LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 June 1938, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Kaiapoi Seat. Mr G. C. Warren Darfield, former president of the Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, has been selected as National Party candidate for the Kaiapoi seat, subject to confirmation by the National Council. Memorial Not Favoured.

The Wanganui Health Camp Committee is not altogether in favour of the proposal to erect a national memorial to Dr Ada Paterson, who is described as the founder of health camps in New Zealand. The secretary of the committee, Mr A. R. Donaldson, said it was intended to bring the subject'before the next meeting of the committee. It was claimed that Dr Paterson was not the founder of the health camp movement; camps were first started in Wanganui by Dr Elizabeth Gunn, although her work was at times overlooked. If a memorial was to be erected to the memory of Dr Paterson it was not correct that it should be claimed that she was the founder of the camps, and it was only right that Wanganui’s part as founder of the first camp should be recognised. Pictures were available of the first camp, showing Dr Gunn with the children.

Potato Picking Record. A record for picking potatoes in one sample behind a digger is claimed for Mr Cyril O’Connor, of Rakaia, whose tally was 84 sacks in seven and a half hours in a crop which averaged nine tons to the acre on the farm of Mr J. Gimson, Mitcham. The tally was checked by the owner and the owner of the digger, Mr W. A. McPhail, Mitcham. Two years ago Mr O’Connor put up the good performance of digging and picking 50 sacks of potatoes in one day.

Interest in Politics. “I do not remember in all the time I have been in the House of Representatives seeing so much interest taken in politics as is being taken at the present time,” said the Rt Hon G. W. Forbes, M.P.. National candidate for Hurunui, at a political address at Woodend (Canterbury). Mr Forbes emphasised how vital was the concern shown by people in the outcome of the existing political situation. Usually when one visited a farmer the subject for discussion was farming; now it was a new story. Farmers seemed to have forgotten about farming as the leading topic, and politics has taken its place. Everyone was asking about the political future of New Zealand.

In Aid of Flood Relief Fund.

A handsomely-dressed doll has been donated by a lady resident of Masterton in aid of the Hawke’s Bay floods relief fund. The doll is now on exhibition in the shop window of Messrs Hendry and Dickson, Queen Street. The doll is beautifully dressed and should be much valued by the lucky winner. Bird Show Successes.

Mr H. P. Ahrens, of Pahiatua, and formerly of Masterton, at the New Plymouth Bird Show secured the following prizes:—Runner-up to champion budgerigar of the show; best hen in the show; six firsts, one second and two thirds. At the Wellington Bird Show he was also successful, gaining the prize for the best pair of budgerigars in the show, and six firsts, two seconds and three thirds.

Savings Bank Interest. As there are 920,805 accounts in the Post Office Savings Bank, the great majority of New Zealanders will be interested in the task which the officials have now completed of computing and adding to the credit of every depositor the interest earned for the year ended March 31 last. The grand total amounts to the impressive sum of £1,669,383, and this will be thoroughly well distributed through the community, because 91 per cent of the accounts do not exceed £2OO. Private Bars.

“I have noticed that some of the hotel bars in New Zealand are called private,” said Mr M. L. Sweeney, of Vancouver, when pointing out some differences of cities in Canada and New Zealand at the weekly luncheon of the Christchurch Rotary Club. “This appears to me to be just as ambiguous as the public schools in England; because everyone knows that the public schools are private schools, and I found that the private bars are really public bars,” he said. “I was a bit diffident about going into them without an invitation,” he added, amid laughter. Women Waterside Workers.

Wellington can claim to have the only two women waterside workers in New Zealand. Two typists in the employ of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Federation, of which Mr James Roberts, president of the New Zealand Labour Party, is secretary, come under the provisions of the waterside workers’ award, exemption from the Wellington clerical workers’ award having been obtained for themunder the pecuniary gain clause. It is understood that in other centres females so employed are bound by the clerical workers’ award. Offer of Opera House.

A suggestion was made by Mr H. H. Daniell last night that the Trust Lands Trust should offer the use of the Opera House to the town for the purposes of civic receptions and other similar functions. He stated that the public could be accommodated much more comfortably in the Opera House than in the Municipal Hall, while the acoustics were much better. Trustees considered the suggestion an excellent one, and 5t was decided to act upon it, conditional on the Trust not being incurred in any expenditure for its use on occasions of that kind.

Transport of Goods. “This is one of the licences we have been renewing from year to year,” observed Mr P. Skoglund, No. 2 Transport Licencing Authority yesterday, referring to an application for the renewal of a goods service licence covering a service that might be acquired by the Government. “Nothing has been done in the Wairarapa district yet, but I hope there will be presently,” he added. Stating that the licence would be granted till May 31, 1939, Mr Skoglund said: “All licences will fall due then for renewal, and we ought to know better where we stand in twelve months’ time.”

Population Problem. A resolution urging, as a matter of immediate and vital importance, that the Government be asked to set up a Royal Commission of experts or similar non-party body to make a longrange survey and to formulate schemes regarding both the encouragement of larger families and the adoption of migration on a substantial scale, was adopted at the meeting of the Wellington 22 Club, following an address by the chairman of the Dominion Seb tlement Association, Mr A. Leigh Hunt. There was a vital need for the awakening of a national consciousness on the subject of planned migration, said Mr Hunt. Some indication of the apathy of the people could be found in the fact that at the last Imperial Conference the question of migration was not even discussed.

Helium Gas?

The possibility that helium gas has been found on the West Coast is arousing much speculation at Ross, where steps are being taken by the supervisor of a Government department to take samples, which will be sent to the Government analyst at Wellington. The new gas is odourless, tasteless 1 and non-combustible, qualities which are possessed by'helium. No means have yet been taken to test its lightness. Mr John Murdoch, exMayor of Ross, says that the gas was found by Mr William Wright, who lives about 15 miles out of Ross, in rough back country. He was sinking a shaft when he found an odourless natural gas flowing out of the shaft. He mentioned it to Mr Murdoch, and they came to the conclusion that it might be helium. At the point of issue the gas hisses out strongly. Carbon dioxide is also a gas with no smell and is non-combustible, while deoxygenated air, often found in mine shafts, is another odourless, colourless gas. “Stubborn Stella” Again. “Stubborn Stella” is fast qualifying as the most unenthusiastic member of the cast of “Rio Rita,” the production shortly to be presented in Napier. Everything seems to be a trouble to Stella; and, although she has graced the company’s rehearsals with almost model behaviour, at other times she has proved as temperamental as a prima donna. One incident in which Stella was involved developed into a triumph of tact and tactics for several of her fellow-players. Stella’s presence was desired inside Bate and Bell’s building for rehearsal; Stella, however, was outside and seemed inclined to resent any effort to do anything about it. So several willing hands took a firm hold on the rope hitched round the donkey’s neck and endeavoured to induce her by brute force to mount a ramp and thus enter the building. Stella dug her toes in, and, with her front legs planted firmly in front of her, refused to be budged an inch, even managing _ to gain ground in the opposite direction. Then someone had a bright idea. The donkey was turned about, with her head facing away from the building, and the tugging was resumed. With each tug Stella took the strain, slipped into reverse gear, and backed a few inches up the ramp. Several tugs served the purpose, and Stella was inside, ready for rehearsal.