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Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 175, 25 June 1932, Page 6

Every morning since the winter commenced, 12 people, including two women, have taken a swim before breakfast in the Shelly Bench Baths, Auckland. Two of the men are over 70 years of age. “The popular impression seems to bo that the oak is the most common tree found in England, but this is not the case,” said Miss Dora West, 0.8. E., when speaking at Christchurch recently. Miss West explained that most of the oaks had been cut down in Nelson’s timo to provide “the wooden walls of England.” The commonest trees now wero elms and yews. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Taxarua Tramping Club in Wellington last night, Mr F. W. Yosseler referred to the fine work carried out by the young and energetic members in connection with track and exploration work. Ho emphasised the necessity of starting searches at the earliest possible moment. He emphasised precaution as being the best cure for accidents. Matches, compass, map and ample clothing and food, and a small firstaid outfit, were the main precautionary items of equipment. A strong plea for the use of simple language in teaching children was made by the Governor-General, Lord Bledisloo, in addressing the students at the Auckland Training College. “The transmission of knowledge to young students should be in simple, intelligible language, without too much technical jargon, which may mean much to the teacher, but bo meaningless to his hearers,” said His Excellency, who admitted, amid laughter, that ho sometimes found himself committting the “sin” of which ho was complaining. A Taieri sportsman set out bleakly last Sunday eve. He toiled through the wet and the wind and saw the snow seething on Maungatau. He came to his favourite pool. Tired swans flapped and huddled so that the pool appeared to be a black wave. And there was no other man there. His coat was heavy where he had sat on it (accidentally), and liis feet were wet, but he was rewarded. He shot four swans with his first shot, four with the next, and later two more. He feasted his eyes for such a future occasion when the pool might be featherless, and came heme blithely with as many as he could carry. Not for years had there been such shooting on this particular pool. —Otago Daily Times.

Voting for tlio position of president of tho Paritutu Bowling Club was particularly close at the club’s annual meeting (states tho Taranaki News). Two nominations were received and at tho ballot the voting was even, with one vote informal. Tho meeting decided to have a second ballot, and the voting was again even. This time it was found that tho scrutineer had forgotten to vote. To decide the matter tho name was drawn out of a hat.

A small area of swamp land at Thornton’s Bay, on tho Coromandel Peninsula, near Thames, is being explored to locate a cache of Maori greenstone treasure. Its history indicates that other Maori relics are likely to bo abundant there. Tho latter idea (says an exchange) is supported by the find of several well-preserved relics when a shallow drain was put through tho land. It is proposed, if necessary, to excavate for a depth of 15ft.

At a meeting of the Itangitoto Domain Board, Major Digby Carsdale, the honorary ranger, reporting on the depredations of deer on the island, said that several herds had frequently been seen, and ho estimated that there wero fully 150 on the island. Recently he counted 60 in one herd, and so close was lie to tho deer that he saw several excellent heads, one being a 16-point-er. He advocated that the deer be killed and the carcases forwarded to the hospital. In response to tho representations made by the Levin Borough Council to the Railway Department concerning the dazzling effect produced, to the danger of highway traffic, by the lights on south-bound engines standing at the Levin station at night time, a letter has been received by the council from the district traffic manager, intimating that engine drivers have been instructed that engine headlights must be dimmed while trains are standing at stations in future.

Tho wreck of the s.s. Ferndale, which occurred last week off the coast of Algeria, has more than a passing interest llor this district (writes the Roxburgh correspondent of the Otago Daily Times), since its commander is Captain Beighton, an old Roxburgh Boy. After leaving school Captain Beighton went to sea and joined the barque Onyx, then lying at Bluff. His first visit to Bluff after that was on the occasion of Sir Joseph Ward’s funeral, when his command, the Ferndale, lay out in the harbour. That was his last trip to New Zealand, and since then he has been sailing between Australia and London.

An Auckland paper states that captain J. Munroe, of the fishing vessel Dorothy M, described a “sea monster which was seen botweon the _ Three Kings and North Cape. He said that he and another of the erew noticed a huge coffin-shaped monster, that rose leisurely from the water almost perpendicularly, until fully. 30ft. of its great carcase protruded. There was no sign of fin or tail, and the fish, which was about 50 yards away, appeared as round as the trawler’s funnel.” After appearing out of tho water four times, the monster proceeded towards the Throe Kings and the Dorothy M. went in the other direction. A letter received by an Aucklander from his brother in Chicago throws an interesting sidelight on tho state of that city’s finances. The writer says that he was the foreman of a jury which sat for three weeks hearing a charge of conspiracy against one of Al. Capone’s right-hand men. The trial ended with a verdict of guilty, and the accused was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment and fined 2000 dollars. When the foreman and jurymen went to collect their fees, they were told that the authorities had no money to pa.y. The writer adds that, as the times were difficult in Chicago, the money would have been most welcome.

Adopting a resolution passed by its medical research committee, the New Zealand branch of the British Empire Cancer Campaign Society, at a meeting of its contral committee in Wellington yesterday, decided that the installation of further radon plant be postponed for the present. Dr. A. M. Begg and Mr W. Hall were appointed for a further term • of three years research officer and technician respectively. It was decided to ask Dr. Fulton, of Dunedin, to undertake the work of correlating the records of the various hospitals in regard to cancer research. The president, Dr. J. S. Elliott, stated that the branch had at its disposal about £65,000. “It is a lot of money to got in hard times. It is all needed, unfortunately,” he remarked.