LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 17 December 1930, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The motor-car reported to have been removed from the vicinity of the Coronation Hall, New Plymouth, on Saturday, was found on Monday in a yard in Devon Street.

A number of “howlers” invariably ac-. company examinations. Papers marked iniNew Plymouth recently revealed the following: “Marco Polo was an explorer of the interior of the Tudors.” “Who was the Merrv Monarch?—Old King, Coal.” In answer to the question, “Who was the leader of the, Saracen armies during the Crusades?” one pupil wrote “Salaman.s’

It is understood the directors of one large dairy factory between Opunake and New Plymouth have resolved to pay Is. per lb? butterfat' this month with a view to helping shareholders to meet their rates and to tide them over Christmas. This will probably mean that the company will not be able to pay more than Bd. next month. Reference to the effect of the economic position upon the finding of employment for boys leaving school was contained in. the annual report of Mr. W. H. Moyes, principal of the New Plymouth Boys’ High School. .“In former years,” it was stated, “no difficulty was experienced, but it will not be so easy to find positions this year.” During the cold storms -of Tuesday morning there was a distinct fall of snow on the Pouakai and Kaitake ranges. Although the 'fall was not a heavy one it extended as far down the slopes as any snowstorm during, the winter. In the , course of a few hours the succeeding sunshine melted away all traces of the snow.

“It is one of the handiest things in the office,” said the secretary of the New Plymouth .Tourist and. Expansion League at a meeting last night in reference to the Visitors’ Booklet published annually by the Taranaki Daily News. “It saves a lot of. talking. Its. popularity and value are shown by. the fact that the league distributed ’ 2500 .copies last year.” 3 “A case such as yours has been provided for in the list of exemptions just issued,” the Hon. S. G. Smith, Minister of Labour, informed a questioner at an Auckland meeting. The questioner said that «!' though he had considered he should be exempted, he had paid the first instalment of, the levy under the Unemployment Act, and he wanted to know whether he would obtain a refund. The Minister:.! would not say that. The Questioner: But I am 73 years and over. The Mayor, Mr, G. Baildori > You don’t look it.

There is an unusual in physic-1 extremes among scholars at the Napier Boys’ High School, according to,The Soindian, the recently-issued school magazine. The biggest pupil is 6ft 2Jin in height,; and weighs 13st 111b;-the smallest boy. reaches no more than 4ft 4in, but his weight, 4st 81b, is even more unusual for a New Zealand schoolboy. The average increase in weight among the pupils dtiring .the year was 7st lib, and in height Ift lin. z

The opinion that the, depression in Australia has been greatly exaggerated was expressed at Auckland by Mr. J. T. French, vice-president Of the Richfield Oil Company, of California, a through passenger on the Aorangi. Mr. French Said although the volume of business done by;; his . fitni in Australia had shown a considerable decline in recent months, the decrease was relatively small compared with the shrinkage experienced in the United States and other markets. '

“It is an indication of the times and it is up to every one of us to take notice,’’ Said Mr. C. O. Morse (chairman of the Hawke’s Bay Hospital Board, when the Deputy Director-General of Health advised that no further, applications .could be received for, subsidies on bequests and voluntary contributions. "I don’t Suppose we have ever had this in the histqry of New Zealand before,” said Mr. Morse, “where we have been, advised by December that the funds of the department are practically non-existent.” . -

The black-backed gull has many sins laid to his charge, mainly because of damage done to young lambs. A useful service to farmers, however, is now in evidence. At a nesting place of the gulls on the Otago Peninsula, every nest is surrounded by skeletons, skins, and pieces of rabbits, on which the young bird have been fed. A half-fledged bird caught shortly after a meal disgorged several pieces of rabbit flesh. The taking of rabbits by the gulls does not appear to have been previously recorded in bird literature.

Lambs to the value of over £3OOO will pass over the killing floors of Auckland freezing works. daily during the next few days. Bookings of fat lambs at the Waikato works are heavy right up to Christmas and it is anticipated that an aggregate of from 6000 to 7000 will be handled daily.. There is every indication, says the Waikato Times, that this season will show fat lamb killings over 15 per cent, above those of previous records.

Speaking at the annual meeting of the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company, the chairman said:—/‘Tallow, another of our primary products, has suffered very severely from the competition of vegetable oils, and more recently from the great quantity of whale oil being thrown on the market by those operating iri New Zealand waters, or in waters controlled by New Zealand. I feel sure that if the. Government realised the effect this is having on. the value of one of the principal products of the country, some attempt would be made to obtain a quid pro quo from the. foreign interests engaged in the whaling industry.” Last week, on behalf of-’an Otago syndicate, the whole of Ross Flat, equal to 200 acres of auriferous ground, was pegged off, and is to be mined on a new system. Ross Flat has always been known

for its gold-bearing deposits. Pumping has been a problem, considerable water having been met with. The syndicate which is taking up the area is familiar with the history of Ross Flat. The property is all situated within the area of; the borough of Ross, and the activity shown has had an influence already on the value of local businesses and town sections. “We are satisfied with the workmanship and the progress made with the children’s ward block,” reported the architects, Messrs. Messenger ; and Taylor, to the Taranaki Hospital Board yesterday. The whole of the concrete work was completed, they said, and the roof framing was ready for the tiler, who would start early in January. The clerk of works (Mr, A. 0. Brown) said inside plastering was being carried on and the plumbers Were getting the pipes in position in the subway. The heating chamber was completed and was ready for the calorifiers to be placed in position. '■ '. Recognition .of the assistance received from the New Plymouth Tourist and Expansion League combined with that frbm the Taranaki Automobile Association in effecting improvements to-Kor.u pa was received by the league in a letter from the Department of Lands and Survey at a meeting last night. New tracks had been made, said the letter, and step? erected where necessary. The pa was accessible throughout and well worthy of a visit. A large notice board had been erected, giving a brief history of the pa and drawing attention to its points of interest. A small credit balance of about £7 was available and the New Plymouth Scenic Reserves Board proposed to utilise this money for the maintenance of tracks, or any purpose deemed necessary for the upkeep of an historic reserve. Members of the league expressed satisfaction at the way in which the work had. been done by the department.