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Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 155, 2 June 1937, Page 8

As the result of the increasing consumption of electricity, the City Council staff is engaged in laying underground power cables on the southern side of the Square and in Fitzherbert Avenue. This work is being done to remove the multiplicity ol oveihead wires.

Two remits concerning daylight savino" were considered by the annual conference of North Taranaki branches of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union. The total abolition of daylight saving war opposed, but it was agreed that the halfhour daylight saving should be continued throughout the year.

A proposal that extra, parking space for cars should be provided in Queen Street was placed before the monthly meeting of the Palmerston North Chamber of Commerce, last evening, by Mr H. L. Cunninghame. That area, he said, Avas becoming somewhat congested, but there was an educational reserve in Queen Street which could be acquired by the City Council a.t a reasonable rental for car parking purposes. The chamber decided to place the proposal before the City Council.

For some months the Terrace End School grounds, in common with the other schools of the city, have been the object of the unwelcome attentions of nocturnal intruders who leave .unpleasant evidensi of their visit... The authorities, however, find themselves in the somewhat anomalous position of being unable to prosecute offenders when they are apprehended because of the school not being “enclosed premises” Avithin the meaning of the law. Detertniiied to effectively solve the problem, ’the school eomiopttee decided last evening to obtain legal advice as to whether the erection of gates at the various entrances would enable action to be taken when de : sired.

The Hospital authorities reported today that there had been no further developments in regard to the incidence of infantile paralysis in the Palmerston North Hospital district. The business of the Supreme Court for the current sessions at Palmerston North was brought to a conclusion today and the presiding Judge, His Honour Sir John Peed, is to proceed to Wellington to-morrow. It is reported that many house properties in Levin have changed hands since Christmas,_ the activity having been brought about by a very keen demand for residences. There has now been an acute shortage of homes in that town for some months.

By having to iind an additional £13,557 from the rates for the current, financial .year the Wanganui City Council has decided to increase the levy for city purposes by 1.915 d in the £l. With the harbour rates, the total increase amounts to in the £l. To-day a gang of men commenced work, on the first four miles of No. 60 highway (via Pitzherbert) nearest Pah merston North under the Public Works Department, being engaged in preliminary formation work as the first step toward sealing. It was stated by an official of the department that the number of men would be augmented as time went on. They will be engaged on the cutting back of corners and similar undertakings. There are no indications that extensive machinery will be used. “It is purely Bolshevik and is paving the way for complete control,” remarked Mr F. G. Opie at the monthly meeting of the Palmerston North Chamber of Commerce last evening, when criticising the constitution and actions of the Bureau of Industry. The bureau, he said, was not only probing into major industries, but was also concerning itself with minor matters. The chairman (Mr. A. J. Graham) indicated that the subject would be referred to at a later stage in the meeting, in committee, and further discussion was accordingly held over until then. “Native species of bird life are now often exposed to attack by the ignorant or the unscrupulous. Farmers are especially shortsighted in such matters. An example of popular ignorance of biological lacts is the periodical call lor the destruction of the pukeko,” says the May bulletin of the Forest and Bird Protection Society. “If farmers only knew it, the harmless and beautiful pukeko is one of their best friends, by eating grubs and other pests that attack crops. It is a friend of the . flax-owner,j also, through its habit of feeding on the grubs ill flax roots.”

Speaking at the monthly meeting of the Palmerston North Chamber of Commerce, last evening, Mr A. P. Stuart drew attention to the proposed speeding up of trains running between Wellington and Palmerston North, and made the suggestion that this centre could be better served by the earlier arrival of the train bringing passengers and mails from the South Island steamer express than in its leaving the capital later. At the present time mails from the South Island were not sorted until 1.30 p.m., anrl that gave only a short time if a re ply had to be despatched by 3.15 p.m In addition, an earlier arrival of the train in Palmerston North would be to the greater advantage of the passengers than waiting in Wellington . The chamber decided to make representations to the Railway Department along these lines.

Of the total area of New Zealand (66,390,000 acres) 2,984,000 acres are set aside as national parks, including dol’d land 2,400,000 acres. Public domains total 76,000 acres, and scenic reserves, to which there have been substantial additions during the past year, account for 705,000 acres. State rorests cover approximately 8,000,000 acres, which gives a total of 11,764,000 acres in reservations, upon which it is dlegal to take or kill birds without Alinisterial permission. Besides .tli is area, there is a considerable area reserved as sanctuary under the Animals Protection and Game Act, 1921-22, the extent of which is not at the moment ascertainable, states the annual report of the li'orest and Bird Protection Society. The balance consists of about 42,000,000 acree devoted to agricultural and pastoral purposes, and an area of about 12,000,000 acres which is put to various uses or unoccupied. When the Palmerston North Chamber of Commerce received an appeal from the Mayor (Mr A. lt Mansford) for support for the King George \ Memorial Fund, at its monthly meeting last evening, it was decided to head the list forwarded with the appeal with a donation of £2 2s. The chairman (Mr A. J. Graham) lauded the objects of the appeal and said that, prevention being better than cure, building up children mentallj and physically was a great work. He asked members of the chamber to make their donations through its list, and Mr H. E. Edmunds, of Messrs Justice and Edmunds, advised that his firm would donate £lO 10s. The award of the Hector Medal and Prize to Mr J. It. Hosking, B.Sc., Ph.D., of Wellington, for his research in the chemistry of New Zealand plants was announced at the annual meeting of the council of the Royal Society of New Zealand last week. The award is made annually for work in various sciences in rotation, and it was the turn of chemistry this year. Professor W. P. Evans, convener of the committee appointed to recommend a recipient, said the committee was of the opinion that Dr Hosking had added to the world’s knowledge of plant resins, and drew special attention to his work on the resin and essential oil of the kauri, the resins of the genus Dacrudium, and the toxic principle of the ragwort. The amount was fixed at £SO. Dr llosking is the eldest son of Sir John Hosking, lormerly of Dunedin. The Hamilton Award was given to Mr C. O. Hutton, of the University ol Otago. The amount was fixed at £4. i

“We are prone to hold up our hands in horror wnen we hear about the tersible Hoods and dust storms which arc occurring in America owing to the depletion of her forests on watersheds. We are failing to notice, for the time being, that we here in New Zealand are ii anything in a worse plight, simply because we have less forest-covered land in proportion to our land area titan America has, and because we are a mountainous island country,” comments the, May bulletin of the Forest and Bird Protection Society. “America is a vast continent, mainly fla.t; i Aotearoa, as the Maori name indicates, 1 is a long narrow country, rising steeply out from very deep seas. The alluvial boil is, therefore, quickly carried l>y swift rivers and streams into and under the sea, a.nd the sea does not 'give it back. In countries where the rivers flow into shallow seas, some giving back of soil in the form of sand does take place, and reclamation: results. But our soil, washed into deep water, Returns not; its fertility is lest; its reclaiming value is nil. It is sincerely to bs hoped that the Bush Conference will be the forerunner of a groat awakening on the part of the public of New Zealand and that they iwill quickly realise the situation.”