General News.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20177, 4 March 1931, Page 8

General News.

Having for years been anxious to make a flight, Mrs Louisa Barton, of Coach Corner, Upper Riccarton, yesterday celebrated her 81st birthday going up with' Captain J. C. Mercor, She reported afterwards that she ,had enjoyed the experience immensely. As a part, no doubt, of the Government's scheme for economising the offices in Cbristchurch of the State Forest Service, and df the. National Provident Fund, hitherto ptuated in leased premises, are now in the Government Departmental Buildings, Worcester street and Cathedral squaro. A leading London store advertised the following prices for produce on January 15th:—New Zealand lamb shoulders Is 3*d per Jb. Jouis Is sd, legs Is 6d; cheese, oheddar English Is 4d per lb, Canadian Is, New Zealand 9d: butter, Australian, fine salted Is 2d per lb, New Zealand creamery "fancy'* Is 4d, English-creamery Is 4d, Cornish dairy Is 104, A total of 87,106 cows were tested by the New Zealand Cooperative Herd-Testing Association in the Waikato last month, The average production was 6861b milk and 30.011b fat. The test was 4.37, For th© corresponding month last year' 86,180 cows were tested. The average, yield was 73410 milk and 32.671b fat.. The test was 4.4..tfhe sUltrodian at Corsair Bay, Mr A. TorrenS, found a frost-fish five feet long on* the beach early is stated* to be the first of its kind (so be found in- Lyttelton Harbonr for many years, and its appearance is unusually early ia> the season. Frost-flah are invariably found on. surf-bound beaches after a frost, and it is thought that the light surf running at Corsair Say, as a result of the south-wester yesterday morning, caused the flsh to be, stranded.

On a wqrld tour. from tb« Party headquarters at« Nanking, ¥u Chun Hsien, accompanied t by. Tsa Ku Fai, arrived at Wellington yesterday- by the Maunganui and wore met by members "pf :the .Chinese Nationalist Party at the wh<fff» with colour# flying. Their npasion to Now Zealand is similar tp their mission to Australia, . being con* perned with the active organisation of 'the Chinese Nationalists in this coun* try. i Their itinerary embraces all countries bordering on the Awo^atiQU.

1 Speaking, at the Civio reception to X,ord and Lady Baden-Powell yester* | day, tho, Mayor (thp Rev. J. K-, Archer) confessed that although he had received » great deal of advice he was .still not ' 1 sure of the correct pronunciation flf #ie Chief Scout's name. . Lord Baden-Powell replied that he was »ot sure ejther, but that in Wales where ihe name originated, it was pronounced .swuethine > like, BadenPouth." His Lordship added that the Mayor bad been wrong in referring to him aa an ftoglishman. "As a matter of fact," he QBld, "I'm pot quita sure ot s»y origin myself." '• That New Zealand is a great country for flying, better in many respects than Australia. > the opinion of Captain F. E. Jones> formerly deputy-controller -of civil aviation in Australia, and now, head of the an.fl.twi department of the Shell Company, Limited; in Australia 'and ' New -Zealand, who arrived m ' Auckland last week- Captam Jones stated that in the course of his visit to 'New Zealand;. he had seen every mam aerodrome in the Dominion, and had heen agreeably surprised. On the 1 average, he ootißidered they were better than those in Australia. The aero clubs had a wonderful opportunity here,' artd had already done in rendering the community airminded was most commendable. Jlr H, J. btley, chairman of the North Citfiterbiliy -Hospital : Board, trfd a reporter yesterday that the reference at, Monday's meeting v of the Unemployment Committee to tlje Hospital authorities having put ipenoff because the Board wa? not prepared to find insurance cover against accident was an error on the part of tho member who brought up the_ matter, as the Board had no, men in its employ under the Unemployment Boards No, 5 Scheme, The Board had employed meiy under ti)e. No. 2 Scheme, bit under it the , employer was not galled upou to find insurance cover. Front enquiries made, the reporter -gathered tnat the speaker at the Unemployment Committee must have intended his remarks to refer to the Domain# Board. In an interview yesterday, the Chief Scout, Lord Bade»;PowpU, spoke of tile spirit of international friendship yfchat hpd crown up as a result of the •ocout'ltKfVenient.' "At the 1929 Jamboree 'in England,", he ' said, "the Danish Scouts suggested the idea of giving me a present to mark the occasion; and proposed that each Scout should give one penny and no more towarda.it. The first contribution to arrive was -the pennies of the Siamese Scouts." He continued that no one had known what to give liiro, and as the whole scheme: was being kept a close secret, they had deputed Lady to .find out from hip what he would line. "She asked me what I felt I would, like most, and what I felt l mifised most in my daily life. I answered that my old braces were getting pretty worn, and, that I'd have to a new nair soon. Consequently,, at the Jamboree, the Scouts presented' me, with much ceremony and speech-making, with' a now pair of braceß,„ and then with a motor-car and a trailer caravan." X

"When lord Baden-Powell flew from Taupo to Rotorua in an aeroplane last Thursday frfternow, second occasion on which he had been in the air. Ones' before the war he had flown in what would now be considered a very old-fashioned aeroplane. Lady Baden-Powell flew with her hugband on Thursday. Licenses to net salmon in the Wa4makariri river have been granted to Messrs J. O'Donnell, it. Cos, J. h* MoAllister, aoid Aleo freeman, according to advice received from the Marine Department by the secretary of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society (Mr (?. W. Hervey). Practising certificates were issued to 241 barristers in the Auckland law district last year, compared with 239 in the preceding year, The practising solicitors numbered 533, compared with 519 in 1929. During the past year six were admitted as barristers and solicitors, 16 as solicitors oijly, and 13 solicitors were admitted as barristers.

Visitors to Wanganui have asserted that the cherry and chestnut* grove near Jerusalem on the Wanganui river road is the finest of its kind in New Zealand. It was planted by Mother. Mary Joseph Aubert, and nearly all the trees were imported from "France. The orchard of cherry trees covens 50 acres, There are many varieties ensuring a supply of fruit to almost as late as April. An entirely unrehearsed incident occurred in the Square gardens at Palmerston North the other day. Numbers of mischievous boys were chasing fish along the edges of the duck pond when their activities were observed by a citizen who takes a particular pride in the town's civic amenities. He crept up behind a boy who was leaning over the railing, and, before the lad realised what was happening, he was receiving summary chastisement from a vigorously wielded walking Stick.

Owls are not always wise. Last Friday a morepork either alighted upon or flew into the main 33,000-volt feeder line of,, tlie Taranaki Power Board's scheme and caused a disruption of power service throughout the district for three-quarters of an hour. Investigation of the break-down showed that the moreporjt had made contact between the lines and a guard, and the resultant power arc burned the wire through. The body of the bird was discovered beneath the wire, badly burnt. Reporting on the first National Conference of the New Zealand Institute of Horticulture, held towards the end of January in Wellington, Mr T. p. Lennie informed the executive of the Canterbury Council of the Institute at its meeting last night that the Otago remit regarding reserves being made fpr ecenic purposes where roads pass through Native bush areas had been agreed to. As submitted it was proposed that five chains in depth should be reserved, but this was altered to read "adequate in depth," as it was considered that five chains would be insufficient. The Otago remit had special reference to new roads to be opened, and'to the road to the Franz Josef glacier. Are American commercial workers better writers than New Zealanders? A Wanganui business man thinks that the handwriting of Americans is superior because of its clearer legibility. In a batch of business letters from the United States last week, it was noticed that- the hand-writing was similar, although the letters were all from different sources. In each case jt -was noticeable that the thin upward stroke and heavy downward stroke na Jjaught in the New Zealand schools were not in evidence. All lines were of the-same thickness,- or: rather thingness, but the effect was pleasing to the eye and the writing easy to read. The business man commented upon the *nteatne»j of the style, and said that jt was more legible than the writing executed by most young people in New Zealand.

In a recent issue of the "Poverty Bay Herald" was chronicled the sympathetic action of a.Sidney firm of, wholesalers, which, under the impression that Gisbprne had been badly damaged by the earthquake, forwarded a retaiJer in that tQwn ( a receipted account for goods previously supplied to him. The other sfde of the picture is displayed in the case of an Auckland firm, which, three day« after the principal earthquake, ■ and at a time when some uncertainty existed as to the fate of Gisborne, initiated legal proceedings against a retailer there in respeot *of the balance of an. account which was in dispute, The summons issued by this Auckland firm was probably the first taken out in any part of New Zealand subsequent to the shock against a person residing in the earthquake »one.

" The, much discussed question as to whether there should be on©, or several National Botanic Gardens in the dominion was considered at tne first national conference of the New Zealand Institute of Horticulture. Re.porting on the conference, at last night's meeting of the executive of the Canterbury . Council of the Institute,. Mr T. D. Lennie said that the Aueh-: land remit was carried in the following terms"That the executive take up the question of National Botanic Gardens with the Government, v and that they be requested to make agrant Vith which to oommence the work. Mr J. N. McLeod said that U was definitely made plural—-"National Botanio i, Gardens"—without any statement as. to how manv; but there must be two or more. *

•When Lord Provost Kelly. Glasgow, was in London on December 3lst, he and Sir John Samuel were the guests of Sir Thorans Liptop. at luncheon at his residence, Osiflge, Southgate. In the course of conversation, Sir Thomas expressed his desire to do something for the poor mothers iand children 1 of Glasgow, and, -with a spontaneous geswrote out and handed' to the I,ord Provost a cheque for £IO,OOO for the beneficent object he Tiad. indicated. Sir Thomas stated that he made this gift in memory of his mother, whom he described as ' the guiding star of his life/' and in appreciation of the many kindnesses he had received from the city. Lord Provost Kelly has decided that Sir Thomas's generous intentions will be best car-r l ied out by not making any grants in money, and that the fund should be utilised in providing provisions and coal to the neediest families as far as the donation will permit. Round the Bays in a Gold Band Taxi will only cost you- 15s for five passengers. This is cheaper than where, and it's a lovely/ trip to take your friends. Don't hesitate, but 'phone 34-075 .or 35-672 for a Gold Band Taxi. Lowest fares and best care. Thank you. - —1 Sports should always remember that the Gold Band Taxis ■: do not charge any more on, race days than any other day. Our prices are always the same, and the, cheapest, so why pay mare? Keep on 'phoning 84-075 or 35-672 for a Gold Band Taxi and save your money and have an extra bet. Thank you. ' —2

Farmers intending to. top-dross this season should bo ; sure to see in our yard the latest pattern grid machine, an English patent, made in England. A substantially built machine, a perfect spreader, which deals effectively with any quantities and all varieties. Demonstrated to anyone interested. Only a limited number of machines in stock We have two light slag sowers for hire to do a few aeres for those! wishing to test their land. P. and D. Duncan, Limited, 196 Tuam street, Ohristchurch, and at Ashburtoo. -»-j8