GENERAL NEWS

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17469, 1 June 1922, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS

The lay-out and specifications lor the four new tennis courts in St. Aluau s park have been approved by the chairman of the lU'server? Committee of the City Council and the work will be started forthwith. The Town Clerk yesterday _ received a communication from the Taxation Committee to the effect that the committee proposed to consider the question of the taxation of municipal undertakings and that they -vould be glad to have the opinion of the Council or. the matter. The letter has been referred to the Finance Committee. Mr J. Young, curator of the Botanical Gardens, who was recently appointed superintendent of parks and gardens bv the City Council, will enter on the' duties of the latter office as from to-dav. He will accompany the Mayor and others to Waltham Park this afternoon to 'discuss a proposal to put a portion of the park into playing order. Reference was made at the annual meeting of the Bov Scouts' Association of New Zealand, yesterday to the question of the observance of the King's birthday on Saturday. Mr G. Lancaster, Christchurch . Commissioner, said that there would bo a parade at the Scott statue at >0 a.m.; the National Anthem would be sung and the flag saluted, and an address would be given. It was announced later that General Andrew would give the address at the Scott statue. After the function the competition for the Fuller Fire Flag will take place on North Hagley Park; if wet, in the King Edward Barracks. The departmental economy campaign in the United Kingdom has at least one novel feature. This is the indefinite number of times an official envelope may be used in mailing before it ultimately becomes a. postal curio, or a tnttered thing like a New Zealand banknote. Originally, the envelope bears the slogan of "National Economy," arid a printed instruction not to tear it open, but to slit neatly with a view to further use. It also bears a gummed tag upon which the second address is to be written before covering the original address. With care, the process may be repeated any number of times. One such envelope, which was received by a public department in Auckland the other day (states the "Herald"), hears evidence of 'hard service for national economy in London.

Dr. Charles .Paul Alexander, of tin \ Cornell University, U.S.A., in a recent j communication to Mr J. F. Tapley, k says ho has named a new species or Daddy-long-legs (Tipulidte) after him. | The specimen was taken by Mr Tapley < in his own ground; at Governor's Bay - and sent to Professor Alexander for J identification. He at once recognised ' it as a new Bpecies and remarkable, ' inasmuch as its habitat was a dry ' locality unlike the rest of the genus, • which is closely restricted to moist ' regions. This very small New Zealand ] insect, new to science, will be describ- ' ed in the "Annals and Magazine ol ' Natural History," puu..s.iedin London, ] under the name of Macromastix tap- ; leyi, The 6pecies is closely related to but not identical with M. Campbelli, taken at Pnrau last year by Mr J. W. ; Campbell, of this city. An interesting accoimt of his exr>eriences of n winter in Canada wus given by Mr C. A. Seager, an Aucldander, who recently returned from a trip to the great Dominion. "New Zealanders simply cannot imagine what the cold was like," he said. "It was 35 ;ind 22 degrees below zero at Winnipeg and Montreal respectively, while the very worst cold I experienced was at Pembroke, where it was 37 degrees below. But the Canadians seem quite used to it. 1 saw several professional hockey matches on the ice, played at night inside buildings which seated up to 8000 people. Hotkey on the ice ilias an even stronger hold on Canadians than Rugby on New ZeiiAanders. and I think it l's ono of the prettiest, cleverest, and most exciting games I have ever seen. It was also very interesting indeed to see tho children Bleighing down the hills at Montreal, some of them as young a.s five years old enjoying themselves immensely, although tho thermometer stood at ten degrees below zero. The St. Lawrence nvßr was frozen over, I the ice being 3ft thick, and many teams were out cutting the ice in blocks so I that it could be taken away and stored in ice-houses until the summer season." The greater the heroism the deeper the silence (says the Sydney "Sun"). Recently a, wharf labourer, Charles S. Mills, performed an exceptional deed of bravery, and made no attempt to hand himself a laurel wreath. Yet his action deserves the highest recognition. Tho Middlesex was lying alongside a Jones's Bay wharf, when in the night | two firemen fell between the ship and j the wharf into the water. It was [ pitch dark and intensely cold. Mills | saw them fall and disappear into the j darkness, and ho immediately dived ' after thorn into the icy water, and in I amongst the greasy wharf piles- He I rescued one fireman, and then dived I back for the other. He brought him i to the surface, but the man was dead. Mills changed his clothes, and then I went back to his work. It was a little I thing to this wharf labourer to take a j deep dive into dark waters on a bitI terly cold night and fish about in the inky blackness on the chance of saving the lives of two men he had probably never seen till he heard their splash. "When it was all over he just 'went back to his work"; there was no trumpeting. For that is a brave man's way.

Ac the quarterly meeting of the Can- | tcrbury Chamber of Commerce last night i it was decided vn the motion of Mr U. Holland to refer the matter of milking a grant to th<s fund for the blind to the Council with power to act. A Blenheim telegram states that a poll of ratepayers on a proposal to borrow an additional £'22.000 lor the borough water scheme was carried by G35 votes to 103. The original loan was for £(35,000, and the Council has already spent over £70.000. Dt. A. T. Latchmore, Commissioner for the Taupo province, stilted at the annual meting of the New Zealand Boy Scorns' Association yesterday, that on Saturday next the Taupo scouts had decided to !'o without- one meal and to ask iheir parents for the cost thereof, about one sbillin'.;. The sum so collected they intended to devote to the assistance- of their brothers in Russia who needed help. A retired sugar planter from i r i.ji, who lias como to Auckland to li\e, -:i> that he has 'icon much struck by t!:e prevalence of leaf cr.rl amongst the ue.ieh trees. In Levukn it was :i rccog-nis,:--1 cur? for the U'waw to plan: nasturtium ri'iht at the lent ol the trees, ;md it jiruw about a loot u'l the trunk. Very uH-m t'.K 1 v*as agood crop <i! iruit. He considers itwould be worth trying in New Zealand. for nasturtium li a.- some clieniica; prepertic■] coune'-i.'d with it, that it docs net mipnverish the se.il, but, on the other liaiiil. help- to nourish the plant !i;o at least o! ptaeh tree.?. The Mayor yesterday received an application from business men of Lichfield street that they mignt be allowed to park their cars in front- of their business premises during business hours "These people.-" snid I>r. Thacker, "are claiming the right of owning part- ol the roadway in front of their premises. As far as I am concerned as Mayor of this city and as long v.r- I am Mayor I will allow no suth privilege- to anyI body. These people sliould apply for a proper lurking place or arrange themselves lor soirewhere to ]>' ace their cars. The traffic street cannot be turned into an o]>en air garage.'' The Hon. W. Downie 'Stewart possesses the priceless gift of humour, and Icv. can tell a story better. Proposing a toast at ihe A. and P. Society's social at IJunediu on Tuesday evening, he referred to the fact that he had recently been tit the Sydney Royal | Show. ' When asked what he thought ol' it. he had told liis questioner, "It is all very well' m it.s way, but it is nothing like the Winter Show in Dunedin!:' (Applause.) This reminded him of the New Zealand "'digger'' who was asked for his impressions of London. '•'Oh, it's Jill right enough," he said, "but for a real good ding-dong evening give nie Tailuipo on a Saturday night!'' The purchase ol' an elephant which was ordered many months ago ior the Newtown (Wellington) Eoological collection has been cancelled by the City Council. This decision was arrived at during the recent whittling down .of the estimated expenditure for tine current year to the level of the probable receipts. It is something like two years since the order was placed: with the Sydney municipal authorities, who undertook to secure a young elephant from India at the same time a:i obtaining elephants for their own Zoo, Four two-year-old animals were landed in Sydney shortly before Christmas, but two idied shortly after their arrival. The Sydney City Council advised the Wellington City Council that on account of the loss sustained they would have to increase the prkv agreed upon for the Newtown Zoo elephant (£350) to £6OO- In view of the extra cost the Council has decided to abandon the purchase. The triennial assembly of the Congregational Union in Sydney brought forth a strong plea from delegates for the emphasising from the pulpit of the horrors of war. Several delegates declared that Anzae Day speeches mostly glorified the courage and wonderful spirit of the soldiers. There should be also, said one, a picture from the pulpit of the 'stinking mad thing called war, which starved women and children, war which lived on hatred, war which left its survivors with evil dreams.' They staid the next war must inevitably be worse, and to combat that they must work for peace and friendship, 'with tho last man arid the last shilling.' England received as a part of the spoils of victory the ships of Germany, and, as a result, caused great distress in her own shipping yards. While' Germany worked to pay, our men wore idle. It was this fact that had caused half the trouble in Europe. "Let us," declared the speaker, "proclaim war for what it is in all its striking, starving reality until men refuse to fight." Attention has recently been brought to the activities of tho members of the Mormon faith.in Australia (writes our Sydney correspondent). Tho secretary to the Department of Home and Territories has now explained that the number of Mormon eiders allowed to enter Australia is restricted to actual replacements ol members of their clergy, who have returned to the United States-. JN'o restriction is imposed by the Commonwealth upon activities in Australia, but assurances aro .given by the Church that its members will not preach any pernicious doctrine, and that it will nut attempt to induct; people who may accept tho Mormon faith to leave Australia. This is a similar arrangement to the one governing tho admission of j Mormons to other parts of the British Empire. A Mormon, apart from his clerical status, is not in himself -a prohibited immigrant. Authority is given to the British Consuls in the United States to vise passports for Mormon elders, on the. basis of actual mentsTho Auckland master hairdressers decided on Tuesday that no reductions could bo made at present in the cuai'ges for haircutling, shaving, and other services performed by hairdressers. After a lull discussion of the matter by a largely-attended meeting of the Master Hairdressers' A'ssociation, a motion was carried recommending members to carry out the pronouncement of the Arbitration Court regarding the reduction of the bonus, but declining to recommend a reduction in prices for the following reasons: (!) That the prices for haircutting, etc., had not been increased since April. 1 ( J20, when wages had been further increased by 5s a week: (2) the hours of work had been reduced by 251 oer annum, owing to the alteration in the hours of work provided in the Shops and Offices Act. and to extra holidays; therefore, though wages were now back to the 1020 level, employers were still short of 251 hours in the year, and consequently could make no recommendation for a reduction of prices. The Manawatu River, in its process of erosion at the Fitzroy bend, has unearthed a large totara tree, which is remarkable for the state of preservation it is in (says the "Manawatu Standard"). The tree is buried about 25 feet underground, and is being removed in sections. A hundred years ago there was a forest of native trees at Hokowhitu, and it is probable that this tree was one of the many which, at one time or another, formed that bush. From the depth at which it is buried," it is quite probable that it was covered up hundreds of years ago. A gentleman well connected with the timber industrv stated that the tree took fully 6tio years to grow to its present size, and probably commenced growing a thousand years back. Native bush was often found buried, but rarely was it found in as good a condition as this tree, and of such a size that enough timber could be obtained from it to build a three-roomed cottage. The present state of the tree was a striking illustration of the durability of totara, and it was as perfect for building purposes to-day as 500 jeans ago.

A "Wellington telegram states that a sharp shock of earthquake. lasting a lew seconds-, was felt there at *J.7 a.m. yesterday. The treasurer of the European .Student"- Relief Fmul reports that lie has received a donation of £IOO to the fund, sent in bank notes with a slip enclosed (from an ex-studcntV Hut with no further elite as to the identity of the donor. Tho scars that London received during the air raids are rapidly healing, and there will, soon he few of*these historic marks left. Such as these are, are treasured as honourable wounds, but none more so than those caused by the bomb which fell at tho base of Cleopatra's Needle, which itself was slightly chipped. The Sphinxes were hit in several places, and the paving torn tip, but when it was repaired, such stones as were net hopelessly damaped were carefully replaced, and thousands have visited the spot to look with interest at the scars. Men have recently been at work on tV.o pavement, and fear was felt, that those damaged stones would disappear, but tho authorities had no such vandalistic ideas, and. after robodding, the stones hare been laid niiain in their former position. So Londoners will still _ be able to show each other these familiar marks. Don't- k-t that wretched cough spoil your sleep. Take "Stop-It" the proven remedy for coughs and colds. All colds succumb to "Stop-ItV'_ healing and soothing properties. Keep a bottle ever handy. "Stop-Tt" is obtainable in Is !)d and 3s bottles at all chemists and stores. Loasby and Co., Chemists (opposite Ballantyne's). 6 "When you have to move, give the work to J. M. lleywood and Co., Ltd. They will send you careful and reliable men used to handling Furniture. Telephones 250, 259, 1241. H 5720-6532 A flue collection of different varieties of'apoles is being displayed in the windows of the N.Z. Farmers' Co-op., both at Christchurch and Rangiora, where orders for Ivorys' Trees on doublevigour stocks can be placed. o Grocers ,vil! oblige by forwarding us their order,s early for "Keep Smiling" Floor l'olish, "No-Rubbing ' Laundry Help, and "Golden Rule" Soap, W> faciiitato prompt delivery. J. Rattray and Son, Ltd., vVlaolesalc Distributors. 6 THK CAR THAT HAS REVOLUTIONJSED MOTORING. MORE PERSONAL TESTIMONY TO ' THE .MERITS OF THE STUDEBAKER "LIGHT SIX." When tho iirst six-cylinder car was designed, it was realised by the designers that it must be purely a luxury. Six cylinders run more smoothly than four, "and give greaLer flexibility of control, but until the advent of the latest series of Studebaker cars, it was difficult to convince motorists that the advantages of tho six-cylinder car could lie balanced, from a purely business standpoint, a,gainst the advantages of the four-cylinder car. When we claimed that the "Studebaker Light Six," with its 40 h.p., would prove more economical than a, four-cylinder car of equal power, there were many doubters. But day "after day we have published tho testimony of "Light Six'' owners to prove that we were right and doubters were wrong. The latest evidence of the kind which we have received is a letter from Mr A. J. W. Young, of Irwell, who has owned several four-cylinder cars. Ho has driven a "Studebaker Light Six" for 1200 miles, including a trip to Dunedin and return. He says: "Up to date I have not had a stop, and I have not yet used half a gallon of oil. On a recent trip to Dunedin and return, I had only to change gears once on the whole trip. I did not have to change to second gear once on any of the hills about Dunedin. I estimate my petrol consumption for the trip at about 21 utiles to the gallop, which I think is very creditable when one. takes into consideration the number of small trips, averaging from three to five miles, which were made by me round about Dunedin. The car hangs to the road quite aB well as other cars I have driven, weighing from 6cwt to 7cwt more." Call and inspect the "Light Six" Studebaker Cars. Price £550 (recently reduced from £595). Adams, Ltd., Showrooms, 152-154 High street : Garage. 219 Tuam street.