LOCAL AND GENERAL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 16 April 1929, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A small portion of Hardy street opposite the Masonic Hotel, caved in this morning, leaving a hole four or five feet deep. A barrier was at once erected around the spot pending repairs being made.

The Onakaka Iron and Steel Company, Ltd., hopes to light up the blast furnace on 3rd June. The erection of the new pipe-making plant is well on the way to completion, but the work lias been delayed through the non-arri-val from England of some of the machinery.

Poaching is evidently not unknown in Samoa. An article recently appeared in the “Samoa Guardian’’ recommending that pheasants should be liberated in the bush and trout introduced into the island streams. “A real sporting idea,” comments a correspondent. “Pheasants were liberated in Samoa some time back. Such birds would tempi the same guns which explode daily in some localities—throughout the year—where pigeons abound. Trout, too, would share the same fate as our native trout, the fish formerly known as ‘Sesele’ and reaching, when permitted, 51b or 61b in weight. The writer had in a small stream at Yalala, a few years ago, seven large Sesele fish. These fish could be caught in a hand net if required, and were daily fed with rice by a former tailor, Mr Ismael, who bad watched and cared for them by enlarging a pool—and keeping poachers off. I weighed one of these handsome fish, and it turned the scale at 6flb. The day I moved away the fish was stolen, together with a- pen of 48 ducks. Would trout be treated so kindly-—or tickled?”

Great are the uses of radio. The Rev. F. E. Ilarry, of Wellington, says that he recently received a letter from a felilowj-clergyman in Charters Towers (Queensland) stating that lie had listeii-ed-in to one of Mr Harry’s sermons, which had come through so clearly that lie was able to take a fairly full note of what was said'. As many people in Charters lowers knew Mr Harry lie had made bold to use the matter for his sermon the same evening (the difference in time between Wellington and Charters Towers making that possible), acknowledging, of course, the source of his inspiration. Mr Harrv also stated that he had received acknowledgments from Rarotonga- and Fiji from those who had listened-in to his discourses.

The following additional subscriptions have been received for the Chinese Famine Relief Fund: “Inasmuch” £5; Anonymous 10s; All Saints’ Church retiring "offertory. £8 ss. The fund now totals £4O Os 6d. Quietly and unostentatiously, a new industry is being established north of Auckland. On some 600 acres of land at Ngawlia Springs, near Kaikolie. 40 men are engaged in erecting the buildings and plant necessary to exploit the valuable cinnabar deposits found in that region, and it is likely that everything will he ready to commence operations in about three months (states the “New Zealand Herald”). The works arc being erected for the Kaikohe Development. Limited, a company registered in New Zealand with £25,000 of Fnglish capital. It is an offshoot of Imperial Chemical Industries, Limited, the great English combine formed three years ago with Sir Alfred Monel as chairman of directors, and £58,000,000 of issued capital. The manager of the subsidiary New Zealand company is Mr 11. 11. Goodwin, who was sent to the Dominion by the British combine a year ago,, and who is now supervising the erection, of the works and installation of machinery. Mr William McNeill has been brought out from Home to act as engineer.

Present indications are that tobacco growing should be a pi0ii.,..,., sideline for the smallholder, as 2 acres are proving an ideal average area wr one person to attend to (says the “New Zealand Herald”). Tlio planting aiid harvesting of the crop is so light that it can be undertaken by women, and the assertion has been made that of the £ 50,000 that accrued to Nelson last year from tobacco, about £35,000 went into the pockets of the wives and daughters of the farmers there. The return per acre varies ftom £BO to £l2O, according to the quality of the leaf. Apart from the smallholder aspect of the. industry, plans to establish tobacco growing on a much larger scale are under way. A company has been formed .to develop about 200 acres near Clio city, and it is its intention to undertake extensive cultivation next season.

The bookings at the Greymouth Office of the Government Tourist Bureau for the past tourist season, which is now practically ended for the winter, have exceeded the returns of previous years (states a local correspondent). The'traffic from the West Coast has been evenly distributed over both Islands, while incoming traffic has visited the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers, which are becoming very popular with overseas tourists. Both Puimkaiki and Mitchell’s have been favourite holiday spots, and when the Grevniouth-Westport road is completed Puimkaiki will bo still more popular. The traffic through the Buffer Gorge has been considerable. The Maruia Springs, in the near future, will become popular with tourists. Outdoor grapes were selling more cheaply in Auckland last week than at any time during the past 20 years (says the “Star”). Wonderful crops have been produced in the Te Kauwhafa vineyards, and the fruit is of excellent quality. Prime Te Kauwhatas sold at from 5s 6d to 6s 6d a case, and hothouse varieties at from 6d to Is 9d per lb. In the old days, grape growing was a flourishing industry in the Albany district, which supplied all Auckland’s requirements, but of recent years many vineyards have been established iii other districts, and, following an exceptionally good season, there is at present a very abundant supply.

“When the New Zealand Division arrived in France in 1916,” writes a correspondent to an Australian newspaper, “Mr Downie Stewart was a lieutenant with the Ist Otago Battalion. For the first three weeks there was no pay issued, and everyone was ‘broke.’ It was then that Stewart got busy and arranged for an advance I'roin his own private account of five francs to each man in the battalion. 1 remember him walking the eight miles to Hazelbrouck in the pouring wet to complete the arrangement. There was great rejoicing next day, and we regained the confidence of the villagers, who had expected to find us millionaires and found only paupers.” Following on the Government’s decision to proceed with the GisborneWairoa section of the East Coast railway, there has been a steady influx into Gisborne of men seeking employment. The Labour Department’s roll of unemployed, which immediately prior to the Premier’s announcement contained the names of only 30 applicants, to-day stands at over 300 (states the “Poverty Bay Herald”). Although construction work was actually started last week, so far no men have been engaged locally, the only ones employed being those transferred from the Taupe railway. Considerable dissatisfaction is expressed at this, and representations have been made that preference be given to local workers. t Of those registered with f lie department, nearly 50 are shown as having come to Gisborne with the object of securing work on the railway, while others are arriving daily. It is pointed out that with the work in full swing it will be impossible to employ even the number offering now, and that, with the closing of the freezing works shortly the position will be greatly accentuated.

Auckland’s tobacco crop is now in the most interesting stage—the harvesting and curing of the tobacco (states the “Herald”). Twelve months ago little or no tobacco was under cultivation in the province. To-day there are approximately 120 acres of tobacco, with every prospect of a large increase in the total area in the near future. Auckland’s gum and pumice lands are singularly adapted to the successful growth of tobacco and that for an unusually simple reason. In their natural state these lands, contain little of the stimulants of growth. For instance, there is practically no nitrogen in the soil such as is to be found in the richer lands and (hose that have been under cultivation for some years. Nitrogen in quantity is fatal to the growing of good tobacco. The cultivator of the glim and pumice lands knows, therefore, that lie is starting operations with a soil that contains nothing that will injure his tobacco and tie can put into the ground only those fertilisers that will be of assistance to the crop. All the varieties of tobacco grown in Nelson have proved successful in the Auckland plantations, which are scattered from Rotorua to Hokianga, end in and around the city. Seed cultures have been supplied through the Department of Agriculture, whose instructor, Mr C. E. Lowe, has kept in close touch with the producers. The average stand of crop throughout the province has proved of reasonable abundance and of good texture, and when properly harvested and cured should be a first-class sample. “It’s a terrible spot,” said the captain of the s.s. Aelhryn, which was at Castlecliff (Wanganui) last week, when referring to Nauru Island, where the Pacific’s largest phosphate deposits are found. Nauru is certainly not a favourite spot of the skipper of the Aelbrvn. “Nauru Island is like a biscuit, and vessels have to anchor to a buoy in the roadstead when awaiting their turn to load. It is nothing for a ship to have to wait for a month or six weeks owing to bad weather. It is then a case of pull up and away to the open sea to drift about for days, even weeks, before you can return 'to the island.” With' such long delays difficulty was often experienced with the ship’s provisions, which would licit keep fresh in the intense heat of the tropics, and sometimes had to he jettisoned. Ah* '

When New Zealand was sending rein/orcements to Great Britain during the war, and there was a great appeal for munition workers, questions were asked as io why some of the munitions or small arms could not he made in New Zealand (savs “The Dominion”). A*s a result a British .303 Maxim gu n of 1892 pattern was made in Petone Railway Workshops in 1915, being copied from one then in the hands of the Defence Department, but it was clone without drawings. If was a line piece of work and many thousands of" rounds have been fired from if, blit owing to the cost of manufacture, no more were made. This gun is now in the museum at Trentham Military Headquarters. Another prized display "is the array of component parts of Vickers and Lewis machine guns, and other munitions made by women munition workers in Great Britain during the war. Alfred Gould announces an auction sale on account of Mrs Wastney, at her residence, corner Bronte street and Richmond Avenue, for to-morrow (Wednesday), at 1 p.m., of household furniture, Wilton pile carpet, etc.

Members of the Rival Football Club are notified elsewhere in this issue that commencing to-niglu practice will be held at the Park every Tuesday and Thursday evenings at I'o’clock.

The Hood waters at Richmond receded during the night. A good deal of debris is lying about m various localities.

The annual conference of progress leagues of the South Island is to he opened in Blenheim . next Thursday. Among the remits to he considered with a view to their being sent on as recommendations to the Government are the following from the Marlborough Progress and the Otago Expansion League: The matter of roads to communicate with Westland; afforestation of head waters of rivers and waste lands; the acquisition of scenic reserves in. the South Island; the introduction of a superior class of fur-bearing opossum into the forest land!', of the south and West Coast with a view to making possible a lucrative local industry at a period of the year when unemployment is most in evidence; the advisability of settling parties upon the land under conditions similar to those of the group settlement scheme which has worked so well in Western Australia.

When lie announced his decision not to seek re-election to the Marlborough County Council, Councillor C. Noes stated last week at the monthly council meeting that lie hoped to be able to serve Marlborough in other ways (says the “Express”). One direction in which he hoped to he of service, he added, was in connection with investigations he was making regarding clover seed. “Those v. ho grow clover,” stated the speaker, “know that this year there has been a proportion of brown seed, and when you go to sell your seed the buyer says that the brown seed is dead seed and must he cleaned out. of the line. But T have demonstrated it is. not dead seed. It will germinate, and germinate very freely. Actually, it is very Tine seed. I have not completed my investigations in this direction,” Councillor Nees proceeded “and that is whv T

v.ant to have more time at my disposal. I hope mv efforts in the next 12 months will be the means of saving thousands of pounds to Marlborough clover growers. (Applause.) This ’ means a very great deal to the province, and more, perhaps to the Pelorus Riding, in which the bulk of the seed is produced. At present bags and bags of brown seed aro destroyed which I think can be saved and sold in the future. Anyway, I am going to sow a crop of ‘dead’’ seed and if it grows with a flower of a different colour I may be able to give it a new name!” (Applause.)

I'he consecration of the west end and tower of St. Peter’s Church, RiCcarton, on Saturday, 20th April by ins Lordship Bishop West-Watson,’ will mark the completion of a church which was commenced by some of Canterbury’s earliest settlers, and which (says “The 1 ress ), will now bear comparison, as tar as beauty and dignity of structure and surroundings are concerned, with any edifice, in New Zealand. The ceremony will be of great interest to many of the province’s oldest identities, for during its three score vears and ten, the church has grown from the humblest ot beginnings to the present fine structure, keeping pace in its growth with tie ever-increasing size of the parish of Kiecarton. The parish has been identified with the earliest history of Canterbury. While the Plains were vet absolutely without inhabitants, save for periodical visits of Maoris from the nearest pas for the purpose of fishing, services were held fortnightly in Mr John Lean's house by the Rev. Mr Buckle, lor more than eighteen months, front J 852 till 1853. After this there does not seem to have been any regular ministrations of the church until 1857, although :n the year 1854 the district was constil tiled a parish its boundaries being very extensive. Many of the pioneers of Canterbury lie buried in the churchwhich is one oi the most picturesque in New Zealand. This churchyard and the vicarage .grounds adjoining, owe their beauty entirely to the good taste of Archdeacon Bowen, who laid out and planted the whole. The vicars of the parish have been the Ven. Archdeacon Bowen, the Rev. W. T. Winter, the Rev. J. Whitehead, the Rev. C. s! Bowden, and the present vicar, the Rev. H. T. York.

Mr \Am. Lock, a candidate for the Mayoralty, invites his friends and sup porters to meet him at jhe committee room opposite Messrs Wood and Sons, Bridge street, on Friday next at 7.30 p.m.