LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 3 November 1926, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A magnificent view of Ruapehu was obtained from the Waiwakaiho Golf Links yesterday afternoon. The mountain in all its massiveness rose high into the sky on the horizon and the snow that completely covered it had a yellow tinge in the sunlight. The New Zealand Native Bird Protection Society is preparing very expensive coloured bird-charts for issue to all schools, together with a printed leeturette on each bird. Each chart to be issued periodically will contain six birds. They are to be executed in the best manner possible in the Dominion, and the work is being undertaken in co-operation with the Department of Education. E. L. Doheny, an oil magnate known all over the United States, intends to leave his home of Los Angeles with a party of relatives and friends in his steam yacht, the Casiana, a vessel of 1227 tons net, 25411. long and 33ft. in beam. She is considered one of the largest and most luxuriously-fitted yachts afloat. The waters around New Zealand are the objective of Mr. Doheny’s venture. A very busy time is being experienced by the Dunedin Government Tourist Office, and during the last three days there have been at least 30 bookings from Dunedin to Milford Sound, principally for Christmas, although a few are making the trip earlier. There has been a rush for Queenstown, and indications point to the accommodation being fully taxed. Stewart Island is also popular with holiday-makers. In the course of an address given on Saturday night, on the subject of the Zulu, Mr. H. A. Young, S.M., who lived among these people for some years, said that he had never come across an insane Zulu (reports the Christchurch Press). The reason of such a desirable state of affairs was that the natives lived a natural life, and did not allow marriage between blood relations. In Christchurch, from five to ten people were committed to a mental hospital every week. While Mr. F. J. E. McKay, of Christchurch, was motoring from Timaru to Christchurch on Saturday afternoon a bullet hit the cowl of his car. A hole about three-quarters of an inch in diameter was made in the cowl where the bullet entered, and a similar hole was made in the opposite side where it emerged. The occurrence took place at three o’clock between Winchester and Timaru. The bullet passed only a few inches in front of Mr. McKay’s head. No one was seen shooting in the vicinity, and it is surmised that the shot was fired by a rabbit shooter in one of the paddocks adjoining the road. The value of the fruit-growing industry in promoting closer settlement and greater productiveness was emphasised by the Minister of Agriculture, Hon. O. J. Hawken, at Auckland on Monday. The Minister said he had inspected in Hawke’s Bay an area of 3000 acres, which -was devoted to fruit cultivation, and he had been informed that the area provided work for 700 families, and was the means of distributing about £125,000 a year in wages. “As a sheep farmer,” Mr. Hawken said, “it was forced on me that had I used that area for raising mutton and wool all I would have had on it -would have been about five shepherds.” The sudden and severe illness of Captain H. Dryden, master of the island steamer Tofua, caused the voyage from Fiji to be hastened, and the vessel dropped anchor in the Auckland harbour at eight o’clock on Monday evening, ten hours earlier than expected. A wireless message from the Tofua on Sunday afternoon stated she would arrive at six o’clock yesterday morning. Shortly after the message was sent Captain Dryden’s illness developed in serious form and all speed was made for port. Dr. L. C. Mail, medical officer of health at Samoa, was a passenger on the ship and attended the master. Directly the Tofua anchored a doctor went out to the vessel in the port health officer's launch. As soon as possible Captain Dryden was brought ashore in the launch and was taken to a private hospital. “I think the system of land tenure of the Zulus is the best and simplest in the world,” said Mr. H. A. Young, S.M., when giving an address on the race to the Justices of the Peace Association at Christchurch on Saturday night, reports the Lyttelton Times. “No one owns the land, but the chief portions are sufficient for a garden, and the person’s descendants hold their land as long as it is cultivated. All pasture is held in common, which is the simplest the best system of tenure possible. The areas are not fenced, and if cattle trespass at night the owner must pay, but if they wander by day there is no penalty as the men should be cultivating the ground, and it is their duty to see that cattle are kept off.”

A strange’ case of mistaken identity has just come under the notice of the Auckland Star. In Brett’s Christmas Annual for 1924 there was a striking picture of old Mita Taupopoki, who used to figure in every Maori gathering down at Rotorua, being a sort of hereditary host. The old chap was shown in “full rig,” after the Pakeha style, top hat and all. The other day the Star received a letter from a man in England saying that an uncle of his had gone out to New Zealand many years ago, and all trace of him had been lost. The photograph of Mita was so exactly like the writer’s father, even to the manner of grasping his walking stick, that the family concluded that the picture was that of the long-lost one, and they accounted for his Maori name by surmising that he had forsaken his European ways and had thrown in his lot with the natives. Old Mita, however, was a Maori through and through, with a lineage goins back hundreds of years, and proud of his race. There is a theory that the Maoris and Pakeha are really allied—hence the likeness of the two peoples—and this rather remarkable resemblance traced to a purely English uncle in a purely Maori rangatira rather bears out the idea that the two races had something in common a few centuries ago. The annual meeting of the Kawaroa Park Society will be held on Monday, the Sth inst., not Thursday as previously advised. The alteration has been made out of consideration for Miss Riley’s play, “Cinderella.” Mr. and Mrs. Scanlon have been busily engaged since their arrival in England selecting new goods for the Melbourne, Ltd. The firm have just received by parcel post, a nice and exclusive little range of dainty afternoon frocks which they bought in London and Paris. There is one only of each model, very mod ( ly priced for such “chic” apparel. Ladies are invited to inspect them in the showroom. The tender accepted for the erection of the gymnasium at the Boys’ High School was that of Mr. W. H. Aburn and not as given yesterday.