HERE AND THERE IN NEW ZEALAND

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 325, 5 January 1937, Page 3

HERE AND THERE IN NEW ZEALAND

GLEANINGS OF DOMINION NEWS.

Lucky Escape. Some motorists’ on the main road near Kaikoura had a very fortunate escape from serious injury and possible death when their car slipped over a steep bank. A branch of a tree growing in the bank penetrated the hood of the car and brought the vehicle to rest without any injury to the occupants. Lf the car had not caught in the tree it would have been dashed to pieces on the rocks below. The accident occurred when the driver was trying to pass another car towing a trailer. Fireblight. Apple orchards in the Auckland district have recently suffered severely from the first outbreak of for several seasons. Because of the attack, the crop available in the district for market may be considerably reduced. The main damage has been to the fruit spurs by blossom infection, thus reducing the crop. The disease has also attacked, the young shoots and laterals, causing to die back six to 18 inches. This is especially noticeable on those trees which were worked over with fresh varieties during the last two seasons. The old Delicious trees are practically untouched, but Doughertys have suffered severely. The significant feature of the outbreak is the damage being caused to young trees, their succulent wood falling an easy victim to the disease. The harder wood of the older trees makes them kiss susceptible to attack. Working Girls. That she preferred the working conditions for girls in New Zealand to those existing in Scotland was the comment of Miss E. Downs, of Lanarkshire, Scotland, when visiting Palmerston North. Miss Downs said that In Scotland the hours were long and the remuneration small, compared with the shorter hours and bigger wages in New Zealand. Domestic workers in Scotland, who worked right through the week from Monday to Su’nday, often from 6 a.m. until late at night, were given only a half-holiday a week, and were fortunate if they had two hours free during the day. However, added Miss Downs, prices were much higher in New Zealand, and she thought that £1 in Scotland would go as far as 30/- here.

Best-laid Plans. A Christchurch family whose welllaid plans for the Christmas holidays have, gone “agloy,'' will spimd tiro festive season in a Christchurch flat, having let their own home. A cottage at one of the. Dunedin beaches, which they were to have occupied, was given nip on. account of the infantile paralysis scare. Frantic attempts to get a small house in another locality having proved unavailing, they will leave their own comfortable home to spend the holidays. in a flat in the city. Missionary School. Between. 50 and 60 visitors have arrived in, Napier in the course of the last two days and will attend the first Church Missionary Society summer school, which was opened at the Hukarere School last evening. A welcome on behalf of the diocese was given by ;the Bishop of Waiapu, the Rt. Rev. Herbert, Williams. At all meetings, which will be presided over by the Bishop oT Nelson, groups will study the world aspect of the missions as influenced by the national outlook of the past two or three years. Addresses on the China, India and Nqw Zealand Maori missions will be given by missioners, and on Sunday evening the Bishop of Nelson will deliver an address. Cricket Oddity. An uhusual dismissal of a batsman was witnessed in the junior representative cricket match between ■ Auckland and Wellington at Auck- ! land. The batsman played at a fast ; delivery which appeared to clear -the | stumps, but there was a concerted i appeal from several of the fieldsmen. I The umpire at the bowler’s end ! seemed to be in some doubt, but after walking down the pitch and inspecting the batsmen’s. stumps, he raised his hand in the signal of dismissal. The ball, in passing the stumps, had evidently just grazed one of the bails, which, although it still rested on the top of the stump, had been disturbed from its original position in the groove.

Maori Centenarians. Two Maoris, a man and a woman, each, of whom was over 100 years old, have died recently in the Auckland province. They were older than Auckland itself. Believed to have been 110 years old, Marumaru Tawahana died recently at Tangirau, a Maori village four miles from Ngaruawahia. He was a close relative of Tawhiao, the second Maori King. In is youth he took part in the intertribal wars of the Maoris, and he also fought against the British forces in the Waikato war. The second death, which occurred at Whitiroa, a Maori settlement near Waihi, was that of a widow, Marne Kereopa, at the great age of 107 years and 11 (months. Mrs Kereopa was well-known throughout the North Island. She had been confined to bed during the last 10 months.

Long-distance Telephone The -pleasure of speaking ito a brother in London whom he has not seen for 30 years was enjoyed by Mr W. J. Rogers, Mayor of AVaniganui, recently, when, he called his brother, Mr John Rogers, who is general manager of the English Eleo trie Company, on the radio telephone. The call‘was put through at 9.45 p.m., and the reception was so clear that the Mayor was able to recognise his brother’s voice. The Mayor praised the courtesy of the toll and radio operators who put the call and said that the call was the greatest thrill of his life. Road Danger. “You will never stop accidents until you teach people how to drive,” remarked Mr A. Neale, a service motor driver of 17 years’ experience, in commenting in Wellington upon the number of accidents which had occurred upon the roads at Christmas. “I have been on the road as a service car driver almost daily for the last 17 years, and I , can speak with some, experience. The chief cause of motor accidents is that the granting of licenses is made too easy, and many people have never bean, taught properly how to drive. The object of the motor salesman is to get rid of his pupil at the earliest possible moment, in order that, he can instruct more waiting patrons.’ Many cars, Mr Neale continued, are bought just before the holidays. | The buyers take a few lessons, and then cram the new car with members of the family, with a heavy load of luggage at the back, and oft they go along the highways. The heavy load at the back of the car makes the steering light, and the inexiperienced driver is too often hampered by having two persons with him in the front seat, which makes it almost impossible for him to get at the emergency brake should be have occasion to use it.