GENERAL NEWS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19961, 20 November 1934, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS

Fat Lambs‘Backward. Fat lambs are rather backward in South Canterbury this year, owing to the prolonged spell of wet weather in the early part of the season. It is not anticipated that there will be many lines ready for killing when the freezing works open in about three weeks time, but with the abundance of feed which is now available lambs should be in good condition when the busyseason starts in the New Year. Improving Bay Bus Shelter. The work of beautifying the new bus shelter at the Caroline Bay viaduct is now in hand. The construction of a rock parapet has been completed on the town side, and the northern side should be finished shortly. The new wall has taken the bare appearance from the shelter, and when the plots above have been planted with shrubs and flowers they should provide a bright spot at the entrance to the Bay. £IOO,OOO from Seed Peas. Pea growing is one of Marlborough’s staple industries, worth anything up to £IOO,OOO in an average season. And it holds out every promise of easily reaching that figure this year, states the “Marlborough Express.” Between 9000 and 10,000 acres will be under this lucrative cereal crop, and there should be an average yield of 30 bushels to the acre, which is the usual return, although not approached last year on account of the drought. That experience cost the pea growers of Marlborough probably £70.000 through short deliveries. This year, however, they should be recompensed in good measure for their crop failures last season. Ignorance of Mathematics. “New Zealand seems exceptional among the countries of the world in its lamentable ignorance of the part played by mathematics in the world’s progress,” said Mr K. E. Bullen in a lecture to the Auckland Astronomical Society. “The science of geophysics is full of incidents where the mathematical theory led the day, not only with predictions but also with directions for research. The existence of two distinct types of earthquake waves was theoretically predicted by Poisson in 1829, long before the waves were actually discovered.” Mr Bullen advanced the opinion that an increase of wider mathematical thinking in New Zealand would help to cure many of the ills that affected the general happiness. Congratulations Extended: The success of Mr Inglis Todd’s pupils at the recent examinations of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, London, was referred to at yesterday’s weekly luncheon of the Timaru Rotary Club by the president (Mr F. I. Washbourn). Mr Washbourn, said that Mr Todd was a blind teacher. In the recent examinations 18 of his pupils entered and they all passed. Two passed with distinction, five obtained honourable mention, and one pupil, Ethel Gibson, who was also blind, secured the possible, 100 per cent in oral work, and 100 per cent, in sight reading. “That is as fine a record as anyone could wish to hear of, and I am sure that the club congratulates Mr Todd on his magnificent achievement,” said Mr Washbourn. Fishing Season: Bearing out an opinion expressed by several experienced anglers before it started, the fishing season so far has been good. The ranger of the South Canterbury Acclimatisation Society (Mr F. W. Pellett) said yesterday that some baskets of very fine fish had been inspected by him during his ranging activities. The flooding in the first weeks of the season had cleaned the rivers out and stirred up plenty of food. The weather of the last week had been productive of good sport for anglers using the fly. Regarding the moving of fish, Mr Pellett said that last week 400 trout had been moved from a backwater of the Te Ngawai, which every year flooded during the rainy season and quickly dried up, but there had been no serious attention needed in that direction. Work Of The Blind. The chairman of the Timaru Rotary Club (Mr F. I. Washbourn) mentioned at yesterday’s meeting that since Mr James Monfries, of the New Zealand Institute for the Blind had been in Timaru his work on behalf of the Institute had appealed to one woman citizen to the extent that she had forwarded a contribution of £5 to the club for the Institute’s funds, and had placed her car and chaffeur at Mr Monfries disposal while he was m Timaru. Mr Washbourn said that Mrs B. E. Evans president of the Women’s Division of the Farmers’ Union had informed the club that the Division, would, she thought, be prepared to keep a supply of the work of the Institute for sale at the Division’s depot in Timaru. and Mr Washbourn said that he thought it was possible that the Women’s Institutes might do the same.