NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11224, 1 June 1922, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

The rateable value of Wanganui Borough has been increased to £286,500.

The guests at the complimentary dinner to be given to the Right Hon. W. F. Massey at I Christchurch, on Monday, have been limited to 200.

Fish and pheasants valued at £993 were liberated in the Wellington Acclimatisation Society’s district during the past year.

A financial statement presented to a meeting of the Masterton Rugby Union by the. treasurer (Mr J. ]{. Hardie), disclosed a credit balance of £619 19s lid.

The -borough rate of Wanganui for the coining year will -probably be 5s 9sd in the pound. The “Chronicle” remarks that “this is a very serious matter.”

At Te Kiiit i the Hangatiki football team walked off the field, shortly after tho commencement of the second portion of- the game, as the result of their captain being ordered off.

Tho pastors of the Methodist Church at Carterton and Eketahuna are fortunate men. Both have wives that can occupy the pulpit when required. -

The Timaru Acclimatisation Society intends making as effort to destroy shags wherever possible. Shags are said to ho numerous in the district, and are the cause of wholesale destruction of fish in the various streams.

Cheese factories which sold their output this season expect to como out -considerably better than those who consigned. One authority computes that they will he able to pay Is 5d per lb for butter-fat.

Evidently His Honour the Chief Justice (Sit Robej-t S-tout) has not fully recovered from tho injuries to his leg sustained by a motor accident some time ago. During his present visit to Wanganui the knee has been causing him considerable pain.

“This man has borne a very good character always,” said counsel in the Magistrate’s Court at Palmerston North, when speaking on behalf of Charlie Chick, a Chinese, formerly a cook at the Clarendon Hotel, from which he had stolen -a quantity of foodstuffs. “You mean that he has not been found out before,” said Mr J. L. Stout, S.M. Accused was fined £lO and oosts.

Another instance of the poverty of the Justice Department as far as Wanganui courthouse is concerned (says -the “Herald”). His Honour the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) required a glass of water. There was a hurried scamper of court officials to find the necessary glass, hut without avail, and a messenger had to ho sent to the nearest hotel to borrow one.

While riding on the rear of a wagon that was being shfcnted in the railwayyards; Mr J. Howard, of the staff of the department in PalmeTston North, met with a painful accident. The shunting engine took the wrong line and collided with a stationary wagon, with the result that Mr Howard waß thrown forward and struck his head upon the steel frame of the wagon on which he was riding. He suffered a severe cut, and several stitches had to be inserted, at the public hospital.

Speaking at the early settlers’ meeting last night, Mr W. A. Edwards, historical secretary, referred- to the many records in the form of old diaries and records still left in the country, and urged that members should secure these records for the association. Many were at their disposal as soon as they could show a safe place to preserve them. He urged members to see that these historical records, which were often of little value to the younger gen. eration, should be secured for the so. ciety. ~

Tiie sporting possibilities, /so far as fish are concerned, of the Wairarapa Lake, . were strongly emphasised at last night’s meeting of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society by Mr O’Meara (Carterton). One of the streams he stated, was -brimming with rainbow trout, and the Rimahaka from Masterton down to the lake was also full of fish up to six or seven pounds in weight. In the lake fish abounded, and as good sport fishing for trout could be obtained as at Taupe. There was already a number of wild geese at the Wairarapa Lake —tame geese gone wild. There was also a large number of English plover, which many did not know as a sporting bird.

Much confusion -attended) deliberations of the Timaru I-ire Board in the first station one evening recently, states the “Post.” The board was seated round-, the fire, owing to the coldness of 'the morning, when suddenly there was a loud report from the fireplace, closely followed by two more reports. Members did not wait for any ruling by the chairman. They arobe in a body and retreated in haste and confusion to the other side of the room. It was discovered, _ on inquiry, that several bullets used by a rifle-shooting club -had been left on the floor and were later swept up with*rubbieh into the fifeplace. It was subsequently stated that they were “quite harmless.”

The linguistic talents of the Maori were referred to by the rangatira of the Auckland Savage Club, Mr A. M. Bartley, at, the club’s “korero.” Some time ago, he said, tho members of tho olub undertook the task of rendering the national choruses of various countries in the respective languages. Tho Russian National Anthem presented tho greatest difficulty, and most'members of tjie choir found that it waa more than they could “get their tongue round.” The obstacle, nowever, was surmounted by a fullhlooded Maori member of the choir “He was the only one,” Mr Bartley added, “who could give us a proper pronunciation of the Russian language-”

A saln-on weighing 23 pounds has been caught in a New Zealand river (says a writer in tho “British Australiasian”). Some of the New Zealand lake trout weigh more than that, hut the 6ulmon are evidently coming on. For very many years -they a]? peared to bo a dead failure in New Zealand, where the trout flourished so amazingly, and all the young fry released in the rivers went to tho sea or otherwise disappeared. However, they, have come back agaih now, and -salmon fishing will soon take its place with trout fishing and deer stalking, as one of the attractions to sportsmen in Maoriland. No fish culture society has yet taken up my pet project of trying to acclimatise tho Australian black fish in English rivers and ponds. I hope somo day it will ho done, for the black fish is unexcelled in flavour. The English trout is malting things uncomfortable for him in his Australian home, and it is a pity to see in 3£ngland all thesq deep and sluggish waters, beloved of black fish, with hardly a finned thing in thorn fit to eat.

Tuesday was the sixth anniversary of the naval battle at Jutland.

Mr G 11. Sykes, M.P. for Mastei ton; stated that a great improvcmenl had been made by the road gangs on the Simutaka road.

Hares appear to be very plentiful in the Stratford district this year (says the Stratford “Post”). A settler on the Finnerty road reports that hares aro eating hie Belgian carrot crop to the ground.

“The survey of the Masterton borough preparatory to ite reticulation for electric power to be supplied through the Wairarapa Power Board has boon completed,” said Mr J. C Oooper at a meeting of the Master ton Chamber of Commerce.

The postal authorities have receivof advice from Melbourne that the Paloona left at 8 p.m. on the 20th instant for Wellington. She carries 184 bags of mail for the Dominion, including 106 from Australia, three from the East, twelve' from Africa, and 63 parcel receptacles.

The Taranaki Agricultural Society, through Mr S. G. Smith, M.P., ex tended an invitation to the Fremiei to offioiaJly open the Winter Show next month. Owing, however, to prior engagements, the Hon. Mr Massey expressed his regret that he will not be able to visit New Plymouth on this occasion.

“The Wairarapa district has been considered a fairly safe pocket by Wellington commercial people,” said Mr J. O. Oooper, at the Masterton Chamber of Commerce. “They have given more attention to the West Coast railways because they have had to fight with Auckland merchants for the business on that line.”

An unfortunate incident occurred at the Drill Shed, Lower Hutt, last Tuesday evening. While the players of the Hutt Rugby Football Club were in training, Messrs Anstis and Ansell came into collision, both being rendered unconscious. Ansell’s condition was such that it was deemed advisable to call in the services of a medical man, when it was found that the injured man was suffering from concussion.

The ‘ ‘Argus’ ’ says that a farmer in the neighbourhood of Eltham, while cutting up a haystack for chaff, had an unusual experience. The stack had been standing for two years, and he found the upper portion of it alive with mice. Men working on the stack had to strap round their trousers at the ankles to keop. the little creatures from seeking refuge. The mice appeared to ho present in thousands, and a stack that was expected to yield 40 tons of chaff gave only 15 tons.

In “Up Against it in Nigeria,” the author gives the following delightful report from a native railwayman against a driver: —‘ ‘Sir,—l wish to report the vile manner in which Driver carried out shunting duties at this station. The driver is not in favour of the pointsman’s flag, nor will he view the shunter’s signals, but remains murmuring within himself. He then furiously charged the waggons with gravity of his ill-wili to do so, until contents, palm-pots, were reduced xto entire emptiness. Had I not. been more active than smartness the waggon would have run to point of derailment. I trust the T.M. will kindle some warm instructions in the bosom of this driver.”

Referring to the recent visit to Wellington of ■ Brigadier-General Freyberg V.C., the annual report of the Wellington College Old Boys’ Association states:—“The visit of Brig-adier-General Freyberg, V.C., will not be soon forgotten. He was cheered to the echo by the boys of the school when ho addressed them after parade. He a-eceivedan equally enthusiastic welcome in the evening when he met in Dustin’s rooms one of the largest gatherings of old boys that has ever come together. No one present that evening will over forget the spontanous and hearty welcome extended do the gallant soldier, and by way of Contrast the modest bearing of that old hoy whose wonderful career has ' brought such honour to his school and to his country. The committee took this opportunity of presenting to him, on . behafl of the aesociapon, a greenstone tiki as a memento of hia visit.”