Narrow win for All Blacks

London, October 2: In their match against Newport to-day, the All Blacks had a different experience from their easy win at Swansea, only coming off victorious after a tough struggle by a margin of 3 points. The match aroused the keenest interest, and a crowd of 35,000 assembled an hour before the start. The crowd was hugely delighted, and also surprised at the local players’ fine exhibition. The Welshmen easily secured possession of the ball from most of the scrums, and were almost continuously hammering at the New Zealand line. The visitors’ kicking, with the exception of Nepia, failed in direction and force. The Newport forwards gave a splendid display, and outpointed their opponents in the front line; but outside the scrums the New Zealanders were faster and cleverer. The Welsh club made the greatest showing against the All Blacks yet witnessed in finish, variety of skill and initiative, which was very much above the usual. The New Zealanders won golden opinions by their wonderful display of pluck and tenacity. They practically pulled the game out of the fire in the last few minutes, and aroused tremendous enthusiasm among the spectators. The game is considered the best seen for many years. The place-kicking, which had been poor so far, was a feature of the game on this occasion, and it was really Nicholls’s kicking that saved the match for the All Blacks. The crowd made a demonstration against the referee for not ordering Jones off the field, but this was the only untoward incident in an otherwise splendid and brilliant exhibition of Rugby football by both sides.

 

As a motor launch will be required in connection with the work of raising the Waipori dam, authority has been granted by the Electric Power and Lighting Committee for the purchase of a suitable vessel at an estimated cost of £420. The launch will be used for towing barges which will carry gravel, cement and other material for the dam construction works.

 

Although weather conditions could hardly have been called propitious, Daffodil Day conducted in Dunedin by the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children yesterday proved an unqualified success. The dullness of the weather was considerably brightened by the glorious blooms on sale, and the bright faces of the fair sellers. At the close of the day not a single bloom was left, an excellent sale thus being constituted. The response made by the public was stated to have been better than last year, and the total amount received from Daffodil Day this year totalled £247 18s 6d. The sale of the daffodils commenced at 8am and concluded at 6pm, and during the whole of that period business was extremely brisk. A total of 40,000 daffodils, grown at Wetherstones, Lawrence, arrived in perfect condition, and were distributed to the various stalls from the depot in the basement of Burns Hall, where Mesdames J. A. Johnstone, Coleman, O’Neill, and Mandeno were in charge. In addition to the blooms received from Wetherstones, a fine collection of daffodils was sent in by the various schools in the city and suburbs, and from a number of nurseries. Each stall was tastefully decorated, and contained, besides daffodils, fruit, homemade cakes, jams, chutneys, pickles, lamb, poultry and fresh seeds and vegetables grown at the Karitane Hospital. The main stall at Jacobs’s corner proved a decidedly attractive one, being decorated with giant daffodils made by Miss Edna Usherwood. The various stalls and stall-holders were as follows: Jacobs’s Corner and the Stock Exchange, ladies of the Plunket Society. Bank of New Zealand corner, Mrs Arundel and helpers. Government Life Insurance corner, Mrs Jackson. Stafford Street, ladies of the Plunket Society assisted by University lady students. Campbell’s corner, ladies of the Victoria League. City Hotel corner, First Church ladies. Strand corner, members of the Women Citizens’ Association. Hallenstein Bros’ corner, Miss K. Geerin. Sprosen’s corner, Kindergarten Society ladies in the morning, and St John Ambulance ladies in the afternoon. Mollison’s corner, Knox Church ladies in the morning, and Plunket Society ladies in the afternoon. — ODT, 4.10.1924