General News.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20715, 28 November 1932, Page 8

General News.

A train excursion to Lake Mahinapua, six mile.) beyond ITokitika, organised bv the Christchurch Corsair Club, was held yesterday. About, fiOO people went on the trip, arriving back in Christchurch shortly before 1- o'clock this morning. The Canterbury l'rogrcss League'a Irrigation Committee is to meet this week, find probably will give preliminary consideration to the report 011 the permanent drainage of Lake Kllesmero prepared hv Mr T\ Langboin, District Mutineer of tho Public Works Department.

"Regarding the special meeting of tho Christchurc.h City Council to discuss tin) proposed zoning plan for Christehurch, the Mayor (Mr D. C. Sullivan, M.P.) stated on Saturday that a date for the meeting had been suggested, and ho intended consulting with Mr .1. W. Mawson, Director of Town Planning, as to whether it would suit him. The meeting will bo held before Christmas.

Thcro is great activity in connexion with tho Unemployment Loanl's gold prospecting scheme at present, Mr I'. It. Climie, a member of tho Board, told a reporter oil Saturday, and arrangements are being made to absorb much larger numbers of men under the .scheme than has been the case hitherto. To enquire on the. spot regarding tho scheme, Mr ,J. S. Jessep, the deputychairman of the Board, lias gone to Central Otago.

Many officers in charge of corps uf tho Salvation Army will receive extensions of their yearly appointments fur a second year, according to Colonel I°. \V. Burton, field secretary for tho Salvation Army in New Zealand, \esterday. This course has been adopted because it has been found that officers achieve more definite results in their second year in charge. The practice has been adopted for the last 10 years, but extensions arc granted only after tho fjtrietost investigation, so that'there may bo no chance that the men may lose interest in their work.

Tho enthusiasm shown by menibei'B of tho Cadet Division of tho St. John Ambulance Brigade in Christchurch has been so marked that it, if) now proposed to form a similar division ">a Tima.ru. It is hoped to begin a membership campaign thoro curly in the New Year. Membership is open to children of either sex between the ages of 11 and 18, and on reaching the latter ago members become eligible to join the senior division of the Brigade. Till this year the membership of the Cadet Division was quite small, but then: are now about 200 recruits in the Christchurch body.

An unusual incident was witnessed at the Taradale rifle range last week. The telephone line connecting the business end of the range with the scorers at the targets runs very close along the line of fire, and shooting at the 000 yards range, Rifleman A. Dean not nulv recorded the coveted "bull," but his bullet also cleaniy cut; the telephone wire, severing the communication between the target and the shooting base. 7he remarkable occurrence is probably explained in the fact that there was a sag in the wire at a point near the target in lino with the course of the bullet. The incident at any rate caused some ainuseinont amongst the competitors.

Air Jf. Carter has boon nominated by Mr T. 11. Dutterfield, president of the Linwood Burgesses' Association, and Mr J. B. Dickie, president of the Aranui Burgessos' Association, for a scat on the Christchurch Drainage Board for tho representation of " the Board's lleathcoto district, which is represented at present by Mr Herbert Hill. Mr Carter has had experience on local bodies, having been a member of tho ITeatheote Jfoad Board, and later of tho lleathcoto County Council. For !i0 years he was a member of tho Linwood School Committee, some of tho period as chairman and for a timo secretary. Mr Carter was prominent in organising the burgcssos of the JTcathcoto district and in forming the United Burgesses' Association.

"Wc still lay too much emphasis on wrong things," declared Professor W. 11. Dunn, of Ohio, U.S.A., when speaking about Thanksgiving Day to members of tile "Wellington bnuich of the Eng-lish-speaking Union. "Most people agree that war is n horrible thing. And yet wo glorify it! In America every little hamlet has t»oen able to secure from the Government a machine-gun or similar trophy to enshrine in its museum or display in the public square. Captured battle flags are unfurled before the people's eyes, and into their ears are dinned the stories of valorous deeds. And then wo wonder why the war spirit lives!" Tho hope of the future, he added, lay in tho education of the young. "War would end when men no longer desired it. He was sure America and Britain could arrive at an understanding that would remoA'c causes of discord and bring about, a steadier flow of business and happier relations.

"It may bo taken as definite that there aro practically 110 openings for lads over 17 years of ago anywhere in the city, and even in the country this age is a most difficult one," states a report submitted at last week's meeting of the Auckland Boys' Committee by the finance and education subcommittee. Tho average ago of boys placed in city positions was 15.G years, and in the country 16.4 years.

"The cities often have jokes against each other, but they aro usually well meant-,'' commented Mr H. Mandeno, of Dunodin, president of tho New Zealand Institute of Architects, at the animal meeting of the Auckland branch. Air Mandeno referred to a ,story about the measures taken in the design of an Auckland building to shut out tho clangour of irnmcars and motor traffio in Queen street. "You have these noises in Auckland." he said, "but, in Duncdin, wo have tho bagpipes.''

Seeking material to make comfortable their ncuv nests, the sparrows in the neighbourhood of tho Auckland Infirmary boldly invade tho T.B. shelters to steal kapoc from tho beds. They search the undersides of the mattresses for flaws, -whence they pluck as much stuffing as they can carry. Their busy comings and goings continually amuse the patients, and some of the little birds are so tame that after meal times they alight, on tho beds in search of crumbs, while the. bolder ones will even porch on a patient's hand to peck at a crust.

There were two icaturos oi tho landscapo that struck a motorist oil a trip from Auckland to Jlelensville during tho week-end. One was the prolific growth of buttercups in tho fields, whi'jh, in several instances, were as yellow as tho proverbial harvest inoon. Near Ilelensville this feature was particularly apparent, ami added considerably to tlie charm of an interesting landscape. The other feature was tho black wattle in bloom, the clustered whitish-yellow flowers of which readily attracted an eye ready to appraise. Itwas stated by'a fellow-passenger that many of tho wattles were being attacked by blight, the clfects of which were nsuallv fatal lo the, trees.

"In the present machine ago the use man makes of his leisure is one of the pivotal factors in tho success or rionsuccess of civilisation," said Mr frank Milner, C.M.G., Rector of Waitaki Hoys' High School, in an address to Rotnrinns at Timarti on Saturday. "There is need for sound international education for leisure. If' boys and girls aro taught to have aisthetic tastes, useful hobbies, and wholesome recreation, civilisation can be saved. Primarily, education must be liberal and humanistic, and only on this foundation should vocationalism be built. A wider endowment of vision and leadership is required."

In asking the Prime .Minister (the Rt, lion. G. W. Forbes) to take steps to sccuro fair competition between British and American shipping, the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Institute of Marine and Power Engineers passed the following resolution at its annual meeting this week: -"'This meeting views with very grave concern tho establishment of American shipping interests in the Southern Pacific, and protests against, tho manifest unfairness of the competition, which, it is considered, is a direct, challenge to Urilish supremacy, and likely to affect very adversely and detrimentally shipping in this Dominion and the Commonwealth of Australia."

A .ingestion was recently made to (lie Auckland City Council that schoolboys bo tutored in traffic, control as a safeguard to school pupils crossing roaiUvnyr), and that in Order to carry out the plan picked boys Ik; veil a chance to control street traffic under the personal supervision of' a traffic officer. This was reported upon by Air T. \V. M. Ashby, of the town clerk's office, who pointed out the lej'Hl difficulties connected with such an experiment in case of accident. The chief traffic inspector, Mr George Jlogan, reported that teachers were diflident about accepting any responsibility, and therefore he had not gone further with the matter. The council decided that no further action bo taken.

"1 think there are low more' distressing things to have to do than to reduce the wages of employees or dispense with their services, but what Las struck me in connexion with all the relief work 1 see going on in the city, and what lias struck mo in connexion with the great body of men, nearly -1000 employed ou that work, is their extraordinary courage," said the Mayor of Wellington (Mr T. C. A. ilislop) at the annual meeting of the Presbyterian Orphanage. "One might havo thought that in this difficult time, whon so many drastic steps have to be taken to save tlio situation, that one would be met very often with unreason. and with difllcult opposition, but with such very few exceptions as to bo negligible, 1 can say that all the people who havo suffered by the requirements of to-day fill me with prido that I. am their fellow-citizen."

following similar action by the Auckland Harbour Board and the Northcotc Borough Council, the Auckland City Council on Thursday accepted the resignation of its representative on the directorate of the Auckland Harbour Bridge Company (says the "New Zealand Herald"). Beyond entering a protest against a recent decision of the company's directorate, tlio council took no further action, the Mayor, Mr 0. R. Hutchinson, remarking that there was no possibility of the bridgo charter being acted upon so long as it was held by the prosent company. The council's representative, Mr T. Bloodworth, stated that after his appointrnont a committee was set up by the directors to deal with any urgent matters, not affecting policy, between meetings. He was made a member of the committee. However, he found that correspondence between meetings was being dealt with direct from the office without first being referred to the committee, and statements were made in such correspondence which could not be supported and which it was necessary later to correct by letter stating the true position. Reference made to particulars of improvements in the express service between Christchurch and Invercargill in Tin: Press on Saturday stated that such improvements had been commenced on November 7th. The data for commencement is December 7th, not November 7th. Halswell, November 2oth, 103° P and D. Duncan, Ltd. After' thorough' testing your new British Hornsby R7 Mower in open trial against one of the best-known American big mowers I consider the Hornsby the best all-round Mower, especially m hcavv stuff- vou have got it all over them. Yours faithlully, alter linker. q