NEW ZEALAND NEWS

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 39, 21 February 1929, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND NEWS

NOTES FROM ALL PARTS. THE DOMINION DAY BY DAY, HERE. THERE, AND EVERYWHERE EARLY HISTORY. Within the next few days, Dr. Guy H. Scliolefield, Parliamentary Librarian, will carry out. research into the past history of Hokitika and Greymoutli states the “Christchurch Press'’). While Dr. iScffiolefield is in these towns, lie will search their ancient archives and will take steps to see that the old records are made safe for the future. In his researches he hopes to find material which will reveal more fully some of the Incidents of the early days. He will later visit Dunedin and Invercargill on a similar mission.

GRAFTON BRIDGE SAFEGUARDS Safeguards' to deter* persons mounting the parapet ,of Grafton Bridge would involve the Auckland City Council in a cost of £6BO says the “Star.” . The city engineer, Mr. W. IS. Bush, reported that it would be extremely difficult to deter persons who had made up their minds to jump over from doing so unless a structure was erected on top of the pa'rapet in a manner that would largely, spoil the aippeaVanc© of the bridge. Tbe wire screen for which the estimate provided would, he for a length of 820 ft, the bridge itself being 973 ft. On the recommendation of the Works Committee, no action was taken. ARSENIC VERSUS WEEDS. The use of arsenic in the control of hard fem is dealt with in a report just issued hy the Department of Agriculture, and Scientific and Industrial Research. Last year 12 no. res of country badly infested with hard fern were cleaned tip by this method. Spraying operations ur© at present in progress, and. up ..to date approximately CO acres have! been dealt with. It is hoped to deal with some 20Q acres experimentally and in co-operation with farmers during the present autumn. The use or arsenic in the destruction of other weeds is also being experimented with, these including bracken, ragwort, Californian thistle, pin-phi, pennyroyal, and foxglove. The indications, the report says, so far xo dat© are such as to warrant more extensile trials with certain of these weeds.

RESPONSIBILITY. A dog which rushed) out at a motor cyclist on the Belfast road and took a piece out of lbs coat was the cause of a case, in the Magistrate's Court at Christchurch, before Mr.. E. D. Mosley, S.M., when the man round whose place the dog had been i mining was prosecuted for keeping the animal. The magistrate ruled (that although the. man was not the owner of the dog he was responsible for it. William Jenkins pleaded not guilty to a charge of being the owner of a dog which attacked Bertram, Richards, wlileroby his limbs w,ere endangere'S. ’ Tor tne defence it waa stated that Jenkins had done every, tlung he could; to.get rid of the dog, which belonged to people named Bates, who had left Belfast. “The defendant should confine the dog and give notice to the owner to remove it or he should destroy it,” said tile magistrate. “He is fined 20a and costs.” MAIN TRUNK ANNIVERSARY. The (Main Trunk railway (service between Auckland and Wellington was inaugurated 20 years ago on Thursday last (says the “New Zealand Herald”). The first trams that passed over the line were those that conveyed a Parliamentary party from and to Wellington on the occasion of the visit of the American Fleet to Auckland in August, 1908'. |The ballasting of the line was not then completed, and it was not until 6th November of. the same year that the ceremony of driving “the last spike ' midway between the two cities was performed by the Prime Minister, Sir-Joseph Ward. The regular service was begun on 14tlh February,i 1909, the first express from Auckland) leaving on the evening of that day with about 200 pasengers, including a. large number of returning Christmas and,New Year holiday excursionists, 'whoso tickets were then expiring. The first train from Wellington left for Auckland on 15tlv February.