LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 25 July 1931, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A fairly prolonged earthquake was felt in Taranaki at 1.40 this inoriiing. ’ At a well-atteiided meeting of the Wlra.nga.rei Boot Repairers’ Association this week it was unanimously decided to Bring into operation a 10 per cent, reduction in the price of boot and shoe repairs. This concession is to take effect immediately. The building staff of the Taranaki Education Board is at present erecting a teacher’s residence at Mahoenui. When that is completed it will be possible, owing to the expedition with which the department has made a grant, to go oh immediately with the additions to the school building to make two class-rooms instead of one.

In the Magistrate’s Court at Christchurch during the hearliig of a civil claim before Mr. H. A. Young, S.M., a man with the Christian name of “Central” was called as a witness. “Where does th© ‘Central’ conic froth?” asked the magistrate. “I don’t know how I got called tliat,” replied witness, “but I can’t help it.” The barometer reading at the Lands and Survey Department, New Plymouth, was .yesterday the lowest it has beeri during the year. The height was 29.23 inches. The barometer fell as low as 29.10 inches in September last year. The cause of' yesterday’s fall was the inions© cyclone moving rapidly over New Zealand, with its centre situated over tli© Auckland peninsula. “I was most agreeably surprised,” said a resident of Westown to a reporter yesterday. “There they were, working away, exposed to the full fore© of Thursday’s southerly gale and cold rain. And working well, too.” He was referring to three relief workers he had seen in Western Park in the afternoon. They were high up on th© face of the hill overlooking the northern end of the football ground. The park board is at present clearing and smoothing out this area with the object of sowing grass.

The brick-work has been finished at the new main block at the Central school, on the Lemon Street frontage. Very soon ill© erection of the roof will be commenced. OvVifig to the bad weather, tho work has been delayed, but it is hoped that th© children will occupy the building about the end of September, after which the erection of the block facing Govcr Street Will be comnienced. The precautions being taken to make the now school capable of resisting earthquake are Said to be very thorough. A surprising find of three large mushrooms, on© of them six inches in diameter, was made this week by Mr. C. I. Shrimpton, Lepperton. They were growing in the lee of an old ensilage dump. It is most unusual to find mushrooms in North Taranaki at this season of the year, particularly after the rigorous weather of the past few weeks. The mushtoom-s were brought into the Daily News office yesterday by Mr. Shrimpton, and are available ibr inspection by anyone doubtful as to their identity.

A statement that the South Island had suffered to a very large degree owing to most of the overseas vessels making Auckland the first port of call, was made by Mr. A. H. Allen fit the annual meeting of tho Otago Importers’ and Shippers’ Association. If the Dominion had its own shipping laws it would get a bettor service. Regarding the Melbourne-New Zealand service, the speaker said the South Island was worse off to-day than it was 40 years ago. The association had kept quiet in regard to subsidies paid to the Union Company by the Government on the Vancouver and San Francisco services, but the time was coming when the association would have to enter a strong protest against the Government giving such large subsidies for these services.

A welbknown gum-digger, who has been in the bush a considerable time, stated the other day that ho had observed traces of gold in all of the bigger creeks in tho Kauaeranga, which should be well worth a visit by prospectors, says the Kauaeranga corresondent of the Thames Star. Ho himself obtained a good quantity of gold-bearing stone and sent a sample to the Thames School of Mines to be assayed. A mart was conducted by the ladies of the committee of the Central Home and School Association, New Plymouth, in King’s Buildings yesterday. The object was to raise funds for improvements to the grounds of the main and infant schools. There was an attractive display of jams, preserves, pickles, cakes and vegetables which was well patronised. Homo cookery, made on the premises by Mrs. Cathey, added to the attractions.

In the regrettable absence of his Excellency the Governor-General, who through illness is unable to visit Taranaki, the Rev. Professor Hewitson, Dunedin, will lay the foundation stone of the new St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, New Plymouth, on Saturday, August 1, at 1.45 p.m. Professor Hewitson is a former moderator of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, and has been Master of Knox College since its establishment. Also taking part in the ceremony will be the Moderator of the Taranaki Presbytery, and the Mayor of New Plymouth. As was the case with the original St. Andrew’s Church, the actual laying of Lite stone will be with Masonic honours, in which all the local lodges will be represented.

An evidence of the severity of the winter in the hills of Otago is the migration of wild pigs to the lower country. One party of hunters at Waikouaiti, about 30 miles north-west of Dunedin, recently secured 12 pigs, which were all in good condition, one weighing 1501 b. These pigs were all shot within 20 minutes’ run from the township.

“A good laugh beats medicine or electricity—it kills more germs than disinfectant —it has more efficacy that Harley Street,” said Mr. Calder Mackay at a meeting of the Canterbury Advertising Club this week. “When a man has a hard job he needs two things: (1) Information as to what to do, and (2) enough cheerfulness and optimism, so that he can carry tho job through.” “You have only to go along the Hutt Road to see trains running empty and buses running full,” said Mr. J. F. B. Stevenson, in the Supreme Court in Wellington. “Mr. Justice Reed: “But these buses to the Hutt are not paying, are they?” Mr. Stevenaon: “They were until the Government took them over. It is another illustration of Government interference in business.” Great interest has been taken during recent years in coin collecting, and as evidence of the fact that Dominion collectors have not been behind-hand in acquiring rare and valuable coins, it is interesting to note that at the inaugural meeting of the New Zealand Numismatic Society, held in Wellington this week, it was stated that in some New Zealand private collections were to be found coins which were not even in the British Museum. One Auckland collector was said to possess probably the largest private collection south of the Line, and a Wellington collector was stated to be the possessor of a collection of Greek coins claimed to be second to none in the world.

People do not always realise the great part New Zealand birds play in perpetuating the forest trees and shrubs. An interesting experiment was made by Mr. L. W. MoCaskell, Dunedin, who last winter fed wax-eyes in his garden from the middle of May until early in October. Beneath the, food receptacle the sbil was prepared as a seed bed in a strip (ift. long by 6in. wide. On April 8, 1931, the following seedlings were removed from the strip and planted out: Eighty-five Pittosporum tcnuifolium and Pittosporum eugeuioides, 18 Coprosma lucida (karamu), 19 small-leaved Coprosma, 10 Carodetus serrdtus (pUbaputaweta), three Nothopaiiax' Colensoi, five Pseudopanax crassifolium (lance-wood), and four Melicptus ramiflorus (mahoe).

An object lesson in afforestation has been provided by tho teacher and pupils of the Mahoenui school. Some years ago a considerable part of the play-ground, including a hillside and gully, Was planted with various kinds of pines and English and Scottish firs. Tho native trees already growing there were cleared of rubbish, and so keenly interested were the pupils that they formed winding tracks through this nffiniatixr© forest. The reward of their labours may be seen to-day in a flourishing plantation standing back (from the Awakino-Te Kuiti Road. “Tile result is most encouraging,” said Mr. 11. W. Insull, secretary of the Taranaki • Education Board, to a News reporter yesterday. He mentioned that the adjoining Maori land being developed under the native scheme wks showing a fine sole of grass, though there was a patch or so of ragwort. A party of •Invercargill musical enthusiasts left for Dunedin on Saturday afternoon to attend the HambourgDaWson concert and, says the Soutliland Times, enjoyed it thoroughly. The return journey, hdwever, on the Sunday, was full of incident. At Lovell’s Flat th© road was quite impassable, and the car drivers took the road to Kaitangata. After going three miles they were again held up by snow-drifts, and but for the hospitality of Mr. and Mrs, Robert Russsell, of Lovell’s Flat, the travellers would have been in a sorry plight. These generous folk placed their home at the disposal of the 15 occupants of th© motor-cars, providing food, good fires and accommodation for the night, and their action was thoroughly appreciated by th© travellers,, who were able to complete their journey to Invercargill the following day without incident. i

Actual examples of tho operation of the judgment respecting the Crown’s priority over rates due to local bodies mortgages arc hold by Departments of State were encountered on Tuesday by the ChTistOhiirch City Council, a states the Press. Two properties .over which the State Advances Department held mortgages were abandoned to the department, which has sold tUcm. In respect of one property the city council received £4 15s. 3d. out of rates due amounting to £8 3s. lid., and in respect of the other, £lO 12s. lid. out of a total due of £l7 18s. In one case the mortgage was dated March 12, 1925, and in the other it was dated July 18, 1926. In accordance with the judgment, the Stat© Advances Department has repudiated liability for any special rates levied in .respect of loans raised after the dates of the respective mortgages. Make sure your cows cleanse properly by giving my “special” After Calving Drench, 2/- each, 20/- dozen. Macgrcgor, Chemist, Eltham.* '