LOCAL AND GENERAL

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVI, Issue 3441, 10 March 1932, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

“A wise philosopher has said: ‘Chop your own wood and you warm yourself twice.' In the same spirit, let us buy’ New Zealand-made goods and help ourselves twice,” says Miss Esther James, who arrived in Wanganui last week on her 1200-mile-north-to-south walk, aiming to help in the popularising of the Dominion’s products.

The remarkable progress of the Jersey breed in Southland is reflected in the strength of the various dairy cattle sections at the provincial show at Invercargill recently. The actual number of Jerseys entered was 67, as compared with 66 Friesians, and 65 Ayrshires. In years gone by the Jersey occupied a very small place in the dairying affairs of Southland.

Ratana, in expressing his thanks to the Maniapoto Silver Band through a representative of this paper added: “I am very fond of music. When on my world tour I took with me a band of 24 string and reed instruments, comprising 12 youths and maidens. When we were thousands of miles away from our native soil, the music cheered us and prevented us from being home sick'. Your music in Te Kuiti made us feel at home.”

That the Alsatian breed has increased in popularity with dog fanciers is borne out by the number of this particular breed on view at the Wanganui Show (says the Herald). A few years ago a solitary Alsatian exhibited at the show created a good deal of interest, but this year there were a dozen or so of these dogs on display. The sagacity and obedience of the Alsatia’n is unquestioned, and these qualities, coupled with its fine appearance, have made it much sought after by dog-lovers all over the Dominion.

That there should be an exchange of factory managers from Canada and England with those of New Zeala’nd on the same principle as the exchange of school teachers, was the opinion of Mr. M. G. Trotter, at the Stratford sub-provincial executive meeting of the Farmers’ Union on Saturday. This, considered Mr. Trotter, would tend, to give New Zealand factories an idea of the class of produce wanted by the Old Country.

Evidently mistaking a cough or hiccough in the voice of the starter as the signal to go, a competitor in a race at the New Plymouth Boys’ High School swimming sports wasted no time, but went. For ten yards he ploughed and then came up for breath. Twice this happened, and so intent Was he on the work in hand that he was within five yards of the rope before a combined school yell stopped him. Somebody described it as a preliminary canter.

“The Crown is always perfectly safe under the Act in assuming the position of first mortgagee,” said Counsel at a sitting of the Hawke’s Bay Adjustment Court, when it was pointed out during the hearing of an application that if a loan was advanced by the Rehabilitation Committee it would become a first mortgage. “The Government does not act with the first mortgagee at all,” continued counsel. “It merely calls upon him to produce the title. That is the quarrel that the profession has in Hawke’s Bay. It is grossly unfair.”

A Raetihi radio enthusiast tuned in KFI. Los Angeles, at 7.45 last Friday evening. The reception was good and with the idea of writing to the station and getting a verification card back, he dotted down on a slip of paper the title of a good tenor song that was being sung. His radio set was in his office, and he inadvertently left the slip on the pretty young lady stenographer’s desk. It read, “Dearie, I Love You.” In the morning she handed it over to the radio fan’s wife. His explanations were quite coldly received, and it is evident that he will be under suspicion until confirmation is received from the Californian station.

In New Zealand at the present time there are approximately 700 local bodies functioning, said Professor R. M. Algie, speaking to members of the Auckland Creditman’s Club last week. He described the number as “staggering.” “On an average, the number in each body is about nine or ten,” he said. “That means that at each election, we, in this small country, have to find some 7000 men and women to fill responsible positions, positions of trust and authority over us. I suggest that such a search is too great a strain on the community. Administrators are .not showered down like rain from heaven. It is disappointing 'to think how rarely one comes across men of sufficiently wide training and experience, sufficiently sound judgment, and sufficiently strong character to mark them as ideal representatives. There are certainly not 7000 of them.” It followed, therefore, that in making selections, electors perforce had to be content with second best.

A Stratford resident recently advertised for a youth to do certain work about the place. Among the large number who applied by phone was one young man who, when told the wage, said it was too little. Later in the day, however, he again telephoned, and, after explaining who he was, calmly announced: “I've decided to take the job.”

Less than a fortnight now remains of the summer time period, which commenced last year on Sunday, October U. At 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 20, the return to standard time will be made, and all clocks will require to be put back half an hour. The change will make the natural shortening of the days seem very marked in the evenings.

There is an impression in the minds of some parents that if the Dental Clinic is dispensed with in the district the fees already paia by them will be lost. This is a mistaken idea, for if sufficient support is not forthcoming by parents and the clinic is done away with, the fees already paid will be returned to the parents. It is to be sincerely hoped, however, that parents will realise the value of the clinic, and that those who have not paid the fee will do so at once.

The Egmont County Council recently received a letter from the Prime Minister, Mr. G. W. Forbes, in reply to the council’s representations regarding the price of benzine. Mr. Forbes stated that from inquiries it would appear that the lower price at which the Government was able to obtain benzine was on account of the relatively large quantities purchased. He added that an investigation had been made into the landed cost and distributing charges 'connected with the commodity, and it would appear that the present high cost of petrol was due largely to the excessive number of distributors and other factors which were dealt with in the report, a copy of which was forwarded.

A Wanganui drapery establishment has renovating work to do for a country customer. The work cost 5s 6d. The article to be sent back could not be folded or crushed, so it was placed in a small cardboard box. The store 2s 6d and the customer paid in adexpected that postage would be about vance. The owner of the store was amazed when on presenting the box at the post office he was told that it would cost 4s 9d for postage. On principle and "in fairness to his cusand is now communicating wih the tomer he refused to post the box, lady to make arrangements for other means of delivering the renovated article, the weight of which is about lib.

The reason T. C. Lowry did not lead New Zealand in the test matches against the South Africans was because he does not get a chance of getting any practice on his sheep station on the road between Taihape and Napier, states a critics in the Dominion. Like the good sportsman he is, Lowry considered that it would be unfair to take the field when not in form, and notified the selectors that he was not available for either test. New Zealand sadly missed his generalship, though M. L. Page led the side quite well in Lowry’s absence. Captain E. W. the veteran English cricket writer, who reported his ninety-first test match at the Basin Reserve this week, considers Lowry the best captain in the game to-day. “I wish we had him in England,” he said.

Although the law of tapu was in the past a very strong force in the lives and customs of the Maoris, it would hardly be thought in these days, says the Nelson Mail, that it could be the means of stopping an industry and closing down works. Such is the case, however, in the Chatham Islands, where the freezing works at Kaingaroa have closed down owing to an adjoining fishing-ground being declared tapu. This tapu is because of the loss during the winter last year of a launch with 11 Maoris —most of them fishermen —who met their deaths in the vicinity. That portion of the sea was declared tapu, and this will remain for about another eighteen months, when the tapu will be lifted. In the meantime nothing can induce the islanders to fish there. The other fishing ground and the freezing works at Owenga are, however, carrying on as usual.

George Walker, the professional wrestler, one afternoon last week became eligible for one of the most select clubs in existence—the < Hole-in-one Club, which was promoted in America a couple of years ago and already has something like 900 accepted members of assorted nationalities. Playing over the North Shore links with Messrs. H. Preston and N. Bell, the latter the cub’s professional, he holed out the eighteenth, a distance of 96 yards, with a mashie shot from the tee. Walker made acquaintance with golf before coming to New Zealand, and has always been keen. North Shore Club is one of the most recent in New Zealand, but it already has a tradition or two. One of these is supplied by Walker’s admiration for the next chap’s game. Watching one of the club’s regulars, of unusually frail physique, get the whole of his nine stone nothing into a drive that sent the ball a couple of hundred yards down the fairway, Walker could not contain his admiration. “Gee, I wish I had your strength,” exclaimed the wrestling champion, who has a reputation as one of the strongest men in the sport of wrestling.