NEAR AND FAR

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 76, 20 November 1931, Page 4

NEAR AND FAR

Pink Pine. . . Mr. ; W..- W- Bird; th,e well known ! school inspectorj^has just returned from a visit pf inspectioh to the North- Taking an interest in botanical matters, he found near Pandora j a rare plant cailed the "pink 'pine" or Podocarpus biforme. A peculiarity of this plant is that its sapling is of ; p. totally different appearance to that assumed in its adult .stage. The young plant is like a totara while the adult assumes more the appearance of ' a macrocarpa. Another interesting j and rar.e specimen, that Mr. Bird was lucky in finding was a very sweetscented shrub — the "mairehau" or "maireire," -jvhich emits a most decided odour of cinnamon. The flower, though small, is very pretty, and the shrub is regarded with special interest by the Maori s. The Bonpie, B.opnie Heather. "To my mind, the planting of heather in the Tongariro National Park is a scandal," said Mr. F. W. Vosseler, of Wellington, a prominent tramper, in an address to the Palmerston North Rotary Club. "To introduce a hybrid Scottish plant and allow it to run wild and displace our own flora is a sin, and can only b.e due to the fact that the persons responsible have not yet cultivated a love of ISfew Zealand plant life." When Public' is Suspi,cious. This is the opinion of J. D. Tew, President, the B. F. Goodrich Rubber Company — "Let an industyy that has advertised extensively r'educe its advertising or cease to adver.tisfe, and ■ its volume starts on the down grade. It has been said that the buying public hecomes suspicious when a commercial institution that has been proniinent in advertising cea'ses to keep the public informed of the quality of its goods. This may or may not be true, but there is no disputing the fact that more than one business has found that it cannot abandon advertising' and survive." Horn-Rims Losing, Popularity. Most of the American people wore spectacles, because they had been educated in the belief that by so doing they could escape many ills, said Mr. J. A. Peacock, who returned to Auckland hy the Sierra. Hornrimmed spectacles were gradually losing their popularity and were being suspended by rimless and whiterolled gold-rimmed glasses. The latter were becoming popular because they were not so eonspicuous. When horn-rimmed glasses were introduced the people went to the extreme, and heavy, ungainly spectacles became the vogue. In the United States new methods of sight-testing were being experimented with. A lot .of researeh work was being done and ravolutionary ideas were being introduced. To the Point. The editor of a paper received a long poem from a gentleman last week, and wrote to the lank-haired specimen a mild remonstrance. "You really must send short verses,"4 was the wind up of the editor's exprdiuni. The reply was: — "I enclose you a little things it is short and to the point — 'The Ballad of the Tradesman. Trust, hust'." Colour-Mind Motorists. The .case of colour-falind motorists who might be misled by the automatic crossing lights was discussed by the executive of the Wellington Automobile CJub. Dj\ Graham Robertr son said it was unfair to debar from the use of the roads colour-blind motorists, of whom there were quite a number. Additionai colours should he added to meet their case, or lettering. Mr. E. Palliser suggested ' tjiat the instruction should be put up in words to meet their case. It was • decided to recommend that colourblind motorists should be catered for | by the words, "Stop" and "Go" in adj dition to the lights. j Statue Unearthed. A headless statue witlj carvings on j the chest, which show that i(t,probably ; belonged to the perod of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, has been found in excavations by the American School in Athens. Digging has been' sus- . pended until January, and Prof. T. L'eslie Shear, manager of the party, is leaving for America. ' Prof. ' Richard Stillwell, assistant manager of the American Arehaeological School, ' iritends to make trial researches at a greater depth, as the present excava- . t'ons were made in a stratum of the Roman age, beneath which is a stratum of the Greek age. * " , Mother-in-Law Again. . A mild stir wa* created at the last meeting of the Thames Valley A., P. and H. Association, when Mr. Harvey, with an eye to ec.onomy, said he could i never understand why two ladies' tic- ' kets were sent to members for admission to the show. Amidst much hanter and laughter, Mr. J. Ward observed: "You wait a bit. You're young yet." "JbLaven't you got a mother-in-law ? " the secretary aske.d, solicitously. ' Remarkable Depreciation. "A .German insurance policy that in 1911 had a faoe value of £50,00.0 \vas worth > in 1923' one-thousandth part pf an English farthing," stated : Mr. L. C, Hawk," during an address j on "Exchange and Curreney" at tjh'e ! meeting of the Taihape Ghamber of | Commerce when illpstrating the d.an.r gers of riotous and urichecked inflation of the currency. ' Young New Zealand Party. "I am very pleased to see so many young people at the meeting," said Mr, C- A. iViikipsoh, tkei Indepepdept I candidate for Egmont in returning : fchanks for the unanimous vote of confidence in him as their representative. He added that it gave him a feeling of gratification that the young people were taking an interest in politics,] and it showed that there was great hope for the Dominion when the s ydung people came into the fray. "I ! say that," added Mr. Wilkinson, "with , all due respect to my gray-haired • Eriend in front of me." Mr, Eugene D'Sullivan, a very old resident of the Cardiff district, was the friep.'d re:erred to" by Mr. Wilkfrispny and he Yasaccorde^^^oun^^^applause^^