News Of The Day

Northern Advocate, 25 January 1939, Page 6

News Of The Day

Company Names. From an evident sense of humour, and perhaps in a mood of challenging optimism, some persons floating a company in the North Island have chosen as a name for the company the phrase “now then,” which has come to be popularly associated with the Prime Minister (Mr M. J. Savage) through hi's frequent use of it. The company, whose full title is “Now Then, Ltd.,” sets out to be, in the official wording, financial agents, brokers, underwriters, attorneys, etc., and incidental. Another group of persons nearer home (says “The Press,” Christchurch)—in Christchurch, in fact—seems to prefer an association with sartorial elegance or, perhaps, with the sartorially correct gaiety of some metropolis. This group has chosen to call its company the Top Hat Finance and Agency Company. Ltd.

* * « * I ‘ | Tasmanian Tigers > A party apointed by the Tasmanian Fauna Board, and including a nominet of the New South Wales Royal Zoological Society, has been searching rough country areas in Western Tasmania for traces of the Tasmanian tiger, or marsupial wolf, an animal of great scientific interest, not found outside the State. It is intended to afford the few remaining tigers as much protection as possible, in the interests’of science. The Governmnt may give consideration to representations for the preservation of tigers in the locality. ; The Tasmanian tiger is not a relative of the wolf or dog. It is a marsupial, and represents a different branch of the evolutionary tree. Bushmen in Southern Tasmania say they have seen spoor of the animal in recent years.

Ability to Learn. Ability to learn is more evident in adults up to the age of 80 years than it is during normal school years, according to Mr H. C. D. Somerset, of the Feilding High School, who gave an address on “Adult Education in the Community” at the teachers’ summer school in Napier last week. At what ages did people learn best? asked Mr Somerset. The time at school was the worst. That did not mean that children should not go to school. A person’s ability to learn was maintained at practically 100 per cent, between 20 years and 40 years of age, and the per-' centage dropped very little up to the: age of 80. In fact, during the period, it was better than during 1 school age. It was a scientific fact, I said Mr Somerset, that the decrease in I 40 years was negligible, so that a per-1 son was “never too late to learn.” |

Otago Albatross Colony. The colony of royal albatrosses at j Taiaroa Heads, Otago Harbour, continues to grow, _ahd the latest reports indicate the presence of about seven or eight of these birds in the vicinity. Four of the birds were nesting, but one egg was broken, another , bird was flooded out during the heavy rains of last month,, and a third bird left its nest, leaving only one, albatross still sitting. The half-dozen notices warning unauthorised persons to keep away from the sanctuary have apparently had effect, as no further cases of vandalism have been reported.

Canterbury’s Eagle Fowls. “They must have some eagle blood in them,” was the disbelieving comment attached in the December issue of the Illinois Auto-Trade Bulletin to a reprinted paragraph about an unusual motor car ride taken in July last year by four Waimate fowls. The article, which was headed, “Good Grips, Good of New Zealand Hens,” appeared in the American

journal as follows; “A farmer at Hook, Waimate, New Zealand, drove his automobile from his farm to the Hook Public Hall to a party. Leaving his automobile, he passed its and, heard a cluckirjg sound. Examination revealed four of his hens roosting for the. night on the rear axle. They remained throughout the party, and returned to the farm still roosting on the rear axle. (They must have some eagle blood in them).”

* * • • Sank Employee’s Hobby Gardening is apparently the hobby of Mr Felix Tattersfield, who lives on the premises of the National Bank. Working against difficulties, for the yard is small and the greater part of it is concreted, Mr Tattersfield created 1 a rock garden in these most unpromising surroundings. He then transferred his attentions to the premises of the Bank' of New Zealand, where he cleaned up the yard, and put down a lawn. Not satisfied with that, the young gardener started on a clean-up of the vacant section between the Bank of New Zealand and the railway embankment. For so long an eyesore, this section is now showing signs of care and attention.