NEWS OF THE DAY

Taranaki Daily News, 30 April 1934, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

A meat safe at a private house at Fitzroy was rifled during the week-end. Two members of the New Plymouth Aero Club, Messrs. J. Hamilton and R. Belcher, have started dual instruction with Flying-Officer lan Keith at the New Plymouth aerodrome. Yesterday Mr. R. Stanton, New Plymouth, flew solo for the first time. Mr. Stanton won the club scholarship promoted about three years ago under the Curtis training competition and has only recently started on the free instruction offered by the scholarship.

At. two o’clock yesterday morning summertime officially ended until September 30. Although summer-time has been in operation for several years there were still many at New Plymouth who neglected to put back their clocks the necessary half-hour and as a consequence were disorganised in their church and other arrangements. The bells of one church at New Plymouth were heard tolling at 11.30 a.m. instead of 11 a.m. ss is usual. In the first gathering of the season 36 members of the Taranaki Alpine Club made a trip to the Kaitakes yesterday. The party walked up from Weld Road over the ranges, where lunch was eaten. The party continued to the summit and spent about an hour at the Kaitake pa, returning through the forest plantations te Surrey Road, .vhence a return was made by motor to New Plymouth,

Comparing the standard of translation from the classics among English and New Zealand students, Professor Pocock told the Christchurch Classical Association that the two compared very favourably in point of accuracy and solidity of work. What was lacking in the New Zealand students, however, was the ability to turn out an artistic translation. A characteristic national reserve might have something to do with this—the inability to "let themselves go-” That the fate of Chile ’ in the loss of her nitrate industry was just as likely to be shared by New Zealand in the loss of her dairying export trade was the contention made by Mr. D. C. Davie, answering questions after an address at Christchurch. Chile, he said, concentrated all her attention on developing her nitrate business, but when a method was discovered of obtaining nitrates from the air, the country was ruined. New Zealand would be going the same way as Chile if she banked on her butter.

Though king for only ten minutes Barry Boon, the successful candidate in the recent Plunket baby carnival, at New Plymouth, won more loyal subjects than many other kings in a lifetime. Moreover, he was not dethroned but abdicated of his own free will. He suffered his coronation patiently as a good monarch should, though his head, it is true, fell forward a little with the weight of the crown. After he had humoured the popular whim for a few minutes, however, he decided to please himself; he tore off his crown with a kingly gesture and, still calm and goodnatured, became engrossed in the gleam of his silver’ egg-cup.

By playing in three consecutive competition matches on Saturday a Star fourth grade Rugby player demonstrated that the enthusiasm which helped to raise Taranaki football to the heights has not been lost. He was Athol Erb, 15 years old. He played first in a hard game against a High School fourth grade team. Then, on discovering that the Clifton third grade team to play Old Boys had arrived with a couple of players missing, he offered to play for it and went through another close game. At the end of the match he discovered that the Star junior team playing the High School first fifteen had lost a man through injuries. He went on and finished the game.

In conversation with a Timaru Herald representative, Mr. T. D. Bennett, M.P., mentioned that March 5, 1935, would be the eightieth anniversary of the settlement of the Mackenzie Country. On that date, after three days of tracking, the manager of the Rhodes estate, John Sidebottom, and his two Maori station hands, came up with Mackenzie, the freebooter, camped with 1000 sheep stolen from the Rhodes estate on the interior side of Mackenzie’s Pass. The spot was marked about 18 years ago by the erection of a simple pyramidal bluestone monument, with inscriptions recording the event in Gaelic, Maori and English. Sir Maui Pomare supplied the Maori and Mr. Malcolm MacLeod the Gaelic.

Christchurch was complimented this week on its foresight in introducing trackless trolleys to its tramway system. Mr. J. A. Hyndman, a representative of the Nippon Yusen Kaisha, in an address to the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, said he was pleased to see that Christchurch had adopted the trackless trolley tram system. ’ He said that the system had proved a great success in Shanghai, and that many new lines were being introduced there to replace the old and cumbersome street car lines. Shanghai had a population of 3,156,000, and in many places the streets were very narrow. Yet the trackless trolleys negotiated the dense traffic without difficulty. Undoubtedly Christchurch could look forward to a greatly increased population, and it was well for Christchurch to prepare for this. »

Three young ladies, Misses A. and E. Garcia and M. Hayton, two of whom are members of the Taranaki Alpine Club, made the trip from New Plymouth across the Pouakai Ranges to the Kahui Hut and back during the week-end. They cycled from New Plymouth to the top of Mangorei Road on Saturday morning and then tramped across the ranges. They found the track very wet and the going heavy, while the very misty conditions completely shut out any view of the mountain or the country ana necessitated careful travelling. The track' is well defined, except across the swamp, where the mist was heaviest, and they reached Kahui Hut in good time. They remained there the night and yesterday in glorious weather, and rewarded with excellent views, they tramped back to the top of Mangorei Road, thence cycling to New Plymouth. They saw no other trampers either at the Kahui Hut or en route.

The possibility of establishing a shipbuilding industry at Wellington was mentioned by Mr. J. H. Biles, of London, a retired consulting naval architect, and formerly of the firm of Sir J. H. Biles and Co., shipbuilders of London and Glasgow. Mr. Biles was greatly impressed with the potentialities of Wellington harbour as a shipbuilding centre. He said that shipping and shipbuilding generally went hand in hand, and that Wellington, equipped with a building industry, would probably develop in time to be as important a centre in one respect as in othe other. He understood that there would be difficulties in the way and that the chief of these would be the distance of the city from adequate steel works, but he was sure that these could be overcome in some way or other. He would not suggest the ways and means of establishing shipbuilding yards in Wellington—New Zealand would be more capable of doing that—but as a visitor to the country he offered the advice for what it was worth.

Virginian deer are gradually working closer to the Halfmoon Bay settlement, Stewart Island, and are frequently seen near the houses, states a correspondent. The red deer keep away from houses, but the Virginian deer are more daring. Recently two vegetable gardens were completely eaten out. Both had very high protective fences, but the deer had overcome this difficulty in some way and with their sharp hoofs had entirely dug up and had eaten many rows of potatoes and carrots. So thoroughly had they sifted it that the ground looked as if it had been freshly dug, and not a potato or carrot could be found where there had been a good crop. Rhubarb and even onion tops had been eaten. With the rapid increase, owing to Virginian hinds usually bearing twins, it is considered that the problem of keeping them in check promises to become very serious, especially as there is no Government bonus for tails.

A meeting of dairy farmers and all who are interested in the dairjing industry is to be held in the Pungarehu Hall on Thursday evening to consider the position of the industry. The meeting, which has been convened by Messrs. P. Brophy, chairman of the Cape Egmont Dairy Company, and G. Gibson, of the Rahotu Dairy Company direct .-ate, will be addressed by Mr. W. C. Green, member for Ward 4 on the Dairy Produce Board.

Newton King Ltd. wish to draw attention to the Mortgagee Sale of 19 acres to be held at their auction rooms, Currie Street, New Plymouth, on Friday, June 1, at 2 p.m. For particulars see advertisement columns of this issue.*

A special entry of 40 in-caif heifers off high country is to be offered by Newton King, Ltd., at their sale on Wednesday. Other entries include 300 mixed sheep and a large offering of weaner heifers and fat and store cows.