NEWS IN BRIEF.

Otago Witness, Issue 4029, 2 June 1931, Page 29

NEWS IN BRIEF.

At the annual meeting of the Nelson Acclimatisation Society hawks were quoted as a big factor in the scarcity of small game. It was mentioned that over 11,000 hawks were killed in the Auckland district in the last year. Frederick Gearschawski, a ’ farmer, aged 23, was sentenced at Greymouth on Thursday last by Mr E. 1). Mosley, S.M., to three months’ imprisonment for the theft of £24, the property of Pyne, Gould and Guinness. Detectivesergeant Young stated that last Wednesday the accused was • authorised by a neighbour to take a number of pigs to market at Addington. He was told not to take payment for the pigs, but he disobeyed the instructions. ‘ How many husbands have you had? ” asked counsel of a witness in the Wellington Police Court. “What’s that to do with you? ” came the sharp answer. “ You must answer the question.” said the magistrate (Mr W. H. Woodward). “I don’t see that it is any business of his, ’ the witness insisted. “ Still, vott must answer the question,” repeated ’his Worship firmly. “Well,” said the witness, “ I have had three, and I have been well satisfied with every one of them.” The Papatoetoe School Committee, which objected to the Education Board's new regulation governing corporal punishment, has been advised that the board is unable*to amend the regulation. The board says, however (reports the Auckland Star) that it is not necessary to keep permanent records of corporal punishment of school children in the school. The sheets on which the lists of punishment are made are to be forwarded to the board at the end of each term, and these will be destroyed after a reasonable time.. Smith, Brown, and Robinson are three surnames that no doubt would come very near the top of the list were a poll taken to decide the surname most often encountered in New' Zealand. Direct evidence that Smith, at least, would have a place of honour in the list W’as forthcoming at the meeting at Papatoetoe on Saturday evening addressed by the Minister of Labour (Mr S. G. Smith). The Minister said that of the 465,000 males registered under the Unemployment' Act 6000 of them bore the name of Smith. Nearly 3000 messages of greeting were sent by the Auckland public to all parts of the world from the short-wave station operated by the New Zealand Transmitters’ Association at the Auckland Radio Exhibition. In his address at the conclusion of the display, the president of the Radio Dealers’ Association (Mr A. C. Tucker), explained that one of the purposes of the event was the creation of further interest in w’ireless among the general public. It was apparent that much had been done in that direction by the exhibition. The slogan “ Use More Wool ” will be widely used during the early part of July, the prime movers in this direction being farmers’ wives, who, whilst their husbands are attending the annual conference of the Farmers’ Union, will use every endeavour to create a bigger demand for fleeces from the sheep (states the Wellington Evening Post). This is a natural corollary of a week boosting New Zealand-made goods, such as the recent one, and is an endeavour to further the same idea. The greater the demand for wool, the better it will be for the sheep farmer and the better for the Dominion as a whole. A new' style of label has bee n adopted by the Tourist Department to satisfy the demand of those w'ho want something typical of New Zealand. It is circular, and shows a Maori head enclosed by a yellow band, and bears the words, “ New Zealand Government Tourist Bureau, Reliability and Service.” For some months past the Government Tourist Office in Auckland has been using a square label with a green band, showing a Maori tiki. The Government hostels at Waitomo and Milford Track have had their own stickers, illustrated by small scenes. In both cases the idea was a recent one, and tourists have said that they would prefer a label that represented the Dominion. and not a particular resort. As the result of action by the executive of the Returned Soldiers’ Association the road from Waikawa to Curio Bay is likely to be carried out with the use of tlie labour of unemployed returned soldiers (reports the Southland Daily News). The member for the district (Mr D. M'Dougall) secured a grant of £2500 on condition that £2OO should be supplied for the legalisation of a route of about 35 chains through Mr R. Hamilton's property. The Southland County Council failed to find this sum, which is now available through the R.S.A., contributing bodies being the Southland Motor Association, the Southland War Funds Association, w'ith an amount from the Poppy Day Funds of the R.S.A. The Southland County Council will bear the costs of surveying the new’ route. The work will be supervised by the Public Works Department, and it is hoped that 50 men may be worked full time. The efficiency of certain cats who have no other home than the Central Market at the Alexanderplatz, Berlin, has so impressed the market authorities that the town has decided to appoint 24 of them officially. They will wear special collars and they will receive daily rations of milk and a certain quantity of food in return for their services. The collar will be of leather, and the city colours of red and white have been suggested as being suitable. These cats will rank as municipal cats, and they must on no account be roughly handled or driven away by lads attached to dealers who attend the markets. Their care and keep will cost the city less, it is estimated, than the rat poison laid down at officially controlled intervals. Strange cats poaching on their preserves will bo considered to be fair game for the city dog-catcher, who has hitherto not been empowered to seize the collarless cat at all. He will from henceforw’ard take up any found wandering in the central markets. What is to become of the families the 24 may be likply to produco is a question the city fathers do not. feel ca'iled upon to answer.