NEWS OF THE DAY

Taranaki Daily News, 4 June 1934, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

It will be 90 years next year since Bishop Selwyn, the great pioneer churchman, founded Holy Trinity Church, Fitzroy.

Sounds of pile-driving in the vicinity of Strandon yesterday came from the railway bridge over the Henui Stream. The bridge gang, which has its headquarters at Wanganui, was engaged in renewing a pile with the assistance of a travelling crane brought from Wanganui for the purpose. The gang is at present occupied in attending to all the bridges in the vicinity of New Plymouth.

While out pig-shooting in the county at‘the back of the Marco Road, in the Kohuratahi district two months ago a New Plymouth man, a member of a party of four, lost a wristlet watch. Recently. the same party was shooting over the same country when one of its members picked up the watch on a ridge, after the other three members had passed the spot. The watch was fairly rusty, having been affected by frosts and rain.

In and round Wanganui in the early days were many blockhouses, but only the remains of two are to be seen. One of these old redoubts is at “Marangai,” the station owned by the Cameron family. It was built by Captain Cameron of inch lining and weatherboard, a 6in space between being filled with wool. The building now forms part of the homestead outbuildings, and the loopholes can be seen plainly from the main Wellington'-New Plymouth highway. A special wireless programme for overseas listeners, Australian particularly, was broadcast from station 2YB New Plymouth on Saturday night. The programme, which was on the air from 10 p.m. to 11.30 p.m., was the result of special requests from DX (stationlogging) enthusiasts in Australia, for whose benefit, too, the later hour was arranged. A varied programme including Maori songs and other items of a national type was provided. Reports of reception were received from many Australian towns and Fiji. For the treatment of broken legs two footballers were admitted to the New Plymouth Hospital on Saturday. James Jeffrey Austin, a son of Mr. and Mrs. J. Austin, Frankley Road, received his injury when playing at the racecourse for the New Plymouth High School against the Star fourth grade team. It is understood one of the bones in the right leg was fractured. The other injured player was an Okau player named Fitzgibbons. His right leg was broken in a match against Mahoenui at Mahoenui. Both patients were reported last night to be progressing satisfactorily. Some time ago the Maori “prophet” Ratana was criticised by Mr. R. M. Watson, S.M., for failing to appear in person When he was opposing a judgment order. He came “under fire” at Marton again this week, when he sent his secretary and solicitor to the Magistrate’s Court to endeavour to have a judgment > upset. Drs. Harpur and Church had obtained judgment against Ratana for £5B some two years ago, and when they sought an order the setting aside of the original judgment was applied for. The grounds were that Ratana was not responsible for the debt. Mr. J. L. Stout, S.M., who was on the Bench on this occasion, said: “I don’t like this sort of business, but I will reserve my decision to enable me to look into the legal aspect.”

Despite the fact that nearly 1000 hares have been secured in hare drives in the past two years on a small portion of two runs in the Ashburton Gorge, apart from private shooting and trapping, the manner in which they appear to be increasing is astounding and gives cause for much concern by runholders. The hares chiefly camp on the sunny hillsides, but in the evenings they are to b’e seen in scores along the nearby flats, feeding on turnips, newly-sown pastures or other green crops. A visitor to the gorge one evening recently counted upward of 200 hares in a small area. Their presence in such large numbers is greatly depleting the stock-carrying capacities of the runs. It is stated that some runholders are contemplating drastic action for the destruction of the animals.

Concern was expressed at a meeting of the Foxton Chamber of Commerce at the interest Japan was showing in the flax industry. It was said that recently two Japanese had visited Foxton to investigate flax-milling and fibre preparing operations. They had come with introductions from various high New Zealand Government officials and had shown the keenest interest in all branches of flaxmiliing. The Mayor, Mr. M. E. Perreau, said that he viewed the visit with gome concern, especially as a few months ago a large quantity of New Zealand flax plants had been shipped to Japan and that country was a potential competitor with New Zealand in the supply of phormium tenax fibre. It was decided to write to the Minister for Internal Affairs and register a strong protest against the exports of selected strains.

Quick wits and a piece of wood provided an Auckland waterside worker with a nice snapper for breakfast the other morning, and his mates (all except one) with a good laugh when they found out how he did it. Fishing during the tea hour, one of the workers caught a good-sized snapper, which he wrapped up and put away to take home when he “knocked off” at 10 o’clock. During the evening, however, one of his mates found time to whittle a piece of wood into roughly the shape and size of the fish. To this he attached the tail, which he cut off the snapper in the parcel, and then wrapped up the dummy in a similar piece of paper, with the tail sticking out to preclude any suspicion. “I’ll be thinking of you to-morrow morning,” grinned the captor of the fish at knocking-off time, as he picked up the dummy parcel and waved farewell with the protruding tail. “And I’ll be thinking of you,” said the one who had the snapper, all but its tail, in his lunch bag.

Speaking on the subject of quotas and restrictions, Professor J. Macdonald Holmes, of Sydney, who arrived at Wellington from London by the Mataroa on Friday, said that Freetrade did not seem to be practical politics at the present time. The more foodstuffs and raw materials that went into England, the lower the prices of commodities seemed to fall, and regulations seemed to be .the means adopted at present of raising the price level. The tendency throughout all Europe at the present time was to increase home production of foodstuffs so as to be less dependent upon outside sources of supply. Such a policy was brought about to a large extent by the fear of the serious plight in which a country would be placed in the case of isolation by war. Nations were becoming more and more self-sufficing, and it appeared that the policy of the future would be some form of compromise, some form of adjustment. Britain, of course, could never entirely be self-dependent so far as foodstuffs were concerned, and she would always have to rely upon outside sources, particularly her Dominions, to a certain extent. The fact was that she was now set on a policy to produce more agricultural products than before, and there was no doubt that that production could be raised, as was shown by the Great War.

Men’s felt hats cleaned and re-blocked for 2/6. We also renovate suits, costumes, dresses, etc., at J. K. Hawkins, Dyers and Dry Cleaners, comer Devon and Liardet Streets, New Plymouth. ’Phono 685. We collect and deliver.*