NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10963, 27 July 1921, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

The warrant is gazetted authorising the Masterton County Council to construct tire bridge over the Kahumingi stream and appointing the cost as follows: Mqpterton county, sevenoighths; Oastlepoint county, oneedghith. ,

Considerable quantities of fallen trees along- the railway line in the northern portion of -the Forty-male Bush district are at .present being sawn into lengths suitable for firewood. Settlers air© presumably beginning to realise the value of the thousands of pounds’ worth of firewood rotting on the ground. Unfortunately, a considerable quantity of the firewood lias now become waterlogged, and is of little commercial value.

The wisdom of creditors always taking the trouble to prove their claim against a bankrupt estate is shown by a cash that has just been closed by the Official Assignee in. Bankruptcy, at Auckland. Thirty-three years ago a man went bankrupt, and of the 12 creditors only four proved against the estate. The bankrupt has since died, but owing to the discovery of certain other assets in the estate the four creditors have not only received 20s in the pound, but interest for about half the amount that would have accrued during the period intervening. This beats the Christchurch case recently reported, in which creditors wero paid m full ■after 20 years.

The subject of forestry was mentioned by Mr G. W. Leadley in his presidential address to the Farmers’ Union yesterday. Mr Leadley said: —“I am fixed in this opinion that the .Department of Forestry is necessary and will, under proper and efficient direction, and with adequate support, be one of the most useful and profitable ventures. Our. natural timber supply is rapidly diminishing. The demand is yearly increasing. We have tens of thousands of acres of comparatively useless lands which, can be turned to profitable account in timber-growing, and a comparatively small expenditure now vrill yield large returns in future. Both directly as a commercial venture, and indirectly in their influence on climate, such expenditure has everything to recommend it. Wo mav sohietimes learn from our enemies. The other day in a work on this subject I read that before the war Germany bad 25 per cent, of its total area under State forests; that 400,000 persons were employed in connection with them; find that the profit to the State was eighteen million pounds sterling a year.”

Preparation is being made for at least- 2000 children to visit the war trophies in Masterton.

There have been particularly few people travelling on the Wairarapa trains during tho past few days.

The Taranaki Acclimatisation Society has now in the hatchery a.t PukekuTa Park 100,000 rainbow trout ova and 100,000 brown trout ova.

The Gisborne Harbour Boaa-d has set up a committee to make arranger merits for the installation of a wireless signal station.

“Tliefe ought to be a,n assessor for the objectors,” said a delegate to the Farmers’ Union conference yesterday, when referring to the constitution of the Assessment Court.

The Wairarapa ESeotric- Power Board has received the Government's consent to the raising of £40,000 for reticulation, the rate of interest not to exceed 5J per cent-

A parasite known as aphelinns, introduced bv Dr. J. Tilyard, of the Cawthron Institute, Nelson, is stated to be -having a good effect in eradicating the woolly aphis from fruit trees in the Nelson district.

On the ground that it is “irksome and Irritating,” the Napier Borough Council has rescinded a. by-law making it unlawful for a motor-car to be left standing in a street for longer than ten minutes.. The .period has been exteiided to twenty minutes.

A Christchurch syndicate, fully realising tlie popularity of indoor bowling, has laid down a two-rink green in the 'heart of the city, and although it has odlv been open for a week, it has been well patronised, both ill the afternoon and evenings.

The estahlisliing_ of boys’ and girls’ agricultural clubs in South Taranaki is stated to he meeting with success. School children have taken a keen interest in the work, and there was considerable competition for the prizes offered far competition for exhibits of roots grown by the various clubs.

Thirteen years ago New Zealand flax (phornuuni tenax) was. introduced into the Island of St. Helena, which lies off thd coast of South Africa, with the assistance' of the New Zealand Department of Agriculture. The fibre has been cultivated and has been the means of establishing a highly remunerative industry at St. Helena.

The Hon. C. J. Parr (Minister for Education) was waited upon yesterday morning by a deputation from the New Zealand Educational Institute, which flirged an amendment of the law with a view to allowing teachers under the Department of External Affairs in Samoa or under the Native Department in the Cook Islands to become members of the institute. Mr Parr promised to inquire into the matter and see what could be done in regard to it.

The London correspondent of the Sydney “Sun,” in an article on the Premiers attending the Imperial Conference in London, tells this story of Mr Massey, New Zealand’s representative : —Eager to allow its guests the utmost hospitality, the British Government sent Mr Massey, tickets for a box at the Derby-, and provided a fine car for his transport. It was characteristic of the man that he refused to go. “New Zealand did not send me here to see the Derby,” he said and the protestations of others were of no avail.

- The crops grown in the Marion experimental area for the 1920-21 season consisted of 92 acres of Algerian oats, 21 acres of Gartens’ oats, 12 acres of wheat, 21 acres of peas, 9 a6res of barley, 1 acre of Japanese millet, 1-acre of Sudan grass, 1 acre of maize,' and 1 .acre of rape. The Agriculture Department officer who liad charge of the experiments reports that the wet spring of 1920 militated against the satisfactory working of the area, but the harvest was good and al) the crops were saved in firsit-ciass condition.

A species of flydng-anit in the North Island is said to be responsible for a certain amount of mortality amongst poultry, especially during the’swarming period, which takes place during the months of March and. April. The ants are possessed of stings; poultry pick them up, ore stung on the mouith or throat, and, after running about with their mouths open, fowls eventually die gasping. Mr ■W. W. Smith, cura/tor of the New Plymouth Botanical Gardens, states that well-fed poultry were less likely to feed on the deadly stinging ants.

A correspondent writes to the “Times” with referenoe to the letter from a returned soldier, published in yesterday morning’s paper, to the effect that a Maori, who had been at Narrow Neck hospital for two years on crutches with a crushed hip, and was due to return there, had 'been wonderfully cured by Ratana. “While I have no desire to discredit in any way Katana’s work,” states our correspondent, •‘the fact that tbe Narrow Neck hospital has been closed for over a year suggfests a doubt as to the credibility of this .particular story.”

Two thousand pounds expenditure and £2O receipts! Such approximately is the surprising balance-sheet covering tile operations of the Auckl and-Wlia.n-ganea aerial mail service initiated under' contract some months ago, says the “Star.” The service bears the departmental appellation of an experiment, and another month has. yet to run before the contracted period has expired, when the authorities will proclaim whether a venture that is resulting in a daily dead loss to the Post and Telegraph Department of over £4O is justifiable.

“There is the question of where to find markets for our products, and when wo halve found the markets, how to get. our goods there, at a cost which does not absorb the whole of the resulting profit,” said the president of the Farmers’ Union yesterday. “These are matters which are making the farmer pause and ask, to what purpose is it tp produce more and still more exports if no one wants them, or, if wanting them, the cost of transport is so excessive that he might almost as well give the goods to the shipping company? That-is i the problem with which we New Zealand farriers have been faced for some time, and are faoed with to-day.”

Ratana, the , Maori- healer, who has just concluded his tour of the native settlements of the North Island, returned to his home at Ratana. He is leaving for Temufca, in tho South Island, and after concluding lids mission in the south, intends to proceed to the Chatham Islands. During his northern tour, Ratana visited every Maori settlement, as far north as it was possible to go, and a reliable informant, who has been in close touch with the healer, reports that he lias had remarkable success and lias effected some wonderful cures. That Ratana. does not intend to allow his work to languish (says a contemr|K>ra.ry) is manifested by the fact of his immediate departure for the south in order that lias own people in every part of the Dominion may have tho pportiinity of benefiting from his reniarkatrlo powers.

Tile Waingawa Freezing Works have practically ceased killing for the season.

A spring school for the study of agricultural science by Wairarapa teachers will commence in Ma©terton towards the end of August, and extend into September.

It is reported that Morinonism has not- the hold among Wairarapa natives that it had some years ago. The sect, however, ©till appears to maintain its hold in Hawke’s Bay.

•- The Agricultural Department learns that the agricultural industry has not been so uniformly prosperous compared with a. year ago, but that the position and outlook was not nearly so black as pessimists indicated.

In view of the hardships unemployed married men are suffering just now, the Avondale (Auckland) Road Board at its last meeting decided to dispense with the service© of the single men in its employ and engage married men.

Says a writer in the Auckland “Star” :—“Sir Joseph has been visiting Germany under the name of ‘Mr Begg.’ If Mr Massey travels incognito, no doubt it will be as ‘Mr Borrow. 5 ”

The winter so l far has been mild in the 'Cambridge district. Warm rains have caused a growth of grass, and prospects for an early spring and a good dairying season. Already many cows are !>eing milked, and several factories are receiving good supplies of milk.

"While sitting in a Greymouth dentist’s chair fqr the purpose of having a tooth extracted, a young man of about 18 years of age suddenly dealt the dentist a- hard blow as the operation began. The young man was forcibly ejected without being relieved of his achiifg tooth.

The day the Manuka left Sydney last week a peculiar tragedy occurred on the liner 1 Osterley. The vessel was being fumigated, and the ship was searched and everybody ordered out of the sections about to be treated. Apparently one passenger was overlooked, and when the cabins were opened up again a third-class lady .passenger was found dead in her bunk.

It was reported at the last meeting of the Palmerston North Borough Council! that the motor-’ buses for Palmerston North would be ready in about four weeks (writes the ‘ ‘Times” correspondent). Oouncillbr Spooner, who had inspected the cars, said there was no dou/bt that they were good vehicles and most pleasing in appearance.

Among the matters to be discussed at the Farmers’ conference is the following remit from the Manawatu subprovincial district:—“That, in view of the falling prices of meat, the time has arrived when meat and other products should be controlled by the producers to the Homo consumers, including shipping, cold storage, and the establishment of a selling floor on the English markets.”

Owing to an electric light fuse blowing out, the meeting of the Wellington Rugby Union management committee was held under difficulties last night. For over a quarter of an hour no light was available, and the room was illuminated only by cigarette ends and an occasional match as a cigarette or pipe was lighted. Afterwards a somewhat dim and smoky oil lamp was secured and Bung up in » central position; ■While the Press table and the chairman’s table were further lighted by a candle apiece.