Native Housing Scheme.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 43, 19 January 1938, Page 8

Native Housing Scheme.

It is understood that several of the applications for new homes under the Native Housing Act, for erection in the Rotorua district, have now been approved by the Board of Native Affairs, and it is possible that these will be erected at an early date. Two houses have already been completed at the Ohinemutu pa and there is still a large number of applications to be considered. An Unusual Accident.

Although yesterday’s earthquake did not cause any damage in Palmerston North, it was at least indirectly responsible for a somewhat unusual accident. A number of women were in the Orange Hall in Lombard Street preparing for a function and when the tremor came one of them became faint. Mrs Briden Jones went to her assistance, but in doing so slipped on the polished floor and fell heavily. She suffered a fracture of the forearm, a dislocated wrist and an injured elbow. Sheep Causes Smash.

A stray sheep on the main highway about a mile on the Waipawa side of Otane on Monday night was responsible for an accident to a motor-car in which three men were injured. The car was' driven bv Mr J. Strang, of Waipawa, who had with him as passengers Mr Paul Edwards and Mr Brian Davis, both of Waipawa. The sheep apparently wandered in front of the car, and became entangled with the steering gear. The, car went into a skid which ended against a telegraph pole. All three men were injured. Question of Darkness.

An unusual excuse for riding his bicycle without a light at night was advanced in the Otahuhu Magistrate’s Court by a youth, whose definition of “darkness” cteated amusement. Defendant pleaded not guiltv and in reply to Mr W. R. McKean, S.M., said lie could see to ride through the Otahuhu streets at the time. He admitted the hour was 10.30 p.m., and said: “I understand darkness to mean an absence of light.” He added that with the new system of lighting he could see 500 ft ahead of him. The Magistrate explained .that darkness was held under the statute to fall half an hour after sunset. Defendant was convicted and fined.

Hurled Through Windscreen. A remarkable escape from serious injury was experienced by Mr Timothy Ryan, of Ohura, when his car was involved in a collision one mile south of Kihikihi, during the week-end. Tne lorce of the impact was so great that Mr Ryan was hurled through the windscreen on to the” road. The car caught fire, but the flames were quickly put out. No Forestry Decorations.

- With the object of furthering forest preservation, the executive of the .New Zealand Institute of Horticulture will urge, at the approaching national conference, that the Police Department bo requested not to relax its vigilance with regard to the Native Plants Protection Act, and that the Government again include in the Act a clause preventing the decoration of streets, halls and motor vehicles with native plants. Brilliant Meteor.

The passage of a brilliant tailed meteor across the sky from east to north for the space of about 80 degrees was witnessed by two Hamilton people fishing in the vicinity of Karamu about 9 o’clock on Sunday night. There was brilliant moonlight at the time, but the meteor when first seen was blazing with a greater brightness than Venus and carried a tail about 12 times the length of the bright head. Conversion of Cars. The motorists’ view oh the law relating to conversion of cars is explained in an article in the New Zealand Motor World, official organ of the Automobile Associations of New Zealand. The article adduces figures to show that for the first nine months of 1937 the aggregate value of vehicles unlawfully converted in the four main centres was certainly in excess of £IOO,OOO. Nearly 200 vehicles were converted in AVellington in that period. Irrigation Sdheme. Irrigation advanced another step on Monday in South Canterbury when work began on the Mayfield-liinds scheme—the rn'ost ambitious yet planned for New Zealand. The new scheme will serve about 53,000 acres of irrigable land in the Ashburton County. The territory to be covered lies between the Hinds and the Itangitata Rivers, and will be bounded on the east by the sea. The water supply will be drawn from the Rangitata River.

Burglar Disturbed. Stealing £2 18s 4d from a till in the engineering works of Mr J. Comrie, of Pukekolie, a thief who broke into the building during the week-end left an even greater amount in silver and coppers scattered on the floor. Entry to the building was gained by forcing the back door, and the intruder then walked through the works to the office, where the till was ransacked. It is thought that the thief was disturbed and was forced to make a hurried exit leaving some of the money.

Exotics ini Reserves. _ The New Zealand Institute of Horticulture, at its coming national. conference, will be asked to draw the Government’s aittention to the desirability of preventing the planting ot willows, poplars and other exotics in the construction or maintenance of roads within the limits of scenic reserves of illative busli. In the northern part of Taranaki, road cuttings have been planted with willows and these constitute a menace to the bush reserve they are in. Konini is suggested for the planting of such cuttings.

Bound for Sydney. '. Sydney will be a gala ;city for the next three months, while Australia celebrates her 150th anniversary with all” the zest of a young nation; and hundreds of New Zealanders are crossing the Tasman to attend and participate in the festivities. When the Wanganelln sails from Wellington tomorrow night, she will be a full ship, land among her passengers will be the Governor-General, Lord Galway and Lady Galway, the New Zealand teams to compete in the Empire Games, and many other visitors to Sydney on sport or pleasure bent.

Tasman Yacht Race. The third contest for the TransTasman Cup presented by the Royal Akarana Yacht Club from Auckland to Hobart, was commenced last night. There was little breeze at the starting time, 7 p.m., but the 36ft cutter yacht Wayfarer, with the leader set, crossed the line at four minutes past seven. The other competitor, the 41ft staysail schooner-rigged Aurora Star, left shortly afterwards. The finishing line is at the entrance to Hobart on the Derwent River, distance of 1530 miles, and with ordinary conditions prevailing in the Tasman the boats should make the passage in about 12 or 13 days. Loss of Pheasants.

Assumed to have been bitten by a rat, 18 young pheasants about six weeks old were killed on Monday night on the game farm of Mrs N. Millington at Maunu, near Wliangarei. The birds were found in the morning lying dead in their pen nipped behind the neck, but not otherwise injured so far as could be seen. On the same farm a cat killed 12 young birds on Christmas Eve while during the past week a stoat killed all but 16 out of 60 young birds before they could be penned up. Birds have been found with their necks broken by the wire netting of the pens in attempting to escape the attacks of vermin. Peculiar Injury. An unusual accident befel Mrs Day, wife of Mr A. P. Day, Pukekohe, during a holiday visit to Opotiki. As Mr and Mrs Day were leaving a residence where they were staying their car missed the crossing and one of the wheels went into the water-table, which was obscured by grass. Mr and Mrs Day got out of the car with the object of pushing it back. While pushing in front of the radiator, Mrs Day lost h*r footing and fell forward heavily, with the result that her neck was severely cut by one end of a metal letter. A piece of metal about ljin in length was found deeply imbedded in the neck near the throat. The metal was extracted by a doctor, who inserted 14 stitches in the wound.