LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 10 February 1928, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Owing to the financial stress, the Fitzroy School Committee has decided to abandon for this year the projected trip to Ngaere, and to hold the annual picnic at Kawaroa Park on February 23. As a result of a deputation from the Pukekura Park Carnival Committee, the Fitzroy School Committee has resolved to associate itself with the effort being made to raise funds for the park on condition that 15 per cent, of the net funds raised by the Fitzroy committee be devoted to the school grounds improvement scheme. A meeting is to be called of Fitzroy residents. Reference to the great loss sustained by the society through the death of its late patron, Mr. F. E. Wilson, was made at the annual meeting of the North Taranaki branch of the Red Cross Society last night. Mr. Wilson always took a very keen interest in the work of the society, stated the report, and his kindly interest and thoughtful advice would be greatly missed. It was largely due to his efforts that the Red Cross was established in New Plymouth. Brigadier General Champain, secretary of the Red Cross Society in Britain, who is visiting the Dominion in the interests of the movement, will be in New Plymouth from Friday, March 16, until the following Monday. At the annual meeting of the North Taranaki branch of the society last night it was decided to ask for a civic welcome. The Mayor (Mr. H. V. S. Griffiths) assured them that everything possible would be done to make the visitor’s stay a success. Much absorbed in plucking at prettilycoloured fiowc a bird of strange appearance was seen in a Belmont garden shortly before noon on Saturday. It was apparently of tame habits, and remained for some time close to the house. From inside, a gardener watched it. The russet-brown, deepening into chestnut, ot its plumage, reminded him of the favourite songbird of England, the nightingale, and he recognised it as a young one. During last year a pair of nightingales was brought out from England by an Aucklander and released in the Kohimarama district. In England the nest is made in May, and the young are hatched in June, but it is thought that the breeding would be much later in the year i‘ Auckland, for seasonal reasons. Dr. Hill, of Kew Gardens, was surprised at the abundance and beauty of the fems he saw at Waiho, near the Franz Josef Glacier, but more than anything else, says the Post, he values the opportunity given him to climb Aleck’s Knob, about 4200 ft high, part of the Kaiser Fritz Range, and never previously explored by a botanist. “I never before had seen a collection of alpine plants such as I saw there,” said Dr. Hill, commenting on his visit to that place. “We had a fairly stiff climb through the scrub. There was no rain, but the shrubs and trees through which we climbed were wet with heavy dew and they showered cascades upon us. It was quite hal'd work, but the wonderful vegetation of the alpine meadow at the top amply repaid us for all our trouble. When we got on to that alpine meadow there was a scene of interest and beauty which was quite a revelation. The plants there are particularly interesting to any European alpinist, as they offer a striking contrast to anything we have in our part of the world. All the flowers we saw on Aleck’s Knob were pure white. There was not a single coloured one amongst them. They are extraordinarily beautiful. The ight that met my eyes was in itself worth coming all the wav to New Zealand to see. “The high alpine New Zealand flora, as seen on this mountain, is unlike anything else, owing to the numerous plants with white flowers, in their setting of the yellowish Danthonia grass. The size of many of the flowers is very striking, especially the large celniisias, a most wonderful sight. AU the flowers seen were unusually large and beautiful.”

The death of e well-known railway contractor, Mr. David Wilkie, who was one of the brothers who carried out the construction of the Coolgardie railway in West Ai. ’-alia with such marked success, recalled the days when *he Wilkie Broth rs were contractors f or the railway in New Zealand between Waverley and Patea. There was considerable depression existing at the time, and the contract price for the ten miles of railway had been very low, but satisfactory progress had been made and the Whenuakura bridge erected, till about the last mile of the line at the spot where the mouth of the Patea river comes into view. The land there was of a swampy nature, caused by the water from the high cliffs drainin'* into it. Considerable filling had to be done over this part, but the more earth was put down the faster it seemed to disappear. A bore was put down to see when bottom would be reached, but at a depth of a counle of hundred feet a decayed flax leaf was brought up. It seemed .like “ths last .straw,” but the V' : lkies were resourceful men and set about to dig Jeep drains, which can still be seen after nearly half-a-cen-turv to carry the water off the hills into the river. The expense was enormous, and it was stated at the time that they lost on their contract through the uliforseen occurrence, but they completed it to the satisfaction of J, ie Government. They then got the contract in Australia, and made a quarter of a million out of it, chiefly through being able to have <■ ntrol of the line and use it till a certain period had passed after their contract was completed. Erasmic toilet soap is being sold for 6d per tablet at the Melbourne’s Great Summer Sale. Also, strings of lovely Parisian Pearls for 1/11; Ladies’ Irish Lawn Handkerchiefs, 6 for 1/-; Ladies’ good quality Art Silk Hose, all fashionable shades, usually 5/6. sale price 3/6. Visit the Melbourne’s’Sale for real savings in every department. Special cheap sale prices at R. D. Levers for Bathing Costtimcw for'the Stratford Picnic,