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Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 256, 26 September 1935, Page 6

The Timaru Borough Council has decided to adopt the Otipua Domain site tor an airport for Timaru, and to raise a loan of £15,000 to carry out the work.

The Executive Commission of Agriculture will return to Palmerston North on Thursday of next week to complete its round of dairy factory visits in the Manawatu district.

A new scheme to assist in the parking of motor cars in Christchurch has been introduced by the City Council. This is the painting of the kerbsides in areas where parking is prohibited with red lines and the letters “N.P.” Finding her doormat strangely frayed, an Auckland suburban housewife decided to maintain a watch to determine the cause. As a result she found a pair of fantails busily engaged in removing the fibres and carrying them to a peach tree, in which they were building a nest. Anxious to assist, the housewife cut up some scraps of soft material and placed them on the mat, where they were eagerly seized by the birds. The nest was quickly finished. In the House of Eepresentatives yesterday Mr A. J. Stallworthy asked the Minister of Employment whether he would immediately issue instructions to all local bodies and persons receiving financial assistance from the Unemployment Board that in all cases where accumulated hours of work without pay stand to the credit of men on relief works the men shall be paid for the work done. Hon. S. G.. Smith replied that this was a question involving certain difficulties not at first apparent, but he had referred the matter to the Unemployment Board for investigation with a view to seeing what could bo done.

The cries of a flock of godwits, apparently flying in a south-easterly direction over the Waitemata Harbour, were heard at Mission Bay late the other night. It was the first time the presence of the birds has been reported in the district this season, the occasion being about two weeks later than last year. The arrival of the godwits usually coincides with that of the shining cuckoo, which is * apparently unusually tardy. Keports of the notes of the shining cuckoo have, on investigation, proved that the sounds were made by the imitative starling. Another effort to secure more rigorous control of Alsatian dogs is being made by Hon. C. J. Carrington who, in the Legislative Council yesterday, gave notice of his intention to introduce a Bill next Wednesday. The measure, it is understood, will not be so drastic in its proposals as the Bill Mr Carrington introduced last year.lt is proposed to impose a ban on importations, the payment of higher license fees and strict registration. Mr Carrington has had personal experience of the Alsatian dog “menace.” Some weeks ago. in Auckland he was savagely attacked by one of the breed.

Amongst the popular fallacies regarding Freemasonry, the most common was that it was “a wicked sort of secret society,” remarked the Bishop of Nelson iu a sermon at a Masonic service. “I suppose the ladies think of it as a wicked society,” he proceeded, “because it teaches men to have secrets from their wives. It seems that the reason why women are not admitted into the ranks of Freemasonry is that the Masons are afraid a woman cannot keep a secret. That, of course, seems to me to be a libel on the womenfolk, for if you ask a lady what her age is you wiil find she can keep a secret with the best of men.”

In the House of Representatives yesterday, Mr F. Langstone (Waimarino) asked the Minister in charge of the Tourist Department whether he would inform- the House as to the nature of the fracas that occurred on a recent Sunday night wherein the manager of the Chateau Tongariro was seriously injured and had to be taken to the Taumarunui Hospital, and why the Police Department had not taken action in the matter. Hon. A. Hamilton replied that the inquiries being made by the police were not yet complete, but information received up to the present indicated that the occurrence had been greatly exaggerated.

Permission for boys at tlie hostel of tho Mount Albert Grammar School to play games on Sundays was given at a meeting of the Auckland Grammar School Board, yesterday. The headmaster (Mr If. W. Gamble) stated in a letter that considerable difficulty had been experienced ill keeping boys occupied on Sundays.

Passengers arriving at Wellington yesterday by the liner Wanganella from Sydney stated that they, had experienced a stormy crossing of the Tasman. Captain G. Bates stated that, although the ship had encountered gales all the way from Sydney, letting up only when they sighted New Zealand, no damage was done aboard. Bullocks sold at the stock sale at Levin this week reached tho highest price realised for some time, one prime yarding changing hands at £ll 2s. Top prices of £l6 lbs for steers and £l2 for cows were made at the Westfield sale yesterday, being the highest since late in 1930. At Burnside the prices for fat sheep were the highest obtained there for a number of years.

Rates of land and income tax for the year commenced April 1, 1935, are fixed by the Land and Income Tax (Annual) Bill, which was introduced by Governor-General’s Message and read the first time in the House of Representatives yesterday. The Bill authorises the Land and Income Tax Department to assess and levy the rates, which are identical with those imposed last year.

The report of tho superintendent of the Wellington Prison, which is contained in the annual report of the Controller-General of Prisons, states that this year the population of the prison has considerably decreased. “This, no doubt,” he adds, “is due to the sustenance paid by the Unemployment Board and possiblv also to the fact that men are finding life in the relief camps more congenial than a life of crime.”

Being sold on a rating application from the Horowlienua Countv. Council under conduct of the Registrar of the Supreme Court at the Levin saleyards this week, four sections of land at Poroutawhao realised an average price of under £4 per acre. An area of eight acres was sold for a total of £24, and a 14-acre section was disposed of at £26 only. An area of nine acres was also knocked down at £26, while the best price was the £45 paid for the smallest section of six acres. “It is time that Now Zealand voiced an opinion in world affairs.” said Mr F. Milner in an address at Christchurch. “We are quite grown up now, with the All Blacks to boast of. Yet when, in my primitive ignorance—if you can imagine such a state in a senile pedagogue—l approached Mr Coates and asked him what could be done about the economic position arising through lack of resources in Japan, he said that such matters were usually left to the British Government.” Mr F. Jones asked the Minister of Education, in the House of Representatives yesterday, whether the Government would take steps to remove the hardship inflicted on training college students living away from home by refunding the amounts they had repaid of loans advanced and also wiping out the amounts still owing. Hon. S. G. Smith replied that when the question of training college students' allowances was under review consideration would be given to the representations made by Mr Jones and other interested parties. “The shipping and cargo returns of the Wellington Harbour Board for the month of August show an improvement when compared with the returns for August, 1934,” stated a report to the meeting of the board lastnight. “Wool and and hemp shipments increased by 3045 bales; butter and cheese shipments were about the same; exports of meat increased from 6210 tons to 7998 tons. Coal imports increased by 5023 tons, but oils in bulk imported, exported, and transhipped decreased by 2608 tons.”

Information as to the action taken by the Government to implement the promise given by the Prime Minister a year ago in the matter of protection for British shipping in the Pacific was sought by Mr A. J. Stalhvorthy in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mr Stallworthy recalled that the Prime Minister had stated that the existence of adequate and efficient services would be jeopardised by a continuance of the present conditions, and that combined action by New Zealand and Australia was contemplated. Piloted by Mr K. R. Johnston, a four-seater Boeing biplane, powered by a 550 h.p. engine, arrived at Palmerston North at about 2 p.m. yesterday from Hamilton, and left the Milson aerodrome later for Wellington. The yellow-winged machine is one of the two ’planes recently imported by New Zealand Airways, Ltd., for use in the South Island and on other air services. It is returning south from a round trip of the North Island with Mr H. M. Mackay, managingdirector of the company, as one of the passengers.

“Given the chance, Manawatu will become the best centre in the North Island for trotting. To this it lends itself geographically and in every other respect,” commented Mr A. H. Manson at the annual meeting of the Manawatu Trotting Club last evening, when he ventured the opinion that if the club maintained its recent progress it was destined to become a very important centre for the light harness sport. The club has secured an extra totalisator permit this year and the opinion has been expressed that two two-day meetings annually should be held in Palmerston North.

One of the remits passed at the meeting of the Dominion executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union last month was that New Zealand should take the initiative in making the offer to Britain of removal, as far as possible, of tariffs, quotas, levies, and other hindrances to trade, believing that the Empiro should be as unified in trade as in defence. The remit has drawn a reply from the Minister of Customs, in which ho states that in his opinion the purport of the remit was in fact given effect to at Ottawa. At Ottawa, the Minister states, agreements were made with the express purpose of improving trade relationships between the Dominions and the Mother Country. . A request that railway servants who had been compulsorily retired on the completion of 30 years’ service should receive the full amount of superannuation was made in a petition presented to the House of Representatives yesterday by Mr W. Nash on behalf of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants. Before the passing of the Finance Act, 1931, railway servants were entitled, on retiring, to a superannuation of one-sixtieth of their wage for every year of service, but those who were retired at the end of 30 -years did not receive the full thirtysixtieths. This, it was claimed in the petition, constituted a breach of contract and imposed a distinct hardship on the particular class of railway servants to whom it applied. The petition was referred to the A. to L. Committee,

The National Institute for the Blind (England) has decided to organise a dramatic competition to encourage writers who are blind to write broadcast plays. Cash prizes of £25 and £ls will be awarded for the best two plays submitted.