LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 23 November 1932, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A Whangamomona settler has ridden on horseback a distance more than twice the length of the equator. For 34 years he has ridden twice a week from his farm to collect the mail, the return trip amounting to 18 miles. His total is well over 60,000 miles.

The liberation of young trout, reared at the Taranaki Acclimatisation Society’s hatchery at Durham Road, has been begun by the society for this season. Already 8000 “fingerlings” (2J inches long) have been put into the Stony River from the main road to the Carrington Road bridge. There are still many more to be liberated, including about 18,000 for the Waiwakaiho River.

The New Plymouth Harbour Board’s dredge Paritutu left New Plymouth for Wellington last night. At Wellington a thorough investigation of the hull will be made preparatory to the calling of tenders for the vessel’s overhaul. The

Paritutu has been out of commission for about 18 months and her recommission will depend upon the examination and the amounts of the tenders received. Advice that the Manganui-o-te-ao Bridge, on the Te Kuiti-Bulls highway, will be closed between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on and after next Monday has been received by the Taranaki Automobile Association from Mr. A. O. Albertson, district public Works engineer. Nnecessary repairs have to be effected to the bridge, and they are expected to take about a fortnight to complete. . On sixteen and a-half acres of tobacco land in the Nelson district the grower has raised 20,000 pounds Of tobacco. This yield, has borne an excise duty of 2s 8d per lb or £2666. “It is hardly probable that the Government gets anything like an equal return from the use of land in any other way,” said Mr. P. Higginbottom to a Chronicle representative on Monday. “It would be of interest to learn what is the value of the tobacco industry to the Dominion Exchequer.”

Grass is the only thing that thrives on a succession of “cute.”—The humour of this remark by Mr. W. A. Waters, at the Hokianga Luncheon Club, when moving a vote of thanks to the Gov-ernor-General for his address on

“Grass,” was thoroughly appreciated by the large gathering. Mr. Waters drew renewed laughter when he observed that a cow blown on grass constituted “inflation” of the worst kind.

The net expenditure on railways out of the Public Works Fund for the year ended March 31, 1932, was £810,434, which excludes a special credit of £439,190 for depreciation. Expenditure bn the construction of rolling-stock totalled £374,085. The sum of £194,522 was expended on Tawa Flat deviation. The cost of strengthening and renewing bridges was £95,700, and £37,752 was spent on the signalling, telephone, and traincontrol extensions. Improvements at terminals and miscellaneous small works cost £108,375, and administration charges and the cost of raising loans amounted to £15,439.

Government expenditure on tourist and health resorts during the year 1931-32 amounted to £87,609, which included an amount of £58,925, beirjg the repayment of a loan made to the A’ongariro National Park Co., Ltd., by the Public Trust Office and guaranteed by the Government. The main work carried out during the year was the erection of the juvenile portion of the new Blue Bath at Rotorua. Other works completed were the erection of Malte Brun Hunt at Mount Cook, improvements to reserve at Rotorua, erection of wharves at Golden Bay and Ulva Island (Stewart Island), and the electrical works and telephone-line were extended at Rotorua.

The ragwort which shamelessly flaunts its gay colours on almost every roadside during the summer months obtrudes itself in most unexpected ways into the discussions of local bodies and one never knows the moment when discussion, often quite irrelevantly, will turn in its direction. Mr. Hallett told the Thames Valley Drainage Board members the other day of the introduction of the plant into Taranaki. Innocent of the fact that she was about to make very bad history, a lady of Inglewood cultivated one of the plants, which was considered choice enough to have a flower pot all to itself and a favoured 1 position. Visitors admired the plant, and as it multiplied were favoured with plants to take home, and soon the ragwort was disseminated far and wide. Now it defies all the forces of man and money, and is the biggest curse known to the farmer. A dance recital of unusual merit is promised by Miss Meryl Jennins, L.T.C.L., and pupils at the Lepperton Hall to-night. Careful preparation has enabled Miss Jennins to present a high class entertainment. By request a dance Will follow the recital.

Members of the Wanganui Harbour Board are to meet Mr. W. A. lorns, chairman of the Dairy Produce Control Board, at Castlecliff to-day in reference to the proposed new shipping contract affecting dariy produce, which is likely to be made in replacement of that now, expiring.

Coming up from Patea on Monday morning a. New Plymouth resident counted no fewer than 15 swaggers on the road. They were mostly old men, but there were also a few youths. Yet local farmers are unable to attract labour to assist them in their operations. A remarkable performance was put up by J. Winterburn on the Otaki golf links recently. When playing in a foursome game he holed out at “The Swamp,” 157 yards, in one in the first round of the game, and in the second round again holed out the same hole in one.

A largely-attended meeting of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at Auckland on Monday night declined to accept the recommendations of its interim committee for the alteration to the constitution. It refused to hear the recommendations read and broke up without any business being accomplished. The possibility of Mr. T. C. Lowry reconsidering his decision to retire from active participation in’ cricket is not improved by a report that owing to a breakdown in health the Wellington and New Zealand captain has been compelled to have a spell at Taupo. All cricketers will join in wishing Mr. Lowry a speedy return to good health and strength.

An amusing incident took place at the opening of the Haupiri bridge at Kopara on the West Coast. Just prior to the

ceremony of the cutting of the ribbon being performed a well-known West Coast identity, an Irishman, galloped up on a horse, and, with a dramatic sweep of a Stick, severed the ribbon across the bridge and triumphantly galloped over it. The action of the amateur “De Groot” caused much laughter among those present. Considerable amusement was caused at a Sitting of the No. 2 Transport Licensing Authority at Auckland when a taxi-proprietor, giving evidence, observed that “more people walk away from race meetings than to them.” Although witness was intending to show the demand for taxi-cab services on the North Shore during the progress of races on the Takapuna course, Mr. J. A. C. Allum, chairman Of the authority, commented that the fortunes of those who bet on horses probably had a great deal to do with the inquiry for taxis at certain times.

An interesting sidelight on the political life of Australia was given by Mr. S. W. M. Stilling, New Zealand representative of the Australian National Travel Association, in an address to the Auckland Rotary Club. He outlined the political structure of Australia, consisting of Federal and State legislatures, and mentioned the salaries paid to the members of various chambers. “Altogether there are 643 politicians in Australia,” he said, “and their combined salaries total £1,193,191, which works out at 4s 4d per head of population.”

An indication of the mildness of the past winter and the earliness of spring is afforded by the fact that locally-grown plums and outdoor tomatoes are now appearing in small quantities at the Auckland markets, from a week to a fortnight earlier than usual. Naturally the fruit is not in first-class condition and bears signs of weather-beating. The plums are realising approximately 3s 6d a case and the tomatoes, the first case of which was offered on Monday, sold at 6Jd per lb. Typical of the generally early spring is the presence already of New Zealand cherries on the market. Grown in Greytown, they are bringing Is 9d a chip. The bulk of work of restoration of private houses in Hawke’s Bay damaged by the earthquake on February 3, 1931, was completed by December 10, 1931, states the Public Works statement presented in the House of Representatives yesterday. After that date the Public Works Department, on behalf of the relief committee, inspected hundreds of houses in the Hawke's Bay, Waipukurau, Waipawa, Wairoa, and Patangata comities; also in the Hastings, Waipawa, Waipukurau, and Wairoa boroughs. These inspections were for the purposes of checking claims on the relief funds by property-owners who had undertaken their own repairs. The inspections Were completed by April 22 last. The number of private houses actually repaired by the Public Works Department was as under: Napier borough, 965; Hastings borough, 1330; Wairoa borough, 470; Hawke’s Bay County (including Havelock and Taradale Town Boards), 1005; Wairoa County, 54; 3824.

Government expenditure on harbour works during the year 1931-32 was comparatively small. At Westport the substantial drop in coal export figures rend ered it necessary to exercise the most rigid economy and curtail staff wherever possible. All work on the training walls extension was stopped and the quarry closed. Dredging was also restricted as much as possible consistently with the necessity to maintain an adequate depth on the bar, in the channel, and at the berthages. At Karamea work was completed on the restoration of the old training wall and the work closed up. Unfortunately, the depositure of earthquake debris in the harbour still continued, and the position as regards the

reopening of the port was not very hopeful. In the meantime timber and stores were shipped from Little Wanganui, where minor works were carried out. Flans and specifications were prepared for a large wharf at the Chatham Islands, and tenders called.

Why buy new clothes when the bld 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 srfits, costumes, dresses, etc., to renovate and you will be surprised at the result. We also renovate and reblock 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.