IN TOWN AND OUT

Southland Times, Issue 20586, 10 September 1928, Page 6

IN TOWN AND OUT

NEWS OF THE DAY Eucharistic Congress. High Mass was celebrated at St. Mary’s Bascilica yesterday morning as an earnest of the congregation’s devout wishes for the success of ;he Eucharistic Congress. * * * ♦ More Big Blue Cod. At the City Fish Mart a Times reporter was on Saturday shown seven huge blue cod which had been caught near Riverton. Each of these weighed over 6 lbs and measured almost 24 inches before being beheaded. * * * * Farm Drainage. When the points awarded for drainage in the prize farm competition were being discussed by the committee on Saturday morning a member asked if extra points were awarded for tile drains, for, said he, “I know some places where tiles are placed at the mouth of the drain, with something else out of sight.” * * ♦ • Express Late Again. The express from Christchurch which is due at Invercargill at 9.2 p.m. did not arrive till 9.40 on Saturday. The t-ain was a little behind time at Dunedin and was further delayed there through extra cars having to be put on to cope with passengers returning south after witnessing the test match. Another Howler. The latest schoolboy howler, which originated in a Southland school recently, goes to show that the often misquoted Respondez e’il vous plait is still open to variation. The familiar R.S.V.P. along with other abbreviations was submitted to the scholars as a test in general knowledge. One pupil surprised and amused the examiner by answering the first question with, “Railway station' via post office.” * * * « Local Exports. Included in the cargo of the Katoa at present berthed at Bluff, are some of Booth, Macdonald’s well-known road graders, writes our Bluff correspondent. In addition the Katoa has a large consignment of paper from Mataura. The paper industry has become rather an asset for the port as coastwise steamers carry raw material to Bluff and take away shipments of the finished article. Summer Trips to Sounds. In the near future, writes our Bluff correspondent, the s.s. Cowan will be placed on the slip for an overhaul preparatory to entering the summer service to the West Coast Sounds. The vessel which will be thoroughly overhauled and fitted with passenger accommodation, will be replaced by the Rita in the oyster fleet for the remainder of the oystering season. The Cowan was similarly engaged last summer and proved to be very popular and with the proposed improvements, the vessel should be all the more comfortable and seaworthy. Pensioned. A Times reporter who visited Long Bush during the week-end noted an interesting scholastic relic in an unused room at the Long Bush school. This was a desk of undoubted antiquity and a glance at its scarred and battered top could not help but conjure up visions of the many children who had sat before it in bygone days. Apart from being covered with cuts and scratches, three parts of the front of the desk had been cut back for a full inch. The Long Bush school existed in the days of the Provincial Council so perhaps this is one of the original desks. As an example of the destructive habits of the young, even when under the eye of authority, it deserves a place in our museum. Safer Roads. Every motorist who has driven on a black bitumen road at night knows how the surface of the road absorbs the light from the car lamps and reduces the margin of safety. The surface of the main road to the north, in the vicinity of Kennington suggests a possible solution to the problem of providing safer roads. This part of the road is surfaced with yellow pebbles and the reflection from the surface is quite sufficient to provide a margin of safety. Many tons of shells are available in the estuary opposite Clifton and if these were spread on the bitumen surface after tar had been applied, a fairly good surface would result. The surplus tar would soon wear eff the top of the shells but they would scarcely become bright enough to cause any undue glare on a surely day. Rescuing the Perishing. About six o’clock on Saturday evening numerous pedestrians in Dee Street became interested in the manoeuvres of two motor care, one of which, a tourer, was being towed by the other, a runabout. The wet and slippery strtet probably made traction difficult, the turn around the silent policeman at the intersection of Dee and Esk Streets being negotiated at a snail’s pace. The persistent screech of motor horns drew general attention to the temporary stoppage in the traffic and passing pedestrians paused to see what would eventuate. The cars eventually reached the entrance to a garage but when the front wheels of the tourer reached the gutter the runabout was unable to pull the disabled car across the pavement. Foot traffic was held up by the rope stretched between the two cars, but an energetic gentleman saved the situation by putting his shoulder to the rear car. This timely assistance enabled the care to pass into the garage. * * * • Lamb Mortality. While conversing with a Times reporter Mr. James Munro, of Lochiel, mentioned the ever interesting problem of lamb mortal ity. To give point to hie argument, Mr Munro said that he knew of an instance where a man had fed stale milk to his pigs with the result that 40 of the pigs died within 24 hours. He had also noted that when a motherless lamb was adopted to a ewe that had lost her lamb several days before, the lamb was almost certain to die. However, if the ewe was milked before the lamb was adopted the adoption generally proved successful. Mr. Munro considered that this proved that bad milk was poisonous. It is a well known fact that it is always the biggest and best lambs that die from unknown causes. Mr. Munro adds, that from observations he has made, he is assured that it is generolly the single lambs that are stricken. The greatest loss of lambs occurs when the lambs are commencing to graze and when there is a flush of grass, or, in other words, when the milk yield of the ewe is at its height, and when the lamb is not in need of the usual quantity of food from the mother. Mr. Munro says that he has noted that single lambs usually go to one particular side of the ewe for nourishment, and he suggests that the other side is neglected until the milk becomes poisonous. Then, probably by mere chance, the lamb applies itself to the neglected side and is poisoned. The recognized remedy for this lamb mortality is less feed and more exercise for both mother and lamb and as this tends to decrease the milk yield while increasing the appetite of the lamb it removes the condition just outlined.