LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 15 October 1929, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Examination of the stomach-content cf a 271 b eel gaffed in the Makarewa River, Southland, on Wednesday evening by Mr. D. Wshart, disclosed that it had eaten a . brown trout weighing approximately lbs. "We have cut out the eeling competition at Inglewood this year because too many trout were poached,” said Mr. N. S. James at the meeting of the executive of the Taranaki Acclimatisation Society last night. It was decided not to take any steps to encourage eeling this year. An address on the Sale of Goods Act was given to members of the New Plymouth Commerce Students’ Society by Mr. J. H. Sheat in the New Plymouth Technical School last night. There was a good attendance which followed the technicalties of the subject with interest, and at the conclusion plied the lecturer with a number of questions. "If there ever is a trans-Tasman air service, it must be maintained with flying boats,” said Major G. A. Cowper, the Auckland airman, in a interview at Wellington. "The Southern Cross, of course, was a freak machine. Laden to the utmost with petrol and gear, it naturally required a freak aerodrome. Anyhow, I don’t expect a machine like that will ever land in this Dominion again.” Mr. L. A. Paish, 0.8. E., His Majesty’s 1 Trade Commissioner, has written to the New Plymouth Chamber of Commerce expressing his appreciation of the chamber’s greeting and invitation to visit New Plymouth. The commissioner has drawn up plans for a tour of the North Island and proposes to visit New Plymouth towards the end of this month, arriving by the express on the last Wednesday (October 30). and returning to Wellington on Friday or Saturday. There is an interesting history attached to the armchair in which the chairman of the Wellington Education Board presides over the meetings of that body (says the New Zealand Herald. Its story is told in the inscription on the silver plate let into the panel at the top of the chair, which says, "This chair is made from oak taken from Noah’s Ark, formerly an American vessel, which stranded on the Lambton foreshore in 1850, and now lies buried under the Bank of New Zealand, Lambton Quay.” A pitchfork is stated to have played a painful part in an affair in Spreydon, Christchurch, last week. After missing some fowls each morning a householder decided to lie in wait at night. He had for company in the darkness a pitchfork, which he is stated to have used to painful effect when an intruder scaled his fence and made for the fowlhouse. At the height of the encounter a neighbour, who had also lost some of his best fowls, came to the aid of the householder, who, however, believing, him to be an accomplice, attacked him also. The next arrival was a policeman. An effort will in the near future be made by the Patea Harbour Board to deepen the entrance to the port by means of a novel device invented by Mr. E. Tait. It has long been known that the existence of a papa "saddle” across the mouth of the harbour is the prime factor in the shoaling up of the river, and an endeavour to remove the papa is to be made by means of Mr. Tait’s invention. The contrivance consists of a massive rectangular scoop fitted with a cutting edge on the under side, and operated from the shore by a stationary log-hauler and steel cables. During a recent visit to the beach by members of the Harbour Board a demonstration of its operation was given by Mr. Tait, and created a favourable impression. When the attempt to remove the saddle is being made the process will not, it is claimed, interfere in any way with the arrival or departure of shipping, as the hauler will temporarily cease work when required and the cables will be sunk. "In regard to the Unequal Treaties—treaties which grant privileges or rights without reciprocity, the leaders of the National Government have announced that they are determined, no matter what the sacrifices may be, to attain for China a status of equality and complete freedom in the family of nations,” said the AssistantConsul for China, Mr. Yue H. Jackson, during the course of a speech at a Chinese - gathering in Wellington. "So,” he contin- 1 ued, "as long as unequal treaties remain, all constructive schemes, however well 1 thought out they may be, are of no avail, I because so long as China’s political sovereignty is impaired, she is unable to exercise the fullest freedom in her constructive ' work. We have seen what China’s efforts to abolish these unequal treaties have al- l ready meant for her within the last year. ’ In regaining customs autonomy and there- I by increasing the import duties on foreign goods into China, China' has found the means by which to carry out part of her constructive programme.” 1

'With a single exception, Sir Frederick Truby King is the most eminent New Zealander." says “M.A.T.” in the Auckland Star. “He originated and made world famous the child welfare system of New Zealand, doing both humanity and the Dominion immense good. He has a genius not only for research, but in application and organisation infects people with his abounding enthusiasm and sweeps stuffy shibboleths away. He is the son of the late Mr. Tom King, of New Plymouth, and, with his well-known brother, Newton King, was brought up in Taranaki. He was succesively resident physician at Edinburgh and Glasgow Royal Infirmaries and for many years surgeon superintendent at Wellington Mental Hospital, obtaining fame later at the Seacliff institution. Sir Truby is a scientific farmer and immensely interested in life generally, animal and vegetable. . He has been hard worked and likes it. He has travelled much and has organised the New Zealand system of child welfare in England and the East. He is a penetrating and convincing lecturer, because he has always much to say that is worth the saying. Indeed no one speaks with the same authority on his special subject.”

Special interest attaches to Newton King, Ltd.’s Kaponga Sale and Grade Bull Fair on Friday next. Amongst the 200 head to be submitted are 40 grade Jersey, Holstein and Shorthorn bulls, 40 store, fat and forward cows and 80 springing cows and heifers.

Owing to the indisposition of the Rev. W. W. Avery, district chairman of the Methodist Church, the Rev. R. B. Gosnell, district and home mission, secretary, is leaving this morning to visit the home mission stations in the southern and central areas of the Taranaki-Wanganui district. He is expected to return on Saturday. "We have no objection to them liberating fish in the lake, so long as they do not want to include it in their territory,” said Mr. W. R. Johns at the executive meeting of the Taranaki Acclimatisation Society last night after Mr. N. C. Fookes had pointed out that the Stratford Society had lately been active in researches in the Ratapiko Lake. "That lake is in our territory,” observed Mr. Fookes. “We should inform them, otherwise they may come to think it is in their territory and have a Gazette notice published. The chairman said it would be a good idea if the secretary wrote the Stratford Society a tactful reminder of the position. This course was adopted.

“I think the Waikato County has been treated better by the Main Highways Board than any other 1 county in New Zealand,” said Mr. W. Newell, former chairman of the Waikato County Council, at a social function given in his honour at Hamilton. Ho said that the Highways Board was a strong body and enjoyed a position of advantage. It was best in these circumstances to consider its wishes. He mentioned the case of the Waipa County, which had opposed the board for years without any considerable benefit.

The final euchre party of the series con- . ducted by the New Plymouth League ’ Cycle Club was held in the Workers’ Hall last night. Mrs. Land (164 games) won i an open order worth £3, Mrs. M. Reynolds , won a 51b. box of tea and a 5s order on , Sole Bros., and Mrs. Goodin won an open ’ order worth 10s. Messrs. Bowers and Byron shared the men’s first and second prizes, open orders for £3 and £l, and Mr. Hurdle won the 10s open order. Thirty-five tables were engaged. The games were controlled by Messrs. . Beal, [ Morris and Brown, who were assisted by Messrs. D. George, R. Aroa, G. M. Beer, L. Claffey and R. Yardley, members of the club committee. Messrs. Sole Bros, made donations to the prize list. A most interesting ceremony is to be held in the old Tauranga Mission Station, “Th© Elms,” next month. On > November 29, 1829, Archdeacon Brown landed in New Zealand, and was the first missionary in Tauranga. He took up residence at “The Elms,” and when, full of years, he came to die, his body was laid to rest in the military cemetery, where many gallant soldiers, pakeha and Maori, sleep. The old mission bell, which not only called to prayers, but in troublous times to safety, has been recast, and on November 29 next it will be rung. On the following Sunday at 3 p.m. it is intended to have a commemoration service. Bishop Bennett and Archdeacon Williams hope to be present. By mail the Government Seismologist, Dr. C. E. Adams, has just received a remarkably strongly recorded seismograph of the Murchison earthquake which was obtained at the Cartuja Observatory at Granada, in Spain. Cartuja is very nearly antipodal to New Zealand, and the earthquake waves which reached there travelled right through the centre of the earth, being recorded upon arrival most strongly on the verticle component machine. Roughly speaking, it took the waves twenty minutes to reach Cartuja. As the diameter of the earth is about 8000 miles, this means a rate of travelling at about 6% miles per second. The same machine also recorded, but less strongly, one of the main after-shocks on June 22. About 140 couples attended the grand dance in the Workers’ Hall, New Plymouth, on Saturday night. Following were the prize-winners:—Monte Carlo (Miss P. Kurtz and Mr. M. Plumtree), Lucky Number (Miss Edwin and Mr. McKenzie), Monte Carlo 2 (Miss George and Mr. Takiman), Monte Carlo 3 (Miss Townsend and Mr. Edwards), Lucky Spot (Miss Kendall and Mr. N. Coates), Lucky ■ Number 2 (Miss Kendall and Mr. D. Carter). Three contestants are now equal in the novelty prize-winning competition and there are only 11 more dances before the final aggregate. Misses M. McLeod, J. Williams and Mr. M. Pratt each have 7 points. • Up to date there have been over 300 novelty prizes distributed. The committee has decided to postpone the grand dance to .have been held on October 26, owing to the fact that a social is being held on the same evening by the round the mountain road race committee. “In regard to the Unequal Treaties—treaties which grant privileges or rights without reciprocity, the leaders of°the National Government have announced that they are determined, no matter ' what the sacrifices may be, to attain for China a status of equality and complete i freedom in the family of nations,” said the Assistant-Consul for China, Mr. Yue H. Jackson, during the course of a I speech at a Chinese gathering at Wei- ■ lington last week. “So,” he continued. as long as unequal treaties remain, all ■ constructive schemes, however well 1 thought out they may be, are of no * avail, because as long as China’s political sovereignty is impaired, she is unable t to exercise the fullest freedom in her I constructive work. We have seen what ' China’s efforts to abolish these unenqual ‘ treaties have already meant for her within the last year. In regaining cus- c toms autonomy and thereby increasing k the import duties on foreign goods into , China, China has found the means by which to carry out part of her construe-

tive programme.” Seeking for a form of iron which would have all the advantages of the double citrato and none of its. disadvantages, experiments have been made with a native carbonate of iron (spathic iron, or “siderite” of the mineralogists), which was obtained from a quarry near Auckland. This has the advantage that it is insoluble and not likely to have such ill effects on the animal when taken in excess. The difficulty was to grind the singularly hard, tough boulders into a very fine power. This was eventually accomplished with the aid of a paintmanufacturers’ mill on. a small scale, and, finally, by the phosphate-mill on a much larger scale. A farmer then tried it on the herd in the field, and found that all those which would take the lick (a majority of the herd) improved under the treatment compared with those few which refused to take it. The experiments are accordingly being extended by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.

In another year, how different that boy or girl of yours will 100k —but photographs of the children never grow up. Ring 532 for an appointment. Quality photographs at lowest prices. Oaklfeys, Kash Building, upstairs, Devon Street, New Plymouth. 10. We wish to draw the attention of dairymen to the advertisement for the Inglewood Bull Fair which Newton King, Ltd., are conducting next Friday. The bulls are in good condition and include some pedigree Jerseys of outstanding breeding. The entry of six grade 2-year-old Shorthorns should be of special interest.