NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4482, 24 July 1930, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

A pamphlet addressed to a resident of “Foxton, Foil ding, New Zealand,” has been received from London. Curiously enough, it came from the office of that organ of literary rectitude, “Punch.”

“It would be interesting to get the names of any 20 men on the unemployed lists of the Labour Bureau, and to see how many of them took the trouble to cultivate plots of land about tlieir houses,” said the Rev. F. Dunnage in the course of an address in Christchurch on unemployment. “Such a means of assisting their income, by growing vegetables for their own use, seems to be neglected by a great number of men in the city.”

The kindly thought of a child at Cromwell, Central Otago, was shown in a letter received recently by the secretary of the Dunedin branch of the Returned Soldiers’ Association. The letter stated: — “Ufybh this note I am posting a parcel of cigarette cards which I thought some children whose fathers are out of wonk, might like to play with. I am also enclosing three shillings, with which I was going to buy a ibithdav present. I thought it might buy a dinner for 1 some children.” Three shillings in postal notes came with the letter, and a parcel containing hundreds of cigarette cards. It has been decided by the Palmerston North division of the British Medical Association to erect a tablet to the memory of the late Dr. G. A. Forrest. On Monday the Palmerston North Hospital Board received a request from the division asking if the tablet could he erected in the main corridor of the hospital which it was considered would be an appropriate place for it. The board approved of the erection of the tablet, but referred the matter of local ion to the executive in view of the fact that portion of the main corridor may be pulled down at some time or other.

-Charitable aid rations were issued by the Palmerston North Hospital Board during the quarter ended June 30, to 81 families in distress, the total number of rations being 1257. Details are:—Palmerston North 45 cases (507 rations), Fciiding 10 (138), Hnleombe 2 (51), Asbhurst 1 (15), Kimbolton 1 (39), Shannon 9 (169), Foxton 5 (124), Levin 6 (15’6) and Otaki 2 (58). The reasons for relief having to be given were set out as follow, in the return, presented to Monday’s meeting of the Hospital Board: —-IJiieiniployment 42, desertion of breadwinner 5, death of breadwinner 4, insanity 3, temporary sickness 6, permanent sickness 11, old age 6, imprisonment 4.

The class which is to be opened at the Palmerston North hospital for children who happen to be in the-institution, will commence at 10.30 on the morning of August 1 under the charge of Miss vShcllon. There will be no expense to the Hospital Board as all the appliances are to be supplied by the Education Deartment. Mr. J. K. Hornblow, in announeing this fact to the board on Monday, extended an invitation to members to be present. Mr. W Howell congratulated the chairman on his initiative in promoting- the class from which the children should obtain a great deal of benefit. Other members of the board endorsed Mr. 'Howell’s remarks.

The first whaling expedition to the Antarctic was made about 37 years ago .when a fleet of whaling ships Balena, Diana, Active, and Polar Star—left Dundee in 1893 for the Antarctic direct. The expedition (says the Christchurch Times) was sent out 'by the Dundee Seal and Whale Fishing Company to search for the right whale. The expedition failed to find any right whales, hut made a stay of several months filling up with seal oil and skins and returned to Dundee after making a call at (Port Stanley,; in the/Falkland Islands, to clean the ships. Captain David Robertson; of Lyttelton, was a member of the crew of ojne of the whalers. The four ships were similar in typej to the Scott Expedition ship Terra Nova. It was intended to carry on \vhaling in the Antarctic had the right whale been located. A base would have been provided at the Falkland Islands.

The bark of the pukatea, one of the common forest trees in damp areas, said Mr. B. C. Aston, at the annual meeting of the Wellington Horticultural Society the other day, had been found to contain 3 per cent, of alkaloids, the .properties of which were now being investigated by three scientists in America, The alkaloids were found to possess a stimulative effect upon the heart, much as did strychnine; it was impossible that New Zealand would be able to supply the world with heart stimulant. Tutu, he mentioned, was the cause of the failure of Captain Cook’s first attempt to place ruminant animals in New Zealand; they ■met death early in the day. The poisonous nature of the kanaka berry was also mentioned. The .Maori, lie said, had a difficulty in finding farinaceous foods, but they discovered that the poison of the plentiful kanaka berry could be i’emoved if the berries were broken and steeped in running water.

Mr. E. Aagaard, formerly of the whaling ship C. A. Larsen, has a remarkably wide knowledge of whaling, both ancient and modern. According to him, there are few occupations in the world that are as strenuous as whaling as it is carried out in the mother-ship nowadays. In the daylight that obtains throughout, the summer in* the Antarctic, th<‘ work goes on all the lime. Two shifts were employed on fhe 0. A. Larsen, but if often happened that one shift overlapped the ofher, so that for several hours both shifts were working at once. It was not uncommon for all hands to work! 10 hours at a time. Little sleep could be got, sometimes not more than three or four hours. And while the thermometer above deck was well below zero, the temperature in the sleeping quarters, while all the ship’s digesters were working, was often over 100 degrees. Yet in spite of it all, Mr. Aagaard is enthusiastic about .whaling. The Awanui wireless station,. at one time the most powerful transmitting and receiving station in New Zealand, has been closed and the plant- dismantled. The mast, which was 400 feet in height and contained 40 tons of steel, has been felled thus demolishing a wellknown landmark of the North. This station was built by the Public uoiks (Department, under the supervision of German engineers of I lie Telefumken Company, 1912, and for years had been used to conduct communication with the Pacific Islands. It was rated at 50,000 watts, and it is interesting to observe that the work it accomplished is now being done with 50 watts. It had a daylight range of 1200 miles, and its night range was three times that distance, while Wellington and Auckland, which Were the only other stations in operation in Mew Zealand when the local station was built bad a range of only 200 miles.

The fate of the grouse liberated in National Park some years ago •.has often been discussed by sports.ir.en. There are signs that some of the grouse survive, as groups were seen (by two parties in April. iSeveu grouse were sent to New Zealand about six years ago by Lady Liverpool and thirteen more were received about four years ago. They wore liberated by Mr. J. Cullen, honorary warden of the park. The birds were in good condition. Since i lien glimpses have been caught of the grouse, which do not stay in rue spot, but roam over the country. 'I hey do not generally come near the roads, but a. dead bird was picked up recently on the road through the park, having evidently struck the telegraph wires in its; flight. It is thought that stoats and weasels, which are prevalent in the National Park country, may have killed some of the birds. Except by taking: dogs through the country, there does mil seem.to be any way of ascertaining the numbers of grouse now in the park.