General News

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21989, 13 January 1937, Page 8

General News

Sporting Minister The Minister for Public Works '(the Hon. R. Semple), who is a keen sportsman, is enthusiastic about the fishing and shooting to be had in Canterbury. While on his visit to Christchurch during the last week or so, principally on holiday, he spent a great deal of time in the country and had some good sport. On Sunday he landed a fair-sized salmon. at Lake Coleridge, having that advantage over his companion, the Hon. G. R. Hunter, who had no fuck at all. But, Mr Hunter said yesterday, he had the pleasure of eating Mr Semple/s salmon. On Monday evening Mr Semple and Mr Hunter were the guests of a Darfield farmer for shooting, and, firing at hares picked up in the lights; of a moving motor-car, had splendid sport. The party secured a big bag for a night shoot. Ministers to Visit the"South Within the 1 next fortnight a big Ministerial party will pass through Christchurch on the way to the south to make various official visits. Four members of the Cabinet —the Minister for Public Works (the Hon. R. Semple), the Minister for Lands (the Hon. F. Langstone), the Minister for Agriculture (the Hon. W. Lee Martin), and the Minister for Mines (the Hon. , P. C. Webb)—will be in Central Otago at the same time, the party amounting to one of the biggest Ministerial "invasions" for some time. Mr Webb will visit Central Otago to investigate | problems arising from the gold-mining industry, and Messrs Semple, Martin, and Langstone will investigate various angles of "proposed irrigation schemes in that area. Long Association with Hotel Tl}e unusual record of a West Coast hotelkeeper, Reginald Fane, is mentioned in a letter to "The Press" from Mr W. Keller, of Hpkitika, following the reference in a recent issue to his own family's long association with the one hotel there. Fane arrived in Hokitika in 1866, after selling his interests in a Havelock hotel for £lO, "walk in, walk out." He set up in business in the Havelock Hotel in Hokitika, and shortly afterwards took the license of the Dunedih Hotel. *»He held that license until his death in 1913, at the age of 84. On his death a son-in-law tobk over the license and maintained the family association unbroken. Wellington's New Railway Station The actual date of the opening of the new Wellington railway station has" not yet been announced; but Mr G* H. Mackley, general manager of railways, said yesterday that it would probably be shortly after Easter, as the handing over of the building by the contractors was fixed for March 31. It was not advisable, in view of the probable heavy traffic" at the Easter period, to make the change-over Until after that traffic was dealt with. —Press Association. Old Church Desecrated Excursionists last Sunday desecrated the Anglican Church at Russell—the oldest surviving church in New Zealand. The collection box was smashed and rifled, the altar rail broken, the Bible, flags, and seats moved, and cigarette butts, matches, lunch papers, and confectionery wrappers scattered over the floor. Great indignation is felt at the desecration of the church, particularly in view of its historical associations.—Press Association. 1 .JMails Across the Tasman The close-association of Nov Zealand with the neighbouring Commonwealth of Australia is exemplified not only by the heavy tourist, traffic across the Tasman, but in the great volume of mails exchanged. In the first three weeks of December, the New Zealand Post Office received from Australia 2260 bags of mails and 984 bags of parcels, while the Dominion's dispatches to the Commonwealth totalled 1245 bags containing 98481b of letters and 36,6561b of other articles. It is estimated that in this mail nearly 400,000 letters were sent across the Tasman, the total including a small proportion for South Africa and India. An Alpine Dog Five ascents to the summit of Mount Egmont before reaching the age of two years is not the record of an infant prodigy, but of Alpine Garry, the St. Bernard dog at . Stratford Mountain House. Alpine Garry celebrated his second birthday this week, but in spite of. his tender years he is so large that he can stand on four feet and look down on the occupants of a baby car. The only member of his breed in the province, Garry has been immensely popular with visitors to east Egmont since Mr J. Carryer, the custodian, obtained him as a pup from Melbourne. In spite of an enforced rest after being run over by a motor-truck and seriously injured, Garry has been five times to the summit of the mountain.' In December he accompanied Mr Carryer on a climb from the Stratford house to the summit, down to Kahui hut, and back to Stratford,by the same route. Garry's bugbear is hot weather, and in the storms of the last few weeks he has been one of the few happy animals in New Zealand. He had a perfect day for his birthday, on which he was allowed to indulge his one weakness—strawberries, followed by cherries. Seagulls Inland ■ > ■ The name "seagull" is rapidly becoming a misnomer when applied to birds of that ilk in the Tikokino district, Hawke's Bay, a farmer in that area told a reporter recently. At one time when the seagull was seen inland people were inclined to take it as an indication that- ' rough weather was to be expected at sea. Today, according to this Tikokino farmer, whole colonies of seagulls are being reared and die in country districts without ever having seen the sea. Further than that, they are becoming i something more than a nuisance to the farmer. ! They are fond of the raw flesh of sheep and "lambs, and, like hawks and crows, they are not ' j very particular. whether the sheep or lamb is i dead before commencing the meal, and the eyes \ are the first to be attacked. Pens, Ink, and Blotters i To provide pens, ink; and blotters for 2192 post offices, having more than 6000 public desks, the Post Office spends a considerable sum every year. Its regard for economy enables it assess closely the cost even of trifles, and some of the calculations are on the impressive side. For instance, about 632,000 sheets of blotting paper are used in the public offices in a year, and considerably more than 100,000 pen-nibs. When the penholders for a brief season were somewhat attractive, an appreciative public took away as souvenirs of departmental good taste two-thirds of the supply of 7000 within three months. Penholders used to-day are severely utilitarian. Breeding of Game , Although the decision of the Government to establish a game farm at Ngongotaha (Auckland) was delayed until late last year, and pens and outhouses had to be erected before breeding operations could be commenced, satisfactory results have already been achieved, ana up to the present more than 600 pheasants have been raised and 100 other birds are expected to be hatched this week. In the past the Internal Affairs Department has experienced considerable difficulty in-securing birds for liberation in the Rotorua and Taupo districts, and only by - a thorough combing of the country have sufficient birds been secured from private breeders. The establishment of the game farm will provide a solution to the difficulty in this respect, and also enable a better stocking of the district with birds for the shooting season. » Surprise for Airwoman . To see her name standing out boldly on the ; terraced formation of the Waiotapu Reserve (Auckland province) was a surprise experienced by Miss Jean Batten when she visited the reserve during a holiday visit which she is at' present enjoying in.the district. Miss-Batten previously visited the reserve in August, 1934, when her name was spelled out in pebbles and s placed on the surface of the terrace over which there is a light flow of silicated mineral water. When she visited the reserve last week the pebbles w ere still there. In the period of a little more than two years they had become firmly cemented to the terrace formation by the petrifying action of the water.