A While Kiwi

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 2 April 1938, Page 6

A While Kiwi

Evidence that a white kiwi, one of j the rarest of birds, probably lived j within the last 20 years, is disclosed in i the existence of a valuable Maori mat. 1 at present in the possession of a chief- ; taincss ir. the Mourea district, between 1 Rotorua and Rotoiti (says the "Herald"*. The mat. which is used only for ceremonial occasions. contains the whiie kiwi feathers woven into the dc- j sign. The Maori mat was seen recently by the Bishop of Aotearoa. the Rt. Rev. F. A. Bennett, who stated that he had not heard of a previous case of white kiwi leathers being seen. As far as he knew, noi even Maori legend made reference to the existence of a white kiwi. Farming Problems “Problems in grassland farming we have in plenty, and. although we are proud, perhaps rightly so. of our grassland farming in comparison with that in other countries, it is in the economic solution of these problems that our future lies." said Mr A. H. Coc- | kavne. Director-General of Agricul- j lure, when speaking at the opening of a ! new research building at Palmerston North. In the maintenance and importance of the more, difficult grassland, the tussock areas and much low-grade hill country, the position was far from ! satisfactory, he added, and it cried j aloud for research. Kinknjou for Auckland Zoo The first kinkajou to be exhibited at the Auckland Zoo arrived at Auckland on Thursday by the steamer Romney. | having been obtained from the San | Diego Zoological Garden and shipped j at San Pedro (states the "Herald"). It is a young male. It made the voyage in good condition, and appeared perfectly healthy on arrival. This animal, which is about the size of a cat. has its habitat in Central America. It is related to the raccoon family and has a tail longer than its body. The normal food of the kinkajou includes honey, fruit, and small birds, but its staple diet on the voyage across the Pacific comprised two green bananas daily. Although the kinkajou was the most interesting animal carried by the Romney, the steamer carried an unusual number of livestock in pens about the decks. There ( are two sows and a boar of the Tam- j

worth type, known in Canada as the Eureka Red Berkshire boar, and three rams and five ewes of purebred Cheviot breed. Most of these animals are consigned to the south. Bathing of Bees Pollination of plants in exactly the manner desired plays an important part in some of the undertakings of the Grasslands Division of the Plant Research Bureau, and extreme care must be exercised in this direction. Grasses which are pollinated by the action of the wind have to be kept in glasshouses, but clovers, for instance, may be grown in gauze frames which allow them to be cut off from insects, and yet be growing in the open. Bees are the pollinating agents in that case, but only after they have been caught in the field, taken inside, and bathed carefully until the pollen grains on their legs have either been washed ofT or have burst. In some instances, where a large number of plants have to be pollinated, a small hive of bees* is shifted inside the glasshouse. West Coast Sawmills According to a statement made to a "Grey Star" reporter by a prominent sawmilie**, it is likely that a number of West Coast red-pine sawmills will either have to put off hands at the end of this week, or close for an additional day each week in the immediate future. Orders for rimu have been slack for a long period and no improvement has resulted from the Government’s building scheme the rimu trade being worse at the present time than it was when the mills adopted a rationing system at the close of last year. Large stocks of 0.8. grade timber arc held by mills, which have absolutely no orders for this class of timber. Creeches in Church One of the details which has impressed Mrs Julia Shelhamer. who is at present visiting Dunedin, with her husband. the Rev E. E. Shelhamer. the American evangelist, is that young mothers in Australia and New Zealand do not bring their babies to church with them. The "Daily Times” reporter to whom she made this remark thought that this was rather a curious wish foi a platform speaker to voice until lie was informed that, in many churches in the United States, there are creeches attached where the infants are given every attention while their mothers attend the service. In the larger churches, she said, check tickets are handed out ard. if a bady becomes too fractious to be controlled by the attendant. its number is displayed in the quarter of the church where the mothers have reserved seating accommodation. and the parent goes to the rescue. Order of British Empire Revised statutes relating to the order of knighthood known as the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire are published as a supplement to the Gazette issued last week. The supplement also contains the statutes covering the award of the Imperial Service Order. The statutes of tlie two orders were received as dispatches r rom the Dominions Office. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire consists of the Sovereign and a Grand Master and of five classes—Knights. Grand Cross and Dames Grand Cross. Knights Commanders, and Dames Com--1 manders, Commanders, Officers, and j Members Each of these five classes | contains two sub-divisions, military ■ and civil, and each sub-division is composed partly of ordinary and partly of honorary members. The statutes give the class of persons eligible for appointment to the military and civil divisions, the maximum number that can hold the order at one time, the maximum ; number that can be appointed annual- ; ly, and the basis of allocation to the j United Kingdom. Dominions, colonies, mandated territories, and overseas dependencies The order of precedence is also given and a description of the insignia pertaining to the various classes. Similar information is given in respect of the Impend Service Order.

A “Nudist Show” A police launch, a motor-cycle patrol and a number of policemen went to Berowra Waters, a secluded settlement on a Hawkesbury river tributary, to prohibit a display by nudists, but took no action (states a Sydney paper). The display had been advertised as part of the Berowra 150th anniversary celebrations carnival in aid of the Hornsby District Hospital. An announcer told a crowd of several hundred gathered outside a boatshcad that children under 16 would not be admitted, and that the nudists would wear face masks. The exhibition would consist of nudist exercises by male and female devotees, he said. IL' added that Mr Athol Tier, well-known vaudeville star, who is a member of the local progress association. had secured the services of several theatrical performers. The crowd hung back. Many refused to enter the boatshed. and only 20 paid the shilling admission Although they all expressed satisfaction when they left the shed, no others went in Inside were four nude babies. A £5.000.000 Job Now Zealand is faced with an expenditure of £5.000.000 in the control of rivers which every year cause widespread damage through flooding Speaking to a deputation from the Kovvai County Council which waited on him this week, the Minister of Public Works (the Hon R. Semple) quoted this figure as being the lowest estimate vet made by engineers, who were investigating the causes of river erosion and other problems throughout the Dominion (reports the "Star-Sun”). Flooding was a danger in the Kowai district, but the menace there was infinitesimal compared to other areas. The Minister added that had scientific-ally-planned protective works been undertaken when the first signs of danger became apparent the cost would have been small in comparison with that now facing the country. A tremendous task confronted New Zealand but the Dominion could not afford to leave it undone any longer Lewis Pass Road In order to keep the new highway over the Lewis Pass open throughout the winter the Public Works Department had decided to procure snowplough equipment for use on the higher levels of the road, where the snowfall is often heavy enough to interrupt motor traffic. Similar equipment will also be brought into use this winter on the Arthur’s Pass section of the Christ-church-Greymouth main highway and on the Mackenzie County section of the Timaru-Queenstown main highway. Mr F. Langbein. district engineer to the Public Works Department, has recently | inspected the Canterbury section of the j Lewis Pass ro.:d, and he told a reporter of “The Press" that it was in fairly good order. Recent bad weather had, he understood, given the maintenance gangs on the West Coast side of the pass much work to do. “The road has been used a great deal since its opening on 30th October of last year,” said Mr Langbein. ‘and the volume of traffic would appear to have justified its construction ” Potatoes Dug Earlier Potato crops in Canterbury are being dug about six weeks earlier than usual this season, because of late blight which attacked the crops in February. Digging is general throughout the district and one Kaiapoi grower said that he had not lifted a crop so early during the 25 years he has been growing potatoes. digging usually taking place at the end of April or in May. Yields of early varieties are said to be good; but it is expected that later varieties will be light in table lines, although there will be plenty of seed potatoes.