LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 16 February 1933, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A northerly wind that flung heavy breakers against the New Plymouth breakwater yesterday prevented any work by the dredge Paritutu. No work was done at the port, the Port Napier lying idle.

The coastal vessel Holmglen, which left Wanganui at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, arrived at New Plymouth at 1 o’clock yesterday afternoon after battling against northerly winds all the way. The trip occupied 31 hours, and the average speed for the journey was three miles an hour.

Tha Taranaki Education Board’s annual tour of the schools in the Ohura district will commence On March 6, according to a decision made by the board yesterday. The tour will cover four days and the members of the board will return to their homes on the evening of March 9. An itinerary of the tour is to be submitted to board members shortly. Time was too short to allow of the conclusion of an address on his recent flight across the Tasman with Sir Charles Kingsford Smith in the Southern Cross given by Mr. S. E. Nielson to the members of the New Plymouth Round Table Club at their fortnightly luncheon yesterday, but on account of its interest Mr. Nielson was invited to conclude the address at a future meeting of the club.

Most people would expect to see Mt. Egmont entirely obscured on a day such as yesterday, when a northerly wind was bringing down very misty, rainy weather with the “ceiling" almost zero. Shortly after 5 o’clock in the afternoon, however, the mountain cleared strangely, though conditions at New Plymouth showed no improvement. It was soon again buried in dense clouds.

The belated arrival of passion fruit on the New Plymouth market this week is one of the effects of the embargo on Australian fruit. But for the embargo passion fruit would have been selling at New Plymouth two months ago. Instead New Plymouth fruiterers have had to wait for the ripening of the New Zealand-grown article, which is only just now commencing to arrive from the Auckland district.

The military and. physical training course being conducted at the New Plymouth Boys’ High School this week had to be discontinued on account of rain yesterday. As it was not' convenient to use the school assembly hall and the Coronation Hall was not available, ordinary class work was resumed. It is hoped that the Coronation Hall will be available to-day and that the course will be continued there.

The opinion that sports activities took up too much time during the first term was expressed in the report of the headmaster (Mr. ,D. P. Evans) to the Central School Committee, New Plymouth. The inside work of the school was seriously hampered, he said. In view of the encroachment of swimming, cricket and athletic activities on school work Mr. Evans said he was uncertain whether the Central school would participate in the athletic sports meeting this year. In view of the increased attendance at Everett Road school an endeavour is to be made by the Taranaki Education Board to acquire a site and then to make application to the Education Department for a grant for a permanent building. Five new pupils were enrolled at the beginning of the school year, making the roll now 28, it was stated at yesterday’s board meeting, and, though additional-floor space had been provided since, the total floor space was not sufficient. The building was of the moveable type. It was agreed that something had to be done at once. - Opposition to the wording of certain clauses of the Education Amendment Bill now being considered by Parliament was expressed by the Taranaki Education Board yesterday. Ohe‘ clause brings in the minimum enrolment age of six years with the provision that a child may be enrolled at any time within the first four weeks of the school term in which he attains the age of six years. The board considered the attendance of children enrolling within four weeks of the beginning of the first term should be made retrospective to the opening of the schools in February, 1933. A jury concerned in a case in the New Plymouth Supreme Court in which sheep-stealing was alleged was asked by the Court yesterday to inspect certain sheep in question. The jury set out up Carrington Road to fulfil the Court’s request. After going beyond the bus stop the driver inquired where to go,' but neither the jurymen nor the constables accompanying them knew where the sheep were penned and many of the party were rather doubtful about where they themselves were in the heavy» misty weather that surrounded them. It was not until the car containing prosecution officials came up with them that they were rescued from their dilemma.

Criticism of the fact that at the present time three German ships were on their way to New Zealand from the guano islands was made by the secretary of the Canterbury branch of the Navy League,* Mr. C. J. Treleavan, at a recent meeting. He said that there were thousands of unemployed boys in New Zealand willing and anxious to go to sea, and if the Government purchased an old sailing ship it would be an ideal method of training them. He agreed with other members that this was hardly the time to suggest further expendi; ture to the Government and the matter was carried no further. The withdrawal of the steamer Morinda from the Norfolk Island-Auckland service will not affect New Plymouth’s supply of fruit, though it has been stated an appreciable effect will be felt at Auckland. Very little Norfolk Island fruit came to New Plymouth, a New Plymouth fruiterer told a News reporter yesterday, as most of the retailers would not handle it. It was suitable for quick sale upon arrival at Auckland but it did not have the keeping qualities to arrive at New Plymouth fresh enough to be handled. One effect would be felt at New Plymouth, however, the fruiterer added. The absence of Norfolk Island fruit from the New Zealand market would tend to harden the price of other fruit, especially bananas.

“It is strange that in cases like. this it is impossible to get a garage proprietor to give, expert evidence against another garage proprietor,” said Mr. C. S, Thomas when appearing in the Magistrate’s Court in Christchurch in a defended civil case. His experience in such cases went back over a considerable number of years, he said, and the position had always been the same. It was to his mind scandalous. A witness, Mr. K. E. England, a past president of the Christchurch Garage Proprietors' Association, when cross-examined by Mr. Thomas, said that the association had never discussed the matter, but members tried not to give evidence against each other for the reasons that it might lose them business, besides which to appear in Court often meant a loss of time. Mr. Thomas complained to Mr. H. A. Young, Stipendairy Magistrate, who was on the bench, that the custom rendered it difficult for counsel acting for parties against garage • proprietors to obtain the best evidence.

Practically, a lifetime of continuous service with the New Zealand Herald stands to the credit of Mr. John Joseph Darby, who joined the typographical staff as a boy of 13 and who completed 50 years with the firm on Monday. He was made the recipient of a cheque from the proprietors and a presentation . by the staff.

Novelty and economy are evidenced in a flower-bed border constructed by a Frankton resident. Some 20 inverted accumulated shells form the substance, and flowering plants grow through holes cut in which was originally the bottom cf the batteries. The effect is undeniably a pretty one. .. ‘

Arriving at the Wanganui town wharf on Monday on a flood tide, the coastal vessel Holmglen was .carried broadside on to the town bridge. The vessel’s starboard rail was carried away, while the starboard lifeboat was also damaged as a result of the impact. The Holmglen at the time of the accident was turning in the river so the bow would be facing seawards in readiness for departure. Interest has been aroused, particularly in Catholic circles, by the knowledge that members of the Carmelite Order of Nuns were sortie months considering the matter of founding a convent in New Zealand, and it has now been definitely decided that a community of this ancient order will shortly settle in Christchurch. On February 22 seven Carmelite nuns will arrive in Wellington from Australia. They will be met and welcomed by dignitaries of the church, and will immediately leave for Christchurch, where they will be accommodated temporarily at Mount Magdala. The Carmelite Order of Nuns was founded in France in 1452. “There is a definite trend towards the land,” said a Hamilton land agent this week, “and numerous enquiries have been received for small farms.” The chief demand, the agent added, was for holdings of about 100 acres on which businessmen intend placing their sons. With no work offering in the towns parents were endeavouring to settle theii? sons on farms in the hope lof later settling with them. Very few holdings have as yet changed hands as suitable farms at the right price were difficult to obtain. Lack of sufficient capital was also a deterrent, but the agent was of the opinion that there would be many sales this year.

Regret at'the action of the Senate of the University in approving changes -in the English syllabus for the University entrance examination has been expressed by the headmaster of King’s College, Auckland, the Rev. H. K. Archdall. The changes leave it'optional for a candidate to write an English essay. Mr. Archdall said he was inclined to believe that the comparatively high standard of English in the Dominion must have been partly created by the insistence on a compulsory essay. •An elementary knowledge of international phonetic script would not make up for this loss. A note in the syllabus to the effect that “questions shall, as far as practicable, be so framed.as to require a fairly wide acquaintance with good . English literature” was so vague as to mean much or little. Only one paper of three hours was to be set instead of the former two papers.

' The largest sum remitted to London by any local body in New Zealand immediately before the 25 per cent, exchange rate came into operation was sent by the ' Wellington City Council. The amount was £Bl,OOO, and this effected a saving to the city of approximately £ll,OOO. As the old rate was 19 per cent., the additional 15 per cent, on the basis of £llO really amounted to a saving of 13J per cent. Similar action was taken by Auckland and Invercargill, but the sums were not nearly so large. When the exchange first went up ten per cent, considerable sums were,, re edited to London by the Wellington City Corporation in anticipation, and large savings were effected, but not on the same scale as when the 15 per cent, increase was anticipated. The money is required in London to meet interest and sinking fund charges, and ' the moneys were remitted by the banks on behalf of the city council as soon as they became available. A rod and fly-book were not among the luggage carried to New Zealand this year by Dr. W. S. Littlejohn, principal of Scotch College, Melbourne, whose return from this country is mentioned in Australian newspapers. For the past 20 years Dr. Littlejohn has spent the Christmas holidays fishing in the rivers of the South Island, usually in company with Sir John MacFarland, Chancellor of Melbourne University. The two men, in fact, are proud to say they have fished in every river in the South Island; but this year it was his mother, 96 years of age who drew Dr. Littlejohn across the Tasman. For four years principal of Nelson College, Dr. Littlejohn now has the distinction of being principal of the second largest secondary school in the British Empire. He is also a member ol the council and of the Faculty of Luucation in the University of Melbourne. Mr. W. A. Waters, who had the rather doubtful privilege of- extending an official welcome to Air Commodore Sir Charles Kingsford Smith at Palmerston North after the Southern Cross had been damaged, is known throughout Manar watu district as “the man who owns the air.” It is said that he controls electricity, radio and aviation, in that locality, for he is engineer to the Manawatu Electric Power Board, chairman of the Manawatu Radio Society, and president of the Manawatu _ Aero Club. He is no five-minute enthusiast for any of these things either, for he did a lot of flying in the early days of the Kohimaramara Flying School in • Auckland, and he has written one of the most informative surveys on electrical interference with radio that has been compiled in New Zealand.

Because of the railway freight it is more economical for the WanganuiRangitikei Electric-Power Board to buy hardwood poles from Australia than to buy silver pine poles from the King Country and rail them from National Park to Wanganui. Even then the hardwood f poles are the better article. At a meeting of the board last week the buying of 100 Australian hardwood poles was authorised, the engineer saying that they would be needed for corner work in towns. The concrete poles would not stand the strain as they could not be guyed on the corners, and it was difficult to obtain suitable silver pine poles of sufficient length. The difference, of freight was mentioned during discussion anc *_ was decided to approach the Railway Department on the matter.

Scanlan’s Melbourne Corner for some very nice supper cloths in pure linen and prettily bordered at very attractive prices. For instance, 45 by 45in. unbleached cloths, 2/11 and 3/11; 531 by srin. cloths, splendid weight, only 5/6. Inspection invited.* The New Plymouth Red Cross Society acknowledges a large donation of vegetables and fruit from the harvest thanksgiving festival of the Pukearuhe Anglican Church.*

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 have yours done at J. K. Hawkins and Co., corner Devon and Liardet Street, New Plymouth. ’Phone 685. Mrs. Rudkin (Everybody’s) is our Stratford agent.