HERE AND THERE IN NEW ZEALAND

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 326, 6 January 1937, Page 3

HERE AND THERE IN NEW ZEALAND

GLEANINGS OF DOMINION NEWS.

Southern Progress. ! A Press Association message states I that the year 1936 has been a record j one for building in Invercargill. The total value of permits issued during the year was £231,255, an increase of £34,000 on the record, that for 1935. A Thousand Cars. About 500 American motor-cars arrived at Auckland from New York .in the Ciilt-jK of Manchester. Many J were carried on deck. The vessel | berthed at -Queen’s wharf on the I opposite side to the Huntingdon, ! which arrived from Liverpool with I more than 500 English motor-cars a I little earlier. The vehicles are for I distribution at the main ports of the I Dominion. .. Another Sufferer. The year 1936 Will go down in Christchurch as the wettest for more than 30 years. The observatory rej cords show the s rainfall to have been 35.95 inches. Not since the observatory was- established there in. 1902, has a wetter year been experienced. The year 1909 provides the nearest comparison, when -the rainfall was 35.28 inches. Last year’s figure was 22.07 inches. Holiday Climbing. Ascents of several peaks in the Mount Cbok area have been made recently by Miss Kate Gardiner, an English climber, who is staying at The Hermitage for the climbing season. In company with Guide (F. Alack and Guide V. Williams, Miss Gardiner cli-nibed the south peak of Mount. Cook, but an attempt on La Pesouse was unsuccessful, because of unfavourable weather. Miss-Gard-iner hopes later in the -season to climb Mount Aspiring, near Wanaka, and Mount Tutoko, near Milford Sound. Pending favourable weather for an attempt on Mount Cook, several climbs have been made by Mr H. K. Douglas, the- Wellington mountaineer. The mountains climbed were Mounts Elie de Beaumont, Walter, Green, and The Minarets.

Greymouth Rainfall. During the month of December, 1,183 (points of rain fell at Greymouth, on a total of 18 days, the maximum fall for any one day being 210 points, on December 22. The rainfall in December, 1935 was only 436 points, the maximum fall for any one day being 102 points on December 29. In December, 1934, only 95 points of rain fell, the lowest rainfall for the month on record. In the last quarter there were 61 wet days, the total rainfall for the three months, being 32.06 inches, the maximum fall for any one day being 217 points, on October 31. In 1936, there were 205 wet days 4n Greymouth, with a total fall of 96.12 inches, compared with 174 wet days (91.47 inches), in 1935 and 145 wet days (83.11 inches) in 1934. Placement Achievement. Physically disabled as the result of infantile paralysis, which had crippled -both legs, a young man of 25 years of age enrolled- with the Placement Service with a view to Securing employlment as an accountant. His case was taken uip, and he is now employed with a large importing firm at £6 per week. The case of an advertising display manager wiho has had overseas experience came under the notice of the State Placement Service recently. After a systematic search, the Service located a possible opening with a city drapery firm, and to-day this man, who was on the unemployed list for some months, is in a permanent position at £lO per week.

Race Dividends. With 56 races decided during the .Christmas and New Year racing and trotting carnival in Auckland, it was only to be expected' that at least one or two substantial dividends would be declared during the seven days. The two biggest returns for an investment of £1 were returned at the Auckland Trotting Club's meeting, .when. Tru'e Trust won on the opening way and paid over three-quarters of a century, and. again When Our McKinney won on the third clay of the meeting and returned his stjp■porters over t.wo score. The best dividend returned at Ellerslie was when Legatee won on the concluding day and paid just over a score. The smallest return was made by: Cuddle, when she won the Clifford Plate on the final day at Ellerslie. Expectations Fulfilled. Preliminary reports from widely-' scattered parts of the Dominion indicate that the quality and volume of the new transmission from the new 2YA station at Titahi Bay are fulfilling expectations, said Professor., James Shelley, Director of Broaden sting, but. it will not be for some days, during which reports will be collated and analysed, that a considered comparison can be made between the old transmitter and the new. All that is

obvious at present is that the new station, despite a few minor defects that are rapidly being remedied, is an improvement on the old one. For the next month, said the professor, the staff would be kept very busy with experiments a.nd adjustments, and until the official opening towards th& end of January the programmes should be regarded as test transmissions.

Critic Of Mr. Sullivan. Criticism of the Hon G. Sullivan, Minister of Industries and Commerce, for his reply to the secretary of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association (Mr T. Hyde) was expressed by Mr H. C. Urlwin, a city manufacturer. In the course of his reply to a statement made previously by Mr Hyde, the Minister said there was not sufficient evidence that hardship had been imposed, on Ideal industry by overseas competition. Mr Urlwin declared that the Minister’s criticism was moist unfair. In his own case he had experienced the difficulties facing manufacturers, He had offered to find employment for 200 persons within two years if he was given encouragement in establishing the. bakelite industry and to that end had produced plenty of evidence. The full details- of the proposal had been given to officers of the Department o-f Industries and Commerce, but words were all that had been received in return and in spite of the information given to the department no advice had.’ been received that anything had been done. He suggested that the Government might take a tip from Mr Sullivan and give the people deeds and not words.