LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 24, 29 January 1924, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The intense heat continues in Otago I Central, says "The Post's'- Dunedin correspondent on Sunday. In the sun the thermometer registered 130 degrees, and yesterday morning the temperature was 94 degrees in the shade. For next Saturday's 'sculling match, states a Press Association message from Auckland, Norman Wade, an old Auckland oarsman, has been appointed umpire, and R. B. Lusk judge. Hannan and M'Devitt have signed the final agreement. . The Hospital Committee of the Otago Hospital Board announces that word has been received from Messrs. Watson and Sons that the 25 milligramme tube of radium for the hospital has been forwarded to the Bureau of Standards at Washington for measurement, reports ihe Post's" Dunedin correspondent, and that only a very small quantity of the material was lost when the tube was accidentally broken. At a meeting of the Dunedin A.S.E.S. held on Sunday, states a Press Association message, the following motion was carried :—"That the executive, be urged to press for an immediate increase in wages owing to the increased cost of living, and members of the society pledge themselves to support the executive in whatever steps it takes to secure the same; also that a wages board be appointed immediately to assist in securing an increase in wages." Survey parties sent out by the Public Works Department are engaged, in making trial surveys for the extension of the railway beyond Rotorua, with Taupo as its ultimate objective point. The surveyors are understood to bo examining three possible routes, through the gorge behind Whakarawarewa (states the "New Zealand Herald"). As the first 18 or 20 miles of the proposed extension will be of special importance to the Government, as providing the means of carrying to the market the output of the Waiotapu forest plantations, now considerably advanced towards their productive stage, the inhabitants of Botorua see reasonable grounds for hoping that the construction of the railway will be begun within a year or two. Although he opened the proceedings by stating that the gathering had assembled not to discuss politics, but to accord a warm welcome to .the Prime Minister, the3layor (Mr; R. A. Wright, M.P.) ventured the opinion at the civic reception to Mr. Massey yesterday that the members of the Reform Government, who had come into power in the ordinary constitutional way, had done very-good work as administrators during their term of office. Mr. Massey himself had had a stormy career, and had had to fi"ht his way all along, but still he was none the worse for that and he had returned from England looking fit and well. "If there is one important thing to which the British should turn their attention, it is the cultivation of the best relationships with—the "United States," remarked the Mayor (Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P.), at the, civic welcome to Mr. Massey yesterday. "Ultimately Great Britain and the United States will have to stand shoulder to shoulder. There is no doubt about that." (Applause.) The handsome marble memorial tablet on which are engraved the names of .the 107 members of the Wellington branch., of the Marine Engineers' Institute who served with the Forces during the war, will be formally unveiled by the Gov-ernor-General, Viscount Jellicoe, at 5.30 p.m. on. Tuesday, sth February. The tablet grey Takaka marble, veined with blade or darker grey, and lettered in gilt, is surmounted by the emblem and' motto of the institute, "Non Sibi Sed Omnibus" ("Not for himself, .but for all"), with a bronze torch on a raised panel, on each side of the lettering, the design being that of Mr. J. Ellis, of the Wellington. Technical College, and the sculpture work that of Messrs. Hickmott and Sons. The tablet is particularly effective and striking in its quiet and dignified design. Invitations to the ceremony have been ; sent to the Prime Minister and Ministers of the Crown, the Mayor, officers of the Marine Department and Harbour Board, heads of shipping companies, and leading citizens. A general invitation is also extended tp seagoing members of the New Zealand or* allied institutes. Through the capsize of a dinghy at Onehunga on Friday morning, three boys narrowly escaped drowning. They were rescued from a perilous position through the promptitude of a passer-by. The three lads were fishing from a flat-bot-tomed dinghy near the Mangere Bridge when the boat capsized, and threw the occupants into the water. None of them could swim but two of them managed to hold on to the piles of the bridge and the other clung to the upturned boat, which, carried by the current, commenced to drift out to the harbour. The shouts of an eye-witness of the mishap, drew the attention of Mr. William Ernest Cobbald or Parnell who was driving across the bridge. He took off some of his clothing and dived off the bridge, and swam after the receding boat. He caught up with it, and got the boy to the shore, with the help of Mr. W. White, of the Auckland Harbour Board's Onehunga staff (states the "New Zealand Herald"). The two boys who had remained clinging to. the bridge pile were rescued by another member of the harbour board staff.. The three lads were in an exhausted condition when they were brought) ashore. Some misunderstanding has resulted from inaccurate accounts published regarding the number of guns to be fired upon the arrival of the Japanese warships in Wellington. The correct number of guns and other details are given in the following statement by the Consul for Japan (Mr. Arthur Young): On arrival in the harbour, the warships will fire a salute in honour of the country of 21 guns, which will be replied to by a shore battery with 21 guns. H.M.S. Chatham will then salute His Excellency Vice-Admiral Saito's flag with 15 guns, which the flagship Asama will reply to .with ah equal! number. After coming alongside the wharf, and after, the visit of the Ueneral Officer Commanding the New Zealand Military Forces, a salute of 13 guns will be fired, and after the visit of the Commodore a salute of 11 guns WI- l , b» fired- His Excellency Vice-Ad-miral Saito has cabled the honorary ' Consul, advising him that the warships will arrive on the afternoon of Monday 4th February, and that the afternoon I calls proposed to be made on that day j will not be made until the morning of ' Tuesday, sth February. . P, ne, °f_the star attractions of Kirk•ii 1 S «? Summer Sale to-morrow will be 820 Beautiful Knitted Silk Jumpers and Coatees. This te a wonderful sample range of high-grade and tr: nr ? ty c g°°ds- Ordinary prices 50s 60s, JOs. Sale prices 29s 6dl and 35s — Advt. Let's another one together \\ ho can. resist a second ' glass of thirst-quenching cordial made from Prices Fruit Syrup Essences. Especially if it's Pineapple or Lime flavour— •so delicious and refreshing. Try also Raspberry, Russet Apple, Orange Kola, and Squash. Is 6d bottle makes three gallons cordial. It must bo Price's Advt. . |

:—A local launch party secured a good catch of schnapper at Tauranga on Wednesday, when they netted about 500 fish in one haul in the harbour. Yesterday they tried the same area again and | red neariv 2°o schnapper in. a single | According to a Press Association rnesSa t BX J\ uas ,snSSested by the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr. J. A. Flesher) at a meeting of the City Council last night that the progress of the South Island was being impeded by the Parliamentary domination of the North Island, and that the only alternative was the creation of a South Island Parliament. "I am glad to be able to say that we have led the way so far as penny postage is concerned,", remarked the Prime^ ■Minister, when speaking at the civic welcome tendered to him yesterday. j "We have been the first of the British i countries, or all other countries, so far as I know, to reinstate penny postage, and the credit rests with this little country, which has co often led the way in Imperial matters." (Applause.) "The deep-sea fish in the southern centres of the Dominion differ slightly from those secured in the trawl nets off the northern coasts," remarked an Auckland resident who has just returned from a holiday visit to the south. "It is stated that the colder the water the finer the fish, and yet I think that in spite of the warmer climate, our fish I compare very favourably with those of the South Island."' The Canterbury College Board of Governors passed a resolution yesterday, protesting against the decision of the Education Department not to permit of the employment of architects in private practice in the erection of secondary and technical school buildings, states a Press Association message from Christchurch. A copy of the protest is to be forwarded to the governing bodies of al secondary and technical high school boards in the Dominion. According to a well-known Auckland fruitgrower, Mr. H. S. Izard, efforts are being' made to export a shipment of Willie Sharp {apples to England next month. This 'apple was a chance seedling, and a fine, crisp eating fruit when ripe: Owing to its green colour, it did nbfc^sell particularly well in Auckland, as few knew of its lusciousness. The chance seedling was discovered by Mr. Sharp, a well-known orchardist of the Waikato, who named it after his lat« son when he left with the Expeditionary Force. , "When the Nelson team returned home after winning the Hawke Cup the brass band and the fire brigade turned out," Baid Mr. H. J. JCuck at last night's meeting of the Wellington Cricket Association. "Are we going to let the Plunket Shield winners return home, and say nothing about their fine victory?" Mr. Buck considered that some steps should be taken to arrange some form of entertainment in order that those at the head of th« game in Wellington might show their appreciation of what was a remarkably fine performance. Members generally expressed themselves in sympathy with the suggestion, and the matter was left in the hands of the Senior Championship Committee. Young people flock to Cheltenham Beach, Auckland, on warm moonlight nights, and a competent swimmer is always on duty as a life saver. Those on the beach and in the neighbouring houses one evening last week were startled by hearing piercing feminine shrieks rising to a terrifying crescendo of "Save me! Save me!" Instant steps to save the young woman were taken. The official life saver dived in at once and others rushed to a dinghy to man it.' It transpired that fie shrieking- girl had been merely stepping into a boat when she .emitted, the appalling noises (states the Auckland "Star"). It is sard she, was amusing herself _at the expense of the people who were ready to rescue the apparently drowning person. The life saver, who had that evening brought in a_ woman -who really had been in difficulties, expressed displeasure at the young woman's idea of humour. " A Press Association message last evening from Te Kuiti states that at a meeting of the executive of the Te Kuiti ' Chamber of Commerce, a telegram wad received from the New Plymouth Chamber, asking jf arrangements could be made for a conference of business men from the surrounding district to discuss trade relations with Taranaki New Plymouth being established as an overseas port, it is 1 understood that v the business men from there desire to lay before the public at Te Kuiti the possibilities of dealing with the export and import trade affecting' the King Country and the Waikato district. After some discussion it was decided to write to the Chambers of Commerce at Otorohanga, Kawhia, Te Awamutu, Taum;«runui, Hamilton, and Cambridge to send two delegates to a conference to be held on Bth February. The delegates will be the guests of the Te Kuiti Racing Club on the following day, and during the ensuing two days will be entertained by the Chamber. An old gum digger, who was admitted to the Costley Home, Auckland, receilti ly, had a .peculiar request to make, and that was as soon as the wet weather returned he would like to go back to his old whare on the gumfields so that he might earn his own living. He was very pleased to be at the home, and the weather had been delightful, but hot weather was no good to the gum digger, because the,ground became too, hard and they could not seek out, the gum. The old experienced men knew that little gum could be got from any depth till the ground became thoroughly soaked by repeated rains, so that they could pursue their calling with as little manual effort as possible, states the ','Auckland Star." Most of the men in the district he came from had whares on small quar-ter-acre blocks, and many of them had come through varied experiences, some being and some sailors, with records of valuable services to "the Empire in different parts of the world, but what they valued most in their old age, he said was their, independence, and taking it all round they were a happy family, their wants were few, and they led the simple life.