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Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17504, 28 February 1931, Page 4

The Government has agreed to a grant of £6OOO for road and drainage work in the Hnuraki Plains district. This includes a grant of £3OOO for labor to completo. the Waitakavuru drainage scheme.

The future of tho Defence Department's camp at Narrow Neck. Auckland, will he ‘determined by the Government shortly. The property is being surveyed by the Lands Department with a view to subdivision.

The Prime Minister announces that the income tax penalty will not be pressed in the meantime on Hawke’s Pay residents. Individual eases will be considered' on their merits.

Sitting in chambers yesterday, Mr. Justice MacGregor granted probate of tho will of Mary Jaokson to Richard Fearon Jackson, on the motion of Mr. G. (Bradley Smith.

Tho quarterly sitting of the Supreme Court was concluded last evening, and His Honor Mr. Justice MacGregor, with his associate, Mr. Haggitt, left Gisborne this morning for Wellington, via Rotorua.

The Wnirarapa Aero Club has named its new Hying centre the Hood aerodrome, after George Hood, who perished in the frans-Tasman flight. Tho aerodrome is to be opened on March In during the progress of the North Island air pagegant. Mr. D. ,T. McGowan, president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, states that the new postal charges will fall heavily on business people, and that a letter rate of lsd would have been more effective than the 2d rato He sees difficulties in the way of the Government revenue campaign.

A great deal of interesting data is being gathered by the party of geologists . which is working through the Hawke’s bay earthquake area. Evidence has been secured by Dr. P. Marshall, who is in the coastal afea, that from the crest to the trough of the earth waves in the hills there was a vertical movement of an inch, while observation of the marks made on fence posts by barbed wire disclosed in some cases a iriteral movement of 3in. They expected later to have accurate dnta of the whole movement of the earth’s crust.

Efforts are being made by tho Cook County Council to have the Karaua ifeviation on the main south road between Manutuke and Muriwai ready for traffic during the coming winter. The bridge on the Muriwai end of the deviation and the formation of the road were completed about 18 months ago, but as the surface had not been metalled all traffic was ' kept off. The application of the bottom course of stone was commenced this week, and, although the top course will not be attempted until next summer, tho road will be usable throughout the winter,' shortening ' the route between Manutuke and Muriwai by about half a mile.

According to Professor Marshall Allan, the Melbourne gynecologist, tho cheapest sum at which a woman can be accouched in a hospital in America is £l3, but the average cost is £lB.. In some, hospitals the charge for a single room with nurse and medical attention is £IOO, the cost of single bed wards ranging from 30s a day to £3. A peculiar feature of the American maternity hospital is the “husbands’ room.” This room sometimes adjoins the ward in which a woman lies, and the husband is left in charge of her until the last stages. In other hospitals there is a common waiting room where the husbands congregate.

Jn answer to a question in Whakatano as to whether he approved of the recent Government purchase of the Galatea station when there were great areas of idle Grown lands, Mr. W. E. Parry, M.P., said he looked upon the move as a tragedy—a policy absolutely wrong. It would be akin to the settling of the soldiers —they settled them ail right. (Cries of “Hear, Hear!”) The Labor Party advocated taking 1000 ilien on to a large unbroken stretch of country. This could be broken in with the aid of every scientific idea and device. After having been cleared, roaded, subdivided and housed, the men who had been given instruction in breaking it in would be settled there.

The portion of the Hangaroa-Waikare-moanu road which suffered damage during the earthquake on February 3 has been temporarily repaired to carry light traffic. This section of the road lias subsided a few feet at one point on the Gisborne side of the bridge, and the repairs effected by the Cook County Council are sufficient to permit of the passage of cars and light trucks. The wool cartage on the road has been completed, and it is hot thought that any further iieavy traffic will require to use the road until next summer. It is expected that the road will subside further when heavy rain falls, but the work done to date should provide access for tho settlers until that time arrives.

As a precautionary measure for the safety ot the public in the event of earthquake, the concrete ornaments on the parapet of tho Post Office were removed uns morning. '1 lip work was carried out by the Public Works Department, and a start was made at 5 o'clock, with the result that all the ornaments had been taken down before the business hours commenced. In all, useless pieces of masonry were removed, four from the clock tower, and the remainder from the parapet, and a temporary derrick was employed to tower them to the ground. Each ornament, with its square base, weighed approximately ,2cwt., so that tho total weight of ths pieces removed was about 2 tons. Those ornaments which were not damaged in the removal were in some demand by householders, and several were taken away for use as garden ornaments.

Daring his lecture to women yesterday alternoon, Professor Marshall Allan, of the chair of' obstetrics at Melbourne University, mentioned the proolein of parking grounds at all large hospitals. A slide of a hospital at Detroit was thrown on the screen to illustrate the amount of traffic circulating about such a building and it was noted that a majority of the cars were of familiar make, but extremely ancient, vintage. These were owned by the students, who purchased them for £lO or so at the beginning of their term at the institution, and if they were lucky sold them for £5 to the next man. In his day a student was lucky if he could afford a bicycle to travel to lectures, but every American student owned his own car, and what with the cars of relatives, students, visiting surgeons and physicians and trade vehicles the grounds of a public hospital required a definite system of traffic control,

An interesting point in connection with the Bankruptcy Act was argued in the Supremo Court yesterday before His Honor Mr. Justice MacGregor. The case was one in which the Official Assignee, under section 80 of the Act, sought the return of a sum of £5 14s to the bankrupt estate of Frederick Henry Malcolmson Warner from Benjamin G. Dudfield, who had uplifted the money from the court under an attachment order. The facts as outlined yesterday were that Dudfield secured an attachment order against Warner, who was then con-ne-ted with the A.M.P. Society, and on April 17 the company paid £5 14s into court under the terms of the order. Warner fded his petition in bankruptcy on May 6. and tho same day Dudfield ml if ted the money from the court. Lengthy legal argument was heard, and His Honor, after reviewing the circumstances,'held that under the Act it was plainly set' out that action under an attachment order must be completed prior to the date of bankruptcy, and that in the present action, the sum in question was clearly the property of the Official Assignee. An order was made, therefore for the payment of the sum to ■< the assignee for the benefit of creditors in Wnrner’s estate. Mr. J. G. Nolan appeared for the assignee; anid Mr> L- T Burnnril for Dudfield,

The Harbor Bridge Co. at Auckland has applied to tho Government for U charter. • The New Zealand Law Society has postponed its annual conference, to have been held at Dunedin, till 1932. Feeling reference to the death of Mr. Waiter Findlay was made at the monthly meeting yesterday of the Oook County Women’s Guild, and a vote of sympathy with Mrs. Findlay and family was passed in the usual manner. The destruction of tho freezing works in Hawke’s Bay has brought brisk business to the Longburn works, which has put through sonie 25,000 sheep from the neighboring district, at the rate of 3000 a day. Special trains from Taranaki and Hawke’s Bay are to-day taking to Wellington crowds of Girl Guides and Boy Scouts for the rally at the Basin Reserve this afternoon to welcome Lord and Lady Baden-Powcll. Tho Tauranga Chamber of Commerce is pressing for the completion of the metalling of the Tauranga-Rotorua directroad. It is stated this route shortens the distance between the two centres by 40 miles. There are 12$ miles unmetalled and the cost is estimated at £12,000. A big gamp angler has expressed 'the opinion that the' shark, caught in' Auckland harbor this week was not a nialto but a'ground shark. He thinks it unlikely that a mako shark would enter the harbor,, as it is a deep-water fish. - i- ■' ; -

Mr. W. McCormick,' -who was transferred from Wellington last year to the Gisborne staff of the Public Workk Department, has now begn'advised of his transfer to Nilpier, where he will .be engaged in comietnW ’With'- restoration work. Mr. McCormick leaves Gisborne on Monday to commence his new duties. The steady progress being made with the uncompleted portions, of Auckland’s waterfront road should make it possible tp open the complete drive from Caippbell’s Point to the end of The Strand at St. Heliers Bay during the early months of next summer. Very little remains to be done to make the section from the city to Mission Bay fit for all traffic.

An indication that tho Government proposes to extend its system of land settlement to' enable the settling on the land of men without capital is given by the lion. E. A. Rqhsom, Minister of Lands, in a letter to Mr. W. Poison. Mr. Ransom says ho is seriously considering.tho question of enabling tho Government to settle such men.

A raid was carried out on motorists bound for the Waiapu races at Buatoria on Thursday by the traffic inspector for' the main highways district, Mr. W. H. Scott, who had the cO-operation of the, police. The raid was mainly with the idea of ensuring that all drivers were in possession of licenses, together with the enforcement of the general traffic regulations, and it is understood that prosecutions are likely to eventuate.

Whilst - in Australia' on. a repent holiday visit, Professor 11. B. Kirk, of Victoria College, noticed that Australian newspapers were now giving more prominence to Now Zealand news than they used to. The Hawke’s Bay earthquake naturally accentuated this, but, apart from that, a* fair amount of general news about the Dominion was to be found. Formerly it used to be a case of chronicling only tragic happenings. Stormy weather encountered in the Pacific by the Shaw, Savill and Albion steamer Maimoa, which reached Auckland from. Liverpool bn Wednesday evening, nearly caused the postponement of the wedding of the second officer, Mr. A. S. Winton, who was married at Onehunga shortly before-8 o’clock on Wednesday evening, the latest hour at which the ceremony could be conducted. The work of wekas in suppressing some insect pests was commented on by a speaker at the last meeting of the North Canterbury, Acclimatisation Society. The earwig pest, which was becoming more noticeable than ever, was partly due, he to the fact that the native birds were no longer in' sufficient numbers, to keep them down. The weka was also an excellent rat and mouse-killer. The society is procuring 24 wekas from the Chatham Islands, which are tq be liberated in various parts of Canterbury and on the Peninsula.

The present season is one of the worst yet experienced in Poverty Bay for strawberries and other small fruit. The dry weather is responsible for the small crops, both in the berry varieties and in some of the larger fruits. Tomato growers have had a bad set-back, owing to the lack, of rain, and one local resident who anticipated a good profit from his plants has stripped thousands of tiny tomatoes off the stems, the fruit having failed to develop to maturity. This experience has been a common one where growers have been dependent on the municipal water supply, and it is likely that much of the planting will be done earlier next year, in order to take ad-, vantage of the spring moisture. Early planting will entail risks from frost, but if the young plants are well protected, they should repay the trouble.

The activities of leaf-hoppers on passion fruit vines and other tender climbing plants have been noted with concern by many gardeners, and urgent measures to reduce the number of these destructive insects are indicated. The . leaf-, hopper goes through various stages in its development, stated Mr. P. Everett, orchard instructor, in reply to a inquiry to-day, and it is necessary to spray them before they grow wings. Once they reach full development, the hoopers are extremely difficult to deal with, but while their growth is in its early stages, blackleaf 40 spray is quite efficacious. The insects suck the sap from the new growth, and thus retard the formation of new wood and the bearing of crops. Some owners of passion-fruit vines have noticed a marked decljne of production as between last year and this, and it is likely that this has been contributed to, and accelerated, by the depredations of the leaf-hopper. Usually, ageing vines die off gradually, but this season has seen some which last year produced quite heavy crops, almost without fruit. “Though we came to New Zealand'to see this happy country,” said Bird Baden-Powell in his speech at Wellington Town Hall last evening, “we cannot help feeling the effect of l the cloud that hangs over this country in consequence of the earthquake disaster, and we feel deeply the sorrow that has fallen on so many. Out of evil good will always come, and when time has soothed the sorrow and softened the .burden there will emerge a people with a greater reputation than ever before. We admire tho glorious way in which you took it, the pluck, endurance and self-sacrifice with which the people of Hawke’s Bayfaced their losses, their courage in immediately taking tip the work of restoration, and the splendid behavior throughout. People abroad will see that New Zenlanders are a plucky race, a strong virile nation, which will have a glorious future. I cannot forgel that the New Zealanders on service made such a name for New Zealand. They died with such pluck and self-sacrifice. I had New Zealanders working with me in South Africa—l am nqt saying this, for mere praise—and l found I could always rely on them for any situation that involved danger; they always carried Out tbeir job yejjwdJw* of