GENERAL NEWS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 10 April 1926, Page 8

GENERAL NEWS.

Three swans were liberated on the ornamental waters in the Timaru Park yesterday, the birds having been brought from the Mackenzie Country b.v Mr .J. S. Main (ranger to the South Canterbury Acclimatisation Society).

The ranger to the South Canterbury Acclimatisation Society has just returned from Luke Alexaiidrina, whore he and others were engaged for some days cleaning out Scott’s Creek, in order to give the fish a free run between the lake and the creek.

"While some deer stalkers from this district have already returned, others arc now preparing to leave for the deer forests. Tlie stalking is said to be providing only moderate sport this year, very few good heads being obtained.

A proposal is afoot to transfer the Toheroa canning factory to Waipapakauri. The chief disability of this work in the past has been that toherflas con'd only be canned in winter. To overcome this difficulty it has been decided to Can meat (which means that the valuable by-product of blood and hone manure will be made available to tire north) and also peas, which grow very well on gum land. Jf this project materialises it will considerably lin'p settlers in tlie far north over the present- crisis in the kauri gum trade.

- Tile committee o£ the Timaru A. and P. Association decided yesterday to take action in the matter of forming a Herd Testing Association in South Canterbury, and have set up a committee to confer with the Jersey Cattle Club on the subject.

In connection with the recent dastardly attempts to wreck trains near Palmerston North, the "Wanganui District Traffic Manager’s office is controlling nine gangs of railwaymen, who are patrolling the tracks on the Napier and Wellington lines for many miles. Each gang consists of four men, each man covering one mile of track before the arrival of all night trains. As a further precaution, all grids or beams 6n all cattlcstops in the vicinity have been wired down and made secure with staples.

The resourcefulness of the Maori was illustrated in a rather humorous manner at Taumurunui the other day. Having iiad tyre trouble, which affected both his temper and liis purse, the Maori decided to be free from both in future. Hastening to a disused sawmill he obtained four trolley wheels, and affixed them to his Ford in place of the ordinary rubber-tyred- wheels. He now rides, if not in comfort, at any rate, in the'assurance ihat He will not be troubled with punctures or blowouts. "What his passengers say we do not know. He at ’ any rate looks supremely happy as he drives Ins contraption along.

The secretary to the South Canterbury Executive of the Farmers’ Union (Mr A. L. Thoreau) is in receipt of a letter from the Department of Industries and Commerce, in reply to a request- from the Union. , The letter states that in regard to*-the ..price of importations of Australian wheat and flour it will be possible for J>l ,u Department to advise the Union eaicli week as to the approximate value of Australian wheat f.0.b., and similarly ;ts to the price of flour, bran and pollaftd. The Department could also let the .Union know, each month, the quantity or flour, wheat, bran and pollard imported into the Dominion.

A traveller returned from Honoluk'i tells of the practical application oh civics as now universally taught in theschools. They have there gone a step beyond the instructions given to New Zealand children with regard to behaviour in traffic. AVhereas our youngsters arc taught the negative principles of ’ avoidance and viligauce, the Honolulu kiddies have emphasised the positive virtues of control. Outside every public school in the recess hours, two schoolboys are placed on duty as traffic controllers and their “stop-go signals are obeyed by the thronging motorists, the proportion of which m Honolulu is one to every five of the •population. Alert and decisive, these little ' traffic, inspectors are ' far more efficient than painted signposts in protecting the crowded approaches to the public schools, and, needless to say, the’ boys chosen for duty appreciate experiences, in . the realm of practical civics. „

A child’s screams and a loud chattering caused visitors at the Auckland Zoo to hurry to one of the cages, where it was found that a small girl of about two years, whose curiosity had taken her too near to the wiring, liad one of her hands "Tabbed by monkey. The animal had .snatched up a brightly coloured woollen cap which the child liad been holding, And all the other occupants of the ccg»e had swung down from the boughs ana benches to watch the proceedings. time was lost in maknm the monk A. release its hold, and the small giiD much frightened by her experience, was attended to by one' of. the zoo officials, her hand having been rathei badly scratched. Within the cage the monkey which liad caused the trouble wore an air of victory, being JteteKU} high up on a bench with the enild @ cap pulled half-way over its head.

As the 4.20 express for Christchurch was pulling out yesterday afternoon a very agitated young man, heavily laden with luggage and other impedimenta, dashed on td the platform and set off in pursuit of the departing train. His dash down the" platform was,followed with considerable interest by the- onlookers, and from the opinions freely offered it appeared that odds were very decidedly on the* train. Displacing a very fair turn of speed, the young man commenced to overhaul the train, notwithstanding the efforts of a railway official, who, barring the path of the would-be passenger, crouched low in the true Rugby style, evidently with the laudable intention of preventing him from risking life and limb lhe athletic gent’eman was not lightly turned aside, and with a swerve that would have done credit to an All Black three-quarter, avoided the tackle, and drawing level with the van threw l* 111 *" self, baggage and all, on the platform of the car. As the train disappeared over the crossing, a. tired but very satisfied young man could be seen recuperating from what was undoubtedly a very creditable if hazardous performance.

A meeting of the Timaru avid Levels branches of the South Canterbury Patriotic War Relief Society was held in the secretary’s office on Wednesday evening. Correspondence from the Manawatu and Canterbury Patriotic Societies with reference to the proposed conference of Patriotic Societies was read and discussed. It was left to the delegates to act as they thought fit. Reports of the payments made during the month were discussed and adopted. Fifteen applications for assistance were considered. An application for an advanco of £l5O on second mortgage to a disabled man was approved. An application from a fit man for a loan ot £ll2 was declined, and another for rebate of interest on loan were held over! A grant of £3 per week to a disabled man with a wife and three children, and of £2 per week to a married man, were approved for a month. Payment of £5 out of gratuity money held on account of an orphan for clothing was approved. An application from a widow for temporary assistance was met with a grant of 10s per _week. Ap■p'ications for a loan of £25, maternity grant £3, and sustenance were declined for various reasons. Temporary assistance of 10s, ss, and £3 was granted in three eases.

Several new and interesting features in coifing requisites are now on the market. One of these—the patent “Mit-Grip” crepe rubber glove^ —fills a long-felt want among golfers. England, Mcßae, Ltd. sell “Mit-Grips” at 7s 6d per pair. Then there is the “Winall” go'f hug attachment-, a leather fitting with holes to keep wooden clubs apart from iron clubs and save them from damage. These sell at 2s for the 2liolc and 2s fid for the 3-fiolo attachments. Ysirdon putting discs for home practice, Mlcddy” wooden tee pins, Clincher rubber tees, and wool balls for practice, as well as all standard golf equipment, may he procured from England, Mcllae, Ltd., the “Golf Goods Centre’’ for South Canterbury. ...

A committee meeting of the Fairlie Plunket Society wa3 hold in the Rest on April 7th. Present: Mesdamos Brice (in the chair), Pickering, Richards, Douglas, Bourn, Martin, Nurse Johnstone, and the secretary (Mrs Webb). Apologies were received from Mesdames Bray, Hammond. Wilcox and Talbot. The nurse reported that during March o>3 adults and 53 babies visited the room. At A’lbury and Mt. Nessing C mothers jfjid S babies were seen, and 23 visits were paid to homes. The secretary reported that Mr and Mrs S. P. Bray were holding a dance at Sherwood, in aid of building funds. It.was decided to hold (he annual meeting on April 27 th.

What becomes of tho whale oil from the captures in the Ross Sea and other Polar waters? Much of it goes to America, and it is said that a considerable proportion is purchased for the making of margarine. As the oil goes away from New' Zealand it'is in three grades, so that much of tho elementary refining is already done; and no foed base could have a cleaner origin than tho Polar Circle, where noxious germs are at a minimum.

Deer are very plentiful. in the- Rainbow district, Nelson province. During eight days’ shooting extending over Easter, Messrs 11. D. and D. Harman, of Brightwater, shot 222. Included were five nine-painters. The biggest 'bag in ono day was 32. On one occasion twelve deer were seen in one bunch, and the whole dozen were brought down.

“Your country is wonderful,” said Dr. McEachern (America), in reply to •a question as to what were his impression.s. “There is so much to be seen in a comparatively small space, and I am very pleased to say that I have been delighted with my experience. You have all treated me so well that 1 have really felt as though I were at home. This has -made the time go extraordinarily quickly. I am now sparring for time to get my ivork completed.” Dr. MacEachern will leave the Dominion on April 13,

On his last visit to South Canterbury, the Prime Minister promised Mr T. D. Burnett that he would send the Public Works District Engineer (Mr Langbein) to examine l the site for the proposed bridge over the Tengawai River, opposite Sutherlands. Mr Langbeiri accordingly came down and inspected this site, but is unable to offer any solution to the problem of getting sebool children across the river at a very limited expense. Ho considers that the estimated cost of the lightest structure would be £3OOO or thereabouts. Mr Burnett docs not favour such a large outlay when the need for national and private economy is at the present moment paramount.