AROUND THE DOMINION

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 221, 15 April 1933, Page 8

AROUND THE DOMINION

Britain's Leadership In the course of a brief address to the Council of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Mr. F. W. Doidge, mi ex-New Zealand journalist, and now a director <>f three London journals and hon. secretary Of the Empire Crusade, said Lli-.it Britain was holding her own while other countries were losing ground. It was his firm ■•mivw-tioii that it was to Britain that people must now look for leadership : i>ii a return to sanity and prosperity.

America's Slump A traveller who arrived in New Zealand from the United Slates a few davs ago said thai the Dominion seemed to be a laud of plenty in comparison with America. As an illustration of the business conditions which had come under his notice he said that it was possible for reputable people to get office premises without rent in Chicago. He had seen a 15-storey building without a tenant. Propertyowners had in some cases allowed their premises to be occupied on condition that the tenants simply guaranteed to keep the offices from falling into disrepair. Weather Prediction A correspondent who has devoted some study to meteorology forwards the following forecast to the Southland News: Another weather cycle of about six years will operate from now on ,in all probability resulting in longer summers and somewhat colder winters, greater storms and higher wind velocity than has been experienced during the last 15 years, culminating in 1937-38 with remarkable weather conditions. An abnormal season will also probably be experienced about 103ii-3G.

New Zealand's Richest Acre New Zealand's richest acre is under water, and fish is its crop. It is known .amongst fishermen as the North Reef, and is 16 miles beyond Taiaroa Heads, Diinedin, the compass course from the Heads being N.E. by N. About an acre in extent, the reef was discovered some 28 years ago, and for years it cropped £IOO a day' ia groper, kingfish, bass and brim. At first it was inaccessible in rough weather but fishing boats 'have been changing to a larger type, and the big. powerful fishing launches of today can face Aveather that the old whaleboats could not look at. It is understood that half a million pounds' worth of fish has been landed from the North Reef, and it is still a good fishing ground.

Roadside Advertisements At this week's meeting of the executive committee of the North Island Motor Union at, PalmcTston North, a letter was received from an association of New Zealand advertisers relative to the question of roadside advertising. The entertaining of nay proposal of this nature was viewed with a large measure of doubt by the meeting, one speaker pointing out that the union had striven hard to attain the present position in the restriction of roadside hoardings and that it would be unwise of the union to associate itself with any movement which might lead to a return to the old order of things. It was accordingly decided to hold over a reply so that a report at present being framed on the matter of roadside signs could be forwarded. On the suggestion of Mr. N. H. Mackie it was decided to express the union's appreciation of the Shell Company's action in dismantling signs throughout the country—a work which had entailed considerable expense to the company.

Defaulting Ratepayers Consideration of the cases of defaulting ratepayers occupied -'ti'.ie greater part of the time of the Marlborough County Council recently, states' the Express. It proved tedious and at times a distasteful job, but there was one gleam of relief. This Avas the concluding paragraph of a letter from a ratepayer who pleaded for time to pay. irhis is what he wrote: "I feel my position very keenly, I assure you, in having to write in' such strain, but cannot help myself. It is the rotten system, under which we are living (?) to-day that is to blame. I think Mr. Coates made a quiet visit to Russia whilst he was away, his methods certainly smack of those meted out to the Russian peasantry."

Earthquake and Hollywood A description of the earthquake damage in California is contained in a ietter° written to Mrs. V. Aldridgc, of Wellington, by her sister, Mrs. Winter Hail wife of the well-known film actor and formerly Miss Kate Young, of Wellington. "You will have seen and be seeing by the papers all about the terrible earthquake we have had here" Mrs. Hall writes. "Hollywood really had no damage at all, except the fright of it ,and down town Los Angeles had very little. The parts where till the damage and loss of lite occurred' arc about 30 or 40 miles from where we live, and it has really been very dreadful there. The pictures of it in the papers look just the same as the New Zealand earthquake, and you will know just how everything

A Turf Nursery "This is a move to establish not a turf cluli but a turf nursery," remarked the president of the Wellington Bowling Centre, Mr. W, Perry, at a meeting of the centre when a suggestion from the Hataitai Club that steps be taken to establish a turf nursery with the object of supplying clubs with suitable turf was under consideration. Mr. J. Kershaw said that the suggestion appealed to him. Since putting forward the suggestion, the Hataitai Club had used some spare ground and had- established a nursery the turf from which it was hoped would be ready not next year but the following year. The club hopedta have sufficient turf to replace bare patches in the future. Bowling clubs (lid not ask the City Council foi much, and he thought it would be reasonable to ask the council to establish a nursery. During the discussion it was stated that the City Council had difficulty in supplying its own turf, and it was eventually deckled to discuss the whole matter with the director of parks and reserves.

Woman Motorist's Lapse A married woman pleaded guilty m the Police Court at Invercargill before Messrs. G. F. Watson and A. L. Adamson, J.'sP., to a charge ot being found in a state of intoxication while in charge of a car on the North Road Sergeant Abel, who appeared for the police said that Constable Brown had found' the accused in the car which was backed into a small ditch. She wis in an intoxicated condition. Mr. Russell made a strong plea lor leniency and said that the accused who was a wife and mother, felt her posi tion very keenly. She was a very abstemious woman, but on this occasion wns returning from a trip into the country, had stopped atr (the hotel, and had two square gins, which owing to the cold and the fact that she had had very little to eat, undoubtedly affected her. Counsel suggested a nominal fine and cancellation of the license and asked that accused s name be suppressed. The Bench imposed a ti,,e of £1 and cancelled accuseds license for 12 months. They ordered her name not to be published.

Noxious Weeds Research The work of five year.' research or. noxious weeds in the Dominion has been brought to a conclusion, state* a Report to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, and a comnrehenpive report is being prepared covering the conclusions reached as the result of the five years investigations. This report will be submitted to the council in due course v>v transmission to the Empire Marketing Board "The results attending these investigations," remarks the report to the council, "have not been such as was anticipated at an earlier date; both the ability of the various imported insects to establish themselves arid to inflict serious damage upon the host plants hav; not giv.m encouraging results. While it is feit that there are numerous entomological problems which justify further invention, those immediately associated with the biological control of weeds, while deserving of further attention, do not, i„ view of the finances available justify their being regarded m !r»c light of a major research."