TOWN AND COUNTRY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19786, 9 March 1927, Page 13

TOWN AND COUNTRY

ITEMS OF INTEREST The erection of the Mamaku electricity sub-station by the Public Works Department is proceeding, says the “Waikato Times,” but it appears certain that the power will not be available at the end of the month as promised. The arrival of U further 80 polos, which were landed about four weeks ago at Auckland, is awaited. This delay is causing inconvenience to local sawmillers. House-wiring and various installations are proceeding, but the delayed power supply is causing general dissatisfaction. An interesting little story was related at the meeting of the South Taranaki executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union on Thursday. A certain farmer sold three cow hides at 10s each, clearing 30s. He went into a bootshop some time later to buy a pair of working boots and was asked 35s for them. Another instance was given where only 8d per lb. was paid the farmer for pigs, yet he had to pay Is 3d to Is 7d for bacon in the shops.

“Is it a fact that clover makes milk strong?” inquired his Honour, Mr Justice Ostler, of a farming witness in the Napier Supreme Court the other morning, when the man in the box had made a remark to this effect. The witness said that clover made the milk a little strong, but not so much as would mangolds. His Honour: “Well, it is news to me that clover will harm the milk?” Mr H. B. Lusk: “I always thought it would improve it.”

A lady resident of Rosebank, Balclutha, witnessed an unusual little phenomenon recently. The weather was calm and peaceful, when suddenly a little whirlwind arose within a circumscribed area, some little distance from where the lady was_ standing, and a small stack of hay, caught in the vortex rose slowly in the air until it was level with the tops of some tall pines nearby. Then it slowly sailed away, like a huge balloon, but shedding wisps of hay in its course, the bulk, by pressure of the atmosphere apparently, keeping intact. When last seen by the lady the haystack was disappearing on the western horizon.

Referring to the apple crop in Canterbury, Mr L. Paynter, Government Orchard Instructor, told a “Christchurch Press” reporter that they are slightly above the average, but unfortunately there was a large amount of black spot in a good many parts of the district, and also a late infection of codlin moth. Though the weather in January and February was such as to induce codlin moth many growers failed to appreciate that fact, otherwise a spraying of arsenate of lead would have checked the infection. There will be no export of apples from Canterbury this season. A certain quantity might have been available, but some of the fruit shows hail marks, especially in the Loburn district.

The ranger (Mr J. S. Main) of the (South Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, reported to the council on Thursday that during the past month the salmon had been running in the Rangitata River, but owing to floods no salmon were landed until February 20. In the nine days in which fishing was possible over 300 salmon were landed by rod and line, and quite a number weighed from 251 b. to 321 b. There is every indication of a record run of salmon in the Rangitata this season. Of

late Lake Alexandria has given good sport with rainbow and brown trout, and these fish weighed from 81b. to 141 b. Occasionally anglers in the Opihi have had fair sport on the fly, and fish up to 121 b. have been landed.

One never knows one’s luck (says the “Otago Daily Timo*”). At the conclusion of the annua! meeting of the Otago Mutual Btarr-Bowkett Society two free loans, each of £5OO, wore bab lotted for. A director of the society, who has been waiting for 10 yonrs for the wheel of fortunto to turn his way, secured one of tho winning numbers, and the other was held conjointly by a married couple. In connection with the latter, the chairman (Mr T. Senft 1 said a rather peculiar incident could be 'noted, as they had written to the secretary intimating their intention of withdrawing from tho society on May 1. “They won’t withdraw now,” he added with a smile, and a chorus of “No fears” supplemented his remark.

“The wages paid to boys and girls during the early years of this business life are too high, in my opinion,” stated the president of the Now Zealand Federation of Drapers, Clothcrs, and Boot Retailors (Mr I’ L. Halstcd), in his annual address (reports tho “Lyt'telton Times”). “This opinion,” ho said, “is shared by many others. Quito apart from the fact that tho present rates of wages are higher than tho services of these boys and girls warrant—but I do not wish to stress that point— I maintain that it is not in the best interests of these young people that they have the handling of so much money before they have learned how to spend it wisely, or, rather, how to save it. To increase wages somewhat at the top and lop than at the bottom would tend to make the trade more attractive to those who intend to spend their lives in it.”

Sports in California, as it affects New Zealand, is mentioned by “Snowy” Baker in a letter to Christchurch friends. “Now Zealand,” he states, “is coming in for sports publicity in California just now through success of a New Zealand racehorse. The Mask, in winning at Tia Juana racecourse, on the Mexican border, about 90 miles from Los Angeles. New Zealand should send a swimmer here to do the Catalina Channel swim. As you know, these people commercialise things in sport pretty thoroughly. William Wrigley, Rajah of Gum, who gave the 25,000 dollars prize to Young, the 1-7-year-old lad who accomplished the ‘ stunt,’ declared he, or his firqj, got 2,000,000 dollars worth of advertising through the idea. A fellow named Sullivan succeeded in swimming the Channel last week (towards the end of January). Sullivan swam the English Channel last year, and declares that the France-to-England crossing is much tougher.”