NEWS IN BRIEF.

Otago Witness, Issue 3942, 1 October 1929, Page 36

NEWS IN BRIEF.

A new whistle has been heard from the trains on the Manawatu line during the last fortnight. In contrast with the high pitched shriek that most locomotives give, this emits a pleasant sound composed of two notes. The new whistle is very penetrating, but is not so startling as the others, while it is most distinctive. An offer of a special prize for best poster, designed by a student of the School of Art, showing a Maori chewing fern root, was made by Dr Thacker at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Health Week Committee in Christchurch He said that one of the reasons why the Maoris had such good teeth was that they ehewed fern roots. In installing telephone, electric light, and other instruments requiring wiring, there is often a quantity of short pieces of wire from clippings, or old wire which has been thrown out. The electric light department and the Post and Telegraph Department, accumulates a lot of this wire (says the Dominion), the insulated portion being burned off. The residue of copper wire is then sold locally to brass founders or is sent in bulk to Sydney, where there is a factory in which it is redrawn. Covered or insulated wire is not made in Australia, most of New Zealand supplies being procured from England. Waste lead usually goes to the munitions factory in Auckland. It is estimated that there are now some 1000 acres devoted to tobacco growing in the Dominion. Of this total, approximately 150 acres are in the Auckland district. 30 acres in Marlborough, and the balance in the Nelson and Motueka districts. The hulk of the crop at the present time is under contract to tobacco manufacturers in New Zealand. The future of the industry in this country (says a departmental report), depends very largely on a satisfactory overseas market being available for the surplus not needed for New Zealand requirements, and until this is definitely assured the planting of tobacco on an extensive scale requires to be carefully considered. An Auckland woman has received a letter from Canada which throws a fine light on English trading life and incidentally English commercial honesty. Referring to a visit to Spain and England, a talvnted woman writer, Mrs Madge M'Rcth. of Toronto, wlmm the Now Zealander met in Canada, said: “I left Spain with some regret to go to England. After the picturesquenesa and the colour of Spain it seemed to me that any country would be dull. This was not so. I had hardly arrived in London when I was gripped hr a great excitement, the admiration of

magnificent power and poise. The feeling in England was one ->f reassuring serenity, strength, and benignity I found honesty and integrity in all relations. If I asked in a shop, ‘Are these stockings all silk? ’ I am told, ‘ I am not sure they are all silk, madam, but I think you will like them.’ A saleswoman would not say the article was silk unless she was sure. That was typical. I realised, as never before, why the ties of confidence are so strong which bind the dominions to the Motherland.” An amusing instance of how two towns of similar names are occasionally confused recently happened on the south-bound Napier express (says a northern exchange). When the guard collected tickets after leaving Palmerston North he discovered that an elderly passenger had a ticket from Napier to Palmerston. The passenger was informed that he had passed his destination, but refused to believe this. At the first stop the stationmaster there and the guard again approached the traveller and told him that he should get off and take the next train back. He refused to do so and would not pay the remainder of the fare to Wellington. The threat of securing the services of the police left him quite unmoved ar.d he was still on the train when it moved off. The stationmaster immediately telephoned the next station, advising the stationmaster there of the position and recommending that the police be asked to remove the passenger. Thia it was decided to do, but just before toe train stopped the first stationmaster, while laughing ever what he con sidered was a good joke with one of the clerks suddenly remembered that Palmerston is in (be South Island. He had just time to telephone the next station before the .train arrived there and explain that the matter had been cleared up. The old gentleman was allowed to continue his journey in peace. The story shows that even railway officials should remember that the name of the North Island town is Palmerston North. The question of changing the name of the Manawatu town was raised some time ago, but no action was taken in the matter.

“I believe that daffodils equal to the best in the world can be grown here, and. owing to the mild winter, the season of bloom and consequent pleasure to be derived from the daffodils is considerably longer than at Home.” This was the view expressed by Mr Guy Wilson, of London, a noted expert on daffodil growing, who is visiting New Zealand. During the last fortnight Mr Wilson had visited a number of daffodil shows in the North Island as well as the farms of some private growers.