LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 September 1938, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

End of the Session. . ‘'By the end of this week,” observed Mr B. Roberts at Featherston last night, ‘‘l expect that Parliament will be closed down. We are anticipating a very busy week.” “Cock-eyed and Cross-eyed.” “A lot of business men,” remarked the Hon P. C. Webb at Featherston last night, “went cock-eyed and crosseyed during the depression looking for business coming round the corner.” Afforestation Plan. Since the closing of the King Solomon mine two years ago, the township of Waikaia has stagnated. At a public meeting held recently residents decided to surrender 6000 acres of commonage surrounding the township. The land is to be used for afforestation. Chess Champions. The unfinished games of the recent telegraphic match between the Otago and Wellington Chess Clubs have been adjudicated on in Auckland, making the final tally in this inter-island final Otago club 11, Wellington club 9. The Otago club thus retains possession of the Bledisloe Cup for another year. Need for Afforestation. Stressing the need for increased afforestation in his address at Featherston last night, the Hon P. C. Webb said that the Government had drawn up a five-year afforestation plah, which was estimated to cost £5 millions. It was hoped that before long that scheme would be put into force. Auckland Suburbs Seat. Out of four nominees to contest the Auckland Suburbs seat at the coming general election, Mr Maxwell S. Walker was chosen last night as the official National Party candidate subject to confirmation by the Dominion headquarters, a Press Association message reports. The three other nominees were Messrs T. A. Bishop, J. Knight and T. Lamont. The seat is at present held by the Hon H. G. R. Mason. New Band Uniforms Wanted. Difficulties being experienced by the Wanganui Garrison Band in raising £lOOO for new instruments and uniforms were stressed by a deputation which waited on the mayor of Wanganui, Mr W. J. Rogers yesterday. At present a citizens’ committee is promoting a queen carnival and it was mainly to encourage support in that that the deputation sought the mayor’s assistance. The mayor said his sympathies were with the band and he would make an appeal through the Press for funds. Brown Trout’s Record. An 11 pound brown trout taken from Scott’s creek, near Lake Alexandrina, produced 11,000 eggs in the Temuka fish hatchery. Of the 11,000, 9000 proved fertile. Mr F. W. Pellett, the curator-ranger of the South Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, who is in charge of the hatchery, said that fish experts contended that a fish could yield 1000 eggs to the pound weight of flesh. The brown trout had therefore scored a possible, and the small number of infertile eggs was remarkable. “If all trout produced as this one did,” said Mr Pellett, “our rivers would be teeming with fish.”

Auckland Armed Robbery. An armed hold-up at the Atta Taxi Service Station early in the morning on August 8 had an echo in the Magistrates Court, Auckland, yesterday, when Harold Last Gray, aged 49, ship’s fireman, and Arthur Stickings, aged 30, seaman and taxidriver, were jointly charged that, being armed with a shotgun, they robbed Frank Pickering of a leather brief bag containing £219 odd, the property of the Atta Taxi Company. Stickings, who was arrested in Sydney and extradited to Auckland, was represented by Mr Selwyn Clarke. Gray was not represented by counsel. Both men pleaded guilty and were committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.

Effect of War in Spain. The war in Spain is having an effect on the fishermen of South Canterbury. With October 1, the opening day for the sport, near at hand, fishermen are having difficulty in procuring fishing casts which are made in Spain by silk worm industries which are now not operating because of the civil war. Dealers in Temuka, which is one of the greatest fly fishing areas in the world, say that the shortage will not be as acute this year as it will be next year or the years after. Apparently there is a fair stock of fishing casts in sporting shops all over the world which had been put away for the following season; but it is felt that there will be no such surplus next year.

Kiwi’s Nest (Found. A kiwi sitting on an egg was found by a small boy, the son of Mr J. P. Turner, while playing in a paddock on his father’s property at Kaiwaka, about 20 miles north of Napier. The bird was found in a burrow nest, about 18in long and running into the ground from the side of a small ridge. The nest itself is made of a few pieces of dry grass and a few feathers. The burrow is sufficiently large to admit the bird comfortably, and at the innermost end it increases to give the bird plenty of free movement. It is located at the edge of a patch of bush. The bird, when found, was sitting facing away from the entrance to the burrow. It has not been disturbed, but its hatching is being watched. The egg is estimated to weigh about one pound. Miscellaneous Legislation. A protest against the practice of introducing amendments to miscellaneous Acts by clauses contained within the compass of one Bill was made by Mr W. J. Broadfoot (Opposition, Waitomo) during the second reading debate on the Statutes Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives last night. “I think this is a most pernicious way of making amendments to the statutes,” said Mr Broadfoot. “It makes it most difficult for practitioners, and almost impossible for laymen, to follow the law.” Referring to the Statutes Revision Committee of the House, Mr Broadfoot said it was useless, as it had not functioned for three years. It was an absolute waste of time to attend meetings of the committee. The Attorney-General, the Hon H. G. R. Mason: “Would you prefer to have 40 separate Bills rather than the clauses contained in this Bill?” Mr Broadfoot: I am not sure that that would not be better. A euchre tournament, also ping-pong tournament, will be held in St Patrick’s Hall tonight, at 8 o’clock.