LOCAL AND GENERAL

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVII, Issue 4402, 8 June 1933, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

“No doubt a great deal of the success of the Danes is due to their folk high schools. Let us hope that our farm school will be the nucleus of similar institutions in New Zealand,” said Dr. H. E. Annett, when lecturing on butter marketing at the Waikato Farm School on Monday evening. Dr. Annett stressed the importance of farm instruction.

The Australian wool production during the last season totalled about 3,100,000 bales and exceeded the record quantity of the previous year by 50,000 bales. Based on the average figure realised for the staple sold in the Commonwealth, the 1932-33 clip will be worth £35,500,000 in Australian currency, or £4,000,000 more than two years ago.

They had been taught at school that the three great things in life were faith, hope, and charity, and the greatest of these was charity, remarked Mr. I. Gibbs, Mayor of Inglewood, in extending a civic welcome to the Farmers’ Conference. In the farmer’s life the three main points were high exchange, quotas, and quality, and the greatest of these was quality, he added.

A remit, urging the Government to conduct State lotteries, which has bee'n before the conference of the North Taranaki Farmers’ Union on several occasions without success, was again brought before the conference last week by Mr. W. J. Maloney, of Omata. There was a decided swing in the opinion of delegates, with the result that the remit was carried by a considerable majority.

Delving into the early history of the Christchurch Hospital at the opening of the new nurses’ home, the chairman of the board (Mr. H. J. Otley) brought to light an old regulation which stipulated that each nurse in the hospital was to receive a pint of beer a day. To show how much the privilege was appreciated, he added amidst laughter that it was recorded in the minutes that in one month there had been an overdraft of beer, amounting to 41 pints.

Commenting in the Waikato Diocesan Magazine on a recent pastoral visit to the King Country, the Bishop of Aotearoa (the Rt. Rev. F. A. Bennett) reported having attended a “pou kai” at Te Kuiti, but felt that his time in giving an address there had been wasted. A pou kai usually signified a feast, and as the guests entered the feast house they were expected to give an offering of money. He felt that the guests were less interested in the address than in the pou kai; otherwise his reception was friendly. Visits were paid to Manunui, Parawera, Wa'otu, Okauia, and Rukumoana, where twelve couples were married by him at one service.

Large quantities of dairy produce are imported by India, mostly from Europe, and New Zealand could expand what market she has there, stated Dr. H. E. Annett, at the Waikato Farm School on Tuesday evening. During his residence in India the Danish article was the most popular, as the New Zealand produce was softer than that usually received. New Zealand butter melted at 5 to 6 degrees lower than the Indian. Indians eat large quantites of ghee (melted native butter) which realised a high price. There was also the possibility of increasing the exports of New Zealand preserved milk.

“The greatest enemy of our Empire is peace,” declared Lieutenantcommander R. C. E. Harding, R.N. (retired), at a Navy League social the other evening. “A deadly apathy seems to grip everyone,” he continued. “People will not rally round a cause as well in peace time as they will when their cou'ntry is at war. The welfare of the Empire and the strength of its fighting forces have to take second place. It is the duty of the Navy League to ginger up public interest.”

“It appears that the new timetable is one which we have wanted for a long time,” said the chairman, Mr. W. S. Cato, when railway matters were under discussion at the Chamber of Commerce meeting on Tuesday evening. With the train about noon, be pointed out, it would be possible for country people to cash cheques at the local banks and perhaps transact some business in Te Kuiti before proceeding on their way northward, this being impossible with the train leaving before 10 o’clock. Mr. Johnson, the statio'nmaster, agreed. The new timetable seemed to be a really good one for the needs of this district, and already there were signs that it would be fully appreciated.

A Hastings pig breeder is carrying out an organised experiment in the feeding of pumpkins to his pigs, as he is of the opinion that as a fattening feed at this time of the year pumpkins do not possess an equal. For pig feeding he considers that they are definitely superior to mangolds.

“It'is the large and consistent ad* vertisers who are to-day weathering the storm,” said Sir Edward Iliffe, addressing Nottingham Publicity Club. “I think the time has really arrived when sound and well thoughtout advertising schemes can be launched with confidence.” Sir Edward added that advertising was by far the greatest factor in reducing the cost 'of living for every member of the community.

The Chinese nationals in New Zealand cities usually look after their own cases of distress, but they have the same rights in respect to relief as are enjoyed by Europeans. In Wellington only six Chinese have registered at the Buckle Street bureau in the cojurse of its operations, and none are now employed on relief works. A few Chinamen accepted work on Johnsonville Road some time ago, but, not being of the coolie class, found the work too hard, and left after a few days. Their feet, it is said, hurt them a good deal, and though they were willing, some of them could not lift a pick on the third day. Their behaviour was described as excellent.

A gift of 1000 acres acres made by Mr. E. E. Vaile, of Broadlands, has been accepted by the Government. The area, which is partly improved and entirely free of encumbrances, is to be applied for the relief of unemployment, and the Government intends to proceed immediately with the work of development. Mr. Vaile is of the opinion that the land will maintain twenty families on fiftyacre farms. The land has been inspected by the Minister of Employment (the Hon. A. Hamilton), the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. C. E. Macmilla'n), and several Government officers, all of whom were impressed with the value of the area and its productive possibilities. A good road serves the area, which is about four and a half miles off the main Rotorua-Taupo highway.

Conditions in Australia have improved considerably during the past two years, according to Mr. A. L. Cropp, managing director ,of T. J. Edmonds, Ltd., Christchurch, who returned by the Wanga'nella on Tuesday from Sydney. Mr. Cropp told a Post reporter that since his last visit to Australia two years ago the people had adopted a different outlook on life. They were more optimistic regarding the future and appeared to spend their money more freely. One noticeable feature of the improved conditions was the increase in motor car traffic. Cars which had been laid up for some considerable time had now been put into use again, indicating that the owners were of the opinion that there was no longer a'ny need for rigid economy.

A speaker at a Dairy Board election meeting at New Plymouth suggested as a means of overcoming the quota, that the moisture content of butter exported from New Zealand should be reduced, say, 6 per cent., and that the butter should be reworked on arrival in England, the 6 per cent, of water added and the butter made up into pats for putting on the market. The candidate (Mr. H. E. Blyde) agreed that the proposal to pat the butter was well worth considering, .reports a Taranaki exchange, as indeed every avenue should be exhaustively explored by the Dairy Produce Board, which should be able, to say whether the schemes were feasible or not. He did not think, however, that the proposal would affect the quota. Another speaker remarked that if 6 per cent, less water were incorporated as suggested, it would mean much less freight and insurance to pay.

A bold effort to extinguish a church loan has been undertaken by the parishioners of St. James’, Riccarton. The “Church News” contains the following explanatory paragraph: —“St. James’, Riccarton, has an aggregate debt of about £3OOO, arising out of the building of the church, vicarage, Sunday school, and other incidentals of a completely equipped new outfit. The slump has, of course, affected the parish finances, and it is not surprising that the cure is finding a difficulty in meeting interest and repayment commitments in full. At the annual meeting a scheme was launched which has the merits of bold appeal to generosity and self-sacrifice on the part of those who lo’ng to see the parish untrammelled by the heavy debt and able to carry out the expansion which it hinders. A ‘Friends of St. James’ fund was started in which each Friend is to earn the title by contributing £lO either in cash or over a term. A start was made with several gifts of £lO, and o'ne parishioner richly earned the title by promising to give the last £lO in every £IOO up to £looo—that is, a conditional gift of £100.”

The following Te Kuiti Juniors are to play Mangaotaki on Saturday at Mangaotaki: Stringer, Dean, Dinsdale, Hall, Archer, Rodgers, McCorkindale, Rule, Hallett, Martin, Jackson, Andrews, Danrell, Colclough, Corin, and Cato.

Sixteen years ago yesterday occurred the Battle of Messines, in which the New Zealand troops took a prominent part. The Battle of Messines was the preliminary operation in the Ypres offensive, the objective being to force the German troops from the eastern wing of the Ypres salient. Within a few hours the advance had been successfully completed.

The. members of St. Luke’s Ladies’ Guild are organising; card and dance evenings during the winter months. The first of these was held last night and proved a great success. About 50 of 'the young people engaged in dancing, ping-pong and other games, while about 30 others played cards. Mr. J. Black, and Misses P. McLeod, Bell, and Colelough provided the talent at the piano, while Dr., Isaac acted as M.C. Altogether, this, the first of a series of such entertainments to be held every alternate . Wednesday, proved most enjoyable.

Speaking at the an'nual meeting of the Mar ton Jockey Club, Mr. J. R. L. Stanford (chairman of the committee and a Wanganui district delegate to the New Zealand Racing Conference) referred briefly to the win and place system of betting. “The system is undoubtedly popular and has come to stay,” he said “Whether the equal percentages to the first, second and third horses are the best is still open to doubt. Many think that 50 per cent., 30 per cent., and 20 per cent, would be a better allocation.”

A number of Addington residents derived much amuseme'nt and some profit on Wednesday from a local price war between two stores that sent eggs down to the almost incredible price of 5d a dozen before an armistice was signed and the price restored to the ruling level of 2s 3d. Hostilities broke out (says the Press) when an assistant at one of the. shops chalked up on the window, “Eggs—--2s 3d a dozen.” Very soon the store on the opposite side of the road came out with the challenge, “Eggs 2s a dozen.” Then the fun began. The first storekeeper retaliated by offering eggs at Is 9d a dozen, and so by successive -threepenny reductions each Store in turn made a new bid for public patronage, until one lowered the other’s bid of 6d a dozen by a penny. After formal preliminaries a truce was called. As a result of the operations it is said that some 200 dozen eggs were disposed of at the two shops at far less than cost price.