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Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 170, 19 June 1934, Page 6

Three deputations in succession waited upon the Palmerston North City Council, last evening, the accommodation in the public gallery being fully occupied. It was reported at the meeting of the Palmerston North Hospital Board, yesterday, that, despite the economic stress, the sum collected in patients' fees during the past two months, exclusive of the Otaki sanatorium, showed an improvement of £l3O compared with the similar period of last year.

Definite signs that native pigeons have been shot at the Gorge Domain were found by the caretaker and secretary of the Gorge Domain Board during the week-end, says the Woodville Examiner. It is only recently that these beautiful birds, so seldom seen close to civilisation, have been on the increase at the Gorge, which iS a bird sanctuary. A dead pigeon, obviously shot, was found by the caretaker, while at another spot numerous feathers were found.

When a boy was charged in the Welington Children’s Court on Saturday with being in possession of a firearm the opportunity was taken to give a general warning of the danger and illegality of children having weapons. The police pointed out that the law prohibited children under 16 years of age possessing firearms, including airguns, and that it was an offence to sell one to a child. When the boy who came before the Court was shooting at a target on a wall a shot ricochetted and hit a girl in the eye.

“Our population has increased in the last 20 years at the rate of about 20,000 annually or 35 per cent, to-day on the 1913 figures, whilst in the same period our burden of debt has grown by £12,183,000 annually, or 237* per cent, to-day on the 1913 figures,” said Mr W. G. Black, speaking at the Rotary Club yesterday. “What have we, as taxpayers, ratepayers, electors and presumably intelligent citizens been thinking of or doing to allow such a condition of affairs to develop? Something is radically wrong in our understanding of national development. At least we should have attempted to plan our development on lines which would keep within strict control the ratio increase of national debt to population increase. Either the debt shohld not have been‘permitted to assume its present proportions, or- a more vigorous policy of immigration should have been pursued.”

The inspector of police notified the City Council last night, with reference to the rifling of a gas slot meter, that the matter is now in the hands of the detective force for inquiry. He pointed out the difficulty in detecting # offences of this nature owing to the meters being placed outside the dwellings. Members of the Wellington Horticultural Society present at the annual meeting last evening were given the opportunity to vote for the flower they considered most suitable as a New Zealand national emblem. The voting was: Kowhai 59, pohutukawa 42, manuka 33, clematis 25, and rata 16. These flowers had been selected by Mrs Knox Gilmer, president of the society, for a trial vote. It was high time, she said, that New Zealand 'had a national flower.

Following a request to the Palmerston North City City Council by the residents of Cuba Street Extension for the preparation of grass plots and the planting of trees in the street between Pascal and Bryant Streets, it has been decided that the plots be laid out and that the trees be supplied and planted on condition that all residents agree to pay the cost of 15s per tree.

A decision to empower professors to utilise the services of advanced and honours students as tutors in an honorary capacity was made by the Auckland University College Council. It was stated, that in the science department such tutoring work might take the form of demonstrations, while in the English classes it might mean the organisation of a reading circle or in French of a conversation circle. Professor Maxwell Walker expressed the opinion that such work would be in the best interests of the students themselves.

The Palmerston North City Council, last evening, passed a resolution confirming the striking of rates for the current year as follow: A consolidated rate of 6 18-16 d the in £, consisting of a general rate of 211-16 d, a special rate of 2223-504 d, a hospital and charitable aid board rate of 4-7 d, and a library rate of l-9d. The water rate was fixed at 8-10 d where the annual value does not exceed £l2 10s, and at 34 per cent, of such value where it exceeds £l2 10s. A uniform annual sanitation fee of 17s 6d was levied. The Christchurch City Council last night carried a resolution agreeing to convert all the City Council loans and to consolidate all the loans for special areas. The proposals vpre opposed by the non-Labour members of the council, who declared that, while conversion would be beneficial, consolidation -would penalise the central area where most of the big ratepayers had their premises. The resolution was carried on 'the voices after an amend'ment to refer the proposal back to the committee had been defeated by 8 votes to 7.

The death on June 9 at Aotearoa (Weri Weri) Pa, near Okaiawa, of Mrs Ruhi Motohunga, generally known as Mrs Rangi Whetu, removes one whose life is stated to have lasted 102 years. A chieftainess of the Ngati-Ruahine tribe, Mrs Whetu saw ' much of the fighting between the pakehas and Maoris in South Taranaki, and both she and her husband are said to have actually engaged in a number of skirmishes with the troops. She was present at the fight at Te Ngutu o te Manu and could relate many stirring incidents in connection with that encounter.

In an effort to preserve the rarer forms of indigenous flora which are liable to extinction, a special committee of the New Zealand Alpine Society was set up last November. This committee, Mrs Knox Gilmer mentioned at the annual meeting of the Wellington Horticultural Society last evening, issued a circular letter to botanists requesting information, and as an outcome 600 species had been listed. The committee, guided by its expert members, selected 37 of these, and from subsequent reports received this number could perhaps be reduced to 25 as being in immediate danger. “I think that Palmerston North would be well advised to consider the matter of the charge made for a local carrier’s license,” said Mr G. A. Troup (chairman) at to-day’s .meeting of the No. 6 Transport Licensing Authority at Palmerston North. If the charge for a big city like Wellington were only £1 the charge in Palmerston North seemed high, he added. Mr J. W. Rutlierfurd (appearing for the Palmerston North City Council) said that the charge was £1 up to two tons and £2 for over two tons. He agreed to bring the matter before the City. Council.

“The No. 10 building scheme was not co-ordinated in a general plan of development which would restore confidence to investors and standard rates of pay to workers. For that reason, and until some definite plan of development is adopted, the Unemployment Board will accomplish nothing of a permanent nature in the removal of unemployment,” said Mr W. G. Black, speaking to members of the Palmerston North Rotary Club yesterday. “So long as the No. 5 scheme and tlie subsidised No. 4a and 4b farming schemes of the Unemployment Board continue, so long will we have unemployment.”

Only floods quite unprecedented in size for this season of the year can now delay the completion of the Waitaki hydro-electric undertaking beyond the end of August. The last gap in the gigantic dam spanning the Waitaki above Kurow has now been raised to a point 10 feet above river level, a height great enough to ensure that only abnormally high floods will be capable now of interrupting the construction work. It is expected that the last of the sluice gates will be closed about the end of July and that the station will be generating commercial power late in August.

A statement that a Devonport shopkeeper had, because of the milk regulations, to tip his surplus milk down a drain, was made at the meeting of the Milk Council by Mr H. F. W. Meikle, Mayor of Devonport, and a member of the council. “Prior to the regulations he had been able to return his unsold milk, but now he has to tip it down the drain. He is not allowed to give it away,” said Mr Meikle. “I take exception to good milk being so wasted, and I suggest the council fix a minimum quantity of half a gallon which may be returnable. There are a number of big firms in this city who have shops, and the shops return the unsold milk.”

“The chances are that these temporary licenses will be tightened up and made more difficult to get,” said Mr G. A. Troup (chairman) at to-day’s sitting of the No. 6 Transport Licensing Authority, at Palmerston North, when Mr W. Capper (Weraroa) mentioned that in his opinion they were too easy to obtain. Mr Capper asked if temporary licenses could be obtained by. anyone. It seemed to him that that should not be so. He knew of instances of price cutting and “pirating” by men who did not hold long distance licenses. To take out temporary licenses at 2s Gd (which lasted 14 days) might be cheaper at the end of the year than to take out a long distance license for the year. Mr A. H. McKay (representing the Railway Department) said that instructions had been -issued that temporary licenses were to be given only in cases of emergency. Mr Troup said that the matter was one for the carriers themselves to apply for an amendment to the legislation 1 .