LOCAL AND GENERAL

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXI, Issue 4953, 9 February 1937, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A local farmer who received the high price of 47s for a small line of two-year ewes at the Te Kuiti sale last Friday, obtained 11s for the same class of sheep four years ago.

“You don’t have fighting in public streets in Germany—at least you didn’t when I was there,” said Mr. E. D. Mosley, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court at Wellington to two Germans who were charged with striking each other in Woodward Street. The accused replied through their interpreter that they did not fight in the streets of their homeland. “Well,” said Mr. Mosley, “in the same way, you must not fight here either.” The defendants shook hands and were later seen leaving the court together.

A fact New Zealanders may not generally appreciate is that Northern Ireland takes large quantities of New Zealand butter annually. The point was mentioned in Christchurch by Sir Basil Brooke, Minister of Agriculture in Northern Ireland, who arrived in Christchurch. He said that the dairying industry in Northern Ireland took second place to beef production, and every year the country was short of its butter requirements by about 60 per cent. This was filled by consignments of Australian and New Zealand produce, and the name of both occupied a high place. Northern Ireland also took large quantities of fibre for rope-making.

“I have seen a considerable number of gum trees in New Zealand,” said Senator A. J. McLachlan, PostmasterGeneral hi the Australian Government, during his visit to Christchurch, “but they are nearly all blue gums. Why haven’t you imported our best gum? The blue gum seems to thrive well enough, but it is not the type that contributes much to the beauty of the landscape, nor is it particularly useful. Our red gum makes excellent timber and is very beautiful.” Senator McLachlan said his advice to the people of the West Coast would be to plant more trees. There was a danger of deforestation, and New Zealand would have to conserve her timber resources.

Surprise at the rapidity with which New Zealand had recovered from the depression was expressed by Mr. Max Schermeyer, of Nurnberg, Germany, who is on a business trip through New Zealand. In 1931 when _ Mr. Schermeyer was last in the Dominion the exchange rate had just been raised and he found business very poor. On this trip business was excellent and the Dominion showed a quickness of recovery from the depression far beyond that of other countries. He had been particularly impressed with the remarkable development that had been made chiefly in building in the major cities.

The special committee set up by the Minister of Health, Hon. P. Fraser, to hear evidence concerning national health insurance from persons or organisations wishing to make representations, sat again in Wellington last week. After the hearing of evidence the sitting was adjourned sine die. It is not yet known if the committee will sit in other centres, although advertisements announcing that evidence will be accepted from those who wish to give it have been published in Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin. The committee, after considering the oral representations and the written recommendations of hospital boards and associated organisations, will report to the Minister.

Addressing directors of the Southland Agricultural and Pastoral Association Mr. A. S. Holms, Waimahaka, who recently returned from a visit to Great Britain and the Continent, described Lord Bledisloe as a “fine, homely farmer who knows everything that is happening on his estate in Gloucestershire.” New Zealand’s former Governor-General has a wonderful estate, said Mr. Holms, which is run on strictly practical lines. He has a fine herd of Red Poll cattle and breeds 1500 pigs. The raising of the pigs is done scientifically in every respect, and both the pigstyes and the cowbyre are models of cleanliness and efficiency.

Surveys being conducted by the Public Works Department as part of the Canterbury irrigation investigation are being held up through a shortage of surveyors and other trained men. Mr. T. G. Beck, resident engineer to the Public Works Department at Temuka, said that he supposed the shortage was caused by a general improvement in business and professions throughout the country, with a consequent increasing demand for men. The surveys are part of the investigations scheme in Canterbury to obtain scientific information about the plains. One of the possible purposes of the scheme will be to determine the extent of water resources with a view to their exploitation.

What must be considered something in the nature of a record in stock transport took place in Masterton the other day, when Mr. W. Levin, manager of Oral Station, in conjunction with Mr. F. B. Gray, a local transport owner, arranged for the conveyance of a large draft of 2300 lambs from Orui Station to the Masterton railway station, a distance of 36 miles. With the co-operation of other local carriers, Mr. Gray was able to commence loading operations at daylight on Monday morning, and at noon on the same day the whole draft had been loaded into railway trucks, to be dispatched to Feilding. A total of 1100 vehicle miles was covered to perform the job.

“I think the term ‘coronary thrombosis’ should be translated; it may not be known to most members of the general public,” remarked Detective Sergeant H. Nuttall during an inquest held in Napier last week. “Coronary thrombosis is a form of heart failure, is it not?” asked the coroner, Mr. A. E. Bedford, J.P., of Dr. A. G. Clark, one of the medical witnesses. “It would be more correct to say that it is a cause of heart failure,” the doctor replied. “As a matter of fact,” he added smilingly, “most deaths are the result of heart failure.”