NEWS OF THE DAY

Stratford Evening Post, Volume I, Issue 198, 31 July 1931, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Help for the Needy The sum of £2 10s, to be applied in assisting any cases of distress in the Whangamomona county, has been received by Mrs. W. J. Poison from ihe Tahora women’s division of the Farmers’ Union and the Younger Set, and handed to Mrs. F.. Bowler, secretary of Women’s Central R,elief Com mittee. A special meeting of the branch was convened for Wednesday to consider ways and means of alleviating distress. The Usual Thing “At the end of the war the canteen funds amounted to £103,000,” said Mr. G. W. Lloyd, when reviewing in Christchurch the work of the Dominion Conference of the Returned Soldiers’ Association. “The Government of the day thought that the money was a splendid windfall, and announced that it would be used for a national war memorial. The proposal was to have something like the Tongariro National Park as the memorial —a place right in the middle of the North Island, where almost nobody could ever get at it.” Removal of Pines A small tractor is being employed to drag to the road the logs of pinus insignis recently felled in King Edward Park. A large number of youngtrees of different kinds have been planted to replace the felled. The original bush was felled in 188 G and the rimu split for fencing posts. Now in the short space of 45 years there is being taken off the same land timber of equal weight, or perhaps greater, for the sawmill. The old bush had taken just about ten times as long to come to maturity. Good Cheese Quality Excellent reports were received by the Oaonui Dairy Company on the quality of last season’s cheese, and one merchant stated that it was one of the best brands he handled. Of a total of 10,868 crates of cheese manufactured by the company, 1716 crates were graded finest and 9152 crates first, not one crate of secondclass having been manufactured. At the annual meeting shareholders spoke of the efficient work of the general manager (Mr. A. McDougall) and his staff, more particularly as the good results had been achieved with a reduction of id per lb. of fat in the cost of manufacture.

Miss Massey’s Recital At the recital to be given in the Town Hall, Stratford, on August 4 by Miss Mary Massey, L.A.8., Mr. Rex Harrison (baritone) and Miss B. Masters, L.A.8., will assist. Miss Massey's ability as a vocalist is wellknown in the district and as her services have always been given willingly in aid of local objects, all will wish her much success in presenting the recital. Mr. Harrison is known throughout the Dominion as a finished artist, and his numbers are sure to be greatly appreciated. Miss Masters’ capabilities at the pianoforte and her work will add to the high musical standard of the evening. Blow-out at Moturoa During testing operations at the Moturoa Oil Fields No. 2 well yesterday morning a blow-out occurred as the result of a heavy flow of inflammable gas. The pressure was so great that it drove heavy eight-inch drilling tools from the 2,080 feet level, the depth of the well, to within 700 feet of the surface, where they jammed. Prior to the blow-out the well was tested for water, which had been shut off, and the test had proved satisfactory. At the time the hole was being cleaned out and deepened a few feet. It did not take long to get the gas under control. Though the flow was not expected so soon (the operations were just at a critical and hopeful stage), it has a distinctly promising feature. The gas is not only highly inflammable, but has shown itself at the same level as in the old oil bearing wells in the neighbourhood. The jammed tools were recovered from the well about midday.

A Maori Adze A discovery to. which a great deal of interest attaches was made at Milford Sound at the beginning of May, when Mr. J. Galvin, who was employed on the public works there, chanced upon a Maori adze about 10 inches in length, weighing 2ilb, and made of a hard stone the colour of ivory (states the Southland Daily News). The adze is a fine example of Maori workmanship, well shaped, polished and sharpened. Mr. Galvin found it in the bush about 17 miles from the hostel, on the way to the Quentin Hut. The adze was lying on the ground, not buried in the earth at all, but hidden beneath a few inches of dead leaves. The white stone out of which the adze is cut is much more rarely found than the greenstone, of which so many Maori implex ments were made. It was probably mislaid by a Maori during a visit to the Sound, or by some of the survivors of the Southern Maoris after they had fled before the victorious onslaught of the North Island warriors led by Te Rauparaha.

Fired by Example The reception accorded Mr. W. Graeme-Holder, author and producer of “Play Your King,” by the Stratford Operatic Society on the occasion of his visit to Hawera on Wednesday to arrange for a production of the popular musical comedy in that town, was most cordial, and augurs well for the success of the show. Business people who met Mr. Graeme-Holder in connection with the matter gave him every encouragement, while public opinion pointed to the fact that the success of “Play Your King” had been widely recognised in Southern Taranaki. Prominent Hawera residents who had been associated with operatic affairs said that there were signs of a revival of interest in the local society, due, largely, it seemed, to (he response given by the Stratford people to their society, and the outstanding success of the production. Mr. Graeme-Holder was pleased indeed to hear complimentary opinions of his play and (he players, and especially to learn that there was a definite current of feeling that for the future there should be a closer bond of friendship between the two societies. Stratford amateurs will hail with satisfaction signs of a revival of interest in amateur operatic circles in j Hawera town and district.