GENERAL NEWS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 22 November 1924, Page 8

GENERAL NEWS.

The annual show of \ and P Association was, lieia yes terday and on Thursday m magnificent weather.

;‘The c.tv has raised an enormous . n ninifcv for various purposes su I have been in office, quite a nnlsmec have been Mayoi; ot Wellington to a “Times representative.

\ Press telegram from Wellington <t-dcs that the police have been informed That wreckage is coming ashore at lied Bocks, between Happy Valley and Sinclair Heads. No further information is available.

The work of repairing No. 1 wharf is now about completed, the planking having been laid down over most ot the distance. A few piles have yet to he sunk and boarded over before the work will be finished.

There has been a controversy for many years whether Timaru or Nelson liad" most sunshine during flic year. The point at issue is likely soon to be settled, as a sunshine recorder is being established in Timaru Park laboratory, Blenheim also is putting in a claim ior the honour.

A venturesome bather in the Masterton Parle lake on Saturday found himself confronted by one of tho s"j) |is which was harbouring a brood of five cygnets Without warning the parent bird attacked tho bather, who reached the hank under pressure, a length ahead of the enraged guardian.

A shark measuring ift. dm. m length was caught in Snapper Bay at th-' Waiongmcm-o Beach the othei flay bv Mr T. A. Connery, of !okaora Taranaki. The shark was caught on an ordinary snanper line well within the radius frequented by ?w ini mors in the most popular swimming spot on tho beach.

The cablegram published this week, statino that a firm al Barrow has received an order for CinO.OOU worth ot steel rail, for the New Zealand CavernnioiH A. not (*f'rroot. <^i\i’ “ '})f>im!hi?ni :i nil* o me-. I " -t r, ted the Hon. -I. C. Conte-;, a’ We matter was brought to hino Ace.

A Poverty Bay farmer recently communicated with the Department of Agriculture as to the suitability of the climatic and general conditions of that district for the growing of olives. Ihe answer he received was to the effect that olive plantations should do splendidly in Poverty Bay, as olives grow well further south.

Mr E. A. Scott (secretary to toe South Canterbury Automobile Association) is in receipt of advice that the punt at the Clarence River is again out of action. The AVaimakariri at the Healey is fordable. A slip is reported mi the Little River road between Birdling's Flat and the river. The Selwyn is still unfordable.

A year or two ago it was a familiar sight in Timaru to see an aeroplane Hying over the town, but since the closing down of the YV shdyke aerodoine the cloud riders have not been seen or heaid of until yesterday, when a machine from Wigram aerodome (Christchurch) flew south over Timaru and returned north later in the afternoon.

During the last few weeks trevalli have been fairly prevalent in the harbour, fishermen reporting moderate catches. The fish this season are ot good size, the average being about half a pound, although some have been caught as high as two pounds. Most of the fish have been caught oft the steps at the junction of No. 1 wharf, and the stone wall. So far this season seven or eight quinnat salmon have been caught in the harbour.

Insurance companies are often looked upon as “fair game” by those who are able to get something to which they are not entitled from them, but it occasionally happens that the promptings of conscience result in the return of money so obtained. Such a case has just happened in the Temuka district, where a person who at one time hold an insurance cover with the South British Company, returned the sum of £B, to which he said he was not entitled.

It is estimated that 3000 acres of wheat and’ 55,000 acres of oats are be* ing sown in the North Island, and 167,000 acres of wheat and 425,000 acres of oats in the South Island. It is estimated that 24,000 acres will b« planted in potatoes, 6000 acres in the North Island and IS.OUO acres in the i south. On the, average of. the last five seasons (5.58 tons per acre), the total estimated potato yield from this area, should approximate 133,920 tons, as against 305,352 tons last season.

The population of New Zealand, including the outlying islands and the mandated territory of Western ’Sunma, is estimated by the Governnient Statistician as 1,407,050. This number comprises 718,338 males and 688.715 females. The -estimates for New Zealand proper at September 30th, with the Maori population as at June 30th, are —North Island, 797,413* Maoris, 51,85‘, South Island, 504/557; Maoris, 2141; total, 1,356,000. Of the total population 6*2-33 per cent, is in the North Island. Excluding Maoris, the northern proportion is 61.2-1.

“We are going to refuse absolutely to listen to any applications fo.* reconsideration of exemption unless it can be shown that the conditions have changed,” said his Honour, Mr Justice Frazer, in the Arbitration Court, at Christchurch, when application was made for the exemption of employees who had been exempted in previous awards. “We decide upon exemption a dozen times,” he continued, “ind then the thirteenth time we are asked to change our policy. We are getting l-athsr sick of it. If there is to bo a change of policy there must be some cause shown for it.”-

. The. bullock is not yet entirely out of date as a traction beast, even m, these davs of universal use of the internal combustion engine. tor the last dav or two (states the Non* Zealand Herald”) a team of nine or ten span has been an object ot interest on Takapuna Bcacli, engaged m, carting metal pipes landed in m a. ‘ scon for the purpose of the local borou-h council’s water supply scheme. ~ n tlie case ot carriage over heavy sanu, as in this instance, oxen are still, owing to the steadiness ot then* pull, sometimes preferred to eitli u* the horse ,or the motor engine.

A high tribute to the work of the Tourist Department was paK on Satum dav bv Mr H. L- Russell, ot the Wisconsin College of Agriculture, who with Professor Macklin is operative enterprises and New Zealand dairying generally He Lad heen verv surprised to find that' the Tourist Department mapped out tours aiul issued tickets, and said that in America they had no such service. Railway companies gave, such assistance to tourists but only tor then own roads. “1 know of no other countrv in the world which has a fetate department that performs such excellent service for travellers,’ lie added 41 it was known in America that such assistance was available you would g•* many more visitors.”

“I am delighted with New- Zealand newspapers/' said M.. L. Basse , an American agncultiu r l. an interview on Suturuuy. / they g>V e one news and reliable information, which is in marked contrast with tho great majority of the newspapers ot the United States, which live ioi sensation ” Air Bussell’s particular quest is for ini'ornuuion concerning co-opel- - dairviim concerns and danj mg ex j h iint the kind of information he. “’Tim 3 The ewspapers, by tliejr at'T o 'to agriculture, were ur.doubtS, U ° performing a great rational service.

The blade-shearing class, conducted bv the Timaru Technical College wh.d. u--,s started three weeks ago, will be concluded to-day. The class was no large as usual this year, sic kites preventing several intending .students from attending. Mr A. L. Hopkins is •igaiu in charge of tho class, wluui umbers seven, and the men have done such good work that the examiner (M. ,1. Clelaud) had no hesitation, after seeitm them at work yesterday, in givum mieh a first class certificate As usual the class has been earned on in the spacious, airy, and well-ventikit-ed killing room at the Smithfield freezing Works—a building which is ideal for the purpose. By reason of the excellent work clone by similar classes in the past vears there is no difficulty in getting sheep for the learners; as w matter of fact more sheep have been offered this year than could he dealt with bv the cla.,s in the time at its disposal. A variety of sheep has been dealt with —different breeds, big and little, fat and thin. Those which were in hand vesterday were wcll-comlition-cd. w-cll-woollcd 'hoggets belonging io .Messrs Chapman Bros., of Levels A alley. Some fat wethers belonging to Air Toynbee were shorn last week, and one of these yielded a fleece which weighed 111 lbs. After being taken o . the sheep the wool is skirted, rolled, and baled and sent to the wool sto'-o lor sale. The members of the class who were present vcsfenlav (two were ao--ent thromdi 'sickne-sL each el whom has been In—ink'd a hist class certi e. ( .. lt ,-. 1,1,1.1|> S! I(■HH 'f ■ OVC US tol-lm\-v ■—W Mack. E. Stewart. Bay Bishop. \Y. Brosnahan, and S. Hubhard.