General News

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20937, 18 August 1933, Page 8

General News

+ Tariff Commission. Notification that the Customs Tariff Commission would commence its sittings at Dunedin on September 6 was gazetted last night.— ( Press Association. i Fifty Pilots Trained. The Wellington Aero Club passed its half-century mark in clubtrained pilots yesterday morning, when its fiftieth successful candi- j date completed his tests.—Press Association. Tree Planting on River Banks. Members of the Christchurch i City Council are to assist in planting ! trees this afternoon along the banks i of the river Avon below thej Swann's road bridge. The function is part of the observance of Arbor Day by the council. Importance of Pacific. "But for the war the Pacific would have become the centre of the world's interests," said the Rev. A. H. Scrivin, newly-appointed general secretary of Methodist foreign missions, at a gathering of men last evening. "It will not be long before the great wave of western civilisation comes again. We must prepare the people of the Pacific islands for its tremendous advance." Transport of a Big Boiler. Arrangements have been made on behalf of the Christchurch City Council to refund to the successful contractor for the transport by road from the Heathcote bridge to the factory of Davis Gelatine (N.Z.), Ltd., at Woolston, of the large boiler expected to arrive shortly from Aus- ; tralia, the sum of £SO deposited! by him to cover any damage that j might be done, to the roads. | School Holidays. i Holidays for all primary schools! and the majority of secondary schools in Canterbury and the West j Coast will begin to-day. The prim- j ary schools and the Christchurch) Teachers' Training College will re-1 open for the third term on September 4, and the majority of the secondary schools on September 12, while the Christchurch Boys' High School and Technical College will resume on September 11. St. Bede's College and Canterbury College began their holidays on Wednesday and will return on September 7. Polo on the Beacli. I J Among the most popular sports fixtures arranged on shore for the officers of H.M.S. Dunedin during their island cruise was a series off polo matches played on the beach at Suva. Polo ponies were provided 1 by local enthusiasts, and on an area of hard sand some exceptionally keen games were played. At least one of the flagship's officers is an accomplished horseman and a polo player of ability, and he said that the novel surroundings had added to his enjoyment of the game. Reading for Women. j

The merits of the literary contents of New Zealand and overseas women's magazines were discussed before the Tariff Commission at Auckland. A woman witness, interested in a New Zealand publication, produced sample copies of each type, and remarked that stories of an American type figured largely in competing overseas magazines. "Yours seem pretty snappy, you know," commented Professor B. E. Murphy, a member of the commission, thumbing the local publication. "Here is one story: 'How I Escaped From a Harem.' " witness laughingly replied: ae. public wants it." Straw Hats and Seetl.

An example of the effect of fashion on seed growing was men- i tioned in a paper read at the conference of the New Zealand Grassland Association by Mr W. A. Jacques, of Massey Agricultural College yesterday, when he explained that one of the reasons why Irish seed growers were restricting their production of crested dogstail was because the straw had once been used to make straw hats, which were now out of fashion. Ireland which, with New Zealand, was one of the largest suppliers of crested dogstail seed to the English market, [Was reducing its area of production ! simply because there was no longer any market for the straw, and Hampshire, which had formerly been a producing area, had given it up altogether for this season.

A Municipal Bakery. A suggestion that a municipal bakery should be set up by the Christchurch City Council as a protest against the Master Bakers' Association's action in increasing the price of bread by Id and lowering the wages of bakers' drivers was contained in a resolution passed by a meeting of the Labour Representation Committee last evening. The resolution was as follows:— I "That the Labour Representation Committee should later consider approaching the City Council with a view to securing the establishment of a municipal bakery in view of the action of the Master Bakers' Association in cutting drivers' wages and increasing the price of bread." The Highlander's Reputation.

Speaking in the Auckland Supreme Court this week on behalf of two young Maoris from the north who had admitted breaking into a shop by night, their counsel, Mr W. Noble, made a comparison between the Maoris and the Scots, and quoted Lord Macaulay as having stated that only 250 years ago to steal was not regarded as. a disgrace among the Highlanders. As if to guard against misunderstanding, Mr Noble added: "Of course, I am not saying that all Scotsmen are thieves." He was at once reminded by Mr Justice Herdman that "all Scotsmen are not Highlanders." Counsel went on to make his point that it takes a long time' for a primitive race to progress beyond "its long-accustomed standards. New Zealand's Fertility.

"New Zealand has a world-wide reputation for being an ideal grass country on account of the benign conditions of its soil and climate," said Mr R. B'. Tennent, Fields Superintendent of the Department of Agriculture at Dunedin, in a paper read to the conference of the New Zealand Grassland Association yesterday. "The average visitor to this Dominion leaves with the impression that highly productive pastures grow with little effort or expense to the farmer over most parts of the country. That such a wide generalisation is totally erroneous needs no emphasis, there being, in point oi fact, only a limited area in New Zealand which can stand up to the growing reputation which is often accorded to the country as a whole. Those familiar with conditions know full well that only a tithe of the country is well grassed, and thai large areas remain to be successfully dealt with."

Housewives, when you want to shift your furniture, or send parcels or goods to the railway or elsewhere, get a Gold Band Taxi van, as our prices are the lowest, the same as with our taxis, and we have the largest fleet of vans; ( so why go ; sewrhwe. ——2