GENERAL NEWS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19805, 22 May 1934, Page 8

GENERAL NEWS

The Ashburton Power Board yesterday decided to raise a loan of £2500 at 31 per cent, part of the amount already authorised at 41. The annual report of “The Smith family” records the fact that during the last year an elderly woman, Mrs Hope Smith, has made more than 1000 garments for distribution amongst the poor of Wellington. Messages from the police party dispatched to the Tararua Ranges to recover the body of the .trapper, Alfred Young, state that progress with the task of taking the body into Greytown is slow. The party camped last night in the Cone Saddle hut, and expects to reach Greytown this afternoon. The country in which the body was found is very difficult. “How do you plead?” asked the deputy clerk of the Timaru Magistrate’s Court (Mr T. Kane) to a young man charged with drunkenness yesterday. “Very well please, Your Honour.” was the unexpected reply. The young man was arrested on Saturday night, and no doubt thought that the clerk was inquiring as to his condition after a day and a night in the lock-up/ There is a marked similarity between the Samoans and the New Zealand Maoris, according to Mr A. L. Gee. who yesterday gave an address on Samoa to the Timaru Rotary Club. The languages were very similar, many of the words being exactly the same and others having only an interchange of letters. Their legends and traditions were practically identical, showing that the Samoans and Maoris originally came from the same source. “It is a great pity that here in New Zealand there is such a lack of interest in Samoan affairs,”.said Mr C. R. OrrWalker in proposing a vote of thanks to Mr A. L. Gee for his address on Samoa to the Timaru Rotary Club yesterday. People gave little thought to what was going on in one of New Zealand's most important dependencies. It was a common mistake to think that New Zealand owned Samoa, which really was held by the Dominion under mandate from the League of Nations. Samoa was an independent country, and New Zealand was in charge only as trustee One thing the Samoans asked was to be given a little more say in the Government of their country. The leaders were patriotic Samoans and if some effort could be made to persuade the Mau and the Malo to co-operate with the Government, Samoa would be one of the finest and most peaceful countries in the world. Mr Orr Walker added that he hoped that Mr Gee’s address would interest Rotarians in the affairs of that distressful country.

The newly-formed Timaru Squash Rackets Club was officially opened on Saturday afternoon at the court in Elizabeth Street. The Club has erected an up-to-date building on portion of the Timaru Tennis Club’s property, which houses one court, and gallery, a clubroom, and a changing room, equipped with showers, and already has a large membership. There were about 40 present on Saturday when the court was handed over by Mr C. S. Bruce, chairman of the committee which carried out the preliminary arrangements. Mr Bruce congratulated the members on having such fine premises and said that, while it had taken some time to get the movement going in Timaru. there were indications that the game was taking a hold and had come to stay. During the week-end the court was used extensively, expert coaching being given by Captain G. Hennessy, of Morven.

The childishness of the Samoans was exemplified at yesterday’s luncheon of the Rotary Club by Mr A. L. Gee. Some time ago, said Mr Gee, the rhinoceros beetle was accidentaly imported into Samoa from Ceylon. The authorities took measures to eradicate the pest, which ate into the young leaves of the cocoanut palms, and every Monday morning all able-bodied Samoans had to collect the beetles, which were brought to the Department of Agriculture and burnt. Later a novel method of collecting was introduced. The Department procured a cinematograph with which films were shown in the various villages, the admission charges being so many beetles for a man, so many for a woman and a smaller number for a child. Everything went well for a time and hundreds of beetles were collected. It was not until some time later that it was found that the natives were breeding the beetles to provide them with the means of admission to the pictures!

An amusing hoax on the part of a Timaru resident who served with the Samoan Relief Force during the War was related at yesterday’s Rotary luncheon by Mr A. L. Gee. Mr Gee said that one man in the platoon to which he was attached was rumoured to be a famous author serving incognito. Mr Gee became interested and approached the man, who told him he was none other than Guy Thome, author of “When It Was Dark,” and that at the suggestion of Sir Joseph Ward, he had enlisted for service in Samoa, with the object of obtaining material for a book. He said he had served in the Imperial Army at the battle of Tel-el-Kebir and, while sitting on a gun carriage on the morning following the battle, had received the inspiration which had enabled him to write “When It Was Dark.” The man became greatly sought after and was treated as one of the celebrities, later being promoted to the rank of sergeant-major. At about that time, one of the men at Samoa received an English journal which contained a full account of the life of Guy Thorne with illustrations. Unfortunately for the island hero, the ilustrations had no resemblance to the “Guy Thorne” who was serving in the Samoan Forces, and it was proved that he was an imposter. It was later ascertained that he was a Timaru baker, who at one time had been employed by Mr John Hutchison.