LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 December 1938, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Hood Aerodrome Activities. Activities at the Hood Aerodrome, Masterton, this week have been confined to training operations. Busy Making Cakes. A local caterer is at present engaged in making a wedding cake, a cake for a silver wedding, and another for a golden wedding. Com petit ion Winners. At the successful shop day held in Masterton on Wednesday by the Women’s Division of the Farmers’ Union the winners of competitions were: Mrs S. J. Clarke (peas in a bottle, 205), and Mrs C. Teal, Carterton, (cake). Transport Anomaly. “It is a peculiar thing,” remarked the engineer, Mr H. F. Toogood, at yesterday’s meeting of the Featherston County, “that the vehicles, carts and drays witn iron wheels which do the most damage to the roads do not pay heavy traffic fees as do the rubbertired vehicles.” White Butterflies. So far this season very few white butterflies have been seen in the Wairarapa. It is claimed that this result has been brought about by the successful establishment of parasites, which are now well distributed throughout the district, at any rate in cropping areas. Coal Prices Increased. Advice has been received by a Masterton coal merchant of an advance m the price of a certain Waikato coal. There is an increase of 2s per ton in all grades of coal or of 2d per cwt. The new prices are: Household 4s Id per cwt.; domestic, 4s per cwt.; kitchen coal, 3s 9d per cwt., cash with order or in delivery. World’s Largest Dredge. The Kanieri dredge, stated to be the largest in the world, was officially opened at Hokitika yesterday by the Minister of Mines, Mr Webb. The Minster of Industries and Commerce, Mr Sullivan, and a distinguished party were present. Fully 1000 people witnessed the ceremony. Operations began very smoothly. Birds in Masterton.

Few people are aware of the number and variety of native birds to be seen or heard in the borough of Masterton, One of the men engaged on the Colombo Road bridge work, during the period of several months he has been in that locality had noted the following Native birds, pukeko, banded dotterel, barrier, grey warbler, pied fantail, pied stilt, kingfisher, black-backed gull, pipit and grey duck. Introduced birds: song thrush, chaffinch, skylark, sparrow, blackbird, starling, Californian quail, mallard duck and goldfinch. Safety Campaign.

Bearing grim warnings of the perils of the road and making a strong appeal for the exercise of care by all roadusers, the Transport Department’s six safety-week floats created widespread attention when they arrived at Auckland yesterday afternoon after touring the southern districts of the North Island. The floats took part in a procession through the qty streets at one of the busiest'times of the week, and their message was made clear to thousands of people, pedestrians as well as motorists.

Dumping of Smelts. When whitebait are running in the rivers there is another fish called a smelt which frequently becomes trapped in the nets of the whitebait fishermen. At a meeting of the Palmerston North branch of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society a protest was voiced at the practice of dumping these smelts on the river banks instead cf returning them to the waler. It was said that they are a valuable trout food, and so it was decided to ask headquarters of the society to take the matter up with the department wincontrols whitebait fishing, and endeavour, if possible, to make the returning of the smelts to the river compulsory.

Big Sum for Woolgrowers. A sum estimated at more than £330,JOO will be distributed to woolgrowers throughout the Auckland province today, which is the prompt date of the irst Auckland wool sale, held on November 26. This is a great improvement on the comparatively small amount of £201,700 obtained at the opening auction last year and, with the exception .if the £439,270 at the corresponding fixture in 1936, when almost boom ievels ruled, will be the highest return since 1928. The payment of such a large sum will be welcomed by all sections of the community for it comes at a time when Christmas spending is nearing its peak. From preliminary calculations the average price a bale was conservatively stated at £l4, but t is now thought that the actual figure may be slightly higher.

Centennial Coins and Medal. The Government's approval has boon Jiven to proposals for the issuing of centennial coins and a centennial medal and special committees are considering designs, stated a report presented to the National Centennial Council at its meeting in Wellington. It has been recommended to the Government: That it issue at face value a centennial commemorative half-crown lor general circulation during 1940; That if the Government was considering the completion of the coinage issue, .he penny and halfpenny bearing a itandard design be issued for the first time during 1940; That the issue of a centennial medal on the lines of th;* Waitangi-Bledisloe medal be placed in (he hands 'of the Numismatic Society and that the Government be asked to make an appropriate grant to the society for the production of the medal.

Afforestation in North Canterbury. Gratification ai the decision of the Government to acquire 5000 acres in the foothills near Rangiora for afforestation was expressed at a meeting of the executive of the Canterbury Progress League by Mr A. Buckingham, chairman of th*, league's afforestation committee. The decision was welcome, said Mr Buckingham, although it had been hoped that at least 10,000 acres would be acquired. However, he had no doubt that another 5000 acres would be acquired in the next few years. The location of the plantation was very suitable, and it had an advantage over the State Forest Department’s plantation at Hanmer Springs of being close to labour and markets. The executive agreed to write to the Minister for Lands (the Hon F. Langstone) expressing its appreciation of the Government’s decision and the hope that the plantation would soon be extended to cover 10,000