NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11412, 8 January 1923, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

The. Christchurch tourist offices returns for the quarter ended December 31st are much ahead of those for the corresponding period of 1921. The round, trip from east to west, taking in Kaikoura, Blenheim, Nelson, and returning via the Buller and Otira Gorges, has been a very popular pne this summer. Next in order of popularity are:‘ the Mt. Cook, Queenstown, and Milford Track tours. -

A married man: named Mr Charles Batt, was admitted to hospital suffering from jSevere injuries to his right ankle, the result of a shooting accident. He was rabbit-shooting with his son-in-law and grandson near Waiuku, when ;'a gun which was lying on the grouid was accidentally discharged by the little boy, the .whole charge entering .. Mr Batt’s . ankle. .

The New Zealand Christmas dinner at the Guildhall', London, for poor children, was provided: from * fund organised among the New Zealand Agiican Sunday schools under the auspices of the Ohurch Army; A cablegram received by the Rev. F. W. Whibley, vicar of Ormdndville, and New Zealand secretary to the Church Army, states: “Eleven hundred children, who dined at the Guildhall, send greetings arid thanks, to yourself and New Zealand children.”

A most beautiful display of sheet lightning was observable, recently at Napier, increasing in brilliancy towards midnight. From behind an iceberg formation of the clouds over the Kidnappers the lightning flashed , and quivered almost regularly in . yellow, green, violet,, and fiery red.. - Later the (lashes were noticed f further north, ’ towards Mahia. The atmosphere has been disturbed for several days, another evidence \ being the thunderstorm at Hastings.,, 1 ( ■ The rabbit .pest in the<» Ashburton «(s assuming: proportions, and 9 of the presence of an official trapper for the County Council the number of Tabbits is reported to be rapidly increasing. At a recent meeting of the, council the rabbiter asked for help. .The county plantation- reserves are said to,fie “literally swarming with rabbits,” and the pastures over a large area are much injured. The opinion of farmers in (he district is that the pest will have to he attacked with determination and without dolay. ' i The Canterbury Education Board last year spent £54,972 on new schools and residences and on the maintenance of present buildings and sites. This sum is somewhat less than was spent in the previous year. The decrease is accounted for partly by the fact that high costs in the previous year were such a drain on the hoard’s finances •that no works except the most nmgent could he undertaken, and partly by the fact that the Government has reduced the maintenance grant by 10 per; cent. Amongst the larger works carried out were new schools at Kaiata, Kanieri, and Phillipstown.

The Hon. O. J. Parr has received advice from the Minister for Railways that a set of “wig-wag” signals has been obtained for New Lynn (Auckland), and will be installed as soon as possible. For a long while New Lynn has been agitating for tome system of signalling at the three level crossings that are a menace to the neighbourhood. It is presumed that the first crossing to be protected by the wig-wag signal will he that at Matai Avenue, over which scores of school ohildren pass every day, and the sooner this death-trap is made as safe as possible the greater relief it will be to the New Lynn residents.

The effects of the reoent earthquake in the South were felt in decided fashion at the Dunedin police station. A member of the staff was using the telephone in the detective office at the time (3.40 p.m.), and was consequently startled when the instrument was thrown off the mantlepiece, where it usually stands, on to the floor at his feet. A small mirror was also shaken from its upright position, and things generally refceived a shaking. The vibrations were likened to those caused by a heavy train going over a bridge. Tn the district office, on the ground floor, another member of the staff was typing, when the machine was violently jerked from his fingers.

Exceptionally warm weather is being experienced in Waipukurau at present. -

The attendances at the Tepid Baths, Tasman street, have constituted a record during the past year, the number of persons paying for admission exceeding forty thousand.

A fair demand continues for property in the borough of Ta.nrauga and neighbourhood. About twenty sales have been effected during the past fortnight at satisfactory prices.

The Postal authorities have received advice from Sydney that the Marama left at 11 a.m. on the sth instant for Auckland. She carries for Wellington 66 hags of mail from Australia, 291 from beyond (which includes East 10, Africa 1), and 36 parcel receptacles.

In connection with the suspected presence of some light-fingered gentry in the city, some sound advice to pedestrians for the next few days (and months and years) is: Carry your money in an inside pocket, securely buttoned up.

It has been recorded that Mold, the great English express bowler, knocked a bail three chains, but on Saturday, playing junior A grade for Thorndon at Anderson Park, Tarant sent a hail to the boundary, 45 yards away. The bail might, have travelled further; as it was stopped by the hank.

“All that glitters is not gold” (says the Wairarapa “Times”). An illustration of this trite saying is in the fact that the high price of lOd per pound offered- to farmers ror fat lambs is discounted to a considerable extent by the heavy rejection percentage—in many cases over 50 per cent.

Havelock North residents are again receiving their" electricity and water supplies from the Maraetotara hydroelectric works, instead of from Hastings, where they were received while the Maraetotara works were out of action. The works were damaged by a recent thunderstorm, and repairs have now been : completed.

Judging by the quantities of wool now being deposited in the Port Ahuriri stores, there will be big offerings at the February and March sales (says the “Telegraph”). The limit for the wool Bale next Friday.is 27,500 bales. Improvement in prices at recent sales has caused many growers to decide to place their wool on the market.

There was a record number of visitors to Tauranga and Mount Maunganui during the holidays. The_ Mount is now one of the most attractive holiday and bathing resorts in the Auckland province. Every house there, besides numerous tents,' is occupied. Visitors include people from Auckland, the King Country, Waikato, Rotorua, and East Coast districts.

A much-dosired feature hag this year been introduced by some of the Botorua motor companies, who have instituted cheap hour trips round the town and its environs in the evenings. The innovation is evidently appreciated, and satisfactory patronage has resulted. A certain amount of price cutting is going on in the transport line there just now, and competition is very .keen. , Hotels and hoarding houses are full of visitors.

A Gisborne resident received a rude shook the . other morning- He was engaged in mowing his lavm when an explosion ooourred under the mowing machine, .and a sorap of metal struck the mower on the elbow, causing a wound which bled copiously. Subsequently an examination of the lawn evealed the shattered brass of a detonator, and later several unexploded detonators were fqtind. It is presumed that someone must have thrown the detonators over the fence as a means of getting rid of them, thoughtless of the risk which the action involved to others.

Farmers in the Strath Taiexi are Wishing that the weather would take a change (says the Otago “Times”). It Ur a new thing here to cry halt to the rain. . But we have had more than enough for a while. Bain fell on 15 days-in December, registering Sin 27 points,-and each day of January so far has ibeen wet, giving lin 35 points. Root crops are just jumping ahead, and in many places the cereals are higher than the wire fences which enclose them. Such a sight has not been seen here for many years. A few weeks’’ quiet sunny weather would be greatly weloomed now. ,

While digging operations were being carried out on Saturday iu connection with the Newlands affair, the police officials who were working near the old road that leads to Newlands, were disturbed by an unsavoury odour that was issuing forth from some shrubs further down the gully. This seemed a likely due, and as soon us the sergeant had called together his men they set out on an expectant trail. When they came to a nook that seemed to he the developing point of this stench the sergeant entered and a moment later his comrades were surprised to jsee him rush out as fast as his legs could carry him. The nook was the last resting pkace of an old dog whose corpsq was in an advanced stage of decay 1