LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 19 April 1933, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Taranaki express train was crowded last night with holiday-makers returning after the Easter vacation, including a number of secondary and primary school pupils returning for the re-opening of the schools to-day. Work on the coastal vessels Opihi, Kartigi and Alexander kept large gangs of wharf labourers busy at the port of New Plymouth yesterday. The Opihi had a general cargo, and the Alexander and Kartigi unloaded coal from the West Coast. All three vessels were scheduled to leave port yesterday. The new tender acquired by the New Plymouth Fire Board will be ready for use shortly, Superintendent A. Boon announced to brigade members at a meeting preliminary to the annual meeting last night. The woodwork of the new tender was being constructed and the auxiliary pump from the brigade’s Dennis machine was being fitted to the tender.

An eel caught by a Waitara Maori during Easter is stated to have contained the bodies of two young hares. It is presumed the young hares fell into the water and were swallowed by the eel there. Not even the most improbable Maori legends have any record of an eel, however big, prowling overland in search of animal prey. The ratio of fire losses to the value of property, endangered at New Plymouth during the past year compared with the ratio for 1931 was the subject of a congratulatory lettei* received by the New Plymouth Fire Brigade from the New Plymouth Fire Board last night. The letter conveyed the board’s appreciation of the services rendered. The loyalty of the members of the brigade was also referred to by Superintendent A. Boon, who emphasised the value of good team work. Cars conveying the bridegroom and near relatives arrived at the church well up to time at an Easter wedding in New Plymouth. It was intended that one car should return for the bride and her maids. Some instructions must have gone astray, however. The vehicles remained parked at the church and the drivers were as curious as any in the crowd to see the bride appear. The minutes wore into half an hour before a frantic tele-

phone call reminded the best man of his duties and a very late car was dispatched for an almost hysterical bride.

Mr. G. A. Duncan, secretary of the Hawera Dairy Company, who was recently awarded the New Zealand Society of Accountants’ gold medal for his thesis on “The Dairy Industry,” writes in his article: “In regard to milk supply for cheese-making, however, there is without doubt a degree of inequity in the payment for milk for cheese-making on the butter-fat alone, and the question gives rise to much controversy.” After illustrating how the present method of payment works out for the suppliers of high test and low test milk respectively, the writer says: “It seems likely that eventually some more equitable method of payment for milk for cheese-making will be adopted.”

An adventure they had not bargained for befell three members of a party of girls staying at the North Egmont cottage on Easter Monday. The trio, on returning from a tramp to Dawson Falls, decided to call at the Stratford mountain house and to visit Curtis Falls. This delayed them, with the result that darkness overtook them before their arrival at North Egmont. They feared they might miss the track, but to keep up their spirits they sang, and to keep warm they did exercises. In the meantime, as they had not appeared at North Egmont, Guides Sam Arthur and Roy Sole set out to look for them. The girls were found, none the worse for their experience, between Humphries Castle and the Hen and Chickens, just beyond the junction of the Dawson Falls track and the track to North Egmont. A fruiterer in South Dunedin, who regularly buys clean newspaper for wrapping purposes, has for some months past proved a handy source of revenue for the small boys of the district, and until recently one bright lad, who invariably drove a shrewd bargain, was one of his most regular suppliers. Early in the morning the boy brought in an unusually large bundle of papers, neatly tied up, and, having weighed them, the fruiterer paid for them as usual at so much per pound, adding, in the goodness of his heart, an extra penny for luck. The luck, as it transpired, was all on the vendor’s side, for on opening the bundle the buyer had his faith in juvenile probity rudely shattered, when two lumps of blue metal and an iron fishplate, of a total weight of just on 31b, were revealed.

The work of making legible parchment deed documents damaged in the Napier earthquake, which was successfully carried out by the Dominion Laboratory, is described in the latest annual report of the laboratory. As a result of the heat of the fire which occurred the documents had dried out, shrunk, and hardened to such an extent that it was not possible to separate them without cracking. The problem was to restore moisture to the sheep skin of which, parchment is composed without damaging the skin or destroying the ink. Advantage was taken of the fact that alkalies have a very powerful action in introducing moisture into the skin and the parchments were successfully treated with a solution containing 1.2 per cent, of boric acid and 0.4 per cent of caustic soda, being finally stiffened again with a 10 per cent, solution of formalin.

“It. was estimated, some 30 or 40 years ago, that rising townships would be found on an average of 20 or 30 miles apart, said Mr. N. G. Armstrong, Mayor of Wanganui, speaking at the dinner held by the Protestant Alliance of Friendly Societies in connection with the biennial conference at present taking place in Wanganui. “Those were the days when the means of communication and travelling were not what they are to-day. Now, with the improvement owing to motor traction, it has been found that some of those towns have been going back and it is estimated by the Town Planning Board that towns of any size will be 120 to 150 miles apart. Wanganui is 120 miles from Wellington and something over a hundred from New Plymouth, so that you see we are well situated for further advancement and the future of Wanganui will, I think, J?e great.”

The opinion that a complete overhaul of the public art galleries of New Zealand was long overdue was expressed by Dr. E. B. Gunson in addressing the Overseas League, states the New Zealand Herald. Dr. Gunson said that culled pictures might in some cases form the basis of exchange or, indeed, go to the formation of a nucleus of a collection in towns not at present possessing a public gallery. The appointment of a representative Dominion body of accepted -authority to advise upon art resources and activities in the Dominion would also be of value. Such a body could operate advantageously with respect to the requirements of the smaller towns by selecting a national loan collection for exhibition in such centres, and in arranging an interchange of important pictures as loan exhibits between New Zealand and Australia.

“I have been Minister of Industries and Commerce for 20 months,” stated Hon. R. Masters, when speaking in Palmerston North. A voice: “Too long.” (Laughter). “Too long for you, perhaps,” replied the Minister, “but not too long for me.” (Laughter.). “In 1933 United States citizens spent £64,000,000 in touring Europe. They are looking for new places to travel to. New Zealand is an ideal spot. Give them the ships and the service and they will come,” stated the trade counsellor to the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, Mr. J. David Larson, in an address to the Hamilton Rotary Club.

The annual accounts of the Wellington City Corporation reveal the facts that the city received £15,443 Ils 9d in petrol tax and £13,940 18s 2d in heavy traffic fees during the year just ended. This makes a total of £29,385. Whatever the motor licenses yield is not set out in detail, but there is the item £15,872 12s 7d for “licenses,” the greater part of which is no doubt for driving licenses. “Another period of imprisonment will not be a new experience for you,” his Honour remarked in the Supreme Court at Auckland recently in passing sentence on John Brady, who admitted three charges of horse stealing. His Honour said apparently prisoner had been a jockey, and from 1903 up to the present he had been in and out of the Courts frequently. He would be sentenced to three years’ imprisonment with hard labour.

An indication of the vigorous measures being carried out by the Auckland Acclimatisation Society to exterminate hawks, stoats and weasels is given in the annual report of the society. The sum of £378 was spent by the society last year in bounties for the destruction of 14,951 hawks. Over the past 11 years, 144,972 pairs of hawks’ feet have been sent to the society, £3897 being paid in rewards. During the past year 5219 tails of stoats and weasels were sent to the society, royalties, paid on a basis of Is a tail amounting to £394. This season has been a phenomenal one for growth and an indication of that fact is supplied in a second crop of apples which have formed on some trees about Wanganui, states the Chronicle. In one orchard at Aramoho the fruit is over an inch in diameter. The orchardist, while quite alive to the fulness of the season, is lamenting the fact that these trees will not bear next year, or they will be too late in coming to fruit to permit a harvest. An Irish peach apple at Okoia invariably displays blooms among the ripening fruit and this year thq second crop has developed bigger proportions than usual.

Even at the height of the slump residents of Norfolk Island can afford a luxury menu every day in the week. The island has been affected by the depression, but little money is needed to meet the requirements of life, said a woman who has returned to New Zealand after living in the island for a short period. She said her luxury diet which cost her nothing, consisted of quail caught by snares in the garden, snipe, chicken, and fish. Fruit salad, with pineapple as the basis, and cream for a relish, was a favourite breakfast dish, while vegetable salad was eaten at other meals. Flour, sugar, and tea were practically the only things required from the store. Most of the farmers kept their own cows for milk, butter, and cream. In order to obtain the permission of owners to the attachment of, wires to buildings for the purpose of supporting street lights, the Napier City Council has undertaken to indemnify the owners of buildings to which the wires are attached from any loss in the event of damage being caused as a result of the wires being so placed. When it was decided to do away with street poles in the new Napier it was seen that the only way to effect street lighting was to use the buildings to support the wires. Owners generally have co-operated with the council in this matter, and the improved appearance of the streets has thoroughly justified the step.

As the result of arrangements made with the Unemployment Board, the Waimakariri River Trust will employ 1090 relief workers for the next twelve months, states the Christchurch Star. It is possible that the full number will not be employed immediately, but the trust intends to start with no fewer than 600 men. Work will commence a fortnight after Easter Monday. The men will be employed on embankment construction and clearing in the Waimakariri River bed. The arrangements to employ the men were made possible as a result of representations to the board by the trust’s engineer (Mr. H. W. Harris) and the secretary (Mr. C. W. Hervey), who visited Wellington.

The season of the sugar of milk factory in Southland, which closed last week, has been a very successful one, approximately 4,000,000 gallons of whey having been put through, states the Edendale correspondent of the Southland News. An outstanding feature is the fact that the Home markets are absorbing 1000 tons of stock food, which is one of the company’s most important by-products. In view of the fact that last year 500 tons were shipped, it says much for the quality of this product that the repeat order for this year has been doubled. Sales in New Zealand were also doubled, and the company had to extend its season slightly to produce sufficient for New Zealand requirements. Small fortunes have attached ’to the lucky discovery of quantities of ambergris on New Zealand coasts but it would appear from the experience of a Hamilton man that the ambergris market has slumped considerably in recent years. A Maori, who recently discovered three ounces of the sperm whale’s valued secretion on the Kawhia coast, had visions of sudden wealth. Inquiries by a Hamilton man who was given the ambergris to market for the optimistic native show that the value of ambergris has now fallen ' considerably. An Auckland firm to which the find was sent for analysis advised that whereas it was worth £lO an ounce not long ago, its present valuation was but 3s 6d an ounce.

A notable ceremony took place at the Canterbury Agricultural College last week, when the Bledisloe Medal, awarded annually to the ex-student of the college who as a result of his training has materially assisted farrping in New Zealand, was presented to Mr. George Rennie, Taupiri. The presentation was made by Mr. H. A. Knight, the first diploma student of the college, and the first ex-student to whom the medal was awarded. The medal, accompanied by an endowment fund, was presented to the Board of Governors in 1929 by the Governor-General. In 1930 it was awarded to Mr. H. A. Knight, in 1931 to Mr. J. N. Ranstead and in 1932 to Mr. George Rennie. Dr. H. G. Denham, Mr. W. A. Banks and Professor R. E. Alexander paid tributes to the fine work Mr. Rennie had done for fanning. In presenting the medal Mr. Knight said that it stood for fine achievement by a man who was trained at the college.

Over one thousand pounds worth of chinaware, stationery, books, toys, games, fancy goods, etc., are being sacrificed at Sutherland’s colossal stock reducing sale which opens at Inglewood.on Saturday morning. Cost price is being disregarded; all goods must be cleared. The residents of town and district are being offered goods at prices hitherto unknown in Inglewood and are being provided with a unique opportunity of buying good winter reading, gifts suitable for presents, etc., at about half the usual prices. See Friday’s paper for the big sale advertisement and shop early for the big bargains.*