Untitled

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19503, 9 December 1937, Page 6

The Wairoa district coroner, Mr. V. E. Winter, held an inquest at Mahia on Tuesday afternoon into the death of a Maori child, Te-ao-Maramu Wairau, aged nearly three months. Evidence .vas given by the father, Tauriri Wairau, that at 4 a.m. on Tuesday he found the child ill and left with him an horseback to go to the district nurse, but he had not gone far when the child began to struggle and died shortly after in his arms. The child's mother, aged 18, who said she had had no experience of children's complaints, gave corroborative evidence. Constable Houston said that in his opinion the child died from convulsions. The coroner returned a verdict to this effect.—Special.

"The simple increase of 26 births is a meagre criterion of the people's willingness to beget." This statement was made to the Taranaki Herald by a Stratford doctor in commenting on an article which stated that the 4b births in the New Plymouth district during November had given the town a record birth-rate and already placed this year's total 26 ahead of that of 1936. The doctor points ou; that a phenomenal increase has been noticed this year in the percentage of first births. Whereas they formerly accounted for 23 and 24 per cent, they were now between 50 and 60 per cent of the total births. The cause of this, continues the doctor, is the retardation of marriages during the slump.

On account of the tricky conditions of the surf at Wainui Beach hindering the practices of the boat crew of the Wainui Surf Llfe-Savlng Club, it was decided last evening at a meeting of the executive to hold the craft in town after the necessary repairs were effected and train several crews in the calmer waters of the bay before taking the boat out to its home beach. Several others it was resolved, would be given the Opportunity of becoming accustomed to handling the boat, and at the end of the training period in the calm water a crew would be selected to resume practise in the breakers at Wainui. It was expected that the boat would remain In town for at least two weeks. Members of the patrol also were reminded to attend the ordinary practice night on Thursday at the clubhouse of the Gisborne Rowing Club. The unsatisfactory condition of the tees during the summer season of the Poverty Bay Golf Club was raised last evening by Mr. H. Berkeley Tyerman, on behalf of a member, at the annual meeting of the club. He said he had been told that the temporary tees on the Awapuni links were not in a good condition and were difficult, to play from. The chairman, Mr. W. R. B. Willock, said that the matter had been considered by the committee and It was its opinion that on account of the fact that in previous years the members had free use of the main tees, winter members had had to play on Inferior tees during the season proper. The summer players would have to put up with the inconvenience until the main tees could be improved satisfactorily and then the committee would consider improving the temporary tees.

Napier enjoyed 251.8 hours of sunshine last month, giving an average of 8.4 hours a day.

The studio and office premises of the new Ilawke's Bay radio station have been secured at Napier, according to advice received from the Hon. W. E. Barnard, M.P. for Napier. The smashing of a shop window and the theft of two ladies' handbags from the display in the window between 10 and 11 p.m. on Saturday is engaging the attention of the police constable stationed in Ruatoria. The shop was that of Mrs. C. Hunter, bookseller and stationer, and the breaking of the window was done during her absence from the premises.

An indication of South African reaction to the results ot the matches piayed by the Springboks in New Zealand was given oy Mr. J. it. ivirK, Wellington, who has returned diter an extensive tour of Soutli Ainca. He said the" result of the lirsi t est was received witn almost general and painiul silence, broken only by ihe apologists with their various excuses lor the dreadful and surprising outcome, for tiie following lesis, no South African had any cToubis, "The team is invincible, it cannot be beaten," one enthusiastic supporter said, and that really summed up the general opinion and belief. The team went home like heroes of old to receive the laurels awaiting them.

A suggestion for an improvement in the manner of collecting green fees and controlling visitors to the course oy giving the greenkeeper authority to ask players to see their receipts was made last evening by Mr. H. Berkeley Tyerman at the annual meeting of the Poverty Bay Golf Club. The chairman, Mr. W. R. B. vVillock, explained that the matter had caused the committee a great deal of worry. They realised that the club did not get as much out of green fees as it should. It was the duty ot members of the club introducing a visitor to first see that the name 01 the visitor was placed in the visitors' book and then see that their tees were paid. Mr. Tyerman raised the point of two strangers visiting the jourse and playing for half a day without paying fees. The chairman explained that it was usual for any strangers to communicate with the secretary or a member of the committee, and those at the clubhouse were advised of the visitors.

"If one had not known the area under war conditions, it would be impossible to recognise that the Ypres Salient had ever been the scene of sustained and costly battle, judging by its appearance to-day," said Mr. J. G. Coates, a General Motors' executive, discussing with a pressman his impressions of the war areas of Northern France, which he visited during a recent tour abroad. Mr. Coates, who served in the Great War with the N.Z.E.F., recalled that the salient had been the scene of heavy fighting at various times, and (hat thousands of British troops had lost their lives there. What had impressed him most during his recent visit was the small scope within which '.he great battles of the war years had been fought, and the innocuous -ippearance to-day of knolls for which divisions of fine troops had been sacrificed. To anyone who had not known the salient during the war, he said, the significance of the> area would be entirely lost. Even the trenches which had been left unfilled in places were so covered with growth as to be almost unrecognisible, and for the greater part, the salient had been under the plough •ime and again during the post-war years