TOWN AND COUNTRY

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 105, 29 January 1924, Page 3

TOWN AND COUNTRY

NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE PROVINCES

“I am a charitable aid board and benevolent society as well ag a country medico,” stated Dr. Watt at the meeting of the Waitaki County Council on Friday (says the “North Otago Times”).

The deer herds in North Otago are reported to be increasing: rapidly, but (says the “Times”), they are not likely to do much damage to tho farmers’ turnips this year. There are no turnips.

At the Native Land Court at Greytown on Thursday (reports the “Wairarapa Age”) a native agent stated that the Maoris were too fair to adopt any scheme they knew was not equitable.

According to a Masterton man who recently made a motor trip to Auckland (reports the “"Wairarapa Age”), one needs to be in good physical con J dition to withstand tho strain of the journey.

The catching cf kingfish is usually associated with the sport of deep-sea fishing (says the “New Zealand. Herald”), but a visitor to Waiuku last week had the unusual experience of hooking a fine kingfish from the beach and landing it after an exciting fight. The fish weighed 3841 b., and was 3ft. 7in. in length. A light line and a medium hook were used.

A Timaru resident who visited the Fairlie district on Friday stated to a “Post” reporter that, although the country was dry and the crops short, the wheat generally was filling well, and he did not think the loss to the farmers would be as great as was at first thought.

“To the layman New Zealand daily newspapers have, nothing to learn from the Australian dailies except in the matter of illustrations,” said Mr. Gordon. Reed, who (reports the “Wanganui Herald”) recently returned to New Zealand after a visit to Australia. “Sydney papers are even behind those of Melbourne. New Zealand news is conspicuous by its absence, and even English cable news is relegated to a comparatively unimportant position.”

A native associated with the Native Land Court informed a “Wairarapa Age” reporter on Thursday that while a merging of the Maoris with the Europeans was inevitable, the young Maori could be best prepared for this eventuality if the brave deeds of his forefathers were pictured to him in kinematograph reality.

A Timaru “Post” reporter has heard a good story of how a young lady of Southland narrowly missed a fortune, and its truth is vouched for by the informant. Recently an old man who was believed to be worth nearly £30,000 asked the young lady to marry him on the following day. He promised to give her all his worldly goods as soon as they were married.. She refused; and the old man died two days afterwards!

“A lot of people think that an agricultural show is a place where a few fanatics show a few cattle and a few horses, and make money. It is nothing of the sort,” declared Mr. W. Hall at a presentation to Mr. IV. B. Grant (president of the Taranaki Metropolitan Agricultural Society) at New Ply; mouth on Friday (says the “Taranaki News”). Those who exhibited animals at shows were helping to keep up tho reputation of stock and preventing it from deteriorating, which otherwise would happen. “And they do not make money,” added Mr. Hall.

The geographical propinquity of Australia and New Zealand has been the subject of endless confusion to our friends overseas (says the Auckland “Star”), and Aucklanders have often felt humiliated when their city has been referred to as an integral part of Australia. Mr. Massey,. however, turned the table to the advantage of Auckland during a distribution of prizes on the Makura. In a pardonable reference to this beautiful city the Prime Minister was interrupted with a query, “What about Sydney?” “Oh, yes,” was his quick retort, “the suburb of Auckland.”

During the course of the remark? upon the need for reverting to the system of forwarding waybills, with goods trucks, Mr. .Harris, Railway Traffic ■ Manager at Auckland, told a deputation waiting upon the Minister of Railways (the Hon. J. G. Coates) on Friday morning, that it had been found that the forwarding of waybills ■with a truck of goods resulted _in thefts, and on more than one occasion whisky had been stohm. A member of the deputation (relates the “Star”), remarked he was surprised to hbar that, as he was under the impression that anyone who ordered whisky would be on the station waiting for the train to arrive.

After defendant had given evidence as to his means (relates the “Auckland Star”), in an endeavour to show Mr. E. O’. Cutten, S.M., why he could not afford to pay his wife more than f.2 per week on a maintenance order, Mr. Cutten inquired: “What was the trouble between your wife and yourself? —“Oh, it’s a long story, sir.” “Well, I don’t want to hear it then,” said Mr. Cutten. “No, I don’t want to burden you with the story. I made a false step, that’s all; she is my cousin, and I should never have married her.” added defendant.

“The inspectors in Auckland are over-worked,” said Mr. H. S. Izard, president of the Auckland Fruitgrowers’ Council, at the meeting of nurserymen on Thursday evening, and we hardly ever see them. In, fact, they are engaged nearly all their time in the office tabulating outbreaks of fire blight. In the Henderson district we are paying an inspector to go round the orchards ourselves, and he is doing very good work.” Fire blight was occurring year after year, and the Government was very lax about it.— “Auckland Star.”

When the name of a woman was called in connection with a judgment summons (relates the “Star”), in the Auckland Magistrate's Court on Friday morning, Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., asked what the position was. “Well, your Worship, when I noticed her husband’s death notice in the paper I issued the summons against her,” replied the solicitor for the judgment creditor. Thereupon another solicitor remarked that the husband was still alive; in fact, he had had letters from him. “Oh, I see,” said Mr. Hunt. “I will strike the matter out then.” The lady (relates tho “Auckland Star”) was short, stout, attired in a neat blue serge frock, and altogether prosnerous looking. She sat. roundfaced and happy, as the dulcet tone of her counsel pleaded her claim to maintenance in the Magistrate’s Court on Friday morning. “Your Worship.” counsel murmured, and his voice was low and full of tragedy, “mv client is starving.” Then the dignity of the Court collapsed as opposing counsel interjected: “Yes, she looks it.” And tho lady, amused as much as those in Court, I'jagbed heartily.

Writing to her parents from London under date of November 27 (reports the “Taranaki News”), Miss Maida Hooker, of Hawera. makes an interesting comment bearing on the price of food commodities: “Meat here is a price. English meat we never buy, as it is sold from Is. sd. to Is. lOd. a lb. We always get imported, but even that is Is. 2d. per lb. Week-ends our butcher sells special priced beef at 91b. a lb.—a wonderful bargain unsurpassed elsewhere in London. Potatoes are about Is. 6d. or Is. 9d. a quarter, a cauliflower (for two people) 4d., cooking apples 4d. and sd. a lb. eating apples up to lOd. and Is. a lb., and cabbages from 2d. up.”

A hairbreadth escape from death was the astounding experience of a youth on the Papakura suburban train on Friday morning (relates the “Auckland Star”). As the train pulled in to the Auckland station he projected himself feet foremost through the first window of the rear carriage while the vehicle was still in motion. He landed on the platform, but the impetus of the train caused him to lose his balance and pulled him down head foremost on to the permanent way, where to the horror of the temporarily paralysed onlookers on all that could be seen this side of the rails was a pair of legs. Closer observation revealed that the rear wheels of the bogie car had stopped a matter of inches away and the youth crawled out unhurt and hurried off, his only injury being the loss of l.is lunch, which slipped from his grasp in the fall.

A problem which is causing ’some concern to Dunedin city fathers is that of the shortage of houses in the city. The Mayor (Mr. H. L. Tapley) stated on Thursday (says the “Otago Daily Times’’), that he had received repeated applications from people wanting nouses. Only that morning a man with a family of seven told him that he had been ordered out of a condemned house ,at Laurel Bank, and that lie, had nowhere to go. There was another case of a woman with several children, whose husband had been removed to a sanatorium, and she had had to vacate the house, and could not find another. The Mayor further stated that something should be done to provide accommodation for these people, pending the arrangement of some house-building scheme. He stated that he would be obliged if anybody hayirrr_vacant houses which would be suitable for these people would advise him so that he might assist those people.

“The life of a country doctor is not all beer and skittles.” This assertion (says the _ “North Otago Times”), was made in all seriousness by Dr. Watt, of Kurow, at the meeting of the Waitaki County Council on Friday. The doctor produced documentary evidence in support of his contention, a resident of Christchurch having written him vehemently repudiating an account for sendees rendered to his deceased son. The parent said the son was of age, and should have made provision for his medical treatment before he became ill. Again, a young man went to town with a cheque for £lOO. This he dissipated in a few days. He returned home penniless, and suffering from pneumonia. The doctor treated him, bat he succumbed to his illness, and theite was not the slightest hoj>e of receiving payment for medical services. This is one of similar cases that were constantly happening in the country.

■The Rev. John Paterson, in prefacing his address on “The Humour of Robert Burns,” at the Christchurch Caledonian Society’s gathering on Thursday night, said that on previous occasions when giving 'addresses on Scotland’s poet, he got a Scotsman to recite the quotations he mado from the poet’s works. Ete recalled that he once addressed, in Hebrew, the professor under whom he studied, and the professor commented: "Well, I am an old man, and I have been in many lands, and I have Been and heard many strange things, but never before havto I heard a man talk Hebrew with a Cockney accent!” Mr. Paterson added (relates the “Press”), when the laughter had subsided, that he did not want to quote Burns with an Australian accent which was something akin to the Cockney.

It is sometimes claimed (says the “Timaru Post”) that New Zealanders are great travellers; indeed, it is sometimes argued that they travel too much—that they are infected to a far too great an extent with the germs of wanderlust. But there are exceptions. Among the multitude who came from Christchurch on Friday with the monster picnic excursion, was a veteran who reached the shores of New Zealand by one of the historic “First Four ships.” He is indeed one of the “Pilgrim Fathers.” During the intervening seventy-three years he resided in New Zealand- —in Canterbury, in fact. However, the excursion was the first occasion on which he h.ad visited the capital of South Canterbury. Surely that immigrant of 1850 cannot be accused of still possessing the wanderlust which prompted his parents to come to New Zealand at a time when it was an almost unknown land.

If the story of two young men from the South Island is to be believed, then there is a regular young army of unemployed in Auckland, following on the inevitable slowing down of the wheels of trade after the Christmas and New Year rush. In conversation with a “Star” reporter they stated that for the past seven weeks they had been looking for employment. What they wanted was not a job for a day or two, but something which would bring in wages for about a month, so that thev might gather ''"•other the wherewithal to return South. Scanning the daily advertisement columns keenly, and early, they made it a practice to make a bid for any sort of job that promised to be at all permanent. They are now weary, disappointed, and drawing near to the day . the exchequer will register “nil.” Forty, fifty—in one instance eighty men were Usually before them whenever they arrived at the place named as the depot for applications. Every kind of job, from draper’s assistant, storehand, lorry-driver, lift-man to labourer had been tried, but without success. Always the long queue, and the announcement, taunting in its frequency, “The job has been filled.” One of the southerners looked at the rapidly-moving throngs in _ Queen Street, and remarked that it was strange that, in a town apparently so busy and prosperous, two well setup young men should feel tho pinch. Considerable interest was taken recently when Ngauruhoe commenced emitting large volumes of smoke, the greatest signs of activity displayed by this volcano for the past five years. However, for about a week clouds obscured tlie cone and Taupo residents wme unable to tell whether a continuance of this activity was being maintained (says the “Napier Telegraph ’). Towards the end of last week the sky cleared and it was seen that in the week there had been a considerable subsidence. As there has been no other activity of any note in tho thermal regions the reason for Ngauruhoo’e misbefrayipur jejnajnj unexplained.