LOCAL & GENERAL

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 109, 21 April 1936, Page 6

LOCAL & GENERAL

Wet Seasons Predicted. Basing his assumptions chiefly on observation ot sunspots over a considerable number of years, increasingly wet seasons between now and the end of 1937 are predicted by Mr. G. V. Hudson, of Karori, Wellington. Farmer Takes Bets. James Dalbeth, aged 36, a w-ell-known Gordonton (Waikato) farmer, was lined £25 when charged with using premises as a common gaming house. It was stated that the accused had taken a number of bets from farmers in the district and also from a young lad. —Press Assn. Newspaper's Birthday. The “Marlborough Express,” which is celebrating its seventieth anniversary to-day, received congratulatory messages from representatives of the principal newspaper organisations, including the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association, the Press Association and the Empire Press Union. —Press Assn. Dilatory Department. If the recent experienco of the Hastings Chamber of Commerce is to be accepted as a criterion, Government departments or anyway the Tourist and Publicity Department, have received no access of vigour from their new masters. On March 26 the Chamber wrote to the Tourist Department putting forward the claims of Hawke’s Bay, and Hastings and the surrounding district in particular, to inclusion in departmental publications. Tliuugh almost a month has elapsed since the letter was sent, no ansiver, and not even an acknowledgment, has yet been received.

Need For Immigration. The need for some form of immigration was stressed by Sir Alfred Hansom, M.P., when speaking at Pdrangahau yesterday, in opening ths new Post Office. Referring to the excellent service given by State departments in the Dominion, ho said that, when the smallness of the population of the Dominion was taken into consideration, the service rendered was excellent. “The natural process of increasing population is not fast enough, however,” he remarked, “but by a process of immigration it would be possible to increase, and thus enable the service to be still further improved.” A Road to Success. The fact that the Prime Minister, Mr. Savage, and several members of his Cabinet were at one time students of W.E.A. classes was referred to more than once at the meeting at Auckland in celebration ot the coming of age of the association here. The Minister of Education, the Hon. P. Fraser, who was the principal speaker, made a neat point when ho remarked that it might not be a bad thing for their opponents if they were to go to W.E.A. classes now. “It might be a very dangerous thing for us if they did,” he added. “Perhaps we should lay down a condition for a subsidy that you will not admit any ex-Cabinet Ministers.” The Writing Handicap,

“I turned down quite a number of applicants on account of their writing; I wouldn’t have such scrawls in my ledgers,” said a businessman when speaking at last evening’s meeting of the Hastings Chamber of Commerce, and referring to the bad writing of a number of young people who had applied for a clerical position in his office. “The only, primary school that appears to pay any attention to handwriting,” said the speaker, “is the Convent school ” An accountant present agreed with the views expressed, and said that the primary schools were not the ou.'y schools that neglected the subject. Primrose Day, The fifty-fifth anniversary of the death of Benjamin Disraeli, Lord Beaconsfield, the favourite Minister of Queen Victoria, occurred on Sunday. The day has long been known as “Primrose Day” in his honour. As a statesman he is probably best remembered for the courageous opportunism with which he obtained possession of Suez Canal shares for England, thus doing much at one stroke to consolidate British power in the East. During his remarkable career as a political leader he not only held Conservatism to-

gether, but secured for it a new lease of prosperity by making it a popular lather than a restrictive cause. To solve the fascinating mystery of his personality many attempts have been made, but his personal integrity is no longer doubted District Publicity. A discussion of a Rotorua firm's proposal to publish a booklet of 48 pages dealing with the tourist attractions of the Hawke’s Bay and East Coast districts, took place at last evening’s meeting of the Hastings Chamber of Commerce. The firm concerned proposed that the Chamber should provide a guarantee of £25 towards the cost, a similar request having been made to five other Chambers of Commerce in the districts concerned. It was resolved to answer that while the proposal was considered very commendable, the Chamber had not the financial means to provide a guarantee. It was decided also to point out that ths Hastings and District Progress League was considering the publication of a booklet dealing with Hastings and its neighbourhood. Town Planning Aims. Far too many people still hold a mistaken idea of town planning and its aims said Mr. G. N. T. Goldie, of the Wellington City engineer’s department, in an address delivered at the annual meeting of the Royal Sanitary Institute at Wellington. Town planning, ho said, was something far more than expensive street widening and the laying-out of grass plots here and there, “It is/’ he said, “a science to obtain value for money spent; to eliminate waste; to lower both rates and taxes; to improve the living conditions in the home and the working conditions in the factory; to improve amenities ; to lessen traffic congestion; to provide well-distributed recreation grounds; to reduce the number of traffic accidents; and to do almost a thousand and one other things for the benefit of the community in general/'

Horses Obliterated. An extraordinary case of the horses being obliterated from view throughout a race by torrential rain occurred at the Avondale Jockey Club's meeting to-day, The spectators were unable to see the horses at the starting-point or during the early part of the six furlongs race, so thick was the rain. It was not until misty figures appeared in the straight that the public realised the race had started. I'he storm ceased as suddenly as it had started, and the sun then burst through. As the crowds moved about again they were cheered by tho strains of the band playing “It Ain’t Goin’ to Rain No More.” Painful Accident. Through her wedding ring becoming caught when she was closing a fanlight at her home last night, Mrs. J. Sharp, 203 Durwent street, Island Bay, was the victim of an unusual accident, as a result of which it was found necessary to amputate the third finger of her left hand. When her ring became caught, Mrs. Sharp slipped and the skin was dragged away from the bone . She was taken to the hospital by the Free Ambulance, and after the amputation had been successfully performed she was taken to her home.

Sunday School Work. A preliminary meeting held in St. Andrew’s Sunday School this morning resolved to revive the conferences that previous to the earthquake were held for many years on the King’s Birthday to deal with various aspects of Sunday school work. A conference will be held this year in St. Andrew’s Sunday School on the present King s Birthday. Mr C. Griffiths was appointed chairman of the executive committee and Mr 11. R. French secretary. Invitations are to bo extended to the various superintendents and teachers of Sunday schools from Napier to Takapau.