NEWS OF THE DAY

Taranaki Daily News, 7 March 1935, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Virile Woman Teacher. “Mrs. Dowling was the most virile and remarkable woman that I have ever met in my life,” said one speaker. at the West End jubilee reunion last night. 1 really believe that she,could have put a backbone into a common ordinary slug. Wait of Fifty Years.

This is the first time that I have ever heard a school teacher praised, stated Mr. G. Bertrand, responding to the toast of past teachers of the . school at. the West End jubilee reunion last night. “Even if we have to wait 50 years for a jubilee to hear this said, it has been well worth while,” he added.

Dredging of Berths. The dredging of the berths of the Newton King wharf at New Plymouth was started yesterday by the harbour board’s dredge, Paritutu. These berths, which have not been cleared for some time, require the use of the buckets as the suction apparatus does not lift but only disturbs the mud deposit around the wharves. Raising Moths for Museum.

In the possession of Mr. W. W. Smith, New Plymouth, are ten specimens of the unusually plentiful convulvulous moth in various stages of development, the majority of them being in the pupa stage. Mr. Smith states that the even temperature of the room will probably hasten their development to moths when they will be placed in the New Plymouth museum.

Damage to Waitara Bridge. On Tuesday afternoon the Waitara River was at its lowest ebb for some time. Messrs. Kay and Irvine, engineers attached to the Public Works Department at Stratford, in company with the Mayor, Mr. Jas. Hine, and Mr. C. F. Dowsett, utilised a boat to inspect the damage visible to the damaged pier. The matter was later discussed by the party who were joined by Mr. W. B. Glasgow. Cause of Trouble.

Despairing the monotonous, without the break that the ears of the listeners craved, a horn blared through Devon Street yesterday morning. Nervous shoppers began to feel that a major calamity had occurred and some of them walked over to trace the source of the disturbance. Outside the post office in a large sedan car the quest ended. Someone’s infant daughter, aged about three years, was standing against the steering wheel with hand pressed firmly on the horn and eyes fixed heedlessly on space.

Cigarettes as Fuel. Mixed with sawdust and shavings, 200,000 wet and sodden cigarettes were shovelled into the furnace at a New Plymouth factory yesterday. Damaged by the flood while still held under bond cigarettes of many brands were destroyed under the supervision of a Customs Department official. The packets were so sodden that it was necessary to mix a large proportion of shavings to keep the fire burning. New Zealand Apples.

According to a person living in the good fruit-growing district of Worcester, English people- appreciate New Zealand apples. In a letter to a New Plymouth resident the Englishman says: “As to our supply of-apples, we much prefer yours to those from Canada. We get Delicious, Rome Beauty, Jonathans, Granny Smith and others. They vary a good deal from time to time, but I think that depends very much on how long the shops have had the cases open. We pay usually 6d per lb., but for some kinds 7d and Bd. We grow good apples in our garden, but they do not last long, and we can get good English eating ones at a big fruit farm near here for 2d to 3d per lb. until near Easter. Then, we have to fall back on imported ones.”

No Further Interest.

A prowler who accosted a New Plymouth man and his escort while walking through Kawaroa Park on the way home late on Tuesday night realised too late that he had “picked the wrong mark.” His threatening approach had no time to develop. A hard right hook cut short any motive he may have had in mind. The moral for park prowlers is—don’t choose a victim w’ho is over six feet tall and weighs 14 stone. They Do Marry.

There is apparently some truth in the old tag about one half of the world not knowing how the other half lives. A New Plymouth Salvation Army officer relates an amusing little story of how, when passing the Citadel one afternoon with a well-known citizen, the sound of joyful music caught the citizen’s ear. “What’s on in there?” inquired the citizen. “A wedding,” was the reply. “A what?” inquired the citizen, stopping dead in his tracks. “A wedding? Good heaven, I didn’t know you had weddings in the Army!”

Flower Show Abandoned. As the result of the season’s abnormal weather the Wanganui Horticultural Society has found that it is impossible to hold its dahlia show this year. The show has therefore been abandoned. To compensate to some extent for the disappointment that the abandonment will cause to the society’s many exhibitors and supporters, the society has under consideration the holding of a horticultural display on a smaller scale.

It Pays to Advertise. “It is generally accepted that if you spend £lOO in newspaper advertising it brings you £2OO in return,” said Mr. R. B. Sutton, Inglewood, a candidate for the New Zealand Dairy Board, in addressing a meeting of the Bush Dairy Factories’ Association at Pahiatua. “That may be so,” he added. “At any rate, one would scarcely think that big business firms would spend thousands of pounds in advertising year after year if it brought them no satisfactory return.” Dominion’s Butter Only.

“I think the amount of foreign butter bought in England to-day is a disgrace to the Old Country,” said Lord Nuffield in the course of an address at a complimentary dinner given him at Wellington. “I cannot understand why we should still be buying butter in Britain from foreigners; and when I see Danish butter marked at Is 3d and New Zealand butter marked lOd—well, I think to start with, that is a perfect insult. I may say that in the whole of the canteens of our motor works, where there are 30,000 people employed, there is nothing but Dominion butter used; and that has been the case for a long time.”

Discontinuance of Education. “There are still rather, many young people who are prepared to relax theii’ educational efforts as soon as they obtain a position and do nothing further to make themselves secure in theii- jobs and prepare for promotion,” said the principal of the Christchurch Technical College, Dr. E. Hansen, in a report to the Board of Governors of the college. “While the system of continuation of education through evening classes has some disadvantages, it is a great aid to young people—and older people, too—who have the ambition to make good in ths callings they have taken up.”

Drilling a Pin. The feat of drilling a hole from end to end in an ordinary pin 1 l-16in in length has been accomplished by a Hastings watchmaker. He was prompted to attempt this feat as the result of a wager arising from a discussion with several watchmakers oyer an article relating how a Yorkshire watchmaker had drilled a hole along a pin 1 3/Bin in length. The Yorkshireman’s feat was described as a “minor wonder of the world,” and it was stated that the feat had been performed only once previously. The diameter of the pin was 24-1000 in. and the diameter of the drill was 17-1000 in., making the thickness of the wall only half as thick again as a fine human hair. The watchmaker says he is quits confident that any watchmaker could do the same thing, but it is a task that one would not care to attempt very often. If the previous accomplishment was considered to be a minor world wonder of the world, this achievement demonstrates that New Zealand workmanship is by no means inferior to that in other countries. Lost Ankle—Lost Pension.

A bullet fired in the Mesopotamia campaign disabled a soldier’s left ankle. He was pensioned out of the army and given work on a Government farm. A little time ago a gun carried by his companion went off accidentally, and the charge so badly injured the soldier’s left leg that it had to be amputated. He was then informed that his pension would be stopped, because it had been payment for a maimed ankle, and he no longer had the ankle. The lawyers say he has no redress, although (a) he would have been better off financially if the leg had been amputated in Mesopotamia, and it was no fault of his that it was not; (b) if it had been amputated he could not have been shot in it later; (c) and if he had not been disabled on war service he might never have been in front of an explosive gun on a Government farm. The incident occurred in India, but it does not seem to be certain whether its subject is an Indian soldier under the Government of India, or a British victim of the pension authorities at London. Historic Voyages.

Interesting details of six voyages made to New Zealand in 1863 by the 80-year-old steamer Edina, when she carried sails in addition to being equipped with steam, engines, have been discovered by Mr. C- Dickson Gregory, a member of the Shiplovers’ Society of Victoria, and the author of “Australian Steamships-Past and Present.” Mr, Dickson Gregory, who returned to Australia from New Zealand last month, intends to write a book on the historic voyages of the Edina. On one passage to New Zealand, he states, the Edina travelled from Melbourne to Bluff, anchorage to anchorage, in three and a half days. The average .steamer time at present is about four days. On her last passage from New Zealand the Edina took to Melbourne 20,000 sovereigns and 20,000 ounces of gold dust. The vessel was built at Glascow, Scotland, in 1854. She was used as a transport in the Crimean War.

Attention is drawn to the advertisement appearing in this issue whereby the Farmers’ Co-op. will offer at. their Courtenay Street premises a quantity of netting, wire and iron damaged in the recent flood. Most of the above material is only slightly damaged and farmers would be well advised to attend this sale. The wire comprises 6 tons of No. 8 and No, 9 gauge and the iron is in assorted lengths, while sheep and pig netting will also be offered.*

Everybody will be soon talking about the exceedingly pretty organdie frocks now being displayed in Scanlan’s No. 2 window in Devon St. These lovely frocks alike suitable for “coming out” or bridesmaids’ dresses are up to the minute in style, are cut on beautiful lines, and are a tribute to the dressmakers’ art both in make and design. Moreover the prices are surprisingly low. Inquiries solicited.*

Tire Railway Department advertise in this issue particulars of the alteration to trains to-day in connection with school excursions.*