LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 3, 4 July 1922, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

..Last month Mr. R. Semple's co-opera-tive gang at the Orongordiigo tunnel drove 254 feet, which constituted a record. The previous record for a month's drive was 247 feet. •/'

Aliens arriving in the Commonwealth are at present subjected to no- test ' of loyalty or allegiance. Air anomalous 'ton--ition of the law, by which the oath may b_ v required from * British subjects but not from foreigners, _as been, considered by the Federal. Cabinet (says the Melbourne Age). The Prime, Minister stated a few days ago that the. Government would probably ask Parliament to take such action' as would enable the Department at its discretion to require, newcomers -to subscribe the path of - allegiance. The object of the measure would be to ensure some test of loyalty to persons of European races who might be'expected to enter and settle in Australia in •future. _

A poll of ratepayers-of the Pahautanui,,.-. ■ Paremata,I'.'Plimmerton,';'.■•■ and Pukerua ridings was- taken yesterday for the purpose of. filling the vacancy.on the,Hutt County Council caused by the, retirement "of/.Councillor Barclay. The* successful candidate was Mr. William Isaac Liiiabrick, who polled 181 votes; the -r only other contestant was Mr. Charles Stuart,' who received 97 votes. Two infernal votes were recorded. Mr. iLimbrick for many years was Mayor of Waipawa, and he has also been a member of various qther local bodies. Mi\ J. W. Cudby whs the returning officer.

Mr. - William H., Atkin, - who %vas reelected sole selector at the.annual meeting of the Auckland Bowling Club, submitted a report to members which opened somewhat humorously, (states the Star). '.'I know," he stated, '.'that I have \offended several members, and several members have offended me, but I hope I have given satisfaction to the majority, fully recognising tha,t .'the perfect selector 'is not yet ; b'oni. In selecting players, my eyesight has been defective, in the way of not seeing the high playing qualities that some members think they possess. Quite a number. do not have the even -temperament necessary, they . cannot ' fight £ losing game, and are completely upset when asked to, play two or three wlien they think they are qualified for skip." Mr. Atkin''exhorted members when picked to play'away from home to do so, no matter on what green, as it was a " rotten . thing " for .the selector to ask a man to play,substitute.'

; Political unrest on the eve of an election is not confined to the pakeha. The Maori is having his preliminary gatherings and already there are more than hints of a split in the .camp (states the Auckland Star).; Kawhia'has started the campaign. A large gathering of some 700 Waikato Natives was in progress 'last week,.' and it was sufficiently important to attract VSir Maui Pomare, who. represents the, s Western-, Maori electorate, and is also in the Cabinet. It seems that a son of Ratana (the Maori healer) has been promised 25,000 votes if he will, stand as candidate for the Western Electorate. . This compelled the Waikato Maoris to make an attempt to consolidate their forces. ..Sir Maui explained to the, assemblage that when he had refused to subscribe to the'new "Covenant" of the Ratanaites and asked what his shortcomings were, was told that he had none but he "lacked the yision of the Lord." After a long harangue, in which Sir Maui told the people that he, did not ask them directly for their votes, he advised'them to consider well before making their choice. Personally he did not think young Ratana a suitable person to lead the race. Sir Maui was subjected to some chaff over his acceptance of a "showy and tawdry" title, but, he held that it was given as an honour to the Native race, not merely as a personal decoration. Te Rata, the nominal "King," was looked to by-the gathering to give a lead as to which way Waikato's sympathies should swing, but he is evidently .an - astute politician, for: summed up, his advice was that Waikato should lie low and say nothing. Like most Maori meetings the Kawhia hui was a pronounced success but what the political result waa no pakeha could at-teiUß-,tO.._UCS»,

At a meeting last Saturday the Wellington District No. 1 of the Loyal Orange Institution passed a resolution expressing regret .and abhorrence at the murder of Sir Henry Wilson, and extending to Lady Wilson and relatives, also the leaders 'of Northern Ireland, deep sympathy in their bereavement.

• It was decided at a recent meeting of the,Gisborne Rugby Union to write the New Zealand Rugby Union, asking for a loan of £800 for the purpose of erecting a grandstand on the new sports ground. It was decided to point out to the head body that, owing to the isolation of Gisboi'ne, very few visiting teams played there, and consequently everything depended upon how the local union catered for the players aiid public to keep inter: est in.the game going.',.' ''.' : The request that pillion riding on motor-cycles be allowed in the Auckland city streets, with the .'■ exception of the main thoroughfare, which was recently made to.the.City Council, has not been ■acceded to. The matter has been considered by the Finance and Legal Committee, and the council can see no rea-' son why the- present .bylaw should be amended. It is proposed to conduct a test case in regard to-the bylaw. \

"Too much of this German trade propaganda stuff is now coining into New Zea-' land," was •, an dpinion expressed with blilntness at the meeting of the council of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. The subject was raised by the receipt of a letter from John Burns and Co., Ltd., drawing attention to the offer of ;a German firm of dealers in arms and ammunition. The local firm expressed its belief that the question was more or less regulated under ; the Peace Treaty with Germany. , The council resolved to submit the letter and offer to the Minister'of Defence. '••'■ :■„

The Tourist Department has forwarded from Rotorua five crates of twenty live pheasants to Napier by rail, en route for the Wairoa and Waikaremoana portions ''..of the, Rotorua acclimatisation district, where .they will be liberated in approved localities at the close of the shooting season. The birds are all well grown and in splendid condition, and were among the last reared at the Department's pheasantry by Ranger Cobeldick last season. Some 384 birds were liberated'prior to 31st March, and the balance in the pens will be .finally culled over to select the best birdß for next season's 'operations.

Association football, .in the opinion of several speakers at last evening's meeting of the Wellington Referees' Association, might/be considerably improved, both as a game and as an attraction to the public, were the charging and blocking style of play so much in evidence in the. Second Test at Wellington prohibited, or at any rate considerably curtailed. The question was brought up by the reading :• of, a letter from the W.F.A., but delegates from the local association stated that they ■ wished to make.it clear that the Wellington body did not wish to have a finger in the' pie if the rule was to be revised, but would prefer to leave the matter to the referees. Finally, it was decided.that the ■chairman'"of the Referees' Association,' Mr. B. L. Salmon, and Messrs. Fordham, Downic, and Wells should meet: a sub-committee of the W.FiA. to frame a motion ;to .be. brought before the Referees' Association.

A visit to a Court of law is always an education, but more often than hot the things to be learned are not such as re-' putable citizens would care to put tomy use (says a Melbourne paper). ..The delendallt- in:Vagraricy cases at the City Court successfully .pleaded . that they were ."shoddy dropping." According to their interpretation "shoddy dropping" was merely buying up. lines of' cloth — whether it was good or bad', was hut of any moment; it was' all- designated "shoddy"—and "'.selling 'it again at a profit. Preferably the stuff was peddled -.about. The. police-definition/is not' co flattering. They say- that- "the ,- gentle ' "dropper" buys up inferior materialsand passes it off oh/the unwary as good class stuff. The exponents of :the time who were before the Court quite candidly .admitted that they expected.at least 100 per cent, profit on their deals. ..The police assert that "shoddy dropping" is penerally a- cloak under which to pass off the proceeds of robberies. The purveyor • of the'stolen material covers himself by receipts obtained for cheap lines actually boiisht. Of course, any "shoddy., dropper" would indignantly repudiate, any such insinuations..-.

An examination of the wood infested by borer, which was forwarded to Mr. David Miller, the-Government Entotno-. logist,- by Mr. A. Cummings, of Otahuhu, showed that the grubs wea'e in a very, young stage, and not long hatched from the eggs (states the Auckland Star). The' shape of the holes, combined with a microscopic ..examination ,6f the grtfbs, tended to. show, that'the insect was one which is already causing veiry extreme to .', buildings, so much so in fact that infected parts collapse. Mr. Miller said the in/sect was of the/'hu hu" type, but smaller. As the grubs grow they spread in all directions throughout the tyorld, 'travelling . for many feet if the board will allow. The infested • wood I,b .comes honeycombed and greatly, weakened. When full grown the grub.' measures about threequarters of an inch in length, and transforms to the pupa within the, wood. From';-this the adn.lt beetle, a narrowbod.ied insect about the size of the grub, emerges by cutting through the surface, of the wopd. In conclusion. Mr. Miller remarked' that this iusect is included in a.-, work he is shortly producing.,' and is one of the . species.-on which, he is workings