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Shannon News, 11 September 1928, Page 2

While botanising in the Kaitaka native bush recently, Mr V. C. 'Daviss alighted upon a very rare tree, called “ascarina lucida,” which had been lost to Taranaki for a great many generations. The tree, which is an unusually fine specimen, must, he thinks, ‘have been brought to the Kaitakes from afar by the Maoris many years ago. It is growing in a beautiful valley near Mr Rustling’s that is now' being planted and close to an old native clearing and garden patch. ■*

“When I was having my first meal on the boat after leaving San Francisco I asked the steward where the butter came from that I was eating,” said Mr T. S. Cooper, owner of the famous Linden Grove Jersey stud, farm of Pennsylvania, U.S.A., when addressing members of the Jersey Cattle Breeders’ Association in New Plymouth last week. “The steward replied that it was New Zealand butter and was about nine weeks old. I was agreeably surprised for it had a wonderful taste, and I thought it must be American butter.”

A Blenheim resident who was present at the recent inter-collegiate football tournament at Nelson relates an amusing incident centring around a proud mother’s (partisanship toward the team in rvhich her son was playing. She “barracked” vociferously for her side, but despite her vocal en-r couragement it steadily lost ground, until at last its defeat was assured. Then she adppted new tactics. “After all,” she remarked, “what can you expect? Look at the difference in the size of the players! Just look, for instance, at that great hulking brute in the while jersey!” “That, my dear,” explained her patient friend, “is the referee!”

Although bearing the battered appearance of a life of hard usage, and enclosed in a case gradually crumbling to pieces with old age,’there is a grandfather clock in Timaru which to-day is declared to be just as reliable a chronometer as it was when it was made over 200 years ago: It was purchased recently iii an auction room for a “mere song” by a resident of Timaru. The clock stands a good five feet in height, and was once enclosed in a handsome case of oak, though this is now fast falling to pieces. In fact, only the shell remains. The dial is beaten out of solid brass, and there is only one hand to indicate both hours and minutes, the dial being specialy subdivided for the purpose. The great age of the cdock is obvious from the fact that the weights are suspended by cords — which, by the way, also show signs of wear- —instead of by chains, as has been the practice in recent years.

British naval genius has never beeit more justly and tersely described than in a sentence by a German Statesman, Dr. von Bethmann-Jlollweg, who recently wrote: “To believe that the submarine campaign would have been successful if it had been begun earlier, is to under-value British tenacity and knowledge of sea warfare. ” The last six words of the sentence were well chosen (says-the Times Naval correspondent) ; they describe in a collective phrase all the component forces of the great exertion at sea —-the unbreakable courage of our seamen, their unrivalled skill in handling their ships, their power of improvisation, their patience in suffering; the knowledge of our shipbuilders, and the quality of our ships. It was these human qualities, and the things that they create, which gained the victory and made it complete.

The Health Inspector’s (Mr J. W. Huggins’) report to the Horowhenua County Council on Saturday stated that five cases of infectious disease had been investigated in the district during July, these being four of scarlet fever and one of infantile paralysis. Thirtyfive sanitary inspections were made and 12 requisitions served, the latter referring to habitations. The inspections were as follows:—Habitations 25, food-sellers’ premises 6, plumbing and drainage 4. Two samples of butter were taken, with satisfactory results. Inspection of the Public Works settlement at Mangaore had been made with Public Works* engineers, and arrangements had been made to greatly improve conditions at the temporary houses. Investigations into the general health of the Maoris, ( and solie special.,inquiries-.had been made. It would appear that scarlet fever was now definitely on the wane.

: A party of 50, comprising members of the Tararua Tramping Club, visitors from various parts of both Islands, and tourists from .uondoo,, Scotland and South America, camped at the Tongariro National Park during the week-end, the particular attraction being the winter sports vyhieh are being held on Mt. Ruapehu. Mr W. Peters, of Levin* a member of the Waiopehu Club, was among the visitors, and he states that a very enjoyable and sociable time was spent by •all. On Saturday there was about six inches of snow on the huts at Whakapapa (2700 ft), but this soon disappeared. At 6000 ft, however, where the ski-ing takes place, snow was very plentiful. The ease with which the ascent can be made to the sports ground should make Ruapehu extremely popular with all classes of holidaymakers. The roading system is excellent, and cars can be driven the whole 14 miles from National Park station to the huts. From there upwards the tramping is a comparatively easy mat-' ter. An ascent to the summit (9008) was not practicable on Sunday, as a blizzard was raging on top- Both the New Zealanders and the oversea trampers wore delighted with their outing, and it seemed evident that, whatever may be the attraction! of the projected hostel, the huts will continue to be in demand because there are so many people to whom the experience of “roughing it’’ is still one of the essential attractions of a holiday Sjpent away from the busy haunts of civilisation. .... . ... (

.Very satisfactory prices ruled, at this week’s opossum skin sales in Wellington. Messrs Dalgety And Co;, report having, topped the market for super blues and super greys. For an attractive lot of super blues they secured 22s 6d, and for super greys 20s. Other grades sold remarkably well.

“It is 48 years this year since I started farming at Kaupokonui,” said Mr W. T. Wells at the annual meeting of the Kaupokonui Dairy Company, “and I do not remember a season when everything-in farming looked so promising as to-day.” He added that he belonged to the first dairy company operating in the district, and he was the only one left to-day out of the original directors, managers and suppliers.

Nine years ago the Waipukurau Borough Council purchased a draught gelding for £4B, whilst a year later another draught mare was secured for £42. Owing to the council purchasing a motor truck, these two horses were sold this week at Waipukurau, each realising £3B. The stability of the market for this class of horse can be judged by the excellent price obtained after so many years of service, says the Napier Telegraph.

The annual report of the Department of Agriculture states that herdtesting last season covered returns from 170.150 cows, representing 13 per cent, of the dairy herds, and it is anticipated that the £BOOO subsidy for this work will increase the number of cows under systematic test to about 200,000 this season. Investigation .of farm economics by officers of the Fields Division will shortly enable a survey of over 200 dairy farms in the Waikato and Taranaki districts to be published.

At the meeting of the Horewhenua County Council Saturday, feeling reference was made by the chairman (Mr G. A. Monk), to the death of Mrs Whyte, wife of Cr.. Whyte. The chairman said that their sympathies would go out to Cr. Whyte and family in the bereavement they had sustained. The councillors could feel’ very much for anybody who had suffered such a loss, and particularly for Cr. Whyte, whom they had known so well for many years. A motion of condolence was passed, the councillors standing in silence.

Although one may be a member of the Police Force, that does not put him beyond the rShch of the law’s long arm (says the Stratford Post), and so when Sergt. Rowell’s chimney caught fire, that officer’s sense of duty made it incumbent upon him to take proceedings against himself, in which action presumably he acted as prosecutor and defendant. He was able to plead that he was a first offender, and as a result was able to save 8s out of the guinea which he anticipated his lawless chimney’s outburst would cost him. The Sergeant possesses a sense of humour too, this being evidenced by the fact that he forwarded the 8s in question to the Superintendent of the Fire /Brigade for the Brigade’s funds.

Owing to the high prices obtained for fat cattle ,at the Burnside and other Otago and Southland markets for some time past, two leading butchery firms operating in Dunedin recently made inquiries in the North Island with the object of securing additional supplies (states the Otago Times). The inquiries proved satisfactory, as last week the two firms purchased a line of high-grade cattle north of Wellington. The animals were killed and dressed at the Wellington freezing works. The first consignment of beef reached Dunedin on Saturday morning by thle express goods train, and were sold to the public 36 hours after the animals were killed. If the meat reaches the local market in good order, the two firms will continue to purchase ox beef on the hoof in the North Island, to be killed and dressed and forwarded with as little delay as possible..