LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 July 1939, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Members’ Ingleside. A most enjoyable members' Ingleside was held in the Masonic Hall on Tuesday night, there being an exceptionally large attendance of dancers. Barnes’s Orchestra played the music for the dancing and Mr C. A. Burling was an able M.C. A ladies' committee comprised Mesdames C. A. Burling, J. B. Mac Lean, G. Beecroft, Jock McKenzie, J. J. Hunter, A. Young, H. E. Pither and J. A. E. Kerslake. Damage Caused by Hares. The damage caused by hares to the Otari Open-air Plant Museum was "tressed by Councillor R. A. Wright ■it a’ meeting of the Wellington City Council last night. Councillor Wright asked the mayor whether his attention had been drawn to a complaint about the damage. The person making the complaint suggested that a party of men be sent to destroy the hares. The mayor, Mr Hislop, said that he would ask the director of reserves' to report to the reserves committee in the matter.

Source of Valuable Fenceposts. A new source of securing totara timber for fence posts is being exploited with some success by a number of Foxton residents. Where the Manawatu River drew back in several places near the town it left large swampy areas strewn with totara logs, which in the course of time have been covered over with a layer of silt on which grass has now grown. At present a large number of men is engaged in unearthing these logs, which are in a good state of preservation, and splitting them up for posts, for which there is a never-failing market. Upper Hutt Borough Election. - .

A poll of more than 60 per cent of the electors of the East Ward of the Upper Hutt Borough Council elected Mr J. Purvis their representative on the council at a by-election yesterday. The vacancy occurred through the election of Cf J. Blewman to the mayoralty, following the death of Mr P. Robertson, mayor. Mr Purvis had a majority of 69 over the Labour Party candidate, Mr O. J. Plummer. The voting was as follows: —J. Purvis (anti-Labour), 676; O. J. Plummer (.Labour), 607; informal, 2. Mr Purvis is a member of the Wairarapa Licensing Committee. The Planet Mars. Officials of the Carter Observatory, Wellington, are making special observations of the planet Mars which is now on that stage of its journey round the sun which brings it closest to the earth. It is quite easy to pick out its reddish light in the eastern sky, and even amateur astronomers are able to distinguish many of the special points of interest about the planet. A discovery of the Carter Observatory during the present visit of the planet is a black dot at the equator. White patches crossing the surface have led to the belief that there is cloud and, therefore. atmosphere surrounding Mars.

Pope May Broadcast to Dominion. A special message from the Pope to New Zealand will be broadcast from the Vatican, Rome, next February, when the National Centennial Eucharistic Congress of the Roman Catholic Church opens in Wellington, if the hopes of Dominion Catholics are realised. Negotiations are at present being made with the Vatican, and a decision is expected shortly. If given, the broadcast will be the first in English, and the second of any kind, from the Vatican. The Pope speaks English fluently, so that no language bar exists. The broadcast will probably be arranged for the night of the men’s rally, which is to be a feature of the congress. It will be relayed from England.

Biggest Sheep District. An interim return on April 30 last shows that the Hawke’s Bay-Gisborne district still has the highest sheep total in New Zealand. The district contains 7,036,054 sheep, representing a decrease of 94,555 as against the final returns of last year. Next in order is Otago, with a present total of 6,919,650, representing an increase of 216,000 odd animals since the end of last year. The remaining districts are placed in the following order:—Wellington-West Coast, Canter-bury-Kaikoura, Auckland, Marlbor-ough-Nelson-Westland. The present North Island total is' 17,407,492, representing a decrease of 298,507 animals since the final figures for last year were compiled, while the South Island figures at present are 14,450,057, as against 14,672,755 at the end of last year. The Dominion total at present is 31,857,549—a decrease of 521,225.

“Hen-Pecked Money.” A Christchurch visitor to Sydney who returned the other day tells a rather good story of an attempt he made to pass a New Zealand florin piece. In entertaining some friends at a hotel bar he passed over an Australian coin and a New Zealand twoshilling piece. The barmaid picked up the money, and was about to hand back the change when she noticed that one of the pieces was a New Zealand coin. “Here,” she exclaimed, “what game is this: we don't want any of your hen-pecked money here” —a rather contemptuous reference to the kiwi which adorns the face of our two-shilling piece. “Where are you from, anyhow?” she asked. “Bourke,” was the reply. “Well, haven’t you heard about this stuff out there,” she asked. The New Zealander had to substitute an Australian for the despised "hen-pecked” piece, which he brought back with him.

Death of Parachutist. “This is the fourth young life that has been thrown away in order to give the public a thrill,” said Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M., district coroner, when resuming the inquest at Onehunga into the death of the parachutist, Leo Edgar Anzac Hayward, aged 24, who crashed into the inlet of Manukau Harbour, near Mangere aerodrome, on Sunday, June 25. In giving his verdict in accordance with the medical evidence. Mr Hunt said it was deplorable that some people were prepared to pay for the thrill of seeing a man risk his life in a public show, and he was glad to hear Mr Allen, chief instructor to the Auckland Aero Club, express his disapproval of the practice. “I hope the public will not insist on these exhibitions,” he added, "but if there are to be any further similar displays, I hope more adequate, provi - sion will be made for the safety of the parachutist.” Mr Hayward’s father expressed his appreciation of the assistance given by Messrs Glover and Allan. He added that he had implicit confidence in Mr Allan’s judgment ai to the time his son left the machine.