LOCAL AND GENERAL

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXIX, Issue 4694, 16 May 1935, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The balance sheet of the Domain, submitted to the Borough Council last evening, disclosed the fact that the campers’ fees amounted to £6l 8s 2d, as against £46 15s last year. The Cricket Association had contributed £6 towards the preparation of the Domain and the Borough £32 13s Bd, to make the amount up to the total of £IOO Is lOd expended.

That Te Awamutu district is affording occupation for rabbit trappers is shown by the consignments of rabbit skins railed south recently. Most of the consignments go to-Dun-edin firms. One trapper lately sent a consignment weighing seven hundredweight, and this week eleven full sacks of skins were sent away by another trapper.

Wanganui electors were faced with an unusual position when they perused their ballot papers for the city council election last week. The ballot paper bore the names of two Harry Lawrences, but in order to permit of a distinction being made the occupations of both candidates were printed with their names. The same ballot pdper also bore the names of two Bennets, but in this case they did not possess the same Christian names.

Swimming should be made a compulsory subject in the primary school’s syllabus, said members of the Kelburn School Parents’ and Teachers’ Association at the annual meeting. A motion was carried recommending to the Wellington Education Board that it should endeavour to influence the Department of Education to make life-saving and swimming a compulsory subject, in the absence of a doctor’s certificate, wherever facilities are accessible, and that competent instructors should be appointed.

“In Australia it costs £1 4s 3d weekly for the upkeep of a man in gaol, 14s 9d weekly for the warming of water to keep a shark in an aquarium, Ts weekly to keep a dog in a dog’s home, and 5s 9d weekly for an unemployed single man. It would be interesting to know the relative costs in New Zealand,” said Mr. H. Atmore, M.P., in the Civic Theatre in Tauranga'. “Some of our sharks cost us much more ..than that,” said an interjector, a remark which provoked loud laughter.

There was a good deal of amusement to lighten the more serious aspect of the meeting of returning officers which was held in Christchurch City Council chambers. The attendance was nearly 500. In one instance the chairman, Mr. A. Sleeman, was answering a question whether it was illegal to strike out a name by drawing a line through it. The official method, he said, was to mark a cross beside each of the favoured candidates. A sign such as that was not really an expression of disgust or of anything else. It was just a sign. A voice from the back: “I always thought a X meant a kiss.” The meeting appreciated it.

While digging in his garden during the week-end, a Te Awamutu resident unearthed a large silver coin which, on being cleaned, proved to be a half-crown minted in 1818, the reign of George 111. As the garden was about seventy years ago the site of an encampment of the military forces, it is probable that the coin was lost at that time. We do not know (states the Waipa Post, whether the coin is of any great value, but if it is not it is a pity, for the discovery could act as a stimulus to many other residents to devote more time to turning over the soil, and thus making nice gardens.

“We have a lot in the press about how New Zealand could capture the Danish butter trade,” stated Professor W. Riddet, director of the Dairy Research Institute, at the dairy factory managers’ conference at Palmerston North last week. “Let me tell you that is all a myth,” he added. “It is a much more difficult matter than most people think.” Professor Riddit quoted instances of these difficulties, many of which were simply matters of custom. One grocer, for example, when. asked to report, said the New Zealand product was very near Danish, but it was not in the same kind of keg.

Pointed comment was made by Mr. F. H. Levien, S.M., in the Paeroa Court when a farmer who appeared before him on a judgment summons action without a statement of his income and expenditure stated that he worked for his wife for his keep alone, and did not have a penny of his own. It was a very convenient arrangement for a debtor, observed the magistrate, and the preparation of the statement might show that it would be better for the wife to employ a boy on the farm and let the husband go to work to pay his debts. In any case, a thorough investigation of the farm’s finance, probably the first to be made, would not do ( any harm, and might do some good.

Mss Angela Joyce, the “Miss England” beauty winner of 1928, sued Lord Revelstoke for breach of promise. The jury, including three women, returned a verdict for the defendant.

“Health is an unconscious action or condition, and the less you think of it the better. Don’t think about it or discuss it; just live it.” This advice was given to the annual meeting of the Sunlight League in Christchurch by the chairman (Archbishop Julius). “It is many years since I first presided at this meeting,” he said. “Why I was chosen to preside Ido not know. lam not a specialist in health matters; my only qualification is that I have managed to live to fairly good age. My ideas on health are these: a reasonable amount of common sense, a growing experience of what is good, the power of refraining from the bad, and avoiding too much appeal to the doctors.”

An unenviable experience recently befell two women trampers in the Routeburn district. A large stag appeared in their track and evinced as much interest in them as they showed towards him. Then when feminine curiosity had been satisfied they attempted to “shoo” the animal from their path. The deer had other ideas, however, and suddenly charged. Fortunately an overhanging rock provided timely shelter, but the stag kept them imprisoned for over three hours. The trampers ultimately made their escape, bujt it entailed a two days’ detour through the bush to Paradise. There they met an unsuccessful party of deer-stalkers who escorted them back to the spot where the stag was still mounting guard. A bullet soon disposed of the animal and provided the deer-stalkers with a magnificent 14-pointer.

Not only are the costs of imported goods increased by the existing exchange rate of 25 per cent. New Zealand on London. The rate is, it seems, has other reactions: it affects missions to the heathen.. This was shown by the Rev. A. J. D. Britland, of the North China Anglican Mission, speaking at St. Mark’s recently on the mission and its urgent financial needs. Mr. Britland said that the mission had, of course, suffered from the general financial depression of the past few years. “But;” he added, “we suffer rather severely in your contributions from New Zealand. You send us, say, £SOO, and we know that you have se'nt us £SOO, but by the time it .reaches us it is only £375. I don’t exactly know how it is done, but £125 of the £SOO you send to us sticks to someone’s fingers before the money reaches us.”

In the report of the Keng Joe v. G. J. Paine case published on Tuesday, it was understood that no notice of intention to claim having been given one month before the action, and it being necessary to begin‘proceedings within three months (requirements of the Magistrates’ Court Act), no further action could be taken. However, we have been informed by'Mr. Paterson, solicitor for Keng Joe, that notice of action was given on 29th March. The action was commenced before the expiry of one month from that notice, and was therefore, in the Magistrate’s opinion, premature. The notice has 'now matured within the three-monthly period, and Mr. Paterson’s client’s right of action has been protected.

An example of the semi-supersti-tious medical practice of the Chinese was given by Mr. A. J.. Britland, treasurer of the diocese of North China, in an' address at Christchurch. Mr. Britland said that the Chinese divided their practitioners into two classes—“outside” doctors and “inside” doctors. The story-was told that at an archery contest a man had been accidentally pierced by an arrow. A doctor had been called, an “outside” doctor, or surgeon; he had asked for a saw and had sawn off the arrow close to the patient’s ribs. Asked what he would do about the part of the arrow inside the body, he had replied that an “inside” doctor would have to be called to attend to that.

The last live stock sale at Otorohanga was considerably enlivened when two well known and middleaged farmers, of the Honikiwi district, took the arena to settle their differences in the good old-fashioned way. Whilst the auctioneers were hammering away to knock down stock, the contestants were liammerig'g away and knocking each other down, in efforts of supremacy. The hostilities soon attracted buyers and spectators from round the selling pens, and a large crowd quickly gathered. The battle was long and furious—in spite of the fact that some of the older onlookers tried their best to separate the fighters. The younger men, however, were anxious to see which man would gain the decision. A well known Puketarata farmer had been reluctantly pressed into the position of referee. After a prolonged exchange of more or less scientific blows, the combatants were persuaded to desist, and leave the battlefield- Both bore undeniable exhibits of the strenuous encounter.

In view of the efforts which had been made to clear the 1000-acre property of ragwort, the information of the Stock Inspector, W. G. Bonner, against the National Mutual Life Association (Mr. Tipping) was dismissed by Mr. F. H. Levien, S.M., on Monday, on payment of costs and witness’s expenses. Mr. Bonner said the pasture was heavily infested. This was kept in control by sheep, but this control had not been extended to the 197 acres which were the subject of the complaint. L. K. Lemberg gave evidence in support of the inspector. E. J. Davenport said that the area complained of was coming away early in the spring, and he put on sheep and chewed the ragwort right out. Then the sheep were taken off, and after he returned from a holiday in Auckland in January it was yellow. He immediately put on a thousand ewes. He had, he contended, done all that was humanly possible, considering he had a thousand acres to control which up to eight years ag’o had been abandoned. lii giving judgment, Mr. Levien said it must be taken as a definite warning that the land must be kept reasonably clean.