NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 58, 10 March 1938, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

An Unusual Acoiditnl.

An accidcnl of ini uiuiautil kind hn|> pened at Paten on Sunday, Htnltiß "Thi> Post's" reprcsenttiUvu, when tin? duo)', of a car (lew open when rounding ti bend and a. young woman, IVUbh Noclinc Mnnsett was thrown out on 1110 vourl. Miss Mansett was holding her baby sister in her arms, rind nithough sho was badly injured find hot' condition is considered serious, the baby whs unharmed. Short Shrift. When a letter from the cumiulttce of the National Art Gallery and Dominion Museum was read tit a hieel* ing of the Waltotaru County Council this Week, suggesting that it donate £15 to the museum, it met with short shrift, states "The Post's" Wanfeauul correspondent. "Some years ago we had to cut out our donation to the Wanganui Museum,". remarked one councillor, "and things are no better today." !

Different Interpretations.

It was mentioned during the course of the grocers' dispute in conciliation council yesterday by Miss L. Purcell (Auckland), an employees' assessor, that it sometimes occurred that inspectors of shops gave different interpretations of- the same breach. Mr. T. O. Bishop, advocate for the 'employers, said that he himself received; letters from numerous employers challenging the interpretations of inspectors and, after making inquiries, he had frequent, ly found the inspectors to be wrong. Previous consultation with their department would have prevented the errors. ~

Penalty" On Rates.

A large number of ratepayers are taking the opportunity of making pay.ment of their rates prior to the imposition of the penalty. During the past three days no less than £31,000 has been paid over the rates counter,1 and it is aniicipated that during the remaining period before the imposition of the penalty the daily takings will be considerably increased. Tuesday next is the last date for payment before ,the 10 per cent, penalty is imposed,, and although ratepayers have been requested to make early payment, many will no doubt delay payment until the last possible moment. The Corporation officials emphasise the necessity of early ■ payment in order to" avoid inconvenience to ratepayers.

New Australian Stamps.

The Australian Trade Commissioner (Mr. C. E. Critchley) .informed a "Post" representative today that he had just received intimation that on April 1 next Australia is to issue two new stamps which are likely to create something of a stir in the philatelic world. The new stamps will be of denominations of 5s and 10s. ■ On the former will figure Queen Elizabeth and on the latter King George VI, both in full Coronation robes. The designs are unique and are based upon photographs, • the engraving and printing having been carried out by the Commonwealth Note and Stamp Printing Office. Ever since 1913 Australia has had the same 5s and 10s stamps, the design being a kangaroo inset in a map of Australia, but these will now be withdrawn from sale.

Aeroplanes for Rongotai,

The arrival of two additional Blackburn Baffin aeroplanes is expected at Rongotai Aerodrome tonight, FlightLieutenant L. Taylor and Pilot-Officer H. C. Walker, of Wellington, having travelled up to Auckland last night in order to fly the machines back from Hobsonville. at which airport the aeroplanes were assembled. With the new machines the complement of Baffins at Rongotai will be three. They will be used by the Territorial bombing squadron, under the leadership of Squad-ron-Leader E. A. Gibson. On Saturday and Sunday, the Cook Strait Territorial bombing and reconnaissance squadron will be on parade at Rongotai, and if the Baffins are not flown they will be used for ground instruction. Good progress is being made with the Government hangar at Rongotai, where" the machines will be stored, and in addition to the housing space a workshop will be provided. Space is at present being found for the aeroplanes in the Union Airways hangar.

The Cheap Days.

Discovered recently during the demolition of an old house in St. Albans, a file of household bills paid during the eighties makes envious reading for the householder who is trying to make ends meet today, (states the .Christchurch "Star-Sun"). The Mr. C. Dallison who paid these bills. lived well, but, in comparison with modern prices, he was able to do it cheaply. Every week or so during the summer of 1886-87, for instance, the brewery delivered to his address three gallons of beer for 7s 6d or a dozen bottles for 9s 6d. That year his Christmas goose' cost him 3s 6d, and sundry fowls (his seems to have been a typical Victorian family—a dozen or So) from 2s to 2s 6d each. His tea was 2s per lb, his butter only lid, sugar 3d, and 4Jlb of bacon cc-st him 3s, while the coal merchant delivered scwt of Westpbrt for 9s. His wife's buttoned bo'ots cost him 9s 6d; his own were a shilling cheaper, and cost him 4s 6d to'have soled and heeled; the tailor made him a suit for £5 Is. According to an older bill he took his wife and one of the children to . the photographer's on September 4, 1885, and got a dozen prints for £1 2s 6d. For that year the rates on his home 'were 18s 8d to the St. Albans Borough Council and Is 4d to the Christchurch Drainage'Board.

Friendly Dolphin,

Operators of lighters in the Napier roadstead ■ have as a guide a six-foot dolphin which .acts in the manner of the once famous Pelorus Jack, of/Tory Channel, by meeting outgoing vessels and swimming ahead of them, states a Napier correspondent. The dolphin rarely shows more than its back, but its presence is betrayed to the men by a swirl in the water several yards ahead of the lighter. At first the approach of the dolphini to the lighters was regarded as a mere coincidence, but coincidence soon became .established custom, and iii is rarely that a lighter goes out to work in the roadstead without the guidance and company of the dolphin. Sometimes growing tired of leading the way the fish will venture close to one side or other of'the; vessel's bows, but it is wary enough not to approach too close—not that it need fear any danger from the men. Those who have seen the dolphin estimate its length as about 6ft, but owing to thte fact that only on rare occasions does it approach close to vessels it is not possible to give an; accurate estimate. Generally the dolphin meets the lighters as they leave the inner'harbour channel, and after, accompanying the leading vessel to the liner in the roadstead it returns for the remainder of the lighters. When the homeward journey commences the fish appears to lead the lighter fleet back. Some years ago every season a mollymawk would appear and fly above and ahead of the lighters. It did not fear the vessels, and would bask in the sun on one of the lighters when it had berthed alongside a liner in the roadstead. .:

yiMiuw NpiuvnliiK. Kotiullti of JnvesUynHtiiifi now eol1I'oltitad b.V the* Ji'ifilKM'lDti :Dp|-i!iiflini>til. show tlmi not only Imh lh« wiitHviiiiiy fieiiHnii tor Bimpiiui1 boon wtwiJtiuimlly xouil. but Unit NpywnltiM bftjiih u JllOlltll OHl'lllH* Illld IlltfslHH'l it JJlUfllll otu'lloi*' tlisiu i.isunl. (bliilos Ilif "Ni'W IJunikl''). Hunltiliied wui'iii Icinuui'nlui'ua Jn tlio Bon wet'o t'esijuuHlblo Tor high reproduction. llo|.n'o« dticlion wna also very good J'of 'oyntei's. Tests ao for ciui'lud out Jitdkmlu Unit ti high pwcaiittigc ol! thin sonHon'tt hatching liun ntlliorcd to the x'uclts'. High find cold sens !it n erllictil period could very ouslly destroy the effect oC u eood reproduction.

Condition!; i'uvourablo i'or the reproduction oJ' snapper and oysters have also milted other forms of sea life, and possibly the species of mollusc

known as the borer which destroys

oysters has also been favoured in reproduction by the conditions. 'A gang is now engaged at Waihek? in destroying the mollusc in the oyster beds. Stock Poisoned.

The discovery that a serious stock disease, which 'has been for many years a cause of grave concern on a farm in the Repora district about 25 miles south of Rotorua, is duev to the, poisoning of stock by arsenic discharged from thermal springs is the result of recent investigations made by the Department of Agriculture, according to a statement made on Tuesday night by Mr. R. E. R.* Grimmett, chief chemist of the Department (states the "New Zealand Herald"). "From analyses so' far made, we are aware of only one farm which is affected," said Mr. Grimmett. ' "It is on the bprder of the Waiotapu thermal reserve, the waters, of which contain arsenic salts in solution. On the farm itself are several small spring's which are also charged with arsenic compounds: Arsenic has therefore been deposited along the drains leading from the springs. In wet weather these deposits have been stirred up and washed on to the pastures. This would explain why the stock have been most seriously affected after heavy rain,'' continued Mr. Grimmett. "About 40 head of stock have suffered severely from the poisoning, but only about six have died from it. Although our investigations are not yet complete, I do not think it at all likely that any large area is contaminated. The-springs from the farm, which so far as we know is the only one on which arsenical deposits occur, discharge into the Waiotapu River. In this large volume of water, the arsenic solution, becomes so diluted as to be quite harmless, go -that the farms through whichi the river flows are in no danger of contamination from it."