LOCAL AND GENERAL

Chronicle (Levin), 13 September 1946, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

--v Magistrates' Conference At Ihe invitation of the Prime Minister, Magistrates from all paris oi' New Zealand will assemble in Wellington to-morrow for a confemiee. It is understood that this will be the lirst conference of Magistrates ever to be held in New Zealand. Baby Smothered j A baby of nine months, Catherine Mary Woodhouse, was smothered in her home at Roxburgh. In the absence of the mother, the child was in the care of an elder sister, aged 20, who, after feeding her, left the house for a short ; period, returning to find the baby jwith its head in a pillow and dead. i Kiwi's Treasures j A young Kiwi who returned to ! his home in Hamilton this week jbrought back an amazing colleej tion of souvenirs and presents. I Included in his treasure trove were j various types of German and Jap- ' anese firearms, kimonos, silk ; stockings, trinkets and a collection i of butterflies, while a special gift i for father, which had a mixed reception, was a bottle of sake. 1 Waikanae Stock Sale I There was a srnall yarding in all 'sections of stock at the monthly j Waikanae stock. sale, held yesterj day. The following prices were jrealised: — Sheep: Fat hoggets, 31s j to 32s 9d; fat wethers, 35s to 37s 6d; 'fat ewes, 27s to 28s 6d; store hoggets, 23s 6d. Cattle: P.A. cows in j caif, £8; 18 months P.A. steers, 1 £8 5s; yearling P.A.. steers, £5 19s to j £6 19s; boner cows, £4 10s to £5 4s. | Pigeons Shot ' '' j Reports from ■ North Auckland j indicate that native pigeons, which I are protected, are frequently shot, often in State Forests, states For- ' est and Bird, journal of the Forest i and Bird Protection Society. The j ease with wThich cartridges for small bore rifles can be obtained contributes to the slaughter of ! these protected birds, which play jan important part in forest regeneration. Frequently dogs . are | taken into the bush by the shooti ers, and the dogs often catch and kill kiwis, which are also protected. Veteran War Truck A veteran of the desert war, covered with battle scars, passed througli Levin yesterday. It was a j Y.M.C.A. mobile unit, which was i presented to the Maori battalion during the war by the children of Maori schools in New Zealand. Above the front of the cab was a board, on which was painted the van's war record — four service chevrons, four wound stripes, and three campaign medals. Conr spicuous among the medals was the Al'rica Star, with the Eighth Army Clasp. The board also bore a head of a Maori warrior, the pohutukawa flower, and 'the words "Rau Aroha." Dozens of welded patches told a story of bombings and shellings. Duck Nests in Iligh Trees The grey duck has frequently been observed to build its nest in a tree, bat last summer a member of Ihe Forest and Bird Protection Society discovered one nest built 100 l'eet up in the fork of ,a large branch of kahikatea. The eggs in time were hatched and it was wondered how the young birds would make the 100 ft. journey to the water below, but the whole operation was observed. The mother duck picked up a young one in her bill and volplaned down to the water, and then flew back to the nest for another one. This went on until all "the young ones were safely landed on the water. he ducklings, as soon as left alone on the water, would scurry off to the shelter of tall weeds nearby. Damage by Wild Pigs The damage wrought by one wild pig to a farm is vividly portrayed in Forest and Bird, journal of the Forest and Bird Protection Society. This pig had only one tusk, but injured many dogs and killed others that attempted to bail him up. He would not run when set upon by the farmers' dogs but, holding them at bay when they caught- up with him, would gradually make his way to the safety of dense scrub and fern. At night he would make his way right up to the farmhouse garden for food. He was also a meat eater, spring lambs being his favourite. He seemed to bear a charmed life, being either too far away to be shot or too close to the dogs, but at last a bullet caught up with him. Such pigs cause much loss to farmers, and wild pigs in the bush do great damage to the forest floor.

Band to Play in Gardens The= Levin Municipal Band will render a programme of marches, selections and hymns in the Public Gardeiis on Sunday afternoon at 2.30 p.m. . . Dematjd to Adopt Babies ' , • "It has usually been the" case in recent years that the applications from prospective adopting parents outnumber the children available for adoption. This is particularly so in the case of very young babies," stated the annual report of the Superintendent of Child Welfare, presented to the House of Representatives yesterday. , The report stated that the number of adoptions (1151) compLeted in the year ended December 31 last was by far the highest for any one year yet recorded. There was evidence that many adoptions came about because the adopting parents had no children of their own, because they wished to have a eompanion for their only child, or because the mother of an illegitimate child adopted her own child upon subsequent marriage. As a rule, applications to adopt infant girls predominated, but the orders actually made reflected the number and sex of the children available. Last year 586 girls and 565 boys were adopted. Of the 1151 children adopted, 973 were illegitimate. 'i: