LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 23 October 1930, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The appointments of Miss G. Buttwell as sewing teacher at Makaka, and of Miss Z. Austin as sewing teacher at Rawhitiroa, were approved by the Education Board yesterday.

The New Plymouth Fire Brigade was called out to a chimney fire in a house at the corner of Devon and Hobson Streets about 8 o’clock last night.The Taranaki Education Board -yesterday decided to send letters of commendation to the Waingongora, York Road and West End schools for their splendid work in ground improvement. Voting to appoint a delegate to the annual Dominion conference, the New Plymouth waterside workers selected Mr. W. Falconer with 108 votes. Mr. G. E. Roper gained 70 votes, and one was informal.

The opening of a second Presbyterian Church in New Plymouth has been decided upon by the Taranaki Presbytery. From the beginning of December the Fitzrov district as far west as the Henui, which 'has been declared a home mission district, will form a separate charge under a home missionary.

Mr. W. J. Frecth, Pukcariihe, has received from the Director of the Dairy Division the final returns of his last year’s test for his team of 17 junior two year-old Jersey heifers. These gave under semi-official test the aieiage of 451.901 b. fat, easily the best production for a team in New Zealand, their maturitv equivalent being 6221 b. fat. All the heifers were bred by Mr. Freeth. Only a bran ration was used during the test.

A most unusual mishap occurred about half-past seven on Sunday night, \yhen a spark from the exhaust of a taxi proceeding from Winton to Invercargill ignited a canvas cover enfolding passencfers* luggage at the rear of the ear, states the Southland Times. The smouldering' was not discovered until a stop was made at West Plains Load, when it was ascertained that a kit bag with its contents had been completely destroyed, while two suit cases were also badly singed. “Wc didn’t see a single red rear reflector on any motor-car outside New Zealand,” Mr. R. P. Furness, president of the Marlborough Automobile Association, told members of the committee when lie described some of his travel impressions in England, Canada and elsewhere. “Of course, I didn’t want to sec any,’ ’he added, “but I looked for them and they were nowhere in evidence. I did see a few whitened mudguards, which, after silk stockings, I think are a verv good means of distinguishing cvclists at night.” (Laughter.)

A collision occurred between two motor-cars in the Rahotu township late last night. One of the cars was capsized but the driver and his wife, occupants, escaped without injury. Ihe other car escaped with a bent bumper. Several revalued farms were offered by public auction at the Lands and Survey Office on Monday afternoon, states the Christchurch Press. There was an attendance of about 30 people, but all properties were passed in. Later, a number of private inquiries were received, and it is probable that a number of sales ’will be effected. The properties were at Cheviot, Springston and Irwell, Riccarton, Lyttelton and Loburn.

There have been several inquiries as to when Wellington will be again favoured with a total eclipse of the sun, states the Evening Post. Many people have seen partial eclipses, but comparatively few have ever had the luck to see a total eclipse. But it will not be until 1975 that Wellington is favoured in this respect, and as the last total eclipse of the sun visible in Wellington was in 1885, nearly 100 years will have elapsed between the two events.

“Not 5 per cent, of those who receive the honorary life-saving instructor’s certificate ever bring forward another class,” stated Mr. P. G. IBamford, at a meeting of the Canterbury Head ‘Centre of the Royal Life-Saving Society recently. “The idea of providing such a certificate'is to enable the holders to continue the life-saving work by instructing further candidates. If the holders do not do this, then the award is really farcical.”'

Several Morrinsvillc residents are the poorer, says the Waikato Times, as the result of the visit of a well-dressed, plausible stranger this week. He is said to have obtained lodging at a boarding house, stating he had just (bought a grocery business in Morrinsville, and left without paying. He went to another ’boarding house, it is alleged, told the • same tale, booked a room, and left soon afterwards. Investigations showed that rooms had ’been ransacked, and it was reported that £4 belonging to a lodger was missing.

“As the result of tests which have proved that New Zealand sole leather now ■ compares more than favourably in quality with the imported article following upon the adoption of scientific control of the tanning processes, it is pleasing to note that the output of the local tanneries is increasing,” remarks the quarterly report of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. This activity is further) reflected in the boot manufacturing industry, which is using an increased proportion of New Zealand produced leather.

Dr. D. Miller, entomologist at the Cawthron Institute, Nelson, will shortly be returning to New Zealand, After attending the conference of entomologists, he went to various out-of-the-way parts of the world collecting information and insects, which may possibly serve as destroyers of noxious weeds.i Amongst other insects being brought back for experiment are Chilean parasites of piri piri. Some of these have been sent previously to New Zealand by a Chilean monk, who is also an entomologist, but they did not survive ■ the journey. With Dr. Miller’s personal attention on the voyage, it is hoped to have better luck with the new consignment. Two debtors, Chinese, both bearing the name of (Hop Wing, were proceeded against in the Magistrate’s Court at Temuka last week. They are partners in a shop and garden, and when one is in charge of the shop the other works in the garden, and vice versa. The sergeant of police 'stated that the only information 'he could get when serving the summons was, “All de same, Hop Wing.” The 'magistrate suggested that one should be called Chip Chop, and inquired how the sergeant knew one from the other. The sergeant replied that one was the bigger man, but the smaller one had the most liabilities.

Progress in.phormium research is reupon by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, but no method of controlling the serious pest of “yellow leaf” disease is in sight. The report concludes: “The critical position into which the flax industry ■has drifted consequent upon a serious drop in export values, and the high cost of production is greatly to be deplored, as it. may lead to a severe curtailment apd possible discontinuance of the research wonk that is at present being carried on and of whtch' the industry is in such desperate need.”

“There are so many people who cannot see beyond butterfat, and when we talk of land settlement they think that is what we want them to produce,” said Mr. W. J. Holdsworth at a meeting at Auckland of the New Zealand Land Settlement League. “There are, however, big possibilities in other directions. I claim that in the past we have been putting too many eegs in one basket, a fatal thing when the market gets a setback. If we give attention to the production of more than one line we can stand a set-back on one line far better than we can at the ■present time. When we are advocating land settlement we have not only butterfat in view.”

Another alteration is to be made in the method of conducting the examinations for proficiency certificates this year. At yesterday’s meeting 'of the Taranaki Board of Education a circular letter was received from the department stating that it desired to make a survey throughout the Dominion of the award of proficiency certificates, and with that end in view had decided to request all senior inspectors to hold synchronous proficiency examinations in all schools on November 20 and 24 under the same conditions. The department asked that all schools should close on those days. The acting-chairman (Mr. J. A. Valentine) considered that it was for the board to say whether schools should close, and he saw no occasion to close the schools, save, perhaps, in special cases. It was resolved that schools in the district could not be closed for the holding of examinations, and that the department be advised accordingly.

The suggestion that it might be advantageous to the board to supply extinguishers to motor-car owners, made at the meeting of the Christchurch lure Board the other night, drew from the chairman the comment that each extinguisher would cost about £3 and the chances were that when a fire occurred the motorist would not know how to use the extinguisher. Another member said that his experience was that the lire usually started somewhere near the extinguisher and those who wanted to use it burnt their hands in trying to get it. The only safe place for it would be somewhere near the spare wheel.

A useful outcome of wheat research work shows the connection that exists •between investigatory work affecting different industries. It has been found that certain dried milk products, which it is include among the ingredients used in bread manufacture, were not giving satisfactory results. 'lnvestigations in the Wheat Research •Laboratory indicated that this was due almost entirely to one of the processes in the preparation of dried milk; therefore advice was given to modify one stage of the drying process, and some quantity of the improved powder has been tested and given results satisfactory to bakers.