GENERAL ITEMS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 26 October 1938, Page 4

GENERAL ITEMS

Church Man power Pointed reference was made at the Kelburn Anglican Church on Sunday by Bishop Holland to the urgent need of the Bishop’s Fighting Fund in order to build up the Church’s man-power in the parishes of the diocese. Whereas now' they had 75 priests, there were 83 a few years ago, when there was a smaller population. Tn a diocese in the Old Country with a slightly larger population there were 200 priests. How was it possible, he asked, for a parish priest. say, in populous Miramar, or a scattered district like Raetihi. to do the work thoroughly? There was a tremendous need of fellowship and love and a wide outlook with a total elimination of parochialism.

Season for Trout at Taupo Providing the weather is favourable, anglers should have good sport when the Taupo fishing season opens on Ist November. The many shags noticed during July and August appear to have left. The lake and rivers are carrying an extraordinarily large number of fish. It is difficult to judge their condition until they are seen out of the water but from observations at the various popular fishing spots, the improvement shown last season in both numbers and condition should continue The lake level was very low last season, but this year it is normal There appears to be a good rupply of food in the lake. The Department of Internal Affairs has been liberating large supplies of koura and smelts during the off reason, and extnesive restocking has been carried out in all the rivers, as well as in the lake. The warm weather of the last three weeks has done much to increase the caddies and other flies, which are very numerous.

First Cruise Liner The first of this season’s cruise ships from Australia to visit New Zealand, the Orient liner Orcades left Brisbane on Monday for ‘Auckland, where she will arrive on Friday. The Orcades has a heavy passenger list, including a large number of through travellers from London. Launched last year, the liner is the newest in the Orient fleet, her lines being similar to those of the Orion, which has previously visited Auckland. The Orcades, whose tonnage is 23.456 gross, will leave Auckland on Saturday night for Wellington and Sydney. Sweated Sections The dairy farmers and their wives to-day were certainly a sweated section of the community—working for less than the Government’s Investigating Committee recommended, said the Hon. F. Waite, M.L.C., at the annual meeting of suppliers and shareholders of the Co-operative Dairy Company of Otago Ltd. The farmer could not strike like other sections of industry, and so inconvenience the community. But if farm production declined the community would be definitely worse off. Centennial Canoe The work of completing the Centennial Maori war canoe at Kerikeri is to begin in earnest in a few days, states the “Northern Advocate.” The sections, already hollowed out, have been submerged in water for three months and are now ready for exterior trimming and shaping, a task that will take about fifteen Maoris some months to complete. The sections, when fashioned, will be laced together in the good old Maori style—not a bolt, nail, or any modern means of splicing will be employed. All carving for the canoe, including a fourteenfoot bow piece, a statue of the late and great chieftain, Hongi, will be carried out on the present site. The 136foot canoe will probably hold 150 paddles when completed. Boys Not Always Careless “It has been my experience that if you give boys hard chairs and forms they will knock them about but if you give them something really good they will look after it,” said Mr W. H. Moyes, headmaster of the New Plymouth High School, in an address to old boys. Mr Moyes was outlining the proposal for a boys’ sitting room at the school. Decreased Dairy Output The butter production of Northland this season is expected to be at least 10 per cent, less than that of last season, notwithstanding that last season showed a decline over the figure reached in the 1935-36 season (states the “N.Z. Herald”). A number of small dairy farmers have ceased to supply the factories, as it is considered that it does not pay to milk a small herd and that It is more profitable for the small farmer to accept work with the Public Works Department on road construction. Another factor is that owing to the difficulty of securing competent farm labour a number of dairy farmers who previously were milking large herds have reduced the number of cows. This decrease of production will take place even if a good season is experienced is the opinion expressed, and if an adverse season is met then the decline will be much more marked. Subsidised Local Body Employment Disquieting evidence of the magnitude of operations under the Government’s system of subsidised local body employment is contained in information supplied by the Auckland City Council, suburban borough councils and a number of other employing authorities in the Auckland metropolitan av*a (states the Auckland “Star”). Eighteen authorities from which details of subsidised works were obtained were found to be employing a total of 2330 men. and in several instances it was stated that the number had been increased in recent weeks. The wages paid to the men were stated to range between £4 3s 4d and £4 13s 4d for general labouring work, and a higher rate for a small number of skilled men. In all cases the award rates were in force, and the men were working a 40-hour five-day week. Some of the authorities were paying portion of the wages of a small number of those employed, but the practice generally was for the Government to pay the whole amount under the No. 13—full subsidy—scheme. In comparison with the subsidy ruling in the earlier years of the recovery from the depression, the rates now being paid out of the proceeds of the unemployment tax under the No. 13 scheme show an increase of over 100 per cent, for singe men and nearly 100 per cent, for married men. The operations have assumed a scope which is comparable only with the employment figures under the No. 5 scheme during the depression. Rates on Maori Land After receiving what was considered an unsatisfactory reply from the Minister of Native Affairs regarding Maoris not paying rates, the Mangonui County Council has decided to institute prosecutione as test cases, reports the Whangarei correspondent of the “New Zealand Herald.” The Minister stated that he was very sympathetic to the representations made regarding the considerable amount of rates outstanding on Native lands within the district. It was the policy of the Government that Maoris should be obliged to meet a just proportion of the rates imposed by local bodies, but in fairness to the Maori race the Government was also vitally concerned to bring Native-own-ed land into productivity as soon as humanly possible. Towards that policy the State had prosecuted a vigorous policy of land settlement, and at 31st March. 16,000 acres in the Mangonui district were involved. The attitude of the Governmeit was that Native land could not bear the payment of rates unless it was producing sufficient revenue to meet all charges.

Cricket Finance It is revealed in the annual report of the New Zealand Cricket Council that tours are eating deeply into the funds. There was a substantial loss on the New Zealand team’s visit to England and Australia last year, the net cost to the council being £I6OO Is 6d. The special touring reserve fund, created in 1932, has been diminished over successive years until it now stands at only £233 11s 7d. The report adds: “The income and expenditure account also shows a loss of £246 Is lOd for the past year, biennial conference expenses, £l5O 12s 4d, being the largest contributing item in this unfavourable result. It seems inevitable that if the biennial conferences are to be continued, and this is eminently desirable, the council will have to consider placing the financing of these conferences on some different basis.” An Earth Tremor A somewhat prolonged earthquake of sufficient intensity to awaken many sleepers was felt in Nelson at 3.40 o’clock this morning. Te Anau Launch Reconditioned In preparation for the next tourist season, the Government Tourist Department’s launch on Lake Te Anau has recently been extensively overhauled and reconditioned. The launch was removed from the slip last week, and is now provided with more facilities for. the comfort of tourists. The launch carries all tourists walking the Milford track and makes many other trips during the summer season. Chinese on Public Works What is believed to be something unique in public works camps may be found in the Inglewood-Kaimiro district, Taranaki, where 29 tents, including one wireless and two bathroom tents, have been erected for 12 Chinese and about nine whites, states the “Taranaki Herald.” All the Chinese are from Wellington and have been at the camp for the past three months, their work, along with that of the other employees, being mainly to clean out creeks and drains on the settlers’ farms in the district.