LOCAL AND GENERAL

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXX, Issue 4832, 9 April 1936, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

There will be no publication of the Chronicle on Easter Saturday.

Easter weddings seem especially popular in the district this year, for at least five are to be held.

Eruera Reti, a Maori girl, aged six years, of Waimana, was admitted to the Opotiki Hospital in an unconscious state as a result of eating tutu berries. The father immediately took steps to stop poisoning, but the girl gradually became worse. The child was taken to the hospital, where she later recovered.

The work of improving loading and unloading arrangements at the Te Waitere wharf, which has been in the hands of Mr. J. E. Scott, is fast approaching completion . Both the discharge of cargo from the steamer and the loading of lorries will be thus greatly facilitated.

Some outsize apples grown by Mr. H. Connell, of Tawa Street, were shown us this morning. A basketful comprising nine averaged 12 ounces, while Mr. Connell said that one apple which he weighed was just 2 ounces short of 21bs; and several were 1% lbs. The apples were a beautiful colour and went- to show that this district is eminently suited for apple growing.

Recently the Dominion Executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union protested to the Minister of Public Works against so much public money being spent on grades and bends on main roads when there are so many unmetalled roads which require attention. The Minister, in his reply, said: "I shall be pleased to give full consideration to your Union's views in this connection, and for your information I may say that under my administration every consideration will be given to the claims of the backblock settler and every effort will be made by me to alleviate his difficulties so far as access is concerned."

As announced elsewhere, the Revs. Burton, McKenzie and West will give addresses at the services in connection with the Girls' Bible Class Camp at St. Andrew's on Friday and Monday. A sacred play will be given by the Cambridge classes on Friday evening, a trip to Waitomo has been arranged for on Saturday afternoon, and sports will be held on Monday afternoon. Bible study circles will be conducted by various leaders every day.

"There is almost as much to be said for organising a milk supply as for organising a water supply," Dr. J. Dale, medical officer to the City of Melbourne, who recently arrived by the Wanganella, told a Post reporter. Dr. Dale said that he was greatly impressed by the work done for children in New Zealand by the Plunket Society, dental clinics, and the issue of free milk, and he intended to look into the methods employed here.

'Our police are most obliging and courteous and seem to know everybody and everything," wrote an v exMarlborough resident, now in London, to a friend in Blenheim. "I asked some directions from an inspector, and he casually remarked that New Zealand was far quieter than London to travel in and had a much more pleasant climate. He could tell by my casual ways and expressions that I was from New'Zealand and no other part of the world."

Housewives in Hamilton speak bitterly of a plague of flying ants which is apparent in the Waikato at present. One resident of Claudelands found a line of washing black with the insects which stung her severely, while motorists not infrequently run into swarms of the insects. House safes, which normally resist the depredations of flies and other insects, are not immune from the ants, which often are to be found in milk, butter and other foodstuffs.

Sheep worrying by stray dogs has developed to serious proportions in some parts of the Poverty Bay district, the trouble being attributed by many stock-owners to dogs allowed to run free from Maoi'i pas. On one property 60 sheep were killed by dogs, 40 being lost on one night and 20 on another. Efforts to identify or capture the marauders so far have been without effect, but drastic steps are to be taken by stock-owners to protect their flocks.

A definite statement that it was against his policy to build a single schoolroom until such time as all available floor space in existing schools in a district had been utilised was made by the Minister of Education, the Hon. P. Fraser. The Minister expressed himself as being a firm supporter of the policy of consolidated schools, and also said that the department's programme of educational development contained nothing that would tend towards subordinating or shadowing technical education. All requests would be considered *according to urgency. He did not intend to spend money on assembly halls, for instance, until the conditions in which some children were receiving elementary education had been greatly improved.

When a deputation from the combined Scottish societies was being heard at a recent meeting of the Wellington City Council, mention was made of the pipe band. Argument proceeded as to whether the societies could be classed as musical or charitable. Cr. W. Appleton: "Is a pipe band a musical society?" The Hon. P. Fraser: "Oh, yes." The deputation's request for a reduction in the charge for the Town Hall was made on the ground that 50 per cent, of the concert proceeds went to the Presbyterian orphanages. The reduction was opposed by the Mayor, Mr. T. Hislop, who added "and I'm a Presbyterian." A councillor: "A case of Greek meeting Greek."

There was an unusual happening at a sale at Pukeawa,' South Otago, on Saturday of a tenant's stock under a distress warrant for non-payment of back rent (states a Dunedin paper). When the cows had been collected and the ■ auctioneer had made his usual announcement as to the terms of sale the tenant addressed the prospective buyers and asked them not to bid, blaming his landlord for failing to meet him in negotiations regarding what the tenant considered to be an unjust debt. The cows were then offered singly, but there were no bids, neither was there any response when the animals were offered in one lot. Two horses were next offered, but the crowd again failed to bid, and the auctioneer declared the sale "off." Such occurrences are not uncommon, in England, but are very rare in New Zealand.