LOCAL AND GENERAL

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXX, Issue 4845, 14 May 1936, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Anglican Girls' Guild have decided to hold their annual dance on June 23 (King's Birthday).

A meeting of the Te Kuiti Chamber of Commerce will be held next Monday night, the 18th inst., at 8 p.m., to discuss the Shops and Offices Amendment Act now before Parliament. An invitation is extended to all business men to be present, as their interests are vitally affected by this measure.

The police are desirous of ascertaining the whereabouts of Stanley Charles Maisey, wanted for attempted murder at Carterton on 3rd March. Farmers are asked to check on their employees since that date. The description given is: 26 years, sft 3in, farm labourer, medium build, fresh complexion, dark brown or black hair, scar on back of head. He may still be in possession of the revolver.

A suggestion that the Council should approach the Public Works Department with a view to it supplying the Council with bitumen and other supplies was made at the Te Kuiti Borough Council meeting on Monday evening by Cr. Dobson, and as a result it was decided to approach the Department on the matter. The Council had previously obtained their bitumen supplies from private firms and were considering asking for tenders for the eight tons required annually when this "suggestion was made. During the discussion on the matter it was pointed out that the Public Works Department bought bitumen in bulk, and, it was understood, duty free, but it was not their policy to trade in these commodities.

"I think you will agree with me that this Te Kuiti 2B fiat Domain will be an excellent area for sport of all football, etc.," said the Mayor, Mr. T. Carroll, when the advice of the granting of the area had been received at the meeting of the Borough Council on Monday. "Well, apparently the footballers don't want it," rejoined Cr. Isaac, evidently referring to the motion carried at a recent meeting of the Rugby Union expressing the view that any change would not be in the interests of Rugby. Another interesting point was raised when the Council met at a special meeting to consider the Domain Board's annual accounts when Cr. Dobson asked if it would not be wise for the Borough Council to arrange another meeting of the Domain Board so that it could consider the development of the new Domain area under its control. To this the town clerk replied that it was only necessary for the Council to meet actually as the Domain Board for the annual meeting—at all other times matters affecting the Domains under its control could be dealt with during the Council's ordinary business.

The following were given as the average prices paid for butterfat, by the "Hon. W. Nash in Parliament: — 1904-05, 9id; 1913-14, 12d; 191718, 24£d; 1930-31, 12|d; 1934-34, 8.94 d. From 1911 to 1921 production in New Zealand had increased from 300,000 cwt. # to 900,000 cwt. Production multiplied three-fold in that period, but the total returns multiplied seven and a half times, and land values rose by £133 millions. In the next ten years production was doubled, but the total returns were a quarter of a million less.

Emotion played a great part in human life, remarked Dr. J. D. Salmond, when addressing the Palmerston North Rotary Club recently on a visit he had made to Russia. In times of war it was common to see infants given the names of prominent generals. In Russia the people were thinking in terms of world revolution, and they were also passionate admirers of science and the improvements it gave. Thus could be found children with such names as Revolution, Electricity, and Atom. Those names gave an interesting indication of the working of the minds of the people.

When addressing an audience of 1000 people in Hamilton, Mr. Edwin Orr, the Irish evangelist, asked how many present could speak Maori. One solitary hand went up. Mr. Orr said he had been.in New Zealand for only three weeks and had learned all the Maori he could. He demonstrated his linguistic ability by singing a song in Maori. Mr. Orr remarked that the Maori language was a most beautiful one, and the Maoris were the finest of the so-called native races he had met. He expressed regret that more New Zealand pakehas had not made themselves familiar with the language.

The British primary producers' party which, under the auspices of the Empire Union and the leadership of Major-General Duncan, toured the Dominion some weeks ago, reached London on May 2. Information has been received by the Department of Tourist and Publicity that members of the party spoke most enthusiastically of the wonderful reception, hospitality and kindness shown to them throughout their visit, and of the arrangements made for the tour itself. They expressed the hope that the friendships made throughout New Zealand would be maintained through correspondence.

During the last financial year (states the Monthly Abstract of Statistics) there has been some improvement in the unemployment situation. Returns of unemployed males issued by the Labour Department, show the following totals in. March of each of the last four financial years:—March, 1933, 45,459; March, 1934, 37,621; March, 1935, 35,568; March, 1936, 32,019. It will be seen that a material improvement has taken place since 1933, and that there has been a decrease of approximately 10 per cent, during the last year. A further immediate improvement in the unemployment situation should result from the recently-announced decision of the Government to commence, without delay, a programme of public works construction.

According to the decision of Mr. J. Miller, S.M., at the Hastings Magistrate's Court last week, a person who is being double-banked on a bicycle which is not properly lighted at night is equally culpable with the man in the saddle. The ruling arose as the result of the prosecution of Ivor Eagle and Robert Lyall Murrell, who were charged with riding a bicycle without a light. Murrell said that he was on the bar at the time and questioned whether he could be held responsible for the breach. "You were aiding and abetting at any rate," said His Worship, and imposed a fine of 15s, with 10s costs, on each defendant. A similar fine was imposed on Hollis Rose, who was charged on the same count.

Odd payment for 101 b of onions, costing Is, was made to a New Plymouth fruiterer last week by a man in a neat suit and a new hat. Lifting the onions off the counter, the man put down in exchange four pennies, two crumpled stamps, a threepenny note book, and an old tram ticket with four sections unpunched. Without making either explanation or excuse 1 , the customer tucked the onions under his arm and walked out of the shop, leaving a very astonished man behind the counter.

At Palmerston North a farm labourer was awarded £567, in addition to special damages on account of a broken leg sustained in his employment. He had claimed £ISOO in addition to hospital and other expenses. His counsel caused some amusement in Court by admitting that a large sum had been named for general damages because the plaintiff could not be awarded more than the sum named.

A 2%cwt wild boar has been killed on the Crown lands at Okau after defying the efforts of settlers for nearly three years, says the Poverty Bay Herald. A party of four accompanied by three dogs cornered the boar, and after a great struggle in which the holder dog was killed, after receiving eleven rips in the throat, and the other two dogs had been badly ripped, the boar was hamstrung. Not a shot was fired. The boar was extremely cunning, and in the past two years had killed more than six dogs. The moment he heard anything approaching the boar used to retreat into the fern, and after sundry encounters it was found that dogs would not pursue him once he entered it. In this growth the boar's weight placed him at an immense advantage, and the dogs had very litte chance. Another trick he had was of dashing against a tree when a dog had hold of his ear. This move freed him a number of times.

Advice on when it was dangerous and when desirable to give alcohol to a person in distress was given by Professor Edward Mellanby, secretary of the Medical Research Council, when he lectured before the Royal Institution (states the Manawatu EveningStandard). The danger of alcohol, from the point of view of rescue parties, he stated, lay in the fact that while it brought warmth to the person rescued, it did nothing to stimulate the working of his body. The result was the body's "heat loss" was increased, but there was no corresponding increase in the production of heat, such as would result from a beef steak or any other form of food. Therefore, if alcohol was given when a rescue party was a long way from any place of refuge, death from exposure might be accelerated, although for the time being the man might be made more comfortable. "Similarly/' Professor Mellanby stated, "it is bad to take alcohol during hardship when there is no prospect of immediate rescue." If, on the other hand, the time of hardship was nearly over, or the rescue party nearly home, then alcohol might be valuable.