NEWS OF THE DAY

Taranaki Daily News, 16 January 1934, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

A new full-cream cheese made in Taranaki was presented to Sir Charles Kingsford Smith by Mr. W. J. Neilson, Fitzroy, yesterday. In thanking the donor, Sir Charles said he intended to keep some of the cheese for his friends abroad.

Sharks up to six feet in length were observed in the little bays of the Kawaroa reef by New Plymouth fishermen at low tide yesterday. The sharks were close enough to have been speared from the rocks.

Medical attention was necessary when a car driven by Mr. A. R. Alpe, Uruti, left the road, fell a few feet and overturned, resulting in Mr. Alpe’s passenger, his grandson, sustaining a cut arm. The accident occurred on the Upper Uruti Road. A fall of snow which extended a considerable distance below Humphries Castle occurred on the northern slopes of Mount Egmont on Sunday night. The weather was extremely cold at the time, but indications yesterday were that conditions were improving.

Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and his associates on the recent Tasman flight were the guests of honour at a cabaret held by the New Plymouth Aero Club at the Mon Desir Tearooms last night. Lady Kingsford Smith has contracted a chill and was unable to be present. North Egmont hostel was visited yesterday by members of the Rarotongan party which is at present in Taranaki. It was a new experience for the islanders and they were charmed and delighted with the grandeur of the mountain. Though their stay lasted barely an hour, the Rarotongans found time to inspect the bush in the vicinity of the hostel. They entertained ’ other guests with a number of songs and instrumental items which were greatly appreciated. At about 6 o’clock the Rarotongans with their Maori hosts numbering 40 in all, returned to Waitara.

Charged with a breach of a probation order in that he drove a motor-car when prohibited from doing so, a man whose name was suppressed appeared in the New Plymouth Police Court yesterday morning. He was convicted and discharged and ordered to pay the costs of the prosecution.

A commencement with the tar-sealing of Fillis Street, the street fronting the Pukekura Park sportsground, New Plymouth, has been made. Levelling and excavation work is at present being done. Ultimately the street will be sealed for its full width in that part which is opposite the park, while the end connecting with Gover Street will be sealed to a width of 18ft. /

The Sicilia, which will be the largest launch in the New Plymouth fishing fleet, arrived at New Plymouth from the builder’s hands at Wellington on Sunday morning. She will be run for a New Plymouth owner under Mr. A. H. Inteman. Driven by a 30 horse-power marine engine, the Sicilia is 45ft. long, lift, in breadth, and has a draught of five feet. The launch left Wellington last Tuesday and made calls at Wanganui, Opunake and Cape Egmont. Throughout the trip strong north-westerly winds and choppy seas were met, but the launch behaved well.

A race between an aeroplane piloted by Flying-Officer lan Keith and the speedboat Miss Wanganui was commenced on the Wanganui River on Saturday over laps aggregating a distance of nine miles. It was generally thought that the speedboat, which was capable of 60 miles an hour, would win because of its ability to turn quickly, but at the end of the first lap, when the plane was in the lead, the boat had engine trouble and had to withdraw. Flying-Officer Keith continued to fly up and down the river several times close to the water before departing for New Plymouth to Be present at the arrival of the Southern. Cross after its trans-Tasman flight. Activity at the New Plymouth aerodrome yesterday included the departure of two Air Force Moths, 873, piloted by Flight-Lieutenant H. B. Burrell, with Leading-Craftsman F. W. Thornton, leaving at 11.55 a.m. for Dunlop Field, Hawera, and Christchurch, and 1567, piloted by Squadron-Leader L. M. Isitt, with Squadron-Leader T. M. Wilkes as passenger, leaving at 2.30 for Rongotai and Hobsonville. The Auckland Aero Club’s ZK—AAT returned piloted by Mr. W. J. Sexton, with Mr. K. Harnish as passenger.

Mr. W. Wah, a Chinese student at Canterbury College, who gave an address at the annual conference of the New Zealand No More War Movement, was asked whether he considered as harsh enough the penalties inflicted on Chinese convicted of smoking opium in New Zealand. “As far as opium dens are concerdned the fines have never been harsh enough,” was the reply. “Chinese opium smokers should be kept in detention for a period and in such a way that medical aid can be secured for them in the prevention of their craving. But what I do object to is the attempts which are made to shift the responsibility from the shoulders of the few opium smokers to the race as a whole.” Steaming through the entrance to Milford Sound at 6 o’clock on January 6, the Monowai’s complement of 310 passengers gazed spell-bound on the beauty of the Southern Alps, the snowcapped peaks flushed with the morning sunshine glistening above the magnificence of the bush-clad mountain sides, with their myriad waterfalls and the sparkling blue waters of the sound. “On any deck you could have heard a pin drop,” Captain A. H. Davey, commander of the vessel, told a Daily Times reporter after arriving at Port Chalmers. “The passengers were early astir,” he added, “and as the ship approached Milford Sound my prophecy that they would see the sight of a lifetime was amply realised. It was a magnificent morning, with a clear, blue sky, and practically no’ wind, and passengers who had travelled over the whole world told me that never had they seen such beauty before.”

Some time ago the Otago Aero Club was subjected to criticism in respect to its treatment of Mr. C. T. P. Ulm during his visit to Dunedin. In a letter to the editor of the Otago Daily Times a writer complained that the club had treated its guest somewhat discourteously by permitting its machines to compete for public patronage with Mr. Ulm when he was undertaking commercial flights in Dunedin. An effective answer to this criticism is provided by a letter which the secretary of the club has received from Mr. Claude M. Smythe, the manager of Mr. Ulm’s New Zealand tour. Mr. Smythe states: “I wish to take this first opportunity to state that Mr. Ulm was indeed sorry to read this letter, and that he in no way subscribes to it. Mr. Ulm wishes to assure you that he appreciated your club’s assistance and cooperation, and that his pleasant stay in Dunedin was in no small measure due to the hospitality of your president, committee and members of your club.”

It is reported that swordfish, mako, blue nurse and porpoise sharks and sunfish are plentiful off Kaikoura. A definite opinion will be expressed next week, after Sir Charles Campbell, of Motunau, and Lieutenant-Commander E. Rhodes have surveyed the ground and pioneered this class of fishing in a speci-ally-equipped launch. They will begin their trip to-morrow, says the Christchurch Times. Mr. Cecil Teschemaker, a sportsman from the Argentine, who visits Kaikoura annually and takes a keen interest in big-game fishing, considers that the fact that large numbers of swordfish have been seen by fishermen is valuable information to impart to overseas sportsmen. If Sir Charles Campbell and his party are reasonably successful in their pioneer venture, Mr. Teschemaker will endeavour to induce sportsmen from overseas to try the Kaikoura grounds. An up-to-date launch, owned by Mr. T. Riordan, has been secured and fitted with all the equipment necessary for big-game fishing.

“A bad practice which has become accentuated of late is that of passing another vehicle going in the same direction over an intersection,” says the latest safety first message of the Canterbury Automobile Association. “The law is very definite on the subject and forbids the passing of another motor vehicle within twenty feet of an intersection. There is a great temptation to motorists to put on a spurt to pass a car which might be dawdling, but that is no excuse for placing oneself or other drivers in a position of danger. The man in front may have seen or heard something to make him go slow or even stop. He must thrust out a hand before making a quick right-hand turn right in one’s tracks. There is one way to make a safe and correct turn to the right at an intersection. It is by sounding the horn approaching the intersection as a warning to unseen vehicles or one following, then extending the right arm from the car window, and making the turning manoeuvre as smartly as possible. And there is one safe and correct way of passing another vehicle. It is by sounding the horn and then moving smartly past, but one should never attempt to overtake and pass another vehicle near or on an intersection.”

Freeman R. Jackson and Co. will sell 5000 mixed sheep, 70 mixed cattle and 100 pigs at the Wanganui sale to-morrow.

A rumour that there was to be an increase in the price of benzine yesterday by a penny or twopence a gallon was not confirmed by garages at New Plymouth. There has been no rise in price since the increase of a penny at Christmas time.