NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 136, 5 December 1929, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Prospecting for Landing Grounds.

Wing-Commander S. Grant-Dalton, Director of New Zealand Air Services, visited the Wairarapa yesterday to inspect possible landing grounds. He arrived in Masterton at 2 p.m., and was met and accompanied on his tour of inspection by members of the executive of the Wairarapa Aero Club and the Borough Engineer (Mr. Matson). An hour and a half was spent in inspecting areas around Masterton, and the party then went on to Martinborough, where another round of inspection was made before Wing-Commander Grant-Dalton left for Wellington. The Director of Air Services said he regarded the Martinborough landing ground as very suitable for the purpose. He declared himself favourably impressed with the prospects of aviation generally in this district. Cure Worse Than Disease. Periodically some one announces that in his district blackberry plants are being exterminated by a certain species of beetle, and the suggestion is made that herein perhaps lies a means for eradicating the blackberry pest. But unfortunately the beetle referred to is what is known to orchardists as the bronze beetle. Certainly it does eat blackberry plants, but not sufficiently to exterminate them, but it also does incalculable damage in orchards. It is, in fact, one of the major orchard pests and its successful control would mean a very large increase in the orchardist's output. If this beetle is to be encouraged in order to eat the blackberry it would mean an end to orchards in the Dominion. As there is no hope of the bronze beetle ever mastering the Dominion's blackberry scourge its encouragement is not to be desired. On the contrary, its extermination is what entomologists are aiming at. The Covered Wagon. Hamilton was startled and amused last week by the appearance of a weirdlooking motor-car chassis, on which was erected a covered framework, the whole drawn by an old horse. Leading the horse was an «ged man in torn and tattered clothing, and with a grizzly beard. He might have stepped out of one of Steeleßudd's books. Pedestrians paused in amazement at the strange sight, and there were many conjectures concerning the lone traveller's destination and purpose, says the "Waikato Times." Disdaining trains and service cars, William Cameron, of Te Puke, .resolved on this novel method of "seeing somethin' of the country," as he puts it. He is bound for "Arkland," but could not prophesy when he would get there. "Are you looking for work?" he was asked. "Oh, no," Cameron replied emphatically, although he admitted he would take up fruit farming if prospects were favourable. He had sufficient capital for this purpose. The old Highlander added that he had friends at Horotiu, with whom he proposed to stay for a few days, after which he would continue his trek to the big city. At night he draws his caravan into a bjr-road. He does his own. cooking.

His Excellency's Interest. In passing through the hospitals in the various towns he visits, the Gover-nor-General Sir Charles Fergusson never fails to stop at the bedside of an incapacitated ex-soldier, and exchange with him a few words regarding his experiences during and Bince the war. That his interest i)i the cases which thus come under his attention is not merely superficial is shown by an incident recorded in tho "Poverty Bay Herald" as tho result of His Excellency's visit to the Wairoa and Gisborno districts. Eeporting to the Gisborne R.S.A., the president, Lieut.-Colonel E. 1\ Gambrill, stated that Sir Charles had been delighted with the evidences of tho K.S.A. activity in tho district. He had shown a keen interest in tho types of cases dealt with by the association in respect of pensions and other relief, and had been so impressed with tho cursory review of the Gisborno B.S.A. record that ho had askei for this association's good offices on behalf of a man with Imperial Army service, at present under treatment in Wairoa Hospital. Sir Charles sent such particulars of the caso as he had gathered to the Gisborno exocutivo, in the hopo that that body could have something done for the man. It was agreed that Wairoa returned men should be approached to take the matter up, with assistance from Gisborno if necessary. Large Sunfisn Caught. Tho spectaclo of eight men struggling with a huge fish in an endeavour to lift it on to a lorry, which had been driven into the creek bed to mako the lift easier, attracted some attention at the foot of Clyde street Whangarei, on Friday afternoon, states tho "Auckland Star." The men were engaged upon transporting a rather un-pleasant-looking monster, taken from tho warm waters of Whangarei Harbour. A swimming party had been startled upon seeing a large fin in deep water near them, and, thinking it to be a shark, they hurried to land. Mr. John Dent, a. well-known fisherman, went out in a dinghy, and saw the visitor was a sunfish, swimming lazily near tho surface. It refused to take bait,' but a line hook caught in one fleshy fin, and, going alongside it, Mr. Dent made the catch secure by putting grappling hooks in its mouth. The huge creature struggled fiercely, but after two hours it tired, and was towed into shallow water. The fish is a_ particularly big specimen of its kind, measuring from tip to tail 6ft Bin, and 3ft 4in across its dorsal fin. It has a deep body, high dorsal and anal fins, and a short fringe-like fin forms its tail. The mouth is small for the huge bulk. It must scale nearly 4 cwt. The skin is tough and leathery, and the flesh almost equally so. Exiled from Russia. "I was sent to Bio de Janeiro in 1910 by the Imperial Russian Government as Russian Consul, and remained in Brazil for four years* In January, 1914, I was sent to Buenos Aires as Consul General. Then came the war and tho revolution, and the revolutionary government would have nothing to do with me. It would not be safe for me to return to Bussia, so I am wandering around the world." This was what M. Theodore Ptashnik, who recently arrived from Australia, told a "Southland Times" reporter when interviewed. "We belonged to the old regime in Russia," said M. Ptashnik, "and as such wo were regarded as . . ." and he completed the sentence with an expressive shrug. "When tho first revolutionary government took charts, the property of the old regime was left alone, but as soon as tho Bolsheviks came into power they seized everything. They robbed my mother of her jewels and took her stocks out into the street and burned them. My poor old mother, who was alwaya used to everything, was left a beggar when 73, and my brother was beggared with her. I have only ona brother, and I am thankful that there are no more, because it would only be more to suffer. I send my mother money, but I never hear much fr6m them, for their letters are all read, and they dare not put anything about the government into them. My mother owned mines, but they were all taken away from her. I travelled all over Europe in my youth, but I could not return there now. I could not visit my mother, for it would not be safe for me to enter Russia. When they refused to recogniso us in Argentine after the revolution, wo sold everything at auction and went away. I travel around and gather stamps and I enjoy it, for I like the fiords, the lakes, the mountains, and the green fields."