In the News

Southland Times, Issue 24592, 14 November 1941, Page 4

In the News

Logical Development The opportunities afforded ministers of furthering the work of the church when young people approach them concerning marriage was discussed by the Presbyterian Assembly in Timaru. One speaker began *fhus: “When a young man and his wife came to me to discuss their wedding.” (Laughter.) The speaker amended: “The young man and his wife-to-be.” Then he proceeded: “I went through the marriage vows with them, and then I went through the baptismal vows.” The renewed laughter prompted the speaker to explain that he regarded that as the logical development. Foreign Coins

Foreign coins, which, would, be refused by shopkeepers, are sometimes passed to tram conductors. Recently an Auckland conductor was given instead of a penny, a 10-centime piece of the time of Napoleon 111, bearing the date

1856. Goodwill Gesture As a goodwill gesture, the crew of an American ship collected 6600 cigarettes for the members of the New Zealand Forces in the Middle East. Delivery of the cigarettes has been taken by the National Patriotic Fund Board, and arrangements will be made for them to be shipped at an early date. The New Zealand soldiers will be informed of the source of the gift. Huge Trees Planted 35 years ago for shelter, pinus insignus trees on- the property of Mr Frank Wakelin, of Kamo (Auckland), are now being cut for timber. The 60 trees are estimated to produce between 60,000 and 70,000 feet of timber. One tree which has been cut was more than 100 feet long and yielded four logs, each 22 feet long, for a total measurement of more than 5000 feet of timber. The butt log dressed contained 2227 feet of timber. It was 14 feet in girth. Several other trees were of similar size. Rats Like Fruit Stones In seaside residences people usually burn all household scraps so as not to encourage rats, but perhaps the destroying of fruit stones does not enter their minds. During the demolition of a cottage at Doctors’ Point (Otago) recently numbers of rats’ nests were found in the walls, and in almost every instance a heap of fruit stones was found. In each stone there was a small hole through which the kernel had been extracted. Measles and Trotting The measles outbreak among the soldiers recently apparently caused ' anxiety about more than just the soldiers’ health. Responding to the toast of the medical services at the third reunion of the Canterbury-Westland War Amputees’ Association, Colonel Sir Hugh Acland, Assistant Director of Medical Services, said that as was probably well known the authorities in an emergency “only have to press a button and we take charge of that ground they were trotting on yesterday. When the men started getting measles we became anxious, especially on Monday, when the measles cases started shooting up,” Sir Hugh Acland said, “and we just wondered if there would be any show on Thursday and Friday. Well,” he added with a smile, “we just said stop—and fortunately they stopped.” Ducks’ Shrewdness Several instances of the shrewdness of the native grey duck (parera) in nesting in trees, rather than on the ground, where there are greater risks of raids by increasing numbers of enemies, have been reported to the Forest and Bird Protection Society. Reliable observers have seen ducks carrying their ducklings, one by one, pick-a-back, to the water, but a Foxton nature-lover saw different tactics used. The young had been fed in the nest until they were well fledged, and the duck then enticed them to flutter down to the ground. Mistaken Identity The British sense of humour shines lin unexpected places. No one would expect to get much fun and laughter | out of an air warden’s job in London I but apparently it can be done, accordj ing to a letter from an air warden to a | friend in Christchurch. “We get many ■ laughs,” he writes. “Wardens in the I next post saw some parachutes descendi ing and immediately gave chase. The ‘over fifties’ soon gave it up; but two j younger men reached the point of landing just before the parachutes made contact—and saw they had been running towards two parachute mines, the most devastating device yet dropped from aeroplanes; and they fell flat just before the explosion. Although all buildings over a wide area disintegrated, by some chance the wardens were only shaken. They had to buy beer for the rest of the post.” Fine Japanese Deer Application for recognition as a New Zealand and world’s record Japanese deer head is to be made to the New Zealand Deerstalkers’ Association for a 10-pointer secured by Mr H. L. White, of Morrinsville, and Mr E. J. Schofield, of Auckland, during a hunting trip in the Poronui district in the centre of the North Island earlier this year. The head, which has now been mounted, is not only outstanding in its measurements, but is exceptionally symmetrical. Japanese deer develop better antlers in New Zealand than in other- parts of the world. In their native country they seldom exceed six points, the best head recorded there being an eight-pointer, 28Jin long, with a spread of 18jin, and a diameter of 3|in in the smallest part of the main beam The head secured by Messrs White and Schofield has antlers 33 7-Bin long, with a spread of 31 5-Bin, and a diameter in the smallest part of the main beam of s!in. Mistake in A.A. Bulletin Charged with driving on full beam headlights during restricted hours, a Gisborne motorist pleaded that he had been misled by information published in the Auckland Automobile Association’s bulletin, and the association is refunding to the motorist a Court fine and costs totalling 10/-. The time for the starting of restrictions should have read “7 p.m.” The man was charged with operating a vehicle with full headlights at 7.15 p.m. on August 21. The defendant admitted the facts, but drew the attention of Mr E. L. Walton, S.M., to the article in the July bulletin of the Automobile Association, which stated that restrictions were in force from 7.30 p.m. to 6.30 a.m. daily. In consideration of the defence and the fact that the journal was a reputable one, and widely read by motorists, Mr Walton made the fine a nominal one. Birds Killed by Cats “The number of cats in New Zealand is estimated at 1,000,000, many of which have gone wild,” says Forest and Bird, the magazine of the New Zealand Forest and Bird Protection Society. “Probably some 10,000,000 birds are destroyed every year by these animals alone. A cat belonging to a lighthouse keeper has destroyed an entire species (the endemic Stephen’s Island flightless wren). Weasels and stoats rob the nests of the flightless wekas—birds which serve as protectors of other native species owing to their destruction of rats. As the weka declines in numbers, so the rats are increasing, and the native birds grow fewer and fewer. Every year many kiwis and wekas fall victims to the traps of opossum-hunters. Wild pigs, dogs, and human interference have combined to make kiwis scarce in all but the remotest areas.”