NEWS ITEMS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16339, 13 May 1927, Page 2

NEWS ITEMS

With a healthy credit in hand as a result, of the year’s workings, tho Central Hawke’s Bay Electric Power Board has contradicted its own prophecy that it would end up with a deficit, accord-* ing to a statement made by tho secretary, Mr. G. E. Fowler, at the meeting of the board in Waipukurau. On the grounds that he would wait until the Commission was appointed, Mr. J. Y. Brown, at this week’s meeting ol tlie Napier Harbor Board, withdrew the motion which lie bad given notice of his intention to move. The text of Mr. Brown’s motion was: ‘‘That overtures be made to Messrs. Richardson and Co. to purchase their lighters for the purpose of the board carrying on its own lightering business.” “ Auckland is at least five to ten years behind the times in the matter of eliminating from her narrow streets those dangerous centre tramway poles, which have already exacted and continue to exact heavy toil on human lives and property,” says the May journal of the Auckland Chamber of in a review of transport conditions in tho city and suburbs. The journal suggests that ■ no other city in New Zealand, even ou.e-sc.ven.tli the size of Auckland, tolerates the existence of the poles in the centre of the streets.

A visit was paid to tho Ruakura Slate farm this week by Dr. H. Hensler, professor of biology at the University of Munich, Germany. He was accompanied bv Mrs. Hensler. Dr. Hensler has spent a* month in New Zealand, inquiring on behalf of the German Government into the. position regarding the production of New Zealand” meat and wool. He expressed himself as highly delighted with the country and everything that he saw. The high quality of the wool and meat produced in New Zealand also favorably impressed him. Germany, he said, imported 14 per cent, of its meat, mostly from the Argentine. The wool Germany used was mostly produced in New Zealand and Australia. A return which will be of considerable interest to fanners and grain merchants is being prepared by the Railway Department (says the Christchurch Press), it will make a comparison of the quantities, of all kinds of grain trucked from country stations during the period January 1 to March 31 in 1926 and 1927. All of the figures are not yet to hand, but those which have been received show some astonishing increases for this year. At Dunsandel, lor instance, there were 24,000 more sacks in 1297, and at Rakaia 32,000 more. In one case an increase of 36,000 sacks is shown, while other totals are 16,000, 13,000, 10,000. 4000, and 3000 more than in 1926. Waikari is the only station so far showing a decrease, and this is accounted for by the operations of a Hour mill there this year. "This man, according to his own statement, has been driving a car for 12 years, and has never had a license. He has paid his fee, but lias never gone up for his test or had a license,” said SeniorSergeant Roach of Ernest Henry Healey, charged in Christchurch on Friday with driving a motor-car without a license. ‘Healey said that lie had driven in Ashburton until five years ago, awl had not known that it was compulsory to have a license. The Magistrate: It lias been compulsory ever since the Motor Vehicles Act came into force. In reply to the Magistrate, the senior-sergeant said that. Healey had knocked a motor-cyclist over as he turned into a gateway. He did not know why Healey had not been proceeded against for negligent- driving. The Magistrate inflicted a fine of 10s and costs.

After he had been installed as Mayor of Christchurch, Mr. J. K. ‘Archer said : “It is a very frequent custom in the Old Country that the newly-elected Mayor should ask the councillors to go to his church on the Sunday morning following his installation.” He extended a similar request. The Mayor assured the councillors that- lie would not be the preacher. He had introduced tho custom two years ago, and to a man—and a woman—they had accepted .the invitation. He wanted to repeat it. Whatever their religious convictions, they would not find anything in the service which would jar on them. He would also like councillors’ wives and husbands to attend. Cr. 11. T. Armstrong : “I wonder if this is the first rash step by the Labor Council. I, as one of them, am prepared to take the risk.” He moved that the invitation he accepted. Cr. M. E. Lyons seconded the motion, and it was carried.

Under the provisions of the Act governing local bodies’ elections, a returning officer must publicly announce the result of the polling at his booths (remarks the Auckland Star). The electors of Mount Eden were not interested the vocal effort of the “ town crier ” on election night, because when the final returns were totted up just before 11 o’clock at the council chamber, and the town clerk, Mr. Gray, went out and occupied the top step at the entrance to the building, there was not an elector in sight, and the absence of lights in the houses round about suggested that, like all good people, the electors of Mount Eden had retired early. Still, Mr. Gray had a duty to carry out, and, throwing his voice in the direction of the Mount Eden school and the trees surrounding it, he told the world that the old council had been returned en bloc.

A charge of using abusive, threatening and insulting language to the police while in the execution of their duty was preferred against W. Jackson in the Raetihi Magistrate’s Court. The circumstances were that defendant was on a previous occasion fined £2 10s, and this amount he brought to the police station in pennies, which the constable refused to accept on the ground that it was not a legal tender. Defendant became abusive and threatening in bis behavior and was arrested. He was then brought before Justices, who remanded him ail'd allowed bail. He became abusive in the Jock and refused to accept the bail. The Justices warned him that if lie did not desist lie would be committed for contempt of court. Defendant, in evidence, said that he had not used the words complained of. He brought pennies to pay the fine, because he considered it- an unjust one. He did not intend to use any violence to the police. A fine of £2 and costs was imposed.

At the mayoral installation at Mosgiel, Sir Thomas Mackenzie was the principal speaker. Dealing with our exports and primary products, lie stated statistice showed that, so far as thp wool, mutton, and Jamb were concerned, production had not increased since the pre-war days, but the price wool realised in 19i4 was £8,000,000, and, with slightly lessened production, in 1925 £18,000,000 was obtained. Lamb, which had increased m volume by per cent-., had increased in value by 100 per cent, over 1914. It was the increase in the value of that class of exports, and not the increase in the quantity, that had represented the larger sum. Dairying, on the other hand, had made great strides. Owing to overhead charges lands were not receiving the justice they formerly did, and some were going out of use altogether. Regarding dairying, said Sir. Thomas, we had the problem to face of adjusting the methods of sale and distribution in the Old Country. The Wool Board of Control in Britain had been responsible for the disastrous slump which occurred in 1920-21, and so far as New Zealand was concerned the farmers had lost- some £5,000,000 which already stood to their credit. So much for wool control.

A new work to be undertaken shortly is the straightening of a section of the road at Weka Pass, for which purpose the Railway Department is contributing £IOOO (repoa'ts the Christchurch Press). The road concerned dips and turns suddenly under a railway viaduct, later crossing the line again. It is intended that crossings under the viaduct or over the lino should ho eliminated by the -road being formed across a valley, to do which it will bo necessary to construct the road to the grade required. The work will be carried out in conjunction with the Main Highways Board.

An interesting letter from a party oi deer stalkers, which was originally addressed to the Westland Acclimatisation Society, and by tliat body forwarded to the Otago Expansion League, was read at the meeting of the executive, (states the Times). It contained a naivo admission that while most of tlio good stalking was in the Westland country, the parties came ip from tlip Otago side,’because the tracks were kept in better order there. Unfortunately for the comfort of these sons of Nimrod, the Otago boundary ceased at the llaast saddle, and thereafter the part of the pack horse was ono of woe. A vivid pen picture depicted the misery of attempting to pack 10 wet and weary men into one of the accommodation hats, and the pious hope was expressed that the head of the Tourist Department might one day be the eleventh man and be unable to enter. Improvements were suggested, and- the help of the league was sought in securing their accomplishment—a prayer which the humanitarian feeling of the members of t-ho executive prompted them tp. grant instantly,