LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 1 February 1933, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A giant puff ball found by Mr. A. J. Cole, Carrington Road, New Plymouth, was brought to the News Office at New Plymouth yesterday and later exhibited in a shop window in Devon. Street. The ball weighed 341 b and was 34 inches in circumference.

An increase of 15 per cent in the price of motor tyres will operate from to-day. There was another rumour current at New Plymouth yesterday that the retail cost of benzine was to be raised by 2d a gallon but the representative of an oil firm informed a reporter last night that no advice on that point had been received yet.

Rifles and revolvers of all shapes and sizes were subjected to a vigorous and destructive hammering behind the New Plymouth Police Station yesterday morning. They were weapons that had been in possession of the police for some time, either because,, they had not been registered or had been forfeited because of some breach of the Arms Act. One of the revolvers was made by a boy who used it for shooting birds.

Mixed with a shovel and sown through a drill, a miscellany of seeds was sown on a seven acre paddock by Mr. Dan. Bishop at Bell Block. The result to-day is remarkable, a luxurious crop over the whole area comprising turnips, swedes, carrots, mangolds, cabbages, broccoli, beet, pumpkins, jam melons, maize and flowers, all intermingled indiscriminately. “It is a marvellous sight,” said a visitor to a reporter last night. “And there does not appear to be a sign of the fly in the whole crop.”

“It is something like the parable o. the loaves and fishes,” said Mr. P. • Stainton when referring to the work or the New Plymouth Relief Association last night. “We haven’t got any money, but we always manage to finish the year with a small credit.” He acknowledged the help received from citizens and various contributing organisations.

Repairs to the Western Federated (N.I) Flying Club’s aeroplane which was damaged at Pihama on Sunday will probably be carried out by the ground engineer (Mr. A. Salter) at the New Plymouth aerodrome’s workshop. The work will not be started until the wreckage has been inspected by the authorities.

Primary schools reopen to-day after the six weeks summer vacation ana many parents and some teachers are in doubt concerning the age of admission. Advice received from the Taranaki Education Board’s office yesterday indicated that children under six years may be permitted to attend school provided there is ample accommodation. They cannot attend, however, unless their sixth birthday falls during the term and they will not be enrolled on the register until they reach the age of six.

Grown over several bucketsful of cow manure, a tomato .plant on Mr. Dan. Bishop’s property at Bell Block has already reached a height of nine feet. There are eight or nine tomatoes on each bunch and seven bunches have been picked. There are still 14 or 15 bunches left. Mr. Bishop has four or five other plants nearly as high and each of them is as prolific as its taller neighbour.

An important question before the social welfare organisations at New Plymouth last night was the appointment of a secretary for the Mayor’s Council of Relief. Mr. J. Brown said he had made urgent representations to one man that, morning, but without result. The person mentioned was eminently suited for tha position, and Mr. Brown suggested the only way to overcome his scruples was to send him a deputation of ladies. He was sure that the man proposed would then alter his decision. “But that would show he was weak,” said Sister Corkill amidst laughter, “perhaps too weak to be the secretary of such an organisation.

A somewhat withered plant resembling ragwort was noticed by a reporter in the office of the Agricultural Department at New Plymouth yesterday. He was informed that it was St. John s wort, specimens of which have been noticed at Tututawa, Puniwakau, Tarata and Karito. It is not common in Taranaki. At a distance it looks like ragwort, but its yellow flowers are distributed over the steam, instead of being confined to clusters at the top of the plant. Stock avoid it owing to its tough texture. Mr. J. M. Smith said that the weed commonly called St. John’s wort in Taranaki was really tutsan, found undulating country throughout North Taranaki.

The strong northerly winds of the past two days and the rougher seas have had their effect upon the smaller ships that call at the port'of New Plymouth. The Harbour Board’s dredge Paritutu could pot leave Wellington on Monday night as scheduled and it will be at.Jeast to-night before she can leave, it is understood. The Rata, which left Nelson on Monday evening, for New Plymouth, struck head winds from the moment she left port and instead of- arriving at 8 a.m. she did not reach New Plymouth till 1 o clock yesterday afternoon. No damage was done as the Rata is a good sea boat, but a light cargo of 252 tons in a carrying capacity of 860 tons did not prevent her tossing ( in lively fashion.

Glorious summer sunshine was experienced in the Wairarapa on Sunday. As early as nine o’clock in the morning the shade temperature in Masterton was 80.2 degrees, and later in the day it rose to 88.2 degrees, which is the highest temperature recorded this summer. Hundreds of residents, both young and old, deserted the towns and sought relief from the heat along the banks of the various rivers throughout the district. Many of the river banks resembled popular seaside resorts. Numbers of residents also visited Masterton Park, where the trees provide plenty of shade. Late in the afternoon the sky clouded over, and a welcome breeze sprang up.

Flying Officer lan Keith and Mr. S. E. Nielson, who flew to Auckland on Friday to be present at the reception to Air Commodore Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, returned to New Plymouth by aeroplane yesterday. The Mangere aerodrome was cleared at 9.25 a.m. and, with a strong wind behind them, they landed at New Plymouth an hour and a half later. Mr. Nielson was unable to make the whole New Zealand tour with the Southern Cross but at the special request of Sir Charles he arranged to be present at the Wanganui, Auckland and Wellington receptions He will leave for Wellington towards the end of February.

“Is money the material factor?” queried Dr. E. M. Smith in the course of his lecture at Birkenhead, advocating the Douglas social credit method. The largest item in- the proposed Auckland Harbour Bridge was labour cost, he said, and there were 70,000 unemployed men in New Zealand. Presuming it would be built in concrete, there .was an abundance of gravel and cement here, he said. The brains to design the bridge and superintend its construction were also in the country. All that prevented the people getting the bridge was the present obsolete monetary system, whereas under the method advocated new money would be created for wealth as it increased.

Some of those connected with the dairy industry view the increase in the exchange rate with some concern, says the Poverty Bay Herald. A recent visitor to Gisborne, whose activities take him to many parts of the North Island, said that the cost of fertilisers may go up by 10s a ton, and this would certainly have an effect on the quantity used. He noted, however, that the heavy users of fertilisers had not decreased their purchases; they had economised in other ways, but they believed it would be false economy to cut down the manure bill. The decrease in the practice of manuring, he found, was' among those men who used only a little and who were not fully seized with its importance in increasing production.

People who criticise the ordinary mortal for dressing according to English custom in a non-English climate would have been pleased with the way in which their cry for a free arid easy dress in a semi-tropical latitude was carried out on Sunday on the beaches along the waterfront road —even to what the most rabid dress reformer would admit was extremes, says the Auckland Star. The bathers at Mission Bay were, of course, sensibly clothed, but so were many who Were not in the water. A young woman in a scanty bathing costume and. carrying a sunshade walked quite unconcernedly along the promenade between the bay and Kohimarama, accompanied by a man in full street-walking togs. Another young woman in a bathing dress and a pair of shorts stepped out sturdily between two men friends who .were in equally airy costumes. At Mission Bay the tide was out and the bathers occupied their leisure time by wandering all over - the place, far. from the water, and one youth carried dress reform to the extent of discarding even the very open-work modem bathing suit, . and wandered round in a very brief pair of trunks and nothing else. In that near-to-nature garb he partnered a young woman in a one-step on the recreation reserve to the strains, of a portable gramophone. And nobody seemed to miss the other portion of his costume.

Inquiries in Christchurch on Saturday elicited the information that the prices of all imported books will be subject to an increase as a result of the raising of the exchange rate. The increase will be variable, but will probably be something over 10 per cent, in most cases. The greater proportion of the books and periodicals sold in New Zealand shops are imported.

While no large buildings were erected at New Plymouth in either January, 1932, or January, 1933, the figures for the month just ended showed a total value of £3378, against £l4OO for the same month of 1932. In January, 1933, wto business premises were erected, while none were erected in 1932; two dwellings were provided for, against one in 193 , and there were four additions compared with 11 in the same month of ISAS. Upon a recent visit to Arapuni Mr. •G. W. Reid, a member of the Railways Board, was informed by the resident engineer that the leakage from the headrace was well under control. Remedial measures are still in progress, but the apparent leakage has been reduced to small dimensions. The generating unit which caused trouble through vibration is being dismantled for the purpose of substituting another turbine for the original one.

A pupil of the Napier Boys’ High School of whom Napier residents feel proud is L. W. B. Couch, who has secured a credit pass in the university scholarship examination. He gained his proficiency at the age of 10 years, his junior national scholarship at 12, seniorscholarship at 13, matriculation at 14, university credit pass, runner-up for dux of the school and higher leaving certificate at 15.

An unusual occurrence • took place in the Winton channel, a 4 popular Southland swimming hole, recently. The water of the stream was luke-warm, and the heat proved too much for a number of trout, who succumbed to the high temperature and could be picked up by the water’s edge. Nearly sixty were thus affected, and a number of these were of good size..

The total of visitors to the new Me-. Dougall Art Gallery, Christchurch, passed the 100,000 mark about 3 o’clock on Sunday afternoon. It had reached about 99,500 on Saturday, and the usual Sunday flow of 800 or 900 visiters brought it well past the figure of 100,000. The total is remarkable in that the gallery has only been open for a little over seven months, the actual opening date having been June 16 last. When he was near the Supreme Court buildings in Christchurch the other day a newspaper reporter saw a bicycle which seemed, familiar to him, and on making a close examination he found it was one he had lost 18 months ago. After a few minutes a man came out of one of the buildings and prepared to ride away on the bicycle. When the owner ran after him the man jumped off and escaped. The police confirmed the fact that the bicycle recovered was the one that had been stolen.

As the result of an inquest last Saturday into the death of the 16-year-old Maori boy, -Tutehororangi Tuhaereao, son of Tuhaereao te Awhe, Mr. H. W. James, J.P., and a jury of four found that he had met his death through striking a log while diving in the Waitotara River on Thursday. Dr. Graves, of Waverley, gave evidence as to the cause of death, and said that the deceased’s neck had been broken. Joe Tutiku, a native of Piranui, gave evidence as to witnessing the accident and to his recovery of the body. For many years the question of whether honours and stage three examinations of the University of New Zealand should be marked in England or in New Zealand, has disturbed the usual serenity of academic circles, remarks the Christchurch Press. It begins to look, however, as if the bachelors’ degrees in arts and science will be marked in the near future in New Zealand instead of being sent Home to England, for at the meeting of the senate in Wellington a motion was passed approving of the examinations being conducted as far as possible and as soon as possible in the Dominion. An attractive model of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith’s famous aeroplane, the Southern Cross, has been made by Mr. J. Lyons, St. Albans, Christchurch, and he intends to present it to Sir Charles on the latter’s arrival in Christchurch. The model is a faithful, replica of the monoplane. The fuselage is 3ft. 6in. long and the wing spread 3ft. There is a great deal of intricate work in the three engines, while the cabin windows, elevator and rudders have all been carefully reproduced in miniature. The model is made of wood and aluminium and is painted a shining grey. From a discussion at a meeting of the Wellington Education Board last week it would appear that unemployment in the teaching profession during 1933 is likely to be as acute, if not slightly more so, than last year. The Wellington district will start with a surplus of 103 teachers, and from this figure it is estimated that about 1000 teachers throughout New Zealand will be unemployed on February 1. At the end of the last school year only eleven teachers, it is stated, were actually unemployed in the Wellington district. Arrears of maintenance totalling £540 were remitted by Mr. Wyvern Wilson, S.M., in the Hamilton Police Court, when George Leslie Vivian was charged with failure to obey a maintenance order. The complainant, his wife, told the magistrate that she wished the arrears to be forgotten. She said she fully understood the nature of her request, and added that as long as her husband paid her £1 a week she was not concerned about the £5lO owed her. The order with respect to the maintenance of the children was cancelled, and the defendant was ordered to pay £1 a week to his wife.

There is a mild gold boom at Kumara, .Westland, and several claims have been pegged out. One section of about an eighth of an here has been purchased for £5O. The land adjacent was worked some years' ago. The activity is attributed to the satisfactory gold returns that some of the miners are securing. The difficulty in the town to-day is the want of water for mining, as the water race which, in the past years, belonged to the Government, and supplied all the water necessary for goldmining, has been purchased by a company for developing electricity for farm power and lighting purposes. The company has not sufficient to assist mining, after its own needs have been supplied. Okau sheep fair takes place to-mor-row. An excellent entry numerically and first-class quality, particularly in regard to lambs and breeding ewes, briefly sums up {he offering. Okau sheep do well anywhere. See sale particulars in auction columns.