General News

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22108, 2 June 1937, Page 8

General News

More Wreckage Found More wreckage, believed to be from the missing Western Federated Aero Club's Gipsy Moth, which was lost when returning to New Plymouth from the South Island air pageant at Hokitika in March, has been found. The machine, which was piloted by Mr Arthur Smith, of Pungarehu, Taranaki, who had as a passenger Mr James Hamill, also of Pungarehu, is thought to have crashed into the sea hear Ohau Point, Makara, during heavy fog.—Press Association. Too Much Football? The opinion that many boys played so much football during their stay at primary and secondary schools that they were temporarily sick of the game by the time their schooling was finished, was expressed by Mr E. V. Phillips at last night's meeting of the Management Committee of the Canterbury Rugby Union. The boys came back to the game later, he said, but they gave it a spell for a year or two after they had finished school football. He advanced that as a reason for the failure of some of the union's oldest clubs to enter a team in each of the lower grades. It was decided, in response to a request from the Merivale Club, that the sub-committee recently appointed to encourage the game in the lower grades should have a conference with officials of the club. Wapiti in the South Having completed his seventh trip into the wapiti country at the back of Lake Te Anau. Mr Ken Sutherland, of Wairarapa, arrived in Dunedin with two fine 15-point heads, the larger of which was 53 inches long, 48 inches wide, and 11 inches round the horn. Mr Sutherland told a reporter that the increasing numbers of shooters working the western shores of Lake Te Anau had driven the wapiti back towards the coast and he had had to strike well into the high country, which had not previously been touched, to secure his heads. During his stay on the block, he saw 13 wapiti, but was struck by the fact that there were very few calves. His opinion was that the cows were too fat to breed. He was convinced, however, that the wapiti were still plentiful in the more inaccessible valleys towards the coast.— "The Press" Special Service. Women's Tramp Over Whitcombe Pass A party of four Christchurch women arrived in Hokitika after having completed a tramp from Canterbury over the Whitcombe Pass. They left Christchurch on May 22 and arrived at Koiterangi on Friday. They were met at the junction of the Whitcombe and Hokitika rivers by Mr A. R. Cropp, of Koiterangi, who accompanied them over the Tast stage of the journey. The members of the party were Misses Singleton, E. and M. Thorpe, and Nurse. "The Old School Tie" "The old school tie" was the subject of passing comment by the Governor-General, Viscount Galway, when he replied to a toast at the annual dinner of the English Public Schools' Club on Saturday evening. "To me there is something very appealing about public school questions and the links which bind us together, school tie or no school tie," his Excellency said. "Personally, I frequently wear my old school tie and I am not the least ashamed to do it." "Coronation Pukeko" A bird destined to have a future as a museum specimen and one which has been aptly named "the Coronation pukeko," was recently shot at Mareretu, North Auckland. The bird, which was, shot on Coronation Day, bears in its plumage the national colours—blue and white breast, and a red coronet. Its wings are black, but the feathers on the back are mostly a pure white. The general effect is one of striking beauty. The rare bird has been sent to the private museum of Mr A. V. Docherty, licensee of the Kaihu Hotel. Slow Response to Fund In the last 12 months £9l has been received in donations to the fund to establish a memorial to Dr. Leonard Cockayne, making a total of £221, according to the annual report of the Royal Society of New Zealand. "It is regretted that the response to the appeal for funds for a memorial to a man who contributed so much to botanical knowledge in New Zealand has been so slow," stated the report. "It is hoped by means of a second circular to those who have not yet contributed to the fund to augment the amount so that the purpose of the memorial may be fulfilled." Assembling New Aeroplanes Rapid progress was made at the week-end with the assembling of one of the two Lockheed Electra monoplanes which arrived from the United States last week for Union Airways. The machines were unloaded from the Limerick at Queen's Wharf, Auckland, on Saturday morning, a special sling,' brought from the United States, making the task possible with a minimum of delay. Two barges, each carrying one of the aeroplanes, and several of the crates containing the wings and other parts, were towed to Hobsonville Air Base by the Kumea. The tide was missed, however, and it was impossible to take the barges alongside the concrete seaplane apron at Hobsonville until the evening, when the machines were wheeled from the barges and across planks to the shore by the light portable floodlamps. English Public Schools With the Governor-General, Viscount Galway, as guest of honour, more than 30 of the 37 recognised English public schools were represented in the gathering of 125 members and guests at the fifth annual dinner of the English Public Schools' Club (Auckland). It was the largest assembly of former pupils of public schools ever, held in Auckland. Cat Returns After Seven Months A cat that was taken in a bag over streams and through bush to a place in the Mount Grey district, 19 miles away, returned to its former home at Coldstream, Rangiora, after seven months' absence, on Monday evening. The cat, which had been the property of Mr H. I. Mehrtens, Coldstream, for 10 years, had been taken away because of its interference with young poultry. The animal was in good condition when it arrived home. Memorial Cairn at Tauranga A memorial cairn on the Monmouth Redoubt at Tauranga will shortly be erected by the Tauranga Borough Council. The memorial, which, it is estimated, will cost £l5O, is to commemorate the erection of the redoubt in 1864 by British troops, including the 43rd Monmouth Light Infantry. The redoubt was used as a shelter for the European women and children during the Maori Wars of 1864. It is probable that the memorial will take the form of a rock wall with a tablet in the centre and seats at either end. A subscription list has already been opened to defray the cost of building the memorial. Journey of Special Lighter Held by hawsers to the starboard side of the motor-vessel Port Waikato, a 70ft barge left Auckland on Saturday afternoon on a long passage to Wanganui. The barge, which will convey meat cargoes from Wanganui works to vessels in the port roadstead, is double-ended, with a beam of 18ft, and has been specially constructed by W. G. Lowe and Son, Ltd., of Auckland, for crossing the Wanganui bar and for lightering work. One hold, running the full length of the barge, has been insulated for the carriage of frozen produce. Work will begin immediately on the construction of a sister-, vessel for use in the same trade. Soldier Settlement's Twenty-first Anniversary The first area in the Auckland Land District, if not in the whole of New Zealand, to be opened up under the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act, the Mahoenui Soldiers' Settlement celebrated its twenty-first anniversary last week. Only two of the original settlers. Messrs T. A. Summers and L. R. Ridling, now remain. In the early days of the settlement determination was required to overcome difficulties, heavy transport costs being a main factor. To-day, however, trim pastures and good roads have transformed the district, the only soldiers' settlement in New Zealand which did not apply for a reduction by the Discharged Soldiers' Revaluation Board.