NEWS OF THE DAY

Taranaki Daily News, 13 February 1935, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

The New Plymouth Boys’ High School barracks will end to-day. Yesterday afternoon some of the boys took part in an informal swimming carnival.

Fernery and Boats Popular. The fernery and boats had been patronised fairly well during the .holidays and the returns were fairly satisfactory, reported Mr. T. Horton( superintendent) to the Pukekura Park committee last night. Cash received since the last meeting totalled £162 7s 9d. Jubilee Cake.

The birthday cake at the New Plymouth Girls’ High School jubilee at Easter will be an imposing affair. It will be decorated with 50 candles to be lighted by means of tapers by fifty separate individuals. It has- not yet been decided who will cut the first slice. Best Band Collection.

“It was the best collection for years,” said Mr. F. Amoore when mentioning at the meeting of the Pukekura Park committee last night that the Taranaki Regimental-Municipal Band had collected £l2 10s at its recital on Sunday night. Brief Mountain Gales.

For the second -time within a week a mild “mountain” gale blew at New Plymouth yesterday. The off-shore wind of considerable force did not, however, deter numbers of bathers from patronising the New Plymouth beaches, but it had the effect of reducing the breakers to negligible size.

Training at Waipukurau. Major F. S. Varnham, M.C., will leave New Plymouth to-day with a party of 25 officers and N.C.O.’s for the camp at Waipukurau, where they will attend a special three-days’ course. Captain H. J. Keys left on Monday with 11 men. Lieut.-Colonel G. F. Bertrand will command the main body, which will leave on Saturday morning by the express. Damage by Caterpillars.

Greyish green caterpillars, which reach the length of an inch when full grown, have been causing considerable damage to dahlia and zinnia blooms in New Plymouth gardens. The caterpillar conceals itself in the swelling bud, eating the cushion and base of the undeveloped petals. The result, especially in the case of dahlias, which are often disbudded to produce larger blooms, is that the plant is greatly disfigured. . ■

New High School Bell. The new bell to be presented to the New Plymouth Girls’ High School by the past pupils has been ordered from England at an approximate cost of £65. It will weigh 3cwt. and have a diameter of two feet; and will be housed at the end of the assembly hall in a belfry to be erected by the High School Board. Mrs. Baker-Gabb, the oldest surviving teacher, has been invited to ring it for the first time on the morning of Easter Saturday. Stray Dogs in Park.

Stray dogs are a considerable nuisance in Pukekura Park, according to the superintendent, Mr. T. Horton. He told the part committee last night that one dog had savagely attacked a man in the fernery when he endeavoured to put the animal out. Another dog had rushed round excitedly when let off the chain and had damaged the flower beds. The secretary of .he committee, Mr. P. E. Stainton, was authorised to interview the borough inspector on the subject.

More Worry for Parents. The change in hours was appreciated by both parents and children said Mr. D. P. Evans, headmater, in his report to the Central school committee last night. There had been only one complaint. A parent had objected (perhaps jocularly, he thought) that she had been worried by the children for six weeks and that the teachers should no/ shirk the responsibility in their turn if they wished to indulge n swimming and tennis. As a matter of fact, explained Mr. Evans, portion of the afternoon was taken up in preparing programmes of work. The children were delighted with the change.

Jellyfish Stings. Several surf bathers at CastleclifT recently have felt the ill effects of coming into contact with jellyfish, either in the water or on shore, says the Wanganui Herald. The other day a surfing enthusiast had the misfortune to receive one of these unwelcome and poisonous sea nettles in the neck of his bathing costume, and before he could dislodge it it inflicted severe stings on his body. He suffered intense pain for several hours, which was only relieved by the application of hot fomentations. It is also reported that a young girl was treated at the hospital for stings, while a number of bathers have suffered discomfort. Bull’s Predicament. A young bull owned by Mr. F. E. Martyn, Rangiora, contrived to get itself into an unusual tangle on Sunday, states the Christchurch Times. A farm hand called Mr. Martyn’s attention to the fact that the bull's foot needed liberating from its horn. Investigating, he found that the animal had evidently been trying to scratch an itchy hind foot on a sharp curved horn. Drawing the fool back, it had pulled the horn righJ through the pad and out at the top. The bull had been like this for some time, and was almost paralysed. It required three strong men to unhook the foot Floodlights for Bathers. -

The popularity of night bathing received further testimony when a request was made to the Devonport Borough Council for the floodlighting of Narrow Neck beach, the Auckland Star states. The speaker emphasised the increasing use of the beach at night, and represented that more light was necessary in the interests of public safety. The benefit that had accrued to bathers at Cheltenham and Windsor Reserve by the institution of floodlights provided confirmatory evidence of the application. The Town Clerk reported that the cost of installation and maintenance of the floodlight would 'be Is Id a day, with a minimum of six months’ usage. The council decided to install the light. Praise for the Maoris. “I have seen native races in many parts of the world, but I have nevei before seen any so high-minded, so unspoiled, sp handsome or so intellectually developed 'as the Maoris,” said Mr. Thomas Haythornwaite, a Lancashire manufacturer, in an interview in the Hawkes Bay Tribune “It has been a pleasure to me to see the cordiality of the relationship between the European people and the Maoris, and that relationship will stand high in the credit of both peopl ’ The way the Maoris have been acceded as a part of your race, and the jus tice that has been extended toward them, do honour to your country. The gra the beauty and the artistic talent of the Maoris whom he had seen and . entertainments at Rotorua had particu larly impressed him.

Walking Home. A suggestion that something might be done ,to reduce the dust on the fra * from the racecourse through mekura Park was not quite appreciated by m® bers of the park committee hurt nig until Mr. E. Jackson explained tnat Sst of US who go to the races waUc home.” He also made a plea for those who liked to walk to the races because of the beautiful surroundings en route. “But,” interposed another member the committee, “many of us living: on the hill have to walk up a dusty track every day.” Mr. Jackson was thinking of the visitors to the town, however. .He considered something should be done to abate the nuisance during the dry we - ther Mr. C. E. Bellringer suggested the accumulation of dust in the sut ™™£ could not be prevented unless the track were tar-sealed. The gravel used became very dusty in the dry weather, ho said. The committee took no action.

Advertising New Zealand. In an effort to advertise the charms and attractions of New Zealand abroad to greater effect the manager of the Department of Industries and Commerce (Mr. G. W. Clinkard) is seeking the cooperation of members of chambers of commerce in the Dominion, and in a letter he expresses the opinion that by this means an excellent avenue* for distributing propaganda can be opened. In his letter he states that if members of the chamber have business or other connections with firms or individuals overseas, and could supply him with a .list of addresses of people they considei would be interested and might be attracted to visit New Zealand, he would forward to them a supply of descriptive literature. By this means it would be possible to secure a direct approach to an important class of potential tourist visitors. Huge Octopus Chases Dog.

Bathing from the wharves on the Wellington waterfront, a habit enjoyed by many this summer, is apparently by no means a safe one. A dog fell into the water from the breastwork between the Ferry and Railway wharves on Sunday. He was rescued, but only after a very lucky' escape from death in the grip of a huge octopus, which shot up from the bottom almost as the animal struck the water, but fortunately failed to secure a hold on the dog. Two men, an engineer of the Union Company's Rangatira and the watchman of the hulk William Manson, were present, and the dog was quickly hauled from the water. Both men were amazed at the size of the octopus, which they estimated to be al least 15 feet from tentacle-tip to tentacletip. The keeper of the William Manson has seen many an octopus round the Wellington wharves, including one witn a 12-foot span caught off the PiP wharf s<?me time ago. He considered the one seen yesterday to be considerab'y bigger than the Pipitea one, and th; t any bather unfortunate enough to encounter it would have very small chance of leaving the water alive.