Shearing Season Starts

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23916, 18 September 1939, Page 6

Shearing Season Starts

Shearing has already begun on a number of sheep stations in different parts of the Auckland province, and farmers were encouraged to push ahead with the work by the recent short spell of fine weather. Shorn wethers have made their appearance on the Westfield fat stock market, and soon bales of wool will be pouring into the city stores. Travellers’ Tales “Considering the number of stories I’ve heard concerning commercial travellers, I cannot belive that the association is only 26 years old,” remarked Mr E. R. Grace at the Anniversary Day celebrations of the Commercial Travellers and Warehousemen’s Association on Saturday night. “All those alleged happenings cannot possibly have occurred in that short space of time.” Later in his amusing speech Mr Grace remarked on the difficulty experienced in making one’s money “go round ” these days. “ Most of us are keeping two homes —ourselves and the Government,” he said.

Young Woman Assaulted Shortly after 10.30 on Friday night a young woman who had alighted from the Stuart street tram and was on the way to her home in Roslyn was followed by a man from the steps in Selkirk street into Tweed street. She quickened her pace, but the man came up behind her and struck her a blow on the head. Hearing her cries, some women came to her assistance, but before they had arrived on the scene her assailant had made off, and. despite a subsequent search by the police, no trace of him could be found. The victim of the assault was able to proceed to her home, where it was found that she had escaped with comparatively little injury. City Fire Calls

A fault in the electric wiring system of a sedan car resulted in the City Fire Brigade being summoned to Princes street at 7.46 on Saturday morning. Slight damage was done to a five-roomed shop and dwelling at 834 King street in the evening, the cause of the outbreak being a defective hearth. The brigade was summoned at 10.20 a.m. A machine from the Central Station was called out at one minute past midnight yesterday morning to a malicious false alarm from the corner of High and Grant streets, and again at 9.31 to a chimney fire in Scotland street. At 5.15 p.m. the Green Island Brigade turned out to a chimney fire in the Main South road, while another outbreak of a similar nature in Calder street was attended by the South Dunedin machine at 8.43. Return of the Gannet*

The gannet sanctuary at Cafce Kidnappers is at present the scene of intense activity, the main body of birds having returned from their winter migration. Both the main rookery and the growing colony which a number of birds established at Black Reef, a mile farther along the coast two seasons ago, present an amazing spectacle, as thousands of gannets set about their seasonal nesting operations. Space everywhere is at a premium. Special Cycle Track* Provision of separate cycle tracks on highways where road traffic exceeded 1600 vehicles a day was being considered by the Public Works Department, said the Minister (Mr R. Semple) in his annual statement. There were a number of constructional difficulties, not the least of which was the limited width of existing highway reserves and the irregular surface of the ground, he said. Careful investigation was being made in order that conditions for the cyclist, motorist, and pedestrian could be materially improved. Effort by Farmers

Three sons of a Patutahi farmer are working day and night over three shifts of eight hours (says a Gisborne paper) in an endeavour to complete the preparations of land for the sowing of spring crops in case they are called for military service. They are working their tractor three shifts, and the machine has been going continuously, stopping only while the driver rests for a meal and for the refuelling of the machine. The three young men are Messrs Nelson, Huia, and Pat Cooper, who are working on a farm controlled by their father, Mr Charles Cooper. There is a fairly large area to sow In wheat, barley, maize, and pumpkins, and they are making every effort to have the whole of the land turned over and ready for planting as soon as possible. They are not strangers to night work, for they did a considerable amount of it last year when a wet winter delayed tilling operations until it was so late that a special effort had to be made to have the work done before planting time came round. The tractor .is fitted with suitable lighting to enable night work to be carried out. Lottery Case

“There are ( still a number of these lotteries floating about, and they all are the open sesame to untold wealth," said the magistrate, Mr F. H. Levien, in the Police Court at Auckland, when Francis James Hughes was charged with establishing a lottery. Detec-tive-sergeant HcHugh said the lottery had been run do assist in liquidating a debt on the Wellington Street Catholic School. The lottery was fairly drawn at the conclusion of a concert and was won by a ticket-holder. The defendant took full responsibility for the lottery as a member of the organising committee. He was a man of good character with no previous convictions against him. He had frankly admitted that he had no permit. The defendant was fined £5. Saved From River

A pair of crutches and a hat lying on the traffic bridge at Waipukurau on Friday morning provided a clue which resulted in an elderly man being dragged out alive from the water. The discovery was made by a girl on her way to work at 8.50 o’clock. She saw the man’s head just above the water some distance below the bridge. She called help and the man, who has only one leg and has been an inmate of the Waipukurau Hospital for over two years, was rescued and later taken to the hospital.

Map of Europe The large map of Europe which is on display in the premises of Messrs Arthur Barnett, Ltd., is proving an undoubted attraction to those who are interested in the present conflict in’ Europe, and when it is completed it should make even easier the task of following the war on the two fronts. During the coming week the Western fortifications of France and Germany, the Maginot and Siegfried lines, will be placed in position, probably in metal relief, and so attached to the map that a break through by either country could be readily shown. Mr Arthur Barnett conceived the idea of the map himself and his wishes in the matter were carried out by Messrs Mandeno and Fraser, who drew the scale plan, and by members of the firm, who did the cutting out and colouring of the map.

Visitors From Ocean Island A party of 13 women and three young children arrived at Lyttelton on Friday morning. They were wives and children of officials of the British Phosphates' Commission staff at Ocean Island. Most of the party were Australians, two only being from England. Although the sun was shining at Lyttelton at the time, the new arrivals were feeling the cold, and as they gazed at the snow patches on Mount Herbert they spoke of the pleasant tropical island, almost on the Equator, where their homes are. Their menfolk are of course, remaining to carry on the’ work. The party left at night for the North Island, en route for Australia.

Farming Season in South No entries have been received for the Southland Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s prize farm contest, and the competition will probably lapse this year. It is not surprising that Southland farmers were not willing to submit their farms to the judges of the competition, said Mr D. Marshall. convener of the committee controlling the competition. Farmers had so far come through one of the worst seasons that he could remember, and they had had a bad time with stock. Work on the land was in a very backward slate, and as no seeding had been done the land was not in a state to enable spring work to be done. In fact, Mr Marshall said, farmers were in a position where they were not sure what they were going to do, and many would have to change their plans. Farms at present had not the appearance one liked to see, and they would take some time to recover.

Keen to Serve One of the first applicants In Napier for enlistment in the volunteer force was a still-active veteran of the retreat from Mons. He enlisted in 1914 and went to France with the British Expeditionary Force, serving throughout the war. In case his claims of service were not believed, he arrived at the army office complete with his M.C., Mons Medal, D.C.M., framed copies of his Mention in Despatches, and personal congratulations from two generals in the British Army. Of the real fire-' eater type, he was anxious to get into the fray once more and show the present generation how things were done in 1914.

Value of Kitchen Gardens Intensified cultivation of kitchen gardens is urged by the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr W. E. Parry) as being a helpful and practicable way for members of the community not only to assist themselves, but their kinsmen overseas during the war. The production of vegetables by householders, the Minister said, was of great value from the economic and health standpoints, and in addition was a pleasant and recreative occupation, as well as providing an all-round increase in the country’s national food production.

Sale of German Goods In contradistinction to the attitude of the public during the Great War, no objection seems to be made by the public to the purchase of Germanmade goods in the various stores; nor do retailers raise any objection to purchases of such goods from wholesale suppliers. “The public- is much more internationally-minded than it used to be,” said an Auckland retailer, referring to the position. “It has lost most of the old illogical prejudices. After all. German goods in this country were acquired prior to the war, and were paid for by purchases of New Zealand butter.”

flattery Unit Disappointed A good deal of disappointment has been felt by members of the 2nd Medium Battery, Hamilton, that they have not been called up for service as a unit, and that the majority of the officers are ineligible for service with the special military force that is being organised owing to the fact that their ages are in excess of those specified for the various commissioned ranks. The battery has been at full strength for some time, and is regarded as a very efficient unit. It has twice won the efficiency shield competition, which is open to all field batteries in New Zealand. A few of the members have volunteered independently for the new military force, and they expect that their experience as artillerymen will be utilised. Legal Comments on Marriage Both judge and counsel made facetious comments on marital relations at the present time during the hearing of a case under the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act in the Supreme Court in Christchurch, when legal argument on a petition was heard, and cases as far back as the eighteenth century were mentioned, with reference to the old ecclesiastical law on divorce. The opening sally was when Mr P. H. T. Alpers referred to a letter written by a husband asking his wife to return to him. 11 It was, I admit, written at my suggestion,” said Mr Alpers, ‘‘but it was without the usual effusive sham.” “ Such as solicitors are supposed to write,” said Mr Justice Northcroft. Later his Honor said, referring to the age of the couple: “ They were too old to overcome marital handicaps through glamour and romance; this should be a warning to young people not to leave it too late.” Again, when Mr Alpers said that it was in the interests of public policy that married couples should overcome differences and tastes or there would be no security in marriage, his Honor said: “Do your suggest m this court to-day that there is any security, Mr Alpers? For that, our mutual, friend, Mr A. P. Herbert, is much to blame.” New War Map

A new war map, a feature of which is its close attention to detail in largescale insets depicting the Eastern and Western Fronts, has just been published by Messrs Whitcombe and Tombs In the main map, which, besides Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, includes a portion of Northern Africa and the Near East, each country is shown in distinctive colourings, while all the principal cities are clearly marked, as also are the defensive Maginot and Siegfried Lines on the Franco-German frontier. The largescale map of Poland shows the area of occupied territory on the eleventh of this month, and large-scale maps of Warsaw and Danzig are also provided. A large number of the small towns and villages mentioned in the daily reports of the fighting are shown in the three large-scale maps of the Western Front.

By advertisement in this issue the Post and Telegraph Department announces that September 25 is the closing date for new or amended entries in the next issue of the telephone drectory (November, 1939, edition). The following additional donations to the Sir Truby King Memorial Fund are acknowledged:—Mrs Crampton 3s 6d, Mrs A. Cameron 10s, “Noel” ss. Ex “ Taranaki.” A full supply of our new season’s Blue Mountain Jamaica—the world’s finest coffee! Only obtainable from A. Durie and Co., coffee specialists. 32 Octagon. Dunedin—Advt. For rings, watches and jewellery, try Peter Dick, jewellers. 59 Princes street Dunedin.—Advt.