LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 July 1938, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Missing Indian. Although the exhaustive search by 26 police officers continues, no trace has yet been found of the Indian store assistant, Dalu Desai, aged 42, who disappeared from the settlement of Taharoa on May 7. In addition to the combing of the sandhills and the dragging of the lake, a party has been detailed to search the country adjacent to the only road access to Taharoa Lake.

Lack of Playing Areas. “We speak of New Zealand as being a country of wide, open spaces, but we are miles behind other countries in playing areas,” said Mr J. W. Mawson, Town Planning Officer to the Department of Internal Affairs, when speaking at a conference with the Ashburton County Council. He said that very few towns in New Zealand could measure up to the standard of other countries. This was deplorable, but true.

Finding Work in Canterbury. Employmetn for nearly 1000 additional men has been found on public works in Canterbury in the last few weeks. The majority of these are engaged in improvement work to school properties in all parts of the Canterbury district. This is part of the Government’s plan for the absorption of unemployed, many of whom are released now from seasonal occupations, during the winter months. The wages of the majority of the men employed are being provided by the Unemployment Fund. In some cases local bodies are subsidising the men’s wages and supplying material, tools and supervision. Billiards and Snooker.

In billiards and snooker games played in the Y.M.C.A. Cup competition last night, St Patrick’s scored an easy win over Y.M.C.A. B. The details are as follows, St Patrick’s players being mentioned first in every case:—Billiards: J. Moynahan lost to F. Bodie; J. W. Curtin beat P. Watson; M. Rimene beat B. Bodie; F. Dwyer beat W. Reynolds; L. Rees beat S. Onion. Snooker: J. Moynahan beat F. Bodie; J. W. Curtin beat P. Watson; M. Rimene beat B. Bodie; F. Dwyer beat W. Reynolds; L. Rees beat S. Onion. On Thursday, Pioneers will play Post Office, and on the following Tuesday they will met Daniell’s.

Bidi-Bidi Control. Landholders in the northern King Country districts where bidi-bidi _is prevalent have been awaiting with interest any announcements concerning the control measures being adopted at the Cawthron Institute or by the Department of Agriculture. The latest information is from Sir Theodore Rigg, Director of the Cawthron Institute, Nelson. Sir Theodore states that work with the Chilean saw-fly is still in the experimental stage, and it is necessary to concentrate in one or two localities the small supplies of the saw-fly which come to hand, in order to determine whether this insect under field conditions is successful in controlling burr formation.

Calf Club Competition. Schools in the Pahiatua and Eketahuna districts are to take part in a calf-rearing competition under the control of the Tararua Boys’ and Girls’ Agricultural Clubs’ Association. Preliminary judging is to be carried out, at Pahiatua on November 28 and 29,’ and at Eketahuna on November 23, 24 and 25. Group judging will be held at Eketahuna on December 1, and at Pahiatua on December 8. The championship judging is to take place at Pahiatua on Thursday, December 8. The calves, which must be heifers born between August 1 and September 15, 1938, may be cross, grade or pedigree of any dairy breed, and will be judged both for rearing and handling and for dairy type. Record charts and notebooks are required from competitors in Standards 5 and 6, but are optional for competitors in Standards 2, 3 and 4.

Housing Finance. The manner in which finance has been provided for the Government’s housing construction scheme is the subject of a brief explanation in the annual report of the board of directors of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. It is stated that at the end of the financial year advances by the bank to the State or State undertakings under the heading “Other purposes” were nil. “During the year,” the report continues, '“accommodation granted against Treasury bills in connection with the Government’s housing scheme rose from £lOO,OOO to £1,300,000. In the month of March, however, when Government balances were swollen as a result of revenue collection, the Treasury utilised some available funds by temporarily relieving the bank of all the Treasury bills which had been taken up in this connection.” Need for Doctor at Pongaroa. At a meeting of the Pongaroa Hospital Committee, exception was taken to the report of a meeting of the local branch of the Farmers’ Union that lives had been lost in the district owing to the absence of a medical man, and that nothing was being done to warrant the expendtiure of £4OO per year. The committee had exhausted every available means within their power to obtain medical services, but —due to the meagre subsidy formerly offered—unfortunately without success. However, the Wairarapa Hospital Board had increased the subsidy by £lOO per annum, conditionally on the district finding a similar amount, and the secretary was instructed to communicate with the Farmers’ Union, asking for their cordial co-operation and financial support towards offering sufficient inducement to a doctor to settle in Pongaroa. Reserve Bank Profit.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand earned a net profit for the year ended March 31, 1938. of £195,811 3s 7d. This is shown in the annual report of the board of directors of the bank, which was tabled in the House of Representatives yesterday by the Minister of Finance, the Hon W. Nash. The report points out that the total of notes outstanding was higher at all times during the year than at the corresponding dates of the previous year, and the amount outstanding at the end of the year, £13,553.546 10s, exceeded the figure at March 31, 1937, by £431,736. These figures represent the aggregate of the notes held by the trading banks and by the public. The effective note circulation —the notes actually in the hands of the public—increased from £8,790,175 on March 22, 1937, to £9,536,178 on March 28, 1938. The expansion of the circulation during the past year was to be expected, having regard to the increase in the turnover in domestic trade and in the national wages bill during the year.