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Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 230, 27 August 1935, Page 6

Now buildings erected in Sydney and suburbs in the six months from January 1 to June 30 were valued at £4,459,000. With the flush of the new milking and lambing seasons on hand, hundreds of farmers throughout the Waikato are unable to secure sufficient labour to cope with rapidly-increasing activities (says an exchange).

According to an exchange the To Awamutu branch of the Farmers’ Union now occupies first place in membership among all branches in the Dominion. As a result of a canvass file membership was increased from 137 to over 300. After planting an oak in the Prime Minister’s Corridor at Faulconbridge, Mr W. M. Hughes (a former Australian Prime Minister) referred to the value of trees. He said an inheritance of priceless value had been lavishly squandered, and tree-planting should be everywhere encouraged. The fact that the employment position in regard to boys leaving school had greatly improved was mentioned by Mr J. Hutton, principal of the Gisborne High School, in a leport lo a meeting of the board of governors. The report added: “We have no boys who have overstayed tlieir time at the school because of inability' to he placed, but on the contrary we have eases of boys who do not stay long enough to receive much benefit bet ore withdrawing to enter employment.” Following upon the protest received from the Shannon Borough Council against the transfer from Palmerston North to that centre of families in receipt of relief, it was decided by the Palmerston North Hospital Board, vesterdav afternoon, to reply to the effect that there was an acute shortage of houses -in Palmerston North, and as an expedient in dealing with cases of eviction the board had removed two families to Shannon. One of these had since been returned to Palmerston North, and it was not anticipated that further families would be moved from Palmerston North to Shannon. It was also decided to point out that the family which had now become resident in Shannon as the result of the board’s action was originally a Horowhenua family from Otaki. Appreciation of the export of New Zealand apples to Finland is contained in a letter that has been received by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce irom a Finnish importing organisation. “You are probably aware that the export of apples from New Zealand to Finland has been increasing from year to year, and that this year’s crop especially was greatly by our importers,” the writer states. “Up to the present our importers have received your products chiefly from the European markets, that is, Hamburg, Loudon and partly Rotterdam. There is a tendency, however, to come ill direct contact with the land of origin. This fact induces me to ask you whether there is any possibility of our coming in direct contact with your fruit exporting organisations.” The latter has been forwarded by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce to the Fruit Export Control Board.

The practice of children playing on roads with scooters and carts was strongly condemned bv the coroner at Bulli, N.S.AV. The white butterfly has its appearance in Auckland. Earlier than usual, this pest to all green crops and flower plants has been seen during the past week in various suburbs.

Fear of a Russian attack was a prominent source of agitation in Auckland 50 years ago, and almost daily fresh ‘•war scares” were in the public mind. The defences of Auckland formed the subject of a very heated controversy, the Herald recalls.

It was reported to the Palmerston North Hospital Board yesterday afternoon that endeavours were to be made to repatriate to their own countries an aged Chinaman who had been a charge on the board for some years, and an Indian who was undergoing sanatorium treatment.

Most of the 750 tons of scrap lor Japan to be loaded at Wellington by the Kaitoke consists of old railway material, but there is also a vast assortment of motor-car parts and other scrap steel and many large oil-drums which are tightly packed with their like in a broken-down condition.

An electric power pole saved two young children from serious injury on Sunday afternoon, when a motor-car swung out of Moxham Avenue, Hataitai, Wellington, and crashed into the pole, snapping it off above five feet from the base. The children were standing behind the pole, which protected them from the car. With the arrival of six valves on the site yesterday, all the necessary pipeline equipment is now available tor the completion of the 21in water main across the new Fitzherbert bridge, and the work of placing the connecting branches in position to link up with the okl mains on each side of the structure will now Ire expedited.

A number of camellia trees in Blenheim, says the Marlborough Express, have been bearing flowers of different hues this spring. Trees that usually have white blossoms, for instance, have borne some white and some pink. This divergence from the “straight and narrow way” on the part of these usually well-behaved trees is attributed to last season’s drought. Comment upon the good work being done in the health camp at Otaki was made at the meeting of the Palmerston North Hospital Board, yesterday afternoon, it being stated that children had been sent there by the board. It was decided that if a meeting was called at this centre to secure support for the health camp movement, the board should be represented. A modern hotel, with 100 bedrooms, on one of the most central sites in the city is envisaged by a group of Dunedin business men. It is understood that proposals have been made that the site at present occupied by the Telegraph Office should be taken over as soon as the telegraph branch of the Post and Telegraph Department shifts to its headquarters in the new Post Office. During his visit to the Arowhenua Native School near Temuka on his way north last week, Hon. S. G. Smith, (Minister of Education and Employment), departed from his usual custom and addressed the children in the Maori language. He also asked that the replies be made in the native tongue. This was done, and later the children entertained the Minister by singing a number of Maori songs. Tho definition of a journeyman tradesman, and the question whether a journeyman would necessarily have had to go through an apprenticeship were matters requiring the decision of the Arbitration Court, sitting at Palmerston North, yesterday. “1 would think,” commented the chairman, Mr Justice Page, “that anyone who can get an employer to employ him at journeyman’s wages could be classed as a journeyman.” An amusing sidelight upon the road blockage at W'hirokino as a result of the recent flood conditions was given on Sunday by a motorist who, travelling southwards on tho Shannon-Levin highway, left the main road at Ihakara and proceeded via the Tavistock ltoad to Koputaroa, thence via Piaka to the Levin-Foxton highway, to ararrive eventually in Levin by having covered an unnocessay 20 miles extra, apparently in a very much misguided effort to avoid the flood.

Throughout Sunday a number of motorists endeavoured, to proceed between Levin and Foxton by way of the Whirokino highway, but the holes scoured out in the road surface in several places by the continual flooding of the river spelt disaster for some. Horses were engaged towing motor lorries and cars out of these places where the water was somewhat deeper than in the main. Yesterday the highway was still covered by fifteen inches of water.

One of the most pressing needs of the leper settlement at Chandkuri, India, is a herd of cows from which fresh milk for the inhabitants of the settlement might be secured daily. A plea was sent forth for assistance, and as the result of efforts made in Dunedin by Mrs E. Hanson, whose appeals were generously responded to by firms and other organisations in that city, enough money has been collected to purchase one cow for the use of the settlement.

Whether election speeches should be broadcast pr not was a question debated at the monthly meeting of the Hawke’s Bay branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union. Mr W. Puddle expressed the opinion that all election speeches should be broadcast for the benefit of settlers in the backblocks. Mr R. E_. Talbot was not in favour of any alteration being made in the programmes to allow of election speeches being broadcast and moved to that effect. This was carried, there being two dissentient voices. No objections having been received, the Palmerston North Hospital Board decided, yesterday afternoon, to seek the sanction of the Local Government lxians Board for authority to raise a special supplementary loan of £7500 to provide sufficient money for the completion of the proposed new administrative block at the Hospital, the erection of chronic wards at Awapuni, and to strengthen and re-roof the Old People’s Home at Awapuni. The term of the proposed loan is for 20 years at 31 per cent, interest, with provision for an annual sinking fund payment of £202 10s out of revenue.

There passed through. Auckland on Saturday bv t lie Mariposa Rev. Father Patrick O’Reilly, S.M.—an Irishman, who can speak no more than a few words of English. He has been making anthropological researches in the Pacific Islands, but was unable to tell a reporter anything of iiis discoveries. However, he called to mind something of the romantic history" of his parentage and the reason why, apart from his name, he is wholly French. The O’Reillys left Ireland during the troubles at the time of the French Revolution, and for three generations their home lias been in France. Father O’Reilly is a distinguished scholar of the Paris University. He is at present studying for his doctorate in anthropology. He has spent a month in the Solomon Islands studying native ritual, and he will stay a further month in Samoa before returning to Paris.