LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 218, 9 June 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

In acknowledging the kindly spirit of the welcome accorded him by the members of the Now Zealand Club at luncheon yesterday, Major Booze, special commissioner for the Royal Colonial Institute, compared himself to the man who forwarded si botllef of .cherry brandy to a friend, and afterwards received a letter in which the friend expressed his gratitude "for tho beautiful bottle of cherries, and tho spirit in which it was sent." 'With regard io the length of the speech he proposed to deliver, Major Booze said ho understood that a good speech should resemble a lady’s skirt. It should be long enough to cover the subject, nnd short enough to be interesting. Taking his cue from the first speaker, Colonel Ralston, tho other guest of the club, also made n remark about speech-making in general. Ho told his audience that the emblem of Rotary—the organisation which ho represented—was a cog; and that he reulsed in regard to speeches as well as wheels, that "tho longer tho spoke, the greater the tire.’*

Mrs. Farr, wlio was detained on tho Ulimaroa on arrival from Sydney on Monday, informed a representative of The Dominion last evening that her refusal to sign the statutory form of allegiance was not done as an act of disloyalty, as she was a loyal citizen, but she had acted as she had because she was desirous of being taken back to Sydney for reasons connected with the case in which she was recently concerned there. Mrs. Farr is at present staying with friends in Wellington.

One of the many urgent questions to bo .faced by the R.Z.R.S.A. in the near future is that of the unemployed soldier, states the annual report of the Returned Soldiers’ Association. The report mentions that it has been pointed out to tlje Government that returned soldiers were being dismissed from Government positions, in some cases the discharged men being replaced by immigrants, and adds: "Surely this is not right; and certainly it is not fair to our comrades." The general policy of the N.Z.R.S.A. on the question of unemployment is;—(1) Fit men —(a) Partial-ly-trained tradesmen to be fully trained; (b) remainder to be sent to relief works — a splendid chance to get some of the big Government jobs done, which have been hung up owing to scarcity of labour. (2) Unfit—(a) Partially-trained tradesmen to be fully trained; (b) the remainder to be found suitable jobs in tho Government service by replacing girls, superannuated officers, and non-combatants. And in both cases the co-operation of business men.

When the discovery of the transfusion of blood from one body to’ another was made in tho reign of Charles II it gave rise to some pretty conceits, including that of a possible exchange between a Quaker and an' archbishop, as readers of the garrulous Pepys were reminded at Auckland on Monday evening by Dr. K. Mackenzie, who was lecturing on the advances made in medical science.

It was thought by some of the people 'who lived in the reign of the merry Stuart that this discovery of blood trans-

fusion was going to lead to the rejuvenation of old fogeys by giving them a liberal dose of the blood of a young and vigorous person, but that was soon

found to be fallacious. Dr. Afackenzie referred to the present-day experiments in Europe with thyroid glands, by which it was suggested youth would, be renewed. . The doctor said he thought that hope was just as vain as was the expectations that wtvro raised when blood transfusion was discovered. —"Star."

The trapping of fish in the Wairarapa district is going forward very well, according to a report made at yesterday’s meeting of the Acclimatisation Society. There are now something like 200,000 eggs stripped and in the hatchery. A succession of floods has given the trappers considerable trouble, and time after time the traps have been washed out. When it is known that a. flood is coming down a certain river, and is likely to wash out the traps, the curator or his assistants have to rush down to the river and take the fish from the traps before the flood reaches them. Sometimes they have to wade into the chilly water above their waists, at midnight, and then dash off in a motor-car thirty or forty miles to another river. Last year the total output was 280,000, and it is hoped that the total this year will be considerably over last year’s total. An opinion that the financial position was elightly easier and that possibly the peak of the crisis was passed, was referred this week by a "Herald” reporter to a prominent Auckland business man. "I do not think so," he replied. "I $0 not think the position will cease until 1922. My reason is this: The banks will be called on to finance the butter and cheese factories from the opening of tho dairy season until the produce is on tho London market. This accommodation probably will be required until Novemer or December. For the last five or six years this money was found by tho Imperial Government. At present we know that the banks are 'up against it' in trying to finance commercial people with heavily over-loaded stocks. The outlook is therefore not encouraging. I think the tightest time in the money market will be during September, October, November, and December." Any temporary easing of tho position which might have been noticeable, he said, was due to the liquidation of stocks. A large quantity of stocks were now being sold Below cost. Such a movement was merely transitory, and had hardly any effect upon the general situation, which was governed by the banking institutions.

Tho first Rotary Club In New Zealand was’ established in Wellington on Tuesday. Mr. J. L. Ralston, president of the Rotary Club of Halifax, occupied the chair until the president was elected. The officers were elected as follow President. Mr. A. F. Roberts; vice-president, Mr. C. C. Odlili; secretary, Mr J. W. Carr; treasurer, Mr. E. W. Hunt; Sergeant-nt-arrriH, Mr. C. A. Lawrence; directors, . Messrs. D. A. Ewen, S. Kirkcaldie, Professor E. Marsden, M. Myers, J. Parker, and AV. D. Stewart. A number of congratulatory messages have since been received from clubs in jiher parts of tho world.

A letter was read at the meeting or the Acclimatisation Society last night suggesting that opossums should bo liberated at Haurangi Reserve, known locally as Bull Hill. The correspondent stated that the place would lx> a good breeding ground for opossums. It was pointed out this was a matter for the Forestry Department, and the letter is to be forwarded to (hem. The secretary mentioned that there wore several inquiries for opossums. The ranger mentioned that one party at Paraparaumu took 50 opossums for one night’s trapping, under unfavourable weather conditions.

The slump in New Zealand timber '■> likely to prove a Serious set-back io many West Coast mills (slates ;t’> , v change) 11 is officially staled thi'i. owing to lock of orders, tho mills v.ill probably have to close down until better conditions rule.

The Vice-Consul for Spain advised the Acclimatisation Society last night that the next <.km<grees of Fisheries is to bo held nt Santander from July 31 to August 7.

"The glories of the Tongariro National Park are. not fully realised," said the Mayor, Mr. J. 11. Gunson, when speaking in Auckland on .Monday evening at the initial meeting of the sports club formed in connection with this great mountain playground. "Isolated though it is by bad roads, both north and south, a splendid road, the work of the. Prisons Department, runs for 20 miles through it. It is a magnificent motor drive. To anyone who has not experienced it, it is difficult to conceive the pleasure of an early morning run through this noble scenery, with tho sqn just climbing over the snow-clad mountain tops.”

Tho New Zealand brass-band contest is to be held in ’Wellington in February next. Dates have been secured at the Town Hall from February 13 to 21 (inclusive).

Dr. C. A. Cotton lectured last night to members of the Wellington Philosophical Society on "Evidence of AVnrping on the Eastern Side of Wellington Harbour.’’ At the conclusion of his lecture, which was illustrated by lantern slides, Dr. Cotton was accorded a vote of thanks.

Attention is given in the annual report of iho New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association to tho question of conscientious objectors and military defaulters. "During the year," says the report, "this subjjecti Jias been freely discussed at many a U.S.A, meeting us the Government clearly stated early last year that six months would be remitted from sentences imposed on all military defaulters —conscientious objectors included—and tha tv. Cabinet had decided that there would be no more prosecutions of these defaulters. These two declarations, later on backed by Sir Andrew Russell in ft speech, caused many associations to express their true feelings regarding the ’’conchies.* The tenor of all these reso-

lutions can lie summed up in that of Palmeston North, viz., ’That no conscientious objector be released till his sentence is fully served.’ ” A reply to recent criticism of the sow-

ing of heather seed on the Tongariro National Park was made by Mr. John Cullen, the warden of the park, nt the meeting of the newly-formed sports club at Auckland this week. Experience already gained in New Zealand, he said, showed that heather did not spread and become a. menace to agriculture. The late Sir Donald M'Lean had sown two sacks of seed in the Hawke’s Bay district 48 years ago, and the plant had not spread further. The same was the case of heather sown on Flagstaff Hill, Dunedin, in Central Otago, and on Campbell Island. Heather had a number of uses. On the moors in Britain sheep and young cattle were grazed on it, bees wore taken to heather areas in the flowering season for the splendid honey it yielded, and heather areas when used for grouse breeding were of great value. Mr. A. J. Entrican endorsed Mr. Cullen’s remarks as to heather not spreading. He added that it could be eradicated by one ploughing.—“New Zealand Herald."

Talking about vivisection at Auckland on Monday during his lecture, D. Kenneth Mackenzie said there were people who took extreme views on the subject, such as tho woman who, when giving evidence before a commission, said she had such a strong objection to the subordination of the lower animals to the use of man that she would not ride a horse, milk a cow, or eat an egg; against which there were the enthusiasts who objected to any control, whatever over their experiments with the lower animals. The doctor’s summing-up of the matter was to ask his audience two questions. He asked them if they thought that in a case’of life or death a surgeon would be justified in ignoring the results discovered by means of vivisection; and whether any person would advocate ihat those results should not bo used if someone near and dear to them were lying dangerously HlP—"Star."

Poisoned oats aro being used successfully for the destruction of rabbits, but the method is having a serious effect, on the nativo game (states the Clyde correspondent of the Dunedin "Star"). Reports from the Lakes district disclose that ducks are being killed in great numbers. In connection with the formation of Rabbit Boards, though the majority are in favour, there is much opposition, small farmers objecting to being Jinked up with the large landowners. The matron of the Hospital acknowledges with thanks the following gifts:— Flowers, Airs. Hills, Daniel Street, weekly; Taranaki Street Alethodist Bible Class, Airs. Sidney Kirkcaldie. Linen: Mrs. J. P. Luke. Parcel of clothing: Two-Garment Society. Books: Airs. Greville. Dr. Steele. Scrap books: Joyce Hawkins and Winnie Williams, Alount Cook School; Petone District High School. Ten 0.5., Opera House, per Mr. Bert Royle. Apples : Miss Al'Adam. One splint with, boot and one walking stick. Alts. Turner, Kelburn.

Some aioclimatli sation districts pay royalties on shags’ feet and others on tho heads. This anomaly allows unscrupulous applicants to obtain double royalties by sending the feet to one district and the heads to another. Air. AViffin mentioned at the meeting of the Acclimatisation Society last night that the Government had been recommended to make royalties payable only on heads or feet.

An explosion sufficient to involve serious risk to employees occurred at the municipal destructor at Christchurch recently, ns the result of a garage sending in. with tho contents of its refuse tin, a quantity of partially-used carbide. Attention was drawn to the practice at the meeting of the Christchurch City Council this week. "People who put dangerous goods into rubbish which is intended for the destructor are simply criminals,” said the Mayor, when the Electricity Committee recommended that publicity be given to the matter with the object of preventing a recurrence of the trouble.' Dr. Thacker added that, cartridges and other explosives were sometimes found in rubbish at the destructor Such carelessness might lead to the loss of valuable lives.