NEWS OF THE DAY

Taranaki Daily News, 24 November 1933, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Captain Hunt and Sergeant-Major Bell visited Inglewood on Wednesday night to make an inspection of the Inglewood volunteers and machine-gun corps.

The expectation that certain contracts will be completed and the company enabled to go into voluntary liquidation by about the end of March, 1934, is noted in the annual report of the Ngamotu Seaside Resort Co. Ltd.

Yesterday saw an exceptionally heavy sitting at the Supreme Court at New Plymouth, when Mortgagors Relief Act applications occupied the whole day, with an evening session. The session will probably conclude to-day.

Enterprise in the quest of employment is being shown by an elderly Aucklander. He has compiled an index of houses where burglaries were reported in the absence of the owners during the last Christmas holidays, and, he proposes to begin a round of visits shortly to the owners with the object of securing temporary employment as caretaker during the coming holiday season.

A young woman in the fur department of a great London store was found to be giving wrong change, and to be rude and very snappy to customers, states the Daily Herald. Instead of discharging her the firm sent her to a psychology expert, who discovered that when she was a baby a cat had jumped into her cradle. So she was not at her best in the fur department. She was sent to the umbrella department, and is now on her best behaviour. This story was told at the Bournemouth Rotary Club’s meeting by the Rev. Eric Southam.

At the Wanganui Kennel Club’s show on Wednesday G. M. Beer (New Plymouth) was successful with his Cocker Spaniel (black). His dog Braeval Prince secured firsts in novice and maiden as well as two seconds and a third. Braeval Princess also secured firsts in puppy under six months and under 12 months, as well as two seconds and two thirds. Braeval Queen secured two seconds and one third. W. M. Cunningham (Waverley) secured firsts in the maiden and the limit with Mike of Ailsa Valley as well as two thirds and a v.h.c. In roughcoated Collies W. M. Cunningham’s British Skipper scored two firsts and two seconds.

Without adequate protection from frost it is stated to be exceedingly difficult to grow lemons inland from the coast of North Taranaki. Yet Miss E. Trimble brought to the News office yesterday a fine specimen of a Meyer lemon grown three'miles south of Inglewood. Originally a wild fruit native to the arid districts of China, a small tree of the Meyer was planted about four years ago in the shade of a hill. This year it has borne 12 fruit. The tree tomato, another fruit subject to injury by frost, has grown successfully by Miss Trimble. The tree is covered with fruit ready to eat. Mi«s Trimble attributes the prolific bearing to’the fact that there were no severe frosts during the winter.

That lucerne, on . the right class of land, will oust a plague of Californian thistles has been proved by Mr. J. inlanders, president of the New Zealand Milking Shorthorn Association, on his farm at Greendale. Included in the area sown down in lucerne is a 50-acre paddock, which a few years ago was a mass of thistles.» Even last year, while a wealth of excellent feed was available, the issue was still in doubt; but the few remaining thistles showing at the present time are weak, and in all probability the pest will be eradicated in this paddock in the course of another season. The area adjoins the .Hororata River, which seldom fails in its water supply, and it can almost be said that the land is favoured with sub-irriga-tion.

“It is astounding the number of children suffering from defective eyesight/ Said a letter received by the Wanganui Hospital Board at the monthly meeting from the committee of the Taihape District High School. Parents of these children had been notified, but owing to poor circumstances had been unable to afford treatment, with the result that some cases were well on the way to blindness. The committee asked the board .if it could do anything to help the parents relieve the children of this serious menace. Mr, T. S. Kincaid (Taihape) said that some of the children were so badly affected that they could not see figures on the blackboards unless they inspected them closely. He suggested that the board should provide a free examination and allow the parents to purchase glasses through the board at a convenient rate. The board decided to assist in every way possible.

“I’ll take four days, sir,” said a judgment summons debtor in the Magistrate s Court at New Plymouth yesterday when Mr. W. H. Woodward, S.M., ordered him to pay a debt of £3 13s 6d, in default four days’ imprisonment. The money was owing for massage treatment to an arm injured in a waterside accident two years ago. The defendant, a single man, said he had earned £95 9s 6d and received £2B compensation in the past 17 months. From this he had had to pay £1 7s 6d a week in living expenses. He maintained that the shipping company concerned should pay the masseur as the company had asked him to take the treatment and the cost had not been included in the compensation. Pointing out that the masseur was not concerned with the dispute with the company, the magistrate urged the man to pay, and extended him the privilege of suspending the warrant during the' payment of 2s 6d a week. Counsel for the' creditor said he did not want to send the man to gaol. He would see if the shipping company would pay the debt.

“The shifting of teachers is getting worse and worse,” stated Mr. Banks, a member of the Timaru Education Board. Education boards, as a matter of fact, do not appoint or control the teachers. Moreover, the control of the inspectors is centralised in Wellington. It is therefore plain that full responsibility for the chaotic conditions now smashing into the efficiency of primary education must be borne by the high departmental officials in Wellington and the inspectors, who are wholly responsible for the legislative enactments and regulations which have forced conditions upon primary of schools and the control of teachers, which involves a scandalous waste of money (because the State must meet the cost of all compulsory transfers), and, what is more disturbing, if the _ interests of the child is taken into consideration, in tire lowering of the efficiency of schools, because of frequent changes in the staffs.

To-day will be a busy day at Scanlan’s Melbourne Comer on account of the wonderful extra bargains being brought forward for the firm’s great November sale. The overall cloth at Gid yard, the frocks at 19/6, the fuji silk nightdresses at 4/11, and the pantettes at 2/11 are all additional to the sensational bargains already advertised.*