NEAR AND FAR

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 4, 27 August 1931, Page 2

NEAR AND FAR

Funeral Lament. • When the old steamer Kotare was on fire in Glory Harbour she was burning nearly, all day before she finally sank, states the Southland News. Towards the end the watcher of her plight was considerably startled when the whistle. started to blow a mournful note, which continued steadily for nearly an hour. Evidently„the heat generated steam in the boiler, which in some way got through to the whistle and resulted in rather depressing dirge appropriate to a funeral lament for the last hour of the Kotare. Boys on the Land. Good work in giving boys opportunity to take up farming is being performed by the future. farmers' committee of the New Zealand Land Settlement and Development League, in the North Island. Within the last month the committee has been instrumental in placing 20 boys in positions in districts from south of Taumarunui to Northern Wairoa and in the Bay of Plenty, and six or eight other applieations will be finalised in the course ofa few days. Historic Pa. The centenary of the fall of the Kaiapohia Pa, Canterb'ury, will be eommemorated in October by gatherings of Maoris from different parts of New Zealand.. Tentative arrqngements have already been made and it is hoped that the Prime Minister and Sir Apirana Ngata will be present. The pa was built in 1700 by Te. Rahautaki-, and was sacked in 1831 by Te Rauparaha. Fewer Swaggieg. Fewer swagmen are to be seen on the district roads compared with this time last year. This phase of the unemployment situation was impressed recently on a Gisborne motorist, who mentioned to-day that although the number of unemployed is increasing, the operation of the Uneinployment Board's schemes appears to be keeping them off the roads. On a trip to the Bay of Plenty during the week-end he noticed only three. swaggers. Had it not been for tRe Goverpment's relief measures, he believed that the roads now would be literally swarpiing with men moying from place to place in search of work. Iitfectious, Disease Rates. The infectjous disease rates in New Zealand for the past year have been remarkably low. The. Director-Gene-ral of Health says that "One would weleome a decrease in the numbers of deaths from diphtheria, and there is every reason to believe that this could be achieved if parents would avail themselves of the facilities to hand to have tlfeir children protected by toxin anti-toxin or toxoid." Equal Obstinancy. The equal obstinacy of the sexes was shown on a hill near Selborne recently when Mrs. Gordon Legg, driving an automobile, met a man driving a horse and cart on a road too narrow for both of them to pass. Mrs. Legg refused to back down the hill and the man refused to back up. As a result they both sat in their respective vehicles for seven hours until a policem'an came and backed the car down so the horse and cart was able to pass. Open! Surrounded by aldermen and members, a N.S.W. country Mayor was recently opening a new golf course. He took a mighty swing with a nibliek, which he buried in the earth a foot behind the ball. Then, in solemn tones, he said: "Gentlemen, I declare these links well and truly opened." Much-travelled Stowaways. A few weeks ago two Samoans stowed away on the Swedish motorship Boren at Apia, and within the next fortnight they will arrive back at Apia after having travelled by a round-about route in different 'ships. They were put off the Boren at Manihiki, an island in the Cook group, and from there they were taken in a small trading schooner to Rarotonga. They were picked up on Tuesday by the Maunganui, which arrived at Wellington a few days ago, and will be sent to Auckland. The Government motor-ship Maui Pomare, which has just left Auckland for Niue and Apia, will take them home. Weight for a Penny. The interest in one's weight is never-failing, as shown by the public contribution to the revenue from the weighing machine in the vestibule of the Stratford Municipail Chambers recently. _ The total number of pennies received since the scales were set up last Christmas was 15,497 (£64 11s 5d). The council reeeives 10 per cent. of the revenue from the company which was given permission to instal the scales. The question is being asked why the council does not purchqse what is undoubtedly a paying proposition.