GENERAL ITEMS.

Waipa Post, Volume XX, Issue 1244, 18 May 1922, Page 3

GENERAL ITEMS.

"We never think of building a houste in America without heating every room," said Mr H. W. Tiemann, the United States timber expert, in the course of a recent lecture, " and it seems strange to come to a country where the Winter is not so cold, but which seems colder on account of the lack of heating in the houses."

Mr H. Blair, of Lawrence (says the Tuapeka Times), brought some German potatoes when he returned from the war and carefully cultivated them, till he worked up his stock sufficiently to plant a third of an acre last season. The crop, recently lifted, worked out at 21 tons an acre.

At a poultry demonstration at Solway (Masterton) the chief 'Government poultry instructor was able to solve a problem for a local owner of ducks (says the Masterton Times). The eggs had proved worthless because the turned* to a jelly-like substance and the yolks became a greenish-black. The instructor said this was caused by the ducks eating acorns or flax roots, and the owner admitted that the birds were particularly partial to acorns.

One local shipper of mutton (says the Tapanui, Courier) got £6 net return for a truck of sheep sent to London. A shipper of 192 carcases obtained £286 gross, and only £B6 net return. The freight alone wap £126, and total charges £206. The meat sold from 4 c l to 4 in London. The income tax (4s a head) would be 'included in freezing charges. Government is " killing" graziers' business by over-taxing. Steamer freight is 1 5-8 d per lb.

The work of removing the light'house from East Coast Island to the mainland is being pushed ahead as fast as possible by the Government lighthouse expert, with the assistance of the keeper and a couple of men. A temporary automatic light has been erected,' and will remain in operation until the permanent light is completed. The old tower is at present being dismantled, and part of it has been brought over to the mainland preparatory to its re-erection, but, in the meantime, the keepers are remaining on the Island until the new quarters are complete.

When the first settlers of Nelson got ashore, they found they had brought with them from England some articles which were not entirely useful. Mr T. H. A. Field, addressing the Nelson Philosophical Society, said that belltoppers and white shirts were among the 1 things that were discarded. These, however, were joyfully accepted by the Maori men. The natives were good Sabbatharians, and it was a great sight to see a Maori going to church on Sunday morning, a belltopper on his head, and the tail of a white shirt fluttering about his stalwart legs, his attendant family lost in admiration at his European articles of apparel.

"Fad legislation ha& been the ruin of this country ; no on,e knows how much it has cost us," remarked Mr W. A. Veitch, M.P., in the course of a conversation of a Wanganui Herald representative. " The wisest, course i now, as far as the Government of New Zealand is concerned," he went on to j say, " ! is to go very cautiously in the matter of expenditure, to encourage } industry, and development of the country along sane lines, and to en-)

sure industrial peace. Consummation of these objectives would do more ! good than the fads of all the faddists I in New Zealand, and could be obtain '< ed without much addtiional legisla- \ tion." ;

A keen demand has set in for poultry at the Wanganui sales of late, and pullets and any birds up to three years are commanding good prices. In fact, when compared with the poultry quotations' in other centres, Wanganui is in the lead at present. The cheapening of feed is no doubt tempting more people to keep poultry.

Official returns prove that Maoris' are not going to share the fate of the other coloured races that have been overwhelmed by white settlement. The last figures show that the Maori population in New Zealand is still growing, and, more significant still, that the proportion of children among the Maoris- is increasing.

Although it handles over a quarter of a million every year in the way of revenue, the Auckland Harbour Board had to write off only £l2O 10s lOd for bad debts during 1921, and at the last meeting the board congratulated itself on this infinitesimal loss on its huge turnover.

One of the best-known New Zealand mines, the Talisman, of Karangahake, will soon be a thing of the past, as the company is now being finally wound up. The whole of the as's-ts have been sold to R. M. Aitken and Son, of. Auckland, who intend to dismantle the plant and machinery.

'lt will be news to many people that the fountain pen was invented 200 years ago. One of these ancient pens was recently offered for sale in London for £4O. Mr James P. Maginnis, who has collected fountain pens for 40 years, is now showing his interesting collection —said to be the finest in existence —at the South Kensington museum. It shows the gradual development of the fountain pen from the nib-construction to hold a large supply of ink. All the early eighteenth century fountain pens are heavy, and are made of metal. Most of them have quill nibs. The Castlecliff Town Board is (says the "Wanganui Chronicle) evidently a body with a heart. Annoyed by the loss of timber, it called in Constable Wainhouse to locate the thief, and a man with suspicious looking timber in his possession was found. The constable waited on the board recently, and asked for definite instructions as> to whether the board wished to prosecute. Thinking that the visit of a policeman to Castlecliff would act as sufficient warning to all with a "pinching" proclivity, the board decided not to prosecute that time.

During the tour of the backblock portion of his electorate, Mr R. Masters, member for Stratford, was impressed by the settlers with the seriousness of the wild pig pest. One deputation of settlers said that several young men would undertake to kill the pigs if paid a royalty. Mr Masters said he believed the bestt thing would be to ask the Minister to give a royalty in addition to the free ammunition already given, and he would be pleased to make representation in the proper quarter.

" Your counsel has urged leniency in your case," said Mr Justics Chapman, addressing a prisoner u the Christchurch Supreme Court, "because you have a wife and family :o maintain. If I were to give effect, r.o that argument I should have to arrange a graduated scale according to the number of dependents. I do not overlook a consideration of that kind, 'but I cannot establish a graduated scale. I do consider <•& man who has a wife and family to support as giving a host-

age to the future. That fact is of value in that it ought to afford a motive to you to behave yourself in the future and see that your children are properly brought up and kept from mixing with bad characters."

" I will never forget your river, with its beautiful scenery—and its dogs," said a tourist to a Wanganui Herald reporter. The tourist went on to state that he considered that all the dogs at the various native settlements, if counted, would aggregate thousands. " What an enormous sum your local bodies' must collect from dog tax," he added. The Herald remarks that if the tourist had heard the recent discussion at a Wanganui Borough Council meeting he would have realised that the tax collected from owners of native dogs On the river would not' have been worth handling.

Finding himself unattached, at the age of 80, and having outlived three wives, Thomas Holmes, of Waltham, Lines, is about to marry for the fourth time. He advertised his willingness to remarry, and 160 women stent word that they were "willin'." Undismayed at this embarassing variety of choice, he set to work to make a selection. His choice fell finally on Mrs Farrow, a widow of 70, of Cleethorpes.

A member of the staff of one of the

leading Wanganui hotels l found in a railway carriage on Saturday night a purse containing money and a steamer ticket to England, aggregating £l2O in value. The finder, after interrogating people who were on the station, hurried to the hostel and handed the purse to the proprietress, who .locked it up in the safe. The police were telephoned, and they stated that the owner had already been at the station in search of the lost property. Next day the purse was back in the possession of the owner, who was devoutly thankful that the purse had fallen into the hands of a scrupulously honest girl.

In the early days of New Zealand public highways were named after some feature of the neighbouring landscape. Christchurch has its Ferry Road, Windmill Road, and Wilderness Road, among others. Unfortunately some of the historic old-time names have 'been wiped out and more modern ones substituted. This .has come to pass in a South Canterbury district (says the Timaru Post), 'where there was a picturesque road called the Dam Road, Perhaps the dam from which the road obtained its name has disappeared these days, and also perhaps the susceptibilities of strangers in the district have 'been slightly ruffled when on inquiring for a particular place, have been informed that if they went "along the Dam Road" they would get there all right. Anyhow, the Dam Road is now no more. •'

The Government recently revised its fees for semi-official testing of dairy herds, but the new arrangement does not appear to have met with general favour, and representations are being | made from all directions that the fees I should be re-considered (states the | Taranaki Herald). The Stratford A. and P. Society, in a remit to be considered at a conference this week, suggests ten guineas for the first cow and. one guinea for every additional cow. The matter >arose at a meeting of the committee of the Taranaki Society on Friday, but it was soon evident that local breeders of pedigree stock were not at all unanimous as to what they considered the fees should be, and it was decided therefore to take no action in the matter, the committee feeling that under the circumstances it should not express an opinion. Further, it was felt that H was a question 'Which would better be taken up by the breed associations, in other words, that the associations should arrange for a combined conference, endeavour to arrive at a unanimous decision, and then make representations to the Agricultural Department. (