LOCAL AND GENERAL

Chronicle (Levin), 6 December 1947, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Fireblight Among Pears While apples appear to be f ree from the disease, fireblight is still ravdging pear orch&rds ifi the Pakowhai district. Beurre Bosc and Josephine afe the varieties most heavily afiected. With trees eut back' to 2ft or 3ft above ground level some orchards present a sotry sight. Many trees have been dug out. Ship for Explosives Trade Tne first iuily-powered ship to be used by Imperial Chemical Industriesj Ltd., in the Tasman ex-plosiye-s trade, the 922-ton motor ship Bmgers, 'is expected to join the company s heet next month. The New Zealand manager, Mr. N. J. Campbell, said the .transfer . from the Australasian United Steam Navigation Co. of Melbourne, would take place in lanuary. The company for many years has maintaine.d the Tasman service With the auxiliary schooners Huia and Piri and has used the auxiliary ketch Miro on the coast.

Reports Of Fii'fe - Under the headihg, "Bldze at Store Traps 50, Girl Leaps— Killed," the Daily Express, Loridbn, devotes 11 inches to the fire at the stOre of J. Bailantyne and Company on November 13. A copy of the paper has been received by a Christchurch tesiderit. The repoft oi' the fire states that the stoie was crowded with women and children when the fire occiirred, Twelve people were trapped in a lift which nad jambed between two fioors and a stampede had taken place at the main entrance. The Daily Telegraph gave less space to the fire, oui was more accufate in its report. A British Prayer "I noted at church one Sunday morning in Londdn that, ' in a general prayer and supplication, we were bidden to pray for the afflicted people of Ihdia, 'for the displaced people of Europe, for the people of Palestine first; and, second, for our own domescic problems in Britain. it struck me as typical of the British sense of service, and of the subservience of Britain's own interests io those oi the world at large. I wondered. whbre, else in ihe world you wdjildvfind such a phenoiiienon," said ' Sir Patrick Duff, High Commissioner for the United Kingdbm in New Zealand, speaking at Christchurch. Aiicraft Drops Medical Stipplies Two R.N.Z.A.F. Hudson aircraft ahd crews from Wigram air station dropped urgently needed medical supplies by parachute container at Waitangi in the Chatham islands. The flight was made at the request of the resident doctor, Dr. D. J. Patterson, who asked for aircraft to pick up a seriousiy ill child. It was decided that a landing was impracticable with . Hudsons, the only aircraft availabie for so long a flight and four parachute containers were filled with tnedical supplies at..the Christchurch hospital. The aircraft, each carried t.ron f.nnta.iners with identical Sun-

plies in case one was forced back. The flight was made under good conditions. The cohtainers landed near a speciaiiy prefiardd white cross. Rabbit Mfenace Serious concern at the likelihood of rabbits ..spreading from the Hawke's Bay County intd the northern portion of the Rangitikei County was expressed by Gr. v. Smith (Taihape) at the mohthly meeting of the Rangitikei County Council. He quoted an authentic report which disclosed that two rabbiters in the : Hawke's Bay County made £2000 in six months. From one property- of 23 acres 70ti rabbits were taken in "a week. Later, 800 were killed on the .same property in one week. a Hawke's Bay County overseer, sitting on the step of his car, had shtit 50 rabbits dur- ; ing a lunch hour. The ehaifmah (Cr. K. W. Dalry niple) said that at I present control of rabbits did not j come uuthin the county 'S jurisdiction. He agreed that actioh was [ necessary and intimated that the f questipn would be discussed at a [• ward conference df district coUrity k councils i i tlfe New Year.