NEWS AND NOTES

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3896, 17 January 1929, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES

Driving at night has many terrors for the amateur driver, and even the most expert often experience considerable difficulty in approaching small bridges in the dark. To assist motorists on the main highway between Wellington and Palmerston North a. suggestion 'made by the Wellington Automobile Association that the smaller bridges should be painted white has been agreed to by the Hutt County Council, and the work will be placed in hand- as soon as possible. In the garden the Marguerite daisy can he a very ornamental thing and much prized, but (says an exchange) it- grows prolifically and its spread in farming areas has caused considerable concern in some districts. In the Onewhero district, where the road winds towards! Waikato Heads, the highway is bordered for miles with Marguerite daisies. The floral effect is distinctly pleasing, hut the tendency of the Marguerite is to' scatter itself widely across the landscape, and come perilously near the noxious weed category. In the last 80 years only seven people have been killed in New Zealand as a result of -earthquakes, states the “New Zealand Herald.” A shock in October, 1848, wrecked a wall in Wellington and three people were killed. Seven years later, when Wellington was shaken by a severe earthquake, another death occurred, the victim being Struck by a falling chimney. A child -met its death in the Cheviot earthquake in November, 1901. There was another long interval of freedom from fatal injuries due to earthquakes until April, 1913, when falling material from the post office at Masterton killed a Maori. The last recorded death traceable to earthquakes was that of a shepherd, who was killed in Gisborne in October, 1914.

Interest in the 'forthcoming ceremony in connection with the unveiling at Gisborne of a memorial stone in honour of the late Sir 'Janies Carroll is stirring among the native population of many districts. The indications are that when the liui takes place there will he present from 3000 to 4000 Maoris re-

presenting the various tribes, to whom the memory of the late Timi Kara is associated with all the virtues of Maori and pakeha alike. The memorial stone is now being prepared in Napier, and will be of plain design, without superficial ornament; in fact, the object of those organising the memorial celebration is that the stone should represent only strength, endurance, and above all a dignified consonance with the vault in which lie the remains of the late Sir James. March 3 is the date tentatively fixed for the unveiling of the stone, says a Poverty Bay paper. .Some of the Australian bowlers taking part in the New Zealand tournament have gained some knowledge of Maori words, and, even although they are not too good with the pronunciation, they apparently find them very expressive says the Post. During the progress of a. game in thq rinks championship at one of the city greens an Australian skip sent down a good shot, and his effort was greeted- by the members of bis team with “kapai, kapai,” although it sounded something like “copy, copy.” Then -a little later on the skip of the opposing team sent down a “beauty,” upsetting all calculations, which led the Australians to exclaim with a wealth of meaning, “ka kino, ka kino,” which means no good.

A particularly senseless and dangerous action on the part of a number of children in Napier terrace recently caused an infuriated m'otoris’t to. stop his machine and pursue the miscreants into a nearby garden, where the children had apparently fled to escape well-deser-ved punishment. The action which caused the motorist to stop was that of tlie children throwing handfuls of grain' into his eyes, and also those of a child in the car which In was driving, rendering him liable to be temporarily blinded and unable to control the machine. On many occasions the instigators of such foolish actions escape without redress, but this time, says the Napier “Telegraph,” full punishment was meted put, and the children departed to their homes from their unsuccessful plaice of refuge looking not a little sorry for themselves.