NEW ZEALAND NEWS ITEMS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 245, 17 October 1939, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND NEWS ITEMS

Miniature Railway Exhibit. Similar in detail to locomotives used on the railways throughout New Zealand, two miniature engines have recently been completed by Mr. F. Roberts, of Epsom. The engines were specially made for inclusion in the animated exhibit, of the Railways Department in the Centennial Exhibition. Natural-colour films of the models and the r trains. running through small-scale cuttings and tunnels and over tiny bridges, have been taken by Mr. L. Hinge, a photographer of the New Zealand Government Publicity Departmen!, and will also be shown in conjunction with the exhibit. 33.000 Taught to Swim. "One of the greatest achievements last summer.” remarked the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hun. W. E. Parry, on Friday, “was the teaching of thousands of our schoolchildren to swim.” Over 33,000 children, boys and girls, he said, had gained certificates of competency in swimming, which was a New Zealand record, and showed that very good use had been made of a Government grant of £3OOO toward the work of swimming instruction. Mr. Parry said he had been invited to attend the annual conference of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association in Wellington, at which no doubt plans for this year’s season would be formulated. Thresher Shark and Whale. The lighthouse keeper at Cape Maria van Diemen and his wife were spectators of a battle to the death between a thresher shark and a small whale. The scene of the combat was approximately a mile out to sea from the lighthouse, and it lasted over half an hour. What first drew the attention of the lighthouse keeper to the scene was the appearance of a dark body on the surface of the water. He thought at first that it might be a submarine, but .with lhe commencement of a violent disturbance of the water he came to the conclusion that a whale was defending itself against its hereditary enemy, the thresher shark. As the fight grew fiercer, the onlookers had a good view of the proceedings. According to Mrs. Budd, wife of the keeper, the blows struck by the combatants sounded as loud as a cannon exploding, and the water was churned up into a gigantic whirlpool, from which the whale emerged at intervals to blow. The slee' z body of the shark appeared in pursuit, and took advantage of the whale’s respites to deal blows with its tail. Mrs. Budd, who witnessed the fight from start to finish, stated that after half an hour's struggle the whale did not break the surface to spout, and she surmised that the death blow had been delivered.

the “Marseillaise.* i How little known in New Zealand is - the “Marseillaise” was shown when - the national lune of France was . played at the end of the professional » wrestling contest in the Wellington • Town Hall on Saturday night. Half s lhe audience stood at attention in re- - sped to France, half began to move ? off and only gradually realised wfiat ; i was being played. ! Soldiers* Sweet Tooth. One uf the must nourishing institutions at the Hopuhopu military camp i is the canteen, where the cash returns are showing a daily increasing total. Must favoured items in the varied stock carried are sweets, • especial I v cnocolates. Soft drinks and ice 5 | creams are also in good demand. Wellington Traimvajs. ’ A credit balance of 11.365. a de- ’ crease of £Bl4l on that or the jievi- , ous year, is disclosed in the annual report and balance-sheet of the Wellington City Corporation tram wav dej payment. While the tramways revenue registered an increase of £15.886 f (£453,713. as against £137.827), the working expense account showed an I increase of £23,021. Trout-eating Gull. | Several cyclists and pedestrians saw • a seagull dive into the Avon River. ’ Christchurch, and emerge '.iui a lairI sized brown trout in its beak. The | gull dived twice into the rivet. Apparently in these dives the gull killed I ' the trout, for in the third dive it , ! emerged with the trout in its month. | Cyclists and pedestrians stopped 1o ; j watch the incident. The gull carried ‘ 1 the trout to the bank, and started to ’ | peck at it. ■ Changes in Auckland. ’ j Amazement at the change that had ■ ; occurred In the appearance of Auck- ■ | land since he last visited the city 30 j years ago was expressed by Mr. J. I I Waschke, of Durban, wno arrived ’ ' from lhe East by the Maetsuycker on j Friday. Mr. Waschke said he haa ■ spent 18 months in New’ Zealand : j nearly’ 40 years ago, and had known i Auckland when it had a population ol ■ approximately 80,000. The progress ’ i which the city hd made was remark- • able. Horses For Dutch Army. In order to obtain horses for the ■ Dutch Army in the East Indies, eight 1 Javanese cavalrymen are travelling to Australia by the Maetsuycker, which I arrived at Auckland from the East on ; Fridav. A consignment of 105 horses , has already been purchased and wit I > be taken on board the Maetsuycker ; ( during special call at Gladstone, on • i the Queensland coast. The purchase I of Australian and New Zealand horses -1 has been normal practice of the Dutch authorities for a number of years. sponsible for the administration of Springvale. The county has set up a committee I to report, and its decision as to what! is to be done, following an instruction by the board not to attend fires in Springvale, will be advised later. Mr. C. S. Young: Each case should he treated on its merits. If a house is on the city boundary, what then? Mr. Halligan: The instructions to the superintendent are that he is not lo go outside the boundary. Further action, if any. has been held lin abeyance until the Waitotara County decides whether Springvale requires the services of the brigade and negotiates as to how that can be I given and how’ it will be paid for.