NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 126, 24 November 1932, Page 12

NEWS OF THE DAY

Late Sir Maui Pomare.

The tomb containing the ashes of Sir Maui Pomare, which overlooks Waitaf a ffom- the height, of the cliff bordering Manukorihi'pa, is to be graced with ?, memorial, probably in the form of a life-sized figure of the Atiawa , tribe's beloved chief. A further step toward the attainment of an. object held steadily in view was taken at a tribal gathering 'at the pa on Saturday, when Sir' Apirana 'and- Lady Ngata arid.Mr. Taite te Tomo, MJP.,,'were,present (reports the '.' Taranaki .tDaily '). Sir ApiranaT and. Mr. Hapi Love were appointed by the meeting to consult Lady Pomare with a view to selecting a suitable memorial. It was thought desirable by those present that tho memorial should take the form of a life-size figure-of Sir Maui and his canoe Tokomaru. Sir Apirana Ngata and Mr. Love were empowered to act immediately as the T^aranaki people desire that the ceremony shall take place on 18th November next year/ _,' Municipal Association. i A Bill to constitute the Municipal Association of New Zealand legally was introduced into the House of Representatives last night by GovernorGeneral's Message. The object of the measure is to establish the association as a body corporate, provide the subscriptions paid by the various local authorities. for membership, define the powers ' and duties of the association, and generally, to regulate procedure. Railway Electrification. • ■■ ,' The sum'of £10,000 for.the-electri-fication of the Wellington-Paekakariki railway, appealing in the Public ;Works Estimates, was referred to by Mr. H. G. R. Mason (Labour, Auckland Suburbs) when.-the Estimates were being discussed'in the House of Representatives last evening. Mr. Mason said that there was provision for a tunnel and for electrification. The point he wanted to make, was that there were two improvements, one on top of the other., • One; of those improvements would increase ■' the:, carrying capacity of the line enormously, yet it was thought fit to engage in two. In view of the-present ..outlook for railway traffic,-was it necessary to make- provision to double-bank? He submitted that electrification alone might suffice for many a long day. It would increase the. carrying capacity by 50 pei\ cent., and that he .submitted, would last long enough' to justify the electrification. Replying, the Acting-Minister of Public Works (the Hon. C. E. Macmillan) said it was thought that traction, over tho hill was not desirable. He considered that the matter was one which could be left to the engineers to report on. Glut of Cucumbers. Excessive consignments of cucumbers from Australia, combined with an early and prolific local crop have had disastrous consequences for Auckland growers, states a special 'service telegram. Commonwealth growers have been aided- by the absence of any duty on cucumbers entering the Dominion, and by the favourable exchange rate. Owing to jthe increasing amounts of local cucumbers reaching the city markets, Auckland merchants have advised Australian shippers to refrain' from sending any further consignments, as the prices realised will not be payable. In a letter to the Comptroller of Customs, the secretary of the Auckland To-, mato Growers' Association, Mr. G. A~ Green, says that growers are being: ruined ;by overseas competition -With their early outdoor cucumbers. "I have been asked to inquire, " he continues, "what can be done to assist the New Zealand growers." As an instance of what-was being done everywhere in the Dominion, he said that Sydney cucumbers had sold in: Christchurch at. 6s and 12s per case. Taupiri Swamp Drainage. The continued delay on the part "of the Government in putting the big Taupiri drainage scheme into operation arid thus opening up a large area of the Taupiri swamp, inspired the Swamp Drainage League to call • a public meeting this afternoon to consider the position and frame a resolution urging the Government to proceed with the work without further delay (reports the ""Waikato Times"). The chairman of the league, Mr. 'A. M. Bisley, has expressed the. league's concern at tho delay. Some' months had elapsed, he said, since the Taupiri Drainage and River Board accepted the Government's proposal regarding its share of the expenditure, with the result that a 'period of weather suitable for drainage operations has been lost. In view of ( the importance of the scheme, not only to' the settlers, but also to Hamilton and other towns in the vicinity of the swamp and the Dominion as a whole, it was felt that a meeting to express the wishes of all those interested in the project was necessary. The bringing of the largo area into production must substantially increase-the exports of .the Dominion. "It seems that if this opportunity of financing the scheme with unemployed relief funds is not taken advantage of, the extensive area of swamp country within the triangle Hamilton, Taupiri, and Morrinsville will continue in its present state of partial productivity for very many years to come," said Mr. Bisley.

Cornwell Cup Contest. The Wellington Provincial Yacht and Motor-boat Association decided last evening to challenge for the Cornwell Gup, the contest for which commences at Lyttelton, the defending port, on 25th January. A challenge was received on behalf of Plimmerton, and it was stated that Paremata would also be challenging for the trophy. Shipping Tonnage. The net registered tonnage of vessels that arrived at Wellington in "the year ended 30th September, showed a* decrease of 71,422 tons when compared with the previous year's total. The figures, with those, for the previous' year in parentheses, are as follows:—Number of vessels, 2832 (2972); tonnage, 3,493,476 (3,564,898). The figures do not include the tonnage of warships, lighters, fishing vessels, private yachts, and other non-trading craft. The average net registered tonnage of vessels arriving in the past six years is as follows:—1931-32, 1234: 1930-31, 1199; 1929-30, 1217; 1928-29, 1196; 1927-28, 1150; 1926-27, 1129.