LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 313, 7 November 1929, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr. and Mrs. A. Scrimgeour, who have been residents of Putaruru for the past two years, left on Wednesday to take up their residence in Cambridge. During the annual meeting of the Putaruru Presbyterian Church on Monday evening Rev. W. T. Brabyn stated that the moderator-elect of the church, Rev. George Budd, would visit Putaruru early in December. The majority of the Tasmanian farmers who visited Putaruru on Wednesday were young men, and 12 of the party were bachelors. The cost of the trip per head was approximately £7O.

The rest room funds of the W.D.F.U. benefited to the extent of approximately £2O as a result of a successful stall held in Yandle’s buildings and a tea stall at the saleyards on Thursday. The members all worked hard to achieve the very satisfactory result obtained.

Putaruru members of the W.D.F.U. will be interested to learn that Mesdames Brown and Fisher, the only ladies accompanying the Tasmanian farmers, have been elected honorary life members of the W.D.F.U. liotn ladies expressed themselves as, being highly honoured by the action of their New Zealand friends.

The very satisfactory sum of £6 12s was realised for a pet lamb sold at the Putaruru sale on Thursday, on behalf of the rest room funds of the W.D.F.U. Very few refused the appeal of the auctioneer (Mr. McCullough) for 5s for the ladies, and the lamb was finally sold “ for keeps ” for 225.

There are no freezing works in Tasmania, and the efforts of the Government to establish such have been opposed by the majority of farmers. It was originally proposed to put 3d a head on each fat sheep put through the proposed works, but this idea was abandoned, and it is now i suggested that a levy of Id per head be made on all sheep sold in the saleyards.

The Tasmanian farmers parted at Putaruru with Mr. C. Gillies, of the Tasmanian Government Agricultural Department. Mr. Gillies organised the trip, and he left the party here to visit his native town of Timaru. He was enthusiastically farewelled. There are six New Zealanders, including Mr. Ward, head of the Tasmanian Department of Agriculture, over in that branch of the State’s service.

The worst road in New Zealand was the description applied to the town area portion of the PutaruruAbapuni road by a Tasmanian farmer on Wednesday. The Putaruru residents in the car explained that the road would shortly be bitumenised. In speaking at the welcome in the afternoon, the Town Board representative, Mr. Bent, made a similar reference to the fact that the road was shortly to be made one to be proud of. A resolution was carried at the meeting of the Farmers’ Union at Wanganui the other day (says the Chronicle) that vendors of patent medicines, prepared for stock ailments, should be compelled to print details of the contents on the containers. The chairman (Mr. T. Currie) said that the union, some time ago, had asked that an analysis be printed, but this was waived in favour of a request that merely a list of the contents be shown on the label. Mr. W. Morrison expressed the view that while the Veterinary Department might not approve of a certain medicine, that would not prevent farmers who had used it and found it successful from using it again. Mr. D. McGregor said that to ask the department to test every preparation that came along would mean too big a thing. A few specified medicines they might be able to handle quite well, and it was reasonable to ask that they should do so.

At tlid'Tast meeting of the Thames Valley Power Board there was on view a caterpillar about eight inches long, which it was stated had been ■found in the Paeroa pole dump, and which had bored a hole about nine inches deep into the heart of a hardwood pole. It was presumed that the insect had been killed by the severe frosts. The insect was sent to the director of the Dominion i Museum, Wellington, for identification. A reply was before the board on Tuesday, in which it was stated that the larva was the caterpillar of a large Australian moth, which occasionally came to New Zealand in timber from Australia. As the insect was of considerable interest, the

director asfeed for permission to retain the specirpent for display in the museum. Mr. Allen: Would not it be better to give it to the Auckland museum? We do not want it down in Wellington. Mr. Corbett: Better to bury it. (Laughter). It was decided to ask for further particulars regarding the habits of the insect, and whether there was a possibility of its thriving and becoming a menace in New Zealand.

Great interest is being shown in the forthcoming mission to be conducted by Rev. J. Bissett, Presbyterian missioner, in Putaruru, commencing on Sunday, 17th. Mr. Sealy is organising a huge choir to assist at some of these services.*