IN THE NEWS.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 456, 14 June 1937, Page 4

IN THE NEWS.

GOOD SKI-ING CONDITIONS. Good skiing was enjoyed on the eastern slopes of Mt. Egmont at the week-end. On Saturday the road from the Stratford plateau provided a good run to near the hostel. ECLIPSE SEEN FROM LINER. Passengers on the liner Monterey, which arrived at Auckland from San Francisco on Friday, had a good view of the eclipse of the sun which occurred last week. The eclipse -was seen the morning after the liner left Pago Pago for Auckland, and was clearly visible from the Monterey from sunrise onward for some hours. The phenomenon aroused considerable interest afnong pasengers.

N.Z. HEMP FOR CORDAGE. f T'he “Otago Daily Times” London ' correspondent, writing on May 11. ' 1 -ays that the British Admiralty continues to report satisfactorily on- the : suitability of New Zealand hemp for certain types of marine cordage, but, unfortunately, as a call for only SO ' tons could not be met, it is doubtful | 1 if any further demand will be made by the Admiralty until supplies “ are placed on a better basis. SCARCITY OF CARPENTERS. Work for 100 carpenters is offered 1 in the erection of dwellings in Wellington under the Government hous- ■ ing scheme, according to a statement j 1 made bv Mr J. A. Lee, Parliamentary 1 Undeb-Secretary in charge of Hous- : ing. in an interview with the “N.Z. 1 Herald” by telephone from Welling- 1 ton on Saturday. Inquiries subse- , nuently made in Auckland revealed .hat very few suitable men are ! ' available there to fill the positions. '

LOVE FOR A BANKER. > In the course of moving a vote of ■ thanks to the directorate at the Bank iof New Zealand annual meeting tn Wellington. Mr C. W. D. Bell ex.pressed regret that a responsible , member of the Government had seen fit to hold bankers up ridicule. He thought that deeply deplorable, al- ■ though a certain amount of chaff was good for bankers. He could think iof nothing more satisfactory than taking half a crown from a banker at golf after a refusal earlier in the week of an increase in overdraft. 1 . ' WHITEBAIT SEASON PROSPECTS. If the recent spell of fine weather Idcntinues better ’supplies of whitebait ■ than were obtained last year, when a ; very poor season was experienced, pre anticipated in Auckland when the season opens on July 1. states an

Auckland exchange. However, up to the present .only small quantities of the fish have been seen running in the rivers and streams of the Waikato district, where the main simply for Auckland is obtained. F : sh mewlmnts in Auckland stated that it would be at least,a week before any reliable indication of the prospects tor the coming season could be given NEW GUINEA IMPRESSIONS. A recent visitor to New Guinea by nir made some interesting comments on the conditions. According to him, the natives were well dressed with three beads and a bit of string. He was also struck by ,the centres of , European civilisation. They were distinct clearings in a country where the forest’ is thick and the growth is glorious. It seemed from the air th"t ieaeh centre was palisaded and well defended. Upon landing, he was told ( the reason, namely, that if a European ventured 50 yards outside the clearing he would risk losing his ' head, in a decapitated sense. The airman said he felt safer in The air.