NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 136, 13 June 1927, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Treatment of Tuberculosis.

An appeal for tho establishment of a Dominion scheme for the treatment of tuberculosis was mado on behalf of the Otago Hospital Board "by (he chairman, Mr. W. E. S. Knight, at the pre-sessional meeting of members of Parliament and local body representatives held in Dunedin at the last week-end. Mr. Knight said he fe!t sure, in advocating a general scheme, that little capital cost would be involved, as the existing institutions aouM be utilised. The boards at present controlling them would be prepared to forego any compensation and place their facilities at the disposal of amalgamated boards for this national scheme.

Boy Immigrants.

Included in the passengers by the Remuera, which arrived at Auckland from Southampton on Saturday evening, were thirty boys coming to New Zealand under the Church of England Empire settlement scheme, in charge of the Rev. F. Harty, of Frankton Junction. Owing to the operation of the restrictions on immigration during the winter months there were only 79 general immigrants, of whom the bulk are settling in Auckland. Of tho party of. thirty youthful settlers, nine are going to Waikato, seven to Hauraki, five to Nortn Auckland, three to Dunediu, and two Ciich to Taranaki, Nelson, and AVhakatane. Two other boys nominated for positions in Hamilton and Taranaki respectively accompanied those travelling under the Church settlement scheme. At. Bishopscourt, Parnell, yesterday afternoon eleven of the boys were confirmed at a service conducted by Archbishop Averill, following which an adjournment was made to tea in St. Mark's Parish Hall. Of the 109 immigrants on board, including the lads under the Church settlement scheme, there are C 4 men and boys, 33 women, and 12 children. Their destinations are as follow:—Auckland, 54; Wellington, 21; New Plymouth, 11; Greymouth, 6; Lytteiton and Timaru, 5 each; Dunedin, 4; Bluff, 2; Gisborne, 1.

City Milk Supply,

In the course of an address at the annual dinner of the Wellington Suburban Farmers' Association on Saturday night, the Hon.WT. A. Young (Minister of Health) said the city received milk from two sources, (1) the City Council milk depot, 4800 to 5000 gallons per day, and (2) nearby farmers, 2700 gallons per day. The standard of milk in the city had greatly improved during the last.few years, both iv regard to cleanliness and general quality. Water adulteration was now practically unknown. In any well-rounded scheme for a milk supply there was room for a quantity of raw milk for infants and invalids. It was, however, essential that such milk should be clean, fresh, and free from infection. The nearby farmers should strive to maintain'a high standard of cleanliness and quality of their product. It was not so much the buildings as the human factor which counted.

Burglar's Audacity,

While Mr. and Mrs. Harris, of 275, Cashel street, Christchurch, were sleeping oiv Thursday night, a burglar entered their room and stole Mr, Harris's trousers, which wore hangflig only a few feet, away from their sleeping corner. The burglary occurred between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. In all, about £20 worth of goods was taken. The burglar apparently visited every part of the flat, helping himself to whatever took his fancy. About £5 in money was included in the haul. Entranco was obtained by the back doer. It is thought that the burglar must have been familiar, with the premises, and that it was this Iniowlodge that enabled him to work so quietly in the dark. The greater part of the goods stolen consisted of clothing, including a new overcoat, the property of Mr. Harris, and tho coat and waistcoat of a new suit, the property of his brother-in-law. Mrs. Harris lost a bag which contained, among other things, her purse, besides articles of clothing and money. Mr: Harris lost a number of papers and his bank-book, which happened to be in tho pockets of his garments that tho thief took.

Maori Arts and Crafts.

A building of beaulifnllv-earved timbers has been secured by the Government in Ohinouintu for the display of carvings and other arts of tho Maoris in connection with the establishment of a school in Rotorua for the preservation and teaching of Maori m-ts and crafts, and adjoining it is an office fitted up for the director (Mr. H. Hamilton) and his staff. During his visit to liotorna the Minister of Internal Affairs (tho .Hon. E, F. Bollard) inspected the sites that had been su<--gestt-d for tho proposed school. Evidence is not lacking that the Maoris of AVhakarewarewa and Ohinemuta arc taking a keen interest in the project. Already there is displayed in the Government's building in Oliinemutu a goodly assortment of articles showing the iine craftsmanship of tho old-time Maori, and many visitors to the district have viewed the collection. ]{eiciring to the school, Mr. Bollard said that the Government was anxious to get matters completed as early as possible. "Thero is no doubt," added the Minister, "that tho aim in view is a worthy one. The arts of the Maori are certainly deserving of preservation, and all those gentlemen connected with the board the Government set up under the legislation of last session are sharing the keenness of the members of the Cabinet to see the school established and in full working strength. It is notable, and augurs well for the future, that the Maoris themselves arc equally enthusiastic."

Arapuni Cave Drawings,

The cave drawings discovered in the A.rapuni Gorge last year formed the subject of. a lecture by Mr. G. Archev, curator of the Auckland Museum, at the meeting of the anthropological section of the Auckland Institute on Tuesday evening (reports the "New Zealand Herald"). Mr. Archey said the drawings showed a series of sketches of canoes, apparently of the war canoe type, displaying typical stern posts and figureheads* and in several case; sails. Although they differed in some respects they were not river canoes, all 3 being of the seagoing . type. The caverns did not show indications of having been permanently occupied. Although a hearth was discovered and pipi shells were found in the debris on the floor, these suggested trie eaves had been only temporarily ' inhabited. The presence of the coastal shells' raised fhe question whether the Maoris who used the eaves were coast people or from the interior. In discussion following the lecture, Mr. G. Graham said a tribe known as Ngatihotu had inhabited the neighbourhood, having been gradually ousted from the coast by a more warlike people. The shells suggested that some of them had used the cave as a refuge. Regarding the canoes shown in the drawings he believed they were of a type developed subsequent to the arrival of the Arawa and Tainui canoes in 1323. They were similar in pattern to those shown in Captain- Cook.'s plates.

Smoking in Coal Minos.

The danger of smoking in con! mines was remarked upon by a witness giving evidence before tho Dobson Mine Disaster Commission at tho opening of its investigations last week. The president of the Grey Valley Miners' Union (Mr. .T. Smcaton) said there were alwayd men who would sacrifice; others by indulging in the smoking habit unless they were closely watched. One man had sccu another Bmoking a cigarette in the mine, but tho offender promised to leave the mino next day if he were not reported, and this he did. Witness thought smoking did go on in the mine but would not say it was a regular practice. °

Reindeer for New Zealand.

Two reindeer may be presented to the Auckland Zoo under novel conditions. A city firm sought the permission of tho City Council on Thursdiv evening to parade a pair of reindeer through tho main thoroughfares of Auckland for about, one week in December, after which the animals would be presented to the Zoo (states Hit"New Zealand Herald"). The firm asked for a guarantee that it should be protected against any other firm using the animals for advertising, and that it should have the option of using the reindeer at Christmas-timo for the next three years. Permission was given to paarde the reindeer for one week in December of this year only, on condition that the animals are then presented to the Zoo.

Carrying On,

The limbless returned soldier who considers himself inordinately handicapped by his loss will be cheered by the news of the following achievement made possible by the use of artificial legs. On Easter Monday, a New Plymouth man, wearing one of the metal legs isaued by the Government on his lef-t leg, which had been amputated above the knee, climbed to within ,i quarter of a mile of the summit of Mount Egmont. But for the fact that night was falling fast and the risk of being caught on the mountain in the dark was too great, he sayH he would have been able to reach the summit without discomfort. The return journey was made without difficulty and in good time. The samo man quotes the case of a member of the New Zealand Flying Corps with a leg amputated above the knee, who goes every year to tho Sockburn aviation centre. He is said to hold the time record for fights between Sockburn and Timaru.

Butter-fat Record,

At the annual meeting of the Manawaru group of.the New Zealand Cooperative Herd-testing Association, Mr. Hume, general manager, said Manawaru had established a record of' which they might well be proud, the figures constituting a world's record for butter-fat 'production. Twenty-nine herds, totalling 15S1 cows, had been tested, and the average yield was 317.831b of fat in 258 days. The cows had not been fed with concentrates in any form, but on ordinary pasture (writes a Te Aroha correspondent). It has been decided to celebrate the event on 20th June by holding a banquet, at which it is expected there will be a large number of visitors, including the- Hon. O. J. Hawken, Minister of Agriculture. Manawaru has received congratulations from all groups in New Zealand.

Major Operations at Sea,

. Two major operations were performed during the voyage of the Bemuera, which arrived at Auckland on Saturday night from Southampton. Shortly before the vessel reached Colon, a boy named Reginald Burchell, one of a party of thirty boys coming to the Dominion under the Church of England Empire settlement scheme, became critically ill, After a consultation between the ship's surgeon (Dr. D. Watson) and Dr. W. «T. H. Hislop. of Wellington. who was returning from a holiday abroad, it was detidud to operate. ' An operating theatre and table were improvised in the third class men's washhousc, which was thoroughly sterilised. During the period of the operation, 2 hours 40 minutes, the ship was run dead slow to eliminate any vibration. Dr. Hislop, who operated, was assisted by Dr. Watsou, Nurse K. Shorter, and a passenger from England. The patient made a wonderful recovery from his illness, which was caused by nn internal abscess and when the ship arrived at Auckland ho was able to sit up in bed. However, his condition was such as to necessitate his removed to the hospital for aftertreatment. Last Friday the third wireless operator, Mr. G. Hulbert, developed acute appendicitis, and . again Dr. Hislop, assisted by Dr. Watson and Nurse L. Asten, also a passenger for New Zealand, operated successfully under the same circumstances, tho time occupied being 1 hour 40 minutes. Both patients were nursed by Misses Shorter and Asten, of whose attention and that of Dr. Hislop and others who lent assistance, the passengers speak highly.

The Horn-tailed Fly.

In view of the publicity given of late to the ravages of the "Australian horn-tailed fly, it is interesting to note that there is sufficient of this class of ■fly in the Wnngainii district at present to stock the whole of New Zealand (writes a AVanganui correspondent). One settler informed a reporter that the fly was known in this district twenty years ago; if so, it did not multiply very freely, but it has every chance of doing so in future. Mr. G-, W. J. Richards,' of Lewis avenue, secured some interesting specimens from a piece of pinus macro carpa, in which they had been operating. Tho wood was placed in a motor garage to dry grubs hatched out, and the flies were caught in some cobwebs alongside tho window. Others escaped when tindoor opened, and, remarked Mr. Richard?, they can fly as fast as a sparrow lhey are certainly hefty looking customers, and if they are as good on the wing as the grubs are at boring, thejwill sooii establish themselves over a wide area. Mr. Richards states that they were also in pinus insiguus in vis locality, and he saw a branch that was snapped off by the wind riddled with borer.