LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21893, 31 August 1934, Page 10

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Frost at Whangarei A heavy frost was., experienced in Whangarei yesterday morning, and in the Kensington area of the town was particularly severe for this time of the year. Most gardeners took the precaution on Wednesday night of covering young potato plants, as a frost was indicated, but all uncovered plants suffered considerably. Injured Cyclist Improves Slight improvement has taken place in the condition of the 14-year-old cyclist Lionel Sharp, of Drury, who suffered head injuries when his machine was involved in a collision with a motorcar on the Great South Road on Wednesday evening. However, the boy, who is a patient at the Auckland Hospital, is still in a fairly serious state. Dutch National Day The national day of the Netherlands occurs to-day, which is tho 54tli birthday of Queen Wilhelmina, the beloved ruler of the country for over 30 years. In Auckland, tho occasion will be marked by the flying of the national flag over the office of Captain F. Bauer, Vice-Consul for the Netherlands, who will receive (jails from other members of tho Consular Corps. Early Gisborne Lambs Indications point to a large number of early lambs in the Gisborne district. The weather has been favourable, and lambs intended for early fattening aro making good progress, both on the flats and on hill country. If favourable conditions continue, thore should be no reason why the Kaiti freezing works should not make as early a start as last year, and with largdr numbers. The Stone Ago in New Zealand * "Wo may note in passing," said Mr. L. R. R. Denny in a recent lecture in Christchurch to the Society for Imperial Culture, "that the term Stono Age is a purely relative one. We are so accustomed to thinking that it refers to a very remote time, thai it comes as a shock occasionally to remember that the Stone Age in New Zealand is of very recent date, and that the Maori emerged from it only after white settlers had arrived in considerable numbers!" Mishap With Hydrant While a hydrant and hose were being used to wash out a drain in Collingwood Street, Hamilton, yesterday afternoon, a motor-lorry backed into the hydrant, snapping it off. A column of water nearly 20ft. high immediately shot into the air, and attracted the attention of a number of passers by. The driver of the lorry quickly drove his vehicle away, but the owner of a small 4;ar parked near by was not so fortunate. Before he was clear of the artificial geyser both lie and the car had received a thorough soaking. The water was eventually turned off at the main. Laburnum from Islands The Imperial sloop, H.M.S. Laburnum, commanded by Commander A. H. Maxwell-Hyslop, has now almost Completed her final Islands cruise. The vessel, which has been absent from Auckland since June 13, left Suva yesterday, and she is due at Auckland next Tuesday. The Laburnum is to be replaced early next year by the now sloop, H.M.S. Wellington., which will come from England. The latter is a sister-ship to H.M.S. Leith, which is to arrive from England on November 14 to take the place of H.M.S. Veronica, which left for England on February 25 to be scrapped. Decrease in Wheat Area Contrary to expectations wheat sown in Canterbury this season will be much less than was the case last year. It is said that the area amounts to fully 50,000 acres. In several well-known wheat-growing districts there has been practically no sowing at all. Cheviot, Fairlie and Waimate —wheat-produc-ing districts of some magnitude—have little or no wheat sown up to the present. Old farmers in the Cheviot district state that they have not experienced such a wet winter for the last 25 years, and in some districts not since the estate was cut up for closer settlement in 1893. They say it is useless to grow peas or oats nowadays, and it is likely that wheat will not be sown this season.

The Art Gallery The pictures comprising the British loan collection were despatched on Tuesday from Auckland to Wanganui, where the exhibition will bo opened Bhortly in the Sarjeant Art Gallery by the Governor-General, Lord Bledisloe. Opportunity is being taken to repaint the walls of the rooms which wero cleared for tho collection in tho Auckland Art Gallery. These were formerly coloured a very dark green. They aro being re-decorated in light grey, and a great improvement in the appearance of tho gallery is expected. The reopening will be about a fortnight hence, when a loan exhibition of Japanese prints belonging to Captain G. Hum-phreys-Davies, of Clevedon, will bo placed on view. New Postage Stamps Publicity was recently given to an announcement in an Australian stamp journal to the effect that some of tho now pictorial series of New Zealand stamps had been on sale in London. Tho postal authorities state that there is nothing in tho suggestion that the stamps have been made available in England. So far, tho printing of a fow denominations has been completed, but specimens have not been sold. No doubt proofs have been seen in London, where ths printing is being carried out, and this would account for the recent reference to the stamps in England philatelic journals. It is not proposed to place tho stamps on sale in London. When printing is completed, tho whole, supply will be despatched to Zealand. It is hoped that they will bo availablo toward tho end of tho prdsent year. Radio in Emergency The efficiency of tho Radio Emergency Corps, a voluntary body of wireless enthusiasts, whose services would bo immediately available in tho event of a national disaster, will again bo demonstrated on Sunday, when a field day will bo held. The corps was formed after the Hawke's Bay earthquake by members of tho New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters, and there are now 17 sections in tho Dominion. Tho plan adopted is to have a base station, comprising a fairly powerful plant, an outpost station with portable equipment, and an intermediary, or zone station, also with movable gear. The Auckland stations will send and receive 10 messages in tho tests on Sunday. Tho outpost, will be at Whitford, the zone station at Howick, and the base in the city. The base station will also maintain contact with Tauranga.