LOCAL & GENERAL

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 210, 18 August 1934, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL

The usual weekly euchre tournament held by the Hustings New Belief Workers’ Association in the Trades Hall last evening was a great success. The card honours were to: Ladies, Mrs Cheers 1, Mrs. Laredo 2; gentlemen, Mr Kirke 1, Mr. Pryce 2.

A curious mist, of a rather dirty colour, somewhat resembling the smoke from bush fires, enveloped Auckland and harbour on Thursday afternoon. The mist was not very heavy over the city, but was fairly thick on the harbour for some hours mid it was impossible to see Hangitoto from the wharves. A strong westerly wind made conditions very choppy on the harbour in 'the afternoon, but in the evening the mist disappeared and the wind moderated considerably.

When Dr. C. Coleridge Furr was tolling members of the Town Planning Institute in Christchurch about the results obtained from the dirt collectors placed OU the tops of city buildings, he said that the figures compared with those of London and other large towns. “So you see,’’ he said, “in this matter of dirt we have achieved a certain dig nity.” Dr. Farr emphasised, however, that the figures obtained, 200 and 400 tons per annum from a square mile, were not typical, but were secured in the most favourable circumstances.

“We cannot afford to overlook the commercialisation of the sport,’’ said Mr. C. H. Lawrence at a special meeting of the Council of the North Can terbury Acclimatisation Society, advo eating a prohibition of 'the ehooting of game birds on private ponds after sunset. Other speakers also expressed the view that the only way of preventing wholesale slaughter was to restrict the hours of shooting. A remit to the conference of the associated societies on the lines of Mr. Lawrence’s remarks was approved.

A total of 35 accessions has been received by the Auckland War Memorial Museum during the past month, making an aggregate of 295 for the year. Accessions in the zoological department were most numerous, and included an important collection of reef fishes from Rarotonga. Other gifts included large fossil oysters from limestone rocks in the Waitomo district, black teal, a fine specimen of puriri moth, Queensland snakes and foreign birds. Other accessions covered a broad field, ranging from Maori adzes to early types of modern weapons of war.

Damage by keas is on the increase, according to reports received from high country stations by the Canterbury ■Sheep Owners’ Union. The annual report of the union attributes this to the withdrawal of the subsidy on the destruction of tho birds previously given by the Government and local bodies. Representations have been made to the Government that the subsidy should be restored, but so tar without result, and the report adds that the executive will continue its efforts in this direction. It is considered that tho request should commend itself to the Government in view of the loss to Crown tenants through the depredations of tho keas.

“Tho Gorman grey owl is the most destructive bird e-vor imported to New Zealand, and 1 advocate its extermination by fair means or foul,’’ said Mr. C. 11. Bussell, supporting a remit to the conference of associated societies, at a special meeting of the Council of tho North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society. The speaker added that extermination could be effected by the payment of a bounty, and the destructive habits of the hawk and hedgehog might also be looked into, for they were a menace to native and game birds. In one owl's nest there had recently been found the remains of eleven native birds and a mouse. The remit was carried. An offer was recently made by Mr J. Jackson Purdie, owner of Larnach’s Castle, on the Otago Peninsula, to sell the property to the Dunedin City Council. The finance committee of the council considered the matter, and ecommended that the offer be declined with regret, as it was impossible to see what use could bo made of the property. Following upon the Governor-General’s remarks in Christehurch on Saturday night, there has been a suggestion that the estate should be acquired as u viceregal residence for Dunedin; but despite this proposal tho City Council decided to adopt tho recommendation of its committee, holding that tho visits of governors-general to Dunedin were so infrequent that the expense of the purchase was not warrantted. The refusal of the Unemployment Board to extend its building subsidy scheme to cover work done in making buildings safer in earthquakes was criticised nt. a meeting of the Christchurch branch of the Town Planning Institute of New Zealand. “This is n pretty drastic damper,’’ said the cliulr man. Mr A. R. Giilbrnttn, “but 1 do not think we should relax our efforts as an institute ami us individuals Io curry out this m -snr. work. There Is no do’il'l this work should be done ns soon ns possible. In a violent etirlliquake Ihe grcutesl danger i, from n isliiig buildings. Tho applies I ion of Ihe subsidy lo eommereinl building:' would arise, |m| the snl'eli and liv •••• ol our citizens should take preeedeiicc. New Zealand does nut. as the Irish free htute was said lo du in n cable message this week, depend on the Ins ation of its breweries to bnlunee its budgetj but more than lour per cent of ihe Government's income from lux ution is derived from beer duly. Most of tho ' cor is made in Now Zenlnml only one third per cent, of the total Is imported- and the revenue from beet dutv in 1932 was ffltl.'.d.i.'i. Il with beer arc taken oilier “In .iiries'' up pealing particularly to men’s Instes

spirits, wine, tobacco, ci rs nnd cigar ottos—tho revenue yielded is brought up to £2,936,000 or 43 per cent, of tho total revenue from customs and excise duties.