LOCAL AND GENERAL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 2 March 1928, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Following tin l introduction of the petrol tax in the last session, of Bari Lament the Main Highways Board lias declared 105 miles of additional main highways. These new main highways are streets in boroughs with a population of less than 6000. and in future the boroughs concerned will he entitled to a maintenance subsidy of 30s for each £ of actual expenditure involved in tln* maintenance of the streets, irrespective of what the. hoard pays to Hie county council iri respect of the. adjoining length of main highways. Nelson ami Marlborough benefit as follows: NolsnnBlenheim main highway: Blenheim 57 chain::. Nelson-West port main highway: Richmond—2 miles 35 chain*. Riehmomd-Collingwood main highway: Motuoka—4 miles 44 chains. BlenheimI’icton mam highways: Rielon—l mile 32 chains: Blenheim —1 mile 68 chains.

During the month of February 7 marriages, 24 births and 19 deaths took place in Nelson.

The ievel of the water in the reservoir is still falling at an average rate of 3 inches a day, the level at 8 o’clock this morning being lift Bin below the. dam. The blue skies and steady rise in temperature during the past two days seems to preclude the possibility of any rain in the near future.

Li the course of his political address at Dunedin oil Wednesday, the Minister of Finance (the Hon. W. Downio Stewart) said that in considering the principal items of loan expenditure during the period of 1920-1927, allowance must he made for the. fact, that in the first year or two it was necessary to make up some of the leeway lost during the wartime restriction of operations. Nevertheless, the economic balance of the Dominion will he upset if too many men arc employed for any length of time on capital works, in other words, it is not economically sound for more than n certain proportion of the population to he employed out of borrowed money. The annual charges on the borrowed capital have to ha paid out of the production of the Dominion, either directly in the term of payment for services rendered, or indirectly through taxation. This being so, capital expenditure is clearly not economically sound unless it results in increased production.

The Anchor Shipping Company's latest addition to the local licet, the Tc A mini, leaves Wellington for Nelson to day. The vessel is of the auxiliary scow type, and her registered tonnage, is a lion! 56 tons. Site will lie used mainly for the Xclsnn-Oolden Bay trade. Native schools on Niue. Island subsidised by the New Zealand (Joveninient are making great headway, according to the Rev. C. Bebaroll. of the London Missionary Society, who hap been stationed at Niue for the past seven years. and wlm arrived at Auckland from Sydney by the Marania on Tuesday (states ide "New Zealand Herald"). Mr Bebarell has been on a holiday visit to Australia, and will leave, fur Niue by the llinenimi e,n its ncxi trip. Tie added that a pleasing feature regarding the results iit missionary and cdiicatiomd work was that the natives were- year by year becoming more industrious.

A lady docior in England lias just declared' that smoking is a wonderful preservative of the teeth. and that, although the teeth of some smokers may be discoloured they are generally sounder than those of the mm smokers. so many haul things have been said about 111 haci'O that it i. refreshing io find a j:i,| v and a lady medico at thai - putting ill a go ,d will'd tor t tie Weed. tH eniirse every smoker knows that smoking prevents or' arresis dental decay. W hat every smoker does not know, or at all events ignores, is that an excess of nicotine in tobacco is highly itijiirioii.-’. And that’> where our New Zealand tobaccos come in. Being comparatively tree from nicotine tliev may be smoked almost in cession ly wit bout affecting the nerves or bein'!. Moreover they are all toasted heme their line Ikivuur and delightful at la. Made in several sircnglhs they appeal to all tastes. . Rivet-head Hold, mild tmd aromatic; Toasted Navy Cut (Bulldog, is a fragrant medium ; and Cm Plug No. 10 (Bull's Head) a fine full flavoured tobacco They are on sale cvet y where.* Aluminium —special window display,,H British goods, at reduced prices.—h. Snodgrass and Sons, direct importers. Aluminium. British, just landed ex Afnfnroa. special new prices. See dis-play.-IL Snodgrass and Sons."

Ii is nor. often that a public, officer, no matter how faithfully and well ho carries out- his duties, receives public recognition, and it is pleasing to record an exception to the rule, although the honour is posthumous. An anonymous donor, formerly a resident of Auckland, has. says tile 'Star,'’ had erected in Market Square a handsome drinking trough to the memory of the late Mr Henry Alder, who for 18 years carried out tho onerous duties of inspector for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Mr Alder died on 28th February, 1921. During his long term of office Mr Alder did most valuable work in the interest; of the society.

A "New Zealand Gazette" issued last night, contains formal notice announcing that the summertime period ends at two o’clock (New Zealand standard time) on the morning of Sunday next, 4th March.

Where ignorance is bliss Tis folly to lie wise. A Taranaki man in straitened circumstances was served with n bankruptcy notice, and at onco came, to the conclusion that lie was bankrupt, lie promptly left, the province to attend a weddimr in tho Waikato, thinking his responsibility in the matter had ended. "I suppose he thanked God and thought his debts were paid,” drily remarked the Chief Justice (Sir Charles Skerrett) when the position was explained to him in the Supreme Court at New Plymouth on Tnesdn v.

A return of registered apiaries made last year, states a report of the Government, Statistics Office,' shows that there were, then 7726 apiaries in the Dominion, representing 106,089 hives. There were 135 apiaries with 100'hives or more, and 430 apiaries with from 50 to 99 hives. Practically half the apiaries arc under five hives, hut these represent less than 80 per 'Cent, of the. total number of hives.

"T remember when we in Hie South used to say: ‘When the goldmining peters out Auckland will not be much’,’ 1 said the Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. O. J. TTawken, when replying to a welcome hv the Papakura Town Board this week. "But.” added the Minister, "although the goldmining is gone, Auckland is now four times as large and contains a huge population which is supported by the farming activities of the province. Had it not been for tho use of manures and the resort to scientific met hods of farming, Auckland would not he what it is io-dav. Marvellous is the word to describe the development of the Auckland district and the Waikato, while North Auckland is coming on at a rapid rate, in much the same manner as did the South Auckland lands which were once at a discount in public opinion.”

At the present stage the dairy industry must be bringing in to Marlborough about £IOO,OOO a year (states the "Express.”) The advances made by Hie Blenheim butter factory last year amounted to £41,506, and the bonuses may bring that sum up to £50,000. There are seven factories in the district —five devoted to cheese-making and two to butter-making; probably enough, their aggregate earning* may be depended on to maintain the level of six figures, winch work out at about £5 per head of the provincial population. It is an income that could he increased readily enough; and, indeed, it would he an excellent policy to build up the industry, which more’than any other lends itself (o the popular and constant circulation of cash.

It is strange that people of other lands regard the native question of South -Africa as serious. "Our relationship vviln the natives of South Africa is a happv one." said Captain H. L. Seligson, M.C., M.P., who arrived in Auckland on the Niagav.t this week. Captain Seligson. who represents a Transvaal eonxliuiency in the Union of South African Parliament, said Hint in his tour of the world during the last seven months he had often heard the fear expressed that some black Napoleon would consolidate his twelve million fellows and annihilate the 1.750,000 members of the go?fining white class. "The natievs have not the intelligence to do anything of Ilea ;ia ti:ie," continued Captain Seligson. ‘ They arc a people without a tradition, and their willingness to work for small wages is doing mtu’h to strengthen the posit'on of Sooth Africa in tho fight for world markets."

Tho location of valuable ore deposits in New South Wales will be made easier if the Government in that State adopts the recommendations of Mr E. Andrews, Government geologist, who is going through on the Niagara after a year abroad investigating on behalf of his Government the modern methods of gco-pbysieal prospecting, and also the latest advances in fuel research. The electrical and gravity methods of prospecting in the United States struck Mr Andrews as being particularly adaptable to New South Wales conditions and incidentally to those of New Zealand, and he anticipates that as a result of their employment in the Australian State greater facilities will be given for the discovery as well as the recovery of ores. In the treatment of Australian arid New Zealand coals for fuel and by-products Mr -Andrews sees Vast possibilities. "I see in lhe not distant future," lie said.

"the production from our coals not only of fuels, hut of by-products which may be considered to have taken the part-, in a measure at least, of natural oils. Not that, we would not rather have our natural oils, but it- is possible that iu a short while we will not he able to get natural nils, and the by-products will take their place.'’

An uninspiring picture is drawn by the Minister of Agriculture, the lion. O. J. Hawken, for those who are contemplating talcing up land for settlement in New Zealand. lie sees nothing hut very frugal living for many years, and estimates 1 1 1, at only by grit, and perseverance could keen and resolute settlers win through. Most, of the unbroken land in this country, lie says, would eostxis much to bring into production as it is worth. Speaking at Karnkn this week, the Minister recalled the unpleasant fact that there was no demand for land at the present time, and even those who had been offered holdings free, on the conditions that they effect easy improvements within 10 veurs. had not availed themselves of t lie set tier's life. Certainly conditions were different from those prevailing when money was procurable at 4J; per ( ~ni., while values had risen out ol all reason, and land that had been purchased from the .Maoris for £7> an acre years ago. had recently been written down to 12s 6<l an acre. 'The Minister considers, however, that those farmers who have continued on their holdings are worthy of the assistance, of the State, and when speaking tit Pa-pat net no lie endeavoured io justify the aid which the (ioverimie.nl tool given in the direction of legislation and subsidy to (lie different, industries. \’erv little money hud gone out of the eoufilrv hist year to purchase grain, which he attributed to the encouragement given i lie wheat, growers in Canterbury through the sliding Seale of duties mi foreign wheal, and gratifying results were being obtained from the subsidies expended on herd testing and fruit grow jug. and from the reduction in <lio freight rates in fertilisers. The Minister estimated that, as a result of tin* increase in lite standard of dairy produce. brought about by more efficient herds, New Zealand soon would equal Denmark in production per cow.

Triumph Steam Cooker, the latest, aluminium, just arrived, inspection in viied.—-11. Snodgrass and Sons.* Tfnval Doultnn. a special range TeaSets.* in the latest style, ex Mataro'n.— 1< Snodgrass rind Sons.'

“The* Maori wn.» an agriculturist, a fisherman, a bird snarer, but lie was never n pastoralistsaid the Hon. 0. •I. Hnwkon, Minister of .Agriculture, ad dressing the section of Maori pupils at Wesley College, near Pnkokohe this week. Therefore although the, Maori already possessed tin l sense of agriculture lie. had yet to he taught general fanning, to he allowed to handle animals, and acquire tie' pastoral sense, said the Minister'. Not. alone should he be persuaded to exploit his hereditary gardening laeulfy, bur also to adopt L'.nropean methods in other fanning fields. Those Maori and Island hoys being so ablv r rained at Wesley College would have a. great influence lor progress among their own people. -As foresters they wore ahead of the Europeans.

‘ Ten years ago leprosy seemed quite hopeless. Apparently there was no cure for this ancient disease. In India to-day wo are discharging people as cured.” For 27 years the Rev. R. J. Grundy, Baptistminister, had laboured for Christianity among the masses of India. Of recent years, however, his interests have, been devoted to work among the lepers, though he found time to control toe press publications of his church. Mr 'Grundy, accompanied by Mrs Grundy, arrived in Auckland this week on a special mission to the New Zealand churches for the purpose of creating interest in his leper settlement at Cultnek. Mr Grundy also wants to learn something about Mnkogai. the Pacific leper settlement. Three hundred lepers were discharged last year as free of leper symptoms, declared Mr Grundy, who said that science had made extraordinary progress in the treatment of this disease in India.

A meeting of the Citizens’ War Memorial Committee held in Wellington, on Wednesday afternoon decided to obtain a further report on the advisability or otherwise of erecting the local memorial on the triangle in front of Parliamentary Grounds. The Wellington College Old Boys’ War Memorial Hall was to he, opened at 3.30 p.m. to-dav by .His Excellency the Governor-General, Sir Charles I'ergussou. The old boys, parents, friends and. pupils of the school subscribed a fund of about £7OOO for the erection of a lilting memorial to the old hoys who fell aiul those who also served. Of the amount £4500 was given to aid in erecting the main edifice, and the balance was retained for its interior embellishment. In deciding what form the memorial should take, (slates the "Post”), it was desired that it should serve not onlv as a reminder o-f the sacrifice of exscholars, but that it should be a constant inspiration to all who should pass' through the school in future. Nothing, it was thought, would better serve this double purpose than a great- hall in which the whole school would assemble, surrounded by the name? of those who had nobly passed on. “The New Zealand workers are the best in the world,” declared Mr J. Lee, Labour M.P. for Auckland East, speaking at a public meeting in Napier, says the Napier “Telegraph.” “If von want my proof I tell you that the wealth of* New Zealand per capita is the greatest in the. world, and that was produced, not descending upon the country like cooling drops of rain, but by the brawn and brain of the, farmer and the worker.”

Citizens would greatly assist in the general clean-up of the city now in progress by the Council if they cleared the frontages of their properties.

Dealing with taxation and expenditure in his address at Dunedin, the .Minister of Finance said: —“What really concerns the people is the net charges on the taxpayer. I had Ihe expenditure analysed from this point, of view in the 1920 Budget, and reference to that publication will show that, apart from the direct burdens arising out of the war, there has practically been no real increase in the total per captia charge on the taxpayer since 1913-14, even though the expenditure on pensions, health and hospitals, and education has increased considerably. If we. examine the annual appropriations for 1914-15 with those for 1926-27 and deduct from each the working expenses of both the Railways and the Post Office, as these are more than covered by their earnings and are not a charge on the taxpayer as such, and if, in addition to this, we reduce the appropriations for 1926-27 by nne.-third to allow for the fall in the value of money, and adjust certain alterations in the accounting system, it will he found that the expenditure, per head of mean population was £3 5s 6d in 1914-15 as against £3 7s 3d in 1926-27, which is a very slight- increase over such a long period.”

Senior officers of the, Wigrant Aerodrome are well pleased with tlie progress of tlio. territorial pilots who complete their course of flying on Saturday (stales the “Lyttelton Times’’}. The examinations are practically completed and some very high percentages ha.ve been returned. In the flying tests, all the trainees went through easily, over 90 per cent, of the total marks being obtained by the majority. The theoretical results were also very favourable from the point of view of the examiners. All the trainees will leave camp on Saturday and work will be commenced overhauling lite machines. A refresher course will possibly he held later. When the aerodrome was visited on Tuesday morning hv a reporter. some of the trainees were going through the final stages of their flying tests. Some of those spoken to expressed keen disappointment at the fact that the course is practically concluded. "Wo have had the experience of our lives, and we are allready looking forward to the advanced work which will be undertaken wlien next we come into camp," remarked one of the cadets.

A suggestion that flower seeds should be sown broadcast along the .roadsides of the eoiiiiiry so as lu make them scenes of beauty when the flowers bloom was referred to at the last meeting ol the Napier Chamber of Commerce. Air J. Fairclough stilted that, he did not know who had the matter in hand, but thousands of packets of flower seeds could he picked up in Napier each year, instead of the packets being sent io tiie destructor, h was not generally known thill each packet of seed was only on the market for one season, and it not sold it was destroyed. Only the other day his linn had 260 packets destroyed. .tome Of those seeds, he lell sure, would germinate, and would prove quite suitable for the purpose proposed. The question ..1 whether 'lie plumbing classes at technical schools were Ini Idling their functions in preparing candidates for Plumbers’ Board examina uoin was raised at the annual conference of tin- New Zealand Federation of Master Plumbers (state; "The Post ). Mr F. 11. .lansen (Wellington) said the object of bringing the subject, forward was to obtain enlightenment. 11 is union was looking for informal ion which i would help I he school, and disclose why, so poor a percentage ol passes was 1 obtained at. the hoard examinations.! Other speakers suggested Mint the fault j lay with tiie hoy.-- themselves in not at tending regularly, although perhaps in ‘ Mime eases at tendance at drill made il j difficult to attend tiie classes. An Jn j cereargill remit. “That apprentice! plumbers attending technical schools on more Ilian two idulits per week 1m ‘ x(Mil | it from all military parades, with tiie exception of seven days' annual camp,’ was referred to the executive for passing on to tiie proper authorities. 1

Members are reminded that tin* meeting of the W.t'.T.l". will lie held a week earlier this month, and takes place on Tuesday next.