General News.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19467, 14 November 1928, Page 8

General News.

Mr W. J. Taylor, manager of the New Zealand Rugby League team, 1928, has forwarded to the Mayor (Mr J. K. Archer) one of the official badges as a memento of the visit of the English and New Zealand teams. In a covering letter, Mr Taylor expresses thanks for the manner in which the teams ware received in Christchurch. The Arbitration Court'will finish its Christchurch sitting to-morrow and his Honour, Mr Justice Frazer, will proceed to Wellington prior to going on to Auckland, where he will sit on the Supreme Court bench for some time. The Court will take up its normal work again on February Ist and is expected to sit in Christchurch about March 17th.

The Drainage Board has let a contract to J. Stanish at £IO2O for the deepening and timbering of 123 chains of the Wilderness drain, Spreydon. The tender of Mr Franovitch at £l2l 7s 6d for the excavation and removal of a timber culvert, and the reconstruction of the same with concrete pipes, at Free's Creek, Merivale, has been accepted. The contract price does not include the'cost of the nipes. Sailors from H.M.S. Dunedin, who have been undergoing their annual course of military training at Trentham during the past fortnight, have returned to Wellington, and rejoined tht flagship. The second detachment, numbering 145, hare left for Trentham, and will remain in camp until Novemilkr 26th. H.M.S. Duneain will leave Wellington on November 28th, and after taking part in the annual manoeuvres in the Hauraki Gulf, will return to Auckland on December 7th. H.M.S. Diomede, which has been recently overhauled in England, will arrive in

New Zealand early nest week. She arrived at Suva' on Friday, and will leave on Wednesday for Auckland, where she is due on Monday next. A most extraordinary-looking fish has been caught in a net by Mr A. Mokomoko in the sea just outside Opotiki. The fish is 2ft long and weighs 51b, and no one here can identify the species. The most peculiar feature is that the fish has three distinct mouths, each with a set of teeth. Two of the mouths are nearer to the tail-end than the head. The fish also has six fins, which indicate that it would be very fast in the water. There is a breathing hole on top of the head and another under the body. The fish appears to be a cross between a swordfish and a shark, as it has a small sword in front of the head, but the tail end is more like that of the shark. Mr N. Savage, who is 86 and has seen every species of fish caught in these waters for many years, is unable to identify this specimen. He has had it frozen in ice and it will be sent to the Auckland Museum.

Speaking at the New Zealand Rifle Brigade reunion at Wellington, Major Jennings referred to the work of reconstruction that had been carried out in the war areas of France and Belgium. Cities, he said, that the soldiers knew as heaps of ruins had regained their pre-war appearance, and signs such as "Hell-fire corner" were all that remained to awaken old memories. The shattered Ypres Cathedral had been three-parts rebuilt and the pride that the Belgians took in their old buildings was shown by the fact that each man gave a fortnight a year to the work. Where formerly there had been shell craters were now smiling fields. The effect of the passing of the years was well shown in the case of one huge crater, the locality of which he particularly remembered. There was nothing' to be seen from the road, but turning off into some trees he found an old "duck-walk" leading down to a lilycovered pond. The unsightly crater had taken on a very different appearance from that which be remembered.

Many Christchurch carpenters are unable to find work at present, owing to the small amount of building going on. New buildings to be put in hand shortly probably will absorb those out of work. "I am glad that Mr Archer has learned some manners from this Board," remarked Mr K. W. Robinson at last night's meeting of the Fire Board when a letter from the Town Clerk (Mr J. S. Neville) was read apologising for the Mayor's absence from the meeting. Mr Robinson's comment referred, of course, to previous occasions when no apology for absence was forthcoming. The Heathcote County Council has been advised that the Local Bodies Loans Board has sanctioned the proposal to borrow £2200 for the extension of the Mount Pleasant waterworks, the sinking of wells, the laying of a new pipe line from the wells to the existing reservoir, and the extension of supply to the Morten Settlement. The loan poll is to be taken on December 19th. Misfortune has overtaken the new 14-foot Jellicoe class yacht Val, the building of which has just been completed by Mr C. Wild, of Stanley Bay, Auckland, for Mr C. G. Macindoe. The little craft was to have taken the water

on Saturday morning, and it was the intention of her skipper, Mr Alex. Matthews, to try out her capabilities in readiness for the forthcoming Sanders Cup trial races. The Val was lying on the slipway at Mr Wild's yards preparatory to taking the water when a squall came down, overturning the frail hull and driving it heavily against the timbering of the slips. Considerable damage resulted. Part of the coaming and the top strakes were stove in and holes torn in the planking. Pending the arrival of a suit of Lapthorn sails from England, the Val had been fitted with sails belonging to the former champion Rona, also owned by Mr Macindoe. The fact that a lady had been receiving charitable aid from the Waikato Hospital Board for 18 years was mentioned at the Board's last meeting. This lady had been in need of assistance almost from the time she arrived in the country. She had formerly lived in Rotorua, and had come under the care of the Waikato Board. In recent years she had lived in Tauranga, but Waikato was still responsible for her support. Mr J. J. Ryburn asked whether the Tauranga Board could not rightly be charged with the the lady required. The secretary explained that this could not be done, as the lady had been continuously receiving relief from the Waikato Board. She was a chronic sufferer from rheumatism, and had gone to Tauranga because she had been

able to get light employment there. Mr C. J. W. Barton said that if her relief were stopped the Tauranga Board would send her back into the Waikato district. It was agreed that the relief should be continued. Some interesting figures in connexion with the work of the _ Returned Soldiers' Association were gjiven by a speaker at the annual reuilion of the Wellington district members of the Wellington Regiment, N.Z.E.F. He stated that the increasing interest being taken in the association was shown by the fact that four years ago thw membership was 213, while to-day the association had 750 members, put of the Poppy Day fund the association had assisted 83 returned men into employment, which lasted from periods of two weeks up to three months. This had been rendered possible by the association giving the City Council £4OO, the Petone and Lower Hutt Borough Councils £IOO each, and the Karon School Committee £IOO, each of the sums receiving a subsidy of 30s in the £. Rose Day had afforded the wherewithal to assist 192 men by giving them small loans and paying boardT etc.. while there had also been two special cases, where assistance had been given the widows of deceased returned men. The work of: the association in connexion with the' Pensions Appeal Board was also detailed. Soldiers in Porirua and Wellington Hospitals were» supplied with cigarettes, tobacco, magazines, etc., "and. by the way," concluded the speaker, "if any of you chaps have books or magazines you dont want, send them in to the R.S. A., where they will be very welcome for this work. When your "A" battery runs down you want it charged again with as little delay as possible. Bring it to J I. Smail's, 734 Colombo street, who have their eauipment running night and day, and can let vou have your battery fully charged within 24 hours. —6 J Johnston, Limited, Hardware Merchants Rangiora, 1 established 1863, solicit enquiries for all classes ot general hardware for household and farm. City prices guaranteed; inspection invited. P.O. Bos 1; 'Phone 4. -1 Dear Sirs,—We have now need your Potato Planter with Fertiliser attachment for planting about 40 acres and consider the machine almost perfect fn both the planting of the seed and the fertiliser, at least four acres can be planted t>y one man with three horses in an 8-hour day.—Frank Heron. Ohoka. Mr Heron considers he will

save the cost of the machine in on© season's work. —P and D. Duncan, Ltd., Christchurch. —6 Holland's Chain Drum Grass and White Glover Stripper is in a class apart! It will strip practically every grass seed that grows, and get 50 per per cent, more Beed than any other stripper. It will also collect white clover seed too short to cut, and get in all —practically! There's no other machine will get any! Above is the conBidered opinion and experience of some of the moat progressive farmers in New Zealand. Illustrated catalogue post free. Booth, Macdonald, and Co., Ltd. —O6