LOCAL & GENERAL

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 94, 4 April 1934, Page 6

LOCAL & GENERAL

Apple exports from Gisborne for the season to date now total approximately 13,750 eases, including 1488 cases shipped on Saturday to Wellington. The last shipment comprised mainly Delicious and Stunners, most of the latter being for the Continent of Europe, the remainder being distributed among the United Kingdom, South America and Canada.

Mr. an Mrs. Gordon Mace, New Plymouth, and a friend achieved the unusual by sleeping overnight in the crater at Mount Egmont on Saturday. They climbed on Saturday afternoon, taking sleeping bags and a small tent, and had their meals nearly 8260 feet above sea level. They spent a comfortable night and came down to the North Mount Egmont hostel on Sunday..

Concluding with a busy Easter weekend, the official year of the Wellington Free Ambulance concluded at midnight on Saturday last. During the twelve months the Free Ambulance staff attended to 957 accidents, made 7200 transports (medical cases), and attended to 117 minor cases, in all 8274 cases for the year. In the course of their duties the cars of the Free Ambulance travelled 81,087 miles, over 3000 miles more than has been travelled in any previous year.

That there could be no general trade recovery until artificial restrictions on trade, such ay tariffs, embargoes, and quotas were removed ,was stated by Sir Percy G. MacKinnon, a former chairrnan of Lloyd's, London, in an interview. “I hold to that view emphatically,” Sir Percy said. He would, he added, include artificially pegged exchange rates among factors tending to retard recovery. He declined to suggest how the £20,000,000 of surplus exchange reported to have accumulated in London since the New Zealand rate was raised, could be disposed of. ‘‘l am afraid I do not know enough of finance to answer that,” he said.

“Mr. Bernard Shaw has taken exception to the fact thaj we in New Zealand talk of England as the Homeland. Apparently he does not know the generation we belong to,” said the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, at a dinner in Christchurch. “Our parents came from England and naturally they regarded it as home. There was a tug on the heartstrings whenever it wa s spoken of. I feel that we have to allow a great deal for literary license; but Mr. Shaw did not realise probably that he was touching the hearts of a great many New Zealanders.”

In view of the great increase of thar and chamois in the Mackenzie County, it was suggested by members of the executive of the Canterbury Sheepowners’ Union that these animals should be dealt with in the name way as were deer which are being killed by sporting parties sent out by the Department of Internal Affairs. One member stated that 200 thar had been counted in one mob in a small valley a short distance from his homestead. It was agreed that it was not desirable that there should be any sanctuary for these animals in view of their increasing numbers and the damage done to undergrowth and alpine plant life, and the secretary was authorised to bring the matter under the notice of the Minister of Internal Affairs.

The Easter functions at the Trades Hall, Hastings, proved very popular, the old-time dances and card, tourneys on Saturday and Monday being well patronised, the function on Monday night especially proving very entertaining. Excellent music on both occasions was provided by Mrs. Hearn’s Premier Orchestra, and extras were played by Mrs. Spiers and Miss Dolly Lean. The Monte Carlo on Saturday resulted in a win for Miss A. Reid and Mr. W. Scott with Mrs. Begley auJ "Mr. Neil second, while Miss McMahon and Mr. Ramsay were first and Mrs. McMahon and Mr, O. Robertson second on Monday night A special feature on Monday night was a novelty statue dance, a very close and interesting contest being won by Miss M. Smith and Mr. R. Frost. In the card room the results were as follow:—Saturday: Ladies, Mrs. McMahon 1, Mrs. Watt 2; men, Mr. Le Comte 1, Mr. L. Robinson 2. Monday: Ladies, Mrs. Nesbitt 1, Mrs. L. Tayler 2; men, Mr. Legge 1, Mrs. McMahon 2. There will be another long night dance and card tourney

The Admiralty tanker Nucula was to sail from Auckland for the Persian Gulf to-day to load another cargo of bulk fuel for the New Zealand wars Lips Dunedin and Diomede. Previously oil fuel supplies for the New Zealand Navy were obtained from San Pedro, California.

The curtain on the golden jubilee of the Napier Girls’ High School was rung down last evening with a fancy dress party at the school hall for present and past pupils. The function has been a great success, a fact which was commented upon yesterday by the lady principal, Miss D. M. Arthur. “The attendance, especially on Monday afternoon, was most satisfactory,” she said. “We are all very pleased with the manner in which the jubilee was conducted.”

In spite of the extensive works that are being carried out on the summit of Mount Hobson, Auckland, great care is being taken to preserve a number of old Maori pits on the northern rim of the crater. These are in a perfect state of preservation, the grass which has grown in and around the depressions having prevented the friable soil from crumbling. The engineer in charge of the building of the new reservoir on the mountain, Mr. 11. 1 Goldsbro’, has kept a careful watch on these relics of the tribal fighting, so that they will not bo damaged in any way.

Touching upon the lives of the trappers and traders in the Arctic, Sir Hubert Wilkins, in the course of a lilm-lecture at Gisborne, mentioned the case of a white man -who had lived in the North for many years, had married an Eskimo woman, and had brought up a large family. On one occasion Sir Hubert heard him using frightful language in the woman’s hearing, and his surprised expression caught the attention of the trapper. “Don’t take any notice of what I say,’’ the latter remarked. “I’ve been married to that woman for 17 years and we have 14 children, but to this day she does not understand a word I say.’’

Sir Percy G. MacKinnon, an English visitor to the Dominion, says he would not like to see New Zealand follow a plan of developing itself to any degree of industrialism. Australia was attempting that plan, and he considered that it would be found to be a mistake. New Zealand was ideally suited for primary production. It was a far better proposition for the Dominion to exchange those primary products for manufactured products from countries more favourably situated to produce them. But one could not speak dogmatically on any one phase of the economic position of the world, for each factor seemed to be bound up inextricably with the other.

Among the competitors at the New Zealand draughts championship at Mataura was Master R. Weir, of Dunedin, who is only 16 years of age. According to many of the visiting players who have attended previous tournoys, this age is regarded as a record, as on no other occasion has so youthful a competitor entered. Strangely enough, in the draw for the first round this youthful aspirant for championship honours had Mr. R. Bruce, of New Plymouth, a veteran of 80 years, as his opponent. The two games between these competitors were the centre of considerable interest throughout the afternoon and resulted in a draw. The opening was a Paisley which developed into an intricate position with advantage on the side of the youth.