TOWN AND COUNTRY

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 183, 5 May 1925, Page 3

TOWN AND COUNTRY

NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE PROVINCES

“In New York,” said Mr. H. N. Holmes at Masterton (reports the ■•Age”), “there are 11 newspapers printed in English and 36 in foreign languages.”

“I was up at 5 o’clock this morning looking at this property,” said counsel to a witness in a case in the Ashburton Court recently (reports the. “Guardian”) . “It is marvellous what a man will do when he is well paid!” replied the witness, amid laughter.

“What are those funny things?” inquired a young lady from Sydney, indicating some round stacks of hay of which she caught sight from a carriage on the Alain Trunk express (relates the “Waipa Post”). She was told. “Oil,” she exclaimed, “I thought they were Maori houses!”

During the performance of a travelling circus in Hamilton recently (says n correspondent of the “New Zealand Herald”), a member of the audience was smoking and inadvertently dropped a spark on a celluloid hair comb worn by a woman in front of him. The comb ignited and flared up, but was fortunately extinguished before its wearer had suffered more than a bad fright.

The other Sunday, said the Rev. W. Bullock at Masterton, one of the local clergv had to conduct five services and deliver three sermons. A 'great fault in all churches was the multiplicity of sermons. “If you have only one each Sunday,” he added, “it might be a better one.”—“Wairarapa Age.”

Game is reported to be plentiful in the Ashburton district (says an exchange), and in the far reaches of the rivers and among the ponds and lakes In the hill country large numbers of birds have congregated, ensuring good sport for those who take gun and dog to those localities.

“Rain is badly needed in Hawke’s Bay,” said a well-known local sheeptar’mer to a Napier “Daily Telegraph” • epresentative on a recent morning. “Everywhere,” he continued, “grazing land is fast becoming bare, and unless some stead}’ showers come very soon it will be a bad look-out for the winter feed.”

At the Hawaiian University, said Mr. H. N. Holmes at Masterton, the majority of the students arc of Oriental parentage. “It is the racial experimental station of the Pacific Ocean,” he added. —Exchange.

Recently there lias been a demand in Wanganui for good yearling vcalers not for local consumption, but for export (states the “Herald”). It appears that this demand lias conic from Italy, where the veal is made up into various forms of Italian dishes greatly relished by the more wealthy of the population.

The education authorities would like to give all schools large playing areas,” stated Sir James Parr, Minister of Education, at the opening of the Bunnythorpe School, “lint.” he added in humorous vein, “the price demanded by the farmers for the land prohibits such action” Tbeletnark (says the “Manawatu Standard”) was greatly enjoyed by the farming community present.

The prospect of another mild winter is not being regatded with equanimity by farmers in the Oainaru district. One farmer stated to a “North Otago 'limes” representative that a few. frosts next month would be the finest thing that could bd experienced.

Air. H. N Holmes, of New York, in an address at Masterton (reports the “Age”), said that New Zealand would be much better known in America before long. Journalists with the fleet, about to visit this country, intended to see as much of it as they could, and, on returning to America, would write their descriptions for the American papers in the style to which the people were accustomed.

“I’m strongly of opinion that a dog tax should be levied in the counties,” said Mr. James Holler, chairman of the Carterton branch of the Farmers’ Union recently, “but when I brought it up at the County Council table I was badly sat on. It was considered that the Maoris owned most of the mongrel dogs and how to collect the tax from them was a problem the countv would not tackle.”—“Wairarapa News.”

The main apple crop lias now been gathered, and commercial orchardists are engaged iu harvesting the later varieties (savs the “Poverty Bay Herald”). Phenomenally heavy crops are ■ eported in some of the local orchards, one of the best being gathered in Mr. P. G. Bell’s prooertv at Matawhero. On many of the trees the crop was so heavy that the branches had to be propped up. Mr. Mclndoe. local orchard inspector, said that the crop was •me of the finest lie had ever seen anywhere in New Zealand.

“Had there been no Farmers’ Union there would have been no increase in the price of wheat,” declared Mr. J. Bitchener, M.P., at a recent meeting of the South Canterbury executive of the Farmers’ Union in Timaru (reports the “Herald”). Air. Bitchener’s views were unanimously endorsed by a large, meeting, and it was agreed that in view of «hat the union was doing for farmers every farmer should be a member of it unless lie was mean enough to accept every privilege gained for the Farmers’ Union without paying or doing anything lor it.

An enterprising horticulturist, residing at Temuka, had a plot of ground measuring 30ft. by Oft. under cultivation, which he noticed was infested with slugs (savs the Timaru “Post”). He set to work to capture' the marauders, and as diligently counted his capture, which totalled upwards of 14,000. He is wondering whether he is being visited with a plague of slugs.

A sample of a very uncommon fruit was given a “North Otago Times” representative recently, in the shape of a ’’pear-quince.” Ihe fruit had come from Southland, and it was the results of a limb of a pear tree being grafted on to a quince tree. Although the fruit was pear-shaped, it was a brighter yellow than (lie ordinary pear, and possessed a distinct quince flavour.

The discovery of a magnificent cave in the vicini.ty of the old limeworks at Kairamu is’ reported from Te Paint (says the Hamilton correspondent of the “New Zealand Herald”). A cavity, about the size of a man’s hand, was noticeable when blasting operations cerused at the works, and some adventurous spirits, seized with the ache of curiosity, procured a sledge-hammer and battered an aperture sufficiently large to gain admission, little dreaming that one of the most exquisite limestone cav s would be revealed. An exploration w:<s conducted by a party of four men. The length oi the cave is estimated to be about a quarter of a mile. Negotiating the entrance one lands unceremoniously into a spacious chamber, 20ft. wide, Bft. high, and about 50ft. iong, with a verv level floor. Beautiful stalactites and clusters oi long tubulou* crystals greet the eye.

“I am told on the highest authority that the Te Kuiti Returned Soldiers’ Association is the only one . in New Zealand which is progressive—which is increasing its membership,” said the charmajn (Mr. Kennedy) at the annual reunion of the association (reports the Waipa “Post”). It was sometimes said that as they drew further and further away from the war some would drop out. If this was so it would be a pity because there might always be a returned man who needed assistance, and it was pleasant also to get together once in a way to talk over old times.

“You have a pretty live body jn your Automobile Association, but' it is a pity that something cannot be done by the" association to enforce the dimming of lights on country roads. A few nights ago, when just outside Haiwera, a car, well lighted, and flashing a ‘spot’ light, just about blinded me tor what seemed an interminable time, with the result that I had no earthly chance of gauging the distance from the oncoming vehicle. When the other car had all but touched my ‘bumper’ I swerved quickly, and found, some little time later, that we had narrowly averted a serious accident. With people of this kind on veur roads, night travelling for visiting motorists is a precarious business indeed, in the Wanganui and Taranaki districts?’ So observed a Wellington motorist to a Wav nganui “Chronicle” reporter on a recent evening.

A New Plymouth resident who had a motor-cycle for sale has been left wondering as to the wisdom of giving a prospective purchaser, who was a stranger to him, a trial of the machine (says the “Taranaki Herald”). While some adjustments were being made-to the machine a day or two ago, a welldressed man approached the owner and, after some conversation, he gathered that the bicycle was for sale. A trial, was suggested, but the inquirer thought it inadvisable to venture out in his best clothes. This difficulty was soon overcome, however, by the offer of some overalls by the owner of the cycle. Thus equipped the inquirer set out to trv the machine after securing further advice as to a suitable route for the trial run. Since then nothing has been seen of the would-be purchaser or the travelling outfit which was so generously and innocently placed at his disposal by the owner.

Ratana, besides his other attributes, is evidently a business man (states the Wanganui “Chronclc”). During two evenings last week a circus was showing in the vicinity of Ratana’s settlement, and a charge of 3s. and 2s. for admission had been made. 'Hie arrangement with the circus management was that Ratana received Is. from each 3s. seat and (id. from individual 2s. appointments. Asked the reason Ifor tax, a well-known follower of Ratana stated that the money went to case the “tucker bill.”

Tn thanking the members of the Canterbury Rugbv Football. League for their good wishes prior lo his departure for America at a recent meeting, the president, Dr. IT. 'I. J. '1 backer, stated (says the “Lyttelton Times”) that one of the principal reasons of his visiting the United States was to have a demonstration of a picture that would illustrate the ravages of cancer, and if the object was successful, of which be bad no doubt, the issue would assist materially in attempting to check the scourge, which was world-wide. 1 bis dreadful disease was rapidly increasing, and it only developed after twenty-live years’ growth. There were no cases on record of any persons having cancer dnder Iweutv-five years of age; it was usually after forty years tint it became prominent. It was the belief that wrong food was the cause of .cancer. People ate far too much starch and sugar foods. When he returned, Dr. Thacker added, he was going to be a candidate io> Parliament, for Christchurch North, as he intended to endeavour to educate the community to a better system of daily food. It was with the object of assisting to the cure of the dreadful disease of cancer that he was taking the movement.

Considerable interest is now being taken in the testing out of a fruit which is new to the Dominion—the Avocado (states the “Wanganui Chronicle”). Specimen trees are already doing well in North Auckland, Tauranga, ami Wanganui. In Tauranga an imported grafted tree has several well developed fruits on it this season. It is stated that the Mexican and other hardv varieties of the Avocoda will fruit" successfully wherever the. lemon can be grown successfully. This, of course, does not apply to the West Indian varieties, which are considered too tender for New Zealand conditions. The fruit of the Avocoda is rich in fats and proteins.

A visitor to Masterton Recently showed the “Wairarapa Age” a letter he had just received from his mother in Cairo, containing an interesting reference to the graves of New Zealanders which she had seen in the military cemetery. The cemetery is beautifully kept. " The stones, which are to 3ft. high by 18in. wide, are in straight rows, no mounds, and it is like one big lawn. The grass is kept short. There ate some beautiful treqj and flower beds at each end. All the headstones are alike both for officers and men. lam sure any mother would be glad to know how well the graves are cared for.”

The story of the construction of the Rangiriri road deviation and the. obstacles met with on the way, chiefly the filling in of the peat swamp, over half a mile in length, is interesting reading (states the “Auckland Star”). The foundations met with were the worst possible for roadmaking, the bottom of the swamp being composed of soft earth into which any heavy weight would disappear instantly, and a man, for instance, attempting to walk over it, would be very lucky if he did not sink deeper than his armpits. It was only after an enormous amount of filling had been dumped into the line of the roadway day after day and week after week tliat the subsidence decreased sufficiently to allow the road to be formed across it. Now it is one of the finest stretches of the whole deviation.