LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Star, Issue 19773, 25 January 1928, Page 9

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Palmerston North Borough Council last evening entered a protest against the Government specifying that the timbers for the Massey Agricultural College shall he Oregon and redwood, while the inside joinery may be heart of rimu. The council thought this was a splendid opportunity for the Government to practise what it preached, and to give preference to Now Zealand timbers.

At a meeting of the Wairarapa Provincial Executive of the Farmers’ Union (says a Press Association telegram) the following resolution was carried:— “ That a professor of economics he asked to outline a formula as a guiding principle to the Arbitration Court in the fixation.of wages, such formula to aim at the rise and fall of wages in proportion to the value of the dominion’s exports.” Spectacular gunnery and torpedo practice was carried out yesterday morning by H.M.S. Dunedin, which, accompanied by H.M.S. Diomede and by the Laburnum, ibe Veronica, and the Waknknrn staged a mimic battle off (he Little Barrier. A dense smoke screen from the Diomede, representing low visibility conditions, was first thrown across the Dunedin’s path. At high speed the Dunedin broke through the smoke, and at once opened fire with her Gin guns upon a target representing the enemy light forces several miles away. This highly-spectacnlar phase of operations was followed by a torpedo attack, when a broadside of six torpedoes was fired at a target representing an enemy battle squadron, and subsequently by anti-aircraft 'practice, which brought _ into play the powerful 4in high-elevation guns,"as well as the one-pounders and the pom-poms. Later in the day the Diomede carried out similar manreuvres. The results are to be compared on a competition basis. Landing operations for both marines and sailors were begun at Wniwera last night. The ships are based at Kawau, and are enjoying perfect weather.