GENERAL NEWS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 270, 11 May 1912, Page 2 (Supplement)

GENERAL NEWS

One hundred ami seven men, representing the iirst contingent of skilled artisans sent from England to Victoria, found employment within three hours of their arrival in Melbourne. There is,a boom in onions in Dunndin, the wholesale price being ,110 10s per ton. There is a big demand from Sydney, and tons of onions are being shipped to that port from Canterbury. At this time last year the price was only a little more than half of the present rate. A master mariner explained to a Westport Times reporter that a "black iceberg" (such as the Titanic is stated to have struck) is a berg of watery color. Many icebergs are snow white and are readily picked up at night, but the "black" ones are treacherously invisible, even on a clear night when within danger range. The East Coast Maoris are giving signs of a continuance of the progressive spirit which led to their undertaking sheep-farming. A number of these stations are distributed along the coast, and a movement is now on foot to establish, in conjunction with them, a cooperative store to supply their needs as regards station requisites and other articles. A visitation from the blight was responsible for a heavy loss to a leading seed-grower in the Lower Waikato this season. The scourge made its appearance on a fine lot of tomato plants, up- ! wards of 12,000 in number, and despite continued spraying its progress was not arrested, and the whole crop, which was of a special variety, and intended for seed, was blackened and destroyed without any of the fruit or sec I having attained maturity. As a result of the visit to Hastings of j | Mr. .J. E. Bosken, of Buenos Ayres, for the purpose of buying apples, the , Hawke's Bay Fruitgrowers' Association will ship 500 cases of apples by the Remucra, leaving Wellington on May 14. The fruit will be packed and graded in the company's shed under the supervision of the Government officer. This is a sample shipment, and it is probable that there will be a large export to the same market next season. A gift for repartee is an invaluable weapon in the armory of* the political orator when missiles are Hying about. Some years ago a meeting was held in a West Coast constituency which was largely attended by men on the other side. One of the "arguments" addressed to the candidate took the form of a particularly large cabbage. It missed its • aim, however, as the speaker contrived to "field" it, and holding it up to the crowd, exclaimed, "One of our political ' opponents appears to have lost his i head." A plea for quiet Sundays was made by Archbishop Wright, of Sydney, last week. He said: "Why is it that I deprecate motoring Sundays, tennis Sundays, and 5 dinner party Sundays? It is no unthinking, unsympathetic Puritanism that j does not want people to enjoy them- ' selves. I grudge you no harmless em- j ployment, taken in the right way, re- • membering that you have souls, and so have others. But Ido not want you to cheat yourselves. The quiet Sunday is the one great antidote to the world's chatter that so often makes us deaf to the truth." One hundred aeroplanes and two airships will take place this autumn in the j giand manoeuvres of the French Army I which are to he held in the district of Orleans. Enthusiasm for airmanship continues, and the "Aviation Fund" mounts steadily. To-day the list stands at £56,000, or enough money for 90 aeroplanes for the army. Last month two army lieutenants named De Malherbe and De Montyon were invited by some English friends to play golf at 1 Pau. They flew to the links, played a I round, had tea, and flew away again. I