GENERAL ITEMS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 29 March 1938, Page 4

GENERAL ITEMS

Not So Much Starch ; “New Zealanders are very like the English bul with the starch left out,’’ said Father Owen Dudley, a noted English lecturer on religious, social and moral problems, who is at present in Wellington. Though he has been in the Dominion only since' the beginning of February, he said he had become greatly attached to the country, of which he had seen a good deal while j on his tour, and one of his main im- : pressions was that the people themj selves, whether Catholics or not, were ! quite unprejudiced so far "as religions j were concerned. ; Geyser’s New Activity j While the geysers Pohutu, Prince of ! Wales’ Feathers and Waikorohihi, in the Government reserve at Whakarewarewa, remain quiescent, Waikite has taken a new lease of life, and last Thursday burst into activity with j numerous spectacular shots, reaching heights of from 50ft to 60ft. One observer estimated that one shot reached a height of 701't. Throughout the day large crowds visited the reserve to see the geyser in action, and the spectacle j provided compensation for its long quiescence. I BlufF-Melbourne Service

j Dissatisfaction that the Maunganui ! was to be withdrawn from the Mel- ! bourne-South Island run after a short season during which the vessel had been well patronised was expressed at tho meeting of the Blufl Harbour Board. The chairman (Mr W. A. Ott) was deputed to make representations to the Union Steam Ship Company when in Wellington soon and to invite the chairman of. the Otago and Lyttelton Harbour Boards to join him in a request that the vessel should be retained on the run continuously throughout the year. Auckland Architects Praised The interest shown abroad in the activities of Auckland University College has been demonstrated in a letter received by Professor C. R. Knight, professor of architecture at the college, from Mr Aymar Embury, a wellknown architect in the United States (states the “New Zealand Herald”). In commenting on (he Auckland prospectus he said the thesis designs compared very favourably with anything he had seen in American schools, and | both the cathedral designed by Mr J. R. Blake-Kelly, and the pulp mill designed by Mr R. A. Nicholl, both of Auckland, were really fine pieces of design, not for students, but for an experienced architect. Mr Embury extended his congratulations to Messrs Blake-Kelly and Nichol. Air Mail to New Guinea About the middle of April a permanent air-mail service is to be inaugurated by the Australian Post Office between the Commonwealth and its mandated territory of New Guinea, via Papua, and it will be possible to send letters by this means from New Zealand to Port Moresby (Papua) and Rabaul (New Guinea). The rate from New Zealand will be 4d per half ounce for letters and 2d for postcards. The airmail rate from New Guinea and Papua to New Zealand will be 3d per half ounce (the usual charge in Australia for inland air mails) plus the ordinary postage which is 2d per ounce. Rabaul is just over 2,100 miles from Sydney, i and the route will be covered by the air services once in each direction weekly, the planes leaving Sydney at 7 a.m. on Tuesday reaching Port Moresby on the following day and arriving at Rabaul at 10 a.m. on Thursday. The return journey will commence from Rabaul on Fridays and be completed in Sydney at 5.30 p.m. on Sunday. Regular stops will be made on each journey at Salamaua, New Guinea. As philatelists will be interested in this extension ot air-mail services, the Post Office advises that where return covers are required, it will be necessary to despatch a remittance to the Administration concerned for payment of return postage, as New Zealand stamps cannot be used. Grape Harvest The grape harvest is at its height in the vineyards around Te Kauwhata. The crop this year is somewhat mixed in quality (says the “N.Z. Herald”). Several growers have good yields, but it is apparent (hat a large proportion of the vines have not completely recovered from effects of the gale three years ago. Before that occurrence, as much as 25 tons of grapes were taken off two and a-quarter acres. With the gradual repair of the damage done by the storm, however, it is expected that equally heavy crops will be obtained in the future. It is the variety of grape known as the Albany Surprise which has made the reputation of Te Kauwhata This large, juicy grape with its distinctly sweet, aromatic flavour and attractive bloom was discovered in the district as a bud sport or freak growth on a vine of the Isabella variety in Mr G Panill’a orchard. It has proved so well adopted to the local soil and climate that it is the chief grape grown both for market and for wine by all the vignerons of the neighbourhood. The successful development of the grapegrowing industry at Te Kauwhata in what was unpromising gum-land is largely due to the experimental work done at the Government vineyards established there some 40 years ago Much has been learned of the special needs of the district and an efficient system of viticulture has been built up among local growers. Alfred Gould announces details of the following auction sales: Saturday next at 11 a.m., at the rooms. Hardy street, freeholc city residential property, situated Church Lane, off Trafalgar Square: Wednesday. 6th April, at 1 p.m., household furniture and effects, on account Mr Holden Webb, Trafalgar street i South*