NEW ZEALAND NEWS ITEMS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 257, 31 October 1939, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND NEWS ITEMS

Schoolboy Howler. At a school in the Cambridge district last ue.k .ne teacher asked tin ciass the feminine of •’bullock.” Al i hough all the pupils came from farming families, there was a pause until one lad raised his hand and gave as tne answer “cowlick.” Strawberries Mpre Kentiiul. Straw berries aie gradually becoming more plentiful in Auckland and sonu good quality fruit is coming forward Prices vary according to quality, bui the general demand is good. At tin. city markets on Friday Captain Cook strawberries sold al prices ranging fiom Is 5d tu 3s 3d a chip. On Tuesday they were quoted at 2s 6d to 3 3d a ciiu. Unusual Cloud L licet. The ranges to the west of Mastertoil presented an extraordinary Sight on a recent afternoon Borne on a heavy westerly wind, which did not descend to ground levvi, banks of clonus were pouring over the crest of the mountains and down the sides, disappearing at a level slightly above the tops of the foothills. The over-and-down movement was very rapid, and Che effect was one of an enormous waterlall. Americans’ I).fferc.it View. The people of the United .States look through different spectacles tc us. Ihey set things quite differently and it takes a lot of getting down to get their an*:v. they don’t appreciate that it is tne British Navy which L e'ping their doors open and you can t tell them so, out you can appeal to tnem to see reason and they will eventually see it, ’ remarked Mr. E. A. as mgs Rotary Club. Belter Dre-»scd. An Auckland btuineas man ho has just returned Hum Australia said it was notic able that the members oi the Australian military forces were much oetler ilresaeff Hum New Zealand soldiers. The Australian uniforms hau an alm os v tailored appearance, and the genual effect was smartened by leather ieggings. He added that tue uniforms of members of the New Zealand Air Force were smart and therefore aid nut come under tne heading of general < . iticism. The De.in\ Imb.eiLi. A missionary num India, ..ILs Alva Reynold.', who is v.siting the vom.nicn is collecting old umbceuas, whic.i sue will take bue.s, to inaia and cover for the use d tne gills ill the Indian school where she teaches. During a recent vi'it tu Cm.stchurch, she gataered a large number oi ' brollies there, and soon after her return to Auckland leceived a letter asking if she had an cutsizc in umbrellas among her cufiectioii, as t?.was the dean’s special one for use on tne West Coast, bhe had a look, and found the “baby tent, and has made arrangements for i.s safe return. Seed Potatoes for Tab! ’. Potatoes are exceptionally scarce on the Ashburton produce market al present. and considerable difficulty k be.ng experienced in obtaining sufficient to fulfil orders. According to an Ashburton merchant, the North Island crop has begun to appear on the market there, but the prices for new potatoes appear to be exorbitant. Distributors are clearly endeavouring to obtain as many of the last season’s crop as possible and in some cases potatoes which normally would be suitable for seed are now finding a place for tabic use at reduced rates. Witness Rebuked. A rebuke was given to a witness by the Chief Justice, Sir Michael Myers, in the Supreme Court at Hamilton. Addressing counsel, witness asked why the occupant adjoining the property in dispute was not called instead ol settlers living five or six miles away. His Honour asked witness what business that was of his. His question waa pure impudence. A witness could not expect to conduct himself in that way without receiving a rebuke.

Mount Everest Impregnable. •Everest is one of the marvels of that area and 1 do not think it will ever be climbed," said Dr. Murdo Mac- [ Donald-Bayne in an address on Tibet i in Christchurch. He said that the high | winds on the upper slopes prevented 1 climbers from reaching the summil land the period when the weather | made attempts possible was very .-hoit. Ihe natives believed the peat, I was unconquerable, and it seemed that the la.'t few hundred feet would never be climbed. .Marauder Among Sheep. Two farmers in the Arahuia Valley I We aland, report mysterious losses ol 1 sheep, presumably through a dog ol tne killer type. Persistent efforts to Oaect the marauder have so fur proved futile. It was at first thought that the sheep had been shot, but careful examination has discounted this theory as the wounds show they have been inflicted by a strong-jawed animal. The wounds wcie all inflicted behind ihe ear, and apart from tiiis the carcases were in no way mutilated. A New Warship. * One of the German short-wave wireless stations broadcasting propaganda on Thursday night crecutea iXew Zealand with a waiship that has never on the naval strength ol the Dominion. Alter explaining that New Zealand was a group of small islands in the Pacific, tne announcer said that New Zealand had recently sunk one of its own warships while it was in harbour, ihe name of the slip, he said, was H.M.S. Dolphin. Kakdi.i Railway ILidge. Because of the heavy demands on labour made by the extra wofk neces-.-ary at the Burnnam military camp, a gang of workmen which was to have oeen employ <-<t at the new Kaxaia railway oriage m the last stages oi laying the track before it is open to traffic has not been available tor this job. The temporary holding up of the work, which emails the laying of extra sleepers on the track, win, it is thought, postpone the date when the bridge will be ready for traffic. It is expected that the work vrill he resumed very shortly. .Auckland’s Tooley Street. In the future aairy produce from the Auckland Province will be shipped Hom Tooley street to Tooley buect. 'i he London watersider street of that name has long been associated with the Dominion’s export trade, and the Auckland City Council has now decided that the street serving the new export cold store in Mechanics’ Bay is to be named Tooley Street, provided the Auckland Harbour Board agrees. The suggestion for the change in name came from the Auckland Farmers Freezing Company, Limited, which owns the new store. | Originally this street, which runs parallel to King’s Drive, was known as Haig Street, but in June la>t the name was changed to Pershing Street as part of the plan to avoid duplications in street names. No Passenger List. “Sorrv, but 1 can’t give you a passenger list.” This was tne reply by the chief steward of an overseas British vessel that recently arrived in New Zealand waters to an inquiry by a representative of the Press. “Seeing that the ship has safely arrived in port and that the passengers are all remaining in New Zealand, what is the reason for withholding the passenger list?” the chief steward was asked. “Apply to the Admiralty," he answered. “They are in charge. ’ The captain confirmed this subsequently. He said that all British ships were under Admiralty orders, and the captain had to do as he was told. One of the restrictions was that passenger lists were not to be handed out on arrival at port. “I know it seems foolish to some." he added. “But, believe me, there is a good reason for everything that is done. Some people forget we are at war.”