LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 16 January 1933, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The killings at the Patea freezing works were over 3000 on both Thursday and Friday. Four members of the old union are reported to have returned to work last week. ’ .'wo of the old union executive, Mr. T. B. Ewens, president, and Mr. Gray, vice-president, are going to Wellington to-day on union business.

Firing at the 800 yards and 900 yards distances in the long-range aggregate had to be abandoned by the New Plymouth Defence Rifle Club at the Rewa Rewa range on Saturday owing to rain. Matches at 300 and 500 yards will be fired next Saturday, when the. opportunity will be taken of completing Saturday’s shooting.

The heavy showers that fell in parts of North Taranaki on Saturday and Sunday would be greatly appreciated, by farmers and householders, and particularly those who rely on tanks for their water supply. For some time many have been carting water. While the ram wotjtt freshen the pastures and help the crojxT farmers would have been much better pleased if the downpour had lasted 24 hours.

Squadron-Leader White left New Plymouth on Friday for Timaru, which with a stop at Blenheim he made in six hours 20 minutes. He took with him copies of the Taranaki Daily News of that morning, one being for the Timaru Herald, the editor of which (Mr. Lawrence) wired at 9.50 a.m.: “Thanks for copy of to-day’s News, which was delivered by the New Zealand Airways plane in 6h. 20m.” -

Just before the rain on Sattyrday afternoon a semi-rescue was staged at Fitzroy beach. An elderly man found Aimself beyond his depth, and although he struggled back again his return was aided by two surfers who took the reel to his assistance. The man was little the worse for his adventure, but his wife suffered from the shock of seeing her husband in difficulties and took a little while to recover.

With the surface at Fitzroy, Strandon and East End beaches as calm as a millpond, broken only close inshore by precise breakers, the sea at the eastern end of New Plymouth was yesterday ideal for long-distance swimming practice by surf enthusiasts, one of whom in the morning swam from Fitzroy beach to the East End pavilion, and after a short rest completed the return journey. There was no foundation for a rumour current at New Plymouth during the week-end that there were five new cases of infantile paralysis in the public hospital. An officer of the Health Department told a reporter that there had.b.een no further notifications since the original two. One of these was from the Mount Messenger district and the other from the Opunake district. Both were in hospital and were progressing as satisfactorily as could be expected. The boys’ holiday camp at the Waiwakaiho showgrounds organised by the members of the New Plymouth group of Toe H was thrown - open' to the inspection of visitors yesterday afternoon, when large numbers of parents and others interested in the group’s work were present. The boys, whose number has increased to 53, gave a short concert. The routine work at the camp has been proceeding normally, an eventful afternoon being spent on Friday, when the aerodrome was visited and the Southern Cross inspected.

Intimation has been received by Mr. H. W. Lightband (New Plymouth) that Mr. J. S. W. Stannage, wireless operator of the Southern Cross, verifies the “Hello” message picked up at the New Plymouth radio room at 10 a.m. New Zealand time on the day of the Tasman flight. Mr. Stannage stated that at the time mentioned he was briefly testing telephony and called “Hello, hello.’ As far as has been so far ascertained the New Plymouth aerodrome station was the only one in New Zealand to have picked up the telephony call. A coincidence occurred in the North Taranaki cricket competitions on Saturday that- was unusual. Central and Waitara teams were playing on one ground at Western Park, and New Plymouth and Western Park occupied the other wicket. Waitara and Western Park were the teams to bat first, and each concluded the innings about the same time for the same score —122. Play had then to be abandoned owing to rain before the other teams scored, although Central opened their innings to lose two wickets for no runs.

The call of the open spaces is still being answered by the motor campers, thousands of whom are on the roads. The visit of the Southern Cross to New Plymouth is probably responsible to a large extent for the continued popularity of the borough reserve at Belt Road. By this time of the month most campers have returned home, but last night there were between 80 and 90 parties under canvas. On Saturday night there were 81, on Friday 78 and on Thursday 91. One party arriving yesterday booked in for three weeks, while several others announced their intention of staying ten days.

A young man named L. Murray met with a mishap early on Saturday morning while engaged in delivering the Daily News in the Opunake and coastal districts. The car lost steering way in the shingle at the approach of the Tumahu bridge, on the Wiremu-Okahu road and dashed into the protruding arm of the bridge. The crosspiece smashed its way through the bonnet, the windscreen and the hood, grazing the side of the face of Murray and missing by a hair’s breadth the driver alongside. The car was wrecked. Fortunately Mrs. Oliver, a former nurse, was living nearby, and she rendered first-aid to Murray, who was later taken to the hospital, where he was reported to be doing well yesterday. The fact that no motor accidents have been reported in the vicinity of New Plymouth since the arrival of the Southern Cross after its trans-Tasman flight on Wednesday was a remarkable tribute to the motorists of North Taranaki, said Mr. R. Day, chief borough inspector, New Plymouth, last night. He pointed out that thousands of cars had converged on the aerodrome at Bell Block duringthe past five days, many of them arriving from distant parts of the North Island, yet not so much as a spot of paint had been scratched off a mudguard. At times the roads were very congested, but as a general rule the traffic was well behaved. “There were several isolated instances of failure to observe the rules, however,” said Mr. Day, “and one or two motorists will be called upon to explain.” Two band recitals were held at New Plymouth last night after the church services, and both were patronised by large attendances. One of the largest crowds at a recital for a long time assembled at Kawaroa Park to hear the Regimental-Municipal Band conducted by Lieutenant F. W. G. McLeod. There were dozens of cars in the vicinity. The programme was: March, “Faithful and True” (Colin Fraser); hymns, “Fight the Good Fight” and “Austria;” waltz, “The Choristers” (with bell accompaniment); jazz numbers, “I’m Sitting on Top of the World”; Marcheta”; selection, “Recollections of Ireland”; overture, “Elfin Revel; march, “Invercargill”; quickstep, “Our Prince.” A collection was taken up. At the East End, where the full Pipe Band played, there was also an unusually large attendance. The band, which was under the control of Pipe-Major Black and Drum-Major P. MacKenzie, was entertained at supper in the pavilion by Mrs. Black. The collection in aid of the band’s funds was satisfactory.

Rabbits are reported to be plentiful in the Wanganui district. Several have been seen on the Parapara Road by motorists and have been shot from cars. At the South Spit many have been secured by men and boys with shot guns, while in the Waitotara district 1000 were taken on one farm.

Although the average boy probably goes to a job for the first time with a certain amount of misgiving, it is thought that a boy who was selected by the Dunedin Vocational Guidance Committee for a position on a farm went to his job with confidence. In his application the farmer asked for a hoy “who can eat a good meal,„ and, if possible, whistles at his work. ’

When an Auckland fisherman was searching for flatfish at low tide the other day he was attacked by a shark 6ft long, which had become entangled in his net. He was in his bathing suit, and standing up to his knees in water and mud. The remarkable fact about the duel was that the fisherman received only a few scratches, while his bathing suit was torn to ribbons. The shark broke free from the net after a desperate struggle.

Glass has “been produced which, according to the Frankfort weekly newspaper Die Umschau, neither splinters nor breaks. To test its strength three adult persons used a long sheet of six millimetres (nine-fiftieth’s of an inch) thickness as a see-saw. The glass showed an elasticity similar to highly flexible steel. A heavy steel ball was dropped from a height of 10 feet on the glass without leaving an impression. Railway authorities and motor-car industrialists are interested in the glass, which is produced by a special heating process.

More than ordinary ingenuity was displayed by someone who made a thorough search of a Christchurch dentist’s home on Thursday evening. ’Dre dentist’s family was at the seaside for the holidays and he was baching. The telephone bell rang, and anguished tones at the other end of the wire told of a raging toothache. Could the dentist possibly go to his rooms and remove the aching tooth? Dentists are but human. It was late, but the dentist changed from slippers to shoes and went off urgently to his surgery in the city. He waited, but no patient appeared. So he returned home. In his absence his house Rad been thoroughly ransacked. “I cannot go without first remarking that you live in London that is where I come from,” remarked Lord Bledisloe, speaking to' the Maoris at Ranana at the reception given him there on his trip down the Wanganui River on Friday. The assembly laughed, but laughed again when he looked round the kaianga to the church, beyond and said, “But I assure you it is difficult to imagine a place more unlike the City of London than this pa: I have asked my aide de camp to take a picture of Ranana because I want the people of London to see in an illustrated London paper what London on the Wanganui River is like.”

With unsecured liabilities apparently amounting to £3283, George Thomas Nation, formerly a mercer of Wellington, did not appear on Friday at a meeting of his creditors, and the Official Assignee, Mr. S. Tansley, said that bankrupt had left for England about a year ago. His address was not known and he had not furnished a statement. Mr. Tansley remarked that the only asset appeared to be £152 held by the solicitor who formerly acted for bankrupt. The solicitor, who was present, said bankrupt left New Zealand in December, 1931, on what purported to be a business trip. At a meeting of his creditors it was decided to carry on the business for a time. One creditor had pressed for payment and the business had been wound up. Some idea of the extraordinary reverence with which the Japanese regard their Emperor and the elaborate precautions taken to keep .urn from the prying eyes of the public, was given by Mr. O. W. S. Kohn, a New' Zealand business man who returned from a recent trip to Japan (says the Christchurch Times). Mr. Kohn, during an interview, said that on one occasion he was travelling by train. The Emperor was proceeding to Osaka on the same line. Five minutes before the trains were even due to > vne another, all the blinds were pulled down in Mr. Kohn’s train, so that no one would even see the Emperor pass. In addition, there were soldiers along the line at intervals for some hundreds of miles. The list in respect of the Lyttelton Harbour Board’s redemption loan of £136,000 has been closed, the full amount having been subscribed. The loan matured on January 1, 1933, and on the last day of 1932 the board transmitted to London £50,200 with which to redeem debentures in the original loan held in England. On December 31 between £30,000 and £34,000 was required to make up the total which has been subscribed since the opening of the new year. Applications for debentures in the redemption loan were received from almost every part of the Dominion, a fair proportion being from the North Island. A noteworthy fact is that the applications included a number from persons who took up only small parcels. All classes in the community were represented. The original loan was of £150,000, but accrued sinking funds reduced the amount necessary to be raised to redeem it to £136,000.

Mr. W. Goodfellow speaking last week in the Waikato, said that in regard' to the sale of land, he was on the opinion that only a limited number of unemployed would make good as farmers. To make farming a success, a man must possess capital, energy, initiative, and the faculty of management. To induce capital to invest in land, the price must be right, and the result would be rapid development, and all sections of the community would benefit. The unemployed would receive permanent employment .d money be put into circulation, which would help to reduce unemployment in the cities by stimulating trade. However, to attract more people to .and, not only the cost of goods, but the cost of government, county councils, municipal councils and other administrative institutions must be reduced in keeping with the reduced national income. What, in short, was required in New Zealand ' v as not temporary assistance for the farmer by means of inflation currency or exchange or even a subsidy on exports to be paid with borrowed money, but a permanent reduction of farming costs. Farming, our great national industry, must be made sufficiently attractive, permanently to absorb our increasing population. Our cities were already too large in view of the greatly reduced national income.