LOCAL AND GENERAL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 23 December 1933, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

“The Mail” will not be published on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day If will appear as usual on Boxing Day.

The combined friendly societies will hold a public dance on Boxing night at 8 o’clock in the Oddfellows’ Hall. An excellent supper will be provided, there will be orchestral music and prizes will be awarded for Lucky Spot and Monte Carlo dances.

The Union Company lias decided to name the new steamer which is at present being built by Alexander Stephen and Son, Ltd., Linthouse, the Waitaki. The new ship has designed for the service from Melbourne to Bluff, Dunedin, Lyttelton, and' Wellington, and will replace the companys’ Wainui, now running in the trade. The Waitaki will be of about. 2260 gross tonnage and will be similar in design to the Wainui, but faster. The Waitaki will be registered at Dunedin, and is expected to arrive in New Zealand about next June.

The honey production for this season in Hawkes Bay lias been excellent, and the Hawkes Bay bee-keepers are experiencing a season well above the average. The only factor that might interfere with big returns would be a prolonged spell of unfavourable weather conditions. According to Mr L. Riesterer, the Government apiary instructor in the province, the reason for the heavy returns is the phenomenal clover growth this season. He remarked that in past seasons Hawkes Bay honey, while an excellent product, had not quite attained the quality in colour standard set by much of the best honey from Taranaki and the Waikato, but this season the local product should not be far behind in this respect.

Over two thousand samples of wheat are milled each year by the Wheat Research Institute, but it was found last- year, remarks the institute’s quarterly report, that it was not satisfactory to mill and bake lines for farmers and merchants during the early months of the year while the rush period continues. “A grower holding a line that has been refused by one merchant or miller has it milled and baked. On its receiving a low score be may take it to another merchant, who also has it milled and baked, and so on. In one case we were able to trace the fact that we bad milled and baked a single line five times over for different merchants. It is suggested that during this early period-milling and baking be done on the request of millers only, and that others wishing l'or tests should have them sent in through millers, which will make possible some check on unnecessary reduplication.”

During the last five months there has been a large increase in the sale of businesses and properties, the larger sales, however, tending more towards the former (states the “Taranaki Herald”). Despite the large demand for businesses, there have been comparatively few sales for this time of the year. There are indications of fairly strong demands for house properties with small deposits, and although there are plenty of people wanting houses at reasonable rents they are finding them very hard (to procure, especially those combining suitability with a moderate rent. There have not been many demands of late for farms of any description. One or two enquiries have, been made for farms round about the £lO to £l4 per acre mark. However, it is not expected that there will be much movement in this line till after Christmas and the New Year. .Quite a Jew inquiries have been made of late for beach cottages, but owing to most of them being booked ahead the demand cannot be met. Large farms do not seem to be attracting a very large inquiry, although there have been one or two seekers after large mixed farms. One of the chief troubles seems to ho that prices seem a little above the average purchaser. There have been quite a number of private sales recently, especially in regard to farms of live to 15 acres.

finder the auspices of (lie Nelson Ministers’ Association a United Service will bo held in the Baptist Church on Christmas Day at 10 a.in. The Rev. .). C. Wacky will preside and the Rev. James Hay will be the preacher. The service will be broadcast by courtesy of 2ZR. An offering wil be taken to implement the funds of the Ministers’ Association. In tune with the season special Christinas services will be held to-morrow in St. John’s Methodist Church. Both moriiii.'vr and evening enrols will be sung by the choir. In the afternoon a special combined Sunday School service will be held in the Church. Items will be given bv the different departments of the school and a. collection will be taken for the Sunshine Fund for the Mental Hospital. All parents and friends are invited to .this service. A section containing 244 acres, situated in Wninui Bay, 10 miles from Takaka, is being offered by the Commissioner of Crown Rands for selection by tender. Attention is directed to the holiday running of Burns’ buses. The Nelson Citizens’ Band will play in tlic city this evening and will play enrols and hymns on Sunday and Monday.

Season,tl greetings have readied “Tlie Mail” from the .Mayor and Mrs Mof'fatt, our contemporaries throughout New Zealand. I’lovermneut Idepartmental officers, business linns and private citizens. Throughout them all is sounded a note of confidence and the belief is expressed that far better times are approaching. The good wishes expressed are cordially reciprocated by "The Mail.” ‘T shall tell the Archbishop of Canterbury what manner of man Mr Raynier is.” said the Bishop of Nelson (Dr. Sadlier) at a farewell held in the Marsden library on Friday night. "I shall send him a copy of the resolution passed by our vestry,” he continued, “and that will be enough.”

One school speech day has yielded something interesting, if not specially helpful (writes the Sydney correspondent of the Melbourne “Argus”). The veteran master of Scots College (Mr James Bee) knows boys as few others know them. He has studied them during a half century of teaching. He has seen the birch replaced by heart-to-luart talks, and has noted many other changes of varying importance, but none quite as important as some people believe. The college which he administers overlooks the Harbour from Bellevue Hill, and its plaving-grounds command the best air and wonderful views. Mr Bee says that the passing of the decades makes no real change in the boy. "He is the same in every era, only more so,” someone remarked. The Rev. I). F. Grant, who is always at speecii days of Scots College, may have been the interjeetor. Mr Bee. praised the boy of to-day with great generosity. “Those now leaving our schools,” ne said, “are better physically, mentally, morally, and spiritually than those of my own day." Again the interjeetor cut into Ihe cheers this tune with, “Let us hope so.” Mr Bee was on the teaching staff of Wellington College for some years after the late Mr J. P. Firth assumed the duties of principal. Mr H. H. Newell, the New South Wales Commissioner for Main Roads said in Dunedin to the “Star” that- before setting forth on his tour lie had heard great praise of New Zealand, and what 'he hail seen fulfilled his highest expectations. He was delighted with the pasture lands, the thermal area surpassed anything of the sort he had previously seen, the beauty of the country charmed him, and the growth of the vegetation was to him simply amazing. As to the roads in New Zealand, they were obviously made and maintained in the same way as the best in Australia, and that was all that could be done with the means available. The railways service was also a credit to the country. He was deeply impressed with the efficiency of the men who control th.e running, and surprised at the speed attained on the 3ft Gin gauge, this enabling the trains to keep to time, ill- Newell added that when he got back to New South Wales lie- will tell all who care to listen to him that New Zealand is a. very fine country and its people worthy of their race. Indications of improving economic conditions were referred to at a gathering of members of the Wellington Harbour Board and executive officers by Mr J. T. Grose, general manager of the National Bank of New Zealand. Mr Grose said that the year had been a difficult one. Twelve months ago on a similar occasion he had stated that they might hope that betterment would appear. Since then betterment had appeared. Our wool had increased substantially in value of late, and the indications appeared to be that the wool prices would be maintained. The prices obtained for meat and stock had also improved. He did not know exactly what the increased price for wool meant to New Zealand, but' he thought it must represent an increase of six or seven million pounds in the Dominion’s income. He hoped that would lead to rapid improvement in finances, which would create move employment and alleviate distress.

Inquiries set afoot in Dunedin (says the “Star”) evoke evidence leading to the belief that New Zealand warehousemen find business steady and almost, if not quite, normal, the volume of transactions up to the average for this time of the year, and accounts not more difficult to collect than usual. There is less demand than in the ante-slump period for goods of an expensive quality, but the forced economy in dress and furnishings, as well as in other things that has become the rule in recent years, has not compelled New Zealanders to ask for cheapness as an overruling consideration. They are as insistent as ever about quality, and the manufacturers, recognising the fact that many persons have now to be content with goods of moderate cost, are meeting that reformed taste by supplying products that- are inherently as sound and as presentable as the costly goods that were the fashion when people had money to throw away.

“To-day Napier, Hastings and Gisborne arc by far the happiest towns in the Dominion,” said Rotarian T. C. List, District Governor of Rotary, in an address at New Plymouth (reports the “News”). No longer are they concerned with the mundane things and the material problems of life. Their recent calamitous experiences have forcibly brought homo to them a recognition of truer values, and their minds are accordingly attuned to the higher and better things of life. And they are obtaining a new interest and experiencing a new joy—that which is derivable from a sense of doing their best for their felows and their communities. liTey are practising and expressing themselves in all that Rotary stands for, in many cases doing so unconsciously. To-day they see things and assess values from a different perspective. They realise as they have never realised before that material things have only a transient value or im portanc.e —that what possessions they have to-day may be taken from them tomorrow : and they freely acknowledge that they, like so many other people in the Dominion, had previously placed altogether i too much importance upon material success, possessions and advantages to the exclusion, or at least to the subordination, of the better or higher and unseen things of life—such as human contacts and friendships, the simple virtues and the eternal verities. That conviction is uppermost, in their minds to-day. Accordingly the people have reoriented their minds to ihe affairs of the. world and to their own positions. . .In short, life to them lias to-day n different meaning from what il had before February, 1931, and thev are designating tilings in their right, order, first things being placed first.”

The Regimental Band will give a concert m the oßtanical Reserve to-morrow (Sunday) evening commencing at 8.15. A special Christmas programme which includes the Hallelujah Chorus (Handel) will be provided. In a few weeks time the Regimental Band will be competing with the Woolston. Port Nicholson and other A grade bands for the Dominion championship. At the RiJinimnl Baptist Church tomorrow there will be Christmas services. In the evening there will be a special song service with programme of Christmas hymns, and the Pastor Mr Frank Vkirley will give. “The Full Story of Bethlehem.” A “Grand Festive Dance” is to lie held in the Stoke llall on Boxing night, 2C I h December. .Music will be provided by the City Dance Band and patrons are assured of a bright programme. The results of the Christmas Competition at McKay’s, will be found in die advertisement on page 11 of this issue.*

The usual Christmas Eve traffic arrangements will be in force to-night. Central Trafalgar street will be closed to vehicular traffic between the hours of 7 and 10 o'clock. No restriction will apply to the other streets, but motorists are .asked, in the interests of everyone concerned, to exercise care, especially in Bridge and Hardy streets.

In discussing the use of fluid nicotine and nicotine Sulphate as sprays at a meeting of the Canterbury Fruit Growers’ Association, Mr L. Morrison, entomologist at Canterbury College suggested that tobacco grown in New Zealand might he used for the purpose (reports “The Press”). (Members remarked that the question had been discussed with the Government. The tax the Government would put on consequent on the loss of revenue, and the cost- of the necessary machinery, would make the cost of the nicotine sprays so produced prohibitive. Farmers in Nelson, however, growing both tobacco and fruit, had obtained a quite successful spray by boiling tobacco stalks. A common practice in England, said Mr Morrison, was to make an infusion from waste tobacco purchased trom the factories..

According to tin estimates of members of the Canterbury Fruit Growers’ Association given at their meeting this week apples should bo plentiful this season. Despite the frost, which has taken some of the best fruit, crops promise to be universally good. Mr C. G. YVilkii:soti, Canterbury manager of the Fruit Growers’ Federation, gave 300,000 cases as liis estimate for Canterbury. Shipping space had been booked for' exporting 18.000 cases. The contrast between the general air of prosperity in Australia and the prevalence of begging in the streets was commented on by Mr W. B. Brittain, who returned to Auckland by the Mavama from a business visit to Sydney. Mr Brittain said secondary industries were enjoying an unprecedented expansion, places of amusement were crowded and the majority of people were welldressed and appeared to be prosperous. “Nevertheless, a class of professional beggars appears to have grown up,’ Mr Brittain added. “One is perpetually being'accosted for money, even in principal streets.” Admiral R. E. Byrd’s ice-breaker and auxiliary supply ship Bear of Oakland, which is now on her way from America to join the Antarctic expedition, is expected to arrive at Wellington either next Tuesday or Wednesday. She will make only a short stay, during which 200 tons of coal, left there by the steamer Jacob Ruppert, will be’ loaded. She will probably leave Wellington towards the end of next week, and is expected’to join the flagship Jacob Ruppert in the Ross Sea early in January, both ships then proceeding to the ice barrier to land the expedition and its supplies.

In our advertising columns to-day the Mayor and Mayoress (Mr and Mrs W. J. Moffatt) wish the citizens a happy Christmas and a bright and prosperous New Year. Members of Maitai Lodge U.A.O.D. and visiting Druids intending to follow the tableau in the gala procession are requested to meet at the Church Steps at 9.30 a.m. on Boxing Day.