NEWS AND NOTES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 December 1938, Page 7

NEWS AND NOTES

VARIOUS ITEMS OF INTEREST. Mortality in Tobacco Plants. An indication of the difficulties of tobacco growing in the Auckland district (says the “Star") is the mortality among the plants of various varieties of tobacco at the plant research station, Mount Albert. The plants were obtained from Motueka about the middle of the spring, and a sheltered part was selected for them. After a time it became evident that they were suffering considerably from the ravages of the tobacco virus, and in some of the rows, which originally contained several dozen plants, only about half a dozen remain. Unlike the ordinary tobacco varieties grown in New Zealand, these plants are exceedingly rich in nicotine. The purpose is to produce nicotine sprays for the control of insect pests. Smaller than the plants used for producing smoking tobacco, they also appear to be more susceptible to the attack of the virus. British Influence. Nothing short of Bedlam would reign in the world without British influence, according to Mr T. B. Castellow, a member of the United States Congress for many years, who recently visited Invercargill. Mr Castellow was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Congress, and he has been in close touch with the European situation. He said that Americans fully realised that their country might be affected by European happenings. He was impressed with what Britain had done and was doing. “Europe is like a brick house and the English influence in world affairs can be likened to mortar,” he said. “Remove the mortar and what a sorry mess there would be. There would be no shape at all.” The reaction of the people in America to the international crisis in October was one of apprehension. It was a tense moment, he said, and they realised that they probably would have been drawn into a conflict. And it would have been very difficult for America to keep out, he added.

Beer-drinking Generation. The demand in Invercargill for ale, wines and spirits during the past week has (the “Southland Times” says) exceeded that of other Christmas seasons. Wholesale merchants have been very busy dealing with orders from all parts of Southland, and it is expected that the deliveries of orders will number many hundreds. “There is a greater demand than ever before,” said one wholesale merchant in answer to a question. “We have been working long hours trying to keep up with the orders and it looks as if the rush will continue,’’ Asked if preference had been shown for a particular class of beverage, the merchant said the demand was for ale. The rising generation, he said, was a beer-drink-ing generation and most of the orders received were for beer. There was not the same demand for spirits, although the usual orders for Christmas wines had been received.