NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2666, 1 December 1923, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

On Sunday two Wanganui sportsman proceeded to Himatangi and shot 120 rabbits '(states the Chronicle). The “bunnies” were thick. One of the sports fired on one occasion at a sitting rabbit, and when he reached the spot he found he had laid four rabbits low.

Sixteen delegates, including three natives, attended the annual conference of the New Zealand Maori War Veterans’ Association recently, and the aggregate ages of those present was 1247 years the average age being just under 78 years. A Maori named Pourere, from Poverty Bay, was the “youth” of the conference, his age being 71. —Times. ..... ..

The children’s health camp at Turakina is in full swing. The district health inspector (Mr T. Pargeter) visited the camp this week, and was completely satisfied with the hygienic arrangements. The health of the children is. excellent, and so far the weather has been ideal for camping. “On the whole, New Zealand can congratulate itself on the progress made during the last year. Prices for primary products have been good— those farmers who were not hampered by their past mistakes have saved money and those who have made mistakes short of the irretrievable have been able to hold their Awn once again, and in some cases make up in part their losses incurred in the previous two years,” stated Mr T. Shailer Weston, president of the New Zealand Employers’ Federation at the annual meeting to-day in Wellington. A London cable to a Sydney paper states that Major-General Sir Nevill Maskehme Smyth, V:C., intends to visit Australia shortly. He commanded the Ist Australian Brigade in the Dardanelles operations from May 20, 1015, onward, including the assault on Lone Pine on August G, and also in the Somme operations and the capture of Po/.ieres on July 23, 1010, and was in charge of the 2nd Australian Division in (he operations near Bapaume, and at the beginning of the breach of the Hindenburg line in May, 1917. He will leave London late in December, and hopes to get into touch with station life in each of the States.

An old Maori War veteran told a very interesting story at the gathering in Palmerston North of .veterans this week, of the Gate Pa encounter a company that he was with had with the Maoris in the Tanr.onga district. One section of the forces assembled for the skirmish he said, attacked the pa from the front, while the other . company waited in the Fear for the natives to be driven out bf their stronghold. The attackers successfully drove out the Maoris, but a large number were killed in the trap set in the form of trenches and spikes. A number of those who got through, to the pa. were killed by their own forces at the rear while firing on the fleeing defenders. “If was a badlymanaged affair,” was the summing up of the veteran. —Times.

There has been a conflict of opinion for many years whether white lead paints have an injurious effect upon painters, and also upon people who live in painted houses. It is well known that a very fine dust is given off by paint that has lead as its basis. Scientists of recent years‘have given much thought to the subject, and have evolved a paint that has zinc for its principal content. A.striking example of the hygienic values of such paint occurred recently, not a hundred miles from Taihape, where a tradesman was obliged to give up his occupation as painter because of his health becoming impaired. Later he decided to resume his trade, but decided to use only the new paint, composed of zinc. To his great satisfaction, he has never been troubled since with his old complaint of “painter’s colic.”

Action is being taken in Sydney, following a move made in Melbourne to make “jay-walking” an offence against the traffic regulations (writes our own correspondent). “Jay-walkers,” for those who are innocent of the term, are people who cross crowded streets diagonally, between the regular crossing places, and in most cases with their backs partly turned to the line of vehicular traffic. The feelings of drivers of vehicles is that while the “jay walkers”,are allowed to wander across crowded city streets at any place and any angle, without any check on their movements, the police campaign against motor traffic is a little unfair. Motorists say that natural-born fools amongst the pedestrians are responsible for most of the motor smashes. “Jay walking”,is certainly dangerous. One has only to witness it in crowded thoroughfares like Pitt street and George street, to appreciate it.