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Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 245, 13 September 1935, Page 8

"Widespread inquiries by the police have so far failed to reveal any trace of Phyllis Margaret Davey, aged 15, who has been missing from Haetihi since July 17. One of the worst blizzards experienced at Mount ltuapc-hu for a considerable time reached its height on the mountain on Tuesday and parties at the ski grounds on Scoria Flat had a most unpleasant journey back to the Chateau. Conditions were much less severe on the lower levels, and the intensity of the storm diminished in the evening.

H.M.S. Dunedin, flagship of Commodore the lion. E. It. Drummond, and H.M.S. Diomede commanded by Captain Cosmo Graham, will leave for a fortnight’s exercises in the gulf on Monday. H.M. minesweeper Wakakura will tow the large battle-practice target, and day and night gunnery practice will be carried out. The two cruisers will also practise torpedo firing During the week-end, oil September 21 and 22, the ships will return to the naval base, Devonport, going out again cm Monday, September 23.

Described as one of the finest blooms of its species ever to have been seen by members, a flower of Laclienalia Nelsonii, exhibited by Mr A. H. Shanks at a meeting of the Canterbury Horticultural Association, attracted universal admiration. The flower had an unusually long stem, and llie three specimens on display each had almost 50 florets. It was stated that the specimens shown had been grown outdoors, and were much better than most of those carefully tended in hothouses. The plant is a South African importation and rare in New Zealand. More than 11,000 assisted immigrants came to New Zealand in 1926-27, and during the year 1934-35 this number fell to one. Only one immigrant was assisted, and lie was a boy of 16 whose parents were already settled in New Zealand. According to the annual report of the Department of Immigration tabled in the House of Representatives, recent activities have been in the direction of the recovery of debts due on passage money loans of previous years. The report discloses that full-fare immigrants are still trickling into the Dominion, last year s total of 490 being slightly in advance of that of the previous year. “I know a bookmaker . . .” remarked Mr C. J 5. Dowland, Commissioner of Taxes, to a meeting of accountants in Wellington. “I know them all,” he added. He was necessarily concerned with them as taxpayers, and, of course, they had to disclose the sources of their income,. This was a confidential matter ; it was information to which.no other depart ment of State—particularly the police —had access. The bookmaker to whom ho had specially referred had a substantial Income from investments, but in recent years lie had incurred heavy losses in his betting business. “Why don’t you drop the bookmaking and stick to your investments?” Mr Dowland asked the bookmaker. “I have to do it for mental exercise,” was the reply.

As the Jesuit of a poll early this month for the election of producers’ representatives on the Fruit Control Board, Mr F. Firth was elected for Auckland and Taranaki, and Mr H. E. Stephens elected for the Canterbury, Nelson and Marlborough districts.

The Napier Borough councillors were confronted with a record agenda paper at the September meeting of the council this week. The agenda contained 70 pages of type-written matter for consideration, and there was a supplementary jaaper with a further 10 pages.

A remit was carried at the Power Boards’ Conference in Wellington yesterday, in which power is sought that where trees overhang public roads and menace power lines, supply authorities, after due notice has been given, should be able to carry out reasonable and necessary trimming and recover the cost from the owner or occupier. A recommendation to the Education Department that necessary steps should be taken to ensure that regular and systematic instruction be given to school" children with a view to minimising electrical accidents was decided upon by the conference in Wellington yesterday of the Electric Power Boards’ and Supply Authorities’ Association of New Zealand.

A request that accused persons in criminal cases should bo supplied free of charge with copies of the depositions against them was contained in a question to the Minister of Justice (Hon. J. G. Cobbe), notice of which was given by Mr H. G. It. Mason in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mr Mason said it would be simple for an extra carbon copy to be taken by the clerk who was typing the depositions.

The gross output of the State coal mines for the year ending March 31, 1935, was 102,484 tons, states the annual report of the superintendent of the State coal mines, tabled in the House of Representatives. The amount represents an increase of 5715 tons, continues the report. The gross total output of the Liverpool colliery since its inception is 2,612,946 tons. The average number of persons employed m and about the mine is 314.

The Romans were pioneers in drainage and sanitary systems, and in some respects their methods could not be improved upon even to-day, remarked Professor G. G. Cooper, professor of classics at the Auckland University College, during the first of a series of lectures on “Life in Ancient Rome” at Auckland. He showed a photograph of the cloaca maxima, or great drain, the great event of Roman architecture, which was built at the end of the sixth century B.C. It was still functioning excellently, lie added.

The possibility of the amalgamation of the New Zealand Municipal Electric Supply Authorities’ Association with the Electric Power and Supply Authorities’ Association of New Zealand was mentioned by the president of the last-mentioned body (Mr J. A. Nash, M.P.) at the annual conference in Wellington yesterday. He said the president of the municipal association (Mr C. 0. Morse) who had been present by invitation, had expressed his opinion that the aims and objects of the two associations were the same, and had undertaken to try to arrange a meeting between a sub-committee from his association and the committee set up for the purpose at last year’s conference of the other association. Points of difference and the possibility of amalgamation would be examined. What, in the opinion of seafaring men, is the severest winter experienced on the New Zealand coast for many years is that which is now drawing to a close, says an exchange. So far as the west coast of the North Island is concerned, westerly gales have predominated, and at least one coastal skipper, who has traded on this coast for over 20 years, remarked the other day that with the exception of the winter of 1917, ho has never known such a severe period of storms and high winds. Southerlies of the “old man” variety have also been frequent, and since the beginning of winter shipping has been constantly affected by adverse weather conditions. One coastal vessel trading into Wanganui has had the windows of her wheclliouse smashed in by big seas on at least two occasions during the past three months.