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Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 255, 25 September 1935, Page 6

A young lad. Jack Smith, aged 15 years, son of Mr \V. Smith, of Greyitown, had the misfortune while out shooting the other afternoon at Woodside, to receive the contents of a shotgun, accidentally fired at close range by a companion, in the ankle. The sufferer was taken to the Greytown Hospital for treatment. One of the essentials of Customs taxation is that it should be reasonably Inexpensive to collect; it is therefore interesting to note that every £IOO collected in duties, including the sales tax in New Zealand last year cost only 18s sd. Mr W. h T . Waugh, an officer of the department, mentioned this fact during an address in Wellington. “The total area planted in tobacco in the Dominion during the 1934-35 season was approximately 1,800 acres,” says the annual report of the Department of Agriculture. “Of this-some 1,500 acres were planted in the Motueka district, 166 acres in the Auckland district, and 102 acres in the Nelson district. This shows a considerable reduction as compared with the figures of the previous year.” “The tendency, of some local authorities to endeavour to economise at the expense of their debenture-hold-ers by refraining from meeting their obligations in respect of the payment of sinking-fund instalments was again evident during the year,” states the annual report of the Controller and Auditor-General (Colonel G. T\ C. Campbell) presented to Parliament yesterday. “The accounts of no fewer than 17 local bodies disclosed that they had failed either to establish sinking funds or to make the annuiil payments to the Sinking Funds Commissioners.”

“The work of the agricultural clubs, in which the Agricultural Department collaborates with the communities concerned and with officers of the Department of Education, was again characterised by success approximately that attaching"to the work in recent previous years,” says the annual report of the Department of Agriculture. “The movement relative to young farmers’ clubs, which gives promise of future importance and value. and which was initiated by the fields division, is extending rapidly, and officers of the department are fostering the movement as far as possible by assisting in respect to lectures and demonstrations, while suitable co-operative trials are being undertaken in collaboration with the clubs.”

The natives at Tonnnan, a remote New Hebrides island at which the sloop Wellington called on her recent islands cruise, had seen white men only two or three times in their lives. After being enticed on board the sloop, they played like children with the electric fans and lights, and one screamed when a piece of ice was placed in his hand. A young chief came out to the ship attired only in a singlet and a bowler hat, which was found to bear tho label of a well-known Bond Street (London) firm. Before the sloop left, the officers fitted him out with a set of discarded “tails,” vest, collar find bow tie. Delighted with his new outfit, lie did not notice that he had uot been given any trousers, and paddled ashore in his evening dress, bowler hat and loin cloth.

According to the information which has so far been made available, the new rate of wages tax (eightpenco m the pound) becomes operative as from the' first day of October. As this day is a Tuesday, it will be necessary for two rates of tax to apply in the ease of the first week’s wages payable in October. Tax at the rate of tenpence in the pound will he deducted for Monday, September 30, and eightepence from tho following day onwards. Iu the case of firms with considerable numbers of employees, a good deal of extra bookkeeping is involved. It would simplify matters if the new wages taxrate was made applicable as from the first weekly wage payment made in October. An adjustment will also require to be made in the case of emergency tax on income other than wages.

At Orange (N.S.W.) a man was fined £SOO for having conducted a mechanical hare meeting on an unregistered qoursc. The sum of about £307 was collected as a result of the “street day” held in Wellington yesterday to raise funds for carrying on the work of the seven Anglican children’s homes in the diocese of Wellington. A further strong protest against what it terms the Government’s move to throw the cost of completing the Eglinton Valley road on to the highways fund is contained in the annual report of the South Island Motor Union.

In this district it has been remarked that some of the white butterflies which have come with the spring sunshine aro no longer true to name. Quite a number of them are more of a golden hue which may be due to the many vellow flowers now in bloom.

Over 90 delegates from all over the Dominion are attending the 1935 conference of the New Zealand Dental Association which was officially opened at Napier yesterday morning. This year’s gathering is the first of the association to be held outside the principal four cities.

A fast one-day flight from Auckland to Wellington and back was made yesterday, in the special racing • Moth aeroplane purchased recently by Mr R. G. Tappenden, a member of the Auckland Aero Club, from Lieutenant H. R. A. Kidson, R.N. The total distance of about 725 miles was covered in 7 hours 13 minutes flying time.

It has been suggested to the Health Stamps for Health Camps Committee that all purchases of stamps by local bodies, institutions, and firms should be made through the committee or their agents in order that a record of sales may be kept which will materially assist in organising the voluntary work which they have undertaken.

The aubretia border of the rose beds in the south-eastern enclosure of the Square gardens is steadily coming into full bloom in its tones of mauve, purple and pink, and with a week’s fine weather should present its best appearance. Marigolds have been making a brave display in other parts of the gardens for two weeks, and freesias are now beginning to reach their perfection.

Petone would celebrate its centenary in 1939 or 1940, said Hon. A. Hamilton, speaking at the laying of the foundation-stone of the new Post Office at Petone, but he knew of an earlief one, and that would be the celebration of the centenary of Riverton, where he came from. Riverton’s centenary would fall due in 1937, and it would be one of the first in New Zealand. At Round Hill, the scene of much goldmining activity in the past, there is still some of the precious metal to be won, states the Southland Times. At present there are about 30 men fossicking along the Ourewera Creek and they are getting what they term “pickings.” The gold is very fine and though a good show may appear on the plush it does not weigh very much. One prospector had lfoz. of gold which he obtained for 18 days’ work and he considered he had made fair wages. , When New Zealanders see photographs of Indian palaces such as that of the Maharajah of Bahadur, which contains 140 rooms, they are no doubt inclined to think that the size of the palace more to ostentation than necessity. But Mr W. Peters, who has returned to Invercargill from a visit to India, learnt otherwise. An Indian potentate may have 30 or niore wives and may be visited by friends with just as many in their entourage. It is quite possible for all the bedrooms to be in us'e.

“I think if every farmer made out liis returns of income conscientiously for the purposes of taxation the unemployment levy and wage tax would be very much lower than it is today,” said Mr F. C. Jurgens at a meeting in Marton yesterday, of the Wellington provincial executive of the Farmers’ Union. He was discussing a remit that the Taxation Department should not be allowed to delve into alleged inaccuracies in returns after 12 months. “If farmers are honest there should be nothing to fear,” he added. “I oppose the remit.” The taking to hospital of a Ngaio child aged five with a severe gasli in his right hand inflicted by another child with a safety razor blade has illustrated the danger of leaving such keen-edged articles where children may procure them. In this case a tin of used blades was found on the roadside by a child and the contents were distributed among its playmates. The boy received Ills injury in the course of a small dispute with another boy of about the same age, who probably did not realise how dangerous his weapon was. One method of robbing the blades of their sharp edge is to put them in a hot fire.

The opinion that the Labour Party should have kept its guaranteed prices plan until immediately before the election was expressed by Mr H. S. S. Kyle, when, speaking in the Budget debate in the House of Representatives last night. “Where the Labour Party made the mistake,” said Mr Kyle, referring to the guaranteed prices, ‘is in not leaving this until just before the election, and springing it on the people like Sir Joseph 'Ward sprang his £70,000,000. If they had done that they might have found some of the small farmers to swallow it.” Mr W. J. Poison: Don’t you believe it. They couldn’t swallow that.

May I give you a riddle? asks “J.\V.,” writing in the Glasgow Bulletin. From a symbol of sorrows shall a house be built and that which hath wings shall rejoice in a home. And the interpretation? A Glasgow sparrow, not so brightly clad as in the country places, alighted on one of the wreaths at the Cenotaph in George Square and diligently picked a beakful of the everlasting flowers. It had to work hard, and at one time the little rascal was lying on its back tugging and clawing. At long last it was satisfied, and set off joyfully with fussy whirring wings to the Municipal Buildings, where cunningly, in a crevice of carved stone, it was building its house. The men whom the Cenotaph commemorates —which would they have thought more of —the wreath or the nest ?

A party of three Levin Hampers, Messrs J.' Urquhart, R. Webb and A. Coles set out on an excursion into the Tararua Ranges on Monday and had reached the summit of Dundas when Mr Urquhart missed his footing and slid some 600 feet down the mountainside on the hard ice surface with which the peak is capped. His companions found that he was suffering from abrasions, a sprained ankle "and a severe shaking. Mr Coles returned to Levin and a rescue party was organised from the members of the Levi n-Wa i opeh u Tramping Club, which met the other two Hampers at the Confluence. First aid was rendered by a doctor and Mr Coles was then transported by stretcher to the Ohau Hut, while the latter portion of the journey was accomplished on horseback. The task of bringing the injured mail out was a laborious one, 211 hours elapsing from the time Mr Urquhart was injured till he was brought back.