100 YEARS AGO
FROM OUR ARCHIVES
Invercargill police round up guns
BETWEEN the hours of 9am and 5pm on Monday no fewer than 900 weapons were examined and registered at the Invercargill Police Station, bringing the grand total up to the hour stated to 2100 (states the Southland News). In the opinion of the senior sergeant more weapons were registered in Invercargill in proportion to its population than in any other town in New Zealand.
Transporting Indians from Fiji
Upon discharging her cargo at Auckland the steamer Ganges will sail
for Fiji to embark about 1000 Hindus who, having completed the term of their indenture, are to be repatriated (states the New Zealand Herald). The Ganges is one of the steamers specially built for the transport of Hindu workers. She is registered to accommodate 928 adults, and, counting children, she therefore carries about 1000 souls, in addition to the coolie crew. Last year the Ganges made three voyages to India with Hindus from Fiji. A gentleman with an intimate knowledge of the matter stated to a Herald reporter that seeing that the system of indenturing Hindu labour had been abolished, Fiji would probably experience a marked shortage of labour before long. He added that many labourers who had clamoured to get back to India were just as eager to get away from India when they got there.
Indian war memorials in Britain
London: The Prince of Wales unveiled a memorial on the Downs
near Brighton in memory of the Hindus and Sikhs who died for the Empire during the war. He said it was befitting that future generations should not forget that when our need was highest our Indian comrades, who were free men and voluntary soldiers, were true to their salt, and gave their lives in a quarrel of which it was enough for them to know that the enemy were foes of their sahibs, the Empire, and their King. The Prince recalled the fact that a memorial to Mohammedan soldiers was being erected at Woking. These two memorials, he added, would strengthen the ties between India and Great Britain.
Study of influenza pandemic
London: The Ministry of Health has issued a first instalment of the result of an intensive study of the influenza scourge. It states that the cause of the pandemic is still an unsolved problem and the immediate outlook does not inspire confidence. Until a universal
improvement in the standard of comfort and the conditions of life is secured there will be no prospect of effectively mitigating the incidence of this disease. The report states: “Other diseases have been brought under control, but influenza still eludes us.”
Home delivery of meals curtailed
We are informed that as the outcome of a meeting this week of shareholders in the Cooked Food Delivery Company (Ltd) there is no intention of closing down the business. The directors recognise with regret that the cost of delivering the dinners at private houses is prohibitive at the present time, except at a price that customers will not pay. Therefore this part of the scheme must be relinquished. The system of counter sales will, however, be continued, and the company will continue also to supply dinners on the “fetch and carry” system, or for any occasion at special terms. The orders, moreover, for weekends will be executed as hitherto. — ODT, 3.2.1921.