LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22166, 20 July 1935, Page 12

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Birkenhead Vehicular Landing After being overhauled and painted the vehicular landing Was replaced at Birkenhead yesterday. The pontoon was towed across the harbour from Freeman's Bay and the connecting bridge was transported from the Western Viaduct to Birkenhead by the Har*bour Board's floating crane. Preference to British Oars •" I would like to see preference given to British cars," said a member of the Palmerston North Hospital Board when that body had before it the matter of purchasing vehicles for its district nurses. " Wo do not get a subsidy unless we buy British cars," the managing secretary pointed out. Farmers Learn to Oook Cooking classes for men were begun at the Christchurch Technical College recently, following a proposal that young men taking up farming should be given training in cooking for themselves. Nine men attended the first course and, under the direction of Miss C. Graham, wero instructed in the art of making pastry, stews and fruit pies. Racecourse Honesty

Among the lucky people on the Trentham racecourse recently was a woman who dropped a £5 note and had it returned to her. The finders of the note were two girls, who waited on the spot on the chance that the owner of the note would return to look for it. She did so, and was handed her money. A gift; of 10s was smilingly declined by the finders.

Dog Takes Motor Tours There was jubilation in a Hawera household this week when the family pet, a black cocker spaniel, which had been lost for about 15 months, was returned to its home. The dog is an ardent motorist, and it was his fondness for riding in cars which brought about his long separation from his owners and made him a temporary resident first of Te Kuiti and then of a back-country station. t Plants in Albert Park

Six men havo been busily engaged during the past few days in planting ranunculi and anemones in the gardens at Albert Park. Last month about 5000 anemones and 8000 ranunculi were planted in the beds surrounding the fountains. Last year the number of plants placed in the borders and beds at Albert Park exceeded 40,000. Most of the plants are raised in glasshouses at the Domain, although there are two houses in Albert Park for the purpose. Ugly Hoardings

" I think the council will have to consider whether there is to be any limit to the number of hoardings to be erected in th 6 city—or is the sky the limit?" said the Mayor, Mr. D. G. Sullivan, M.P., during a discussion on the question of hoardings at the last meeting of the Christ-church City Council. Many points regarding these unsightly advertisements were debated and only three of nine applications # to erect new hoardings in the city were granted. Old-time Kauri Timber , ✓

The early days when heart of kauri timber was plentiful in almost any size are recalled by the timber being removed at the present time from the oldest part of the law library at the Supreme Court. The lining of the walls behind the shelves has been found to consist of 12in. boards of heart kauri, about 14ft. long. The uprights to carry the shelves were mostly of 3in. kauri timber, llin. wide and about 14ft. long. After 60 years or more of service the timber is in perfect condition.

Radio Telephone The efficiency of the radio telephone between New Zealand and London was commented upon yesterday by the Post-master-General and acting-Minister of Finance, the Hon.. A. Hamilton. He said he had spoken twice with the Minister of Finance. Mr. Coates. while the latter was in London, and on each occasion, during which the conversation had lasted from live to ten minutes, the reception had been pood. During radio telephone conversations there was no chance of one speaker breaking in upon the other, as only one could speak at the one time. Birds Help Agriculturists " Birds are greater friends to the agriculturist than many people realise," said Mr. H. J. Farrant in a talk to Rotarians in Invercargill. " For instance, the much-despised house sparrows feed their young entirely on insects. One pair of sparrows may rear four broods in a season, with six or eight young birds in each brood, but should they rear only three broods of six each pair of sparrows will have accounted for 72,900 insects in a single season. Surely they are entitled to a handful of oats at harvest time in the way of wages for doing such beneficial work." "Poverty to Prosperity" Replying to an address of welcome at Gisborne His Excellency the GovernorGeneral, Viscount Galway, said he appreciated that he had come to a place of historic importance, this being the first spot at which Captain Cook had landed in New Zealand. That was nearly 170 years ago, but the real history of the district did not commence until about 100 years ago, and it was wonderful to think of the great progress made in that time. The country had splendid resources, and the exploitation of these had changed the name on the map from Poverty to Prosperity.

Control of Transport "The whole of the transport arrangements of the country should be publicly owned and controlled. You may call that Socialism. I am not afraid to face the term Socialism. In the light of the wastage of the past, and the fact that sooner or later we must* face national planning, it is absurd to rely on the efficiency of competition for the development of transport." In this way Mr. G. Lawn, lecturer in economics at Canterbury University College, summarised his views on transport problems in Now Zealand in an address given to tho Institute of Public Administration.

Cycle Traffic Control "Some material improvement should result from all these representations," remarked the Mayor of Otahuhu, Mr. C. R. Petrie, at the Otahuhu Borough Council meeting on Thursday night, when letters were read from eight local bodies in the Auckland district regarding the control of cycle traffic on the Great South Road. The various local bodies promised their support of the resolutions passed at a recent conference at Otahuhu, which decided to urge upon Parliament the necessity for the registration of cycles and stricter regulations governing the lighting of machine?.