LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12245, 18 February 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The matron of the Christchurch Hospital would be very grateful for old linen, which is most urgently needed. The sextant manufactured by the German prisoners at Motuihi, and which was found on the scow Moa when the the icscapces were recaptured, is a work of considerable mechanical ingenuity. The Defence. Department has intimated to the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon G. W. Russell, that it proposes to hand this sextant over to the Dominion Museum at Wellington.

Included among the subjects dealt with by the Board of Agriculture at its meeting in Wellington last week wero tho following:—Uniform stud books and National Dive Stock Record Association, proposol legislation to prohibit the exportation of inferior sheep from the Dominion, arrangements for the present meat export season, desirability of having the judging of live stock at shows taught on the various experimental farms, the wheat question, organisation of women labour for farm work, proposed board in connection with scientific and industrial research, and Kitchener memorial scholarship.

Friends of members of the crew of H.M.iS. New Zealand have recently received from the battle-cruiser an extremely clever Christmas card, showing that the hospitality during the New Zealand s visit to the. Dominion is still remembered with pleasure- The card lias a coloured drawing of the men of the ship quaffing beer from German mugs. Thev are labelled “ Jutland,” “Heligoland” and “Dogger Bank.” and opposite is a laconic little motto, taken from a popular music-hall ditty, “ Another little drink wouldn’t do us anv harm!”

Next, please! A writer in the Hawke's Bay “Herald” says that recently ho Hoard some most unusual proceedings from a fowlyard among the ducks. Thr quacking was given in perfect wait?, time, so true that yon could have danced to it. As> ho had never heard anything like it before he tried to get a look at them, because he was somewhat puzzled to know what was going on among them, visions of ducks doing a. waltz floating before his eyes. But he was unable to see them, limn ho remembenrd they were housed near to where there is a piano which wasi largely employed for practising waltz music. Hero was the explanation, the ducks had hknird so much of it that they_ were practising it themselves, showing thatoven ducks are influenced by their environment.

“T like Now Zealand very much: it is God’s country right enough,” said Professor Trnohlood to n Manawntu “Standard” rcportgv. The visitor pointed out how different were farming conditions in Now Zealand, when contrasted with the (’oiled States. “Your farmers do not have to grow the food ours require to,” he stated. “Tn the States they plant from May to November, and wary has the farmer to he to see that no sudden frost comes along and cuts down his food crops. When the cold weather comes, at the end of October, the ground is frozen hard. We, have even to put our water pipes down several feet to nnevent them from'becoming frozen. In New Zealand grass grows naturally and abundantly, and the climate is good, too.” A competeition under the ausnices cf the Addington Railway Fire Brigade was held recently on'the Workshops ground. The chief item on the programme was The competition for a, silver cun donated hv the Addington branch of the A.S.R.S., the conditions being that the trophy must he competed for at intervals and won three times consecutively, to become the property of the holder. There were fourteen competitors, .and the event was won hv Fireman C- D. Boyd. Minor prizes were won by Foreman A. C. Fyfe second; Fireman Sandy Macpherson’ third; Fireman W. Townsend, fourth: Fireman F. Bohertson. fifth. A second event, for prizes of £1 Is and 10s fid, open to outside fire brigades, was won by 11. Sinclair, of the Islington Brigade. J. Wilson, of tho Christchurch Railway Fire Brigade, being second. Dr Follow’s Pile Cones have cured hundreds of Christchurch citizens after every other known remedy had failed. Price 3s &1- box. from chemists, or direct, Loasby’s Pharmacy. 1787