NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 21, 26 January 1931, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Open-air Schools. • An argument raised against the openair; schoolroom has been that'the bright sunlight is a strain upon the children's eyes. Professor J. Shelley, in a lecture to Summer School teachers (the Christchurch "Press" reports), said that so long as the light was of approximately, the same intensity throughout the room it could have no ill effect upon the eyesight.; The reason was that the eye ■ became light-adapted, whereas an isolated .ray of sunlight in a comparatively dark room would strike violently upon the eye when it was adapted to the gloom. Seed Growing. The possibilities of seed growing in New Zealand are to be investigated-by Mr. Walter P.-Giles, A.H.8.H.5., chief of the plant breeding and vegetable and root seed'growing section of the house of.Sutton's (Reading, England), who arrived by the Buahine on Saturday. Mr. Giles is an associate of honour of the Ebyal Horticultural Society, an award bestowed upon him for distinguished services, and lie is a member of the vegetable committee of that society. Mr. Giles has had the honour of explaining to the Prince of Wales the plant breeding work being carried out in experimental grounds at Heading. It is thought by\Mr. Giles that it may possibly prove a commercial proposition to grow certain seed crops in New Zealand, and he is keenly interested in agricultural conditions here and also in, the Government .experiments which endeavour to produce "diseasefree" seed for the Dominion to raise "pure line" strains of grasses, etc. Stamp Duties. The Associated Chambers of Commerce recently wrote to the Auckland Chamber, at the instance of the Dunodin body, pointing out that the- recent increases in stamp duties, legally operative on 21st August last, were not charged to the public till 22nd August, and on 17th November a demand was. made for increased stamp duties on all instruments stamped, on L'2nd August... The Auckland Chamber was ftsked if its /members had/been put to inconvenience as a .result.. It was decided to reply, says the Auckland "Star," stating that so far as the executive was aware -no inconvenience had arisen in Auckland ..similar to that complained of by.Dunedin, and that it was. the opinion of the executive that it is the'established practice to give1 reasonable notice in connection, with new legislation.' It did not see that it was- possible to lay down a'hard and fast rule as to how much notice was desirable. Aeroplane Ambulances? That the aeroplane Will be a factor in building up our base public hospitals is the opinion of many of those who have recently returned to New Zealand, after studying to some-, extent the hos-' pital system in older lands, says the Auckland "Star." Patients who have been severely injured in collisions are made quitel comfortable in aeroplanes and in a few minutes a*o landed without any jostling, as was often the case with road ambulances, in the hospital ward. "Auckland," said one expert, "is especially adapted .. for such ah - aeroplane hospital service. Take, the North Shore, for instance. The ambulance, is carried across the harbour by the vehicular ,and sometimes there : is a wait' of a few minutes for the boat to some in, and other little delays. If the patient were put in an aeroplane it could fly across the water from the most distant ■• part of the North Shore in tho quickost time possible. The possibilities of such a service are simply wonderful, and it may have a very distinct bearing on hospital problems on tho northern shores of. the harbour. Tho idea has probably an equal application to Wellington, for the configuration of the country makos necessary long roundabout .Tuns to reach points not far removed in a direct line. • Cost of Ragwort Destruction. ; The use of sodium chlorate in the destruction of ragwort is of more than usual interest, as the pest has increased rather seriously this last year or two, says the Christchurch "Press." That sodium chlorate is an effective destroyer has boon proved, but; very little evidence is': availablo regarding-the costWhen asked for particulars in regard to the cpst, Mr. K. M'Gillivray, Fields Superintendent, Christchurch, gave dotails of the application of the spray at Waimangu Experimental Farm, on tho West Coast, where dareful records of the cost have been kept. _ The work was not complete, but the interim results were instructive. On various'fields where ragwort was fairly prominent from 101b to 151b of sodium chlqrate was. found necessary to complete, tho spraying. The cost of tho chlorate ranged from 4s* 2d to 6s 3d per acre, and the cost of labour, at los per day, amounted to about 4s per aero, or a total cost of from 8s 2d to 10s 3d per acre. Qn one very badly infested fluid about 201b of sodium chlorate, at a cost of 8s 4d per acre, was required, and labour cost 9s, or a.total of. 17s per acre. The .results from the spraying have been a complete kill of ragwort.

The Taupo Road. Reports from tho Taupo road indicate that the heavy rain has had no serious effect on the new construction work, states tho "'Nkw Zealand Herald." In a few places the outer border of the newly-placed spoil has crept a little, as was expected, but traffic will not be affected. The width of tho highway gives ample room for traffic to pass under any conditions. Where there is any trace of slippery surface from the headings pumice is being placed. Despoiling the Countryside. D.uring tho week-end it was a common* sight to see cars arriving in town from the Upper Hutt and Akatarawa with ferns and branches tied to the roof and mudguards, and in some cases wild plants concealed in tho car. The countryside is thus made bare and ugly, and the thoughtless individuals who indulge in the practice of despoiling wild plant life get little satisfaction from it as the' ferns and branches wither very quickly, and the wild plants very seldom grow when transplanted. In New South Wales there is n. law prohibiting the despoiling of plant life, and it is suggested that similar legislation could very well be put into effect in New Zealand. "Take to the Air." ■ , "Take to the air, young man," is the advice given to the youth of the Dominion by an ex-officer of tho Royal Air Force, who has just passed through Dunpdin. In conversation .with a 'fStar" reporter, the visitor, who is now approaching middle age, expressed regret that he was not younger and able to start his flying career all over again. "For when I learned to fly," said he, "I was already a fair ago, and, generally speaking,, I consider that to be a disadvantage. Nobody will take so naturally to aviation as tho young fellow who has been born well within the age of aeroplanes; in these matters atmosphere counts for a good deal." He said that aviation was one of the great careers of the future, and when it was developed to a fuller extent it would be an important factor in the relieving of unemployment. A network, of flying routes meant the establishment of innumerable, aerodromes and the consequent engagement of many mechanics and other types of workers;. In these days the placing, of young men was a matter of extreme difficulty, and the obvious thing to do was to direct the stream-of young manhood into careers which had a future —such as aviation. Te Kooti Days Recalled. Galatea, the area embraced in the extensive land settlement scheme announced by. the Government, has associations - with, the pioneering, in New Zealand, and is best remembered' as an armed constabulary post, says the "New Zealand Herald." It was from here that some of the operations against Te Kooti were conducted. During the campaign against the Hauhau leader, Captain Travers and five men lost their lives in the engagement that took place at Ruatahuna. Galatea and Ruatahuna also served as halting places for the party which went1 into the Urewera in 1916 with a warrant for the arrest of Rua. The Galatea-redoubt was 60 feet square, with two flanking angles, the whole being built of sods. The parapet was 6ft 6in in height, and 6ft wide, with a ditch 12in broad and 6ft deep. The soil at that part is loose pumice sand, so that the ditch had to be sodded up. Around the ditch was a strong palisade. Barracks were built inside the redoubt, and were partitioned off into compartments. The orderly room measured 10ft by 14ft, and the store and the guardroom the same size, with a reading room 20ft by 14ft. - Outside the redoubt a house was erected to serve as officers' quarters. The size of the old fort is one. of the points of interest for |ourists visiting tho Urewora Country.. Fuller's' Earth. ■ In view of the discovery of fuller's earth of varying degrees of quality in several parts of the Auckland Province, it is of interest-to. learn that there are considerable deposits on a property of ten acres near Manurewa. Electric linesmen1 found, when digging holes for towers to carry the high-tension wires from ■ Arap'uni, that the clay met with along the route varied from deep red in some places to almost pure white in others. In the vicinity of Manurewa ■the white clay was softer and smoother than any other they had seen, and it quickly healed cracks and injuries on their hands. Mr. A. J. Parker, an Auckland analyst, says the clay possesses, the true properties of fuller's earth, and should be of interest to American oil firms for nitration purposes. Analyses by Mr..Parker show that the Auckland "Province contains n wide' variety ..of clays, of which fuller's earth is an "allied product, and he considers this, will probably be found in quantity in New Zealand.