A public meeting of residents of Dunedin and St. Kilda, convened by the Mayor of St. Kilda (Mr A. D. Edgar), was held in the Coronation Hall last night to urge upon the Government the necessity of taking some steps to prevent the erosion of the beach along the sea frontage. There were about 100 residents present. The City Council was represented by the Mayor (Mr W. Begg), Crs Green, McDonald, Jeffery, Calder, and Hancock. The Mayor of St Kilda (Mr A. D. Edgar) occupied the chair. The Chairman said the object of the meeting was to try to get the Government to see its way clear to arrest the erosion at the St. Kilda and St. Clair beaches. The sea had encroached there considerably, and had cut its way into the sandhills. The work done by the Domain Board there had been completely washed away, and there was every appearance of the damage continuing, and they considered that the Government engineer should propound some scheme to prevent this. They did not want any amateur engineers on the work. The method to prevent the damage was by groynes, which had proved very successful at Blackpool, Deal, and Ostend, and they did not see why it should not be equally successful here. If nothing was done they anticipated that the erosion would continue and become a menace to the Flat.
Poor surf-bathing season at St Clair
The committee of the St. Clair Life-saving and Surf-bathing Club, in presenting its eighth annual report, states that from a surf-bathing point of view last season was the worst on record since the club was formed, as there was an absolute absence of warm weather during the summer months, and in addition the heavy southerly weather entirely denuded much of the beach of the sand, leaving it rocky and unsuitable for bathing. The climax came at the end of the season, when the heavy seas cut away much of the roadway and broke up the steps leading down to the beach. The committee is in touch with the local authorities with regard to the state of the beach, and, although nothing definite has eventuated so far, it is anticipated that the Government or the Ocean Beach Domain Board will be prevailed upon before the coming season opens to take some steps to prevent any further encroachment. As a consequence of the cold season, the membership and revenue of the club show a considerable falling off for the year.
Dunedin main rabbitskin market
That Brer Rabbit is king was evidenced by a visit which a Daily Times reporter paid to the fortnightly auction sale of rabbitskins which was held yesterday. Here prime winter doe skins were realising up to 17s 6d per lb, or equal to 3s each. Bucks brought up to 10s 6d per lb, equal to upwards of 2s each. The average price of all varieties offering was from 10s 6d to 11s per lb. The sale showed an advance of from 3d to 1s per lb for some classes of prime skins, and a slight decline for poorer sorts. It may interest readers to know that Dunedin is the principal rabbitskin market in the dominion. Skins from Auckland province, Wellington, Hawke's Bay, Marlborough, Canterbury, and Southland are regularly sold by auction in this city. The best skins marketed are silver grey does from Marlborough, and the next in order of quality and value are the prime winter does from Central Otago.
- ODT, 24.9.1919.
