NEWS IN BRIEF.

Otago Witness, Issue 3801, 18 January 1927, Page 38

NEWS IN BRIEF.

The University of Western Australia is inviting architects of the British Empire and of the United States of America to submit designs for a group of buildings to cost abount £150,000, which are to be built with funds bequeathed to the University by the late Sir John Winthrop Hackett, the first Chancellor of the University. The secretary of the South Canterbury Hospital Board (Mr H. G. Naylor), when speaking to a Timaru Herald representative last week, stated that as far as the board was concerned the labour position had been greatly alleviated. He said that many of the “regulars” of the off season had forgotten "to call, and this he attributed to the opening of the freezing works and the fact that many of the town’s unemployed had gone out to try their luck in the country. A tally of the traffic on. the main road near Taupiri, taken by the Waikato County Council between 8 a.m. on December 20, and midnight, December 24, showed that the total number of. motor vehicles which passed a certain point was 2226. Of this number, 121 were motor cycles. Vehicles domiciled within the county comprised only 19 per cent., the balance being outside traffic. “It is true that in far-distant places people know hardly anything about "New Zealand,” said Mr Charles Rhodes, who recently returned from a world tour, in an address to the Auckland Rotary Club. “I met one man who asked where New Zealand was, but the general ignorance does not go so far. In England, people commiserated with me on the fact that New Zealand was so far removed from the centre of things, but I can tell you I took no sympathy of that sort.” A statement presented to a committee meeting of the Cromwell Jockey Club revealed a most satisfactory state of affairs (reports the Argus). The last race meeting, one of the most successful tor some years, showed a profit of £llO. The buildings and improvements carried, out are independent of this profit. It is gratifying to find such a splendid result. If the Government would allow country clubs a tittle more of the huge taxation levied, these would soon flourish. Cromwell’s payment to the Government under all headings was £650. In connection with the outbreak of fircblight which has occurrred .in Hastings orchards, a meeting of fruitgrowers recently .decided to ask the Government to provide assistance in locating and cutting out the pest. As a result a man. has been employed in the Pakowhai district and a thorough inspection has been carried out. Many orchards in which the disease wasdiscovered have also been treated. It is probable that the next move on the part of the growers will be. to attempt to get thhawthorn hedges cut out. The conifer plantations in the Waimea County now aggregate 5361 acres (states an exchange). This far exceeds the acreage in the vast majority of New Zealand counties. It is exceeded, however, in two instances —Matamata, 13,150 acres, and Aniuri, 11,261 acres, and is followed by Ashburton, 5352 acres. Waimea County has 245 acres in eucalyptus and broad-leaved trees. Waikato easily heads the list in this classification with 2131 acres. The only other county over the 1000 acres mark is Malvern with 1003 acres. An albatross, an unusual visitor in these latitudes, was blown ashore at Mashlands during a gale, and was found in an exhausted condition in a paddock on asi estate (reports the Marlborough Express). It had a wing spread of just over eight feet, and a body about the size of that of a goose. At first the bird was extremely vicious, but it settled down in a ciop, where Mr H. J. Stace had placed it for safety while it recovered from its exhustion.. As is well-known, the albatross is unable to -rise into the air from the ground, and Mr Stace liberated it at Rarangi, where it was able to rise from the s-a. A certain suburb is relishing the story of th-s manner in which a police official innocently participated in an illegal joy-riding stunt a few days ago (remarks the Auckland Star). A well-known builder had parked his motor car near the entrance to the district. A little later a young fellow got into the car. As he was about to drive off, the local constable came into ■view, and was prevailed upon to accept the cojirtesy of “a lift uphill,’’ being duly deposited at his destination. The stranger then continued his drive over the smooth roads, eventually abandoning the vehicle on the roadside some miles further on.

Now that very courteous youth is being anxiously sought for so that he may be suitably rewarded for his “sporty” action !

The shearing record , put up by six men at Rototahi Station, when 1675 sheep were shorn in nine hours, has been easily beaten by Mr N. Harrison’s gang at Huiarua Station (reports the Poverty Bay Herald). Six men in this gang put , through no fewer than 1876 sheep in eight hours 55 minutes, the individual tallies of the six men being:—E. Harrison 325. H. Harrison 319, Wi King 313, H. Fox 307, W. Pokai 305, and J. Dennis 306. The gang consisted of 14 shearers including two learners, and in one day put through 3729 Jiecp These were four-tooth ewes clipping, big fleeces, and all were well shorn. Several other good tallies were also put up by the same gang, including 3560. 3549, and 3481 for different days. The sub-committee set up by the representatives of different local bodies to go into the question of the establishment of a farm school in Hawke’s Bay in connection with the Howard bequest, informed the Hawke’s Bay A. and P. Society that it had. inspected a number of properties, but had not come to a decision as to one being suitable. The properties, too, were too highly priced. “They have 8000 acres now. I don’t know what they want any more for,’’ stated Mr 11. A. Russell.. “I hope they will make the students work when they do get them at the school.” remarked Mr W. W. Smart. “They will never get there in our life-time,’’ added Mr Russell. The society received the correspondence. Now Zealand is proud of its .Corriedales, the breed of sheep which Canterbury evolved by crossing strains till it achieved a fixed breed. New Zealand may shortly be proud of its .prowess in breeding fowls (remarks the Timaru. Herald). Miss Watson, niece of Mr W. A. Watson, of St. Helier’s, who is a well-known . poultry breeder of Los Angeles, California, has received five pullets and a cockerel of the Australdorp breed reared at Papatoetoe, and is sweeping the board with them in the home of

the poultry industry. These birds, which cost only £6 to ship to America, have not only taken prizes all round the country, but, which is more important, have won an egg-laying contest in the United Stales, the home of the big egg-producing bird. The unusual spectacle of three young ladies with their haversacks hoisted was witnessed on a main road in the vicinity of Hamilton (says a Waikato exchange). These members of the fair sex had set out on a tramping our early in the new year, and made good time on the road. They were undertaking this method of spending their vacation, not of necessity, but purely for the fun of it, and admitted to a motorist who had given the sightseers a lift that they had thoroughly enjoyed the long trek through the open spaces of the Xing Country and Waikato. They were much impressed with Hamilton and Cambridge.. rom the latter point of their objective was Arapuni,. after which they set he compass for the return journey to Taranaki. An accredited reverend gentleman and a pakcha not in any way connected. with the Ratana Church, < but whose mission is to work among the Maoris, gave to a VVanganui Herald reporter an emphatic denial that Ratana holds thousands of pounds of the people’s money. As a matter of fact, he states, Ratana is a poorer man to-day than when he commenced the movement. Investigations made by a newspaper man also go to show that if the money is being held, it is certainly not in the purse of Ratana, and, as a matter of fact, Ratana at present is ohly nominally the figurehead of the movement. Practically all the arrangements for carrying on the movement and controlling the bank are in the hands of an executive. Ratana can no more dip his hand into the coffers of the bank than could an outsider. Another section -of the Great South road has been put down in ■ concrete, and will be open for traffic after it has lain under the bags for four weeks (reports the Auckland Star). This section is between the . northern boundary of Papatoetoe and the Tamaki Bridge, Otahuhu. On Christmas Eve the stretch through the township of Papatoetoe was opened for traffic, so that when the other portion is uncovered for use, a total length of two miles will be down in concrete. The roadway, which is 18ft wide, was laid down in 15 weeks. This is good time for two miles, but a record was established last week when the contractors completed the PapatoetoeTamaki section by paving three —chains 16 yards—492 square yards—this being laid under nine hours. The New North road from Kingsland to the tram .terminus is the next job, and the contractors are starting on it immediately. An old and highly esteemed resident cf Kartigi—-Mrs Isabella M’Lcod —died there last month, aged 82. The late Mrs M'Leod arrived in Dunedin by the ‘wiling ship Heswick’s Bride 61 years ag>, and shortly afterwards her husband and she took a farm at Kartigi, and up to the time of their deaths were the oldest residents in that district. . They had a family of five sons and three daughters, of whom there are still living Messrs Alex. M'Leod, Glen Park. Shag Valley: Hector M‘Leod, Kartigi; Donald Stirling; Mrs C. J. Johnston, Karitaue; and Mrs Caldwell, Kartigi. Everyone from fat and near who knew Mrs MT.eod had a good word to say for her. Her hospitality to friends and strangers was unbounded/ and her decease is a distinct loss tn the Kartigi district. She was predeceased by her husband by about 18 mouths An artist, who resides at Devonport, is also an amateur gardener (says the Auckland Star). Latterly he has been aggravated by the depredations of quail, which scratched up and ate his seed as soon as it was sown. ‘l’ve tried everything, from scarecrows to a gatling gun,’’ he told a friend hopelessly. “What can I do to get rid of the ‘blighters’’” he asked. “Now, I’ll tell you what.” said his friend, ‘you get some wheat and ” “Oh. no, I will not lay poisons! wheat,” declared the ' other; “there are fowls about.’’ “That.s all right,” the friend advised. “I don't want yon to poison the wheat —just soak it in whiskv or rum.” “Oh, that’s o r ®at, said the amateur gardener brightly. Then when thev pick it up, I can call in the j police and have them arrested for drunkenness.”

“Wi,” in the Dominion, says:—Had a certain young reporter in Auckland been better nosted in his school history, he might have avoided the practical joks that was played upon him by one of his fellow-scribes the other day. A ship had just arrived with a consignment of wild animals destined for the Auckland and Wellington Zoos—our tiger and an elephant were on board. The young reporter was put do-vn to “do” the animals for his paper, and as he was leaving the office the joker approached with enthusiasm. “Look,” he said, “there’s a biggger lot of animals coming to Auckland than to Wellington. and I heard that amongst the lot is a powder monkey, the rarest of its kind, they say. In fact, ho must be the last three or four, if not the very last, in the worid. So go for your life on it.” The young reporter “bit,” as the saying is, and searched the ship high and low for the “powder monkey.” Needless to say. he was enthusiastically assisted in his search by the ship’s company. “ Marked advance is being made in tropical agriculture in the Cook Islands, which are part of New Zealand’s island dependencies,” writes Mr H. P. Neal, formerly of New Zealand, and now on the staff of a city paper in the U.S.A. “The progress which has marked the administration of Judge Ayson in the group is a tribute to the Dominion’s methods of handling native races. It would appear, however, that people in the mainland do not appreciate at all fully the value of these tropical islands to New Zealand ► trade; There are immense opportunities open to New Zealand if it would develop, as it could, without any great expense, the resources of the Cook and other islands. The principal products which reach our shores at present from this source are oranges, bananas, and •■oeoa-nut-s. But it a vessel suited for the trade was- put on to carry it, tropical fruits would become cheaper and more generally accessible to the public; and, further, there is a loug list of fruits which would become available for Dominion consumption which at present are quite unknown to the New Zealand trade. They would add greatly to onr diet a source of food material which is regrettably absent.”

A striking instance of the influence the old Te Whiti faith exercises over its few remaining adherents among the Maori race was revealed (says the Taranaki News) when it transpired on the death of an old Maniopoto chief that he was in the habit of carrying about £2OOO in notes in a belt round his waist. The money was the proceeds of the sale of land through the Maori Land Board, and during the last 18 months payments have been made to the old man from time to time amounting to between £3OOO and £4OOO. He clung firmly to the Te '\5 r hiti-ite objection to banks- and hoarded the whole amount in. his belt, to the knowledge, perhaps fortunately. of only his immediate friends and relatives. -•••-