General News.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19363, 16 July 1928, Page 8

General News.

The necessary cultural operations in tobacco-growing were explained by Mr \V. H. ilice, of the Department ot Agriculture, at a meeting of farmers at Te Atutu, Henderson, when it was decided to form a tobacco-growers association. The plant has been grown successfully in -the district, and it is expected that about. 20 acres will be planted in tobacco this season. A strong committee was formed.

Two' trains, each of ten carriages, were necessary to cope with the great number of excursionists who spent a day at Arthur's Pass and Otira yesterday. In all, 704 passengers made the trip, and of these, 60 were from Wellington, these availing -themselves of special facilities for the excursion, arranged by the Railway Department. Pine weather prevailed at the Pass, with that cold nip in the air which makes walking and climbing doubly pleasant.

Next summer a departure will be made from the usual system of holding military camps, when a whole Brigade,, consisting of the First Battalion First Canterbury Regiment, the First Battalion First Otago Regiment, and the 16th Pack Battery, will go under canvas at Waianakarua, near Oamaru. The last camp of this type was held in 1913. Colonel J. Hargest, Officer Commanding the 3rd New Zealand Infantry Brigade, will be in command.

"If you can market good products in good condition, there is a good market to be worked up in Nova Scotia," said Professor W. F. McKnight, of Nova Sootia Technical College, who arrived at Auckland by the Canadian Highlander from Halifax. Professor MeKnight referred to a trial shipment of New Zealand apples which arrived at Halifax in May, and said that there was a market for imported apples in the off season, as there was no cold storage. In the summer and autumn, he explained, the local production was adequate for the home market, as the crop amounted to about two million dollars' worth, and was increasing annually. A considerable portion of the crop was exported to England. As an indication that there was a market for imported fruit in the winter and spring, Professor McKnight mentioned that British Columbia and California growers shipped apples a distance of 3000 miles to Nova Scotia. There was a possibility, however, that this trade might be affected by a cold storage scheme at present under consideration.

Shaking at a meeting of the astronomical section of the Auckland Institute, Mr E. 6. Jones suggested that it might be better to superseds the present daylight saving scheme by putting the clock forward half an hour in summer and back half an hour in winter. He also explained why the system had been so successful in England and yet had not been adopted in Australia. As New Zealand was nearer the equator than England, he said, there was not the same difference here between the length of day and night at the extremes of summer and winter. Similarly Australia was nearer still to the equator, and the days and nights being more nearly equal there was less need for daylight saving. The idea was that daylight saving was worth more the further away one was from the equator, and therefore it was of more benefit to the South Island than the North. "Even though our watches show 12 noon, that does not mean the sun is crossing the meridian," , the lecturer said. The clock time might be as much as 15 or 16 minutes out. " Again, there was a difference of three-quarters of an hour between solar time at the East Cape and at the extreme west of Southland. In the early days of New Zealand eacn province had its own time, until in 1863. a new uniform time for the whole of New Za'and was introduced by Sir James Hector. The average meridian of 172jdeg. E., which was chosen, passed exactly through Lincoln, which was the only village in New Zealand that had the correct time. At the East Cape at certain periods clock time might be 40 minutes ahead of the correct local time, and nobody said a word about it, because they did not know.

Considerable movement in the land market has occurred in Rangitikei. Several well-known _ properties have changed hands at prices up to £4O an acre, and there are a number of enquiries for land such as have not been experienced for several years. There is also a keen demand for dairy stock. The Wellington City Council has agreed that authority be granted the traffic department to inspect and test the headlights of motor-ears under the provisions of the motor regulations, but that no steps be taken by the Council to make alterations to these lights.

The Canterbury Progress League has received a lengthy reply from the Main Highways Board to the League's report on the construction and maintenance of roads in Canterbury. The report will not be made public until it has been considered by the League's Highways Committee. So far 140 people have enrolled as members of the Canterbury Aero Club. Of these 16 are already pilots, 71 are desirous of learning to control a 'plane, and 53 are social members. It is anticipated that aa soon as the two Moths arrive from England membership will increase very considerably. When Mr Douglas Mill returned to Auckland in his Moth airplane from a business visit to Christchurch, he found that the hangar on his landing ground had been blown down. The accident evidently occurred during the week-end, when there were very strong winds. Fortunately, the hangar is a collapsible structure, and' Mr Mill stated that the damage done was not great, and the hangar could be put together again..

Great interest has been aroused by the visit of the All Blacks to South Africa, according to Brigadier \V. S. Cottrill, the new Salvation Army chief in Auckland, who . arrived at Auckland from South Africa, via Sydney. Brigadier Cottrill -said people had been talking about the visit weeks before the New Zealanders arrived. Not only was the enthusiasm for football stimulated, but residents of South Africa showed a new interest in New Zealand and sought information about the country.

"Anyone having a telescope will find it well worth his while to look at the sun just now," said Mr J. P. Artha at a meeting of the astronomical section of the Auckland Institute. "Two large groups of sun spots will be central", the largest 1 have seen for years." He expressed doubts whether these disturbances had had anything to do with the recent storms, although he estimated the size of the sun spots at about 80,000 miles across. They would be visible to the naked eye through a smoked glass. The albino pheasant is rare, and a white specimen displayed in the Franklin Court at the Winter Show has attracted wide attention. About fifteen years ago, when a winter show was staged in Auckland, a pure white pheasant was included in the Whangarei Court, and Franklin responded by exhibiting a similar bird. At that time there were a number of albino pheasants in the Whakapara and Puhipuhi districts. In the latter localitv the existence of two pure white pheasants was known for several years, and, although sportsmen diligently pursued them, it was without result.

"Educate young people to the view that they should take up farming, and we will be doing a service to our country," said Mr W W. Massey, president of the Auckland Agricultural and Pastoral Association, in speaking at the opening of the Winter Exhibition at Auckland. He expressed the opinion that, in an agricultural country such as New Zealand insufficient attention was paid to education on agricultural lines. The authorities would be well advised to take note of. what was •being done in this connexion at tne Feilding School. "Instead of swelling the ranks of the unemployed when they leave school, New Zealand children should get in their blood the feeling that they would like to go m for an-agricultural life," he said.

Mr R. M. Lugeon, a Swiss cmematographer, who has recently returned to Sydney from a six months' sojourn among the natives of North Mallicou a (New Hebrides), accomplished a delicate task in taking motion pictures there—many of the tribes are cannibals He had to spend two months making friends with some of the natives before he dared to take a single foot of aim. Finally, after four months' more, work, he obtained 50,000 feet of film. Accompanied by. a journalist (Mr A P. Antoine), Mr Lugeon was working on behalf of the "Petit Journal" and the Societe des Films Coloniaux. He is shortly to visit Java to obtain further pictures. He said few people in France knew that motion pictures were made in Australia. For instance, a picture showing the lives of Australian aborigines had never been received there. '

Important changes in the initial design of railway locomotives are likely to bo effected as a result of research work which is now going forward (says the "New Zealand/ Railways Magazine"). Faced with serious road rivalry and the necessity for combining speed with low running costs, railways are investigating the possibility of adapting engines to the use of oil fuel, or of such innovations as the Caprotti valve, which, it is claimed, will reduce fuel consumption while maintaining existing standards of engine performance. Experiments along both these lines of development have been markedly successful, notably those devoted to an exploration of the principle of using steam power for starting an engine and oil for its normal running The exterior of the engines will not be fundamentally altered as a result of these adaptations. The changes are being adopted as an alternative to the electrification of the main line systems as opposed to the purely suburban services.

The long, cold, winter evenings and the ensuing frosty mornings emphasise the demand for a really good heater to make your room bright and cheery One of the best displays of British built electric heaters to date is on view in the windows of J. I. Smail Careys Buildings./ Colombo street—*) In addition to making a ful] line of agricultural implements and machines, most o* which are the best in the world, we make repairs and improvements t all sorts and makes of farm machinery. Extras made for every sort of -imported implement and machine. Awkward or difficult jobs a speciality /ith us. P. and D. Duncan, Ltd., Christchurch. —6