LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 29 January 1931, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

W. H. Sobey, the British Rugby halfback, hAs not yet recovered from the injuries he received during the early part of the British team’s tour of New Zealand last year, says the Christchurch Sun.

It is expected that the trans-Tasman flier, Mr. Guy Menzies, will arrive' at New Plymouth to-morrow. On his arrival at the Bell Block aerodrome at 3 p.m. he will be accorded a civic and Aero Club reception. It is understood a presentation will be made.

When his name was called in the New Plymouth Police Court yesterday on a charge relating to an accident, it was announced that a motorist would not be present as he had since been involved in another accident and was in hospital. The case was adjourned.

As the result of a towel she was carrying becoming caught in the spokes of her bicycle while she was cycling down the road to the Opunake beach yesterday a young girl was thrown heavily, sustaining cuts and abrasions. She was taken by a passing motorist to the beach. After receiving attention she was able to go home. There were 24 clubs under the jurisdiction of the Taranaki Bowling Centre, and about 1100 bowlers, said the centre president (Mr. T. Petty) at the bowlers’ smoke concert at New Plymouth last night. Some of the 24 clubs had only 12 to 14 members each. One year the centre tournament was Avon by a club with only 14 members. There was one small club, Awakino, which came all the way to New Plymouth to play its banner matches.

Broken bottles were apparently deliberately pliced on the Main South Road at Waipuku yesterday by some person with a perverted sense of humour. That the act was deliberate was obvious from the fact that the bottles were carefully spaced about 20 feet apart, and motorists who carefully dodged the first mass of scattered glass Avere on to the others before they knew it. One or two of the bottoms of the bottles, which were quart size, Avere standing up, and their jagged edges were a grave menace.

A grant of £lOO on a. £1 for £1 basis has been made to the New Plymouth Unemployment Committee, according to advice received from the Minister of Labour (the Hon. S. G. Smith). The grant is for the work of clearing ground at the Mangamahoe hydro works for a tree plantation. An additional grant of £2OO has been also received for subsidising work on farms under the No. 2 scheme, such as gorse-clearing or scrub-cutting. The grant is on the basis of a £1 for £1 subsidy, the total rate of pay not to exceed 14s. a day.

The generator for the Opunake Power Board’s auxiliary supply arrived at Wellington by the Ruahine on Saturday. It weighs 4J tons. It Avas expected to arrive at Opunake by motor-lorry yesterday, or by .train to-day, and on arrival will be immediately installed. The new Diesel engine has already been installed, and as soon as the generator is in place —it should be installed in Lavo days— Opunake will be able to generate an additional 250 k.v.0., which’should enable the district to face dry Aveather Avithout any fears of power shortage.

“It is a bad practice, for it is difficult to knoAV Avhere we stand,” said Mr. R. W. Tate, S.M., in Ncav Plymouth yesterday, Avhen discussing marriages according to the Maori custom. A native was being proceeded against for arrears of maintenance for a child df a Maori marriage. The mother and father had separated, the mother taking the child .with her. Since then the man had taken another Avife in the Maori fashipn and hoav had another child. Mr. Tate said the court could not recognise the second child. There wAs no doubt that the children of such marriages Avere illegitimate, and that the father Avas liable for their support. The feed problem is becoming acute on some of the Gisborne farms that have been stocked heavily. The broAvned pastures are eaten bare, and practically the only feed available on a few farms, Avithbut drawing on th.e hay supplies, is to be found in the willoiv trees. The branches of these have been saAA-n off, the foliage being eaten ravenously by the cattle. One small farmer said he had only sufficient AvilloAv trees to last him until next Aveek, after Avhich he Avould have to draAv upon his hay unless a heavy downpour of rain started a good growth in the meantime. Farms that have supplies of lucerne, maize or roots should not be feeling the pinch yet, but nevertheless the milk supplies are falling fast and can be held up only 'by a good doAvnpour.

“A man who drives a car Avhen in such a condition that Avitnesses can say he smelt of liquor, places himself in a prejudiced position,” said Mr. R. W. Tate, S.M., in the Police Court at Ncav Plymouth yesterday. Referring to the case iu point, the magistrate said he accepted the evidence of the constable that though the defendant smelt of liquor he Avas sober, but the fact that any motorist took" liquor before driving placed him in an exceedingly bad atmosphere should there be an accident. “If people come before the court and it is said they smelt of liquor at the time of the accident, they must not blame the court if it takes that into consideration,” continued Mr. Tate. “I am becoming more and more 1 sure that a man Avho takes liquor before he is going to drive is very foolish. I knoAV of men Avho, though they take liquor, never do so at such a time that they Avill smell of it Avhen they are driving.” A Taranaki motor-car agent derived a great deal of pleasure from a letter Avhich he received recently from a wouldbe Maori customer, evidently an optimist. “Dear gentleman,” ran the missive, “having the pleasure in "communicating to you owing to being cripple and not obligation to buy, please Avill you let me rent one of your seven-seat-er car for Aveek. My sister drive it in about two Aveek time on urgent business to HaAvera connection Avith the last Maori meet of the Taranaki to receive the £15,000 per year, rather £5OOO. Hoping to meet yours with charge and words by return mail or Avhere to obtain rental cars you charge for week only of seven-seater car three-seater. Awaiting early reply, your friend. . .” The green was Avhite at 5 o’clock yesterday afternoon at Waitara from a'fall of hail during the • Taranaki Bowling Centre tournament matches. The players paused for only a short time, and then Avent on Avith the game.

's»anr The Farmers’ Co-op. draAv the attention of farmers to the Okau sheep fair, to be held at BoAver Bros.’ yards on Friday next, as advertised in this issue. The sheep to be offered comprise chiefly the annual drafts of Romney cross m.s. lambs, and these are Avell-knoAvn as being some of the best lambs submitted to auction in Taranaki. Several lots of eAves and Avethcrs Avill also be offered. Intending buyers should not miss the opportunity of securing first-class stock. Book your seat with the auctioneers.

The Tikorangi sheep fair, as advertised in this issue, takes place on Monday, February 2. The auctioneers are the Farmers’ Co-operative Society, and they announce that several tip-top lines of cavcs will be offered. Included is a first-class lot of two-tooth eAves, and these are foi' sale practically Avithout reserve. Book your seat with the auctioneer

Last year quite a number of Maoris who own property on the Hawke’s Bay flats either cut areas for hay or leased them, and this season it is pleasing to note the interest which they have taken in the ryegrass harvesting, states the Napier Telegraph. They have treated their paddocks well, shut them up for seed, and have produced some really good ryegrass seed, while also obtaining very creditable yields.

“We did use 20,000 rabbit skins a year at one time for fur coats, but the demand for this particular type of goods has fallen off considerably in recent times, and Ave now use only about 300 skins annually,” declared a witness in the Palmerston. North Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, when a case dealing with a claim for a fur coat was being heard.

According to a report submitted to the Christchurch Tramway Board, the number of accidents on the system during December amounted to 19, as follows: —Collisions with motor-cits eight, Avith cyclists three, Avith motor-van one, with horse one, alighting from car in motion two, attemptingto board car in motion two, tram backing into motor-car one, passenger strtick by overhead wire one.

A suggestion that the Unemployment Board be asked to acquire the Moutoa swamp for flax cultivation was advanced by Mr. F. Shaw, a member of the Foxton Unemployed Committee and the executive of the Manawatu Flaxmill Workers’ Union, at a of the committee. There were 4500 acres available, Mr. Shaw added, and if it could be purchased at £2O an acre it Avould pay handsomely. The proposal is to be placed before a conference of local bodies at Palmerston North.

The Howiok celebrations on Saturday provided an occasion for reminiscences, says the Auckland Star. An elderly resident was introduced to a man from Auckland who Avas a member of the official party. “I used to know a family of that name long ago in Taranaki,” eaid the pioneer. “I am one of that family,” replied the man from the city. It was found that they had not met for 48 years, that is, when the younger man Avas 13 years of age. “Your wife' was my Sunday school teacher,” he said to the other; and there followed some glowing references to the'qualities of the pioneers. “We all know that the eating of fruit tends to promote good health,” said the Minister of Defence (the Hon. J. G. Cobbe) at the national horticultural conference at Wellington. “The apple is supposed to be the doctor’s greatest enemy; Ave are told that ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor aAvay.’ May I be permitted to point out the great benefit that Avould result to mankind if some clever horticulturist would produce a fruit that Avould have the same effect upon laAvyers and politicians that the apple is said to have upon the medical profession? (Laughter.) If any gentleman present desires an 0.8. E. or a knighthood, I hope he will take what I have said seriously.” ('Renewed laughter.)

“The departinent is starting at' the Avrong end,” declared the chairman of the Otago Education Board, when advice was received from the Education Department" that the alloAvance to probationers, training college students and student teachers in technical schools had been reduced by £5 from January 1, 1931. Mr. Wallace expressed disapproval of the principle of taking •£5 off the salaries of the most poorly-paid teachers. If the department proposed to reduce salaries it 1 shorild reduce dll of them. He was not against the reduction of salaries, but if the salary of a men getting £2OOO a year was not reduced he did not think it fair that a poor Avoraan getting only £7B a year should have her salary reduced.

A fire was narroAvly averted last week, says the New Zealand Herald, Avhen a suburban resident discovered that holes burned in the frame dud curtains of his bathroom window were due to the reflection of the sun’s rays in a small presentation mirror, which had been standing on a shelf on the. opposite side of the room. This is not the first time that fires have been started through the reflection and the magnification of the sun’s and bottles and tumblers containing water have often caused the concentration of the sun’s rays upon an inflammable object, thus causing an outbreak of fire. This should serve as a warning to householders during the hot weather.

The opinion that the burden upon ratepayers should be eased by the reduction cither of A-aluations or of city rates arid that the City Council should adjtist its expenditure accordingly Avas expressed by the council of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, says New Zealand Herald. Th© chamber agreed to give its support to the other organisations that are moving to secure relief. Referring to the recently-published city A’aluation figures, the president, Mr. M. SteAvart, said the ratepayer was getting very little relief. It Avas expected that there Avould be a large number of objections and further reductions Avould follow, but he thought it would be necessary for the city council ’to meet the ratepayers by reducing the rates.

Because an Australian banknote in NeAV Zealand is not Avorth so much as one issued here, some shopkeepers, says the Christchurch Press, have assumed that Australian silver coins have also depreciated in value. Acting on that assumption, they have refused in some cases to accept them from customers. Actually, of course, Australian coins as legal tender are worth just as much in Ncav Zealand as they are in the country Avhere they are minted. It is not regarded as likely- that the present adverse exchange rate will increase the amount of Australian coinage in New Zealand. As the manager of one bank pointed out, tourists from Australia might bring more silver in their pockets, but they could not do that to any great extent because of the weight of the hoins. He did not see that there was any necessity for an embargo on the import of Australian coins.

The Mount Eden prison most of its own vegetables and m doing so provides a striking exariiple of intensive cultiA'ation and of soil creation. Originally a mound of rock, the area of flat ground is, says the New Zealand Herald, extending every day as the quarry faces move back. As soon a$ a flat space is thus made available a garden plot is created by carting soil from another portion, and to-day splendid parsnips are grdAving in land so made within a feAv yards of the excavation of rock. In one case a plot was made at an old quarry level. Noav ariothcr bite is being taken out of the rock beloav it and as the face moves in the soil is shifted to another spot. In this manner garden terraces Avere made on Malta and other rocky places, but in some cases, notably that of Malta, the soil came by sea.

Loav grade school apparel is dear in the long run. Boys will be boys, and it is false economy buying anything but good materials from reputable makers. In this connection the Melbourne, Ltd., stock all the standard grades, such as pure wool “Doctor” flannel shirts, Canterbury and Bruce stockings, and Roslyn, Kaiapoi and the firm’s own make Fox’s serge shorts?

Great fun can be had in river or sea trying to ride rubber animals. White’s, of Stratford, are advertising these in the Wanted Column at about one-third of the 'ordiaaxy pneta