NEWS OF THE DAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 65, 17 March 1945, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Famine In Islands A Marist sister, writing from one of the Pacific islands to the Marist Messenger, says: "There is a great famine here at present. So far I have not been hungry, but yesterday, for the first time, I tasted a little horseflesh. 11 is rather a peculiar commodity, being something like elastic. I found I could chew on it for ever so long without making the slightest impression.. So far I have not triejd dog, though two or three times it has been offered me." ' Opossums In The City Opossums appear to be increasing in number around Dunedin. On several occasions recently citizens have reported seeing opossums-in trees in private gardens, while in the town belt they have become a common sight. A habit of the opos- , sums in Dunedin is that of climbing . oh to house roofs, the purpose apparently being to obtain nesting or roosting birds. The opossum, which is a member of the sub-class of Marsupialia, is a carniverous animal. It is extremely destructive to vegetation, however, on account of the damage caused by its sharp claws. The Maligned Hedgehog Blame, seldom praise, is given to the hedgehog, a small animal which is not uncommon in suburban Auckland. A wanderer by nature, and ' with little homing instinct, it prowls about, gardens and has a reputation for destroying insects and eating hen eggs. For the latter reason the animal has received general condemnation. The opinion that the hedgehog can be useful is held by at least one suburban resident. Recently in his garden he found a hedgehog with its teeth buried in the neck of a large rat. Apparently there had been a fight, and the hedgehog was the winner. The latter was stripped of all his quills, except one, but it is not known whether or not this condition was caused by the fight. Replaced Tyres "Old tyres and tubes which are replaced on vehicles under permits issued by the rubber branch of the Ministry of Supply automatically become the property of the State," said Mr. J. W. Collins, chairman of the National Council for Reclamation of Waste Material, in an interview. Mr. Collins said that as a result of calls he had made on garage proprietors and retreaders in Dunedin, there appeared to him to be a good deal of misunderstanding regarding the regulations. Any discarded tyres or tubes replaced under permits were required .to be reported or handed over to the Reclamation Board. A check of all permits issued was at present being made and any garages k holding unnotified stocks were, liable to incur penalties, Mr. Collins

Electric Fences An innovation which proved most successful at the Marton Golf Club's course during the summer months was the installation of electric fences round the majority of the greens. The move was carried out to give more protection to the surface on the greens not only during the playing months but also in the "off" season. Hen Goes To Meeting A meeting of directors of the Napier Raw Milk Producers' Co-op. Co., Ltd., had an unusual visitor. Mr. A. H. Southee arrived at the meeting by car to find that he had brought a white hen perched on the car roof. As the distance from his house to the meeting place is about four miles the hen's performance speaks volumes both for the care of the driver and the hen's sense of balance. Flying Ants Appear What are commonly known as flying ants, which should riot" be confused with the" Australian or native species so destructive to buildings, have made their annual appearance in many of the lower and open areas about Auckland. They are unwelcome to men who work in places where they swarm. At one housing job at Te Papapa, workmen, to avoid bites, shrouded their faces and necks with handkerchiefs. Knowing that the midge-like pests dislike noisy vibration, the men in one instance crowded under a stationary truck, in which the engine was running, in order to gain a temporary respite. With the average person the bites leave no swelling, being merely a momentary irritation, but the persistent attentions of swarms of the insects can be serious enough to compel stoppages of work. On one occasion this happened in the course of the construction of the Whenuapai aerodrome. Swiss Watches Despite the Allied successes ■ in western Europe Auckland importers of watches do not anticipate any immediate improvement in . supplies from Switzerland. It was stated today that watches manufactured by Swiss firms for New Zealand and ready for dispatch had been stopped by the unexpected closing of the frontier. Besides political factors, economic influences were stated to have had an important bearing on the position. A shortage of Swiss francs in London had presented a problem, and there was.also a large demand for Swiss watches in Britain. It was expected that Britain would have high priority in securing the fulfilment of orders. Many of the Swiss watches imported into New Zealand in the past year or so have come through Turkey, some having been up to seven months in transit. In the future it is thought to be more likely that the route for any supplies available will be through Lisbon.