Wins for Queens Drive, province

The Otago Rowing Association's annual regatta was held yesterday at Port Chalmers. The weather conditions were very favourable, smooth water, a light fair wind and flood tide helping the rowers, and the various crews thus had everything in their favour. It was the principal rowing regatta of the season, an added attraction being the inclusion of the interprovincial fours in the programme. The prize in this interesting and important event is the Edmond Challenge Shield, which is competed for annually by Otago and Southland. Mr W.P. Edmond, the donor of the shield, was present, and witnessed the Otago crew’s victory. The interprovincial race, which started from Pulling Point, was over a course of two miles. The other races were over a one-mile course, with the exception of the Senior Fours, which was rowed over one and a half-miles. The steamers Port Kembla and Hororata were beflagged for the regatta, and a number of spectators witnessed the racing from the decks of these large liners. The Otago, Queen’s Drive and Invercargill crews were in great form, and secured the majority of the placings. Queen’s Drive secured three straight-out firsts, and tied for first place in two events.

Ancient otoliths

Many ear-stones in fishes, equivalent to ear-dust in human beings, have been found as fossils in New Zealand’s Tertiary rocks. About seventy of them collected by Mr H.J. Finlay, Pine Hill Terrace, Dunedin, and fifty-six belonging to the New Zealand Geological Survey, were sent to Mr G.A. Frost, Farnborough, England, who has assigned them to twenty-two species. Fifteen of these species are found also in the Tertiary rocks of Europe, and seven are new species. Ear-stones used by shore fishes predominate; only five of the species had been used by deep-sea fishes. Some of the ear-stones in the two collections are identical with ear-stones found in New Zealand fishes of the present time. A solitary, particularly minute, ear-stone, found in Tertiary rocks at Wharekuri, closely resembles ear-stones used by the blue cod.

North always takes all

That the North Island roads are benefiting at the expense of the South Island would appear to be the case from figures submitted to the Taieri County Council yesterday by Cr McIntosh, showing that the grants to the South Island highways were only one-fifth of the amounts granted to the 10 North Island groups. Highways No. 17 had received only £1125.

Observance saved from disuse

The anniversary of the Otago Settlement, which was celebrated sacredly on Sunday and secularly yesterday, is a festival which is not likely to lose its significance as time goes by. For seventy-seven years it has preserved its due honour, and it would be a bad sign if the observance of the occasion were to fall into desuetude. Happily, there is no probability of any disloyal lapse. The ardour of ancestral fidelity is as warm as ever. If the fathers have been taken, the sons and grandsons remain, and the torch of memorial tradition will be handed on from age to age. It is not easy to say fresh things on each anniversary. Perhaps it is not desirable to say fresh things. 

We shall only re-express the hope that the great work achieved by the Otago pioneers, the great ideals which they envisaged, will remain a permanent and inspiring possession. — editorial — ODT, 24.3.1925

Compiled by Peter Dowden