General News.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20083, 12 November 1930, Page 10

General News.

The work of levelling the site of the l ew art gallery in tho Botanic Gardens is going on nnd a start has been made with the excavations for the foundations.

Tho Railway Department has nrr.uiged a fast and convenient train service to ami from the racecourse for t ie races, particulars of which are advertised.

During the last few weeks Mr Earl J Haynes, taxidermist at tlija Canterbury Museum, has been engaged on the overhauling of the small marine life cud fish section. This work, together with a thorough renovation of the 11101I ;sca, snakes, nnd lizards, and all jar end tube collections, has now been competed.

A start has been made with the ci-r-avation for the foundations for the liowkor fountain, which is to l>e erected in Victoria square. AH the equipment for tho fountain, which will five beautiful variegated lighting effects at night, has come to hand. It is not anticipated that the fountain will be finished for two or threo months.

'•Dame Rachel Crowdy convinced us that though international agreements ore useful in lessening the possibilities cf war, unless we improve social and health conditions as well, we labour in vain," declared Miss Jean Be<rg, at tho I/eague of Nations TJnion luncheon at Auckland recently. To work for those improvements was the aim of the PanVncific Women's Union. New Zealand delegates returned from the conference profoundly convinced of tlioir ignorance rf international affairs. r.dded Miss TJosrg.

To hare a daphne plant uprooted pnd removed entire by some unauthorised person was the experience of a Linwood resident recently, and the loss was all the greater ns the owner had just concluded arrangements for the sale of the flowers to ri city florist at a satisfactory price. The owner felt more than compensated. however, when she riclced up n wallet containing £7 10 s, apparently left in payment/for the daphne plant.

X kiwi and two egga were found recently near Waimihji. north of On<rarue, in the Auckland district. The discovery was made by men who were clearing a site for a mill in the bush. Tlif kiwi, which was found sitting on the eggs m a log, was caught and shown to the children at the Wa.miha school, afterwards being returned to the place where it was found. The bird, which was a fine specimen, was the first to Ive found near Waimiha for u considerable time. Each of the eggs weighed 13ioz.

The great progress made in recent years by women in swimming was commented on by Mr R. A. Wright, M.P., when speaking at tho opening of the season of the Island Bav Life-saving and Surf Club on Saturday, says the "Evening Post." When tho Princess Alice wsM lost in the Thames in 1878, out of 350 women on board only one knew how to swim. Since the loss of the Princess Alice, however, swimming for women had steadily gone ahead. ,

The Christohurch Botanic Gardens, according to authorities who have been interested in them for many years past, have rarely looked so well as at present. Rhododendrons and azaleas are prominent. In the Townend house there is a magnificent display of calceolrrias which would be very difficult to better. In the Cuninghnm Winter Garden several banana trees are fruiting and the foliage of the Abyssinian bnnann is a wonderful sight. Cut of doors, bedding-out operations for the present season are almost completed.

The last Christinas mail for Great Britain and Europe closes at Christchurch on Saturday, November loth. North American mail will also be taken hx this dispatch, which will go by the Niagara, via Vancouver. A later American mail will be taken by the Monowai. formerly the P. and 0. steamer Razmak, which has replaced the Tahiti. The Monowai will leave New Zealand on December Ist, and is due to reach San Francisco on December 18th. At: English letter and paper mail, comprising 1076 bags of mail and 567 parcel receptacles, will be received in Christchurch on Thursday, and on the same flay 49 bags of Australian mail, ex the riimaroa, are due.

The proposed surcharge of 3d an ounce for the carriage of mail by air within New Zealand compares favourably with rates abroad,, states the "New Zealand Herald." The charge, which lias, been fixed provisionally, is one-half of the Australian rate, and is considerably lower than the long-distance fees charged in Great Britain and Continental countries. A letter sent by air mail from Euffland to India is charred •<d a half-ounce, which is substantially lower than the rates charged by other European countries which make use ot the-, service. Minimum air postal fees abroad are:—France lOd, Germany 7d, Holland 7§d, Italy !■ 744.

The third trip to Dunedin of the Air Travel Service's D.H. 50 aeroplane was successfully made yesterday. Two passengers were carried on the morning •journey, and three were accommodated on the return trip. No trouble was experienced -en route, and the aeroplane arrived bad: at Christchurch to schedule, promptly at 5.30 p.m.

It is anticipated tliat the new radiotelephone service between New Zonland aiul Australia will be inaugurated commere tally before tho end ot tho month. Experts have been experiment{'or the past x"ev." v.-eoks, nnd the results are such that the opening of ihe service will not be much longer delayed.—Press Association.

Tho employment prospects or a large number of school pupils leaving school this year are causing much concern in Auckland. The secretary of the Employers' Federation f-ays thnt there are iio openings tn trades and the only outlook for a youth leaving school is i.irining. Ho believed that more lx>ys would "go on the land if there were better prospects of their being able to take Up land themselves some day.—Press Association.

The book recently removed from tiio recent acquisitions thelf of the reference department of the Public Library. • Night Haiders of the Air," bv A. K. Ivingslord, a New Zoalander, wu, found yesterday to hare been replaced on one of the .-helves. With it was j'.nother book concerning .sport in India, which had been removed Iroai the lendino; department. Mr E. J. ilell, ihe Librarian, said yesterday that the return of the book was apparently duo to the publicity given the hatter in tho newspapers.

Tho new de ilaviland Gipsy- Moth aeroplane bought recently by the Canterbury Aero Club, and received at the aerodrome, Sockburn, last Friday, has now been completely assembled, and awaits only painting in the club's colours .before being put into requisition. The addition of this new machine increases the club's complement of aeroplanes to three. One of these, hmvevcr, is the Gipsy Moth that was damaged in a crash about a month ago. 'llks is being repaired, and will be ready for use probably next week.

Following upon an agreement, with tho Government for the lease of the MacDonaU! eoni mine in the Waikato, Glen Al'tnn Collieries have placed 150 men on the \vork of constructing ropeway tramways to the si to of the /nine. It is understood ihnt it will bo several Months heforu tlie lessees ure able to start ;>roiiiicing coal from the mine, vhicli has not been used for some time, the lenso is for forty years. It provides lor the payment of a royulty of eightponce a ton on coal produced to the (State, and the company have secured a contract to supplv crushed i oal to the Auckland Power Board. It is further provided that the question ot royalty .shall be reviewed at the end of three years.—Press Association.

''lf .some of those ;4lris are fsoing to some of the sole charge schools I know about, then God help them," said Mr C. H. N ichollri, at a mooting of the Wellington School Committees' Association. ''l would not like to see a daughter of a friend of mine .»iis.i l'ark said that the Department of Education m its latest advertisement for teachtinji probationers required that they should enter into n i.ond to take up employment anywhere ill New Zealand. Sho would like to know if there was any special aclvantaye to the Department underlying the condition, which was likely to reduce the number of applicants. Speakers considered that tlie new provision would have its disadvantages, particularly on young and also would affect tho teaching standard adversely. It was decided to make enquiries from the Department of Education. —Press Association.

Probably never ia tho history of belllcunding, lias a set of bells had such a wide and travelled cxpericnco as those which compos© the carillon for Wellington, s!'.y.s ••The i >01111111011." l<ast your they wore loaned to the North-Kast Coast Exhibition at Newcastle-on-Tync, whero thoy made ail immediate and lasting impression; e<j much so indeed that when the exhibition closed down n gnmp of London newspapers secured them for Hyde Park, wiieie they have been ringing out their melodies during the whole of this ye:ir. Now a request has been received by the Wellington Carillon Society for the use of the carillon at the great British Trade Exhibition to bo held in Buenos Ayres, Argentina, in March and April next.

The H on. Harry Atmore (Minister for Education) informed a representative of the Nelson "Mail" that he bad received advice from tho Wellington Commercial Travellers' and Warehousemen's Association that the Pirie Scholarship for 1931 had been awarded to Kathleen Pye-Smith, of the Nelson Central School Tho Minister explained that the scholarship was a private one. The late Mr George Pirie, who was a life governor and trustee of the Association, left £IOOO, tho income from which was to be applied to assist in the education of a boy and a girl, the children of members of tho Association. Candidates were selected on the Rhodes Scholarship principle. There was no examination, but character and personality were considered. Tho scholarship was open to all candidates irrespective of religious denomination, and preference might be given to those who had not won another scholarship. The scholarship could be taken out at any institution approve*! by the committee governing the administration of the fund, and a commercial course should bo followed by all scholars. The tenure of the scholarship was at the discretion of the committee, and the maximum was , three years in the case of especially capable scholars.

Farmer.?, when you come to town on Wednesdays, remember it will only post you half the price to go to the Saleyards if vou 'phone for a Gold Hand Taxi. So why pay more? 'Phones 34-075 and 35-572. Thank von. —i

Johnston's N.C. Motor Co., authorised Ford dealers. Travelling representatives: W. C. Wilson and P Meyer: manager, A. G. Prcstney llangiora. 'Phones 87-SB. —2

Weddings are specially eutered ioi toy the Gold Band Taxis. We have two classes of Bridal Cars from 7s 6d per hour, and every one of our brides have had good luck, so why pass us and risk bad luck. 'Phones .34-075 and 35-572 :snd book earlv. —4

Tho P. and L).D. Perfect Potaio Planter With our improved Machine and two or three horses, one man single-handed, can plant from 3 to 4 acres a day with fertiliser- up to scw*s per acre, making a better |ob than hand planting. Using on© ot these machines. Mr E MeCarthv. last year, got a remarkable crop at Prehbleton Another fourteen purchasers got excellent results. P. and D. Duncan Ltd.. 196 Tuam street. Christchurch and at Ashburton. 6

British Fordston Tractors—built in Ireland—now definitely in the 6-horse team equivalent class, i.e., 3 furrows deep ploughing, 4 furrows skimming, and all top work of similar team power From a value viewpoint, there's no other Farm Tractor proposition that begins to compare with the new British Fordson. £215, f.0.r.. Timaru. Booth. Macdonald >and Co., Ltd. OS

A shilling advertisement in the classified section of The will sell voui goods. Try it. 12 words Is, t&ree m&artiona 2s &d. r—s