LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 300, 2 October 1935, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The air mail dispatch from Ashburton is being gradually built up, and consignments for the regular Australia to- England service are sent away each time the air mail closes.

A Press Association telegram from Invercargill states that there has been a great deal of building in Invercargill during the last six months. Permits were issued to a value of £96,000, compared with £51,600 for the corresponding period last year. The permits include 78 new dwellings.

In Pukckura Park, New Plymouth, there are 350 nourishing kauri trees in all stages of growth. Benefiting from proper cultivation, trees planted several years ago have made wonderful progress. One particularly line specimen is on the western side of the lake opposite the boat-house. The tree, which was planted in 1915, had reached 39ft. lOin. by 1932 and to-day it is 46ft. 2in. high. Other trees in the vicinity have grown a foot in the last 12 months. Provision is being made, is is understood, for the planting of another 650 kauri trees.

A school of porpoises has been seen several times recently in Wellington harbour. Some yachtsmen sailing a 14-footer in Evans Bay one afternoon this -week received the benefit of their playful attentions for nearly an hour. The porpoises first showed up when the vessel was well down the bay, sailing backwards and forwards. They stayed with the boat for some time, rushing at the bows until almost run down, and swimming round her- When she approached the shore the porpoises would fall behind, to pick up the boat again when she returned to the deeper part of the bay.

A further extension of the Immigration Extension Amendment Act of 1931 will be effected by the Immigration Restriction Amendment Bill Introduced in the House of Representatives by the Minister for Finance (the Rt. Hon J. G. Coate§) yesterday. The original act was a temporary emergency- measure conferring on the Gov-ernor-General in Council authority to make regulations restricting immigration into New Zealand while economic or financial conditions made such a restriction expedient in the public interest. It was originally intended that the act should continue in force only up to December 31, 1933.. but its duration was later extended to December 31, 1935. The purpose of the present bill is to provide for a further extension of one year.

Although, the general increase of per cent, in public servants’ salaries will apply, from October 1, according to the statement in the Budget, actual payment of the higher wage is not likely to be received by civil servants until the end of the month. Because the Government bad the necessary authority—by Gazette notice.—to take such a step the reductions in the wages tax will apply from yesterday on all wages, civil and State, but the increase in public servants’ wages, while proposed in the Budget, lias still to be debated with other Budget proposals in the House. The money for the increase will be in the supplementary estimates, and these have yet to be submitted to Parliament for approval or otherwise. If the increases had been included in the general estimates and passed with them, the higher wages would have been received in the next payment of wages —.October 15. But it now appears that the payment will bo delayed until tlie end of the month and the will be jiaid in a lump sum.

A small “For sale” advertisement in tlie “Guardian” the other day drew quick results. A quantity of secondhand farm implements was for sale, and within 24 hours five of the items had been disposed of.

The cash receipts of the Auckland Harbour Board for the 12 months ended on September 30 showed an increase of £28,800 compared with the amount of the previous year (says a Press Association telegram). The receipts for the last year represent an improvement upon the estimates of approximately £32,000.

A resident of Palmerston Norjfn for the last 46 years, who was a butcher and dealer, claims the distinction of being the first to prepare a Dominion sheep for freezing and sending Home. He says that this was performed 53 years ago on a station near Oamaru, and that the shipment went to England in the ship Dunedin.

There reached 1 Wellington last week a sample of the new season’s oranges grown at the Kerikeri Group Settlement, Bay of Islands. The oranges are of fine size and flavour, an improve ment on last season’s commendable standard, with a juice content fully equal to the average imported navei orange. The skins are very little, if at all, thicker than the South Australian variety. It is reported that there are now 30,000 citrus trees unde- cultivation at Kerikeri.

The result of a constable’s disarming frankness when questioned by a woman shopkeeper suspected of Sunday trading was related, by (Sub-In-spector Fox in the Police Court at Auckland, ' when the woman was charged with the offence. “A constable wishing to buy some cigarettes, admitted lie was a constable, when questioned by defendant,” Mr Fox stated. “She then said, ‘Oh, you have come to catch me.’ When the constable said. ‘Yes, I have,’ defendant replied, ‘Well, you are so frank about it I will give you the cigarettes.’ ” The woman was convicted and discharged.

The U.A.O.D. Success of Ashburton Lodge met on Monday evening, the A.D. (Sister A. Hawkes) presiding. Visitors included D.P. Bro. A. L Garriock and Bros, of the Star of Ashburton Lodge. The. bards’ report was received and sick pay was passed for payment. An invitation from the Star of Ashburton Lodge to attend a “wives’ and sweethearts’ ” evening on October 7 was accepted. One candidate was initiated and one was proposed. At the close of the meeting, supper was served, and the remainder of the evening spent in games.

Many interesting relics repose in Parliament Buildings, Wellington. They include a rose given to Queen Victoria by the Prince Consort, and which she pressed, a lock of her hair, cut in 1829 before she ascended the Throne, in an Almanac de Gotha presented to her on her coronation day in 1838. Among the other relics are the pen and seal used by Air: W. F. Massey at the signing of the Peace Treaty at Versailles in 1919, and a wall ash-tray made of timber used in the reign of Richard 11. in the roof of Westminster Hall.

A Press Association telegram from Dunedin states that under the will of All- James Alallach, of Dunedin, retired boot importer, several well-known New Zealand charities are to benefit to a. considerable extent. After certain provision is made for the family the balance of the annual income of the residuary estate is to he divided into five parts one part to bo payable to the Young Alen’s Christian Association of Dunedin, another part to the orphanages of the Alethodist Church of New Zealand, another part to the Salvation Army, Dunedin branch, another part to the Jubilee Institute for the Blind, Auckland, and the remaining part to the Patients’ and! Prisoners’ Aid Society, Dunedin. The estate was sworn at under £26,000.

When the Wellington Colleges Board of Governors was debating at its last meeting whether it should ask the Education Department to remodel the Wellington Girls’ College or should defer action until after more urgent works had been undertaken by the Depatrment, it was suggested that the ease should be presented now. ‘lf wo do it now. it will be considered for ,a year and then we will put our case before them again,” remarked one member. “If we don’t put our ease before them now,” he added', “that year’s consideration will be postponed for another year.”

An interesting link with the “blackbirding” exploits of Captain “Bully” Hayes is found in a letter written in 1868 by the Rev. W. G. Lawes, the then missionary at Niue Island. The letter is in the possession of the Rev. H. Taylor, the present missionary on the island, who is visiting Christchurch. The letter describes in detail how Captain Hayes, in the famous Rona, and other captains, visited the island, and against the authority of the chiefs and heads of families took native men and women as far afield as Queensland and Tahiti. The practice was deplored by the missionaries, but nothing could be done to stop it. Even worse than these “blaekbirders” were Peruvian pirates, who were described as making periodical trips to the island and kidnapping the natives. It was the work of these “blaekbirders” which had prompted missionaries to ask the British Empire to annex Niue, a request which, after two refusals, had finally been granted some 35 years ago, said Mr Taylor.

Tire opinion that Now Zealanders quite definitely, on the whole, have sufficiently had teeth to warrant notice on a national scale was expressed by Professor R. Bevan Dodds (Dean of the Dental School at the University of Otago) while he was attending the annual conference of the New Zealand Dental Association at Napier. Dr. Dodds said New Zealanders, as a nation, had reputedly had teeth, and it had even been said they had the worst teeth in the world. He discussed New Zealand’s need: of organised health propaganda from the dental point of view, with the object of combating dental disease and raising generally the standard of the teeth of the people. “The only organised health propaganda from the dental point of view is that carried out by the State service through radio talks, and the individual instruction of pupils,” he said. “Individual practitioners undoubtedly do a lot of good in the way of preventive dentistry, some of them being enthusiasts in educational matters, but their range is, of course, limited to their own patients. The matter of an organised movement in health propaganda lias been very much before the dental profession for a number of years, but adequate organisation leading to concerted effort lias so far been the difficulty. Health propaganda, c.an only be carried out successfully by mass attack; sporadic attempts are ol little value in any national sense.”

A steady increase in the number of wireless sets in Ashburton County has been noted over a long period, and while the total fluctuates as licenses lapse, others are renewed, andi new licenses are issued the aggregate has been rising . There are now between 1200 and 1300 sets in nse at the present time.

The crew of the Government fishing launch Nora saw a kingfisher dive into the sea from the branch of a pohutukawa at Surfdale, Waiheke Island, a few days ago, states the “New Zealand Herald.” When the bird did not reappear after a few minutes the crew investigated and found that a large mussel liadi closed its shell on the beak of the unfortunate kingfisher, trapping, it under the water and drowning it.

The falling off in the business done by British manufacturing firms in Russia has caused them to increase their efforts to secure markets in Empire countries, a reporter was told yesterday by Air G. A. Forsgate, the representative of an English engineering firm who has visited South Africa and Australia before coming to New Zealand. ; Air Forsgate added that the Russian orders were not expected to continue, as the Soviet would soon be able to produce its own heavy manufactures. Many big British firms were concerned. His own firm had fulfilled an order from Russia for 100 portable air compressors, which was an unusually large order.

It was evidently a surprise to most of the students whom Dr. John Dickie, of Knox College, Dunedin, was addressing at Auckland, to be told that it was during his student days that women were first admitted to Aberdeen University. Their admission had made a great difference in many ways, he said, and had quite changed university life. Students new enjoyed greatly increased recreational facilities. A hundred years ago Aberdeen University students were allowed by the authorities two dances in a session, but they were not allowed partners of the other sex, and so the men danced with men. Whbt would be thought of that now at the university? asked Dr. Dickie.