LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 5 April 1926, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At a meeting of the Christchurch City Council it was decided to have an aerial photographic survey made of the area inside the city , boundaries. The council was of the opinion that the proposal would be an invaluable asset to the works department. The commercial branch of the Railway Department has been making inquiries regarding the establishment of a motor ’bus service between Napier and Hastings, and a report on the subject is now under the consideration of the Railways Board.

At. the Dominion Conference of the Churches of Christ at Invercargill on Saturday, it was decided to take over the Otago Church of Christ property at Dunedin for the purpose of establishing a college. Arrangements will be made forthwith for tlie establishment of a College of the Bible. A single man named Arthur Calder, a wharf labourer at Bluff y cut his throat with .a razor (states a Press Association message from Invercargill). The police found him shortly after midday and called in a doctor, who attended to him and ordered his removal to the Southland Hospital, Invercargill.

Oliver Chappell, of Puponga, aged 5 years', got his foot caught in the spokes while riding behind his brother on a motor cycle (reports a Press Association message from Nelson). He was taken to hospital, where-it was found necessary to amputate half the foot. Speaking at the Trotting Club’s smoke concert, a visiting owner, Mr J. Jones, said he was a competitor at the club’s firs% meeting years ago, and had the pleasure of winning the principal race, then worth £35, whereas now it, carried a stake of £6OO. It was a remarkable .tribute to the growth and the enterprise of the club.

A fatal accident occurred at the Waitemata Hotel, Auckland, yesterday, when Mrs Maud Mary Shannan, aged about 44 years, fell from a window at the hotel, and when picked up she was found to be dead. The deceased, Who was a married woman with a grown up familyi, was housemaid at the hotel.— Press Association.

Gladys Stone, aged 2 years, the daughter of William Stone, ai wharf labourer, was found drowned yesterday at Timaru in a partly-filled drum of water, which had been left in the yard attached to her home. The St. John Ambulance Association contest at Auckland for the., intercolonial cup was won by the Glebe division team, of Sydney, with 169 points. In the Gaze Cup contest an Auckland -team won with 87 points. Another Auckland team was also second with. 85 points, and Eastown Bailways (Wanganui) and a National Reserve squad tied for third place. Masterton came next with 78 points, and two National Reserve teams and one Auckland team followed.

While crossing the Dobson River some 70 miles beyond Kurow. on Wednesday last, a shepherd named Charles William Morgan; aged 29, was washed off Iris horse and drowned (says an Oamaru message). Tlie river • was slightly in flood at the time, and it is believed that he received a kick from his horse which tendered him incapable of saving himself. Deceased, who was a splendid horseman and an excellent swimmer, saved a man from drowning two months ago.

A ’bus owned by Eobert Edie, of Dunedin, met with a mishap on the road to Waipori yesterday (says a Dunedin message). * When about a mile from a tyre burst and the ’bus was thrown off the road and collided with a telegraph post. Edie received three broken ribs and internal injuries, and two passengers, Mrs Jane Heron, of Oamaru, and Miss Edith Day, of Dunedin, received fractured arms and a fractured wrist respectively, All three were admitted to hospital.

The seventeen applications considered by the New Zealand! Council of the Milking Shorthorn Breeders’ Association for the position of organising secretary included two from lieutenant-colonels and one each from holders of the M.A. and B.A. degrees, says_ the Manawatu Standard. One applicant stated that his qualifications included shorthand and) typewriting, and another that he was “of good appearance and over six feet in height.” As proof of his judgment of stock- a seeker after the position declared that the Milking Shorthorn bulls at the last Royal Show /‘were the poorest lot he had seen any where.”

The launch Secret, owned by Thomas Ross, was totally destroyed by fire on Lake Taupo on Thursday about 5.30 p.m., when the launch' was returning from Mr Zane Grey’s camp, only the owner being on board. When off RangitiraV Point .-he was startled by .an explosion in the engine-room, which blew off the hatch over the room. Immediately the boat was in flames, despite the efforts of Mr. Ross to extinguish the fire. Mr. Rloss had to swim nearly half a mile to the shore, and then walk over five miles round the edge of the lake to Lowe’s camp, where he obtained assistance to return home, being by then well exhausteel and having his feet severely cut by the rocks. The launch was insured for £450.

One of the. factors responsible, for the spread of borers in New Zealand, states Mr D. Miller, Government Entomologist, is the practice of utilising timber from condemned buildings for construction o,r firewood. It should be the duty of al l sawmillers and timber merchants, as well as owners of wooden buildings, to prevent the accumulation of disused timber about their premises ; such timber harbours borers, is a constant source of infestation, and should be destroyed. Since timber ;js more often attacked in ill-ventilated situations. buildings should be- constructed to allow the maximum circulation of aii-. Further, tinyber should be stacked in such a way as to give access to as much air and light as possible. The use of as much heart wood as possible and the avoidance of soft woods such as white pine reduces chances of borer attack. The treatment of wood, even sap wood, with creosote will prevent not on'y borer attack, but decay: it has been found that when creosote is applied warm its preservative powers have stood for 25 yearn.

A Post Office regulation states that letters will not be accepted tor registration if the flaps of the envelopes are stuck down witli gummed stamps or stickers. The' reason for the regulation is that letters for registration must not bear any trace ol opening o reclosing tbefore posting, and u gummed paper is affixed this vou not be easily discerned. For the first time in New Zealand engineering the aeroplane has been used to assist with the work. iho Waiinakariri River Trust lias had a series of aeroplane photographs taken of the Waimakariri River, and these, joined together, make a very helpful addition t 5 the survey sheets when the scheme, is being explained. At the smoke concert given by the Hawera Trotting Club, Air. J. Gray referred with great approval to the incident when Air. Shaw, a rider, stopped a bolting horse, and congratulated him for his pluck. .He also commended the sporting action ol the owner, who had shown himself a true sport by so generously acknowledging the action of Mr. Shaw.

“I know of nothing better for the education of farmers,” remarked the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. U. J Hawken), when speaking at Rangiora on Tuesday of the value of agricultural and pastoral shows. • hese shows were difficult to carry on successfully, particularly with regard to finance, but they achieved a. great amount of good. They brought stock together, and showed farmers what their neighbours were producing and what stock there was in the country.

Her Excellency Lady Alice Fergusson delighted ancl surprised a group of trainees at Flock House one day last week by her adept- manipulation of a stockwhip. Seeing a boy with one, she asked him could he do the u Sydiiey flash.” Uoon receipt of a negative reply Lady Alice took the whip and deftly swung it hack and forth, producing three resounding cracks m thorough stockmanlike fashion. It was something, she explained, that she had learned in' her youthful days in this part of the world.

The inordinate time taken by women students in powdering their noses ' and brightening their complexions was the subject of a protest at the University of California by Professor Ira B. Cross, who announced that boys, if they so desired, could assert the same privileges. The following day two male students appeared in class with shaving equipment, and when Professor Cross started his lecture they • lathered and shaved. Professor Cross led the applause which greeted this action, saying that if the students would make their names known 1 to him —he was unable to recognise them under that lather —he would see that they received the thanks of the university.

That the time is not opportune for the construction of a bridge over the harbour, was the decision arrived at when the subject was discussed, at the meeting of the Waitemata Chamber of Commerce the other evening, states the New Zealand Herald. The Waitemata Bridge Committee asked for an expression relating to the proposed bridge, but in the absence of any definite scheme for the financing of the pi'opdsal the chamber did not feel disposed to commit itself fully to the scheme. Before such an extensive undertaking could be considered the chamber was of the opinion that the upper reaches of tlie horbour would require to be more fully developed. A strong protest was made by the New Zealand Forestry League at its last meeting against the granting of permits to the Whitney Bird Collecting Expedition, and it -was resolved: “That this league regrets to' learn that a warrant was issued to the Whitney Collecting Expedition authorising such an extraordinary number or birds to be taken, some species of which are numerous, others rare, and others again almost if not quite extinct. The league is convinced that New Zealand cannot supply'the world’s museums with specimens, and such being the case, no permit whatsoever shouk, be granted except under exceptional circumstances, and even then tlie birds should be taken by the Government. A definite rule should be laid down that no permit will be given under any circumstances to take birds which are known to be nearing extinction.”

“England’s chemical industry now ranks very high in the estimation of those who know, the world over,” remarked Mr J. H. Owen, who has just returned from a business visit to Great Britain, to a Wellington Post reporter, “and to 'a great extent this place, has been won by the further peacetime development of essential developments during the war- years. When war broke out the English chemist was forced to start in the manufacture of goods previous'y not made on any scale in Great Britain, and without a doubt- the success of many operations during the war rested upon the efforts of skilled chemists.” Mr Owen mentioned one particular line, “blue-print paper,” which before the war was practically a.ll obtained from the. Continent. Enormous quantities of this sensitive paper were used, -and it was now quite a.)feature of the British chemistry industry.

“Dust is a thing of the past in England, Scotland and Wales,” remarked Mr J. H. Owen to a reporter while speaking of his recent visit to Great Britain. “City streets, village streets, main highways, and country roads all are paved or being paved. The surfaces are beautiful, no bumps, no holes, you just sit back and let her go. Speed limits do not matter so long, as the driver drives for safety, but,every village has its traffic policeman, not for local traffic, but for the: volume of traf-' fic running through.”- England did not appear to favour new tram tracks, and the public’s preference was easily judged if one watched trams and ’buses go by, the trams poorly patronised, except during rush hours, and the ’buses well loaded. The latest type of ’bus, he mentioned, carried up to fifty passengers, and standing passengers* were not allowed, except during the busiest hours, when they were limited to four, consequently there was never discomfort in ’bus travelling, and from the passenger’s point of view the ’bus was far ahead of the tram.

Among the students who have entered the newly-appointed School of Architecture at Auckland were two ladies, including one who: had been awarded a scholarship of the value of £IOO a year, bv the Canterbury College authorities, “So far as I can see, there is no reason' whv women should not take .tip architecture as a profession,” said Professor Knight, speaking to. a New Zealand Herald reporter. “There is plenty of scope for them in the designing of houses, and the interior decoration of these homes, when built, is peculiarly their work. Quite apart from that, I could place a numbe,r of .g-irls with a knowledge of architectural drafting in positions to-day, if they were available. Most architects need a girl for secretarial work, such as typing specifications and letters, but there is not enough work of that kind to occupy the whole of a girl’s time. If she could undertake drafting as well she could be sure of permanent employment.” -f • - a

The schooner Holimwood, which arrived at New Plymouth on Thursday afternoon, after 22 days’ passage from Newcastle, had l an extremely rough trip, and on Wednesday, with battered sails, was caught in the surf at farewell Spit. Mountainous seas covered her deck with sand and shells, a. truss of the fbrey&rd was carried away, followed by the jaws and main gaff, the second mate, Whitton, being injured by flying timber. A change of. the wind at a critical moment enabled the vessel to regain the open sea. Alotor traffic through Stratford on Saturday was very heavy, a large number of buses, cars, and motor-cycles passing through the town for the south, the destination of most being, presumably, the Hawera trots. The borough inspector (Air. Patterson) held up }Y good many of the _ voniclos for the purpose" of' 'lnspecting drivers’ licenses. The majority of the motorists were in uossession of the necessary piece of 'paper, and one or .two had left their licenses at home but several had not taken the trouble to procure new licenses when tlieir old ones expired on April 1. Post. \ At the dinner tendered to him by the Wanganui Chamber of Commerce, the Hon. W- Pember Reeves graphically described the success of irrigation in Central Otago. “On the one hand, , i he said, ‘ ‘you see country that a selfrespecting rabbit wouldn’t live on, and on the other you see green pastures, fields of lucerne and other crops, ’i Irrigation, the speaker considered, was one of the keys to greater production in New Zealand, and another vital principle to be adopted was scientific herd testing by dairy farmers. He was glad to learn that farmers of New Zealand appreciated the value of testing.

Someone has ascertained that New Zealanders are the champion tea drinkers of, the world, but whether this is so or not there does not appear any doubt that if tea—morning or afternoon — interferes with business, business has to wait. A glorious example of the subordination of business matters to tea was .given in the Wellington office of a concern intimately connected rrith transportation, a vital matter at the moment. A female clerk, when halfway through arranging some details, coolly handed back the half-completed papers to the luckless individual on the wrong side of the counter, who had “queued” for a considerable time, with the murmured apology of “If I don’t get my tea now, I won’t get it at all.” What the patient waiter said cannot go on record. —-Wellington Post.

Two horses were killed and their riders badly shaken as the result of a peculiar accident which occurred at Epsom (Auckland') showgrounds during tlie course of the 3rd Mounted Rifles sports tourney on Saturday. The accident, which occurred in a wide, open paddock some distance, from the ground where the sports were _ being held, was caused by the collision of two troopers who were exercising their mounts prior to the commencement of one of the events. The horses were galloping in opposite directions, when they met head on. Both riders. Troopers R-.-Fisher (Patumaboe) and 0. Nicholls (Papatoetoe), were thrown to the ground, and it was at first thought that they were seriously injured. They were taken on stretchers to the doctor’s tent., and were later conveyed to the hospital fori examination, where it was found that the men were badly shaken, but had escaped serious injury. Of tlie two horses one was killed oxitright and the other was destroyed a. few minutes after the- accident.—Press Assn.