lottery in this land of ours.” Gambling, it is said, is quite sufficiently rampant as it is, and it needs no State commendation.

In today’s issue the Railways Department advertises the issue of special excursion tickets and train arrangements in connection with the Masterton A. and P. show and ram fair.