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Evening Star, Issue 25894, 11 September 1946, Page 6

How a twist of the fingers determined the quality of cotton cloth was mentioned by Mr Edward Williamson, managing director of the Cotton Textiles Corporation of New Zealand, during discussions in Christchurch. Mr Williamson said that in the weaving, process a mill hand had to <rive the thread a right-hand twist between thumh and finger. This was easy enough in Britain, but in the huge Indian factories it had proved very difficult to teach native labour to twist right-handedly, and not to the left. Because many natives gave the thread a left-hand twist, much of the Indian cloth suffered in quality. A local importer said he had often noticed that while one bolt of Indian cotton was of good quality, the next was poor. Mr Williamson, he. said, had provided the explanation to something that had always puzzled him.

“ The staff of the Christchurch branch of the Housing Department has been operating a scheme for six months which might well be followed by other departments and business houses,” states the latest bulletin from the Christchurch Famine Emergency Committee. Members of the staff make voluntary contributions of 3d a week, and from the resulting fund parcels of food are purchased and sent to people in England nominated by the contributors. From a staff of 68, one parcel is sent each week, and to date 32 have been forwarded.” The statement added that many letters of gratitude had been received, and the officers of the Housing Department were to be congratulated on the effort. New Zealanders know practically nothing of inflation, compared with other countries, according to the ‘ New Zealand National Review.’ “In America,” it states, “the price of cotton soared fantastically when price control was 'lifted, and this will ultimately affect the world market. One of the most outstanding examples of inflation m to be seen at Kunming, in China. There, oranges grow profusely, yet they sell for over 80 dollars each. Matches cost 12 dollars a box, and, as only one in four Chinese matches is effective, it costs 3d to light a cigarette. Twenty cigarettes cost from 80 to 90 dollars, and a haircut costs 150 dollars. A visit to the cinema to see a badly-scratched three-year-old film in a slightly liisam-: tary atmosphere costs £2.” Yesterday’s sitting of the House of Representatives was brief. The reason for this was that tributes were paid to the services of a former Member of Parliament for Timaru and Minister of the Crown, the Hon. I<. J. Rolleston, and, as is customhry on such an occasion, after the passing of a formal resolution, the House t adjourned as a mark of respect. The formal business included an unusually small number of notices of questions and the tabling of the annual report of the New Zealand broadcasting service, the first, repqrt of the Commissioner of Works, and the repqrt of the commission which investigated Auckland trans-harbour communication. This commission recommended the construction of a bridge rather than a tunnel. —Parliamentary reporter.

Coupons saved last week under the New Zealand Famine Emergency Committee’s campaign brought tile total to more than 5,000,000 for 22 weeks. More than 1,000,000 coupons have been given in the last three weeks. The total coupons represent nearly 110,0001 b of butter and' 1,155 tons of meat additional to New Zealand’s export of food to the United Kingdom. In last week’s returns, Blenheim headed the Dominion for the second successive week, and' the fifth time since the campaign was started. Dunedin, which has been holding a special drive for a fortnight, was second, with the best returns yet for the centre. Oamaru was third with its best butter return of the campaign. Supplies for parties engaged in the campaign against goats and opossums on Mount Egmont, which is to start in November, will probably be dropped from the air, ’said the controller of the wild life branch of the Department of Internal Affairs, Mr G. F. Yerex, to the Egmont National Park Board. Mr Yerex said that suitable moss-clad slopes would be selected. The delivery of supplies in that manner would effect a saving of time. “ The whole future of Taranaki really depends upon the preservation of the busli in Egmont National Park,” Mr Yerex added. “ Mount Egmont would not be the great asset that it is without a great coverage of bush below the snow line.” Five rifle bullets and a stabbing knife were required to kill a five-year-old tusked wild boar, which fought desperately to the end when trapped by hunters on Kopua Station (Gisborne district) during the week-end. The boar was suspected of causing the loss of over £2OO worth of stock during his lifetime, including damage estimated at £75 to this season’s lamb flocks. A tremendously powerful specimen, tipping the scale at 3701 b, the boar displayed savage boldness by attacking a mounted shepherd, ripping the hindquarters of the horse, and bowling over both horse and man by the force of his charge. He was cornered b.v dogs in a quarry, and in a fierce fight slashed two of the dogs severely, mauling one so badly that it had to b'e carried back on a litter. An official list recently published in London of passenger liners still held on requisition by the Ministry of War Transport includes the names of five ships which before the war were regularly in the New Zealand-United Kingdom trade. Four are owned by the Shaw Savilland Albion Co. Ltd.’, the Arnwa. Dominion Monarch. Mataroa. and Tamaroa. and the remaining vessel is the New Zealand Shinning Company liner Ramritata. Tho Cnnn-dian-Australasian liner Aorangi appeared in a supplemental-'; list of vessels undergoing reconversion prior to redelivery to their owners,