NEW ZEALAND NEWS

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 64, 29 May 1928, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND NEWS

NOTES FROM ALL PARTS.

SCHK DOMINION DAY BY DAY. Unusual Theft. An unusual theft has ocurred at a 'Wanganui hotel. The housemaid had done her early rounds and had left the sitting room with the door closed. Later a guest remarked that it did not seem reasonable to expect him to sit in a room with a bare floor. The proprietress found that the carpet square had disappeared and with it a hearth rug, a. search proved fruitless. The hotel is situated in a busy street. * *

Minerals in Pastures. •Negotiations to secure a visit to the Dominion by Dr. J. B. Orr, director of. the Rowett Institute, Aberdeen, and a world’s authority on the subject of the mineral content of 'pastures, have been successful. Dr Orr,’ who has been spending some time in Australia, will arrive in Wellington next week, and, although the length of his stay is indefinite ,at present, it is expected that he will remain here long enough to go into the question of the mineral content of pastures which is at the moment the subject of a special investigation under the direction of Mr B. C. Aston, of the Department of Agriculture. a « Interes ting j Disco ver y. Mr E. A. Marchant, a well-known surveyor in Wanganui, the other day made a discovery at Nukumaru, which is of interest to those who make a study of Maori history. He was engaged in looking for an old trig station when he came across the remains, of a Maori oven or hangi. This was in sand below a deposit of loam about 9in deep. To a casual observer this would not convey very much, but to a practical man it meant a good deal. In the first place tlie loam deposits or sand do not form very rapidly, and to get that depth would take at least 1000 years or more, so that gives some idea of the age of the hangi. w .* Small Bird Nuisance. The general opinion expressed by Ashburton County farmers is that the small bird nuisance Of years ago (when it was estimated that the average toll the wheatgrower , paid on his crop was two bushels per acre) is gradually decreasing (says the Guardian). Two factors are advanced as the causey the felling of the plantations and close trimming of gorge hedges. Farmers assert that the main breeding grounds now are the riverbeds, where gorse and broom grow practically unrestricted. If this area for propagation could be cleared there would be very little loss of grain frdni the bird pest i u the outer districts. The nearer the towns the 'larger the flocks of sparrows, and it is suggested that a more vigorous poisoning campaign by householders, aided by free grain from local authorities, would he an additional precaution against any increase of the pest.

1 a a Interest and Sinking Fund. “When you hear people growling about the amount of money raised by rate, and the little that is done with it, remind them that two-thirds of the amount is going out in interest and sinking fund,” remarked the Mayor explained that after consid-. man), in an interesting address on municipal control to the Business Women’s Circle of the Y.M.'C.A. in Gisborne (reports the Heraid). The Mayor evplained that after considering the estimated • receipts from fees, licenses, and other sources, and then the estimated expenditure, such as wages, materials, and all other things appertaining to the progress and welfare ot tne borough, a rate uaJ to ne struck 10 bring ine required revenue. The Gisborne Bor- (.>'•■ gn Cou.jCH struct! a rale wmcU 01 ought in auout £02,000, but uuioiluuateiy the council did not nave mac amount to use, xor aooi.t £30,u00 had to go out in payment of interest and sinking fund on loans previously raised. * * Nothing to learn. Hotel accommodation in New Zealand nas often been disparaged, but that winch is avauaole in Aucidand nas found a ciiampion in Mr R. T. Michaels, wno returned irom a visit to Australia by tne Maiama. He said that Aucitiand had nothing lu learn in respect of providing accommodation as far as ayuney and Brisoane were concerned. -There was a line Masonic Ciuo in Sydney with accommodation lor GOO members of me cralt. The club was equipped with every modern appointment, even including a concert nail and theatre. He said the buidliug cost £250,000, and the fraternity 'in Brisbane was considering the erection of a similar social centre at a cost of £IIO,OOO. Apropos of hotels, Mr Leslie J. Thompson, the Auckland surgeon who recently returned from a. world tour, in speaking of the grand manner in which things were done in America, stated the party of British surgeons with whom he was travelling were accommodated at the Pennsylvania Hotel in New York, claimed to be the largest hotel in the world. The appointments were palatial, and there were 3000 bedrooms, every one of which has a bathroom attached.