LOCAL AND GENERAL

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 4 February 1931, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Members of the Patea Harbour Board were pleased to see once more at the meeting yesterday Mr. S. Blake, who had been seriously ill for several months. He has now completely recovered his normal health The executive of the Hawera Pipe Band has decided that it is not advisable, in view of the earthquake calamity, to hold the annual meeting and dance as announced, and the gathering is postponed indefinitely. Because an Australian banknote in New Zealand is not. worth so much as on© issued here, some shopkeepers, have assumed that Australian silver coins nave also depreciated in value. Acting on that assumption, they have refused m some eases to accept them from customers. Actually, or course, Australian coins as legal tender are worth lust as much in New Zealand as they are in the country where they are minted. It is not regarded as likely that the present adverse exchange rate wni increase the amount of Australian coinage in New Zealand. As the manager of one bank 'pointed out to “The Press” (Christchurch) tourists from Australia might bring more silver in their pockets, but they could not do that to any great extent because of the weight of the coins l . He did not see that there was any necessity for an embargo on the import of Australian coins..

Rev. J. W, Burton, M.A., in his missionary survey of the Pacific Islands, says “The Outlook,” gives some interesting facts and figures. The islands cover an area of about 380,000 square miles, or nearly four times that of the British Isles, yet they have a population of only just over two millions. The Christian 'population of the islands is under one-third of the total population, of whom 368.200 are Protestants and 252,792 are Homan Catholics. The eastern division of the Pacific, once known as Polynesia, is only 1,37 th of the whole area, and is described as wholly evangelised; but less than one-half of its population of halt a rnllion profess Christiantity, and half of these arc, Roman Oatholias. The rapidly growing number of Orientals in the Islands is for the most part unreached. The Chinese in Samoa, the very large India community in Fiji, the Tonkinese in New Caledonia and the New Hebrides, the Chinese in mandate .ill New Guinea, and the Japanese scattered everywhere, including the 12,000 in Japan’s mandated territory, all pre sent claims on Christian enterprise.

The annual gladiolus and dahlia show of the Canterbury Horticultural Society concluded after a two-day session which lias established a new record, both in the quality of the blooms and the amount of public interest. During Monday the show was visited! by j nartv of expert horticulturists which included Mi- D. Tannock, superintendent of the Dunedin Gardens, Mr G. Harper, superintendent of the Timaru Gardens, Mr J. Tait, superintendent of the Oamaru Gardens, and Mr J. McPherson. superintendent of the Invercargill Gardens. They concurred in the opinion that the display of gladioli was the best ever seen in New Zealand, and was a. tribute both to Christchurch as a place particularly suited to growing! the flower, and to the enthusiasm of amateur gardeners in this city. “In my opinion a depression such as the world is passing through to-day is really beneficial to the attendances at sporting events,” said Mr H. D. Swan, representative of the New Zealand Cricket Council in England, to a representative of “The Press.” It was a fact, lie added, that; the people on the dole at Home attended cricket matches in larger numbers than was the case when there was ample work offering. They did this in order to fill in time and because the price of admission was low. Last rear many of the first-class county clubs were able to present substantial credit balances in suite of the depression, such a. result being achieved without the assistance of the proportion of the takings that went to them from the Tests against the Aus- ■ tralians.