LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Star, Issue 19763, 13 January 1928, Page 11

LOCAL AND GENERAL

During December the total live births registered for the urban areas (reports a Press Association telegram from Wellington) amounted to 979 as against I. i in November, a decrease of 194. The deaths in December were 664, an increase of eleven as compared with the previous month. Of the total deaths males contributed 289 and females 275. Sixty-three of the deaths were of children under five years of age, being 11. per cent, of the whole number. Forty-six of these were under one year of age. After hearing evidence in respect of three charges of obtaining money by false pretences brought against William Madison Alt, motor engineer, formerly of Drury and Papakura, and now believed to be in Honolulu, Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M., granted an application for a warrant to give legal authority for him to be brought +o Auckland. The first charge was of of obtaining by false pretences £432 from Basil Buddie, as agent for the New Zealand Guarantee Corporation, Ltd., Wellington. Buddie, in evidence, said he advanced £432 to Alt. whom he knew previously on his representation that he bad sold a motor lorry to Thomas Robertson of Papakura. It subsequently transpired that no sale had been made, and no such truck as the one mentioned existed. It was stated that Alt left Auckland by the Aorangi on December 20. Evidence regarding two further similar charges was also given.

At the annual. meeting of the New Zealand Retail Booksellers’ Association at Wanganui the following officers were elected:—President, Mr G. H. Bennett (Palmerston North); vicepresidents—Messrs H. J. Edmiston (Auckland), B. E. H. Whitcombe (Christchurch), W. J. Osborne (Wellington), H. L. Humphreys (Dunedin); committee—Messrs 0. W. Poynter (Wanganui), A. J. Coveney (Christchurch), H. E. Pither (Masterton), H. G. Carman (Eltham), H. H. Driver (Dunedin), C. G. Swallow (Palmerston North), C. A. Innes (Wellington), L. Whitcombe (Wellington), N. E. Aitken (Wellington) R. C. O’Connor (Wellington) ; bon. auditor Mr W. J. Osborne; representatives on Advisory Board, New Zealand Employers’ Federation, Mr Osborne. The eighth annual conic renco •' ill be held in Christchurch on January 16, 17, and 18, 1929. Messrs Bennett (Palmerston North) and South (Wellington) were appointed to represent the association at the fifth annual conference of the Associated Booksellers of Australia and New Zealand, to he held at Adelaide in March.

The tenth annual ram fair of the Wairarapa Stud Sheep Breeders’ As sociation, held at Solway yesterday, was notable for the sensational prices paid for a run of Messrs W. Perry and Son’s, Penrose, Romney rams, fourteen of which realised 119 g s; the highest priced animal making 236g5. There was a large attendance of buyers from all over the dominion. Buyers went unmistakably for well-established flocks, being apparently prepared to pay any figure for the sheep they required. Messrs Perry and Son topped the market for Romneys with 235g5, this price being paid by Messrs H. Mosley and Son, of Balclntha, who also bought two other rams from the same flock fori 190 gs and 80gs respectively. Other high-priced sheep from this flock were bought bv .Mr W. Roxburgh (Southland), IGSgs; Messrs Blair and Hunter (Wanganui), 176 gs; Mr H. B. Johnston (Feilding), HOps; Messrs R. Johnston and Sons (Hawke’s Bay), 130 gs; Mr R. L. Levin (Feilding), lOOgs; and Messrs Wright, Stephenson, and Co., for an overseas client llOgs. Mr Q. Donald (Featherston) sold three rams each at llOgs. The best price for stud Lincolns was 46gs and for stud Southdowns 2Cgs. There was little demand for flock rams, Romneys reaching 18gs and Southdowns 12gs.

A few days ago Mr Rogers (Mayor of Wanganui) wired to the Prune Minister for relief for the unemployed, and received the roply-thafc-the departmental figures showed only six unemployed in Wanganui. Yesterday morning a meeting of unemployed was called by the mayor, when 270 persons registered, representing practically all classes of labor. In addition, there is a large number of young students, who have just left secondary schools, seeking employment. Resolutions were passed asking the Government to take immediate steps to relieve the situa tiom and protesting strongly against immigrants _ being brought into the country while the present conditions exist. A number of unemployed at Christchurch yesterday declared their hostility to tbo action of the North Canterbury Hospital and Charitable Aid Board in asking men who received relief to work for it in return. A resolution was carried that the demand be refused as ‘ 1 illegal and unconstitutional.” This attitude, however, represents the state of mind of a small minority of those seeking work.

From time to time during the progress of investigations into the problem of blackberry control, which are being carried on under Dr Tillyard and Mr Tonnoir at tbo Cawtbron Biological Control Station, reports are received of more or less extensive damage being done by insects or other organisms, such as fungus, iu various parts of New Zealand. These are all carefully investigated, hut most of them turn out to be disappointing. Recently, however, Mr Gibbs, of Tapawera, drew the institute’s attention to the destruction of a large area of blackberry in his district, and sent specimens of it, which were found to be badly affected bv a combination of the large vine scale and an unknown fungal or oacterial organisation. The latter has not yet been determined owing to the absence of Dr K, M. Curtis from Nelson on vacation. A visit was paid by Mr Ton noir to the infected area recently, and it was found that very extensive damage was being done over u considerable area. The infection, being confined to an isolated valley, is not likely to spread much. Naturally a plentiful supply of infected specimens has been brought back to Nelson, and tests will bo iwranged on the blackberry under varying conditions of growth in order to discover how far tho combination of insect and fungus is likely to be successful. Those iu charge of the specimens state that the public should not expect too much. It may well he that, as in the case of other organisms already present in New Zealand, these now enemies of the blackberry will w ~k successfully only under very special conditions, and that they cannot therefore be utilised to any large extent in work of eradication. This notification is given in order that those . interested liiay know that no cfTort is being spared to find a solution of this pressing problem.