LOCAL & GENERAL

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 194, 2 September 1937, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL

Customs Returns. The Customs rovenpe in Napier for August was £4(3,131, as against £o(Jr o(io for JuJy. The net Customs duties last month amounted to £33,048,) petrol £7-435, aud saies tas £4687. Master Showmen. At the auuual meeting of the Master Sho'vvmeu's Uuiou in Auckland it >vas decided to afiiiiate with the New ZeaJand Labour Party. Mr li. Woodruffe, the secretary, moved that the uuion dissolve and re-organise aud that it dissociate itself from all political parties. The suggestion was deferred to the uext Uieeting, which wil] be lield ;t Hastings on October 19. War aud Price of Riee. An advance of '3U/- a ton in tlm price of Australian rice is not uuoxpectcd in view of thc present trouble between two licavy rice-prpducing countries, China aud Japan. It is understood that althongh Australian lice shippors have advanced prices, a vury cousidcrable quantity of this commodity was booked for New Zealand before the increased price came into poeration. W ild Pig Menape. In a case-heard before Mr J. H. Salmon, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court at Wanganui the depredations of wild pig was referred to. One witness, an owner of property, declared that lie he encouraged shooting of pigs and went to the extent of subsidising the Government' s payment of 1/- a snout to the extent of another shilling. He also found ammunition and a rifle iu certain cases for the hunter s. Natural Style. If the visit of the Springboks did nothing else it had shown that the natural New Zealand football was better than any style developed elsewhere in the world, said the Hon. James McLeod, at the annual re-union of the Htar Rugby Football Ulub at New Plymouth. He thought that as a result football teams throughout New Zealand next season wquld revert to a game of devil and dash with the bulk of the work being done by tigerishi forwards. The game in New Zealand would improve if this was the case. A Farmers' Covernment. "We say, ,as I believe you tio, that the fqrmer is the backbone of the country, and that is why we have a farmers' Government,'5 stated Mr 0. R. Nel, M.P., for Newcastle, South Africa, who, with is wife and daughter, arrived at Auckland by the Awatea on Tuesday. He said that in South Africa all transportation was State controlled, all mails were carried by air, farmers had received £'34,000,000 in subsidies in the last seven years, and millions were being spent upon irrigation. He added that while Southi Africa had very advanced social legislation, the Conserva-tive-Liberals were in control o| the cquntry. Seats for Wives. The wives and girl friends of the men taking part in the combined team against the Springboks in Gisborne on September 18 were mentioned at the weekly meeting of the management committee of the Poverty Bay Rugby Union after the matter had been raised by Mr T. French. He thought that the wives of players should be given good seats at the match, preferably on the main stand. Members were inclined to think that all players would be convenienfly married for the match if that were the case. The matter was regarded favourably by the committee and was referred to the reservationa committee, one seat to each player being advised1 Survoy of Soils. A survey of soils is being carried out ju the Wanganui distriet by representatives of the Agricultural Department and the soils survey branch of the Scientiho and Industrial Reseqrch Bepartment. The representatives arrived in Wanganui this week and are making a preliminary survey of the Wanganui back country in order to ascertain its possibilities with a view to future developments. Arrangements have been made for a preliminary report to be made when the representatives meet a sub-committpe of the Wanganui Cliamber pf Sommerce. Dr Marsden, secjretary of the Soientifio and Industrial Research Department, will attend the moetiug. "Scrub Bull." The term "scrub" bull nas again figured in a Court action in Wanganui, a defending counsel in a case (Mr V. 13. Willis) contending that an animal roaming the wild country between Wanganui and Raetihi, more particulany the Crown Reserves, could rightly come within tliat term— an animal without an owner, without a pedigree, without a brand, without an earmark. A farmer who gave evidence referred to the menace of "scrub" bulls among good stock. Some settlers he knew shot clean sbinned (uubranded and uneartnarked) bulls on sight. In a previous case lieard at Wanganui Jegal argument revolved round the term "scrub", and an expert witness, onq of Wanganui's leadipg dairy farmers, was called fco say that it was not neeessary to liaye no brands or earmsrks to liave "scrub" bulls. In a pedigree Jersey ' breecjer's point of view any bull whose parentage would not admit him to the lierd book was a "scrub."

Rangitatu's Voyage. Tlie Rangitata, which lelt Wellington. on August 26 en route to London, radios that weather condijions are moderate and that all 011 board are wc/i. Faise Aiurm of Pire, 'l'lie Hastings Fire Brigatle was called out sliortly after mid-dqy to-day on a malicious lalse alarm given from the call-box at the cyrner ot Jervois street ind WiJowparii road. Interchanse Qt Watq!iss. Tlie interchange of lower grade football matches between Hastings and Napier, wliich was to have taken plaee earlier 111 the season, has npvy been arranged ior yeptember 18. Un tbqt day Hastings fourth grade players will play matclies in Napier witli fourth grade teams there, wffile tlie Napier- thirds will play Hastings at Hastings Free Mijjt in Bchoeis. The opening of 'tlie free niilk in scliools sclienie iu Napier wiU be marked by an ofiiciai ceremony at tlie Napier intermodiate Bcliooi. On the pccasion of tlie first distrihution of milk, the. Mayor, 5fr C. O. Morse, who is chairman of tlie committee which made preparations for the sclieme, will condnct uix opening cereniouy, Bntter Produqtjpn. Production of butter in New Zealand and Australia is beginning tq increase, but the aggregate output up to the end of last month does not diifer materially from the total last year, according to the Weekly Dairy Produce Notes issued in Lodnon. An improyement in weather conditions iu Australia is essential if production is to show a normal trend. Empire Defence. Huge sums of money are being spent. at Capetown not only to make the port one of tlie finest in the world, but to implement South Africa' s part in the Imperial defence programme, said Mr O. R. Nel, M.P., of South Africa, who arrived at Auckland by the Awatea pn Tuesday. The object of this plan is to keep an open route for mercantile and navul vessels, in case the Suez Oanal is blocked, while complementary Schemes are being put into operations ashoie, Working Passage Home. An unusual method of going to England to enter the Colonial Service has been chosen by Mr W. M, Milliken, of Auckland, whose. appointment to this specialised branch of Imperial service was announced last weea. Instead of taking a berth on one pf the recognised passenger liners, he has decijed to work his passage Home and to-day he left on the motor-ship Empire Star as a cadet. Mr Milliken has to unddrgo a special course of training at either Oxford of Cambridge University for a year before he is posted to his new duties in Nigeria. Japan's Naval Power, The definite opiuion that Japan owed her success in the East to her powerful navy was advanced at a meeting of the Canterbury branch of the Navy League. Commander A, D. Boyle, who was in the chair, said that Japan, the aggressive nation, was abla to carry out her policy beeause of her control of the sea. Without her navy she would liav© been unable effectually to wage war against China, and the whole afjair was yet another example of the value of a powerful navy to. a nation jn a timo of crisis. Members generally endorsed the chairman's remarks. Rau way Mishap. Tlirough the fouhng of the points by the tender of an engine engaged in shunting operations at Tomoana yesterday morning, the permanent way between Hastings and Napier was blocked for a fow hours, This resulted in passengers aboard the north-bound express being obliged to transfer tiremselves and their luggage to busea in completion of the journey to Napier. Apart from this inconvenience there was practically no deiay, the arrival being only 10 minutes behind schedqle. The tender wa? replaced on the raiia in thp early part nl the afternQpn and there was np upset of the schqjule for the remainder of tlie day, r^ower Faijure. An interruption in the picture programmes at two Hastings theatres was yfaused aias/t night by «a temporary power failure. At the two theatres concerned, the Cosy and the Municipal, the power was off for ten minutes. shortly before 10 o'clock, The failure was confined to the d.c. gupply, the d.c, supply, with which nearly all conSlimers in Hasfings are conuected, being unaft'ected, ln the Cosy and Muniojpftl theatres, however, d.c. motors are used for the arc-lights used in the projection of films. The cause of the failure was the tlirowiug out of opreation of a motor at the Hastings powerliouse by a sudden surge on the Government lines, Judge on Marriage Quarrels. 8trong comment was made by Mr Justice Fair during the hearing of petitious for the restitution of conjuga| rigkts in the Auckland Supreme Court 011 the taking of court proceedings before a sufBcient effort had been made to efi'ecf a reconciliation in other ways, "I have discretion in these cases," lie .said, "and l am Pot gojng to grant a petition where the parties liuve made nq real effort to come togetlier, The. rospondent may be at fault but I am ver.v inuch inclined to dismiss petitions where cases come before me iu which oue pf the parties tq a marriage has gone at once to a solicitor's ofiice and inifiated coqrt proceedings withip a few days of a quarrel. That is tjie vpry fliing which wiH prevent a recouciliar tiop being effected.'5

Ambulance Grant. A grant of £12 12/- was made last evening to tlie Napier branch of tlie St. Jolin Ambulance Brigade by the Hawke's Bay Rugby Uuic^.