Wool destined for local markets

This Maori group is busily engaged in cutting and rendering blubber from a pod of 150 blackfish that stranded at Te Arai Bluff on the Auckland west coast. - Otago Witness, 22.1.1913. Copies of picture available from ODT front office, Lower Stuart St, or www.otagoimages.co.nz

A feature of the wool sales held here on Wednesday was that quite a number of large station clips which have hitherto been exported to Great Britain for sale were this year placed on the local markets. Some idea of what such a change means may be gathered from the fact that among the clips alluded to are those from the Rocklands, Beaumont, Cecil Peaks, Otekaike, and Glencoe stations.

The wool in these clips was beautifully got up, perfectly classed, and in splendid order, and made good prices. The Wool Brokers' Association states that the revised number of bales submitted at the sale was 27,900. The wealth which is represented by the January offerings in this portion of the dominion alone may be gauged by a simple calculation. The wool will average approximately 14 per bale at current prices, and 27,900 bales represent in money value 390,600.

As the sale constitutes a record for the dominion special interest attaches to these figures. The prices realised average nearly 1 1/2d over those realised last season. The total value of the wool exported from the dominion last year was 6,579,074, and, other things being equal, this season's advance in values will mean an increase in this amount of 921,070, or 14 per cent ... the greater portion of which will go into the pockets of the flockowners of the dominion.

• The formal opening of the surf-bathing season, so far as the Pacific Surf Bathing Club is concerned, took place on Saturday afternoon at the St. Kilda Beach in the presence of a large crowd. Two or three ladies and quite a number of children took time by the forelock and were in the water long before the Mayor (Mr. S. B. Macdonald) had officially announced that the season was open. Mr Macdonald, in declaring the season open, stated that the club had commenced operations in 1910, when it had a successful season, the summer being a good one.

In 1911 they had not been so well favoured with regard to weather, and the opening of the season had had to be postponed. The same thing had happened this season. The club was indebted to the domain Board and to several gentlemen for donations. The property of the club consisted of four sheds - one at St. Clair, one at Forbury, and two at St. Kilda - and it possessed one up-to-date life-saving reel and two other life-saving reels. Last season a life-saving class had been formed, and most of its members had gained medallions.

Classes had been started this year, and already 14 ladies and 20 gentlemen had enrolled as members. He made passing reference to the recent fatalities at St. Clair, and urged bathers not to venture out too far. The club had 480 members, and there was still plenty of room for more. The club was preparing rules and regulations with the object of safeguarding surf bathers from accident, and once passed these would be enforced.

A vote of thanks having been accorded the Mayor for his attendance, the water was entered by about 20 young men, and the number of bathers, both male and female, increased as the afternoon wore on. About 4 o'clock an exhibition of a life-saving appliance was given.

• ''I do not understand why women will persist in coming into these courts and chattering,'' said Mr Love, S. M. indignantly, at the Glebe Police Court, Sydney, last week.

''Do stop those people talking! Do anything with them - put them out into the street. Why don't they stay at home and cook their husbands' dinners?'' - ODT, 27.1.1913.