Local And General

Chronicle (Levin), 30 November 1949, Page 4

Local And General

Eel Attacks Lamb. While taking ewes and lambs across a small creek a Kaponga sheep farmer saw a lafge eel attack ahd alrnost kill a lamb. Most of the flock had crossed tne stream but five lambs remained. When these were driven into the water, an eel bit at the neck of one and tried to pull it under the water. The lamb got away 'but the eel attacked again, and it was only after a number of heavy blows from ' a supplejack that. it feleased its hold on the lamb. N.Z. Cheese For U.S. The Aorangi left Auckland late yesterday for Vancouver with 600 tons of NeW Zealand cheese for United States consumptioh. The shiphaent is part of a tatai of 2000 tons which. is beihg sent to an American iuiporter. The sale Was arranged through the London representatives' 5t the Mar^qtihg Commission, and fufther shipments will be setit in the Aorangi. On last year's Cxports, the 3 per cent. tolerance allowed under the contract for- cheese with the iJnited Kingdom represents about 2800 tons. Tauranga's Future. "I think the "port of Tauranga is on the vergb bf greater development than residents have ever dreamed of," said the chairman of the Tauranga Hafbour Board, Mr. J. D. Alach, following his re- } appointment as chairman. After stressing the need to look upon Rotorua, Taupo and the Bay of | Plenty as one unit, Mr. Alach said I that, financially, the board was willing to go as far and as fast as any member wished, providing it was satisfied any scheme was financially sound and of benefit to the people generally. At the last board meeting he recailed, he had criticised pther local bodies but he wdnted to see cooperation and cordial relationship develop between them and the board, which would tae Willing to hear any suggestions local bodies put to it. i Forget The Riverton Comet. The report of the sighting of a new comet at Riverton, Southland, is now discounted by the.Director of the Carter Observatory (Mr. I. L. Thomsen) . Had the comet been sighted, he said today, he would expect to have had by midday today confirmatory telegrams from the fcig network of voluntary observers which the Observatory had all over the country. The only mesSage he got was a negative report from Soiithland. As the comet was feported as being low in the southwestern sky at 1.30 a.m. Stihday, it Would have been high in the sky as darkness set. Mr. Thornden couid hot find it. The four young meh Who reported the coihet might have seen a transient aiiroral ray though the Observatory had no evidence of unusual auroral activity at that time. Pepper Shortage Eoreeastj A forecast that white pepper will be in far shorter supply in coming months Was made today by the president of the Aucklahd Provinciai Merchahts' Association, ' Mr. J. P. McLean." The Wholesale price of whole white pepper lan'ded in Auckland, excliidihg diity ahd wharf charges, has incfeased to about £2000 a toh. Merchants refused to import pepper from Sihgapore ahd Malaya at the preseht price, because they believed that the public would not pay the high retail price for it, Mr. McLean said. In the last 12 months the wholesale price had increased steadily until only American importers were still buying. He felt sure that they, too, would soon refuse to pay that price. Before the war pepper sold at 6'd a 2oz tin, Today, if it is procurable, a 2oz tin. retails for ls 10d,