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Otago Daily Times, Issue 19047, 18 December 1923, Page 8

At n meeting of the Dunedin Homing Pigeon Club held in the club rooms, a proposal was brought forward to consider the advisability of o race being flown for young birds, ring 1923. open to all clubs throughout New Zealand, the race to ho known as the New Zealand Derby. The proposal was adopted, and a committee was appointed to draft tides and conditions. These are to be forwarded to all clubs throughout the dominion. A complaint that, work was not fairly distributed among justices of the peace was made at. a meeting of the Auckland Association lost week. Members stated that some had (o devote a large portion of business hours to matters required by their office us justice of the peace, while others occupying less prominent business premises escaped altogether (reports the New Zealand Herald). The hope was expressed that a rota could be arranged among the justices, and a place in the city found where justices could attend daily to transact such business as the public required.

The Waipa County Council decided at its last meeting not to renew the existing insurance policies against accident to its employees, it being contended that at present the payment under tin's heading approximated about £2OO annually, while the claims sustained are usually very small. The wages and salaries for the past year totalled £8330. The council was very evenly divided on a motion to lake the risk itself of compensation claims, and the chairman gave his casting vote.

Flying foxes, a large variety of bat, are becoming a serious pest in Western Samoa. Major-general G. S. Richardson states that they are difficult to cope with, as they only leave their secluded haunts at dusk to return at sunrise. The foxes thus present a problem for guns. They destroy much fruit on the islands and, more serious commercially, they are now' eating the young coconuts. The Administration offers the natives a bonus for foxes’ feet. To snare the animals, the Samoans have devised a long pole with a loop of bush lawyer on the end. In Tonga the natives cannot bo enlisted against the pest as the foxes comrponlv wK* lJ — *.'ees that are “taboo.”