NEW ZEALAND NEWS

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 64, 21 March 1929, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND NEWS

NOTES FROM ALL PARTS. THE DOMINION BAY BY DAY. HERB. THERE, AND EVERYWHERE Seagulls Lose Shyness. Seagulls are by nature timid birds, says the Napier ‘Telegraph’, but those that frequent the Napier beaches have conquered their timidity to a large extent and in some case.s will almost feed out of the picnickers’ hands. Some of the workers who eat their mid-day meal picnic fashion on the beach have hardly any difficulty in enticing the birds to take food from them.

“A Better Bill of Fare.” Proceedings at the Wanganui City Council table are frequently lifted from their path of dull monotony, by, the casual observations of the Mayor, and at the last meeting Sir. W. J. Rogers once more interrupted a rather prosaic discussion with a remark that raised a chorus of chuckles: “I went over there,”, he said, referring to the Wanganui gaol, “and I noticed they had nice e.namel baths, hut when I saw the porridge they had for tea and asked about the tea they had to drink with it, I decided I’d sooner have my own tin bath and a better bill of fare.”

Doubly Doomed. Doubly doomed was the rate of a fine kingfish in Rangitoto Channel Auckland, the other day. The'lTsh was hooked by Mr. W. Elworth. and made a great fight for about 12 minutes, Mr. Elworth was beginning to reel in when there were two or three sharp jerks on the lino “and then his task became easy. But all that was brought alongside was the head Qf a kingfish, the body having been bitten \off clean, presumably by a cruising shark. Judging from a 451 b kingfish he took a day or two Mr. Elworth estimates the weight of the one lost to the shark at 601 b.

Cash Order Trading. It is learned in well-informed circles in Napier (says the ‘Telegraph’), that it is probable that the report of he Minister of Indusries and Commerce (the Hon J. B. Oobbe) and the secretary of the Department (Mr. J. W. Collins) in regard to the cash order trading system, at present the subject of inquiry in tjie various centres, will be ready for submission to Cabinet before Easter. The Minister has stated that the principal par of the evidence had yet to be heard at Auckland. All the other centres had been visited, and he anticipated that sqon after leaving Auckland he would be in a position to draw up his report. Many witnesses had been heard on both sides, chiefly as representatives bf concerns interested in the operation of the cash order trading system.

Relieving Doctors. At the recent Hospital Board’s conference Dr, H. M. Wilson (Hawkes’ Bay) appealed to the conference to do something in the nature of a request that specially trained men should take charge of hospitals in rotation while medical superintendents were away on leave. The question, he said, involved the quesion of proper staffing of hospital's, as raised by the deputation from the College of Surgeons at the previous session. The hospital boards had a definite duty as regards postgraduate courses for medical men outside the hospitals. For the sake of the health of the community he hoped that the conference would instruct the executive to spend some time in evolving a scheme, and when that was done Nevy Zealand wo*ld have the finest system in the world. The conference referred the matter to the executive for consideration.

Reminiscences. lleminiscenes of the voyage to Ne w Zealand iu 1859-60 of the immigrant sliip African were revived by Hon, George J. Garland, M.L.0., at a recent union of shipmates and their descendants at Auckland. Mr, Garland related that once, when on a holiday in Pelorus Sound, he was accosted by an elderly man, who introduced himself as an old shipmate, Mr. Charles Curtis, In conversation together they recalled many of the events of the voyage, #nd had a laugh over the passenger who was washed overboard while carrying a pot of tea along the main deck, and came aboard again over the poop in another sea, with the teapot still in his hand. The catch Phrase, “Whole stole the pork?” was revived, and Mr. Curtis answered promptly; “Maloney.” Mr. Ourtis had worked his pasagse out for Is a month, and told Mr. Garland that lie was the man who helped the mate broach the. cargo arid get drunk. For this the mate was put in irons, but Mr. Ourtis slipped overboard when the vessel was anchored in the Hauraki Gulf for the night, before coming into port, and ho swam to the Whangagarau Peninsula.. He landed in New Zealand with only a singlet and a pair of trousers to his name, but escaped punish, ment.