NEWS AND NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 December 1924, Page 3

NEWS AND NOTES.

The Kairanga Dairy Company at Longhorn has electrified its plant by the installation of four electric motors. The steam boiler is being retained only for heating purposes, and all the machinery is now being electrically driven. The new arrangement lias resulted in a considerable reduction in running costs. An Oamam resident a few days ago had an unexpected windfall. Twenty years ago he lent L’2s to a man who was in straitened circumstances. lie had lost sight of the man, and forgotten the money. The receipt nf a cheque for L'7() in payment of principal, interest, and compound interest, with ;i covering letter of thanks, convinced him that acts of generosity do not always go unrewarded. Aeroplane engines in good going order for £1 each! The New I’lynioiith Technical College Board (says the Taranaki News), have purchased two for that modest sum for the use of students taking the engineering course. The engines, which are of the An/.ani type, have been bought from the Deforce Department, anil have been in use at Sockhiiru. The engines are now being offered to technical schools at the price mentioned. Reporting to a meeting of the Blenheim blanch of the Farmers’ Union nil a field day recently held at the Forestry Department's plantations at Seddmi (reports an exchange), the chairman (Mr William Smith), said that tin* plantations put down hv prison labour some 18 or 20 years ago offered a valuable indication of the class of trees most suitable for tin* district, ns it could be seen which varieties of trees thrived well, and which were backward. There were some tin** poles available for farmers in the plantation, at twopence each, the farmer being expected to cut them himself, and the ollicer in charge directing which p iles arc to he cut. Most of these were ol lari h. and oll’ered a useful timber for the la nil. lie had seen a sheen gate ((instructed from those poles, and il appeared to be very satisfactory. Some of the experiments now being carried out at tin* plantations wer* also referred to by Mr Smith, who said that the visit was most interesting.

A volume of the “Times Atlas and Guzel ter of the World,” which recently came out on order for the Invercargill Public Library, was found on arrival to have Jicen completely destroyed. presumably by cargo hronclters (says the "Southland Times”). The volume. i\ Inch is a fairly expensive and substantial one. was packed in a case along with another volume of a similar nature, and it appears that upon finding that the contents of the cases were of no value* to them, the hroachers drove a hook nr some such instrument into the hook, completely destroying it.

"The great defect of our secondary school system is the dominance of this matriculation examination.” said the Director of tho Wanganui Technical College in his report presented at I* ridav afternoon's prize-giving, (says the “Herald”). ‘"Wf'.y should the great bulk, namely, over 9(1 per (cut., of the pupils train for a university '‘duration. which they do not intend to take. The matriculation examination must sooner or later give place to lie accrediting system, whereby the schools nominate their candidates tor matriculation. The oll’oct would be a raising rather than a lowering of the standard. since s hools would he too careful nf their reputation to nominate .students who could not profit hv a university course. At present, there is o nlv mu* gate opening into the university, and that is at the end ol tlu* narrow matriculation c ourse; hut there should he several gates opening at the end of a four-year secondary s-licnl emirs'in arts, or agriculture, or industry. or commerce, or domestic science. The earnest students in all departments of study would thus I equal terms. The .solution lies in the institution of the accrediting system, together with the recognition **l pal'd Id i nurses."