General News

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21323, 16 November 1934, Page 10

General News

A Long Walk Enthusiasm for athletics carries people a long way sometimes. A proposal was put before the executive o± the Canterbury Amateur Athletic Centre last evening that it should provide officials for an attempt to establish a time for the 50,000 metres walk. Fifty thousand metres is about 31 miles, and therefore more than 120 laps of an athletic track. A member suggested that the officials might have to be on duty for about six hours if the feat were performed.

The Maori Language "Maori is a really delightful language when spoken by a pakeha," said the Bishop of Aotearoa, the Rt. Rev. F. A. Bennett, during a lecture last evening, "that is, when it is spoken well. Of course there are any number of people who think they can speak Maori, but the less said about that the better."

Australian Air Mail Stamps For the first of the regular Aus-tralia-London air mail service, the Australian postal authorities have prepared a special stamp, valued at Is 6d. The design includes the two hemispheres and the figure of Mercury, which has recently been adopted as the central feature of a new badge for the Commonwealth Postal Department. The stamp will be printed in plum colour.

A Motorists' Classroom Most Christchurch motorists rarely take their cars off the flat, except at week-ends, but every day of the week the steep lower slopes of Dyer's Pass road, on Cashmere Hills, are in use as a training ground for people learning to control their cars on hill roads. At any time on a fine day three or four of them are 1o be seen between the foot of the hills and Cracroft terrace, most of them accompanied by a friend as instructor when learning, and by a traffic inspector when endeavouring to pass the driving test. They spend their time backing, starting, stopping, and turning, and as they all want to use the intersection of the terrace to practise part of the test, sometimes a small queue of cars is kept waiting there.

Brass Plate lor New Ship To commemorate the service of the Shaw, Savill and Albion steamer Waiwera as a troopship in conveying New Zcalanders to South Africa during the Boer War, the Wellington South African War Veterans' Association intends to present a brass plate to the new motor-ship Waiwera, now in port at Wellington. It is intended to present the plate at a function on board the vessel next Wednesday afternoon, before the vessel sails for Napier. The old Waiwera was the first troopship to serve between New Zealand and Africa.—"The Press" Special Service. Maori Racial Identity There was in the North Island at present a slight halt in the progressive mixing of pakeha blood with Maori, said the Bishop of Aotearoa, the Rt. Rev. F. A. Bennett, in a public lecture last evening. This was due mainly to the intermarrying of full-blooded Maoris with half-castes. In the South Island, of course, the Maoris were much more Anglicised, and unfortunately they were losing their native language. In the North Island there was considerable interest in the preservation of the language and the best of the customs and mythology of the Maori, Bishop Bennett said.

An Aerial Survey Arrangements have been made to have a photographic survey made of an area of 48 .square miles between Temuka and Timaru use in irrigation investigations. This was stated at a meeting last evening by Mr T. G- Beck, engineer in charge of irrigation in Canterbury for the Public Works Department, when replying to a suggestion made by Mr A. It. Galbraith that m securing data about irrigation possibilities on the Canterbury plains an aerial survey would be of great use. Mr Beck said that the area would be photographically mapped.

The Weight of Years On his last visit to the Chatham Islands, said Bishop Bennett, in an address last evening, he had met the last survivor ot the Morioris, who was still living at that time. The Bishop said that he had been greatly impressed by the kindly nature of the old man, and added, "The poor old chap was so big and heavy that he could hardly walk about, being dragged everywhere on a sledge by two draught horses, lie weighed just abort °4 stone."

Flat-building Plan Rejected

An application for permission to erect a block of 40 flats in Rolleston street, which came before the Wellington City Council last night, gave rise to a debate on the future ot community housing in that city. The legal and by-laws committee ot the council reported adversely on the proposal on the ground that flats were a radical departure from the building by-laws and that sufficient air space had not been provided. In general discussion members of the council expressed the opinion that a common courtyard within the planned block would make for undesirable conditions. The application was finally declined.—Press Association.

Too Much Water When speaking about irrigation at a meeting last evening, Mr G. H. Holiord recalled that it was probably an excess of water on the Canterbury land rather than a shortage which decided that Christchurch was not to become the "Edinburgh of the South." Mr Holford mentioned that 90 years ago Mr Fred Tuckett, when looking for a site for a Scottish settlement in New Zealand, travelled from what is now Motukarara to the farm of the Deans brothers at Riccarton. But on his way Mr Tuckett had to wade through swamps, became immersed in creeks, and spent the night, soaked, in the scrub. Authorities belived that it was that experience which was a deciding factor in his rejecting Canterbury in favour of Otago for his settlement.

For Weddings, Dances, and all social functions. THE BLUE STAR TAXIS are at your service both day and night. Efficient and courteous drivers, whose fares are the cheapest in the Dominion, are always available. Ring 35-228 or 35-229 for prompt attention. BLUE STAR*IAXI SERVICE. England buys Butter; you should buv their MOWERS. BAMLETT is the best and strongest English Mower. Very reasonable price. Come and look it over. ANDREWS AND BEAVEN, LTD. — 2 A shilling advertisement in the classified section of "The Press" will sell your goods. Try it. 12 words Is, three insertions 2s 6d. —6