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Otago Witness, Issue 3854, 24 January 1928, Page 3

Speculation is rife concerning the political future of the Bay of Islands electorate, represented by Mr Allen Bel) (says the Russell correspondent of the New Zealand Herald). Two names which have been sug-

gested as those of possible opponents of

the sitting member at the next general election are Mr R. Russell, general manager of the Hokianga County Council and formerly its chairman, and Mr W. Grounds, of Hokianga. chairman of the Dairy Produce Board, Mr Russell last week stated de-

finitely that he has not intention of seeking parliamentary honours at the forthcoming election, although he conveyed the impression that he might view the proposition more favourably on a subsequent occasion. “ 1 really know nothing about it," said Mr Grounds, when the question of the petition being circulated in the ipterests of his possible nomination was mentioned. He would go no further than to say that he had not considered contesting the Bay of Islands seat. However, he is freely mentioned in the settlements as a likely candidate..

Under legislation passed last year Lawyer's Head is now vested in the Ocean Beach Domain Board. The area comprises 25 acres, extending from the St. Hilda Beach to the outlet of -the Tomahawk Lagoon. It is probable that, as funds become available, the board will beautify the. area by planting it with trees and making a few walks here and there. Two young men, Frederick Thomas West and Frank Edward Yates (the former a. member of the now notorious “ Chevrolet Gang”) appeared before Mr J. 11. Bartholomew, S.M., at the City Police Court on Tuesday, and pleaded guilty to having failed to comply with the terms of their release on probation. In regard to West, the probation officer (Mr J. Garhutt) said that he was released on probation only on December 14 last, and during the holidays his conduct had been anything but satisfactory. His people were away, and he had got into bad company, and was drinking about the town. His lapse appeared to be due more to youthful folly than anything else, and as he had now been in custody for 10 days, he had no doubt- realised where his folly would ultimately lead him. Mr Garbutt said he understood that the accused had work to go to, and suggested that he be given another chance. Yates, who was a canvasser, was released on September 8, and as his work required him to go into the country a good deal, he was allowed to report by letter. This he had failed to do, and had also neglected to make restitution. His people had been communicated with, however, and they had agreed to take him tn hand and make restitution. Moreover, he had been assured of employment, and the week he had put in in custody had probably taught him a lesson. His Worship warned the delinquents against any further breach of their probation, and intimated that another lapse would result in their being sent to gaol. He agreed, however, to give them another chance, and convicted and discharged them both.

A literal demonstration of the meaning of the figurative expression “ a bolt from the blue ” gave a young man in Lower Stuart street an unpleasant shock early on Tuesday afternoon. By the look on the unfortunate man’s face after he had regained his bearings it is to be feared that his curiosity concerning the peculiarities of English idiomatic usage was not such as to make a practical explanation altogether welcome. The young man was passing the premises of Messrs P. Hayman and Co., and was walking on his right side of the footpath, when a sharp blow on th© top of his head all but felled him to the ground. Bewildered, and it must be admitted, not a little annoyed, he fumbled with his soft felt hat for a few seconds, smoothing out the dents, and returning it to he correct angle, and then he turned to face his aggressor. However, he found reprisals unnecessary, for behind him lay the corpse of a common pigeon, which a few minutes before had been circling round the top of the warehouse. The cause of the bird’s sudden fall to death is unknown, as the young man wasted no time on further investigation. Negotiations for the supply of about 500 pair of quail for restocking the Poverty Bay district have been entered into by the East Coast Acclimatisation* - Society, but so far it is not certain whether it will be possible to secure the birds. The quail are to be secured from Norfolk Island, where they are not protected, and tho society is awaiting permission from the | Government to purchase them. Of late I quail have become very scarce in the district, and the society is anxious to secure J fresh stocks. One hundred pheasants have been ordered from Auckland by the society, ' and these will be delivered at Gisborne ! and released at the end of next month or > early in March. Poverty Bay breeders of pheasants have been successful this..summer, and the society expects to secure at least 150 birds from them. Although so far only 100 birds have been ordered from Auckland, it is possible that the society will later take a further hundred. In 1927 building permits to the value of £1.936,866 were issued compared with J8L937.187, for 1926.

I Strange companions fraternise in the lonely stretches of tlrV Far North. At Opua the picturesque little ba/ - across from historic Russell, lack of other associations has thrown together two unushal friends (says the Auckland Sun). A donkey, which was turned out and abandoned on.

the". “ long acre ” by a circus party, wan- ■ ders daily in close company with a half- ■ grown sheep, which has found company ■ in this friendship ever since it was a tiny 1 lamb, and nothing can break the alliance. 1 The youth of the township ride this buckI ing veteran of the sawdust ring, and the village dogs disturb the tranquil wandering of its fleecy friend, but every morning without fail the two turn up together and make their presence known to travellers, who bestow upon them titbits from the [holiday hamper.

Multitudinous and varied arc the articles lhat fall into the hands of the police in the course, of 12 months. On •' hin sday a year’s collection was sold by Mr Macassey, auctioneer, in the presence of a large num ber of the public. So numerous were the goofls that the sale occupied over three hours. Many of, the articles, such as umbrella?. and overcoats, had been left in different parts of the-Exhibition, and were unclaimed. The umbrellas, ladies’ and , gentlemen’s,. as far as we could judge, were in good order.. Some of them brought ss, others half-a-crown or a shilling. Bicycles found by police officers in different parts x>i Otago numbered eight. They realised from 5s up to 55?. Two gallons whisky and 18 bottles of whisky, confiscated to the Crown as the result of a police raid in a country town brought £l2. Another lot of whisky from the same source fetched £lO. Several rifles sold for £1 each, but there was little competition for a Mauser rifle,, which was ■knocked’ down for Is, while a double-barrel friuzzle-lbdder went for ss. A boy became the possessor of a rifle for 5s and' p-M for it .on the spot. . Everything on the lengthy list, was disposed of.

“ One of the difficulties of the Presbyterian system is that congregations are ministered to by one man, year in and year out, ’ said the Rev. Hector Maclean, when speaking a t the valedictory social tendered in his honour last week by the members of St. Andrew’s Church. He added that in nis opinion one ..man, however clever he might be, could .not possibly satisfy everyone. It was not right that be should min,ltCril° t,le same! P oO Pl° indefinitely. There should be more frequent opportunities for them to hear others, and thus every need would be filled.

Addressing the teachers’ Summer School at Nelson Dr R. J. Tillyard, chief biologist at the Cawthron Institute, said that thb prickly pear in Australia was in process of destruction. He was confident that within 20 years the prickly pear would be a curiosity. success, he hoped, would be met with in the fight against New Zealand’s noxious weeds,- especially the blackberry. “I can see my way through, and, barring accidents,’ I believe that within 20 years’ time we shall be in ■ control of the blackberry.”

At the monthly meeting of the local centre of the Royal Life-Saving Society advice was received from the secretary of the Wellington centre, that his centre proposed submitting the following remit to the Dominion life-savii.j conference, to be held at Dunedin this week—- “ That in view of the large numbers of drowning accidents during the past season, and particularly those where lives were lost through the would-be rescuer having no practical knowledge" of the methods of saving life, swimming and life-saving be made an optional subject for the school teachers’ certificate, and that the Dominion Council bring the matter before the Minister of Education.”

Thirty years ago numerous large mobs of wild horses used to roam the Murimotu plain, on the east side of the Tongariro National Park, and the great Kaiangaroa plain, between Taupo and Galatea, was the home of thousands of them. Great sport and a good deal of profit used to be made by bold hunters, who gathered together for an organised drive on horseback, and the best of the catch found ready buyers in the more settled districts, and also in Canterbury. A late visitor to the plains states that as far as he could see the wild horse is a thing of the past on the Murimoto tdain, there being about a dozen in sight at the back of Mount Tauhora. The State Forest Department, which has great plantations in the Rotorua and Taupo districts, waged ceaseless war on these wild animals, as the horses had a great liking for feeding on young trees. The remarkable stories, full of exaggerations, which are sometimes credited to Americans are always calculated to cause astonishment and amusement to those who hear them. Judging by an incident which occurred during the holidays, however, while a party were at the Franz Josef glacier, there is apparently something to be said to condone these exaggerations. Among the party were an American and his wife, who were touring in the Dominion. The American had a full equipment, so far as nasal intonation was concerned, and was never afraid to lift his voice in any argument or discussion which arose. He could not, nevertheless, be called a cute Yankee in view of the point which was “ put across him.” One of the party had found a fearsome looking insect, and he gave it to a guide to work out a plot which had been arranged by a Dunedin member of the schemers. Up on the glacier the guide saw to it that he came into contact with the American, and he then became quite distressed as he made desperate attempts to extract something from under his arm which it was obvious was badly irritating him. At last he drew out the insect, and the astonished American asked what it was. “ A New Zealand flea,” nonchalantly replied the guide. Down in the boarding house that night one of the stay-at-homes who was in the plot casually asked the American if he had seen anything of note during the trip on the mountain. “Anything of note?” queried the tourist from overseas. “I guess we did — a New Zealand flea. And he was some flea, too, believe me.” Whether New Zealand desires to obtain fame in the land of the almighty dollar for the size of its fleas is a matter on which there will no doubt be a considerable diversity of opinion.

“ He shot the duck, out of season, and I found that it had seven little ones swimming around it, an unsporting shot if ever there was one.” That was the evidence given before Mr H. P. Lawry, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court at Christchurch on Tuesday, by John Digby, ranger for the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society. The society was proceeding against William Small, for taking native game at Kaituna during the close season. Continuing his evidence, the ranger said that he had noticed a car drawn up by a stretch of water. A gun was fired out of the car. He ran to the spot, the car having moved

on, and found the dead duck and the young He pursued the car and found that the shot was fired by defendant. “It is a serious and unsportsmanlike offence,” said Mr Gresson, who appeared for the society. “ This man was fined £5 not so long ago for taking game without a license.” “In view of the previous conviction,” said the magistrate, “ and the nature of the offence, defendant will be fined £lO and costs.”

They are - following a new procedure at the Auckland Magistrate’s Court (comments the Sun). When a young woman from Hamilton was presented there on the elastic charge of “ idle and disorderly,” the prosecuting officer said he did not desire to bring the facts before the court, and handed a written statement to the magistrate, who read it, observed it was “a fine state’of affairs,” and adjourned the case for six months, so that the girl could be placed in the care of the Salvation Army. If the court continues to follow the procedure (continues the Sun’s protest), it will save a lot of trouble. All the police will have to do will be to arrest a man (or woman), write their opinions on the case and leave the rest to the magistrate; or judge. It will then be as easy to hang a man as a dog, and the public will not be harrowed by the morbid details of the murder. The suppression of naipes is a regular thing; the suppression of evidence follows. Logically, the next thing should be the suppression of the courts. ; As the daylight limiteTd express, which left Auckland?yesterday morning, was passing through-Mihurewa it ran into a horse and cart , which was being driven over ' the crossing by Mr F. Stanley, of Massey road, Manurewa. The tram was brought to a standstill, but (says our special correspondent) when it was ascertained that both the driver and horse had escaped injury the express continued on its way after a slight delay of two minutes. The cartwas badly smashed. ■ : The Arbitration Court,- presided ovei; by Mr Justice Frazer, will sit in Duhediri on February 3, and at InVtrcargill '. on February 7. ■<. • ' There is a decided influx of ’ tourists :to the city; one of the leading hotels has: had a full house for-some days, and, judging by the bookings, this pleasant state of affairs will continue for some time to come. f

“ The journey up Lake Te Anau,” says a member of the recent tramping party of the Tararua Club to Milford, “was made in an antiquated steamer which some of the’ party, not Without reason, took to be the original Noah's’Ark (relates the Evening Post). If the Tourist Department desires to make Milford Track popular it should immediately put into commission a modern steamer which will do the trip up the lake in a reasonable time, and provide some little comfort. Being trampers, we soon made-ourselves more or less comfortable, but the boat accommodation, in- ; the eyes of the tourists, is bad. We reached the end of ’the lake five hours after starting. The majority of us slept most of: tho way.” ‘ ‘ ■’’ Owing to- onp - or ,two. of the . examiners' delaying’ ? the return of the- papers, ■ the matriculation: examination results will not’ I be available for a week • ’• : ’’ ■

“Is it a fact that some ’of the women teachers smoke ’front of the children? ” was a question ■ asked the headmaster at a meeting of the Woodville School, Committee- (states, hn, exchange). The ■ • headmaster said he was not aware of-;it, and while he disapproved of either male or female teachers smoking in school hours, he did not know of a regulation against it. If the children saw the teachers smoking ■in the teachers’ room, the children had no business, tpi be there. He thought the committee would be well advised to approach the. teachers concerned direct.

’ The Government intends to 'appoint an officer to take charge of the provision of meteorological information for aviators in New Zealand in accordance with the recommendation of the Imperial Airways Mission, which was here a few months ago, Before taking up the duty he will hav* some trairiihg itt London. • !? ’■