TOWN AND COUNTRY

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 116, 14 February 1928, Page 12

TOWN AND COUNTRY

NEWS FROM NEAR AND FAR

Quinnat salmon have begun their run up the Waitaki River. Several are reported to have been seen miles up the river, but only one has so far been captured (reports an exchange). This was taken with a minnow near the Waitaki pi’idge, and turned the scale at between 151 b. and 161 b. Kahawai are at present very numerous at the mouth of tho river, and these have been affording anglers splendid sport.

“The bookings through the Invercargill tourist office for the season have been the heaviest since its inauguration,” was the statement of an official at Invercargill the other morning (says the “Times”). The Milford Track and Queenstown still retain their position as the most, popular resorts, but Stewart island has made a rapid stride forward.

ro Australians than usual have booked for Southland resorts, and thougji

Jlk of the Commonwealth business still goes north, there are indications it the local beauty spots are becoming more widely known across the Tasman.

Bees buzzed noisily about the King’s Wharf the other day, and there was evidently another queen astray (says the Auckland “Star”). She explored all likely places for settling down, and finally fixed upon the bottom of a rotating crane cabin. Although the habitation left much to be desired from a bee point of view, the hive remained in undisputed possession, and the crane went on with its ordinary cargo, the mechanic inside rejoicing in the lack of sociability between himself and the visitors.

An old settler recalls a season about nineteen years ago, when the dry spell continued until the end of February, and then there was a wonderful autumn, which kept the season going much later than usual (says the Hawera “Star”). Those farmers who kept their cows milking—there must have been a strong inclination to dry them off and have done with them when they were giving so little—reaped the reward of their determination and secured a return that compensated to some extent for tie dry spell.

It was a novel experience for those who attended the morning session of the Gore Magistrate’s Court recently to be treated to a short mouth-organ solo (remarks the "Southland Times”). It came about as the result of Sergeant Packer questioning the ability of one witness to manipulate the little instrument, although he stated that this was accounted as one of his accomplishments. The sergeant dispatched a constable to procure one and handed it over to the witness with the request for “Bye, Bye, Blackbird,” a number previously mentioned by the man in the box. In quite a professional manner witness acceded to the request.

Mean, despicable and contemptible is the only way to describe the person who committed the following cruel action one morning (says the Ashburton “Guardian”). A resident of Ashburton, whose mother, 84 years of age, is au inmate of the County Hospital, went to work, leaving a pad and pencil outside his door for any messages that might arrive. Happening to return home during the morning, he found the following message written on the pad: “Mother dying.” On his way to the hospital he sent several telegrams to friends and relations. When he arrived at the hospital he found that the message was a hoax.

Bathers at the Grey Beach have been having an unpleasant time owing to the presence of large shoals of jellyfish (states the Greymouth “Star”). The moment they come in contact with a bare limb they attach themselves to it, and when the bather removes the jellyfish it responds by stinging. The result is a painful rash often accompanied by a swelling of the affected part. The feet, ankles and shins are the parts of the body most open to attack. The beach is strewn with the fish washed ashore and left high and dry by the receding tide.

Evidence of various escapes from motoring accidents can now be seen in fair numbers along the Napier-Taupo section of the Napier-Auckland road (says the “Telegraph”). In places where steep banks' fall sheer away from the Side of the road wheel marks can be observed perilously close to the edge, and in one or two cases the mile posts ou the edge of the road have been knocked out. Evidence of less fortunate drivers is seen at Carmichael’s Hill, where the remains of a burned car now lie, and on the Titiokura Hill, where a car rests wheels upward on the side of the road, testifying to a somersault during recent days.

No eels are found in the Waikato River at a certain point above Arapuni, a strange fact which led a member, at a meeting of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society at Putaruru to suggest that it should be made a subject of scientific investigation (reports the "Star”). Before the creation of Arapuni Lake there was a small fall in the locality, but in flood time it was a rapid, and for that reason it is not thought it could have been a bar to eels’ migration south. On other tributary streams in the district the eel has been known to circumvent waterfalls by traversing dewladen grass in paddocks, while elvers readily made a steep ascent through spray-drenched moss. Some of the old Maoris offer an explanation of the eelless portion of the Waikato. They say that it was a hnppy hunting ground of a taniwha, and for that reason the eels did not invade it.

The experience of a Gisborne motorist who has just returned from a visit to Auckland proves that it is not always wise to let popular opinion regulate one s movements (remarks the “Herald’). While in Auckland the Gisborne man expressed his intention of visiting the motor races at Muriwai beach, and was immediately advised by several of his friends and acquaintances to go out to the beach the night before, in order to avoid the rush of ears on the day of the meeting. Instead of taking thio advice, however, he set out for the beach, and saw only one car ou the . road on the whole of the trip. On arrival at Muriwai Leach lie found hundreds upon hundreds of cars drawn up there, the owners of which had all driven out the night before to avoid the rush. The return trip was made under equally pleasant conditions, as tho Gisborne motorist was the first to leave the beach, and had no other cars in front of him to "give him their dust.”

For Maori men and women the summer season is usually a busier one than the winter, and many of them are able to earn enough in employment available from spring to autumn to tide them over the winter with comparatively little effort. This year, however, conditions are reported to be less favourable, and a considerable number of Maoris have drifted into the ranks of tlie unemployed (says the Auckland “Star”). The fact that their employment is largely of a casual nature has made them suffer in a marked degree from tho decrease in the . farming of native-owned lands. Maoris who were recently employed in the timber industry have also been put out of work by the closing of many mills. They have proved themselves to be skilled axement, hut are unable to pursue other occupations with equal success.

That ragwort is a real menace to stock is indicated by the fact that a farmer in tho Te Awamutu district has lost sixteen cows in 26 months through eating ragwort (states Te* Awamutu correspondent of the “New Zealand Herald”). The Government veterinarian vouches for tile statement. The owner of the stock is seeking methods of combating the pest, which is spreading over his and neighbouring properties. It is stated he is communicating with the Cawthron Institute asking for supplies of the cinnamon moth, which the institute is confident will kill the ragwort.

Huge trout, long, lean, and voracious, haunt the quiet pools of the upper Waib.ou, fish that hold cannibalistic feasts on smaller ones of their kind, but eye with derision the gaily-tinted Hies that anglers cast. “Fresh-water sharks” was tile description applied to them by a country angler at a meeting of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society held at I’utaruru (says the “Star”). He said that young trout could not thrive in the Waihou until the old. fish were exterminated, and suggested a few plugs of “jelly” as the quickest means towards a laudable end. Although partially sympathetic, other members insisted upon fair fishing to shift the big trout, and it was decided next season to allow either fly, spoon, .or minnow fishing in the Waihou.

On looking round the Mid-Canterbury districts it is very noticeable that oats no longer constitute the chief crop (states the “Lyttelton Times”). The low price obtained in recent years has compelled farmers to favour the growing of wheat, so that this season shows a marked increase in the area under wheat, and a corresponding decrease in the acreage of oats. It is, in fact, estimated that there are 50 per cent, less Algerians this year than usual. One reason for this is that, owing to the shortage of feed during the winter, many paddocks of Algerians had to be fed right off instead of being kept for early crops. Thus, although there is every indication that the average will be equal to last season’s, yet the total yields will fall far short of the usual returns for this part of the country.

An accident which might have had serious results happened recently to the boiler being used for spraying the roads with bitumen (reports an exchange). Through some unaccountable reason an explosion took place which blew the pipe off the front of the machine The bitumen, at a temperature of about 400 degrees, was sprayed all over, the road, at the same time catching fire. Flames and smoke rose to a height of over 56 feet, giving out great heat. NVitli great promptitude the tractor was hitch'd to the burning machine, which was taken out of the main street of Rahotu to where it could do no damage. As it was, some paint on a petrol pump was scorched, and also a shade in front of a shop damaged. Had the machine been left there, no doubt further damage would have occurred. The operator of the machine had left it temporarily, otherwise he would have been badly burned.

In the Moroccan phosphates which are being unloaded from the s.s. Kintyre at the Newton King Wharf bare been found numerous well-preserved teeth measuring from half an inch to an inch in length (states the “Taranaki Herald”). These teeth, which are those of fish, must be of a great age, as the phosphates are mined 200 miles inland from the port of Casablanca. Mr. W. W. Smith, of New Plymouth, who has examnied the teeth, states that they are “phosphatised teeth fossils” of fishes which probably were common during the geological period when the phosphate lied vVas deposited. The presence of teeth and banes in phosphates is common, in many countries.

It is said that fellow countrymen in a strange land, flock, like birds of a feather, together, the universal freemasonry of the Jews being popularly advanced as the classic instance. There was another excellent sample afforded in Napier the other night, however, on tlie occasion of a fire in a Chinese laundry in Hastings Street (says the “Telegraph”). Before scarcely any white people wers on the scene, Chinese in large numbers were on the spot anxious to help their unfortunate fellow countryman in his distress, so that in a few short minutes it seemed that most of tlie Chinese in the whole of Napier must have been on the scene.

A quantity of wild rice, which is splendid duck food, was imported from America by the South Canterbury Acclimatisation Society and was sown along the muddy edges of Lake Alexandria, but so far there has been no appearance of the rice (says an exchange). A quantity of the seed was also sown in the duck sanctuary at Temuka, and- there is now a fair snowing of the rice, which is in ear. The ranger to the society expects to plant a further quantity at Lake Alexandrina in the late autumn.