Bay of Plenty Times. FRIDAY, JANUARY 25TH, 1929. LOCAL AND GENERAL

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LVII, Issue 9985, 25 January 1929, Page 2

Bay of Plenty Times. FRIDAY, JANUARY 25TH, 1929. LOCAL AND GENERAL

A couple of million feet of timber will be shipped to Australia by the steamers Ivalingo, which is due shortly (says the Grey River Argus), and the Gabrielht* arriving later in the month. The experience of several farmers who were talking to a Taranaki Herald reporter is that the caterpillar, which usually attacks ragwoit, has made its appearance earlier than usual this season, and that it was very much more numerous than for some years past. One farmer said that. m his district the caterpillar was stripping ragwort of flower and leaf. l>ue chiefly to the low prices offering this month, Auckland manufacturers are busy putting out large tonnage of high grade super 44/4(5 per cent, and basic super. Further very heavy tonnage on these lines, absorbing the output of all works, is booked for delivery in February. Manufacturers are holding sufficient stocks to meet the position, while ample supplies of raw materials are in hand and coming forward. The early shipments of basic slag are expected to arrive during the next week or two, while the Cowden Law is due next week with a shipment of Ocean 'lsland phosphate. It is expected that the topdressing throughout the province will be heavy during this autumn, which will, no doubt, ensure ample feed for the late autumn and throughout the winter period. All members of the Tauranga Oddfellows are requested to attend a meeting to-night at 8 o’clock. (Miss JO. Gifford announces . that she will give private lessons'" in elocution, commencing the first week in February. The Tauranga Harbour Board invite lenders for the purchase of the barge “Vectus.” Tenders will close at noon on February C. A notice is inserted to-day to ttu effect that Hunter Street, 'Between Cameron Road and Devonport Road, will be closed to traffic on February •sth and Cth, the occasion of the Tauranga A. and P. Association’s annual show. Seven hundred and sixty head of cattle are entered for the N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency’s Te Puke stock sale will be held on the sth February. .Further entries are solicited. The annual picnic of the Tauranga Baptist Sunday School will be held on Tuesday next (January 29) at the 9th Avenue East branch. All the friends of the church and Sunday School are invited to attend.

The knotty problem of native rates Has referred to by Sir A. T. Ngata, Minister of Native Affairs, in the course of an address to members of the Ngatiporou tribes at Waiomatatini. Tlie Minister emphasised the importance of meeting the just resiwnsibilities in relation to the administration of the Dominion, and on the subject of rates declared that there was no other solution but to pay the rate demands if they could; if they had not the money, they should dispose of lands which the natives themselves could never use, in order to meet the demands. This alternative cohrs© did not appeal strongly to the elders of the tribe,, who held that it would be Humiliating to their tribal organisation if land belonging to their ancestors passed out of their hands to meet rate demands. The consensus of opinion was that it would be possible, for natives who could not meet the demands, to lease the partially Improved lands to other natives, who were in a position to pay the rates, and who could recoup themselves from the fruits of the soil.

We are informed by a local resident that a hailstorm was experienced yesterday at Wairoa and it is also understood that hail lell in the to Puna district. “It is rather curious that I should be called on to discuss W anganui s milk supply,” said l>r T. H. A. Valintine (Director-General of Health) to a deputation on Tuesday (says the Wanganui Chronicle). “Thirty years ago the town had an outbreak of typhoid fever and I was brought from Taranaki to investigate. The medical authorities thought the source of infection was Churtou’s Creek, but 1 was determined it was infected milk coming from a certain suburb, 1 cut off the supply from tijere, and that was the end of the typhoid.” What is said to be the largest sock-eye salmon proved to have been taken in New’ Zealand. waters by rod and line has been caught at Lake Ohau by Mr Stanley Ombler (says the Oaraam Mail). It weighed ui lb. and was in excellent condition. This species of salmon has been making good progress in Lake Ohau and numbers of smaller specimens have been landed. The successful anglei used the minnow. Overseas trade figures of New Zealand for the period of twelve months ended December, 1928, showed . that the imports totalled £44,886,260 anj the exports £56,188,481, as compared with £44,782,946 and £48,496,243 respectively for the corresponding period of 1927. The imports during Docembei}, 1928, amounted to £3,422,609 and the exports to £4,383,318, as compared with £3,949,198 and £5,390,484 in December, 1927.

Wireless aerials, some of them much more imposing than the wharos or modest homes to which they are connected, indicate that many of Nelson’s back country people are by no means shut away from the doings ot the world in general (says the Nelson Evening Mail). There are many wireless posts to be seen from the more remote portion of the Nelson railway line, showing that people in this area take full advantage of the closer connection to the towns provided by radio.

Touring motorists driving between Houipapa and Taku, in Otago, have Ijeen offended by a signpost which reads, ‘Speed maniacs, before taking this hill, order your coffins” (says the Southland Times). A photograph of the signpost was shown at the meeting of the executive of the Invercargill Motor Association, when exception was taken to the action of the authority concerned in the erection of the sign. It was decided to communicate with the South Island Motor Union on the matter.