Christchurch edifice blown down

A violent nor’-wester gale which was blowing in the city was responsible for a sensational smash.

The framework for the temporary building which was being erected in Cashel street alongside King Edward Barracks for the industrial exhibition was blown down almost completely shortly after 8 o’clock. Fortunately it was a holiday, and no men were working on the building. The damage is estimated at between £200 and £300. The structure was seven chains long, about 37 feet wide and 14ft high. The strongest supports were 8in by 1½in, and some were snapped as if they were matchwood. The portion of Cashel street where the mishap occurred looks like a timber yard. The force of the wind was such that the principal supports went first, tearing down the remainder of the structure. Big beams were split in half, and timbers which were nailed to others were dragged asunder. Bolts were smashed, and practically the whole framework was flattened out, only a few uprights being left standing. It looks as if a cyclone had swept down the street.

Resolution at Labour Day event

Miserable weather prevailed for the Otago Labour Day Association's sports which were held at Outram yesterday. Rain fell in the morning and a strong, cold wind blew all afternoon. There were over 2000 people present, the two special trains from Dunedin having been overladen with passengers. Labour candidates for Dunedin Central, South, and Chalmers took advantage of the occasion to address the gathering. In their motion the following resolution was passed: "That this meeting sends fraternal greetings to the workers of all countries. It views with grave concern the maimer in which tens of thousands of men have been ruthlessly dismissed in each country in the world, and their families subjected to the torture of want, in order to intimidate the whole working class, and by the spectacle of misery and distress break their spirit. It hopes that the workers by a spirit of solidarity and brotherhood will make common cause on the principle that an injury to one is the concern of all, and work for a better time coming in which each worker will receive all he earns and each idler will be made to earn all he receives."

Exercise good for spare tyre

Motorists will find that their spare tyre resists natural ageing much better if it is put into service for a day every month. The reason for this is obscure, but it is probably due to what physicists call "molecular rearrangement" in the rubber portions of the tyre caused by flexing. Whatever the cause of the deterioration, it is a fact that a spare carried month after month without being exercised occasionally does not retain its wearing qualities as well as one that gets an occasional day’s use.

Women object to JP ban

The Dunedin branch of the National Council of Women of New Zealand met in the rooms of the Trained Nurses’ Association on Wednesday last. Correspondence was submitted from Wellington branch, asking for co-operation in making a formal protest against the speeches by members of the Legislative Council in the debate regarding appointment of women to the Commission of the Peace. This was agreed to. The Dunedin branch decided to address the protest to Sir William Fraser, Leader of the Council.

— ODT, 24.10.1922  (Compiled by Peter Dowden)