General News

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21811, 17 June 1936, Page 10

General News

Adverse Report of South Island “The tourist agents at Singapore told me there was nothing to see in the South Island, and that all the beauty spots were in the North Isand,” said Mr L. E. White, of Khota Baru, Malaya, who is on a three months’ visit to the Dominion, when interviewed at Dunedin yesterday. Mr White is plantation manager of the Dominion Rubber Company’s estate. He has just completed a comprehensive tour of the southern portion of the South Island, including the Eglinton Valley and the new KingstonQueenstown road, as a result of which he has revised the opinion he formed from what he was told by the Singapore tourist agents. “In fact,” he said, “that district would be ideal for Malayan planters on leave. The scenery, the sport, and the clear air are all wonderful.”— “The Press” Special Service. Crippled Children’s Fund More than £BOO will be contributed to the crippled children’s fund through the exhibition in Dunedin since May 21 of Titania s Palace. “The Press” Special Service. A Danger in the Air A warning against the flying of kit® s aerodromes was issued yesterday by the Mmister for Defence (the Hon. F. Jones). ine Minister explained that the practice was prevalent, and that it was looked on by the aviation authorities as very dangerous, especially to pupils who were taking their initial courses in flying. The IVlinister S3.id ths/t under the Air Navigation Regulations of 1933, it was provided that “no fixed balloon, kite, or moored airship shall be elevated in the vicinity of any aerodrome without the special authorisation of the Minister.”— Parliamentary Reporter. Morepork as Pet “George Walker” was the name of a morepork which figured in proceedings in the Magistrate’s Court at Auckland when its captor was prosecuted by the Auckland Acclimatis tion Society for being in possession of a protected animal. Defendant, a resident of He - derson, admitted the offence. Counsel for the society said defendant had kept a morepork in captivity at Henderson for about a ycai. He had obviously taken great care of it, and the society was glad to accept his explanation that the bird was caught when young, however, if the door was opened to the public to keep such birds on the pretence of protecting them, a dangerous precedent would be established. There was a danger of the species becoming extinct. “I am a bird lover, saia J“ e defendant, who stated that he had a lot of birds at his home. Blacklist! Stranded Twenty-nine blackfish, a small species of whale, were stranded on Westshore beach, early on a recent morning, and employees of the Napier Harbour Board towed them out to sea again. They varied in size from 12ft to 16ft, and some weighed more than a ton. Apparently finding the shallow water near the beach to their liking, they came close in. The falling tide caught them and they wei e stranded in the sand. A launch was used to tow those which had died on the beach out to sea. A thick rope was tied to the tail of each, which was then towed backward to deep water and released. Some returned to the shore and were stranded again. A party of fishermen stripped the blubber off one to boil it down for oil. The carcase was removed immediately. Early Pensions Payment State pensions will be paid out this month on Monday, June 22. Ordinarily the pay : out would have been made on June 23, but since that is the date of the King’s birthday, pension day has been advanced by the authority of the Minister for Pensions (the Hon. W. E. Parry). In making thjs decision known yesterdav, the Minister expressed the view that the concession made possible by the pensions authorities would be warmly appreciated by pensioners.— Parliamentary Reporter. A Language Problem “Englishmen are the poorest linguists of all, said Miss L. M. Cranwell, botanist at the Auckland War, Memorial Museum, when explaining to a meeting of the Auckland Institute how linguistic difficulties were surmounted at the international botanical congress, held at Amsterdam last September, which was attended by 1000 representatives from 55 countries. She said the Dutch were fine linguists, usually speaking at least one other tongue apart from their own. English, French, and German were spoken at the congress to overcome the speech barrier. Now, more than ever before, there was a tendency for English to be adopted as the scientific medium for botany. Allowances for Returned Men “I think its provisions are very generous and acceptable to the men.” said the chairman. Sir James Gunson, at a meeting of the executive of the Auckland Provincial Patriotic and War Relief Association, when referring to the War Veterans Allowances Act of last year. In answer to Sir George Richardson, Sir James said the operation of the act had results 1 in a considerably diminished demand on the funds of the association. It opened up a much wider field of relief than formerly, as it made eligible for Government pensions all men who had seen front-line service and who were at present unemployable. Dental Care for the Needy A plan for extending the work of the dental hospital by enlisting the services of dentists practising in suburban and rural areas is to be tried by the Auckland Hospital Board, which has invited offers from such practitioners to treat cases allotted to them from the hospital. Since the appointment of Sir Alexander Young early this year as director, the work of the hospital lias been reorganised to make its service available to a larger number of needy people, and the present scheme has been launched for the benefit of patients who cannot be conveniently treated at the headquarters in Kitchener street. It is hoped, with the cooperation of the profession, to provide dental care for children and adults who are unable to make journeys to the city. Intercolonial Barriers “In New Zealand it is thought that there are too many barriers between New Zealand and Australia,” said Dr. J. R. Elder, professor of history at the university of Otago, when speaking at the Millions Club in Sydney. It would be a most valuable movement, he added, for students in New Zealand universities and young people generally to have discussions with students in Australia. “I do not think there is sufficient contact between Australia and New Zealand, and I think it is highly desirable, particularly for young people, to know more of each other. We believe,” he said, “that there were too many barriers between the two countries. The New Zealand Government, for instance, says we must not have Australian oranges, but we want them, and resent that they are denied to us.” Pink and White Terraces Further support for a suggestion that the level of Lake Rotomahana should be lowered, with a view to ascei'taining whether or not the pink and white terraces were destroyed by the eruption of Mount Tarawera 50 years ago, is given by Mr G. M. Fowlds, of Auckland, president of the New Zealand Tourist League. In spite of the statement of the Minister in charge of Tourist and Health Resorts (the Hon. F. Langstone) that no action is to be taken by the Government, Mr Fowlds is hopeful that the lake may be lowered. “Though there is said to be about 140 feet of water in Lake Rotomahana over the approximate site of the terraces, there is still considerable thermal activity indicated by the steaming cliffs and the warm water of the lake,” Mr Fowlds said. “If by the lowering of the lake it was found that the terraces had gone, it is probable that considerable thermal activity in the form of geysers and siliceous forming water might well warrant the work, especially as things appear to be dying out in Rotorua itself. Bearing in mind the wonderful beauty of the terraces and the great draw they would be to our tourist traffic, and the fact that we have nothing like them, surely the scheme justifies close investigation. It would be difficult to say that a considerable expense in the effort is not warranted.”