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Evening Star, Issue 19760, 10 January 1928, Page 6

The main work now going on in the city reserves is grass mowing and tidying up. The grass is extra strong this season owing to the damp weather tollowcd by the hot days. Taranaki oilfields report: Waiapu No. 2 well —Depth 2,955 ft in hard shale, diameter, casing to 2,940 ft. Gisborne No. 1 well—Depth 2,245 ft, last 60ft of shale, now preparing to cement, B.|in diameter casing. Gisborne No. 2 well—Transport proceeding, contractor commencing erection of the rig.—Gisborne Kress Association telegram. The Dunedin members of Parliament to-day wired the Hon. 0. J. Hawken supporting the protest of the Dunedin meeting yesterday against this city being left out of the itinerary of Dr A. W. Hill, director of the Royal Botanical Gardens,. Kew. Our Clyde correspondent writes: The weather continues gloriously fine, and the numerous camping parties are having a delightful time. The number of campers is easily a record, there being scores of them In the vicinity of Clyde. Early on Saturday morning the shop of Mr "Robert Hewitt, draper, at Alexandra, was broken into and the sum of about £23 in money and a quantity of stock were stolen. On Sunday Constable Sorrell arrested a man named George A. Mason, a stranger to the distnct.-v-Clyde correspondent.

Hundreds of tons of clay from the excavations for the new Empire Theatre have been deposited in a corner of the Oval near the South African war memorial. It is Mr D. Tannock’s intention to lift the turf near the monument when the cricket season ends and fill in the many hollows and then replace tho green. This work will be done in the autumn, so that the ground will be playable during the hockey season. A petition asking Mr W. Grounds, chairman of the New Zealand Dairy Produce Board, to become a candidate for the Bay of Islands seat at the General Election has been circulated in the district, and a house-to-house canvass has secured many signatures.— Auckland correspondent. All the available ground at Loga-n Park has been prepared by the city reserves curator (Mr D. Tannock) and his staff for playing grounds. The children’s playground on the Union street frontage is now in full swing (literally), as swings are the only devices so far installed, The ground at Logan Park presents a fine appearance, and the Exhibition site is destined to be one of the city’s great breathing spaces in the very near future. Rabbits, which in the past have outnumbered the human inhabitants of Central Otago by many millions, are reported to be rapidly diminishing in numbers, and in farming circles it is considered that the sheep carry.ng capacity of the land in that region will correspondingly be increased. In preparation for this season’s battle with the bunnies, trappers and poisoners have already booked up the blocks worth operating on. Dunedin lias long been regarded as one of the draughts strongholds of New Zealand, and among the players of this city there aro some who can hold ihcir own with anyone of Australasian championship calibre. In order to strengthen still further the local standard of play the Dunedin Draughts Chib has decided to join up with the many expert exponents of the game who play at the Athenccum. Henceforward, therefore, the draughts headquarters of the city will be at that institution. In the Botanic Gardens the rambler roses and the begonias, which were placed in the green houses to-day, are features of the gorgeous display. Much interest is being shown by visitors in the native section, held to be one of the best in the dominion. There are plenty of varities of native blooms and plants, and also a charming exhibition of veronicas and olcnrins.

Of tho Peninsula harbor resorts there are few, that have increased in popularity during the past year or so to the oxent that Lower Portobello has done, and few vacant’ cribs arc to bo found there at tbp present time. The bus service to this- resort might be' improved a little, for during tho past few week-ends large numbers of holidaymakers have bad the doubtful pleasure of either standing all the way back to Dunedin or walking into Portobello to catch the only other available bus. It has been suggested, too, that were it passible for a pier to bo erected at Lower Portobello it would bo frequented to a greater extent by boat owners, who would find this favored spot a good stepping-off place for trips further down the harbor or outside the Heads. The channel at the point near the fish hatcheries is rather narrow, especially at low water, but this is an obstacle that could be easily overcome. An Auckland Association message states that four of the seven German sailors who deserted from the steamer Kerstou Miles and were arrested at Howick, appeared before the magistrate and were sentenced to seven days’ imprisonment, tho understanding being that they will bo returned to their ship at Wellington. The postal authorities advise that mails which left Wellington on December G, via San Francisco, arrived in London on January 6. The forests planted by the Dunedin City Corporation have made splendid growth this year. The extra moisture during the spring has been most beneficial to the trees, ami those which have been stunted in the past are now coming away quite fresh. Mr D. Tannock is very pleased with tho progress of tho afforestation. Nursery work is engaging the attention of the staff at present. They arc seeding at present in preparation for new stocks for next year’s plantings.