HERE AND THERE IN NEW ZEALAND

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 321, 31 December 1936, Page 3

HERE AND THERE IN NEW ZEALAND

GLEANINGS OF DOMINION NEWS.

Long-distance Call. A telephone call was put in to Scotland by a. guest at the Wanaka Hotel on Boxing Day, and after sonie delay the 1 circuit was made, and the visitor was able to speak with his relatives at Home. A Plan That Missed A Christchurch family' whose welllaid plans for the Christmas holidays have gone “agley,” will spend the festive season in a Christchurch flat having let. their Own home. A cottage at one of the Dunedin bc-a< lies, which they were to have occupied,

was given up on account of the infantile paralysis scare. Frantic attempts to get a. small house in a heavier locality having proved unavailable, they have left thdlir own comfortable home and spent Christ- ! mas in a flat in the city. ! Canine Education. Perhaps only a city' dog could interpret traffic signals as did one at Christchurch. At a busy hour in the afternoon, the dog, a black spaniel, which was trotting along Cashel Street, halted and waited patiently at Colombo Street while the red light was displayed. Then, as soon as the green showed, without even a glance to see whether or not the crowd was crosssing, he trotted unconcernedly I on his way. Apparently he was not guided by the actions of the people present as he stood well ahead of all pedestrians, seemingly’ paying no heed to them. Touring In New Zealand. With the experience of tourist , travel in Eun&ptfin countries, t wo! visitors to Christchurch, Flight Lieutenants W. H. GaiThg and C. D. Cindy, of the Royal Australian Air Force, who are now on a visit to New Zealand, spoke very highly of the -attractions of the Dominion as a tourist resort. Though they had not yet travelled very extensively, they were able to pay' a high tribute to Netw Zealand roads, which they said they had been told in Australia were not very satisfactory. On the contrary, they had found them very good, and some were excellent. The arrangements for travellers in Europe, said Mr Garing, were very thorough, but New Zealand had good hotels and I fine scenery', and he considered that a. body such as the South Island | Travel Association could do much to I further the attractions of the coun-1 try for visitors. j

Southland Timber In Demand.

“I was pleased to learn that the State Forest. Service in Southland was doing such excellent work,” said Mr. W. M. C. Denham, the member for Invercargill, in a recent address. ‘‘The service is supplying timber for fruit cases to local mills, and just lately there were 19 trucks of timber for (banana cases for export to Samoa on one train. The Forestry Department could supply 3,0ut),000 feet, rising 'to 10,000,000 annually, and continue the supply of timber indefinitely',” Mr. Denham said he saw a great future for the timber industry in Southland, and paid a tribute to the highly efficient work done by the conservator of forests (Mr. N. J. Dolamore). He remarked that he was pleased with the spirit of co-op-eration existing between the employers of the department and the officers. He also spoke of the value of the work done by the men, who were rendering a valuable service to the nation, and assured them that the Government was determined to give its employees every incentive to work by) seeding that they had'the best of wages and conditions.

Spanish War Incident. The new Shaw, Savill and Albion liner Arawa, which is to replace, the lonic on the England-New Zealand run, was involved in an exciting Spanish War incident in September, when ishe was on her tinal cruise prior to being remodelled. An officer on the new Esperance Bay, stated that (he crews of two cruisers lying at anchor in Lisbon harbour mutinied, and, taking charge, attempted to run the cruisers out of the port to join the Spanish moveauenlt. The fort guards, however, opened fire and prevented escape. A stray shell struck the aft awning of the Esperance Bay on the port side and damaged portion of the mast. There were 600 tourists on board just preparing for breakfast when the firing started, and though some were alarmed, others were thrilled, and what, could have been a very awkward situation for English visitors was soon forgotten.

A Policy Of Spending. The Government did not want people who received increased wages to place them in a bank; the surplus money should be spent, said Mr. W. M. C. Denham, Labour M.P. for Invercargill, in an address to the Southland Storemen’s Union. Money should not be invested; it was the mechanism which caused the wheels of industry to revolve and should be kept in circulation. When people became too old to work they need not run to the bank. There will be 'a superannuation scheme to provide for them. Mr Denham also said that wealth must be distributed and indicated that the 'Taxation pincers might soon be put in a bit deeper.”

“Half-Educated Youth.” ■ i “I have always understood' that it |is one of the planks of a socialist • government that all must have the I opportunity’ of getting a complete j education,” said Mr. J. N. Peart, i headmaster of King’s College, AuckI land, in his annual report. “How I can a boy get a complete education ! if he leaves at 15 or 16 years of age? There is no doubt that many hundreds of boys have left school a year or two earlier than they originally intended because the basic wage at 21 has made employers refuse to take boy’s of 18 or even 17. One result is more unemployment, but what concerns me is the thought of all these half-educated youths going out into the world as products of our second- : ary schools.” ; Court Mannerisms. | Perhaps .more than any other (■sportsmen, tennis players show their feelings—delight with a good shot, disgust with a poor one. The .spectators at the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association's championships were often amused at these, little bursts of temperament. One leading player always tossed his racquet into the air and caught it again when he muffed a shot, while another provincial representitive, in similar circumstances, addressed himself earnestly' and apparently in no very complimentary terms. A third glared fiercely at his racquet and even at the balls, while still another prowled behind the baseline for a moment or two as if to walk off his emotion.

Fire Threatens Bush. ; The dropping of a cigarette butt is ! believed to have been the cause of a j scrub fire which occurred on the l Ohope Road, Whakatane, which j spread and endangered house# and • trees. It was also feared that the I fire would sweep through the bush- I clad gullies on the opposite side' of j the road, but a prompt, warning was i given, and the greater portion of the ! Whakatane fire brigade went out. I Borough workmen were also prompt- j ly organised and wca-e brought into ) action with county workers. The j combined forces of helpers got the i fire under control, and the beautiful j bush, of which the district is proud, j was saved from destruction. Half a | dozen firemen were kept on patrol the following night, but heavy rainfall removed all danger.