NEWS IN BRIEF

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22066, 23 September 1933, Page 22

NEWS IN BRIEF

One day recently (says the Auckland Star) Lake Pupuke presented an unusual sidit, -when a small area on the shore was thick with carp, which had been besieged by eels. Nearly all day the carp were almost thick enough to. walk on in this area, and a semi-circle of eels, some of them six,feet long, made a protracted breakfast, , , . One of the largest schools of porpoises yet seen- in the Hauraki Gulf was observed- the other afternoon near the mouth of the Tamaki River-. .Occasionally porpoises are seen in the gull, but not in such large numbers as on this day, when the school seemed to number hundreds. Leaping out of the water, the fish made a very spectacular sight, disporting themselves close to launches. Wullie Croesan’s hampers are renowned throughout the country, and patrons _ can depend upon their orders being faithfully attended to. The Waterloo is famed for Reporta from the north last week recorded the early arrival of the godwvts (kuakas). One morning three of the birds were seen on the beach at New Plvmouth near the mouth of the Wanvakaiho River. -Mr W..W. Smith informed a Taranaki' Herald reporter, .that the early flyers southwards generally come in twos and threes. There has been a recurrence of vandalism at Cornwall Park (says the Auckland Star). On a recent afternoon a long line of young Lombardy poplars, which had been planted along the drive near the eastern entrance, were deliberately broken. The damage was done late in the afternoon, and has been attributed to boys. The trustees jiave gone to great trouble in making’ the entrances tcv the park attractive, . and many young trees have been planted. Every effort is to be made to trace the vandals. _ Your sight is the most precious of the senses; therefore you cannot afford to neglect it.' Consult our registered opticians. Mr R. 'A. Bridgman, Mr P. ( N. Dick. Oculists’ prescriptions a specialty. Peter Dick, jewellers, watchmakers, and opticians. 490 Moray place, Dunedin; phone 13-308... ’ . , The Laburnum’s bluejackets were surprised to find a high standard of cricket played in some of the remote Prime Islands visited during the warship s recent cruise (says the iSew Zealand Herald). Native teams beat the naval team on several, occasions, and the crew spoke in praiseworthy terms of the Islanders’ skill with ball and bat. On one occasion' a native batsman hit seven sixes in succession, and the fielding was surprisingly accurate. An excellent example of how precaution is often carried to an extreme wrns provided for an observer the other afternoon in Cuba street, Wellington, where a plank had been carried across the ment on trestles to enable the painting of a shop veranda to be carried out. Although the plank was at least seven feet above the level of the footpath, giving ample clearance to passers-by, nine out of 10 people who were seen to pass underneath it cautiously lowered their Special Spring Show Now On. New Goods in all departments. Prices to, Please. Call early: we are always pleased to show you round; The Mosgiel Warehouse. A. F. Cheyne and C 0... The Rev. E. T. Olds received an unexpected reply to a question he asked at a vouth for youth rally at Napier. He prefaced his address with the statement that his throat was giving him a little trouble, hence he asked his auditors to be as quiet as possible, for he was not “ entering in competition with anybody.” He asked: “Can you hear me at the back?” and a lady’s voice came swiftly back with “No.” The audience was as much taken aback as Mr Olds, who joined heartily in the burst of laughter ' which followed the retort.

There was much confetti in the ricjnitv of the office of the registrar of mame*«* at Auckland one ' morning, when eigut couples were married. , The registrar made a start with the first pair at,9.15, and by 11 a.m. the final pair had signed the book. At one stage a couple were waiting for the pair ahead of them to complete the . ceremony. The arrangements by the registrar were, however, excellent, and the heavy programme was expeditiously carried out. ‘ Negotiations, for,, the sale of the tug Southland, are still'proceeding (says the Southland Times). The Bluff Harbour Board has had inquiries from the following:—E. E.. B, Boden, Sydney; Burns Philip and Co., Sydney; Hunter and Reid, Invercargill; I. W. Grace, Martinborough; and Captain Dowell, Ghristchurch. .

Have you seen our aeed-bed watering cans? Just the thing you require. All gardening tools set and sharpened; satisfaction guaranteed.—Dickinson's Limited, Princes street., ._ , . An amusing incident occurred during the performance of the first item at the Bohemian Orchestra’s recent concei t _in the Auckland Town Hall, when a large nog with a very penetrating bark advanced ’menacingly down one of the ground floor aisles. Ushers hastily attempted to remove' the dbg, but its bark only became louder. Mr Colin Muston, however, while conducting the orchestra with one hand, was able to make pacifying gestures to the dog, who ■ on reaching the fropt row of seats, sat down and gazed with rapt, attention and in perfect quietness at the orchestra, which concluded the items without further interruption. Spring cleaning timer— Buy your brushes, brooms, buckets, soaps, paints, at Gray’s Big Store, Milton... ’ , When a trade sign is incorporated in the masonry of a building it can readily come to have a historical interest in-later years (remarks the Christchurch Press). Christchurch has ,a good example. o_f this in a motor car which is sculptured iri the concrete parapet of a building in Worcester street, opposite the Government buildings. The building, was put up in 1907, and the car chosen as a model for the sign was no doubt the most modern available at that time. Nowadays, howit serves as an illustration of the great changes that have taken place in motor car design,' and as a reminder, with its high-backed seats, its giglamp headlights, and its lack of hood, of the qualw ties of endurance, demanded of early motorists. ■

Grandism (20,64): In this, the winter of our discontent, try Glovin ‘ (GlpWwine), the new substitute fpr, rum, only 6g bottle. Large flask, * (lOoz) 35... • A trend in farming particularly noticeable since the .recent rise-in wool. prices was remarked on by a Wanganui- stock authority (reports ’ the Chronicle.) L He stated that the sheep farmers had gone in for milking for .factory supply' when the price of wool dropped from-its former dizzy heights, and many of them had got together dairy, herds ’of from 30 to; as many as 100 head. With the price; of butter-fat at a record low level and with wool rising, these farmers had come; to the conclusion that it would pay them .lo use tlieir, home; paddocks, now in demandfor dairy purposes,; as “hospital” paddocks for the sheep, 'who would repay : such attention and .provide better returns.. Throwing most; of their milkihg\cbws and heifers on the market, these yefidors had accentuated the move away from dairy stock, and prices had suffered accord-Mghest-grade sugar-cured, bacon from 7id by rasher;—Barton’s. Manse »tre-t... Speaking at. New Plymouth recently. Colonel Orsbbrn, - the -newly-appointed general secretary of the Salvation Army; in New. Zealand, made a binef reference, to the economic conditions prevailing' and expressed >■ unbounded confidence in 'the ability of the ; Old Country to recover fromall the, difficulties of the past few years.' “ The, British lion has ■_ been wounded,” he.said, “but has been licking his wounds, for some time. Be-is. beginning to stir himself again to lash his tail and will make a good recovery. Colonel Orsborn said in many parts, of England conditions had,: been very bad indeed, and many, sad stories of distress could be fold. He was sure, however, that in spite of, all that he had seen.the .indomitable spirit'of- the British race would triumph. „. ' . ‘ 'S.O.S.—Profits lost. Only value 'saved at Ascot Sale. All.-wool Overcoats,; were, 755, S.O.S. Sale Price, 37s 6d. Also, Thornproof Suits,-.brown shades; £5 ss; S.O.S. Sale Price, 655; all sizes.—. “ Ascot,”, corner Princes .and Rattray A few weeks ago the Church Armymn Napier inaugurated air occupational. for working men.- . Since then ,206 rhea have received instruction; in boot repairing, the men supplying the labour and the Arniy leather and tools.' This planus aiding the man in.their efforts,to become fielLsupporting ( apd the Church Army authorities, are sanguine that; it Will receive, support from the public. The Christchurch railway station possesses a much . travelled white cat. It performs its job of rat-catching so well that the station staff -considers that it deserves the occasional country holiday jaunts. Most of the day it spends, catfashion, sleeping in a sunny spot, .but every- now and then it explores a guards van; gets shut in> aiid*' isearned off into the country. In this way it has gone as far afield as Leeaton, but its most frequent trips have J befen ,to Lyttelton. Of incoming trains the one -it knows best is- from the Islington Freezing Works, for the train crew provides a special titbit of meat for it. So well does the cat know this train and the tune of its arrival, that the cat us always waiting lor it when it comes in. .. ■ Country storekeepers - supplied on worth-while terms.—Barton’s, st.. . In Australia the stray, dog question ie taken care of by the Lost Dogs Home, which i 6 an efficient body and acts as municipal dog collectors, working in close co-operation with the Tail-waggers. The Lost Dogs’ Home has dog carts, and on certain days of each week, at the reqpest of the municipalities, these carts go round collecting the strays. - These are: then brought to the home, where they are auctioned. Those not sold to the .public are bought by the home, end^either;- disposed of by ptivate sale or, if they, are of. no use, they arfe lethahsed. The difficulty of protecting , any but the ■ commonest sorts of trees fronj the depredations of vandals was emphasised by Mr Orton Bradley at a Christchurch meeting which discussed a scheme of roadside tree-planting (reports the Press).. Several' hundred, flowering red gum been planted out beside the Chartens Bay road, he said, hut only one had b allowed to reach the , fl “ werin 2,.„ B * a i; Most of the others had- been taken _ by nassers-bv. and the sole survivor had Fasted only a week after floweringl, for its branches were torn off. , Wallfiowers had been grown along tlie new road, but though they were doing well. persone were nicking them wholesale, and the road was scattered with bunches they had abandoned. , - . • ... .■ . ~. ' . ~ Ex Port Dunedin, our new seasons Bins Mountain Jamaica—the world s best Also, Kenya and Mysore. All Biitish grown coffees. —A. Dune and Co., coffee specialists, 32 Octagon, Dunedin... - That almost any tropical plant , will flourish under proper conditions North Auckland has againUeen;proved by the experience of Mr S. J. Watt, of the Gro t Gardens, Parua Bay road. Three yeais ago he planted an old Pineapple top in one of his glasshouses. TV ithout any special warming appliances it grew lustyy, and last year bore a delicately flavomed fruit. Several sucks grew from the original plant and one of them has produced a splendid specimen of a pineapple. It is about a, foot long by nine inches in circumference, and. is coloured a healthy, pinky yellow. The fruit, ripened on the plant, is more delectable thaw the. imported Island variety, which is picked half green for packing purposes, . r. A request by the Kaiapoi Unemployment Committee that the men working at the mouth of the river should be removed to more useful labour- was. .received at the last meeting of the Waimakann.Harbour Board (reports the Christchurch Times). The chairman reported haying , inspected the work bein& earned out at Kairaki. He stated that the cut was in a better condition than it was, a month ago. and he was well satisfied With what had been done. A motion that the Unemployment Committee be written to asking it to mind its own business was carried, an amendment that the letter he received being lost. Move on, miss, said-the traffic cop, Do you want a traffic jam? I’m not too fond of sweets, she said, But I’ll take some Hitcbon’s, ham...