LOCAL AND GENERAL

Hawera Star, Volume L, 16 January 1931, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

During a general discussion on farming matters yesterday after the Demonstration Area meeting at Manaia, instances were given ot very heavy lannis reared t.nis season. It was said mat. three had been killed, each one of twins, and they scaled 701 b, 081 b and 001 b. At the swimming carnival at Hawera last night, the club president, Mr A. W. Lawn, made appreviative reference to the device made for instruction in swimming by Mr J. Dowdle, and saiu n had been tried out and proved very efficient.

The Eltham Unemployment 'Committee has received anottier £5 0 grant trorn the board in connection witn the No. 2. scheme, which ends on January 31. There are approximately 25 unemployed in the Eitiiam district.

About 7 o’clock last evening a strong blow-out of petroleum gas occurred at the Blenheim Oil \V eli Reclamation Company’s bore at Moturoa, New Plymouth. The gas, which was encountered at 2135 feet, was accompanied by a slight amount of brackish water.

A motor car owned by Mr T. A. Rinmout, of Hawera, caugnt lire while being started in tne owner’s garage, Hign (Street, about 8 o’clock last evening, rue lire brigade was called and put out tne blaze with a chemical extinguisher before much damage was caused.

A burning hedge at the corner of the Turuturu and Glover roads, Hawera, threatened adjoining properties shortly before- 11 o’clock last night, but the outbreak was extinguished by the lire brigade before any damage was caused.

While travelling on the Culverden•Hanmer Road recently a Nelson representative of an oil company encounter, ed a heavy dust storm blowing down the valley. He was compelled to stop on account of the density of the dust and grit which, blown at high speed, pounued on to the car, chipping he enamel and badly pitting the front and side wind-screens After the storm the giass in the windscreens looked as if it nad been systematically gouged with a diamond cutter.

A sentence of imprisonment with hard labour for three months was imposed by Mr. R. W. Tate, S.M., at the New Plymouth Police Court yesterday upon Alexander Edward Skeilling, who Had pleaded guilty the previous day to charges of obtaining credit with intent to defraud and of obtaining goods by iaise prtences. The magistrate considered that Skeilling’s list of previous convictions for various offences could not .be overlooked.

Three Wanganui youths, Alexander John Kirkwood (aged 20), Frederick (Stevenson (aged 18) and JNorman McLean (aged 18), came before Mr R. W. Tate, S.M., at ‘che New Plymouth Magistrate’s Court yesterday charged wiui being idle ana disorderly and with tne thefts of lilcs valued at 5s 4d. rue magistrate said that although he vras fully entitled to convict McLean and Stevenson on the vagranc:y charges he would dismiss both charges against them. Kirkwood was convicted'and ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within six months. During a general discussion on motor traffic and speed limits, at the Waiinate West Council meeting yesterday, the chairman (Cr E. Long) said he approved of the’ general principle that actions should be brought only when a motorist was driving to the danger of the public. Another councillor referred to me frequent occurrence on the roads when a motorist, Doing overhauled, immediately accelerated his pace and thus caused much risk to the overtaking motorist. This practice was also the subject of criticism by the council.

The question of whether or not eels arc a serious menace to trout is one that is constantly debated by anglers and, while very little is known of the habits of eels in New Zealand, most anglers know that they are present in certain waters in enormous numbers and that their earliest days are spent in the sea. Eels run into the rivers from the sea as elvers and enter the river mouths in shoals about the same time of the year as the whitebait and silveries do. In fact it is not uncommon to find a few elvers mixed up with the whitebait sold, in shops. Just as giaxias and silveries form a substantial part of the food of sea run fish, elvers are eaten by the trout. As the elvers work upstream they take on the colour and form of the adult eel and anglers wlio make a point, as all good anglers should, of examining the gut contents of the fish they eaten not infrequently find eels of up to six and eight inches in trout stomachs (states “The Press’’).

Rangitoto Island Domain, is threatened with a surplus of wallabies (states tne “Auckland Star 15 ). Like the deer in this domain, the wallabies are descndecl from an original stock taken to Motutapu Island, which, at low tide, has a land connection with Rangitoto. Three or lour years ago it was asserted that the waliaby invasion had. run its course, and that few of the animals could be found on Rangitoto. A shack dweller living near the Reacon was able to call up one of the wallabies by whistling, ft was very friendly, though a missing hind foot showed that the creature’s acquaintance with mankind had not always been of the happiest. Opossums flourished, however, and provided residents and visitors with much amusement, not to say occasional scares; for the ’possum is incurably curious, and often made its way into shacks down the chimney. 'Trappers “cleaned out” the opossums about two seasons ago. Now the shack-holders compiain that the wallabies, frisking about at dawn, and seeking cosy places to sun themiselves, spoil that “snoozy horn - ” so dear to the holiday maker. One permanent resident at the island can often trap three or four of the animals. He uses a modification of the old three-brick trap used by boys to catcli sparrows; his trap is actually a hole in the ground with a hinged lid, held up by a stick that may be dragged away by tugging on a length of string attached to it. Potato peelings are used ais bait.