Surf’s up at St Clair

There was a large attendance at the official opening of the St. Clair Life-saving and Surf Bathing Club on Saturday afternoon.

Members of the club gave an interesting display of life-saving in the surf, and attracted a large crowd to the water’s edge. The club officials having entertained the public so far, proceeded to entertain the children and numerous races and competitions were held. The kiddies were in their element, and the fact that prizes were being awarded attracted them from every direction. 

Fair suck of the sav

The Australian accent, Mr Lawrence Campbell, one of Sydney’s loading elocutionists, attributes to ignorance on the one hand and, on the other, to a strong objection on the part of the Australian youth to appearing in any way pedantic or different from his fellows. Mr Campbell, in a lecture on the subject, quoted the opinion of the British Medical Association, which, he said, had pointed out, that a large number of school teachers were not themselves acquainted with the best methods of using the voice properly, and they were not, therefore, able to impart such methods to their pupils. Mr Campbell, instanced some striking examples of the peculiarity of the Australian accent. He took the long ‘‘a" in the word "day," for instance, but said that the word more often sounded something like "die." Then there was the letter "i," as in "try." The well of pure English, however, was so defiled that "try" became "tray," or "troy," very often. Mr Campbell quoted an utterance by Mr Fisher, Minister of Education in the Lloyd George Government, and a noted educationalist which ought to be framed in every household where there is any regard for the English language. Mr Fisher’s words are worth quoting. "To speak and to write English clearly and correctly, to read English in such a manner as to bring out the full value of its meaning and its music, to enjoy without affectation the principal glories of English literature, these are the chief prizes which every parent should desire his children to win from their education."

The local roads

The Christchurch-Dunedin road is reported to be in fairly good order, but becoming rough in parts owing to the continuous dry weather. The road to Mount Cook is fairly good both via Geraldine and Gapes Valley to Fairlie and Geraldine via Timaru to Fairlie. The lake routes are all open to traffic. The Manuka Gorge, between Milton and Lawrence, is not good on account of the bridges in that vicinity having been washed away. Providing the weather keeps fine the streams are fordable.

Pedestrian behaviour irks

Sir, — May I, as a visitor to your beautiful city, express surprise at the utter lack of observance by your citizens of the rule of "Keep to the left"? I am pleased to notice that "Keep to the left" signs are to be painted on the footpaths, and hope it will see great changes on my next visit. I am afraid, however, that the Auckland plan of painting a white line right down the centre of the footpath is the only means of getting the best results. In Auckland, also, an officer walks down the line seeing that no pedestrian trespasses on to his wrong side . . . I hope the citizens of Dunedin will go even one better, than Auckland, remembering the old saying, "If a thing is worth doing at all, it is worth doing well."—I am, etc. Keep to the Left.

— ODT, 18.12.1923