LOCAL AND GENERAL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 16 June 1930, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Following on pleasant week-end weather a change set in during last night. To-day is dull, with indications of snow falling on the high country.

Under the auspices of the Nelson Ministers' Association "Bible Sunday" was held yesterday, when the annual inter-change of pulpits was made. Sermons appropiate to the occasion were delivered to good congregations.

The making of roadside advertising signs illegal is the desire of the North Otitgo Motor Association, which has informed the South Island Motor Union. that it will move a remit to this effect at the next quarterly meeting of the union at Waimate on 27th June. The North (Jtago Association also wishes to have all existing roadside signs removed.

“Christchurch Jags behind tlie other cities in the manner in which it destroys unwanted dogs and cats," said .Miss A. Forrest at a meeting of the women’s branch of the Christchurch Citizens’ Association Just week. "Here we are dependent on a tank to drown them in, but Dunedin uses gas, Auckland electricity, and Wellington lias a lethal chamber. We should have, something more painless than the present method, and the best method is the lethal chamber, as at Wellington, 'there, as many as ten dogs can be put in at a time, they go to sleep immediately, and are dead in 15 minutes.” Councillor Jones added that the matter was to be considered by the Works Committee, and in his opinion Christchurch would have a lethal chamber for this purpose in a very short time. "Berloi ’ Corscllettes, the new Princess line, 12/6 to 15/6.—E. Buxton and Co., Ltd* Lower than sale prices. Special purchase of Ladies’ Coats at about halfwholesale. price. See Page 9 for particulars.* Art Silk Brassi-Boekeis. a three-piece mu-men! for evening wear, 17/6 and 236.—E. Buxton and Co., Ltd.*

A high-class Maori was last week told of tho Chinese proverb, "if an idle man eats, an industrious man goes hungry," (narrates the Wanganui "Chronicle"). He thereupon replying through an interpreter, told that only that day a police constable had approached him concerning tho desirability of giving an old ago pension to another Maori. Answering the constable lie said: "I decline to say anything about it. My idea is that a pension should be given to one who works, not to one who would not work." Ideas of social justice are evidently still extant among the Maori.

In answer to a question at the last meeting of the Lancaster Park Board of Control, the chairman announced that the attendance at the football match, Britain v. Canterbury the previous Saturday, was 25,330. "No one will complain of the expenditure on education, more especially if true education is considered as an afternative to war, with the hitter's infinitely greater cost," said tho Hon. A. J. Stallworthy, Minister of Health, in speaking at the opening of tho dental clinic at Mount Eden last week. "If more importance is attached to the schoolmaster's function, it may be possible ultimately to rid ourselves of tho military drill sergeant," he added. "It has been estimated that the Great War cost about £50,000,000,000 and 10,000,000 lives, or, in other words, that it cost £SOOO to kill each man. In the face of these figures, what can wo say of the cost, £l3 per annum, of educating a .New Zealand boy. Thoughts such as these impel one to redouble one's energies in the direction of giving true education—the harmonious development of body, mind and spirit—and the inculcation of high ideals which will give safety and direction to the developed powers of mind and body. Only thus can democracy be made safe for the world."

Over 14,000 Auckland motorists are members of the Auckland Automobile Association. Mr G. W. Hutchison, the secretary, said at a meeting of the council of the association last week, that since the last meeting of the council 335 applications had been received for membership. Certain resignations had been received, but in nearly every case they were from motorists who had disposed of their cars, and who intended joining again when they bought new cars.

The Blenheim Operatic Society has completed preliminary arrangements for the production of "H.M.S. Pinafore" and "Trial by Jury" in His Majesty's Theatre on 2i3th, 30th and 31st October and Ist November. Rehearsals will commence this week.

Club root in turnips has become so general in South Otago and Southland that farmers are fearing that the crop will have to be replaced by something else. What this means in the farming practices of the south may be judged from the fact that Southland alone grows close on 25 per cent, of the total acreage of New Zealand, and Otago and Southland between them 45 per cent. The disease, once it gets into the soil, takes a lot of getting out, and there is no guarantee that even in a rotation system infested land would be clean for the second crop. A close observer whose work brings him into touch with much turnip-growing country informed "The Press" that he has very rarely noticed the trouble manifest itself in altitudes 350 feet or more above sea level. What this singularity had to do with the matter he was not prepared to suggest, except that club root might be more favoured on heavy land with more humid conditions than on the lighter and drier soils. It certainly is a fact that the trouble is more general on tho flats than on the downs or ridges.

The! opinion that New Zealand children are given too 'much homework was voiced by Miss E. H. Sandford, headmistress of the Diocesan Girls' High School, at a meeting of Auckland educationists. On visiting a number of the biggest schools in the Dominion some time ago, she said, she found that tlie same amount of homework was done in the fourth forms as in the sixth forms at Home. She also referred to the overcrowding of schools, and criticised the long teaching year observed in the Dominion. "We shall never get individuality, freedom, initiative and leadership if our child-en are overtaught, overworked, or overcrowded in school," Miss Sandford declared:

.New Zealand had big problems common to all countries in the world, remarked the Governor-General at Wanganui. Prominent among them wore periodical trade depression and unemployment. He was convinced, however, that they were not insoluble, at least in a country like this, of largely undeveloped natural resources, with an unrivalled climate for plant growth, and a relatively small population of hard-working, courageous people, progressively alive to the teachings of science land not blind to modern economic forces. Physically, socially, educationally, and, might he add, spiritually, Now'Zealand was well equipped for the tasks awaiting her. Those countries would mosL confidently face the future whose people would —for the time at least—unselfishly co-operate to work out their own salvation—who, in politics, industry, and religion would seek for points of contact rather than points of difference.

"It is to be regretted that commerce absorbs so few of our university graduates," said Professor F. P. Worley in his address at the Auckland University College last week." The world of busiI ness offers full scope for a man of enterprise, ability and imagination, and (hen there are the remunerative attractions to be considered. As a matter of fact, the hood for the Bachelor of'Commerce degree speaks for itself; it is lined with gold."

Pipe —cigar—cigarette? Which is the least injurious form of smoking? Doctors mostly favour the pipe. But it really all depends on the tobacco. Imported brands are almost always so loaded with nicotine that their habitual use is attended with grave risk. The sight may suffer, so may the heart, or you may become "a mere bundle of nerves." If you have any of these symptoms (and you may have them all) change your baccy. Try the New Zealand."" It's delightful smoking. Pure, sweet, cool and fragrant. And it 1 can't hurt you even if you over-indulge. That's because —unlike all other tobaccos —it is toasted. Toasting brings out flavour and aroma, just as the toasting (or roasting) of cocoa or coffee beans does. You may smoke these fine tobaccos (there are several brands, including Piiverhead Gold, Cavendish, Cut Plug No. 10 and Navy Cut), without the slightest fear of consequences. They are the works's purest brands, and their growth and manufacture now constitute one of the Dominion's most important secondary indus-

Tweed Pleated Skirts m nice shades of Brown and Fawn mixtures. Worth ]7/6. Clearing at 10/6 this week at McKay's.*

Alfred Gould announces details of the auction sale of the freehold residential properly, furniture and effects in the estate of the late Mrs Marsden, to be held next Thursday, 19th, at 1 p.m. Ladies' All Wool Junipers ! A special purchase at McKay's in Women and OS. They're easily worth 19/6, b.ut out they go this week at 12/6.*

Women's All Wool Vests, "St. Margaret's" and other well known brands, ull to 16/6.—E. Buxton and Co., Ltd.* See Pago 9 to-night. Another Coat Week at McKay's*

"It is a matter of considerable difficulty for mo to talk on the economic position of Great Britain to-day," said his Majesty's Trade Commissioner in New Zealand (Mr L. A. Paish) at the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce luncheon last week. "It is always difficult for a permanent official to talk on controversial questions. Immediately wo get into tho region of politics, our political masters think that their permanent staff should be silent and leave them everything to say. It is a pretty good rule that if a permanent official has anything good to say, he must write it for the Minister. Ihe secretaries write the Minister's speeches in Great Britain, and I suppose, in Now Zealand as well. Mr J. VV. Mawson, Director of Town Planning, the other day compared himself to a parson who had to preach sermons every day, but not on any account to say anything about religion. I have to preach on Empire trade, yet I must not say anything that verges on the political border."

"There is one danger from the use of sodium chlorate for tho purpose of weed eradication and that is from fire, said Mr J. W. Deem, Director of the Fields Division, addressing farmers at Waipukn last week. The innocent-look-ing crystals that in solution wrought such havoc with ragwort anfl other weeds, were readily inflammable when dry on clothing. Users were thereforeadvised to wear only old clothes when engaged in spraying or to wash any garments that might become saturated. It will bo found unwise to remain in the salt-saturated clothes when dry, if you are in the habit of lighting matches even for a cigarette," Mr Deem said.

Mention has been made of the first arrival at Auckland during May, 1913, of the Royal Mail steamer Niagara. H.M.S. New Zealand, the Dominion's gift battleship, was in port at the same time as the merchantman, and about as much public interest was shown in the one vs in the other (says the "Star"). The Niagara and the New Zealand furnish an illustration of the fact that the life of a fighting ship is very much shorter than that of a commercial vessel. Whereas the New Zealand was scrapped several years ago, the Niagara is still very much afloat, and one of the most popular vessels in the trans-Pacific service. At the naval yard at Devonport there is a big lump of steel blown out of one of the New Zealand's gun turrets at the Battle of Jutland, while it is fairly common knowledge that many of her steel plates were used in the manufacture of razor blades.

A protest against the present system of "reformative detention" was made at the annual meeting of the Auckland branch of the Howard Penal Reform League. "Reformative detention is merely an indeterminate sentence to hard labour," said Dr. Mildred Staley. "The work is the same, the food is the same, and the only difference is the coat the < two different types wear. A high-spirited youth on whom the warders may have a 'down' may stay in prison for four, fiv'e, or even ten years, while a 'hard-labour' man sentenced at the same time to two years would be out at the end of that period. Judges think they are giving an easy sentence, but they are not." Asking pardon for altering a Biblical quotation, the Governor-General, when speaking the other day at Wanganui, said he would suggest, "New Zealanders, lift up your eyes not only to your sheep-covered hills, but to your grass paddocks from whence conieth your future economic salvation." His Excellency added that in New Zealand there was 50 per cent, more population in the towns than in the countryside. The mote relatively that urban population, increased and the rural population shrank, the more unstable* would the economic position of New Zealand be come. They should pfie every, effort to stop the drift to towns and make country life more attractive. The solution to the problem should not be left to the Government only. In spite of the distance from markets and the impracticability of rapidly establishing big factories iii these days of competitive mass production, there* need be no anxiety about chronic and continuous unemployment in a country whose primary production offered such big future potentialities as New Zealand, always assuming that the land output was of high uniform quality and that marketing for export was rigidly organised and controlled, preferably by ; the producers themselves. .

"I was very struck with a notice I saw outside an orange grove stating that oranges were for sale at 50 for a shilling," stated a Southland resident op his return from a visit to Sydney 1 . ".This is very different from Invercargill where one is lucky to get three a shilling. Actually, however, the oranges one gets in Australia are the only tropical fruit not equal to that which we get in New Zealand. The reason is that oranges are not allowed to be imported and only Australian grown oranges are sold. . . I was disappointed with the size gums grow to in Australia. Having heard so much about the wonderful Australian gums I expected to see giants, but they grow no bigger than they do in New Zealand. In fact it seems that they flourish better when transplanted to'California or New Zealand. The gums round Sydney are very scrubby."

One of those present at last week's Rugby match at Greymoutli was Mr Jamieson, of Kumara, aged ninetythree. A grandson, A. Wilson, was playing in. the combined team against the British.

Special purchase at McKay's ! Ladies' Repp Coat Frocks, smartly cut with pleats in skirt. Worth 75/. Gearing at 35/-.*

Another coat-week at McKay's! La dies Coals at about half-prices.*