Cold wind from South

Invercargill, July 15: The match between Otago and Southland was played this afternoon at Rugby Park in fine sunny weather, but a cold wind blew straight down the ground. The match was watched by about 6000 people who became wildly excited when Southland were on the attack, but who did not fail to applaud good work by the Otago side. The Otago forwards, led by Williams, and who was ably supported by Sonntag, Pearce, Hindenach and Malloch, played solidly, and got the ball mostly from the scrums in the first half, but the St George-Graham-Callander combination did not work well. St George did not whip the bail out smartly enough. Callander cut in too often, and was collared with the ball, and the wing three-quarters got few opportunities. Plenty of chances came to the Otago backs in the first half, but the passing never got far. The Otago forwards played even better in the second half, and the backs did better, but there were several weak links when it came to passing, and the bouts generally broke down. The Southland forwards, of whom Burt and Hazlett were a solid pair, bottled up the game in the first spell, but in the second they changed their tactics. They gave their half-back, Kilby, plenty of the ball, and he and the first five-eighth, Ottrey, made play from all sorts of positions. The game was full of incident, but the best side won. Had, however, the Otago backs played as well as their forwards, the result would have been different. The game ended Southland 15, Otago 5.

Wakatipu at a low level

We have been witnessing Lake Wakatipu at "low tide" for the past three or four weeks. Not for 20 years and over has it been at so low a level. Even though we had a fairly decent fall of snow about three weeks ago, it made little or no difference after the thaw. The lake went up about an inch, but dropped again next day, and it has been getting lower and lower since. As a result there has been developing at the Frankton, or shallow end of the lake, a regular "archipelago," and the grass is showing up quite green on the numerous islands. This low condition of the lake is all in favour of the Kawarau Gold Mining Co’s venture at the Falls, as it has rendered operations much easier at the dam than would have been the case had there been more water finding its way over the sill.

Subtraction due to polio

It was mentioned at yesterday’s meeting of the Otago Education Board that the arithmetic paper in the proficiency examination would be based on a revised syllabus on account of the time that had been lost at the beginning of the year.

Kaitangata plugs in to mains

Some time ago the ratepayers of Kaitangata took a vote on the question of the electric power being taken over by the Otago Power Board. This proposal was carried by a six to one majority. The council then negotiated with the Power Board to take over the Kaitangata reticulation, and this was before a special meeting of the council last Saturday. The Mayor (Mr J. W. Fenton) spoke against selling to the Power Board, but some of the councillors hold that the ratepayers had to come under the Power Board, and as the latter had made a good offer it should be accepted. After further discussion the offer was accepted by seven votes to three. — ODT, 16.7.1925

Compiled by Peter Dowden