NEW ZEALAND NEWS ITEMS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 113, 16 May 1939, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND NEWS ITEMS

World i>3wis Tournainen.. Four Palmerston North bowlers— Messrs. J. Boniface. D. Morris, J. J. OShea, and A. S. Bayliss—intend to compete in a world open bowls tournament to be held in connection with the exhibition in San Francisco from September 4 to 16. They will sail for San Francisco on August 8. Increased Hospital Levy. An increase of £240 in the hospital levy was viewed with some concern by members at a meeting or the xaradale Town Board. Mr. G. D. Webb said the trouble was New Zealandwide, and he thought the board should try by every means in its power to a iter the present system of representation so that the country districts should have a greater say in the spending ot their money. Rare Shipboard Talent. Rarely has a liner visiting Auckland rairieu such a galaxy ot stage and musical talent as the Mariposa, which arrived at Auckland, irom San Francisco, on Friday. Among the musicians who were passengers on the voyage south were the eminent tenor, Mr. Richard Crooks, who contributed several items during tne trip. Lie wellknown cellist, Mr. Edmuno Kurtz, and such pianists as Dr. A. Schnabel, Mi. Frederick Shauwecker and Mr. Marshall Sumner. The stage was i epresentea by Mr. Martin uroones ■ iiu his wife, who is better known as the comedienne, Charlotte Greenwood, and their company of 14. Tne popular American writer, Miss Faith Lalowin, was also a passenger. ••Quarrel Over Corpse.” The Government and tne British Mcuical Association appear at present be, so to speak, quarieiiing over the corpse ot the puolic, said Dr. riancis o. Bennett during his Capping Day address at Canterbury University College on Friday. ”in 100 years or so, when the histoiy of this lime comes to be written, ’ 1 think that that particular legislative experiment will perhaps occupy no more • han a line in the textbooks. Naval Rating’s Wager. The sequel t o a wager ;hat originated in ri.M.S. Achilles aiter her relurn irom England was seen at Auckland on Friday anernoon, when, clad in eastern robe and Moslem fez, set on to advantage by a generous growth of bronze beard, a supply rating from in? vessel stronc up Queen Street irom Customs Street to the Town Hah. For his daring ne collected £5 irom some of his feilow ratings. The rating started from Queen Street alone with a cheroot—part of the conditions of the wager—set at a jaunty angle, but me attention he at Haelen, although his identity was oaiely h.uden by his disguise, was so immediate that those who had put up Lie stakes refused to trail him at a distance. Instead, they preceded him with much joyousness. When the procession rcaciKu the Town Hail tn? stakes were handed over outside the main door. All the Same I » Him. A student at .• nisi aid examination recently conducted by the St. John

Ambulance Association al Auckland I showed unusual ability wr.cn in the written part of his examination he I received the wrong paper or questions. I In addition to the male numbers two j ladies were taking home nursing. I Somehow a first aid student was] given a home nursing paper, and| went ahead to answer the questions before he discovered the muiake. According to the examiner’s report, he wrote quite a good paper. When the mistake was discovv.ed he was given the correct paper, and satisfactorily completed it within the stipulated time

First Student Refugee. The first student refugee from Central Europe to be brought to New Zealand has arrived at Canterbury University College. He is Mr. Otto Horwich, aged 21, formerly a student at the Technische Hochschule, Vienna, where he studied chemistry and engineering. He will continue his studies at Canterbury College this year, at the third stage of the Bachelor of 'Science degree. Although Mr. Norwich's entry into New Zealand was arranged by the general refugee committee in Christchurch, his present sponsors are the members uf the Canterbury College Students' Refugee Committee.

Three-quarter Mile Tunnel. The 4700 ft. Waikoura tu.mel on the Gisborne-Napier railway route was pierced on Friday morning by a barrage pf four shots, which opened out the last 2ft. Gin. of solid rock separating the two faces. The gang had been withdrawn from the southern face within the past week, partly as a precaution against accident and partly owing to the necessity of strengthening tne timbering at a point some distance from the face where the wet and moling ground was showing its effect in a slight distortion of the initial limber work. The shots opened a hole 3ft. by 2ft., through whicn communication was established between the parties working corn Torrie's Camp and Earls Camp at Wharekakaho. ' A “Public Meeting.'' Some amusement was caused at the meeting of the Rangiora County Council last week when the clerk (Mr. S. G. Dailey) reported on the ‘public meeting " held to elect an assessor, a position for which there t.ad been two nominees. “As there were two nominees, I had to call a pubi.c* meeting and conduct a ballot,'' Mr. Dailey said. "The nominees, as advertised, were Henry Thompson Methcrell ano William Henry Stark, and the results •of the voting were Metherell,. one vote, and Stark no vote. The meeting was attended by one person. ’’ New Dental Clinic. The amended plan of the utw, dental clinic for Feilding schools, to be erected in Stafford Street, has been received by the local committee. The building is to cost 1900, and will be a single-story structure instead ol two-story, as previously intended. Excellent ventilation and windows have been provided for. Mr. A. F. Fawcett, I discussing the amended plan, said ne was well satisfied with it. As a result of the amendments made the local committee will now have to find only '£3oo, instead of more than 1400. Auckland's Oyster Crop. I Early estimates of the oyster crop ■ in the Auckland district indicate that the supply should be larger than last season, and may reach 5000 sacks, i Picking will commence at the beginning of June, and the marketing season will open a fortnight later, continuing until the latter part of Aug;t:st. Captain C. Daniel, inspector of ifisheries at Auckland, said that the ; quality of the oysters should show an improvement on the past year or two.

' A Healthy People, j “It is a libel to say that the Pitcairn Islanders are a decaying people,” [said the surgeon of the Rotorua on i Friday, when the liner arrived at Weillington from London. 'They are 11 strong and healthy and good-looking. I ] particularly the women." People lik- ; ed to say that the Pitcairn Islanders were a decaying race, he said, but • this was an absolute fallacy. There were now 230 ot them on the island, and they are looking very fit. The Rotorua called at Pitcairn on the way to New Zealand. She had a good trip out.