News of the Day

Northern Advocate, 9 May 1938, Page 4

News of the Day

Ungovernable Paspalum. Farmers and lawn owners are not alone in being embarrassed with the tremendous late growth of paspalum this season. Already the committee of the Whau Valley Golf Club has been compelled to have the grass on the fairways mown on two occasions, and the cutter is to be put over again this week. To keep the growth in check, a heavy additional expenditure is necessary.

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A Lot of Shooting, But Few Bags. Although conditions for shooting in the district yesterday were good, few satisfactory bags have been reported. Little shooting was done on. Saturday, the weather being too calm, and yesterday, with better conditions, a considerable amount of shooting was indulged in with little result. Many sportsmen have remarked on the number of small birds this year as compared with a disproportionate number of larger species. !*! jfc t' >) { State Houses. The miniature town of State houses, which has sprung up at Dobbie s Subdivision, is attracting much attention, and yesterday afternoon a large number of people promenaded past the structures of wood and brick. A variety of design is disclosed, but several of the dwellings are very close together; in fact, as one visitor put it, “It will be almost possible for neighbours to shake hands without going outside.” The streets, too, are very narrow, as is the turning place where three short suburban streets meet. Quite a few houses appear to be completed, but tenants have ydt to be allocated. * * * * History Made in the Port To-dav-For the first time in the history of Whangarei local businessmen have been able to visit an overseas vessel at Port Whangarei by road land have access to the vessel. Since arriving yesterday, the Antigone, carrying newsprint for distribution at various New Zealand ports, has been visited by large numbers of people, and this morning several business men and sightseers were on board the steamer. The chief centre of attraction for; Sightseers was the interesting man- > ner in which the thousands of rolls! of newsprint had been prepared for shipment.

New Zoo Exhibits. Three sacred baboons have been acquired by the Auckland Zoo, and are now on exhibition in the _ monkey house. The new exhibits, which comprise a male and two females, are in good condition, and appear to be quite happy in their new surroundings. Other stock at the zoo is also healthy, in spite of the recent wintry weather. • • » • Large Sharks Caught. A number of large sharks, ranging from 9 feet to 12 feet in length, were caught by members of the crew of the motor-ship Matua when the vessel was lying off the reef at Mangaia, m the Cook Group, on her recent trip round the islands. When the - Mafaia arrived at Auckland those aboarci said the water was very clear where the men were fishing, and the sharks, apparently very hungry, rushed the bait as soon as it was thrown overboard.

Winter is Here. Winter weather has been p. lo_n B time in attaining its promised seventy in Whangarei and the North. Except for darkness falling earlier and a general cooling of temperatures, there has been little evidence 'that we are almost within a month of the shortest day of the year. Expectations of the continued mildness, however, were somewhat upset during the week-end and particularly last night, when fires were necessary in many homes in the district. This morning, a genuine winter “nip” in the air gave forebodings of further cold weather to come. « • • ♦ Weasel Killed by Cat. The unusual sight of a cat stalking a weasel was seen recently by a resident of a Christchurch suburb. She heard the cry of a bird and, on looking out of the window, saw the weasel with a bird in its mouth and the cat following. The car sprang, fixing its teeth in the weasel’s throat. The weasel tried to turn its head, but it had been taken at a disadvanfage, and the cat held fast 'till it had killed its prey. It tljen returned proudly to its mistress.