LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23085, 9 July 1938, Page 14

LOCAL AND GENERAL

In Defence ol Fiji There is no territorial force in Fiji, and in the view of the Hon. H. B. Gibson, M.L.C., of Fiji, who arrived yesterday by the Monterey, the continued interest of Japan made it necessary that the British Government should take steps to recruit an airforce. Japanese sampans frequently appeared in I'ijian waters, especially on the moro remote islands.

Sale of Empty Bottles A number of children appeared before tho Children's Court yesterday on a series of charges of theft of empty bottles. Concern was expressed by tho police regarding the practice of children gathering tho bottles late at night and early in tho morning and selling them. Tho remarks of tho police wero endorsed by social welfare workers present, and the Court issued a warning to parents against children being allowed to follow the practice.

Wreck of the Harmanteh Hopes are held of tho salvage of tho British steamer Harmanteh, which went ashore in tho Straits of Magellan in May, according to advice from Vancouver received yesterday. Tho Harmanteh visited Auckland in December. When proceeding from Santos, Brazil, to tho Pacific Coast, she struck rocks and was holed forward, water entering her engine-room, bunkers and two holds. It was stated that if work was begun immediately, tho vessel could bo refloated. An Unusual Problem The Customs Department at Wellington is at present confronted with an unusual problem in classifying for duty purposes a "musical saw" imported by a Wellington resident, Although to outward appearance tho saw is an ordinary article of hardware, it can bo played as a musical instrument, using a typo of bow and two small hammers. As a musical instrument tho saw would he assessed at a considerably higher duty than if it was admitted as an article of hardware.

High Entertainment Costs "Previously we were able to hold our social evenings for £3 15s to £4, but expenses now amount to about £6," said Mr. E. P. J. Trevena, chief of tho South Auckland Caledonian Society, at the annual meeting. With the charges now being enforced by tho Musicians' "Union, and other increased costs, it was difficult to provide a social evening without a loss, Mr. Trevena said. Ho added that the society was not tho only body to suffer as tho situation had to bo faced by every danco hall proprietor. Varied Air Freight

Variety is almost unlimited in the range of goods now carried by air, and the cargo list of tho Union Airways nionoplano Kereru, southward-bound from Mangere yesterday, included some unusual items. One box, weighing two pounds contained a livo bird, consigned to Dunedin, and thero were also three parcels of frozen fish for Christchurch, packed in watertight containers and wrapped in scrim. A business house sent two packages weighing 86 pounds to its Christchurch branch. Sound Films for Farmers

The use by the Department of Agriculture of sound films for the purposes of agricultural instruction has been the subject of a complimentary letter to the Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. W. Lee Martin, by tho Dominion executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union. Tho executive has suggested to the Minister that his department should make a few sound film machines available in various centres so that they may be used at farmers' meetings. Tho Minister has promised to consider tho suggestion. Americans' Holiday Cruise

Serving to remind the people of this hemisphere that the other half of the world is now enjoying summer sunshine, a large party of American school teachers and several families were round-trip passengers by tho Monterey, which called at Auckland yesterday, en route to Australia. Over 100 school teachers are spending their summer vacation on tho voyage, and while a number intend to make a tour of New Zealand, tho majority will remain with tho vesel during its visits to Sydney and Melbourne.

Protection lor Workmen As a measure of protection against injury from passing traffic, employees of the Auckland Transport Board engaged on track work havo been provided with a red flag affixed to a short stick and held in position by a special belt. The flag is so arranged that when the man is bending at his work the flag is displayed oil the sido of oncoming traffic. The manager of the board, Sir. A. E. Ford, said yesterday that these men wero exposed to danger as they worked in the midst of traffic and the flags had been supplied to minimise the risk.

Diphtheria in Hawke's Bay Owing to the number of diphtheria carriers stated to bo in the district, tho Hastings Memorial Hospital has been closed to visitors by order of tho medical superintendent, Dr. J. J. Foley. Tho doctor stated, however, that tliero was no cause for alarm; the closing of tho hospital was merely a temporary measure for tho purpose of protecting patients against possible infection from outside sources. Dr. Foley added that positive tests had been obtained from the throats of a number of diphtheria suspects, and it was considered necessary to observe all precautions.

Airway Extensions Several extensions are being planned for Cook Strait Airways mail and passenger services between Wellington, Blenheim, Nelson and Greymouth. Following the construction of new aerodromes at Nelson, Tnkaka and Westport, it is expected that next summer a daily service will operate between Nelson and Tnkaka, 09 miles northwest of Nelson by road. The schedule of the present tri-weekly service between Nelson and Greymouth will be amended to include Westport as a stopping place, and will be extended to provide daily connections between Nelson, Westport and Greymouth. Maori Social Visits

Sidelights 011 Maori social customs wero thrown by an elderly Maori woman who gavo evidence before Mr. Justice Heed in tho Orakei land dispute yesterday. When sho told of tho visits of Mangere Maoris to their friends at Orakei, Mr. V. R. Meredith asked how long tho visitors would stay. "It would depend upon how long the discussion lasted," was tho reply through an interpreter. "How long would the discussion go 011 —a month?" pursued Mr. Meredith. "They would cat a lot of food if thoy stayed a month," came the cautious answer. "So I ehould gaid, Mjt, Meredith*