NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11415, 11 January 1923, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

A series of Gallipoli paintings by the late Sapper Moore-Jones has been presented to the Auckland Commercial Travellers and Warehousemen's Association by Mr R. A. Singer. The association subsequently decided to purchase Sapper Mcore-Jones’s well-known picture “Murphy and His Donkey.”

Automatic guns are not now allowed to be used for shooting imported or native game unless they have been converted, by means of a pin, into a gun capable of firing two shots only. Advice to this effect lias been received by the Auckland Acclimatisation Society from the Minister for Internal Affairs.

“Too much Government enterprise will kill any country. It means breeding up a vast civil service with which they can influence votes at the elections. The only hope for doing away with this bad state of things is a stoppage of British loan money and a financial crisis.”—Captain Pearse, New Zealand and Australian representative of the Port of London Authority.

Notwithstanding ’'the fact that the holidayl season is practically over the hotel accommodation in Wellington is being severely taxed, and there is still a steady influx of visitors to the town. The Moeraki which arrived yesterday afternoon brought over three hundred passengers, while the coastal vessels still carry a considerable number of visitors to town.

A Wanganui resident interested in the wool trade, in conversation with a reporter stated that it was surprising to know the number of farmers in Wanganui district who were in a position to hold over their clip for two years. He instanced one case where the farmer’s last hold-over and this season’s clip would aggregate over 600 hales. Wool was held in various sized quantities, from a few hales up to hundreds.

An unusual spectacle of two waterspouts was 6een in the Bay of Plenty on Saturday by the crew of the Northern Company’s auxiliary schooner Motu. The vessel was hound from Whakata-ne to Auckland and was about five miles east of the Alderman Island at about 6 p.m. when the waterspouts Were sighted about three miles astern. Though not very large, they were seen very clearly defined. They did not burst suddenly as some do, but faded from sight in a heavy rain cloud. “During the war,” said Mr C, I. Daseut, secretary of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society- to a “Times reporter yesterday, “the society gave as a donation to the Red Cross all the deer that could be shat by the rangers during a -certain time. As many as fifty-three were brought into Wellington and the carcases were sold at one shilling a pound. _ The Red Cross did all right out of it,” he added, “but the rangers had an exceptionally hard task, and their hunting took them over very difficult country.”

“Seeing the New Year in” is a timehonoured custom among Scotchmen, but on the last trip of the Union Steamship Company’s Navua two members of the volunteer crew, both working the trip as a sporting holiday, were hard put to it to obtain the essential beverage with which to drink to prosperity in the New Year. Although they were only amateur sailors both possessed the splendid sea quality of making the best of it, and on the stroke of midnight the infant year Baw these men wishing each other good luck, while quaffing a glass of fruit .salts. Needless to say, “Have another” was not the order of the day.

Two little pals, a boy of eight, and a girl, of six, were joined at one of the bays by a cousin, another little girl of six, all .bright youngsters. Making themselves known to each other, one little maid asked the other: “What school do you go to?” “The convent,” replied the other. “Do you go to | church ?” —“Oh, no. I’m a Protestant.” The boy then came in for a little catechism. “Where were you bom ” asked the little inquisitor. “At R——d. I’m English.” “Where weTe you born “I think it was here.” “Then you are a colonial.” “I may be colonial flesh but I'm English blood,” was the response.

The unusual eight of a farmer rounding uip his cattle by motor-car was witnessed by a number of passengers by the Alain Trunk which arrived yesterday afternoon. All the manoeuvres of of an experienced stock horse were performed by this unusual steed, as the farmer described: an erratic course over the paddock in pursuit of the lagging stock, while impetus was given by a series of discordant notes on. the horn which did excellent duty as a whip. One passenger commenting upon the fanner’s efforts suggested that the installation of a series of arc lamps in the poultry yard should be adopted by this modem man to spur the fowl® to further effort.

It has been.-asserted by some of the authorities on natural history in North Canterbury that the shag is not a menace to trout as they axe fast enough to catch only diseased vrout, and thus do good work; but said Air Dasent, seoretary of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society to a “Times” representative yesterday, his society had asked those from whom they had bought shags to examine their catches, and it had been found that about 85 per cent, of the fish found in the stomachs were good trout. The shag takes a large toll on the fish of the river it operates on as it consumes as many as four fish a day. The ravages of the poacher were nothing to that of the shag.

“A few years ago,” said Mr O. I. Dasent, seoretary of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society, to a “Times” reporter yesterday, ”Mr Miller, the curator, at Masterton, was rearing some pheasants which were enclosed b> netting, and was surprised one day to find that during the lunch hour all the birds had died. On investigation he found that a weasel had got through a flaw in the netting and had cut the throats of all the birds. At Paxaparaumu the curator used to sit up all night keeping a watch on his birds, and hardly ever let them out of his sight until they were able to take care of thenlielves. He used to kill as many as sixty weasels, stoats and ferrets during one week.”

Master Edward Carson, the little son of Lord and Lady Carson, was given a black cat, inscribed “The Ulster cat has come to wish good luck to the house of Carson,” by Ulster women delegates at a reception in Lord Carson’s London residence recently. A flag carried at the Battle of the Boyne and the parchment containing the Ulster Solemn League and Covenant, signed by Lord Carson in 1912, were on view. Among those present in addition to the delegates was Lady Wilson, widow of Sir Henry Wilson. Airs Courvoisier said the people of Ulster could never repay Lord Carson for what he had done for them. She could only wish the son would grow un as good a man as his father, who was even admired by his opponent* for his honesty, straightforwardness, arid inflexible determination.

Very few strawberries are being r<v ceived at the Auckland markets now, and it is anticipated that this week will see the end of the season. Oa Saturday berries of fair quality realised as much as 2s a box, and on Monday prices ranged up to Is 8d a box.

What appears to be a daring case of sheep-stealing occurred at the Tinwald saleyards. one night last week, states the Ashburton “Guardian.” After the sale a local resident, who was interested in the sale, left three fat wethers in a pen. Next morning the biggest of the three had been removed.

An enormous eel was caught in the Maitai river, near Almond Tree Flat, Nelson, by two boys named Hawke and Hobbs. A hook tied to a stick was used, and the boys had an exciting time before the eel was landed. Hobbs hooked it in the tail, and the strength of the fish was so great that it threw the hoy into the river. Hawke came to his companion’s assistance, and together they landed their catch after about a fifty yards’ run. The eel turned the scale at 271 b. It was sft long and over 16in in girth. It is stated by fishermen that more large eels are caught in the Maitai than in many of the larger rivers in the Dominion.

After the one o’clock Woodville-Wel-lington express left the former station on a recent afternoon a shriek was heard by the passengers and a child was seen to fall from one of the carriages. The train was smartly pulled up, and a surfaceman in the vicinity noting the incident rushed to the locality. He picked up the child, and placing a jigger on the rails set off after the train and promptly returned the child to its relatives. It was discovered that the child, though suffering from shock and slight bruises, was none the worse for its very narrow escape from death. It had evidently fallen clear of the train and the heavy ballast on the line.

A smart arrest was effected at the Timaru railway station by Detective Norman Abbot, of Timaru, and Constable Swan, of Waimate, on the arrival of the slow train from Waimate. It appears that a wallet containing £lO was snatched from a man’s band in the Waimate Hotel. Hater, it was found that a man answering to the description of the offender bad embarked on the train for Timaru, and telephone communication with the Timaru police was immediately established. Mr Twbmey, proprietor of the Waimate Hotel, sent his son, in company with Constable Swan, to Timaru by car, and the journey was made in 40 minutes. The oonstable and Detective Abbot were on the station when the train arrived, and the suspect was taken into custody.

At midnight on a recent date while a resident of Wanganui Hast and liis wife were attending a dance a would-be burglar entered their house. The intruder had evidently had a look through a oouiple of rooms, _ and was beginning a search of the dining-room when a lady visitor, who had been awakened by her little child’s restlessness got out of bed and went to the dining-room to secure a drink for the youngster. The man, hearing her approach, darted down the passage, rushing right past the startled lady, who screamed out. Assistance was soon at hand, hut no trace could be found of the intruder. Fortunately, nothing was secured by the would-be burglar, hut the wife of the owner of the house had left her jewellery and purse under a hat on the table in the dining-room, and no doubt this would have been discovered by the intruder had he not been distrubed in his search.