NEWS IN BRIEF

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22835, 20 March 1936, Page 16

NEWS IN BRIEF

The first frost of the year at Ruakura, near Hamilton, waa recorded on Monday morning, when the ground temperature registered .06 degrees. There was no recording in Hamilton. Au example of the great number, of languages spoken in India waa given in Auckland by the Rev. A. A. Parker, a Methodist missionary in India, who ia on. a visit to New Zealand. He said that at hia Theological College there were .45 pupils, among whom 16 different Indian languages were spoken. The oniy medium for the purpose of teaching was English. Come and see our show to-night. We are open till 9 o’clock Friday nights.— Scoullar and Chisholm, Limited... A competition established among school children by the Whangarei Horticultural Society for the collection of white butterflies has resulted in very satisfactory numbers of these pests being destroyed. Two children have each handed in 7000, three others 5000, and numerous others between 1000 and 2000. The president, Mr Q. V. Stringer, stated that the donation of prizes for the children by businesspeople and other residents had done much to encourage the children, and the society was sparing no pains in its effort to keep down the number of the butterflies. Why borrow your neighbour’s lawn mower? Yours is a better machine it Dickinson’s sharpen it. Dickinson’s, Limited, 245 Princes street, Dunedin... Damage in the Hauraki Plains County caused by the cyclonic storm on February 2 is estimated at £422, of which £250 was the estimate for repairs to Mangatarata bridge. Necessary repairs to the Ngatea bridge over the Piako River were estimated at about £IOOO. According to a report presented by the county engineer (Mr B. Hundleby) at the last meeting of the Marlborough County Council, 120 men are engaged at present under the subsidised gold prospecting scheme in Marlborough. The gold production for one month was 250 z, of which 17ioz were taken from Wakamarina and Cullensville areas. Winter is fast approaching. Be- prepared for colds with an ample supply of Wullie Crossan’s “Waterloo” remedies. Highly recommended by best authorities.. “ The pastures I have seen from Auckland to Wanganui are wonderful,” declared Mr E. E. Scarfe, a farmer, of South Australia, one of a number of overseas tourists who arrived in Wanganui the other night. In conversation with a Chronicle representative, he said it was no wonder New Zealand had such a high reputation for her-buttcr, us he thought it possible to produce nothing but the best on such alluvial land. The fact that the growth of grass was so luxuriant made Mr Scarfe comment that New Zealand must have an ample rainfall. “In parts of Australia,” he said, “ farmers are raising merino sheep in districts which have an average rainfall of eight, five and even four inches a year. This country, he concluded, would be a God-send to them. Grandism (2833): One of the delights of shopping at the Grand Home Supply Store is the satisfaction our wines and spirits give the purchaser... • In the course of the repairs- to the telephone and telegraph wires which were blown down in the gale at the beginning of February, the Post and Telegraph Department has sunk about 1000 yards ot cable below tiie ground between Palmerston North and Longburn. Previously the cable ran along the posts. In the first fortnight after the gale attention was paid to restoring the service to those affected by the damage, with temporary repairs, but since then the permanent repair work has been undertaken. A black caterpillar, which has attacked thousands of kbwhai trees in the native forests about the Kaikoura country, and particularly along the road between Kaikoura and the Conway, is giving settlers serious concern. Along the road it appears that every tree has been completely stripped of its leafage; even the young shoots at the tips of branches have gone, and it is feared that the effect of the damage may be ultimately to kill the_ trees. Some of the caterpillars have been sent to the Cawthron Institute for a report. Last 10 days of sale. Oddments at gift prices. See windows displays. Huts, frocks, coats, and summer underwear all greatly reduced. New winter goods opening.—The Mosgiel Drapery Warehouse. A F. Cheyne and C 0... “What was most noticeable to you on your way from Auckland to Wanganui? ” a-Chronicle representative asked Mr A. H. Forwood, an engineer of South Australia, who arrived with a party of tourists in the city the other night. “ Well, there seem to me to be a terrible lot of wooden bridges,” he replied. He,could nob understand why there were not more iron structures, but agreed that in the ease of floods, a wooden bridge would cost less to reconstruct or rebuild, than a damaged iron one. ... - / , Many people have tried in vain to (>ecipher'the notoriously illegible writing ol a doctor. The president of the Automobile Association. Hawke’s Bay, is no exception. When a letter from a Napier doctor was under consideration at a recent meeting he was forced, after a period of undisguised perplexity, to admit his inability to read it. Prolonged laughter followed the offer of the doctor, who was present at the meeting, to read the letter, an offer which, needless to say, was gratefully accepted by the president. New goods suitable for the present season are now being opened up at Gray’s Big Store, Milton. Inspection is invited ■ to “all needing the latest for comfort and fashion... . The granting of city status to the borough of Napier is to be the objective of interviews with members °f the Cabinet which the/AnayOr of Napier, Mr C. O. Morse, intends to secure when he visits Wellington next week. Mr Morse’s efforts will in no way rely upon the census which is to be taken in New Zealand on the night of March 24 next, for. even though the population of the borough should fall below the 20,000 mark usually; required for city status, he will urge the extension of the privilege purely in recognition of the manner in which the community has overcome the difficulties ami problems arising out of the 1931 earthquake disaster. . . New Zealand, in the opinion of Mr H. H. Dilley, leader of the South African farmers’ party which recently visited the Taranaki district, has suffered irrepar- . able loss in the burning dowii of much ol the bush. The New Zealand bush, he said, was very beautiful, and was particularly appreciated by the South African visitors because there was so little forested area in the Union. Only the eastern section was timbered, the central and western parts of South Africa being mainly grasslands. tall plateaux with prairie-like tops. Mr Dilley said that his first farm was 60 miles from the nearest town, and it was necessary to cross a 4000 ft range to get to it. „ „ ■ “Bourbon” Coffee. Users of this favourite brand of breakfast coffee will be pleased to hear the price is reduced 2d per lb; all grocers.—Durie’s, specialists. 32 Octagon, Dunedin... During a tour of inspection of . the Napier South drainage works, the Mayor of Napier (Mr C. O. Morse) called upon a resident whose sou has been au invalid for the past year (states the Hawke’s Bay Herald). This boy, Graham Nicholson, has had trouble with his leg, necessitating his lying in bed month in and month out.. Despite this great handicap, he has‘been a willing arid enthusiastic scholar, depending for his education on correspondence courses. He has passed his proficiency, and is now taking his secondary course, with Latin as one of the subjects. He said that he was doing splendidly with His lessons and won the admiration of his visitors.

The grave danger of trampers getting into difficulties when exploring the back country unequipped with a compass was well shown during a trip to Mounts Hardiness, Hadfield and Horrible undertaken by three well-known Marlborough trampers, Messrs A. E. Brockett, E. Patchctt, and W. Marsh. On tire first day of the trip the weather was 'beautifully fine, but the next day it clouded over and hail, snow and fog made conditions rather unpleasant. Several times it was necessary to use the compass, and more than once the trampers found themselves off their direction.. One. member of the party stated that bad it not been for their use of the compass they would have had difficulty in getting home. . My morning paper makes me glad, When I read the Hitchon’s ad.; They do not skite —its true, bedad, Their bacon’s really prime...