LOCAL AND GENERAL

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXI, Issue 4945, 21 January 1937, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The cost of living index of the British Ministry of Labour shows that the average level of retail prices on January 1 was about 51 per cent, above the level of July, 1914, compared with 47 per cent, a year ago. The figure is unchanged for December.

It was decided at the monthly meeting of the Waipa County Council on Tuesday to convene a conference with local bodies in the district to consider ' proposals for their amalgamation with the county. The meeting will be held in Te Awamutu on February 10.

Wonderful growth is reported from local gardeners. In one case white turnips showed through the ground two days after sowing, and pumpkin runners show a growth of six inches in 24 hours. Can anyone beat this?

An interesting opinion concerning the possible cause of some thunderstorms was advanced at the last monthly meeting of the Waitotara County Council by the engineer, Mr. T. Dix, who, in his report, stated that he had come to the conclusion that the discharge of electricity from wireless stations was more or less gathered as a beam in deep valleys, and by its influence thunderstorms were created. Mr. Dix added that this had been noticeable only during recent years.

An illustration of the lack of knowledge of New Zealand was given to a Post reporter yesterday by a visitor from Northern Ireland. "When my wife heard that I was staying for nearly six weeks in New Zealand she wrote and stated that as New Zealand was not really much bigger than Ulster she thought I could easily walk all over it in ten days," he said. "You see," added the visitor, "this is a young country, not thickly populated, and you regard a hundred miles here as we regard a ten-mile trip at home."

"The general feeling is that the local bodies in Taranaki at the present time are quite efficient and most of us will be doing the correct thing if we stick our toes in and stand as we are," said Cr. W. C. Green, chairman of the Egmont County Council, at the monthly meeting when the subject of local body amalgamation came up for discussion. He pointed out that legislation would probably be brought down next session and the Government would have the power to enforce amalgamation where it was considered necessary or desirable.

"The average motorist does not fully understand the speed restrictions," said a speaker at the monthly meeting of the Waipa County Council at Te Awamutu. "They think that since since the 30 m.p.h. signs have been erected that they can travel at this speed in all places, regardless of whether there are schools in the locality or not." The engineer, Mr. J. W. Civil, said that the motorist should be able to realise that the Hon. R. Semple, who was working for road safety, would not double the 15 m.p.h. limit past schools.

"While America is refurnishing, New Zealand need not fear a drop in the price of wool," declared a visitor to Christchurch from the United States. He said that the end of prohibition had meant that speakeasies which were formerly nothing more than secret drinking dens, were now transforming themselves into respectable cafes, and were furnishing accordingly. Then, also, in private homes whose owners had been hit by the depression there was a tremendous renewal of carpets and other furnishings going on. "It is my opinion," he added, "that America could easily have taken over the whole of your coarse wool clip and that she will be just as eager to buy next season".

Mr. G. W. Sellars, the parachutist, had an unenviable experience while making a descent at Otaki Beach on Saturday. There was a very strong wind blowing at the time of taking off, for which due allowance was made by the pilot of the aeroplane, Flying Officer E. Harvie. The parachutist, however, was carried up the beach in a northerly direction and thrown violently against the vertical face of a sandhill, being completely knocked out by the impact. Mr. Sellars did not regain consciousness for two hours and when he did he was surprised to find himself in bed, a doctor and a representative of the police standing by the bedside. All he could remember about the parachute jump was the approach of a sandhill. Apart from a headache, Mr. Sellars suffered no ill-effects.

The view held by observers at Home regarding the European situation is that though the shadow of war looms over Europe, Germany is anxious to establish friendly relations with Great Britain, according to Mr. H. L. Hartland-Swann, managing director of Lever Brothers, Ltd., who is on a business visit to New Zealand. He stated in an interview that it was clear that the new German Ambassador, Herr von Ribbentrop, had been sent to London with that object in view. Mi\ Hartland-Swann said that he had twice entertained the German Ambassador, who was a charming man in his early forties. "If his mission is to sell German friendship to Britain, he is undoubtedly the man to do it," remarked Mr. HartlandSwann. "He was a champagne salesman before he entered the diplomatic service, and he was unquestionably a salesman of the first order—a super salesman."

"You should have seen my wife's face when I opened the envelope. Before we opened it we thought it contained a bill from the board." Such was an excerpt from a letter read at the last meeting of the Taranaki Hospital Boai-d from a man in receipt of charitable aid. Instead of a bill the envelope received by him contained "a little extra" for Christmas cheer.

A species of grub which had riddled the hard ironbark wood at the base of two power poles in Epsom, Auckland, is held responsible for the collapse of the poles a few Jays ago. Nothing quite like this pest has been encountered by the staff of the Auckland Electric Power Board, and specimens of the rotted wood are to be sent for examination to the museum. The fallen poles were replaced by a repair gang without inconvenience to traffic or to the board's customers.

"A large number of German Jews, exiled from their own country and coming out to Australia and New Zealand, was a noticeable feature on the Mongolia, outward bound to Australia," said Miss B. Stevenson, who returned to Dunedin by the Marama. "Many of the exiles told passengers that since they had boarded the vessel they had laughed for the first time in many months. Passengers were particularly kind to them, and care was taken to make them happy."

The fact that at one tme he had himself been without a job was mentioned by the Minister of Lands, the Hon. F. Langstone, in replying to a deputation from the settlers of the Karamu farm settlement in Napier. "I know what it is to be unemployed," Mr. Langstone said. "I am a Cabinet Minister now, but I remember the time when I was without a job and did not even have relief work to fall back upon. I have drunk the bitter dregs of having no income coming in to a family. I know how you feel, but I cannot promise the impossible."

In anticipation of their annual holiday at Foxton Beach on New Year's Day, two small boys living four miles from the city were presented with watering cans. In gratitude they decided to water dad's car while he was at the cowyard. The party got an early start, but at half a mile from home the car stopped, and the source of the trouble was not located until one little chap said, "Well, Dad, she ought to go, we filled her right up at both ends."

A considerable amount of interest has been taken by passing motorists during the last few days in the activities of the up-to-date 12-yard tractor and scoop engaged on road reconstruction on the section between Ohaupo and Te Awamutu. The machine commenced operations late on Friday near Taylor's Hill and since that time has made a considerable difference to the appearance of the road. Climbing and descending particularly steep grades with apparent ease and lifting phenomenal loads of spoil the machine has attracted the inetrest of residents of the neighbourhood and numbers of motorists.

To induce people to come from overseas and make their permanent homes in New Zealand much more detailed information was required to be placed before them than that given in the general publicity scheme designed solely to attract tourists, said the former High Commissioner, Sir James Parr, in an interview at Te Aroha. A more specialised type of publicity was necessary and this could be done by the Tourist Department's capable officers. Sir James said that he considered the Tourist Department officers should be authorised to issue their own publicity matter, and thus the advantages of New Zealand to the home-seeker could be emphasised. At present the whole of New Zealand's overseas publicity matter was complied and released by publicity officers whose work might entail the advertising of butter one day, meat the next, and the tourist attractions the following day.