LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 110, 5 November 1925, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

In the case in the Supreme Court In which the jury found that possession of a screwdriver did not justify a charge -of being unlawfully in charge of a housebreaking implement, it was stated \that Arthur Farmery, who accompanied the accused (who was acquitted), was arrested by ,tho police. He was not arrested, but merely accosted for the purposes of evidence;

"Are you in favour of the bustercut?" was ti question'asked of the Hon. A. D. M'Leod, by a fair elector at one 'of his meetings this week. "That question was settled for me some time ago by my five daughters," replied the candidate, "and I was no£ consulted until after the clip. Only that fickle jade, Fashion, can restore that 1 cut." The need for some system of police supervision over night traffic on the Blenheim-Nelson road was well illustrated hist week, when Sir Ernest Rutherford's car and cars containing visitors from Blenheim, encountered at intervals no fewer than three heavy loaded lorries proceeding along the road without light's of any kind, although it was quite dark. Two of tlio lorries were motor vehicles and Ihe other was a horse-drawn vehicle. ■ ■ ■

In the experience of Mr. Justice Reed admission to probation has usually no beneficial effect upon a, Native prisoner. His Honour observed at Auckland that lie had- been informed over and over again by the police officials that probation had not the same effect on Maoris as on Europeans. When the Maori offender went back to his kainga he was regarded as having won his case because he had not gone to gaol, and was considered to he a kind of hero. In the course of an interesting address upon the origin of tFe Maoris/ Dr. Buck at the Hamilton Rotary Club said there was a great world of romance, in the history of the Polynesian. There was combing about an intermixture of the Maoris and white races,' and the time would . come when the Maoris would ultimately be fused and absorbed into the people of New Zealand. The interest of New Zea-' land was the interest-of the Maoris. Just as Britishers took an interest in the doings of the Vikings of old, so should an interest be taken in the lives and ex-: ploits of the chiefs of Polynesia. < The great curse which affects the dairying industry in New Zealand fo-day does not lie at Home at all—it is in the milking sheds of this country," said Mr. G. Roberts, when speaking as a representative of the Otago factory managers at the farewell to Mr. A. C« Ross, of the New Zealand Dairy Divi- ' sion, held on Tuesday (reports the "Otago Daily Times"). "Tlao quality is. cursed by filth,'.' he added, "but if the Government took the matter up it could remedy the fault in a month-i I am satisfied that the secret of the quality of Danish butter lies in tho fact that the cow byres in Denmark are as clean as tho dwelling houses." "These stories of Bolshevik propaganda amongst the troops of the regular Army at Home are completely un-true,"-said one member of tho Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders' Band to an "Otago Daily Times" reporter on Tuesday. "Just befpro we left Home we read in the papers that tho morale of the men was being undermined by Soviet agents and literature, but I can- assure you, as 9 member of the British Regular Army, that these reports are very far from the truth. On the contrary, tho Army at .Honio has never been 80 efficient as'it is to-day. The discipline is perfect, and the men are staunchly loyal. Since tho war some great changes luivo been made in the Army system, the ranks, having been swelled with,, young, thinking men, who are well trained and well equipped. They have no time or patience for revolutionary talk, andwould do their duty to their King and country in any circumstances." Mr. F. H. BakWell, formerly the Senior Inspector of Schools in the Wellington district, returned to Wellington yesterday from Fiji, where he went at the request of the Education Department to report upon,the island schools, with particular reference to the overcoming of the difficulty which has existed heretofore in regard to the grading of teachers. There are two systems of education in the islands, one under the co-operative administration of the New Zealand and' Fiji Education Departments and the other under the auspices of tho Methodist Church, and it was the.feeling that grading marks would be lost by New Zealand teachers accepting service»in the islands which in the past led to some reluctance in taking those positions.. The whole question will be dealt will] by Mr. Hakuwcll in his report, to the Department. Mr. Biikcwell expresses himself as charmed Liy the people of Fiji, who are anxious for full educational facilities and for a closer association with New Zealand. Everything wns clone, by the Governor, by the whites, and by the natives to make his visit an extremely ijilunsiiiit one. The New Zealand teachers ul Fiji, he remarked, are doing excellent work,' and now tlitit the grading .system lias ■bt;i>n extended to the is-l.-iml.s" Uiere i.s iiufliin.tf lo stop others from jipendiuy a [jorlioJi of their service there.

A new stern-wheeled river boat, Rawhiti, imported from England and put together at Hamilton, was to undergo its trial run on Saturday. The Rawhiti is the first vessel of any size which has been built to suit the conditions of the Waikato River.

Some little time ago, reference was made to a monster eel, caught in theNorth Island, weighing 261b, sayß a Blenheim paper. A specimen captured in the'drain at Spring Creek by Mr. J. Boniface, however, exceeded the. weight of the North Island eel by 31b, tipping the beam at 281b.

A Native fishing enthusiast Who visited Mayor Island, Bay of Plenty, last Week, states that he observed several swordnsh on Friday. They are in pursuit of trevalli, which are plentiful, states a Taurariga correspondent. Fishing in the neighbourhood of the island the Maori caught 24 hapuku, the largest of which weighed 961b when dressed. He also secured many schnapper and other fish.

Speaking at the opening of the Auckland Senior Cadet clubroom on Monday evening, Mr. E. 0. Cutten, VS.M., said that stainless knives, which only came into modern use about 13 years ago, were used by the ancients before the rise of the Roman Empire. Incubators for hatching eggs had also been used, and the speaker was of the opinion thai time would prove that a great deal of the world's present knowledge was known to the ancient world.

A feature of an address on Central American experiences, given at the Auckland Rotary Club on Monday by Mr. Walter F. Boyle, wiis his description of the amazing trade in bananas carried on by the people on the southern coasts. After having lived in thia part of the world for a little while, one was forced to-the conclusion that the principal pastime of "United States citizens was the eating of bananas, tt seenied as though there could not be enough mouths in all the world to consume them. A whole fleet of "banana boats" was employed in carrying the fruit away, reports the "New Zealand Herald." An ante-climax to this interesting little alk was provided at the close of the address by Mr. W. J. Holdswortln "I should like to know/ he said, "what happened to the 'banana boats' and to the entire industry when an Amei'ican composer found it necessary to cQmpose that touching little song, 'Yes, We Have—!' " The rest of the quotation was lost in a sponinnaous burstof laghter.