TOWN EDITION

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 11370, 1 September 1908, Page 6

TOWN EDITION

At a meeting of the Cheviot residents, held to consider the proposal to Te-open the Cheviot dairy factory, a number of speakers stated that they were in sympathy with the movement, but were afraid of not securing the service of milkers. One dairy farmer naively remarked : "If the young men could milk the cows on horseback and smoke cigarettes at the same time, there would be no difficulty in securing plenty of milkers." One of the first indications of spring has arrived in Central Otago in the shape of the dottrels, which have, during the past few days, distributed themselves all the over highlands (says the Otagp Daily Times). This little grey binr is of. migratory habits, and leaves thef=e latitudes for Northern* Asia every autumn, returning regularly at the approach of summer. One gentleman, who had closely observed them during the past few days, remarked that they ran about on the frozen snow as if puzzled: he wondered if they thought they had somehow got back into Siberia again. A Palmerston resident, who has just returned from a visit to Ohakune. states that the latter township is experiencing a. boom, one result of which is that land sales are being made at unsually high prices. A Chinaman, who was among recent purchasers of town property, paid £600 for a quarter-acre section. Ohakune is 1£ miles from the railway station, and the Palmerston resident referred to says it is practically situated in a gully; one is on the down grade on the journey from the railway station to the township. The railway station is a veritable canvas town, between 50 and 60 tents being pitched there. Slygrog selling is reported to be rife in the district. Operations in connection with the reflotation of the Taviuni, stranded on the South Beach at Westport. are proceeding slowly but surely, record the West Coast papers. The timber required, about 150.000ft, has to be brought a considerable distance, and across heavy ground. Twelve and. fourteen - feet lengths of timber are being riveted on to tlie sides of the steamer in a vertical • position, with about eight or ten feet space between the lengths. To these jacks, with a. lifting capacity of 2000 tons, will in due course 'be attached, to enable the vessel *to be placed on a- skidway yet to be constructed-. - Tlie vessel will then have to be y drawn some considerable distance up the beach with winches, swung round with head towards the river entrance, and launched through the western wall. Amongst the many historical characters whose portraits appeared on the street decorations or in the shop windows during the fleet celebrations in Sydney, Christopher Columbus was easily first. There were twice as many portrait's of him as there wer e of "Tommy" Bourns, ten times as many as there were of President Roosevelt, and' twenty times as many as there were of Captain Cook. The old' Genoese was resurrected on a hundred hoardings and in many tableaux. Every second shopkeeper seemed to have been rubbing up his -history. " At one place the ancient mariner was performing his immortal trick of making an egg stand on its end; at another his crew were threatening mutiny ; at a third he was beside himself with joy at tlie sight of land. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and the fathers of American independence seem to have been almost forgotten. Where designers appealed to Australian history, they showed Captain Phillip sailing up Sydney harbor in 1788, or Captain Cook hoisting his Union Jack amid th© cheers of his ship's company. The citizens of a town in Taranaki are" liaving amusement at the expense of an hotelkeeper who came to New Zealand while very young, arid is pot well acquainted with his relatives. IA couple of weeks ago a stranger called at the hotel and informed mine host that he was liis younger brother just out* from England. Tlie unsuspecting boniface promptly took the stranger to his bosom '(figuratively speaking), and gave him a right royal welcome. Tlie stranger was very plausible. He had, he said, brought several presents of valuable jewellery and curios for his sister-in-law and niece, but some of his baggage had gone astray. This still more endeared him to the family. He was introduced to all and sundry as "my brother from England." With free board and lodging and the best of everything, he was enjoving himself immensely. But tlie local policeman recognised the stranger, and the hotelkeeper received a rude shock whep he was informed tliat his "brother" was a-' well-known criminal, whose special line was fake pretences. But the stranger bad scented trouble, and had vanished. Colonel Porter, of Gisborne, in a letter to the Dominion, supports the suggestion that a descriptive map, with Maori place-names, should be compile*!, line work, he says, would not be difficult, as the original Maori place-names and prominent features are almost without exception to be found upon the original plans of every Maori block throughout New Zealand'. These plans have been used in the Native Land' Courts at the original investigation of titles of the Maori claimants and coun-ter-claimants, at which some of the strongest proof of ownership in evidence is the familiarity with its rivers (awas) creeks (maiigas), hills (hiwi), mountains (maunga), burial places (nrupas), also the burial boundary lines (ngaroheK with landmarks from point to point. ' Each block of land has its mam distinctive Maori name, and each internal feature also is named. He adds that it would add much interest to the map if only the mam Maori, name of the block was given its equivalent meaning or origin m the English translation, thus preserving to posterity the traditional history of a fine race of people. On the road to Rotorua some of our legislators told their American friends the story of Pelorus Jack, the fislitthat meets tlie steamers near the French Pass. Ihey found it hard to believe, and some laughed heartily at the story, and said it was one of the best "fish yarns" they had ever heard. The more serious the legislators w«re in tilling- -the story, the more lularious became the. auditors. Just as one legislator had finished telling tlie story another legislator came into the railway carnage and number one legislator at once appealed to him to corroborate the story of Pelorus Jack. Thus appealed to, number two legislator entered into details. "Say. s i r , how long do you say that fish is?" said one of the Americans. "About thirty feet," promptly replied the legislator. And then there was a yell of laughter, for the first legislator had described the fish as beintz between 12 and 15 feet, and number two legislator^ at once earned tlie reputation of being the loveliest liar in the carriage Acxt. morning in Rotorua a member of lar lament was rummaging at the postcard shops for photos of Pelorous Jack with which to convince his sceptical American friends. It is understood' a companr has been formed to fat out a party for the purpose «f M-Jinling- at Campbell idand, the party to proceed south in the Hinemoa on her J£ Xt »7 *- £ the Southern Islands (says the Bluff Press) Tlie right or black whale is to be found in the vicinity of Campbell Island in great numbers during tho summer months, so should the Party be favored with good weather a hamisome profit to those interested should be tlie result. Almost a score ot years have passed since a whaline vessel visited the Bluff or Stewart Island. Prior to that time it was not uncommon to see as many as three or four whaling vessels anchored in Port William and Half-moon Bay. It is a pity to see whaling dying out so completely, for in a few years' time it will almost be impossible to get men who are versed in the art of catching the sperm whale. An erroneous idea prevails that it is owing to the scarcity of the sperm whale that there are so few vessels employed fishing in the Southern Hemisphere, but it is chiefly on account of the low market price for oil — being only about one-third! of the value compared with that of 30 years ago. In the vicinity of the Solanders. the old favorite hunting-ground for the monsters of the ' deep, sperm whales are etill to be found , iu great abundance, and if a properly- , equipped steamer, capable of .carrying al'out four boats, wns fitted nut for , ••■•I Y : -:h;p ;!■•.» w- uld l.e kept cm--1 ••■••;■•;•. I .i.uiijj; the best part of the year.

One of the original members of the Polynesian Society, which has its headquarters at New Plymouth, will give £100, if another £400 can be raised, to publish a number of original documents which are now with the Society, and which have great value as contributing to the history of the Polynesian race. The Society has spent over £2500 in publishing original matter relating to the races, contained in the 16' volumes of its journal already out. In view of the private expenditure, it is suggested by Mr Ngata, M.P., that the State should assist the work. The Native Minister is .of opinion tliat the raising of a sufficient sum by means of private subscription may be an inducement to the Department to contribute tho balance of the cost of publication of the journal.. A young lady, Miss Emily Barrett, of Maryborough, Victoria, recently suffered from a complaint which prevented her from walking without the aid of crutches. She had been under treatment by a. local doctor for some time, and had made good progress. A few weeks ago it was deemed advisable to put her leg in plaster of Paris, and instructions were given to procure an iron boot to support tl 1^ lirb. which was contracted to a coi;»ii!-..rabi.u extent. One evening Miss Barreit was sitting on a chair in the dining-room when a very peculiar feeling came over her. She said that she thought she was going to faint. This sensation soon worked off. and' when it did the girl, who had been crippled for over eight months, got up from the chair, and subsequently walked to Dr Deane's residence to inform him that there was no need for the iron boot.