General News.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19200, 5 January 1928, Page 6

General News.

Anglers have met with poor sport at the Sclwyn river during the past few days. The fishing generally falls off at Christmas and New Year time, but improves a little later. Yery few bags of any size have been landed during the past week.

Most of the cadets undergoing flying courses at the Wigram Aerodrome, Sockburn, have been away on leave during the Christmas and New Year holidays and the majority of them will probably not recommence activities until Monday nest. The diamond-shaped border at the entrance to the Christchurch Botanic Gardens is now about to flower, and will present a brilliant mixture of colours from now on until March. For the last two or three seasons the border has been of the ribbon pattern, and the change will be an exceedingly pleasing one.

There were 34 cases of infectious disease reported in the Christchurch district during the last week as follows : Scarlet fever 18; pneumonia, 2; enteric fever, 1; T. 8., o; lethargic encephalitis, 2; hydatids, 1; pneumonic influenza 5. During the same period there were two deaths from T.B.

Several youths were cheeked in the streets of New Plymouth 011 Christmas Eve when the police insisted upon their discarding masks, whiskers, wigs, and false noses. Threats of arrest were neees9ary in some instances. It was explained that masquerading in the streets was an offence against the law.

An unusual "find" was made by Mr. W. F. Fryer while sweeping a chimney recently at Nelson. His brush disturbed a small copper coin, which fell at his feet. Apparently it is a farthing fairly well preserved and bearing the head of Charles 11. The date, 1675, is clearly discernible. How the ancient coin came to be up a chimney is a mystery. Portion of the North road from the Styx Bridge to Chaney's road, an approximate distance of three, miles, is to be reconstructed in high-class paying by the Waimairi County Council, on whoso behalf the Public Works Department is preparing plans and specifications, and it is expected that tenders for the work, which it is intended to carry out in the coming winter will be called at an early date.

It has been stated that some of the Gisborne motorists who obtain supplies of petrol at the locial bowsers are careless in the matter of draining the hose, and that as much as a pint of petrol has been found in it afterwards. On the occasion of a visit of the inspector of weights and measures to a bowser he was rather surprised to find after a farmer had taken a fill that not a drop of the fluid could be drained out. He mentioned this fact to an attendant, who remarked: "You'll never find a drop after a dairy farmer has been at it, because he knows the last thing about stripping."

The* presentation of an attache case was made to Mr J. H. Holt by members of the police force attached to the Newton station, in appreciation of his service in assisting to arrest a thief on November 4th. Mr Holt was m the vicinity of a shop in Karangahape road when a man was seen by a constable to remove some crockery which was on view m the doorway. The man ran down Howe street, and was pursued and caught by Mr Holt after a struggle. As a result the .constable was left free to capture a companion of the thief. Mr Holt also received a letter of appreciation from Superintendent "W. G. Wohlmann.

The shipping of Wirth's big circus by the steamer Katoa, specially chartered for the trip to Wellington, caused much interest in the Port yesterday morning. However, only those people who were down at the wharf early had the satisfaction of seeing the elephants embark. Usually the shipping of these huge beasts is the cause of much incident and excitement, but yesterday, although the number was the largest ever shipped at Lyttelton, there was no trouble, and the elephants were all on board by nine o'clock. The shipping of the other animals and the equipment was completed by noon, and the Katoa sailed shortly aftenvards.

One of the visitors to the City, who made a tour of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens yesterday, was Mr L. Freeman, who is in charge of a big garden in the Manawatu district. Speaking to a representative of The Press Mr Freeman said he was particularly impressed with the appearance of the bog gardens. The selection of plants, ho said, was very creditable and interesting, and among the various specimens were some which were exceedingly rare. There were plants that nowadays were most difficult to find and the London Pride was the most striking in the collection of saxifrages. Seduums and veronicas of little-known type were well represented, as well as several British varieties of speedwells. New Zealand, it is interesting to note, has more veronicas than any other country in the world.

The first naval battle practice target built in New Zealand Las nearly been completed in the yards of Messrs Bailey and Lowe, the Auckland firm of boatbuilders. It is 164 ft iii length and 30ft high above the water-line, and with its steel prow it bears some resemblance to the old Norse war galley. Upon the steel keel, technically known as a "fin," is built a superstructure of solid timber, logs of Oregon pine, laterally and crossways alternately, making a mighty wooden structure containing about 1 GO,OOO square feet of wood. The "fin" is made hollow in order to allow the entry of water, thus affording ballast to the target, and to prevent rolling. At intervals of three feet, along the superstructure, are poles of pine thirty feet in height, crossed at regular intervals by timber battens. It is these which constitute the actual target, a hit being easily observable through naval binoculars at a range of at least ten miles, and Erobably twice that distance when visiility is good. The weight of the target is considerably over 200 tons. It follows in all its essentials the latest design for battle practice targets in the British Navy, and is identical with those recently constructed for service with the Home fleet. It is to be launched from Messrs Bailey and Lowe's sli{> within the lest three months, and will be moored near the naval dock, being taken out into the Hautaki Gulf when battle practice is ordered.

Two Maori girls taught an impudent Gisborno youth a lesson last Saturday. The girls were swimming in the Kaiti basin and were annoyed by offensive remarks and the throwing of small pebbles by the youth on the bank. They determined to put an end to this molestation, and while the youth was directing his attention to one of the swimmers, the other, scrambling out of the water unseen by the tormentor, came along behind him, and, lifting him bodily, tumbled him into the water below. As ho was unable to swim, the youth found some difficulty in struggling out, but he eventually regained the bank none tho worse, but a little wiser for his experience. It was a sorry-looking figure that left the scene, with the derisive laughter of the swimmers ringing in his ears.

The 1928 issue of the New Zealand Official Year-book, although slightly reduced in bulk as compared with the 1927 number, retains all the salient features of its immediate predecessor and contains a substantial amount of new matter. The extent o'f authoritative information supplied in regard to all important matters connected with tho affairs of the Dominion is most useful, and reflects credit on the Census and Statistics Office, by which the hook is compiled. Two new sections have been added, one dealing with the tramway systems of the Dominion, and the other containing the summarised results of the first annual collection of statistics of building and construction activities. The section on water power has been rewritten and extended; that dealing with the revenue and expenditure of the Government has also been entirely rewritten, and that devoted to railways partially so. The number of names on the list of officiating ministers under the Marriage Act is 2004, and the denominations to which they belong are: — Church of England, 448; Presbyterian, 403; Roman Catholic, 302; Methodist, 271; Salvation Army, 157; Baptists, 68; Congregational, 32; Lutheran, 2; Evangelical Lutheran, Concordia Conference, 4; Hebrew, 5; Church of Christ, 30: Catholic Apostolic, 4; Liberal Catholic, 8; Unitarians, 5; United Evangelical, 4; Seventh Day Adventists, 10; Brethren, 7; Latterday Saints, 10; Spiritual Church, j ; Ringatu Church, 45; Church of the Seven Rules of Jehovah, 11; Ratana Church, 113; others, 16. The Ringatu Church, the Church of the Seven Rules of Jehovah, and the Ratana Church are Maori denominations.

In cases where both parties to a marriage are of the Native race there, is no necessity under the Marriage Act to comply with the provisions of that Act, though the parties are at liberty to take advantage of it. Considerable inconvenience, however, was found to exist on account of the nonregistration of Maori marriages, and a section was inserted in the Native Land Act, 1909, whereby it was laid down that Maori marriages nmst be celebrated either under the provisions of the Marriage Act or in the presence of a registered officiating minister, but without complying with the other requirements of the Marriage Act. Ministers solemnising the latter class of marriages must send returns to the Registrar-General. Returns of marriages in which both parties were of the Native race were received during the year 1926. Of these 53 were in accordance with the provisions or the Marriage Act.