NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 151, 29 June 1938, Page 12

NEWS OF THE DAY

Bafflns for Weslport. Weather permitting, a flight of three Blackburn Baffin bombers will leave Rongotai for Westport on Saturday morning to attend the opening of the new Westport Aerodrome in the afternoon. The machines will give a demonstration of service formation flying. The opening of the aerodrome will not take the form of a pageant, although a general invitation has been extended to all New Zealand aero clubs to be represented. Wallaceville Laboratory. Interest in the work at the Wallaceville Veterinary Laboratory was shown during the visit yesterday by a party | of young farmers, which is spending j an educational week in Wellington. Stock diseases of all kinds in the | various phases were explained, and! their origin, prevention, and treatment described. The party expressed surprise at the extent of the work being carried on. Wrestling anil Kugby. The prevalence of wrestling holds in Rugby matches was mentioned at last night's meeting of the management committee of the Wellington Rugby Union. Mr. J. King, representing the Referees' Association, stated that in future referees would penalise players for this as illegal tackling. The rules of tackling, he said, never meant that a man should be half-throttled. The chairman, Mr. J. N. Millard, suggested that referees should also keep their eyes open for boxing exhibitions. 'Spoiling Koadsidc Beauty. Two Wanganui Justices of the Peace, Messrs. A. R. Donaldson and H. Alp, did not treat lightly the offence of a young man. who cut into a/ lovely cluster, of tree ferns growing on the Rangitautau roadside, states "The Post's" Wanganui representative. For years various interested bodies have been planting and cherishing trees and ferns on the roads. The man was fined and told that it was time young people realised that this sort of thing was to be stopped.' The case was brought as a warning. Fires in Tararuas. "A hot, dry summer is unfortunately not an unmixed blessing to trampers, and it is with regret that we record the occurrence of two serious fires in the Tararua State Forest during the year, namely, on Mounts Holdsworth and Marchant," states the annual report of the Hutt Valley Tramping Club. "Fortunately, on both occasions rain intervened to put out the fires, but the outbreaks caused very serious concern to the authorities before they were under control. The evidence is against any member of the local clubs being responsible for the conflagrations, but nevertheless the incidents illustrate the need for all trampers to exercise the utmost care in the protection of the bush from fire during the summer months. Permission to' enter State forests carries with it certain responsibilities, and it behoves us all to ensure that through carelessness we do not allow thousands qf pounds of natural assets to go up in smoke."

Mortality Among Maoris.

An alarming position is revealed by the statistics of Maori births and deaths in the Pukekohe district since the beginning of May, states a Pukekohe correspondent. In the period from May 1 to today, 17 deaths of Maoris have been registered at Pukekohe. Every case was that of a child, and the ages ranged from nine months to 8£ years. Only 10 Maori births have been registered here since January 1 last. In April the position in regard .to the children was not so serious, there being only four death registrations. The causes of death in the cases registered since May 1 are common illnesses, such as measles, bronchitis, pneumonia, and tuberculosis. This heavy mortality is attributed largely to the conditions under which many of the Maoris who do seasonal work in market gardens in the district live, the shacks they occupy being regarded as quite unfit for habitation in the winter. In a telegram dispatched today to the Prime Minister, drawing his attention to the deaths since May 1, Mr, G. T. Parvin, of Pukekohe, Franklin member of the Auckland Hospital Board, stated that some of the Maoris aire herded like cattle in any shelter whatever. He added: "Children are sleeping on earth floors. Many are born there. Insufficiency of clothes and nutriment and lack of warmth is giving death a lamentable toll." A reply to Mr. Parvin's telegram was received on Monday evening from the Prime Minister. Mr. Savage stated that he was having an immediate investigation made.