Edward, Prince of Wales leaves the New Zealand pavilion during an inspection of the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, London. — Otago Witness, 5.5.1925 COPIES OF PICTURE AVAILABLE FROM ODT FRONT OFFICE, LOWER STUART ST, OR WWW.ODTSHOP.CO.NZ
Why was a second season of the British Empire Exhibition considered necessary? What purpose could be served, and what advantage reaped in 1925 that was not secured in 1924?
By those responsible for the creation of the 1924 Exhibition the opinion was held that the aims had not been fully accomplished. Not in six months, they said, could the spirit and meaning of the British Empire be learned within Wembley’s 250 acres.
But hand in hand with that policy will go the fostering of the "club" spirit, a fraternisation touching as nearly as possible on family intercourse.
Last year, a British Empire Exhibition Fellowship was formed with the Prince of Wales as the first member. A club is to he established this year where visitors, and especially trading and producing people, may get to know one another and exchange views.
If the British Empire Exhibition, 1925, demolishes British insular timidity, if it enables us in friendly talk to discover the weak spots in our Empire bond, it will perform a service of Imperial value which will be welcomed for that dominion which contains a people as deeply steeped in British traditions as the people of Great Britain.
Pupil corrects examiners’ maths
Alan Clyde Holden, of the Kaikorai School, who was notified that he had failed to secure the Junior National Scholarship by four marks, wrote asking for a recount, and was informed that the marks as given were correct. He then wrote enclosing 10 shillings and asked for a re-examination of his arithmetic papers. He has now been notified that 34 additional marks have been awarded to him on this paper, hence he gains a scholarship by 30 marks.
DCC’s Leithbank houses popular
Anyone who sees the new workers’ cottages, which have been erected by the City Council on the shingle reserve on the banks of the lower Leith, will not be at all surprised to learn that for the seven of them there have already been some 70 applicants. The houses are of five rooms, built to a compact and convenient design, and possess in addition to the five rooms a spacious washhouse and scullery, a pantry, coal shed, bathroom, and convenience, all under the one roof. The kitchen-
breakfast room is a large attractive room, two of the three bedrooms are also large, and the whole house is electrically lighted. The iron baths alone seem hardly in keeping with the rest of the house, and it detracts to some extent from the interest and appearance of the whole scheme that all the houses are built to an identical plan, but that no doubt tended towards the reduction of costs. At the present time a roadway past the front of the cottages is being formed, and several of the Reserves
Department men from the Gardens are occupied in laying off and sowing down little lawns and greens at front and rear. The row facing the Leith will look particularly attractive with little trim grass plots and shrubs, especially if the suggestion to fence them in is not followed. When the plans were first adopted rents of 22s 6d and 25s were spoken of. Apparently the figure has not been definitely fixed yet, but if the council is content with 25s, or even 30s, it will certainly be accepting very
much less than it could obtain for them.
To Cromwell by bullet train
The Railway Department will run fast passenger trains between Dunedin and Cromwell for the convenience of visitors to the Lakes district during the Easter holidays. It is understood that motor services to and from Queenstown and Wanaka will connect at Cromwell with these trains.
— ODT, 14.3.1925
Compiled by Peter Dowden
