General News

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21631, 15 November 1935, Page 12

General News

i —+—„ ' Withdrawal of Beach Patrols? | The Canterbury Surf Life-Saving Association | is still faced with the possibility of having to withdraw patrols from the beaches under its control round Christchurch, according to the association's annual report. Last season patrols i v/ere placed on North Beach and at. Sumner ! and New Brighton. "It is a great pity that the ; public of Canterbury do not realise and appreI ciate the valuable work that is being done by '■■ these men in maintaining our proud record—- ' that no fatalities have occurred on these i beaches during their patrol hours," the report ' says. "However, unless financial support is | forthcoming, it may be necessary to let the I beaches go unguarded during the coming sum- ■ mer months." j A Fine Day I After three weeks of rain and dull skies the weather in the city broke yesterday, the sun came out once more, and a fine and sunny day was enjoyed. In the early hours several heavy showers fell, and the morning was not promising However, about 10.30 the clouds cleared av/av, and the sun came out. The weather was perfect for the opening of the Canterbury i Agricultural and Pastoral Associations snow. I The north-east wind which kept the tempera- ! ture down during the day died away late in i the afternoon, and the fine, starry night, toi gether with the late shopping hour, attracted ! many people out of doors in the evening. | An Ancient Cure : Th- peony was frequently used in ancient times as a cure for disease, according_ to Mr J. A. McPherson, curator of the public gardens who spoke on peonies at a meeting o± the Horticultural Society last evening. He said that beads were made from the roots and hung round children's necks to ward off convulsions and assist in teething. The Greeks hold that the plant could cure diseases, but that it, should be' taken only at certain times '• of the night and when the patient was not ■ likely to 'see a woodpecker. Otherwise he might become blind. Csmg the Gardens While most citizens arc able to enjoy the : beauties of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens bv walking through them, this pleasure is not ! so readilv accessible to invalids. To overcome | this difficulty the Domains Board permits old ' people and invalids, when special application is i made to it. to be driven through the gardens, so | that they may see everything in comfort. An i old ladv who. yesterday enjoyed this privilege was delighted with her outing, for the pcrmis- : sion to use a car enabled her to revisit parts of i the gardens she could not possibly have walked I to. I Faulty Cream Collection "The commission in its travels has been astonished to note the carelessness of the majoritv of farmers in not providing properly ventilated and covered stands for their cream while waiting to be picked up by the cream lorries. The cream cans are left m the hot sun i without, adequate protection in most cases, and the quality of the product suffers. This state of things must be remedied," remarked Mr David Jones, a member of the Executive Commission of Agriculture, in outlining to a conference of agricultural and pastoral associai lion delegates last evening the steps that are being taken by the commission to rationalise the daily industry. Trailers lor Motor-Cars The difliculties and dangers which confront cars sometimes when they meet other cars drawing trailers have been brought to the atfen--1 tion of the South Island Motor Union and they will be discussed at. the union's quarterly meeting in Blenheim next month. The union will have before it a suggestion thai it should urge ■ that cars drawing trailers should give some j indication to other traffic that they are doing ; so. I Display of Roses i The relative merits of display boxes and 1 vases for the exhibition of roses were discussed : last, evening at a meeting of the Horticultural ! Societv, after an address on roses had been I given'bv Mr J. Poulsen. lie contended that I roses were displayed to better advantage m j boxes, surrounded by moss and with the stems ' completely (revered. The rose could thus be ! kept in fresher condition with the aid of water I tubes reaching up to Hie bloom, which might I look better if Ihe stem were not seen. Mr ! W. Balch, in moving a vote of thanks, disj agreed with this view and said that, the stem should be seen if the rose were to be judged | for its suitability for growing in the garden. ! Mr Poulsen, in replying, said that roses for j exhibition should be judged solely as speciI mens. i Future of Citrus Industry '■■ -Personally I believe that in tlu- North of ■ Auckland there are possibilities of growing : enough oranges to supply the whole of New ; Zealand," remarked Mr David Jones, a memj her of the Executive Commission of Agricul- | ture, in his address to the conference of dele- ! ga.fes of agricultural and pastoral associations I last evening. He said that the commission, ; the Unemployment Board, and the Agrieuij lure Department were taking an active interest, j in the extension of the industry and jn_ the improvement of New Zealand-grown citrus I fruit. The prospects were regarded as ctis- ; tinctly encouraging. New Disease of Veiuiics The danger of imported peonies being 1 allected with a new virus disease which afj tacked the foliage and caused it to wither up ; was referred to last evening by Mr J. A. j McPherson, curator of the public gardens, in | an address to the Horticultural Society. He j said that the disease was similar to that which I caused striping in tulips and mosaic and leaf ] roll in potatoes. There was no cure yet known \ for if: all that was known was that if was, j conveyed by greenfly. It was to be? found ! on plants coming from England, though Mr j McPherson was not sure if if occurred in those | from Japan. ! Loss of Voice ; A number of people in Auckland have sulj i'ered lately from sudden and unaccountable I loss of voice, without the usual accompaniment of a bad cold or apparent attack of influenza. ; A throat specialist said that such cases had ! been rather common some weeks ago, but he ' had not, encountered any of kite. The cause 1 was generally an influenza infection, so mild | that the patient failed to identify it. If the subject was susceptible to throat afiections, too attack might have no noticeable effect except to weaken the muscles of the larynx or otherwise to interfere with the mechanism of speech. j Rigid Labour Laws There was too much rigidity in some of the labour laws, particularly the Apprenticeship Act, referring to the employment of youths, said Mr A. Kirk, vocational guidance officer at the Wellington Technical College, in an address to the Wellington School Committees' and Educational Federation. He said there should be provision for a mutual arrangement j between employer and boy in cases where a j boy oi' apprentice was deprived of getting ! back into industry because the employer fell. | he could not pay the wage required. There j were cases where the boy would be happy to j come to an arrangement, but the labour laws j laid down regulations about wages and ages | which prevented such an arrangement. ! Oil From Blackiish | Many persons have visited the Tukerau beach. Auckland, to see the large school of j blackfish which was stranded there recently. j An eye-witness of the occurrence said that the fish gradually worked inshore, swimming in circles. Seven of the fish swam out to sea I after most had gone ashore, but they soon | came back and were stranded. The fish, num- | bering nearly 100, are lying packed close together on only about four chains of beach. About three years ago a number of blackfish were stranded on the beach at the northern end of Doubtless Bay, and the natives of the surrounding settlements obtained from the fish a large supply of oil. Already Maoris have started cutting up the fish now stranded in order to obtain oil.