NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10962, 26 July 1921, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

The shooting season in Hawke’s Bay concludes at the end of this month. Since the (beginning of the season, there has been little shooting done. Pheasants are reported to be very scarce.

The Education Board in Auckland has decided to write to the department asking what further steps it had taken to appoint a dentist for the school clinic.

It is not generally known (says the “Wairarapa Age”), that Mr W. Uru, M.P., who was a visitor to Masterton last week,’ is the heaviest member of the House, weighing not less than 22st Next in weight comes the member for Northern Maori, Mr T. Henare, with 20st. The average weight of members of the Lower Chamber is 13st 71b.

A unique occupation is followed by an enterprising resident in- the Ohau district. With an oil engine and saw mounted on a substantial four-wheeled conveyance, towed by a motor-oar, he does the rounds of the district cutting up the people’s firewood. His energy and enterprise are well rewarded by a regular round of customers.

Farming in some parts of Manawatu has its exciting moments, as settlers near the rivere can testify. One day last week Mr H. Byers, of Shannon, noticed the Manawatu river rising quickly. He at once proceeded to move 400 sheep inside the flood bank. The sheep were over none too soon, for within thirty minutes of .the last sheep being over the bank, three feet of water covered the ground where they had been grazing.

The South African Veterans’ Association in Auckland! decided ait its annual meeting to make a presentation to the Springboks as am expression of goodwill. This will take the form of a Maori mam and woman carved from kauri gum and mounted on a pedestal of New Zealand wood. In addition, each memlber of the team will receive a piece of kauri gum carved to the shape of a football. The presentation will be made at a function on the return of the team to Auckland.

A visitor who has just returned from Lake Waikaremoana reports that opossums are very plentiful In that district this season. Trapping, which was permitted for a month, was very successful, and some good skins were obtained, hut, unfortunately, the breeding season was far too early, owing to the mild nature of the winter, and this badly affected the quality of most of the furs. Deer .are also reported to be in great numbers, and this district is destined to become one of the most attractive sporting centres in the Dominion.

Eels were in thousands at the Maori pa at Waitara (says the “Taranaki News”), hanging on lines drying and curing, frizzling against a 14ft long fire in the open, or smoking in the smoke room. They were of the lamprey variety, and according to Dr. Pom axe, the total weight amounted to tour tons. They were taken out of the bed of tho Waitara river. Bracken fern is thrown in, and the blind eels become entangled, and the skilful Maori throws them out in thousands. They are regarded as a great delicacy, especially when they have been exposed to the weather—and the flies—for a week or two.

Mrs Helen Cass, the pretty 22-year-old wife of a policeman, received a bouquet of American beauty roses and exoneration from a coroner’s court in -Denver, Colorado, for killing Harry Spencer, alleged drug addict and a “masher.’’ Mrs Cass was seized by Spencer as she was entering her apartment. The man laughed’ when ehe threatened to kill him if he did not release her, and attempted to embrace her. Jerking free, Mrs Cass fired three shots from an automatic pistol into Spencer’s body. He died instantly. The young woman was congratulated by Coroner Hunter on her “straight shooting.”

Judge Snagge has remarked that in the days .of Elizabeth profiteers were known as “bodgers.” He might also have mentioned that punishment for profiteering in earlier days differed somewhat from those of to-day, says the London. “Daily Chronicle.’’ In 1316, a Gilbert Peny was three times drawn on a hurdle through. the city for profiteering in bread; William Spalyng was pilloried for selling inferior meat; Penrose, a taverner, for giving short measure in wine, was condemned to have a draught poured over his head. The pillory was the most usual form of punishment for overcharging. The records of Newgate contain the names of many women as well as men who have been so punished. The pillory certainly gave defrauded customers a chance of taking revenge. ,i

A controversy is raging at Bathurst between Mir Herbert Booth, who recently visited the Dominion, son of the kate 'General Booth, and some supporters of dancing. Mr Booth a few days ago, attacked modern dancing and fashionable dress. Some of the young women are replying to him,,- One of thenfi invited him to attend one of the wellconducted dances, and suggested that the delight of it woufld leave him with little time to notice the shortcomings m the matter of dress. “What is the difference,” she asked, “between, a wedlShiaiped leg and a pretty white hand? God made them, .both.” Mr Booth, in the course of his reply, said he had not spoken against commonsenee in dressing, but had criticised thinlyveiled nakedness—loud and unibhishing. A scourge, he said, was overtaking modem society by the lustful craze for artistic nudity.

A successful oyster season was forecasted yesterday by the Chief Inspector of Fisheries, Mr H. F. Ayson. The Stewart Island, or Foveatilx Strait, beds, stated Mr Ayson, are yielding a very good supply this year, and the oysters are in exceptionally fine condition. The rock oysters of the north are also in good supply, in fact, the yield so far has "been in excess of the yields for some yeprs past. The department is now going in for oyster cultivation in the north on an extensive scale as the demand is increasing so steadily that the natural beds are not now able to supply anything like the quantity required. This year the department has built over four miles of rock walls in the vicinity of natural beds from which the oyster spat will sow itself on the new formation. Great success has been achieved in New South Wales and Queensland by this method.

A well-known “disreputable” made his sixtieth appearance at Auckland Police Court, and was sent to gaol for begging.

A Wanganui settler has erected a “cattle stop” in place of a road gate. He cau now motor in and out of his home without the _ necessity of getting out of his car to' open and 6hut the gate.

On the notice-hoard of a certain church in Whitechapel (London), the following piece 'of anatomical pleasantry has been painted:—“lt is easier- to smile than to fiowtl! To frown you use 64 muscles, but only 13 to smile!”

For the season of the Masteiton Dairy Company, which commences in August, there is promise of a considerable increase in the supply. A great number of cows have been added to the herds

“It is a serious and remarkable thing,” said a member of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce yesterday, “that on the only two road exits from Wellington there are places where two vehicles cannot pass.”

Constable A. Cleverley arrested a waterside worker on the Customhouse wharf at midday yesterday on a charge of theft of 5s worth of tea, the property of the Union Steam Ship Company.,The accused will appear before the court this morning. -

Since the Mayor (Mr R. A. Wright, M.P.) launched his appeal for the prepayment of rates the total sum of £7656 has been paid in to the city treasury. One of the largest amounts received during the last four days was a sum of £7O paid in yesterday morning.

Reports show that of the French military class of 1921 more than 75 per cent, consists of youths twenty years of age who are fit for military service. This is a high percentage of effectives, and the incre'ase is attributed to a decrease in the use of alcohol, the- -improved living conditions on farms, and the. spread of sporta in France.

Notification has been received by the City Council finance committee from the Department of Internal Affairs that an increase has been made in the fees payable by local bodies to the Audit Department for arbitration and speoial and ordinary audits. The fee for ordinary audits was previously £2 per day of six hours, and has now been increased to £3 3s per day of seven, hours.

During last week the .president of the Otago Rugby Union (Mr H. Harris) waited upon the Mayor to ask His Worship to proclaim a half-holiday* on Wednesday, August 10th, the date of the Springboks v. Otago. The Mayor stated that a half-holiday will be proclaimed both on August 10th (the date of the Otago match) and on August 13th (the date of the New Zealand match)

There is evidently still good money in old books. At a recent sale in London a copy of the first edition of Milton’s “Cornua” (1637), purchased some ten or twelve years ago for £520, was sold for £I6BO. At the same sale a copy of Milton’s “Lycidas” (1638) brought £350. What did the author get for writing these two works? Not nearly as much as is now paid for a single printed copy of one of them-

During an address on lucerne growing in Levin, Mr F. W. Greenwood, agricultural instructor, stated that lucerne did well in sandy soil, a good example of this being seen in the Faxaparaumu district. As a binder for consolidating purposes on sandhills or dunes, lucerne could not he beaten, and was superior to marram grass or other ftifnilan- plants. He strongly advised those with sandy country to try lucerne.

The golf-house at the municipal links at Berhampore is to be removed to a site adjoining Duppa street. Tenders for the work are to be called by the City Council. A visit of inspection is to be paid to the new nine-hole course this week, and the -links will be opened early in August. It is proposed to divide the players over the two links. After making one round, they will he able to cross over the road, if they desire to continue playing, to the other course.

The Court of Appeal, in a judgment delivered by His Honour Mr J ustice Sim, Acting-Chief Justice, yesterday upheld the judgment of His Honour Mr Justice Reed, who. held that Mr Fred Fanning, commission agent (now respondent), was entitled to recover commission for the sale of a hotel at El tham owned by Mr Harry Gant, who appealed froni the judgment. Their Honours affirmed the order made by the Supreme Court with the variation that judgment was to he entered in the Magistrate’s Court for the plaintiff for £l5O, with costs to be fixed by the magistrate. Mr Kennedy appeared for the appellant, and Mr Per.y for the respondent.

An illustration of the lavish manner in which some commercial firms seek orders for their goods, and incidentally the /keenneßS of competition, was mentioned by a speaker at a conference at Wanganui between delegates from the Farmers’ Union Sub-Provin-cial Executive and the Associated Auctioneers. The "speaker was. a farmer, and he said that he contemplated installing a small milking machine plant which would cost less than £2OO. He had kept a careful tally of the visits of agents of competing Slants, and estimated that they must ave spent close on £2OO in motorcars and wages during negotiations. Some of the agents came more than onco from towns as far away as Palmerston North and Hawera.

With a view to encouraging and giving advice upon the taking up of forestry by private land-owners —a development which the New Zealand State Forestry Department is also very anxious to promote throughout the Dominion- —the New York State College of Forestry, Syracuse, New York, has published a timely bulletin of 166 pages dealing with the woodlot and the problems involved in the growing of timbers by private owners. “More interest is being taken year after year in the practical side of forestry,” states the “American Lumberman”; and it holds that private forestry can be made a profitable business. New York State is said to be among the leaders in regard to growing trees for profit, and the work being done there is of the first grade.