LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 21 December 1932, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The East End reserve has for some days' boasted the first pohutukawa tree in New Plymouth to be in full bloom. Flowers are shoeing on many trees within the borough, but one tree at East End already displays an almost unbroken blaze of blossom.

While riding a motor-cycle on Kelly Road on Monday morning Mr. Thomas Bransgrove collided with a motor-car. He was admitted to the New Plymouth Public Hospital between 11 and 12 o’clock suffering from a badly fractured arm.

Joseph Nixon, the Waitara’ boy who narrowly escaped drowning on Monday Is reported to be progressing very satisfactorily. After he was recovered from the water artificial respiration was applied for three hours, and Nixon was unconscious for about seven hours.

A New Plymouth fisherman had an exciting time capturing a large sized stingray off the Onaero beach on Monday afternoon. The anglers were fishing with rod and reel. The fish took a herring bait and fought for over two hours before being captured. During the contest the stingray was followed by an eight or nine foot shark.

“Hard cases among the pupils who had been somewhat reformed by the discipline of the school band were mentioned by Mr. J. W. Thomas, headmaster «>of the Hawera main school last night at a band competition. The band, said Mr. Thomas, was a definite influence for good in the lives of the boys who were members. '

The New Plymouth Harbour Board’s dredge Paritutu has been longer in the Wellington Harbour Board’s floating dock than any other vessel which has used the dock. The Paritutu was placed in the dock on November 24 and so far has been there nearly 28 full days. A minimum charge of £l3 6s 8d per day is made for the dock while the Paritutu is using it. It is expected the dredge will be undocked this week and will return to New Plymouth about the middle of January.

The concert which is to be held at Pungarehu this evening affords an opportunity to coastal residents not only to hear a good entertainment but also to help a very deserving cause. An excellent and varied programme has been arranged by the organisers, who are devoting the proceeds to provide gifts for children who otherwise would not receive a visit from Santa Claus this Christmas. '

As a result of the generosity of Mr. R. E. McDougall, the new Art Gallery in Christchurch has become the property of the city without a penny encumbrance. The total expenditure in the Art Gallery was £31,720, and when a statement was presented to Mr. McDougall showing a debit of £lBB5 he endorsed a further cheque for that amount.

A feature of the cricket on Saturday in the Whangarei Cricket Association’s competitions was an excellent innings of 76, not out, by Mr. A. J. Murdoch, M.P. for Marsden, while playing for Onerahi against High School. Mr. Murdoch is a most enthusiastic cricketer and when time permits participates in the competitions of this association. To-morrow will be the longest day of 1932, the sun then reaching its greatest southern declination. This marks the summer solstice and the technical beginning of summer, although meterologically summer seems to have already established itself. After Thursday the days will gradually contract as the sun begins to move toward the north once more.

Fire broke out yesterday in a pine plantation belonging to Mr. G. H. Bell, of Oakura. Some rubbish in a swamp near the plantation was being burned off, and the Are, fanned by a breeze, sprang across to the plantation. Haymakers in the vicinity and neighbours, under Mr. Bell sen., attacked the Are with vigour, damping the ground in the vicinity and confining the flames to the outer trees. For a time it looked as though a small block of trees would be burned, but fortunately the measures taken proved successful and the great majority of the trees were saved.

Holiday traffic on the railway will attain its greatest dimensions during the remainder of the week and will continue at pressure during the week between Christmas and New Year. Advance bookings are already slightly ahead of the figures for last year. Up to the present the returns at the Nev; Plymouth station for December show an increase of 160 tickets and £156 compared with the corresponding period last year. The increase in the ordinary revenue so far this month is attributed mainly to a greater number of long distance travellers. This is especially so in the case of travellers to the South Island, of which the increase has been phenomenal. The Auckland district has also received greater patronage. A comet almost as bright as the comet Geddes but twice its apparent size was observed by Mr. F. J. Morshead, director of the New Plymouth Observatory, on Monday night. On Monday ’at 10 p.m. the position was right ascension 23 hours 03 minutes, south declination 27 degrees 13 minutes. In appearance the comet was round and diffuse, without a nucleus and about magnitude nine, which is many times too , faint to observe with unaided vision. It is not far from the bright star Fomalhaut, in the constellation Piscis Australis, not in the Zodiacal constellation Piscis as was indicated in the cable message from Adelaide. The comet is moving in a northerly direction. ■' The metalling of the road through-the Dome Valley, between Warkworth and Wellsford on the main northern highway, has been completed, according to advice received by the Auckland Automobile Association. The completion of the wbrk will give an all-weather route which is likely to be used by a large number of touring motorists during the holidays. The use of the Dome Valley Road obviates the necessity for travelling an additional 19 miles on a detour route through Kaipara Flats, Tauhoa and Port Albert.

A paragraph wherein It was stated that the sum of £lO6O was donated from England to the St. John’s parish, Napier, on the understanding that the money was to be used towards building a parish church and not a cathedral and that about £4OO had already been spent may have created a wrong impression, says the Hawke’s Bay Herald. In the light of further inquiries it has been ascertained that’the sum of £lOOO was donated after the earthquake of 1931 to the diocese of Waipu, to be used towards building and restoring churches. Of that sum about £4OO has been spent on the St. John’sparish church, the balance having been used in restoring other churches in the diocese of Waiapu.-

At the Taupo Quay entrance to the Wanganui Town Bridge on a recent afternoon stood a traffic inspector. A young lady passed him by and dropped a ball of wool unnoticed by the inspector, who was busy attending to other duties. The end of the wool was attached to some knitting in the young lady's pocket. Soon she had left a trail of wool behind her across the quay. Then the inspector was attracted by a screeching of brakes of motorcars. The drivers, seeing the inspector and a barrier of wool leading, from the bridge, evidently thought it was some temporary measure to keep traffic off an unsafe structure. The young lady soon sized up the situation, and, while traffic waited, she calmly rewound the wool on to the ball, and, nodding her appreciation to. those in the vicinity, she calmly took her departure.

“I have seen New Zealand lamb sold at Smithfield at prices ranging from 4d. to 5 l-Bd. and retailed on the same day at from Hid. to Is. 7d. per lb, irrespective of grade,” said Mr. H. J. Wemham, who returned to Auckland last week from an eight months’ trip abroad. For mutton sold at 2Jd. to 3|d, he had been asked Is. 3d. per lb. for a hindquarter. At the same time he had seen New Zealand lamb sold as prime English at Is. lOd. per lb, “The dairy section appears possibly the best served, but even here abuse is rife. Several convictions were entered recently against dealers selling Russian butter as New Zealand or Empire. The blending of inferior brands and selling as super qualities is much in evidence,” declared the Aucklander. It is-Mr. Wemham’s opinion that New Zealand butter should be marketed under specified brands, as “Empire butter” is no advertisement for the Dominion, and means little on the Home market to-day. One particular brand of butter, sold under its New Zealand trade name, was enjoying good sales.

“It is a thousand pities if the men on relief work ’go slow,’ particularly at a time when public sympathy is running strongly in their favour,” said Mr. W. K. Howitt, chairman of the relief committee of the Auckland Hospital Board, when speaking of the fine response which was being made by many people to the appeal for individuals to take on the responsibility of providing a Christmas dinner for those who were unfortunate enough not to be able to provide one for themselves. “It is simply ruinous from the relief worker’s point of view, for under ordinary conditions I believe this Christmas Will see more genuine help given to necessitous cases than is usually the case. Only to-day offers have come in, through the newspapers drawing attention to the matter, by individuals who are willing to provide a full Christmas dinner for the largest families which can be found. There is a feeling in the air that help must be given, even if it means sacrifice, to those who are up against it, but this ‘go-slow’ business is like a chilling breeze. Of all the things which will get workmen nowhere it is ‘going slow,’ especially when many who are paying the levies and finding the money for the emergency tax are finding it as difficult to live as those who are on relief work. Estrangement caused by silly methods of procedure not favoured by a majority of the men will mean that little children and women will suffer. Let me urge those who are able to help whole families at Christmas time to do so. Let there be no ‘go-slow’ in the doing of good deeds at this

The war on the white butterfly in, the Hawke’s Bay province has met with marked success, says an exchange. Reports from various parts indicate that the best is by no means as prevalent as last year. Market gardeners state that cauliflowers have been almost free from the butterfly, but the cabbage continues to be affected, though to a lesser degree than before. Field crops, too, show an improvement and it has been stated that the minah has played its share in keeping down the fcest. The flies are well established in Taranaki, and only yesterday was found in a New Plymouth suburban garden. They are also reported from Stratford, Opunake, Pungarehu and Urenui.

While fishing in the Ngutunui stream on the Pirongia-Kawhia Road on Monday Mr. Walter Bird, of Matangi, noticed an eel of unusual dimensions in the water. He waded into the stream, and with a stick drove the eel into shallow water. The eel made toward him, as if to attack him, and he struck it and succeeded in stunning it. Mr. Bird caught the eel behind the head and had carried it up the bank for a distance of 15ft. when it began to struggle in his grasp. Mr. Bird let the eel go, and it returned to the water. It was again captured and killed. It measured sft. lln in length and weighed 251 b. Inside the eel was a decapitated brown trout weighing IJlb. In the party of 36 secondary school boys which will leave this week on an organised tour of Australia, several-races will be represented. One is the son of a Maori chief, and weighs 14st. in weight. Another Maori boy in the party' has claims as a pianist, and will probably be much in demand. The lads will average 16. J years in age and are a good example of New Zealand physique. One of them—an Aucklander —is over 6ft. in height and weighs 151st. The boys are very keen on seeing the second, test cricket match at Melbourne., Thirty-five of them are hopeful of Australia’s success. One lad is a Ghurka. His chief hope is that Pataudi will once again prove a problem to the Australian bowlers.

What is destined to be one of the most Important links of road communication in New Zealand was inspected on Sunday' by members of the Wanganui and District Development League, states the Wanganui Chronicle. Much has been written of this, route, which ultimately will connect Raetihi and places inland with the city of Wanganui. People have but a vague conception, however, of the work that has been done to push the white ribbon of metalled surface along the steep hill faces which look down to the willow-lined Wanganui River, with its darker green fringe of bush rising to high pinnacles on either side. It is true that much has yet to be done before the dreams of those who vision quicker communication with the hinterland become material fact, but it was thought by the Development League that as the road was now looming largely in the public mind it was time it was inspected and first-hand information obtained as to its present state and future possibilities. It is possible to travel the River Road by car as far as the Ruapirau Stream, 32 miles from Wanganui,

“The love of outdoor life and animals is innate to many, and, given suitable opportunity, will provide all the farmers New Zealand requires. High values of land, low value of produce, lack of capital for developing the poorer lands—all these are oppressing the farmer at present. But these conditions are not peculiar to New Zealand. They are worse in many other countries. Nor are they difficulties of over-production. In a world in which there are millions of unemployed, living from hand to mouth, it is impossible to say there is over-pro-duction until we have at least given the consumers the opportunity to consume. Our difficulties are difficulties of credit, distribution, and lack of world statesmanship. They are difficulties that call for endurance and endeavour. Few countries are so favoured.”—Mr. 11. C. Clark, M.A., principal of Wesley College, Paerata, at the breaking-up ceremony.

i The matron of the New Plymouth Hospital acknowledges the following gifts: Flowers, Mrs. Mcßae, Victoria ' League (per Mrs. Collins), Westown School, Vogeltown Presbyterian Busy Bees, Mr. Bailey; books and magazines, Miss Home, Mr. Peattie, Mr. Victor Davies, New 'Zealand Railways (pet station master, New Plymouth); papers, Mrs, C. E. Stronge; Illustrated papers for George Tabor Ward, Mrs. A. A. Ward, Tariki; gas lighter for George Tabor Ward, Mr. Hope (ex-patient). . . 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 reblock felt hats. Why not iiave yours done at J. K. Hawkins and Co., comer Devon and Liardet Streets, New Plymouth. ‘Phone 685. Mrs. Rudkin (Everybody’s) is our Stratford agent.