General News.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20789, 24 February 1933, Page 10

General News.

Six members of the Endeavour sea scout troop, Timaru, arrived at Lyttolton yesterday by the sloop Laburnum. The boys are undergoing sea training. They arc Coxswain D. McConaehie, Sea Scouts F. Murphy, M. Ward, I. Little, D. Shears, and A. K. Morrison.

The level of Lake Coleridge was reported yesterday to be at 1667.525 ft, a slight increase on tho height last week, which was 1667.2 ft. The level this week is 4.475 ft below tho overflow level, which is 1672 ft.

At the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association's ram fair, to bo held on March 23 and 24, the association, at the request of the Corriedalc Breeders' Association, has decided to inspoct all Corriedalc rams offered for •sale at tho fair. Those which do not pass the inspection must not be offered for sale.

Tho new type of glider —a biplane model—which is being constructed by a member of tho staff of Cook and Ross, Ltd., has reached another stago in its growth. The nose has now been completed and the wing struts erected. Difficulty in procuring motal fittings is hindering the work, but it is hoped that the glider will be ready to take the air within two months.

The pleasure of landing one of the largest trout caught this season at Rotorua fell to Mr John Montgomery, of Christchurch, a few days ago. Using a ewo wasp fly at Waikaremoana. Mr Montgomery landed a well conditioned l&rpouud fish, and thereby earned the hearty congratulations of his fellow delegates to the conference of the New Zealand Newspaper Proprietors' Association, which is now meeting at Rotorua.

With a little more than a fortnight to elapse before the 10 per cent, penalty will be imposed on unpaid Chriirtchurch City Council rates for 1932-33, the payment of rates continues satisfactory. Up to 4 p.m. yesterday, out of the total levied of £333,354, thoro had been collected £80,603, or 24.179 per cent, of the total levied. On the corresponding date last year, out of tho total levied of £333,729, the sum of £78,791 had been collected, or 23.61 per cent, of the total levied. The increased collection to date this year is equal, to lis 7d in every £IOO of rates levied.

In accordance with a decision of the Christchurch City Council, arrived at on Monday night. Crs. E. Parians (chairman), and T. H, Butterlield, and G. T. Thurstbn (members), of the -Reserves Committee, and Mr M. J. Harnett, Superintendent of Parks nnd Gardens, left yesterday to inspect the council's reserves in tho Rakaia. Methvon, and Geraldine districts. It is expected that the inspection will occupy two days. The council's reserves in the Geraldine district are about 2000 acres in extent, the Lyndhurst and Cairnbrae reserves aggregate 1192 acres, and the reserve in the Rnkaia district is about 10U acres.

"Why if father smoked only three cigarettes :» day and mother only two, they would spend more m buying cigarettes than they would spend in buying electricity for the wholo household." said tlib "president of the.New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers (Mr F. T. M. Kissol), when giving his presidential addre-ss at the annual conference of the society Inst evening. Aetuallv those five cigarettes a day for each electricity consumer would account for only about a million and a half cigarettes in a day, whereas the actual consumption is about four millions a day. Which would ho the greater national calamity, to do with i-nlv half the nurnber of cigarettes, or Co "without electricity P I.think I will then ask you to adopt a slogan 'electricity for a household for less than half a packet of cigarettes a day. Use it,' or, in simpler language, 'no, more fag for fivo fags a day'."

The Christchurch Unemployment Committee may, it is understood, reconsider its decision to exclude reporters from its next four meetings.

The axle of a tram on the Spreydon route broke yesterday morning, but as the mishap occurred on a double track the service was not disorganised. A break-down gang effected temporary repairs to enable the tram to be driven to the workshops. Accidents of this nature have become much less frequent in recent years owing to the track being kept iu much better order by the use of modern maintenance apparatus.

Since the opening of the godwit season on February 1, godwit have not been seen in very large numbers, possibly because of the shooting in the coastal areas of the north, where the season opened a month earlier, states an Auckland exchange. Up to the present no very large bag 3 have been reported. The areas where godwit are most sought after are the sandbanks of the Manukau Harbour and the reaches of the Kaipara Harbour.

The construction of the mole by tlio Otago Harbour Board at the Heads is steadily proceeding. It is now up to high water lovel throughout its entire length, and abundant material is coming from the new quarry to supply the strengthening that will mark the final stage of. the work. There is already evidence that the mole is improving the channel. Soundings to be made shortly will reveal the exact position in figures.

The New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers, now in conference at Christchurch. has received replies to the resolutions sent by telegram to the Government, urging the passing of building construction legislation providing for protection against damage bv earthquake. The Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes) and the Minister for Public Works (the -ut. Hon J G Contest have both replied bv telegram, statins that the representations will have earnest and careful consideration.

A competition between passengers and members of the crew of the Cunard liner Carinthia, for the biggest fish caught from the ship during the stay in Auckland, concluded on Monday evening when the liner left for Wellington. The most successful fisherman was a member of the crew, who caught a small kingfish weighing 181b on Sunday morning, and he was rewarded with a prize of 15 dollars, provided by the passengers, A competition is held in each port visited, and at Suva one of the passengers took first prize with a large shark.

"Clothing from the south is being sold in Auckland at prices that Auckland manufacturers simply cannot look at," said Mr S. E. Wright, speaking on behalf of employers in an application before the Arbitration Court in Auckland on Monday. "These goods cannot be made under award conditions. Either awards are not being observed in the south or the observance in Auckland is much stricter than elsewhere." Miss A. Cosscy, secretary of several Auckland clothing trade unions, remarked that the Wellington shirt-makers were still working under an award the term of which had expired in 1921. Mr Wright had previously mentioned that an application for a Dominion award would be heard in Wellington shortly.

"As we look with horror at the schools that Charles Dickens wrote about, so people of later generations will look with horror at our schools of to-day, which try to squeeze all children into the same mould," said Mr T. B. Strong, the Director of Education, in addressing a ,meeting in Christchurch last evening on .the advantages of the intermediate school system. "Our system is too rigid, and so far as the teachers are concerned it will continue to be too rigid. lam not going to Bay the Education Department's syllabus is at fault, because it is not. It gives the widest scope for individual ability; but our present education system is' not calculated to secure the greatest efficiency or the best results for this Dominion."

A veteran of the American Civil War, which was fought nearly 70 years ago, is at present an inmate of a southern mental hospital. As a civil war veteran he is entitled to a pension from the United States Government. Mr H. P. Bridge, United States consular agent in Christchurch, told a reporter of "The Press" yesterday, and for' some time his relatives, assisted by Mr Bridge, have been working to establish hiß claim with the American Pensions Department. After negotiations lasting more than a year the Government has at last agreed to pay the pension, and the old man will begin to receive it as soon as a guardian has been appointed for him by "the Courts in New Zealand, a formality insisted on by the Pensions Department. The need for .highly-trained engineers was probably more acute to-day than it had ever been, said the president of the New Zealand Society for Civil Engineers (Mr F. T. M. Kissel), when moving a vote of thanks yesterday to the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Canterbury College (Professor Powell) and members of his staff, for courtesy extended during the annual conference of the society, which was held in the engineering school of the college. Times had changed, and at the present day what engineering work remained to be done had to bo carried out in the most scientific way. Mr Kissel commonded Canterbury College for the training it afforded to coming engineers.

The mysterious rise and faJl of the waters of Lake Taupo reported . last Tuesday (says a Press Association message from Wellington) can be almost certainly attributed to a seiche. Tho rise and fall is not a new thing. Tho Public Works Department has records of such phenomenon occurring previously. On November 2, 1009, there was a rise and fall at Lake Taupo of eight inches every eight minutes. On July 12, 1922, the waters rose and fell seven feet at intervals of a little less than 10 minutes. At this time the Taupo region was suffering from a prolonged series of earthquakes, but whether they or atmospheric variations caused the phenomenon, is open to discussion. Other risings and fallings of three or four inches have been recorded on several occasions.

While accosting two men in a motorcar which he knew had been stolen, Constable A. B. Collinge, of Palmerston North, was struck on the head with a jemmy on Wednesday night. He dropped beside the car, dazed, and the men ran away. He recovered and, though bleeding, gave chase, but the men escaped. Collinge, who was in plain clothes, secured the help of three others, only one of whom was in uniform. They entered the stolen car and drove off in search of* the thieves. While engaged in this they were sighted by the owfier of the car, a woman, who.mistook them for thieves, and many explanations were needed to fonvincc her otherwise. A second car was stolen from the city later in the evening, and this was wrecked in a violent collision early this morning at Pokeno.—Press Association.

Raihvaymen note that the Proprietor of the Gold Band Taxis is an exrailwayman, and the only one advertising on the Railways; so give the Gold Band your full support and recommend them to your friends. We are not raising our fares, the lowest still being Is with all luggage, prams, cycle*, etc., »o why. go elsewhere. Thank you. ~2