The weather although somewhat threatening in the early part of the day, remained fine, with the result that a large attendance was attracted. The train from Dunedin carried a big complement of passengers whose destination
was Lawrence, and these were augmented at all the stations at which the train stopped. The people living in the vicinity of Lawrence, and for many miles around, were present in full force, the motor cars in which many of them travelled indicating in some measure the prosperity of the district.
Kiwis not militaristic
"A military spirit does not prevail in New Zealand. Our people are keenly anxious for peace, and their only desire is to be left in peace to develop their country; but we cannot believe that the peoples of the world have settled down to a continuous era of peace, and so feel bound to make what provision we can to share in Empire defence, if the need arises. In this spirit we continue our system of compulsory military training, but have subordinated the military side, and are using the training scheme for the production of the more perfect citizen." - lecture on New Zealand, Sir James Allen
Taonga sold at Sotheby's
A well-known collection of pre-historic antiquities was disposed of at Messrs Sotheby, Wilkinson and Hodges's sale rooms this week. This was a collection made by Mr W.J. Knowles, of Ballymena. Among the things were a number of Maori implements and ornaments, none of very great value. A greenstone tiki of good workmanship, 4 inches in length, was sold for 23, and a plain handled stone adze from HMS Challenger expedition, together with another stone adze of no historical value, sold for 10 10s. A three-inch bone tiki went for 12. These were the most valuable articles disposed of, but other stone implements commanded a reasonable price. - ODT London correspondent
Firework causes eye injury
A time and a place are assigned to everything, and on Christmas Eve, or on any other night, the proper place to let fireworks off is on the ground, or more preferably in the wide open spaces. Unfortunately, there was a thoughtless element abroad on Wednesday night, and one young lady was struck in the eye with a small explosive which nearly deprived her of the sight of that eye. As a result she is now suffering from an illness due to this careless act, and is under medical attention.
Contrary diction
It is recorded of a Dunedin parson, newly appointed, that in his first sermon he expressed the hope that his voice would reach everybody in the building; and then, to the verger at the far end of the church: "Verger, if you don't hear what I am saying, hold up your hand."
Busy day on trams and cable cars
The traffic on the city tramways on Christmas Eve is reported to have been the heaviest experienced for some years. The takings for Christmas Eve, on the electric and cable cars, amounted to 640 2s 4d, as against 591 14s 10d last year. - ODT, 27.12.1924
Compiled by Peter Dowden
