NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 68, 17 September 1927, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Taking Over WairakeL A suggestion that Wairakci, which held out great attractions for tourists, should be taken over by the Governmont was made in tho House of Bepresentatives last evening by Mr. B. G. Sullivan (Avon). Tho Minister-in-Charge of tho Tourist Bepartmont (the Hon. W. Nosworthy) replied that tho matter had been under consideration, but it was felt that to purchase Wairakei would cost too much, more than' tho Government could afford at the present time. Is Wanganui on the Map? Complaint that Wanganui was not "on tho map" so far as the tourist traffic of tho Dominion was concornod was made by Mr. W. A. Vcitch (Wanganui) in tho House of Representatives last evening. , Wanganui, said Mr. Voitch, was passed over on almost every occasion, and was not included in tho tourist schedules. The many attractions that Wanganui had to offer should be recommended to tourists. In reply, tho Minister-in-Chargo of tho Tourist Department said that tho Department had ait offico in Wanganui, and ho understood tho Chamber of Commerce had. expressed itself as quite satisfied with tho way tho businoss had been managed. Although not financially interested, tho Department had done its best to arrango its time-tables to fit in with other means of transport. Police Escorts. Tho quostion of prisoners being escorted while travelling by constables in uniform was raised in the House of Representatives last night by Mr. P. leaser (Wellington Central). The Minister of Justice (tho Hon. ]T. J. Bolleston) said he was prepared to discuss the matter with the Commissioner of Police so far as minor cases were concerned, but the point must bo borne in mind that if a prisoner escaped while being escorted from one place to another the chances of his being recaptured wore much greater if tho escort was in. uniform than if ho was in plain clothes. Mr. W. A.' Veitch (Wanganui) submitted that' it was humiliating to a prisoner who had not "been convicted to be accompanied by a constable in uniform; it was also humiliating for the other passengers in a railway compartment. Mr. Rolleston saia he would discuss the matter with" the Commissioner. It was really a question of public safety and public interest. So far as possible there was no undue humiliation of the prisoner, who was treated with every consideration, and when possible he was taken iuto a separate compartment. City's Good MUi. Kef erring to Wellington's milk supply, tho annual report of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Besearch says:—"Comparatively little wilful adulteration of milk was detected during the year. Nine samples were low in fat and had presumably been skimmed, and five had been watered, in two cases to the extent of 30 per cent. One sample was deficient in milk solids, and there were nine minor breaches of the regulations, for which warnings were advised. Tho use of an ice-chest by the inspector, in which samples are placed immediately after being taken and so kept until delivery to the analyst, has permitted some measure of control over the sale of stale milk. Eight prosecutions were recommended for this offence, and fifteen warnings advised* The supply showed decided improvement over that of previous years as regards dirt. The city inspector must again be commended for the able manner in which he carried put his duties during th§ yeac,^ " "

Expresses Delayed. Owing to 'the derailment of five goods wagons at Mahea, just south of Auckland, on Thursday evening, tho Limited express did not reach Thorndon Station until 6.14 p.m. yesterday, 8} hours late, while the ordinary train from Auckland arrived at Thorndon at 7.40 p.m. yesterday, instead of 12.30 p.m. Oak Scale. A suggestion regarding 'the treatment of the scale which has destroyed some of the oaks and threatens the life of othprs in Christchureh city parks has been made by Dr. E. J. Tillyard, chief of the Biological Department, Cawthron Institute, Kelson, in a letter to Mr. E. B. Owen, of Christchureh. Dr. Tillyard wrote: "Be oak scale parasite. The parasite is no good unless it practically wipes the scale out. The trouble with Habrolepis Dalmanni is that it appears to have done its work so thor-' oughly in other parts of the world that it is now almost impossible to find either tho scale or the parasite anywhere. I did not see a single oak seals right through Europe last year, though I looked carefully for it; and in America we only found it in one place, and we have a small colony of the parasite from there in Nelson at present. What I want is two good coloniestfrom different localities, so that I can cross them and produce a vigorous hybrid; then you would soon see the end" of the scale. If the Domains Board is determined to save the oaks, then I strongly recommend the purchase of a power sprayer of the most up-to-date pattern, which would deal with both scale and aphis at one go. In the meantime I am working steadily at the parasites, and have by no means given up hope of ultimate success." Tho "Lyttelton Times" states that nine oaks near the Armagh street entrance to Hagley Park, which were sprayed recently, were planted to mark the acceession of King Edward VII. Have Matters Changed? "If any of the pioneers of 1842 saw the distance their Wellington, had got in 1927," said Mr. W. Hustler Smith at the commercial travellers' smoke concert last night, "they would take off their hats to interim City Councils. In 1842 it was not much of a place to build a city on, and there was so much water that they thought' of making the Basin Eeserve a place to swing ships in. That was a fine idea. I suppose the City Engineer of the day thought of it, and they had a' vote on it, and when it was decided against, the Mayor got up and thanked them for knowing their own minds." (Laughter.) A Well-Deserved Tribute. A tribute to the work of the Commissioner of Police (Mr. W. B. M'Bveney) was paid in the House of Eepresentatiyes last night by - Mr. P. Fraser. (Wellington Central). Mr. Fraser referred to the Christmas and New Year message which had been issued by the Commissioner at the end of last year, remarking that the sentiments contained in the message were such as deserved the support of every citizen. The Commissioner had pointed out that the interests of the country were not to be served by resorting to questionable methods in order to get a conviction. Mr. Fraser said I;hat he was glad to bo able to say that the members of the Force were responding to the spirit of the Commissioner's remarks. The Minister of Justice (the Hon. F. J. Eolleston) said he was pleased to hear the remarks of Mr. Fraser, whose tribute was well deserved. The Police Force was actuated by a desire to serve the public and to do what was just and right. Barren Lands. Negotiations have been proceeding in order to facilitate the proposal to submit the Pakihi lands of Nelson and Westland to further scientific investigation. The Government • has agreed to validate tho proposed grants made by the Buller County Council and the Westporfc Borough Council, and will make available to the Cawthron Institute a further sum of £200 for experimental work this year on the reserve near Westport. As these lands are estimated to cover an area of 180,000 acres in Nelson and Westland, and are at present practically barren, these trials, which really will be field trials of certain promising conclusions already reached in preliminary experiments on a restricted scale, will bo watched with great interest in view of their very considerable possibilities. Veterinary Diseasus. The suggestion made hy the Council of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Eesearch that the services of a highly-qualified bacteriologist should be secured to submit to thorough investigation the disoases of mammitis and contagious abortion which at present ni'o making serious r.nroads into the productivity cf tho Dominion's dairy herds, has been approved by tho Ministers of Agriculture and Ecseareh, and advantago will be taken of tho occasion of Dr. Eeakes's visit to the United Kingdom to secure tho services of such an investigator.