GENERAL NEWS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 6 October 1936, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS

The new technical block at Nelson College is expected to be finished within a fortnight, and the Minister of Education, the Hon. P. Fraser, is to be invited to open the building. The date of the official opening is not, definitely known yet.

That the standard of some of the liquor supplied in New Zealand was a scandal and that it was seldom, if ever, that a prosecution resulted on an analyst’s report, was stated by Archdeacon R. Hodgson, of Rotorua, when speaking of the effect of liquor on the Maori people, at the inaugural conference of the Maori and Pakeha Federation. Archdeacon Hodgson said public houses must be made places to which any citizen could go. He did not think prohibition for the Maori or anyone else was the remedy. True temperance and self-control were needed. They must also strive to encourage and educate public opinion in the matter of stricter control of the liquor trade. In his opinion, they should have a public house trust with a bishop as chairman.

When working at the Labour Office in Trafalgar street this morning Mr H. W. W. Stephens of the Public Works Department was rendered unconscious by an insulator which fell on his head. lie was taken to the Public Hospital where two scalp wounds which he received were attended to, and he left hospital this afternoon.

Locally-grown tomatoes have already been on sale in Nelson shops. These were produced in glass-houses artificially heated by pipes from an oil heater. Glass-house crops generally are in good condition, and relatively free from pests. Work is in full swing in the gardens, and a few growers have planted outside, being prepared to take the risks of frosts, which are still a possibility in Nelson till the end of this month, so that they can reap the benefit of the high prices that early tomatoes bring. One grower is conducting an interesting experiment, on the lines of an American suggestion, of growing plants in water and feeding them with a complete manure. It is claimed that better crops are produced than if the plants were grown in the ground.

The need of a substantial annual vole for the acquisition of scenic reserves is stressed strongly in the annual report on scenery preservation issued by the Department of Lands and Survey, for the year ended 31st March, 1936, which outlines the difficulties faced by the department during recent years. “Much work still remains to be done in the matter of scenery preservation,” the report states. “There are many areas in private ownership which should be owned by the State, but the financial position'has been such that the department has had for a good many years to be content with small allocations, and as a result it has been almost inw possible to operate the machinery which is in existence for the acquisition of land of scenic value. If the department could be assured of a substantial annual vote arrangements could be made for the gradual acquisition of areas of outstanding scenic interest. The system which has obtained during late years has in effect confined the acquisition of scenic areas to cases where the greatest pressure has been brought.”

The claim of Riverton, which is celebrating its centenary in January next, that it is the oldest settlement in New Zealand, is disputed by those responsible for the organisation of the centenary of Moeraki on 24th, 25th, and 26th December (states the Otago “Daily Times”). While there had been intermittent settlement in some places prior to Moeraki, an examination of the early history of New Zealand discloses that since 26th December. 1836, there has been continuous settlement at Moeraki, and on these grounds is based the claim that Moeraki is the oldest settlement in the country. Like Riverton, Moeraki has had a centenary commitee hard at work for the greater part of the year, bringing to maturity plans to ensure the successful celebration of its centenary, and with the co-operation of Maori and pakeha, the Moeraki celebrations promise to be an outstanding event.

“This was printed on the liner, Queen Mary,” said Mr Brendan Dowling, of Sydney, a through passenger by the Mariposa when proffering his card to a reporter on Friday (states lire “New Zealand Herald”). Mr Dowling added that every facility imaginable was available on the liner. He had run out of cards when crossing to New York on the Queen Mary’s record-breaking voyage, but was able to obtain a supply within three hours. I‘hey were printed at the branch shop of a London firm on board the vessel.

“Although scholastic institutions are perhaps more wonderfully endowed by private benefactors in California than anywhere else, I think the standards of surgery attained after training at Australian and New Zealand universities are equal to anything I saw,” said Dr T. F. Ryan, of Melbourne, who is returning to Australia by the Mariposa, reports the “New Zealand Herald.” Dr Ryan attended the PanPacific Medical Congress at Honolulu, and later visited California. He thought the hospitals in this part of the world were as well equipped as those he saw in America.

The annual Sports Day at Nelson College will this year be held on Saturday 14th November, and Foundation Day will be celebrated on the following day.

That in t'he Maori religion of the older days to the ordinary people there was no “thrill” of personal emotion, was stated by Dr. W. S. Dale in a lecture before the anthropology section of the Auckland Institute (reports the “Star”). There was nothing equivalent to the emotion felt by individual worshippers taking part in a church service, such as Europeans use. The old Maori religion was linked up with other group forms of social organisation, more especially with the group relating to rank, prestige, high birth—whether “mana” or power. The outer aspect of their religion was highly formalised, and admittance to the inner aspect was qualified by birth, which thus left the spiritual core of the Maori religio-philosophy in the possession of the ariki (first-born of a first-born—the higliest rank of a tribe) and of the highest grade of priests or tohungas. When rank brought great responsibility and a sense of duty to others, this tended to ensure a tribe’s well-being.

That singers of reputation in America are chary of appearing in films because of the manner in which these are exploited by unscrupulous film interests was mentioned by Mr Richard Crooks, the famous American tenor, in an interview on his arrival in Christchurch (says “The Press”). Mr Crooks said that some singers who had appeared in films in the early days of the talkies were still being embarrassed by the untimely reappearances of these films, hundreds of copies of which were still in circulation. A singer with an engagement in a certain city might arrive there to find that some enterprising picture theatre manager had secured a lease of one of these films and was “cashing in” on the advertising done by the singer’s agents. “It confuses the public until they hardly know what the advertising really refers to. and when it comes to a matter of choosing the entertainment they naturally choose the lowpriced cinema, quite unaware that the film is old, poorly recorded, and probably badly worn,” Mr Crooks said.

Satisfaction with the Philippine Government since control was handed over to it by the United States of America was expressed by Mr L. D. Hargis, a leading American attorney from Cebu, Philippine Islands, who lias arrived on a visit to New Zealand. Indications were for good conditions in the islands during the five-year i period before duties are charged on produce from there entering the United States. This was practically the only market for the islands at present, and unless trade relations could be straightened out before the end of the period or markets for the principal products—copra, hemp, sugar, tobacco, and gold—established elsewhere, the territory would be faced with very hard times. A trade commission had been appointed to try to work out a solution with the United States.

A controversy in the correspondence columns of “The Times,” London, has proved almost beyond doubt that Mr George Harper, of Christchurch, is the oldest living old boy of Eton College, England’s most famous public school. Mr Harper celebrated his 93rd birthday last April and is at least a year older than any other old Etonian. Mr Harper is a member of the Old Eton Association and his name appears in the lists of the association with, the dates 1355 to 1877 beside it. There is no otlier member of the association listed who was at the college before that time.

The foreman for a construction firm enquired at a State Placement Service Office whether there was on the roll a carpenter who could draw plans for the remodelling of an old building. None of the carpenters had the necessary knowledge, but the proposition was submitted to an artist who had enrolled. He declared that he had never drawn a plan, but was prepared to try, so lie was sent to the foreman who told him what was required. The artist drew a rough sketch which satisfied the prospective employer, who engaged him at a good wage to draw the actual plans. In addition when he has completed the plans he will be offered work on the building. A placement of a different type was that of a display manager for an important chain store organisation. This applicant had had world-wide experience of this highly specialised work, but had not been able to secure an appointment. The local State Placement Service Officer’s enquiries disclosed the prospect of a vacancy that would suit this man, and an engagement resulted. This is only one of manv cases which disprove the claim that the usefulness of the Placement Service is restricted to tradesmen and other manual workers.

The secretary of the Tahunanui branch of the British and Foreign Bible Society reports that the amount received through the annual collecting in Tahuna, is £ll 19s, ratner than last year.