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Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18323, 15 February 1934, Page 6

A slight increase in overseas passenger traffic to and from New Zealand is revealed in the official migration statistics for 1933. A marked excess ot permanent departures still persists, 3P07 residents departing, compared witn 1368 immigrants coming to tne, Doming ion. There was an increase in tourist traffic to th<* Dominion,

A small shipment of stock was made from Gisborne to-day for Westport. The Margaret W. was expected to load 300 sheep and 15 cows this afternoon for the Westport meat trade.

No word was received in Gisborne this morning regarding the clearing of the slip in the Waioeka Valley. It was expected yesterday that the road should he open by to-day, hut in the absence of advice motorists contemplating a trip to Opotiki should be prepared to take the Motu route, which is reported to be in good order. East night’s mails between Gisborne and the Bay of Plenty arrived and were dispatched over the .Motu hills route.

A large heap of sawdust at the Murimotu sawmill, near Taihape, caught fire on Saturday afternoon and was still burning on Tuesday in spite of every effort to extinguish the outbreak. There was very grave danger of the mill and timber in the yard being destroyed, in addition f,o a dwelling house in the. vicinity. Mill hands fought the fire for many hours, and managed to prevent the flames from reaching the mill. Heavy rain fell oil Monday night, but it was not, sufficient to extinguish the fire.

The wreck of the steamer Evening Star, in which several lives were lost, occurred off Gable End Foreland, north of Gisliorne, 67 years ago on Tuesday. At 2.20 a.ni. on February 13, 1867, wheu travelling at full speed from Napier to Auckland, the vessel, a screw steamer of 1.47 tons, struck a reef. As heavy seas began to break over the ship, the crew and three passengers clung to the rigging, and in a desperate attempt to reach the shore, the passengers, the cook, a steward and three seamen were drowned.

Generous ■ bequests to religious institutions. have been made under the will of the late Mrs Sybil Jane Slapley, who died at Reniuera, Auckland, on January 2. The estate has been sworn for probate purposes at under £20,000, and, subject to monetary legacies of £4OO and a certain life interest,, the whole of the residue is divisible equally between the Salvation Army Maternity Home, Dryden street, Grey Lynn, and the, Anglican Social Service Board for the benefit of St. Mary’s Home at Otnhuhu. Figures quoted at a meeting of a Palmerston North school committee show the enormous increase of white butterflies, even in town areas. The headmaster reported that in a competition conducted among the pupils during the holidays over 40,000 white butterflies wore caught. The ten competitors at tho head of the list were responsible for the collection of over 20,000 between them. A request that the competition should be subsidised by the New Zealand Farmers’ Union was declined. It was decided to in augurato a further competition, to run until the end of April. Speaking at Rawene, North Auckland, Lord - Bledisloe said that the clouds appeared to be passing away and very soon sunshine would illuminate the economic outlook, lie was proud to see how the people had stood up to economic adversity. New Zealand would become the healthiest and happiest place in the world, an El Dorado for human beings. Referring to population, His Excellency urged for a greater population. The country could very easily accommodate 10 or 15 millions more people. If they did not populate it foreign nations would do it for them and at the expense of New Zealand. *

A new use has been found for the Defence Department’s old stock of war munitions, and, in this case the explosive is serving a much more useful purpose than that for which it was originally intended. The geophysical survey party at present working on the Waikaia goldfields is drawing on the department’s aged and dwindling supplies, and is thus securing a cheap explosive to carry out its work. A charge of 121 b is fired with each shot, and new gun-cotton imported for < the purpose would probably cost almost £1 per shot, while the present supply costs in tile vicinity of 2s. Rumor has it that some of the department’s stock has found n watery grave near the Wellington harbor, but it is believed that the supply will last for about another year. I That the Church should adapt itself to modern methods and make use of the cinema as well as of all other means of reproducing and interpreting masterpieces of Christian art was urged upon the Auckland Presbytery by the Rev. F. A. Thompson, of North - cote. Mr. Thompson pointed out that two days of the year on which the Church could make very effective use of the cihema were Good Friday and Christmas Day when most councils refused permission for the screening of ordinary pictures. The Church could step in, and use the picture theatre, equipment to present the Easter and the Christmas message. Tie believed they would find the picture theatre people quite willing to co-operate. Other opportunities occurred on Sunday evenings, and on many occasions on week-days to present the Christian message pictorially. About 1C 1 p.m. on Friday the Rifles Band will depart for Wellington, where it will take part in the B grade hand contest, which commences on Monday. Much time has bepn spent by the con ductor, Lieutenant A. Wood, in preparing the members of the band, who, it is hoped, will meet with success. The band will play two contest numbers, the first on Tuesday night and the second on Thursday night. The players are as follow: Lieut. A. Wood, conductor • Sergt. H. Murphy, soprano; S'ei’gt. J. Davies, sen., bandmaster and solo cornet; Corporal W. ,T. Staines, sen., solo trombone; Lance-Corporal W. H. Harris, euphonium; Lance-Corporal G. H. Fisher, first baritone; Privates G. Bowman, first cornet; A. Adcroft, first cornet; W. J. Staines, jnn., repiano cornet; V. K. Norman, fugel horn; 1, A. Redstone, second cornet; W. G. Griffen, second cornet; S. M. Ritchie, third cornet ; I. Menzies, third cornet ; J W. Reed, solo horn; J. Vagg, jun., first horn; K. S. Nicoll, second horn: R. Martin, second horn; R. Scott, second baritone; J. Davies, jun., second trombone ; ,T. Cousins, first trombone • E. Friday, bass trombone: S. Green, E flat bass; J. B. Davoren, B flat bass; S. V, Friday, B flat bass; C. Priday, side drum; J. A. Vagg, bass drum. Yesterday afternoon Mr. T. Gadduni had an amazing escape from serious injury or death when an open louring ear which he was driving somersaulted after colliding with a motor lorry. Both vehicles were travelling along Wninui road from the direction of town, and just beyond the doLautour road intersection Mr. Gaddum attempted to pass the lorry. The driver of the lorry, however, intended to turn into a gateway on the right-hand side of the road, and just as he commenced the turn, the lorry was overtaken by Mr. Gaddum’s car. The ear struck the right-lmnd front mudguard of the lorry a glancing blow, and then ran on to the grass on the right-hand side of the road. The car skidded along the grass for a considerable distance, and turned over, coining to rest on its hood, with all four wheels in the air. The hood and windscreen wore completely smashed, but with the assistance of others Mr. Gadflmn got out of the car quite unhurt. In addition to the extensive damage to the .top structure, the run-ning-boards and mudguards' of the car were dented,

Advice was received by the Invercargill police on Monday that Samuel Brooks, 60, of Invercargill, had died suddenly while working at Tussock Creek.

A Ipug and varied list of bequests is contained in the will of Miss Elizabeth Slater, of St. Albans, Christchurch, who died last week. Bequests ol £2750 are made to 19 institutions.

The hotly of .1. Roy Blake, who was drowned ill the. Rarigitikei River oh Friday, after he had been struck on the head by a falling rock and knocked into the flooded stream, was recovered on Sunday about a mile below the scene of the accident. A residence in Mastertou owned by Mr. T. Barnes, and occupied by a Mrs. Quinn, was gutted by fire on Sunday. The occupier was away in Wellington at the time, and two young men were staying in the house. They were awakened by a crackling noise, and were forced to make a hurried exit.

Although a start with the demolition of the old Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society’s building in Wellington was not made until the first week in January, nearly the whole of the workmen are engaged in razing the ground floor interior walls. In the course of another week the building that was once the pride of Wellington will he hut a memory. A fine of £lO and cancellation of his license until such time as he takes out a prohibition order against himself, was the penalty imposed oil Frederick George. Chesham, 44, of Opiki, when he appeared before Mr. J. L. Stout, -,5.M., in iho Palmerston North Police Court on a charge of being in charge of a motorvehicle in the Square on February 7 while in a state of intoxication.

The Arbitration Court at Napier gave judgment for the defendant in the claim by the Public Trustee against the Sunshine Brewery Company, limited, for £IOOO compensation arising out of the death of John Ascot Stevens', a brewer. Who died on February 4, 1931, from injuries received when a quantity ol beer was spilled on him from a vat during the Hawke's Bay earthquake.

As a result of a collision between a bicycle and a motor-lorry on the Fqxton line near Awapnni on Tuesday evening, Norman ' Noble Walker, a middle aged man employed ' by the Kniranga County Council, was admitted to Palmerston North Hospital with a compound fracture of the right leg. His condition is reported to be fairly serious.

The Tanranga Harbor Board on Monday considered a. letter asking that facilities be provided at Tanranga tor the trucking of sheep brought by boat from' the East Coast. Several members spoke in favor of the encouragement of the transport of sheep from Poverty Bay by boat to Tauranga and thence bv rail to the Waikato. The board unanimously agreed that the facilities be provided next season.

Air. J. Crichton, who achieved many successes at contests when lie was con ductor of the Wanganui Garrison Band, has made a suggestion that the Dominion and Australia should compete in an annual brass band contest, to be held alternately in the Dominion and the Commonwealth. As a life member of the New Zealand Brass Bands’ Association, he intends to bring the matter up 't the annual meeting in Wellington.

Severe injuries were received by Mr Arthur Moss, 51, an employee at the Public Works Department's quarry at Aria, near To Kuiti, when a 60ft. face of rock from which he was watching a charge of’ gelignite being fired collapsed. There was a greasy back to the face of the quarry and the discharge caused some thousands of yards of metal more than was expected to fall, bringing Mr. Moss down with it.

The prompt action of three children,' Donald, Joyce, and Noel Allen, in noth; lying an adult that they had seen, a boy lying on one of the stringers under the Miramar wharf, Wellington.,.; apparently unconscious, has been rewarded. Each of the three children was presented with £1 by the headmaster of NeAtown School, on" behalf of the hoy’s mother, Mrs. G. W. A. Peterson. It is not known how the boy received his injuries.

A German flag which formerly flew on a planter’s residence in Samoa has been presented to the barque Magdalene Vinnea at Auckland, and, is now used as the ship’s ensign. The flag was presented to the vessel by Mr. D. Glenfield, an employee of the Auckland Harbor Boai’d, and who was a member of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force which occupied Samoa. The flag is blue, white and red, in three horizontal stripes, and is similar to the German merchant flag. It was one of tffreo flags which flew over the German planter's nouse, and when the planter was interned the flags were hauled down. It is estimated that nearly £IO,OO'J has been left in New Zealand as a result of the visit of the Lurline to Auckland. The tourists themselves, and the 375 members of the crew spent freely when ashore, and about £I4CO was spent in stores and foodstuffs taken aboard from Auckland. The cost of special trains and motor trips accounted for further heavy expenditure, and the private purchases of Maori curios and other mementoes benefited trade considerably. Records of Maori singers sold particularly well in Rotorua, where the visitors were in some cases able to meet the artists whose voices they took away with them.

To lie on the roadside for over five hours with a fractured leg and other painful injuries was the experience of Joseph Clements, a middle-aged Bunnythorpe man. Mr. Clements left Palmerston North on his cycle at 6 p.m. for his home, but when he was proceeding along the Bunnythorpe road the crank broke and he was thrown heavily on the road. Suffering from a fractured right leg. he lit matches in a vain endeavor to attract the attention of passing traffic. He became unconscious, and on regaining consciousness shortly after 11 p.m. his cries attracted the attention of a nearby resident.

On Thursday evening the opening session of the conference of the representatives of the Methodist Church of New Zeland will be held in Wesley Church, Wellington. It. is possible ‘ for 300 officials to be present, but the number that, will take part in the session will probably he 250. On Thursday night the new president, the Rev. Clarence Baton, will be inducted, and will deliver his official address. At the same session the conference officers will be elected, including the president for 1935 and the vice-president for 1934. After occupying the position of secretary for some years, the Rev. J. H. Halsani will retire, and ho will be succeeded bv the Rev. W. A. Burley, M.A.

. Twelve former employees of the Christchurch Tramway Board who lost their positions as a result of having taken part in the tramway strike are to be re-engaged immediately under a rationing scheme arranged between the board and the union. The rationing scheme involves the members of the traffic staff losing a maximum of one day’s work in three weeks, but it is expected that actuallv the loss of working time will be less than that. It is understood that there are between 30 and 40 other ex-tramwaymen who lost their positions as a result of the strike ! available for re-employment, and appointments will be made from among them as vacancies occur.