NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10965, 29 July 1921, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

The new Salvation Army citadel at FeUding is to be opened by Commissioner Hodder next mouth.

For the month of Juno there were 339 patients in the Wellington Hospital. 228 wero admitted, 15 died, and 221 were discharged during that period.

There was only one case of infantile paralysis admitted to the children’s hospital in June. Two were. transferred, one discharged, leaving fourteen still in the institution for treatment.

The average number of patients under treatment at the Wellington Hospital last month was 388. Yesterday there were in the hospital 359 patients, 22 scarlet fever cases, 15 infantile paralysis, 13 diphtheria, and 14 venereal cases. There are 29 occupied beds in the Eivart Hospital for consumptives.

A whirlwind struck a portion of Danuevirke during a gale on Saturday night, passing over the upper end of ('adman and adjacent roads. A verandah in that vicinity suddenly took wings, also the roofs of two or three sheds. These wdre lifted bodily and deposited (some distance ;n*av. while several huge trees wete uprooted. The noise was stated to be most alarming.

It is not often that there are such flashes of frankness from witnesses as was the case in the Auckland Police Court this week. A defendant in a traffic case was in the box, vigorously rebutting the evidence of tho prosecuting constable. lle denied that he refused to gjve his namo to the officer. “Why,” (he declared, proudly, “my name is easy to get. You’ve only got to look in tho ‘Police Gazette.’ ” Even the magistrate could not forbear to smile.

“The ease with which tho common house fly mounts perpendicular surfaces and hangs from the ceiling,” said Mr D. Miller, Government Entomologist, in a lecture on “Insect Pests,” “is due to tho two pads and the two claws with which each foot is fitted.” He stated that when the fly is walking on a comparatively rough surface it keeps the .pads out of the way and digs in its claws. When, however, it wants to climb a pane of glass its pads, which excrete a sticky substance, give it a firm hold, and it can run up the smoothest surface without fear of slipping.

A Levin resident, who is visiting Nelson, states that bluegum is being largely used for all sorts of purposes in that province. At Tasman, he says, bluegum posts have been in the ground fourteen years and show no sign of deterioration. They have also been found to do well in salt water, and aro being used as piles for jetties, wharves, etc. Owing to the increasing scarcity of timber around Nelson, there is a. big demand for this timber, and coachbuilders are finding it excellent for some of their work, while builders are using it for .scantling and skids.

Writing from Rarotonga to Wellington, Mr C. M. Luke, en route to Papeete, speaks in terms of glowing praise of the benefits to be derived at this time of year from a trip such as he is taking. Mr Luke says ho cannot speak too highly of the excellent attention given by the whole of the ship’s staff, from the captain downwards, on the s.s. Mnrama, and the splendid efforts they all inako so that the trip may bo an enjoyable one to all the passengers. Captain Aldwell is in command of the vessel. Mr Luke will probably bo away from Wellington until the end of October.

Potatoes breught 9s 6d per sack, and chaff 6s 6d pei sack at the Levin sale this week.

The Consolidated Fund expenditure on housing during the June quarter this year totalled £30.,000.

It is stated that a sum of £13,00(1 was recently paid for the five-years’ goodwill of a Dunedin hotel.

'Die Hawera ‘ ‘Star” understands that cable inquiries have been received from America asking for quotations for Now Zealand butter for Canada and the United States.

Some 3170 acres of third-class land and 748 of second-class land ’were gazetted yesterday as open for sale or selection in the Hawke’s Bay district, also 3732 acres for selection on renewable lease; together with 418 acres of settlement land for selection in Otago.

Sixty-four acres of Crown land in th'b North Auckland district was gazetted yesterday for disposal by sale or lease tinder special tenures to discharged soldiers; also 47 acres of settleanent land in the Wellington land district.

“Eighty per cent, of the world’s species are insects,” said Mr D. Miller (Government Entomologist) at Christ* church, “the other 20 'being animals.” He added that of the insects only 5 per cent, were injurious to the products -of mankind.

The promising outlook of the coming dairy season evidently Jiad its effect at the Levin, sale this week, eighteen months’ heifers making to £5, a big improvement on the ruling values of this class of stock at the last few sales.

The officers of the Agricultural Department are making „ investigations with tho object of discovering the disease which is responsible for killing the willow trees. Large numbers of willow trees in the North Island have teen attacked by a parasite causing them to decay and die.

In a fit of depression George Monk, a labourer, living at Henharn (Essex), cut off his left hand at the wrist with his clasp-knife. He afterwards walked three-quarters of a mile to his home, with his hand wrapped in brown paper.. He was taken to Saffron Walden Hospital.

“Scotland still owe© England a con siderable part of the ransom for Robert tlie Second of Scotland, who was captured by the English at Nevill’s Cross in 1357,” said Professor Robert S. Rait, of Glasgow University, at the Royal Institution in London. The last instalment© were never paid.

The war expenses and records branch of the Defence Department, whose offices are situated at the rear of Government Buildings, is being transferred to Buckle street, and will occupy portion of the building which until lately was in possession of the Ordnance Department. The transfer will be effected within two weeks.

A deputation of the local members of Parliament—the Mayor (Air R. A. Wright), Div Newman, and Messrs G. Matched and P- Fraser—is to wait upon Sir Francis Bell (Acting-Prime Minister and Acting-Finance Minister) and the Hon. C. J. Parr (Minister for Education) with regard to technical school matters.

A Home paper of June 11th states that Russian eggs are now being sold m England for the first time since August, 1914. “The first shipment, via tlie Kiel Canal,” said Mr W. CordeToy, a produce broker, “reached us quickeV than Irish eggs and in. good condition. The packing was not quite as good as before the war, but still superior to homo packing.”

Preparations are poetically completed for the commencement of the automatic telephone exchange in Featliersr ton street: Tho ground allocated for the purpose adjoins the present exchange. The land has been cleared of trees and a cottage has been removed, and it is anticipated that a start will ,be macUi with the erecting of the Exchange at an early date.

A bankrupt, who failed to attend a meeting of bis creditors yesterday, was stated by counsel to be too ill to be present. He was in a state of collapse through worry. A creditor r “How axn that- be the case, when I saw him working only tHe other day at the top of St. Mary’s Church, a five-story His nerve must be very good for him to do that work.” Counsel assured the Official Assignee and the creditors that the bankrupt had quite collapsed, through worry it seemed. Otherwise ho would have been present. It was quite true that he was now working for wages on St. Mary’s Church.

A handbook comes from the Government of India, forwarded by H.M. Trade Commissioner at Wellington. It has been compiled funder the direction of the Director-General of Commercial Intelligence at Calcutta, with a view to giving knowledge to the mercantile world of the resources of the India peninsula, its industries, its cities, its ports—remarkably few, and, with the exception of Bombay and Calcutta, wonderfully bad—and the opportunities offered to the trade of the world, with a full presentation of all conditions, such as exchange, tariff, banking, and so forth. The interest of the book will well repay general perusal. Those inclined to enterprise in the East will find it very< useful.

A story illustrative of remarkable dexterity on the part of a' pickpocket was told! in the criminal sessions in Melbourne recently. One evening George Day, of Napier ©treat. Fitzroy, got into conversation with a man whom he met casually in a hotel near Slpencer street station. He mentioned that his 'brother had lost both his legs at the war. The stronger expressed sympathy, and Day, with*a pass or two of his hands over the stranger’s thigh, indicated that each limb had been cut off “there and j there.” In this simple manipulation Day had cleverly gone through the stranger’s trousers pockets, and abstracted a pul's© containing £l. Being found guilty, he wag ordered four months’ imprisonment by the judge for larceny from tho person.

A fine war memorial, published by the Edinburgh University, has reached us. It m a complete record of all the University students who served in the Great War. There were of these, in* all, about 8000, of whom 944 laid down their lives. Of the latter, 850 are represented in these pages by photographs-, and there are complete records of each man’s service. Among the records are those of several New Zealanders, and wc note particularly the photo and record *of Ur Angus McNab, of the London Scottish — brother of the late Hon. R. McNab, the well-known historian and Minister —Who was killed at Massines on November 3st, 1914. A splendid portrait of Lord Kitchener, Lord Rector of the University, occupies the frontispiece of the bulky volume, and some fine words' of Kipling’s, from his speech on receiving the honorary degree of LL.D. of the University, introduce the great roll of honour very worthily. >

A resident of Waiorongomai claims to have discovered a successful means of combating fireblight.

A man who recently called at a farmhouse near Palmerston North and a<ske<l for food, stated he had walked all the way from Auckland in search of work.

It was reported to a meeting of the Nelson Council that the city tip-head was alive with rats, fifty having been killed on a recent day during a lunch hour by one naan.

For the quarter ending June 30th last, the receipts of the Consolidated Fund from the Greymouth fEjirtbour Board totalled £237, and the expenditure £11,300.

The Nauru and Ocean Islands Account, published in yesterdnv's ‘‘Gazette,” shows that the proceeds of the sale of phosphates to June 30th last totalled £4883.

Tlie Farmers’ Union Conference yesterday passed a resolution supporting the action of the Government in dealing with the question of the American Meat Trusts.

The radiologist? of the Wellington Hospital reports that during the month 65 diagnostic examinations ■were made at the X-ray department and that five Finsen light treatments . and seven. Xray treatments were given.

“Coal plentiful” was the report furnished by tho secretary of the Government Distribution Committee in Christchurch yesterday. It was stated that industries were receiving as much as they require.

Early seed potatoes from the South Island are being offered in Wanganui at from seven to eight pounds for Is. This iis a reduction on the corresponding period last year, when the retail price was slb for Is.

The Wellington Hospital Board, at the suggestion of its social welfare committee, has decided to approach the Hon. the Minister for Labour with a view to ascertaining what relief works are available for the unemployed.

The Wellington South Progressive Society is to be informed that the Hospital Board intends to make changes in regard to the property fronting the hospital when it has acquired all the sections.

A Feilding Pi ess Association message states that the Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial was unveiled at Halcombe yesterday by Major McLean. The Hon. Mr Guthrie was present, and spoke on repatriation. The settlers voluntarily subscribed the cost of the memorial.

A southern exchange records that Mr Jack Doull, of Winton, wias living in a hut on Mr Kidd’s farm near Nightcaps, and was comfortable seated by the fire when a cyclone caught the building and hurled it over and over again. The roof eventually came off, Mr Doull escaping not before receiving several nasty bruises. The fire ignited the building and completely destroyed it.

A Southlander who has been engaged in the dairying industry for some yeans mentioned to a “News” reporter, as an illustration of the value of herd-testing, that in the Waikato as high a test as 7.2 per cent, of but-ter-fat) was not uncommon, while the average would probably run to 5.5, against, say, 4. per cent, in Southland.

“I know there are many people at the present time who are out of work and who are not appealing to any body for assistance. They are living on their earnings—or,” added the speaker .“their friends,” remarked Mf A. J. McCurdy at the meeting of the Hospital Board yesterday -when urging that a deputation should be formed to wait upon the Minister for Labour to obtain relief in the question of unemployment.