NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 10, 13 January 1932, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Witnesses-Expenses. ■- ' "It is a public duty thrust on eyeryono to come and give evidence in a matter like this," said Mr. T B McNeil, .S.M., to-day when a witness who had attended an inquest lasting only a few minutes asked for witnesses' expenses. "Even a matter of 4s 6d is an expense which if possible we want to save nowadays." After the witness had explained that he- had used his car, and had spent about an hour of his time in connection with the case; Mr. McNeil allowed him the money. Ottawa Conference. Mr. Neville Chamberlain (Chancellor of the Exchequer), speaking at Newport recently, said: "While we arc perfectly ready to enter into friendly discussion with any country, wo can conclude no 'binding agreement until after the Ottawa Conference, at which we intend to investigate the whole subject of Imperial trading. If eV er a Conference may be said to be fraught with destiny, that is the one which may well prove to be a turning-point in our long and glorious Imperial history. .The ties that un,ito the different countries comprised in the Empire have now become so slight that unless wo can find some material interest to strengthen them, we may some day discover that they have become perilously slender. If ever they should pass which God forbid, it would be a disaster not only for tho Empire, tut for the whole world." Statute of Westminster. In tho House of Commons Mr. J. H. Thomas made a statement regarding New Zealand and the Statute of Westminster: This was in reply to a question asked by Viscount Brodale: "New Zealand, said, the Secretary for the Dominions, joined with the other Dominions in asking for the submission of tho Statute of Westminster Bill to Parliament-—and there is no need for me to remind the Houso of the loya.l support which the great constitutional principle underlying the second preamble in the Bill has always received in New Zealand. But,' as the Prime Minister of the Dominions stated in the debates in the New Zealand Parliament on the resolution asking for the submission of this Bill, New Zealand does not wish that her position should be affected as the result of the passing of the Bill, unless "and until the New Zealand Parliament decides to apply the provisions of the Statute to that Dominion. Mr. Forbes has made clear the paramount desire of New Zealand to maintain .unaltered the existing relation between the Dominion and the United Kingdom. The Unpopular' Cut. When the 'Manawatu County Council recently received from: tho Health Department a bill for proportional payment of tho health inspector's salary and expenses, it was decided to follow the example of the Government and deduct 10 per cent. This action brought a lengthy protest from the Department tho Director-General of Health writing that he regretted to find that the council proposed summarily to retract from its contract with .the Department without first learning the other side. The difficulties : under which local bodies were operating were fully realised, but the same difficulties, faced the Department, which was compelled to function on a lower appropriation. The Department had tried to assist local bodies to a reasonable degree and did not seek to recover the =whole of its expenditure. No request had been made for additional expenditure such as increases in the inspector's salary, and no account was taken of, expenses incurred by special visits of the medical officer o^ health, etc. In the ovent of a serious outbreak the Department would concentrato further officers and nurses in the district without any additional cost to the local authorities. Tho Department was unable to make any reduction in its recoveries at. present. The council, however, decided to stick to its guns.

A Big Stack. An unusually large haystack was built at T.'iuhci, near MorrinKville, this week, by nino farmers of the district. Hay from a particularly heavy crop of 15 acres is being put into tho stack, which, according to one estimate, must contain 40 tons of hay. The crop turned out to bo heavier than was expected, so that the stack is bigger than was originally planned. Taller Than' Pish Stories. People jealous of the reputation of Onehunga as a Garden of Eden have snoeringly referred to this vegetarian paradise as "Onion Gully," and "Pumpkin Flat," says a writor in tho Auckland "Star." It is the proud boast of the residents, however, that they can produce the ne plus ultra of vegetables. You will find them comparing vegetables 'in trams and buses, and if you see a man with his hands extonded a yard apart you can take an affidavit that he is indicating the size of his prizo pumpkin, his' beautiful bean, or his magnificent marrow. Thus on a recent occasion one spoke of his one-hundredweight turks head, another of his eighteen-inch scarlet runners, while a third was positively choral about the potatoes that wore twentyfivo to the root and without spot or plague. A fourth was asked what particular class of growth he favoured. He replied that rhubarb was his long suit; but unhappily he had had to fell the whole crop with an axe because' the gigantic trunks and the luxuriant foliage kept the sun off his .neighbours' gardens. . ' ' . , Had to Provide Work. V ■';' fWe were given extra means to provide work before Christmas. We could have done the job more efficiently with machinery, but we 'had to provide the work, so. a number of men were used instead," said Mr. E. H. Andrews chairman of the Christchurch Tramway Board, when the methods employed for clearing the board's section near Lincoln road were criticised at the meeting on Monday, reports the "Christchurch Times." "I noticed that the section was overgrown and in a most untidy state," said Mr. W. Hay ward, and I rang the acting-manager. Tho work was put in hand with commendable promptitude, but I noticed about twenty-live men there for some days The result was satisfactory, but it seemed to, mo that there were many men for tho amount of work that had to be don c." Mr. D. Sykes said that a tractor and a scoop would have done the,; work; in half-the time and for negligible.expense: The work was not reproductive., The men might1 as well have been paid for. playing marbles. He would like to know what it cost the board.; "It is hard to find productive work," .replied Mr. Andrews. "That was about the only thing that we could give the men before Christmas. It served the purpose." Pakihi Lands. Professor Easterfiold, of the Cawtltron Institute, Nelson, recently expressed the opinion that he felt more strongly than over that what is known as the Pakihi land was destined to become one of the most valuable assets to Nelson. During the last week an excellent hay crop had been taken from the . experimental plots at Sergeant's Hill, and the cattle and sheep on this area are in excellent condition. The prediction of this accomplishment would have been generally derided five years ago. The experimental flax area is also showing very, great promise, and tho largo amount of information gained is sure to be of great value to the industry in the future. The Professor emphasised the fact that the planning of tho comprehensive experiments at Sergeant's Hill and Woods' Farm was due to Mr. Bigg, Assistant Director and Chief Agriculturalist. at the Cawthron Institute. -■■.. ' ,