VALUE OF HOMING PIGEONS

Evening Star, Issue 16998, 21 March 1919, Page 4

VALUE OF HOMING PIGEONS

The eteamer Kofcare left Bluff at 10 p.m. last Wecbae&day for Port Crafiff with a full cargo, consisting of iron rails, a locomotdvo, and genxal stores. Port Craig is situated about 40 miles couth of Biverton, and as there is no telephone communication two homing pigeons wore sent from Dunedin with tho vessel, the capbaiu being instriictad to liberate one on arrival, the the other prior to leaving with a cargo of timber tor Lyttelton. At 4 p.m. yesterday tine first pigeon—.Mr G. Ramsa.y'« Blue Silk, the winner of the young bard rp.ee from Goto last year—arrived with the following message t •' S.s. Kotare, 20/3/19. Arrived 9 a.m. 3 bird liberated 10.40 turn. 5 prospects favorable." With reference to the latter part of the message, it might be as well to mention that Port Craig is} an open roadstead, apd although a wharf .and breakwater have been erected, making it quite safe for the smaller class of vessel to V>ad at, under almost anv condition, an extension of the breakwater is necessary in ardfer to rcafce the berth eafe for laTg'e vessels under any condition It is understood that this work is going on apace, a largo number of mon being employed.

It might interest fiaders to know that the most- up-to-date saw-mill in the Dominion hae been erected at Porb Groig by the Marlborough Timber Company, Ltd. The L©dgerwood system of conveying log's to the mill by means of wire ropes suspended from tree to tree has been adopted, instead of the old-time method, of haulage by houses. A very large quantity of timder is being milled, and it is njn<?>erstood that the Union Company's steamer Karu will, at an sarly date, proceed to Port Craig to knad a full cao-go for LytMtoo.