LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 17 September 1932, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The amount of firewood in a pinus insignia tree is considerable. Two relief workers who cut one down this week were rewarded with from four to five cords of firewood, enough to keep them going for nearly a year. There is a big demand for onion plants in New Plymouth. A local grower put in seed for a quarter of a million, and during the past three or four weeks has been working overtime in filling numerous orders from the shops. During the past few days the grass has sprung away in North Taranaki, ana the milk supply in consequence has jumped. More rain than fell on Thursday is required by the land, which has come through the driest winter in memory.

He would have liked to remain in office until the Taranaki-Main drunk line was in operation, said Mr. F. E. Beamish, chief-postmaster at New Plymouth, at the farewell tendered him yesterday upon his retirement. He would have liked to observe what effect it would have, for he was sure- it would mean a wonderful benefit for the. district generally. . '

A postmaster cofnes in contact with, many aspects of life apart from his official duties. At his farewell by the council of the Taranaki Chamber .of Commerce yesterday Mr. F. E. Beamish, chief postmaster at New Plymouth, said it was remarkable the number of persons who went to postmaster for advice .on confidential subjects not connected with postal work. A rather remarkable weather phenomenon was experienced at New Plymouth early this morning. The. southerly gale which had prevailed during the day had changed to almost due east. Although, the sky was completely overcast in heavy clouds Mount Egmont was. clear and it was apparent that during the past two or three days the greater part of its winter covering of snow had melted. ’■

The education and environment of the New Plymouth Girls’ High School were the subject, of eulogistic comment yesterday by Dr. Ada Paterson, director of the division of school hygiene, after a visit to the school. “I must say I admire tremendously the practical instruction in all the essentials of homemaking—dressmaking, sewing, gardening and the arts of the home—that is being given at the school under the direction of Miss D. N. Allan,” said Dr. Paterson. “I also think that the manner in which the School grounds have been beautified is worthy of the highest commendation.”

Having been twice severely damaged in the past eight years, first by a gale and later by fire, the historic windmill in Upper Symonds. Street, Auckland, suffered a further mishap on Thursday, when the main spar of one of its two sails broke & few feet from the shaft. Fortunately, says the Herald, the fracture occurred between points at which the spar is fastened to the stout wooden beam uniting both sails. The damaged sail, therefore, did. not fall to the ground, but workmen had a rather hazardous job. in securing the broken timber by passing a chain round it. To do this it was necessary for one man to stand upon the end of a stout beam thrust through a window more than 60ft. above the> ground. A veritable sea serpent in the guise of a ribbon fish nine and a half feet long has been presented to the Dominion. Museum, Wellington. This denizen of the deep became stranded recently at Motueka, near Nelson, and was captured. In spite of its length, its thickness is nowhere more tha/H fiix and a half inches. Ribbon fish have been known to reach 20 feet in length. To find them stranded, as this one was, is rare, as they normally live at considerable depths in the ocean, their body tissues being constructed to withstand great pressure. The body of this specimen is frosted silver in . colour,, with deeper spots and black markings near the head. There seem, to .be three fins, a reddish one above the head like a crest, and a dorsal and a pectoral one.

"The general position in Australia has definitely improved,” said Mr. E. W. C. Hughes, managing director of Bowater’s Ltd. in Christchurch on Wednesday. "Unemployment has been with a consequent relief to the Government, and in Sydney there are committees, of citizens working for a further reduction in the numbers of the unemployed. There are also committees elected by the tenants of special streets who are encouraging individuals in those streets to employ extra labour where, this is possible. Their efforts have been markedly successful. During the few months prior to the Lang Government being thrown out, we felt in New South Wales that we were sitting on a volcano,” he continued. "We just went along from day to day, waiting for something to happen, and it was anticipated that with certain forces organised and opposed to one another the slightest move might set a match to the fire. Had the Lang Government been returned to power at the last election, their actions would have had wide and serious repercussions, for not only Australia would have suffered. When the Stevens Government was returned there was a feeling of tremendous relief and the effort is now being made to put every ounce of energy into our recovery, and that feeling of hopelessness which formerly existed has disappeared.” A general experience of land agents seen at Auckland on Thursday by the New Zealand Herald was that although inquiries for .properties were coming forward with hopeful frequency, there was still too large a margin between the prices of buyers and sellers. There was evidence that buyers had realised that prices had readied bedrock and that the present was, therefore, the best time to buy, but many would-be sellers were reluctant to cut their losses, having bought at peak prices, and accept the buyer’s offer.'“The seller’s viewpoint is understandable,” said one agent, “if he has bought when prices were high and is carrying the burden of a heavy mortgage, but the fact remains that a house can now be built at two-thirds of its former price. This means that a buyer will be less inclined to buy an old house at a high figure when he can have a new one built to suit his requirements in detail.” “There is good inquiry for dairy farms, especially going concerns with a not too large cash deposit, said another agent. “We would like to see more movement in town, proper ties, but we are optimistic regarding farm properties. A lot of professional men, such as lawyers, are buying small places of I's to 20 acres near the town and. carryin" on their business in the city as usual. In most cases they wish to provide something tangible for their childreh, for they see no immediate opportunities of careers in the towns. Not so much of the back sheep country is changing hands as last year.” The Railway Department advertise in this issue particulars of train, arrangements and cheap excursion fares in connection with the Wanganui races.

The fourth annual general meeting of the N.I.M.U. Mutual Insurance Company will be held at the Chamber of Commerce, Dominion Buildings, Wellington, on September 28, 1932, at 8 p.m. The agenda and figures from the balance sheet are adyertised on page 3..

With the further opening out of the hull of ths Kaponga, which lies a wreck on the northern breakwater at the entrance to the Grey River, her cargo of coal is being washed ashort. The residents of Cobden are gathering the coal as it is washed up on the beach.

A Te Awamutu firm has received the following quaint letter from a Chinese firm in Wellington: “Dear sirs.—This is the receipt of your favour on date 3rd Inst., which contained we have been duly learned for we are thanking you very much. Thanking you again fof your kind favour, we trust to have the opportunity to hear from your further valued of commands.—We are, yours faithfully, etc.”

The great room for an expansion of the dairy industry in the Gisborne district was remarked on by Mr. W. A. Phillips, chairman of directors of the New Zealand Co-operative Pig Marketing Association, at a meeting of farmers. He said that there appeared . to be large blocks of admirable, dairying land, at present carrying sheep, that could be cut up for dairying. In addition, much skim milk was going to waste. Sufficient skim milk and whey were going to waste in New Zealand to enable the Dominion to export 1,000,000 porkers a year.

Cauliflowers at one shilling a sack wholesale and a penny each retail seem very cheap in Auckland, says the Herald, but prices generally are much lower in Los Angeles. An ex-Aucklander, in a letter to a frjend, mentions that she buys butter at sixpence a pound, and adds: “I grow almost all. my own vegetables, but I wonder if it .is worth it, as beetroot, carrots, spinach, peas and beans sell for one cent a bunch or pound.” For some time past the Auckland Chamber of Commerce has been discussing the advisability of having certain holidays ’observed on the Mondays nearest the dates' on which they fall, but owing to the diversity of opinions the council of the chamber decided on Thursday that no action should be taken. While the proposal received, support in some quarters, shipping interests, many retailers and importers of perishable goods were definitely opposed to it.

The Minister of Education (the Hon. R. Masters), replying to. the request of Christchurch Trade Unions that free education should be made available for young unemployed people who are not free-placo holders, and who cannot pay for tuition, stated that the matter had received his earnest consideration. Cases of students seeking remission of fees on account of hardship had also received sympathetic attention. He was prepared to consider any such further cases as might be referred to the Ministers’ Department, through the principal of the school, but he regretted his inability to apply the principle of remission generally,' as this would involve the possibility of heavy additional expenditure which could not be considered at the present time. x , Owing to abuses which, it is stated, occurred in connection with concessions which the Christchurch Tramway Board has given to help relief, workers, no more tram passes ’will be issued to men employed on the Cashmere Hills. The general manager of the tramways, in making this announcement on Wednesday, said that there had been continual trouble with overloading. Some of the men had refused to give up their seats to women and children, had ref used, to pay their fares and would not give names and addresses. “Some women are now walking rather than use the cars occupied by relief workers,” he said, “The patience of the board has come to an end.”

Umbrellas and gloves head the list of articles found on Christchurch tramcars during the year ended March 31, but parcels, purses, peggy bags and attache cases were also overlooked in. large numbers by passengers. The total number of articles left behind by forgetful folk was 4793, the details being as follow: Attache cases 388, brief bags 90, handbags 161, baskets 83, books 158, clothing, miscellaneous 67, coats 97, concession cards 71, gloves (pairs) 456, (single) 277, hats 36, jewellery 58, keys 33,. luncn boxes 46, sums of money 17, music and instruments 17, fur necklets 21, parcels 570, purses and peggy bags 400, pusnchairs 6, rugs 5, scarves 31, spectacles and cases 36, suit cases 42, sundries 576, tennis racquets, etc. 52, tobacco pouches 26, umbrellas 817, walking sticks 88 and. watches 18.

If you have seen or read about New Zealand, you will understand why that beautiful, verdant country has become the Empire’s dairy farm, says a writer in the Bournemouth Daily Echo, England. Bathed in almost perpetual, sunshine, blessed with an ample, rainfal. and an equable temperature, it is a land where the grass springs knee-deep almost all the year round and the cattle graze contentedly in the open in requiring neither artificial food nor housing. No wonder that the butter they yield takes on that alluring golden hue which scientists assure us is an indication of a high content of those mysterious vitamins which spell.life and health to the human race!. It “ jndeed. sunshine on the breakfast table/ No wonder, too, that their cheese gives a butterfat analysis of as much as 59 per cent, —the richest full-cream cheese m the world.

In this issue an unreservwi clearing sale is advertised on .behalf of Mr. Ehot King, who has sold his farm, on pepper Road, Inglewood. The sale includes ewes with lambs, a herd, of 7o dairy cows, the majority of which are young and in full profit, 4 farm borses, three of which are especially good. The implements are in good order and the sale is a good opportunity for dairy farmers ’to suit their requirements as the whole offering is entirely without reserve. Readers of the News will be particularly interested in an announcement in the “Wanted” columns in Mondays issue ay Scanlan's Ltd. drawing attention to a very special offering of washing, prints, and to a guessing competition open and free to all customers/

Consumers of electricity are notified that power will be cut off over the areas between Mangorei Road and Carrington Road To-day (Saturday), between the hours of 2 and 3.30 p.m., and over the Central area between the hours of 6 and 7 a.m. on Stmday morning, for pole replacements and line alterations.

Why buy new clothes when the old ones can be renovated equal to new at the cost of a few shillings? We have been dyeing and cleaning garments for over 20 years. Let us have your soiled or faded suits, costumes, dresses, etc., to renovate and you will be surprised at the result. We also renovate and re-block felt hats. Why not have yours done at J. K. Hawkins and Co., corner Devon and Liardet Streets, New Plymouth. ’Phone 685. Mrs. Rudkin (Everybody’s) is our Stratford agent. The Inglewood. Football Club will hold its annual ball on Tuesday. Elaborate preparations to ensure its success are being made, a special feature being the decorations. Old time and modem dances are included in the programme. On Wednesday, September 28, Newton King Ltd. are conducting an importantsale of pedigree Jersey bulls on behalf of Messrs. John and Len. Hale, C. H. Weston and E. J. Kirkwood. The sale will be held at Mr. Hale’s homestead, Avenue Road. Sale catalogues are available from all offices of the auctioneers. See auction columns,