NEWS AND NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 July 1924, Page 1

NEWS AND NOTES.

"I think he must have been reading one of ‘Bill’ Massey’s speeches,” said -Mr J. N. Millard at the meeting of the management committee of tin- Wellington Rugby Union while the secretary was reading an elaborate and pre-cisely-worded letter.

The experience of an up-country rimholder, during the recent railway strike makes him think that the railawy is not, after all, a very important department of State (says an exchange). He sent a line of MOO fat wethers to the Alalnura works, and, of course, they had to lie taken by road. The sum of .(.'(j was expended in feed on the way to the works, and the slice]) were landed at -Mataura (MO cheaper than they would have arrived by rail.

Details of a terrible accident met with by a 10-year-old boy were placed before the Western Australian .Minister for Health (Mr S. W. Alunsie) by the Perth Children’s Hospital Board recently. It- was stated that four years ago the hov swallowed caustic soda, injuring himself so much that lie had ever since been fed through a tube. He had been in a hospital for four years, owing to his parents being in poor circumstances. He cannot remain in the children’s hospital any longer, because lie lias reached 1-t years of age. The Minister promised to see wlmt tile State Children's Department can do for him. The boy otherwise is in normal health.

The importance of conserving bird life is stressed in a bulletin issued by tbc .Michigan Bird Conservation Commssion. “If all birds should suddenly disappear, every plant-, every flower, every green leal, and blade of grass would be destroyed within two years! The birds form a vast aerial army for the destruction of insects, and man has no better friends than the birds. An oriole, for instance, lias been known to destroy sixty-seven caterpillars in exactly one minute. A single family of jays wit destroy a million caterpillars in a season. In tho State of Nebraska it is estimated that birds devour 170 carloads of insects a day. The little wren destroys its own weight in insects every twenty-four hours. A single cuckoo is worth 100 dollars a season the orclmdist. ‘No birds, no food,’ say tho scientists. Lets help conserve them.”

Considerable dissatisfaction is being expressed with the revaluation of .Maori leaseholds now being made at Te Kuiti (says the “New Zealand Herald”). In some cases the properties have been l'reeholded, but in a large number of instances leases have to he decided upon for another 21 years. It is felt that the valuations are being made on the. basis of recent sales of business properties. This, it is contended, is an unreliable criterion, as the purchasers were men men with established businesses, whose interests compelled them to acquire, the sites of their premises even at the high prices asked. It is pointed out that it is obviously unfair that the whole community should have to pay interest on the basis of these exceptional cases. Several objections to the valuations have been lodged, Imt so far no progress lias been made toward an amicable agreement.