Untitled

Manawatu Standard, Volume LI, Issue 120, 22 April 1931, Page 6

The “Standard” will not _be published on Saturday, April 25, Anzac Day.

In order to perform an urgent operation in Gisborne. Sir Garrick Robertson left Auckland by aeroplane on a recent morning and returned next day. Damage estimated at several thousand pounds was done by a fire which broke out in the premises of Messrs W. Birkett and Sons, motor dealers, on Thurndon Quay, Wellington, late on Monday night. Twenty cars on the ground floor were destroyed, and the others were all damaged, with the exception of a few near the main entrance.

A derelict launch was picked up by the steamer Port Hunter in the Pacific on her voyage from London to Auckland. The launch, which was empty, was sighted 110 miles from Panama. An 18ft pleasure boat, the launch was found drifting in the main steamer track. The Port Hunter was hove-to and a lifeboat was launched to make an examination, but the ship’s officer in charge of tlio lifeboat could find no clue as to the ownership of the abandoned craft. A New Zealand bush insect (ambeodontiis tristis) that hitherto confined itself to live trees appears to be changing its habits, attacking dead timbers. It recently lias invaded houses, doing great damage to. boards, into which it burrows. It threatens to become a real post. An instance of the damage it causes has come to light in Beckenham, Christchurch, where it attacked red pine floor boards under carpets. “I have never seen anything like it,” said a city real estate agent. “The insect is about the size of a housefly, and it makes a hole about the size of a 4in. nail. It goes straight into the wood, and then burrows along. When I inspected the damage I found one of the insects, away from a hole, under the carpet. The timber attacked was about 30 years old, I should say.” Casts of two deep-sea sharks of considerable interest are to be placed on exhibition in the Canterbury Museum. They were obtained in deep water off Kaikoura by Mr Nilson, of that town. One is new to science, and lias been named after Mr Nilson by Mr Thompson, who was recently on the staff of the’ Canterbury Museum. The other was first described from a specimen taken at a depth of 500 fathoms off Madeira, but it has also been reported from the Moluccas, in the East Indies. Its occurrence off Kaikoura is a first record for New Zealand seas. It is remarkable how many of these foreign forms come from Kaikoura. This probably is due to the fact that the deep water line approaches close to the shore along that stretch of coast, and the slope 7>f the Kaikoura mountains continues down beneath sea level.

One of the most pleasant ways of spending the dark winter evenings is by making lamp shades. In addition to beautifying your own home they make gifts which are greatly appreciated and valued by your friends. A splendid selection of wire frames in shapes suitable for halls, bedrooms, dining room and drawing rooms, are now in stock in sizes from 6-inch to 21-inch. Prices from Is 6d each at Coilinsoii and ( ■iinninghame. Ltd.— Advt.

About 3in. of rain fell in six hours in Auckland on Sunday evening. At a meeting of the Napier Aero Club last night, it was decided to take steps toward the formation of a municipal aerodrome and airport, states a Press Association message. There was an abrupt end to play at Paenoa in the final match for the Piako Cricket Association championship, one of the teams, Matamata, walking off the field when an appeal by the captain against the light was not upheld. For the town clerk of Napier to receive a letter from the town clerk of Napier, although the second Napier happened to be in Africa, was the 1111sual experience of Mr J. Dick. The letter contained the sum of £5 to go towards the earthquake relief funds.

The coronial inquiry into the fire which followed the earthquake at Napier on February 3 is to be held before the chairman of the Napier Commission, Mr J. S. Barton, S.M. Tho object will be to obtain information which could be utilised in connection with future building operations to prevent a similar occurrence.

“The length of sewer streets in the city is G"i miles and of unsewered streets only 5$ miles. I think that this achievement must be almost unique for a city of comparatively recent growth like Palmerston North,” stated Mr M. A. Eliott during the course of his address in tire Opera House last evening.

Tire fiftieth anniversary of the death of the Earl of Beaconsfield, better known as Mr Disraeli, fell on Sunday. He died on April 19, 1881, at the age of 76. The anniversary of his death, since 1883, has been observed as Primrose Day, the existence of the Primrose League, a Conservative organisation, dating from that year.

Mr M. A. Eliott stated at the meeting in the Opera House last evening that the average rates per head of population in Palmerston North in 1897-98 were £1 3s lOd compared with £1 19s 4d in 1917-18, £3 os lOd in 1925-26, and £4 Os 8d in 1930. Since 1907 the rates per head had increased 235 per cent. At yesterday's meeting of the Palmerston North Chamber of Commerce it was decided that a sub-committee, consisting of the president, and Messrs Wallace and Free, go into the matter of the Government’s taxation proposals for relief in the Hawke’s Bay earthquake area and make any representations they consider, necessary.

At a meeting of tire Coromandel County Council a member who was called upon by the chairman, Mr N. A. Wells, to apologise for stating at the last meeting that there was “not a single honourable man in the council,” refused to apologise and reiterated the statement. By a unanimous vote, the councillor was suspended until he does apologise. “I notice that a magistrate in Wellington has been saying some things about those,” said Mr Justice Frazer when a motor cycle passing with the throttle full open drowned the voices in the Court of Arbitration at New Plymouth. “If this goes on I shall say some harsh things, too. Somebody should do something about it. There is plenty of opportunity.” Figures submitted to the electors by Mr M. A. Eliott last evening showed that in the period of 1928-29, the latest team for which they were available, the percentage of salaries paid by the Palmerston North City Council in relation to its revenue was 4.87, and was second highest to Masterton in a list of eight large urban centres of comparative size outside of the four main cities.

As the result of a shooting accident B. Henderson, a resident of Nightcaps, had to have his arm amputated in the Riverton Hospital. He was out shooting stags in the Te Anau district and was lying concealed in some scrub when two deer stalkers came along. They heard a noise in the scrub and imagined it was caused by a deer. They fired into the scrub and wounded Mr Henderson.

The Church of England vicarage. Kaiapoi, an eight-roomed two-storied building, situated in Cass Street, was almost gutted by fire on Sunday. The vicar, Rev. C. L. Sparrow, was conducting the evening service of the church close by, and Mrs Sparrow was attending the service. Their two voting sons were asleep in the house, but were promptly removed by the first helpers to arrive. Mr A. R. V. Morten, who died recently at his residence, Mount Pleasant, Canterbury, has bequeathed to the Canterbury Museum a fine collection of arms. The curator states that the collection is one ot extreme value, and of great historical interest. It contains about 100 pieces. Two pieces of special interest are a cannon which was mounted on the Randolph (one of the first four ships to arrive at Lyttelton), and another old cannon which was reputed to have been used in the siege of Kaiapoi. Under the will of Mrs Christina Davie, late of Dunedin, who died a month ago, the following bequests are made: £2OO to the foreign mission fund of the Presbyterian Church ; -£2OO to tho home mission fund of the Presbyterian Church; £2OO to the Dunedin centre of St. John Ambulance; £2OO to tho Dunedin Returned Soldiers’ Association. After payment of certain legacies, gifts from tho residue are made to tho Presbyterian Social Service Association of Dunedin, and to the Patients’ and Prisoners’ Aid Society of Dunedin.

Addressing the municipal electors last evening, Mr Eliott outlined the proposed schedule of 161 chains of streets to he surfaced next year as follow: —Ferguson Street, 21 chains; Cook Street, 18 chains; Russell Street. IS) chains and 23 chains; College Street, 3S) chains; Te Awe Awe Street. 41 chains. Ho added that last year £8245 was spent on new roadways and the maintenance of roadways. The new schedule of work, that could he undertaken by the incoming council would comprise about 12 miles of surfacing old footpaths. The amount of work undertaken was limited to the funds available. The footways scheduled for tarring in 15)31-32 were 1068 chains, or 13f miles. Existing footways resurfaced last year totalled 16J miles.