General News.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20730, 15 December 1932, Page 8

General News.

To-morrow, Anniversary Day in Canterbury, will bo a bank holiday, and the Government Departmental Buildings will bo closed.

From the Springfield Women's Institute the Mayor (Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P.) has received 10s for his Christmas Cheer Fund. "As iar as I can remember," Mr Sullivan said yesterday, "this is the first donation 1 have received for the fund from outside Christchurch. and though the amount is not large I am delighted to get it. It was a kindly thought that prompted the Springfield Women's Institute to send it."

"Some parents do not seem to realise that the privilege of a free placo entails tho responsibility of regular attendance," said tho Lady Principal ot tho Girls' High School (Miss Chirk; in her report at yesterday's prizegiving. "It should not bo necessary for a normally healthy girl to be absent on account of bad weather. Neither do I consider that bazaars, street collections, or even family reunions are sufficient reasons for absence."

A case of abhorrent cruelty was reported to tho Dvnedin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals by tho inspector. He stated that investigation of a complaint by a .R-oslyn resident showed that his cat's tonguo had been cut out at tho root, while only a fortnight earlier a cat belonging to the owner of an adjacent house had its hind legs fastened together by wire twisted through the sinews. Iho police are endeavouring to trace the culprit. —Press Association.

Sharp criticism was heard at a meeting of tho Auckland Education Board yesterday of the action of the Director of Education and his first_ lieutenant in visiting Native schools in the of Plenty at tho present time. The member who raised tho question said it was a scandal that money should be spent in such a way when school children and teachers wero all suffering from drastic education economies. Tbo Board passed a resolution to the effect that tho attention of tho Minister for Education be drawn to tho touring being done by the director and his assistant. —Press Association.

The ■ Melanesian Mission authorities in Auckland decided that the whole of the crew of the wrecked vessel, Southern Cross, should ho granted i" 11 pay up to December 31st, and each man repatriated to the port at which lie signed on, at tho expense of the Mission. Some of the men signed on in England. It was also resolved that each man should bo given money to provide himself with the necessary clothing.—Press Association.

"To use leisure wisely is of the utmost importance," said Mr J. 11. Howell, first principal of the Technical College, at the College prize-giving last night. The tendency of this machine age was toward tho provision of greater time for leisure, and to those who did not kndw liow to use their leisure time this might bo the - greatest possible danger, though to others it could be the greatest possible boon. It was good to keep up games, though no game should he ke"t up too long. But there were ample other opportunities to get healthy exercise in the open air, and these should be taken advantage of Mr Howell also reierred to tho value for leisure purposes of a workshop, and • particularly emphasised the importance of continuing to read wisely.

The Christmas number of "Reveille,' 1 the official journal of fclie New South Wales branch of the Returned Sailors and Soldiers' Imperial Loaguo of Australia, publishes »»ny vivid aud interesting recollections of the Great War. Some of tho records of incidents and personalities which the number contains are of particular interest to New Zealanders, tnere being numerous references to the co-operation ofthe Anzacs in warfare "and in peace. A long article,* "With tho Canterbury Rifles: Last Days of Anzae" (bv Colonel C. G. Powles, C.M.G., D.5.0.), deals mainly with the historic tion of Anzae, and the splendid part played by tho Canterbury Rifles in tho fighting there. The evacuation is {ilso tho subject of an article by MnjorGeneral R. Young, C.8., C.M.G., D.5.0., who then commanded the Canterbury Battalion.

Sydney is slowly adopting tho straw hat. The "boater," spoken of by college youths as the "straw bun," has of late years been seen on a few owing to some of the great public scnools insisting on the drooping soft felt hat being replaced by the smarter straw hat, out the felt hat has retained its hold on the population generally. Hard felt hats, "bowlers," are few, being worn chiefly by financial aud commercial magnates and heads of the civil service. A change, however, is coming (states tho Sydney correspondent of the "Melbourne Argus"). Men ol conservative habits have been seen wearing boaters, and doing so with the tilt that some schools insist upon for smartness. The factories intimate that they have had to engage extra hands to supply the demand for all elasses of men's straw hats, so the streets may soon lose the drab appearance given by the multitude of soft felt hats. The stores arc* advertising their faith that straw in some shape or another will be tho correct Christmas wear for men of Sydney. .It is understood that their womenfolk approve.

■V recommendation to enlist the sympathy of public bodies in it a compulsory condition in the employment of horticultural trainees that thev should attend any horticultural classes in their districts, is to be sent to the annual conference of the New Zealand Institute of Horticulture, in ■Wellington, on January 25th, according to a decision arrived at by the Canterbury branch last night.

An egf laid within an egg was exhibited in the office of the «Hawkc> Bay Tribune," The bird responsible is a hen of the Rhode Island lied strain, and both eggs were perfectly formed. Tho outer egg was of considerable size, and tho shell of oven colour, but. tho inner egg, which was of the average size of a heirs egg, was most delicately speckled.

Tho Postmaster-General has mturnied the Pukekohc Chamber of Commerce tbat it is not possible at present to reduce the charge for telegrams irom Is to (id. Tho Chamber intends to renew its request, on the grounds that experience of tho penny postage has shown that under the penny rate more revenue is being derived than under tho higher charge, and that the same would "" probably result with cheaper telegrams.

Proposals for tho afforestation of the sand dune coasts of Wanganui and adjacent districts woro approved at a public meeting in Wanganui. when a report on tho subject was received lroui tli'. State Forest Department s ranger. Tt Was decided that a representative deputation wait on the Government and the Unemployment Loard with a view to having tho scheme undertaken. Quoting from the report Mr D. l>usti„ chairman of the W angauui Development League, said the approximate cost of the scheme would he .■CSBIB. while tho 11! tnnt rto va luo o , say, 000.000 trees would bo £2y0,000.

Tlio opinion that the Sanders Cup contests wfii-o obtruding themselves far too much into Dominion yachting ami motor-boat,ins affairs way expressed by a member at the Canterbury Vielitinf Association's meeting last, evening. J t°had actually been put forward, lio said, as an objection to tho forming of a' Dominion Council for controlling yachting and motor-boating that such I) bodv might interfere with tho Sanders Cup conference. Another member agreed, stating that for every one Sanders Cup boat in New Zealand tiiero wore 50 other craft. The Sanders Cup, lio said, was moncfpolising New Zealand yachting.

Most of the southern tourist resorts will be well patronised this Christmas, if tho bookings .which have passed through tho hands of the start of the Dunedin office of the Government Tourist Department can be taken as an indication, says an exchange. Many enquiries aro being recoivcd regarding walking tours to Milford by way of Kinloeh (Lake Wakatipu) and tho Grave-Talbot Pass and also through Elfin Bay, Dore Pass, and Glade ITousc. Already several parties liavo been over tho Milford track, and it is expected that tho season there will be a fairly busy one. Though visits from overseas tourists are not usually frequent until January and February, there aro now indications that this branch of tho traffic will bo good, as a few have already had itineraries made out.

When Maori owners promised to make reserves of certain of their coastal lands along or near the lino of tho Opotiki-Cape Runaway road, these promises were evidently not niero gestures, says an exchange. Mr T. D. W. Noilson, who moved in the matter with tho help of tho New Zealand Forestry League, advises tho league that the sites of the proposed reservations are about to bo inspected by a representative of tho Maori Land Board, along with iho District Engineer of Public Works, and tho Maori owners. The road is reported to be now more or less open —that is to say, there aro still some bridgelcss rivers between To Araroa and Opotiki. Tho route lias beautiful seascapes aTTd abundant pohutnknwas. No coast is richer in scenic values and Maori associations.

Interesting information regarding eels in the Waikaka and other streams was contained in the letter of a Goro sportsman received at a meeting of the council of the Southland Acclimatisation Society. The writer stated that on a recent evening, fishing on the Waikaka at Gore, ho had pulled out eight eels and inside three of them had found tho loins of young grey duck and the remains of feet. Another large eel contained three onc-weck-old ducks. His sons had taken about 700 eels out of the Matauru in the past two years by means of the two traps sent up by tho Society to Gore. Tho season he obtained a good bag from one lagoon every year was because ho and his companion had taken about 200 eels out ot it, while other lagoons were full of eels and the ducks would not atop in them. On a lagoon behind his property where he had cleaned tho eels out it was a pleasure to see the ducks bring up to ten young ones and lose none of thorn. Before the lagoon was cleanod out the ducks would finish up with only one or two young ones out of a clutch.

Those Sydney men who attend thei"r offices on Saturday morning, mainly sharebrokers 'and their clerks, commented, between spasms of work, on tho wonderful Friday attendance at the Sydney crickot 'ground (wrote tho Sydney correspondent of the "Melbourne Argus" on December 4th). ".Don't talk to ino of devastating depression," said one, "when 47,000 persons can pay to sit at tho cricketground all day and yoll support and condemnation at the players. Consider the amount taken at the gates, more than £4000; remember, too, that it was si Friday, and then mnrvol." llis audi' enco marvelled accordingly, and contributed its opinions on the various things that this huge Friday crowd and its expenditure indicated. All were eager to get away to tho match. It is undeniable that the whole city 1S obsessed by cricket. Men who havo never previously bothered to enquire about the progress of a match now discuss details of batting and bowling with as much keenness as the self-registered experts. They joyfully adopt the belief of Jardine and others that "cricket is the euro for depression." The few who venture the opinion that "it is a pity that the people as a whole cannot 1)0 induced to take like interests in the things that really matter'' aro mot with expressions of amazement, and the enquiry in indignant tone, "(Surely it matters that we win 'the Ashes' ?" This is Svdnev to-day. The difficulty between the Tnited States and Britain, which may have serious results in respect of sbveral countries, and perhaps affect tho history of the world, has tp wait.

In this issue the Railway Department advertises particulars of trains by which motor-cars may be forwarded from Springfield to Otira from J>eceihber l7tli to January 4th, inclusive. Boys and Girls, Santa Cla Us ' will arrive at your place in a Gold Band Taxi, so watch every Gold Ba v d taxi you see, as he might bo in it, and toll Mum and Dad to ride in Gold Band Taxis always, as they are the cheapest and best; lowest fare Is for five passengers and luggage. _t>

Sovereigns on the ground present a golden opportunity if you own a Boothmac Cham Drum Stripper (Holland's patent). Original in operation and effect. Strips eqtially well in all the various grasses, and does truly wondersfill work in white clover, iio matter how short the growth. Write for particulars to Booth, J\Jrcdonald and Co., I/td., Box 99, Ohristchureh. -~G