General News

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23263, 25 February 1941, Page 8

General News

Disposal of Mayoral Chain The New Brighton mayoral chain will be without a mayor to wear it when the amalgamation of the borough with the city is completed. Its disposal was considered at a meeting of the Borough Council last evening. Councillors unanimously agreed to present it to the Mayor (Mr E. L. Smith), if the law permits, when the council goes out of existence. This decision was reached in appreciation of Mr Smith’s services to the borough, particularly in the. negotiation of the amalgamation. Mechanical Trouble Delay? Rail-Car The large rail-car, which resumed running on the Christchurch-West Coast line last Friday after a period out of service for minor adjustments, was delayed about 55 minutes by mechanical trouble on the trip from the Coast last evening. The trouble was reported to be in the gears of the car. R.S.A. Membership An increase of nearly 8000 in the membership of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association was disclosed in a report received by the executive of the Christchurch Returned Soldiers’ Association at its meeting last evening. The total membership in the Dominion on January 31, 1941, was 35,168, compared with 27,191 on January 31, 1940. The biggest association was Auckland, with a membership of 4351. Christchurch was next with 3760, then came Wellington 3575, Dunedin 2957, and Invercargill 1117. The president (Mr D. W. Russell) said that since January 31 20 more members had been enrolled in Christchurch,, making the total to date 3780. Amalgamation Flans The Mayor of New Brighton (Mr E. L. Smith) and Crs. J. N. Clarke and C. V. Lester were appointed by the New Brighton Borough Council last evening to represent the borough at sittings of the Christchurch City Council. Advice was received from the Department of Internal Affairs that a proclamation uniting the city and the borough would be issued as soon as technical requirements had been met. Ammunition for Deer Stalkers Efforts are being made by the Minister for Internal Affairs, the Hon. W. E. Parry, to provide ammunition at a reduced rate to unofficial deer stalkers who help in the destruction of the deer. “I regret there has been a break in the granting of cheap ammunition to private stalkers, for the depredations of deer in New Zealand are serious,” Mr .Parry said in Auckland recently. “I am hopeful that the Department of Internal Affairs will be able to get some ammunition, outside of the supplies for the official men, for reselling at a comparatively low rate to private stalkers.” Halfpennies in Demand Finely-adjusted prices for everyday commodities and difficulty in securing coin from the Royal Mint because of the war were the principal reasons advanced by bank and Treasury officials in Wellington for the short-' age of halfpennies experienced in>the last few months. It was also suggested that the illegal export of bronze coin might be continuing to some extent. To help to meet the shortage one Wellington department store has for some time displayed a notice offering to change customers’ halfpennies for coins of other denominations. Interviewed, an official of this firm said that the shortage was particularly acute about Christmas time, and caused some embarrassment, as the price of many lines included a halfpenny. Though the position had now eased, full requirements were still unobtainable. Old Ship Runs Again Cargo offering between Blenheim and Wellington in recent weeks has increased considerably, and for the first time in many years there are two coastal vessels engaged in this service at the same time, the regular scow Echo and the steamer Wairau, which, as the schooner Ronga, was the fastest coaster in New Zealand waters in the early 1900’s. In September, 1900, the year of her launch, she made a record passage between Wellington and Lyttelton of 18 hours, very fast time for a sailing vessel, but in April, 1906, she capsized in a gale near Kaikoura, the master and crew of seven losing their lives. The Wairau was found floating bottom up and towed to Wellington, where William Cable and Company installed the engines that still propel her across Cook Strait. New Industry for Iceland Banana plantations in Iceland seem paradoxical, but scientists declare that bananas can be grown there, because of the island’s hot springs, states the Students’ Digest. The 700 springs rise from their volcanic sources on the west of Iceland. For centuries the steam from the geysers has not been utilised, and if the necessary money can be found to bring this natural heat under control banana groves could be cultivated. Already experiments have been made, and bananas have been grown on a small scale. ' Concern About Rata Bush The unusually severe climatic conditions in 1939 are blamed by the State Forest Service for the dying away of a number of the rata trees in Mamaku bush, whose scarlet blooms used to excite the admiration of visitors by train and road to Rotorua. Writing to the Minister for Internal Affairs, the Hon. W. E. Parry, who raised the matter, the Commissioner of State Forests, the Hon. F. Langstone, stated that an investigating officer of the department had pointed out that there was no evidence of insect attack or fungus disease to account for the dying of the rata tree-tops, but the severity of the extended winter months two years ago had had its effect on the trees. Such damage was impossible to control, and no practical measures could be devised to assist the trees. However, the ratas were not killed and might recover. In any case there was an abundance of young ratas, which would eventually replace those which died. \ Deep-Sea Fishing A striped marlin weighing 3401b was landed after a strenuous fight by the Rev. L. B. Fletcher last week, when he was fishing off Cape Brett. This is the heaviest caught this season in this locality.