LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 January 1939, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Withdraws from Ballot. Mr P. M. Butler, Wellington, who was nominated by a number of unions and trade coupcils ,to contest the ballot for the workers’ representative to attend the 1.L.0. conference in Geneva, has announced his withdrawal. Gun Club Meeting. Messrs C. E. Grey and J. McKenzie, members of the Masterton Gun Club, returned yesterday after competing at the Grand Prix Gun Club meeting at Coromandel. Although they did not figure in the prize-money both shot well, especially Mr McKenzie.

“Ashamed of Their Country.” “A number of people I met in Britain seemed ashamed of being English because of the part their country was playing in international affairs,” said Mr Arthur Cook in an address at Christchurch. Mr Cook was workers’ delegate to the last International Labour Conference in Geneva. That opinion had been expressed not only by working-class people, but by employers as well. Some people seemed to think that Mr Chamberlain, if he could, would become one of the greatest dictators in the world. Gift to New Cathedral Fund.

A cheque for £lOO as a gift to the fund for Wellington’s proposed Anglican Cathedral has been sent by Lord Bledisloe, former Governor-General of New Zealand, to the Bishop of Wellington, the Rt Rev H. St Barbe Holland. In a letter to the Bishop Lord Bledisloe ’ said the gift represented £5O from' himself and £5O from Lady Bledisloe. There is a committee in London assisting in promoting the Wellington Diocesan Centenary Appeal, Lord Bledisloe being an active member. Horse Causes Traffic Jam.

While most horses today regard motor cars and trucks with a superior indifference, a horse being ridden south caused a minor traffic jam on the Waingawa Bridge shortly before 9 a.m. today because it was frightened to pass a truck. When the heavy truck, bulkily laden with furniture, suddenly appeared on the bridge the horse took fright and it required considerable persuasive efforts on the part of the rider to pacify it and allow the truck to pass. Meanwhile northbound traffic lined up behind 'the truck, the driver of every car keenly interested in the 1939 horse that feared motors.

Specialisation of Labour. That some specialisation of labour may have existed in Maori society is suggested by an exhibit now on show at the Canterbury Museum. Nineteen adzes, roughly shaped and similarly unfinished, are to be seen in the recent acquisitions’ case in the ethnological room. They were found as part of a cache of 40 at Port Underwood, in the Marlborough Sounds, and have been placed on deposit in the museum. The find, Mr R. S. Duff said, suggested that the Maori observed a certain specialisation of labour, because they had obviously been made by the one man at the same time. The possibility was that this man was one of the adze makers of the tribe.

Large Bequest to Charity. The will of the late Mr James Allan Strang, Wellington, who died on September 30 while visiting England, makes provision for a bequest, understood to amount to about £40,000, for charitable purposes. Mr Strang was well known in Wellington, and at the time of his death was a director of the Gear Meat Preserving and Freezing Co., of New Zealand, Ltd. The bequest will not take effect immediately as there are a number of annuities to be provided for. On the termination of these interests the will directs that the residue is to be held on trust f6r such public charitable objects, purposes and institutions in the provincial district of Wellington as may be decided upon by the trustees. Gardens Raided by Opossums.

Gardens of some residents of Wellington suburbs —Karori, Wadestown, Ngaio, Khandallah, Day’s Bay and Eastbourne—are raided by opossums, which do much mischief and are also> a noisy nuisance when they happen to alight on an iron roof. At a recent meeting of the executive of the Forest and Bird Protection Society it was reported that one resident of Wadestown, on the road leading to Wilton’s Bush, had trapped nine opossums on his quarter-acre section. It was stated that the pests were doing damage in Wilton’s Bush. Hares were also nibbling the bark from saplings. It was urged that the Wellington City Council should make a determined effort to rid the reservations under their control of these destructive animals, particularly opossums.

Not All Shags Are the Same. To some ardent anglers all shags are one shag, to be shot at sight, as an enemy of trout. Thus they have blundered, into the killing of absolutely protected species such as the spotted. lough-faced, and other shags including the pied shag which lives on sea-fish. The black shag is the one that may look for a meal in a river, although it is believed by many unbiased observers that this bird may do more good than harm, because it gives keen attention to real enemies of trout, especially eels. The Hon W. E. Parry, Minister of Internal Affairs, agrees with the view of the Forest and Bird Protection Society, that it is not right to use the generic term “shag” when "black shag” is meant, and that pied shags should not be persecuted. State Houses.

Since the inauguration of the Government’s housing scheme, provision has been made for the construction of more than 6000 houses. Close on 2400 houses have been completed and let. More than 2200 houses are under construction. Building is going forward in 85 towns. The number of men employed in State housing is now 5578. The Minister of Housing, Mr Armstrong, said yesterday that the main difficulty was to obtain skilled workers in building construction. Though more buildings were in hand, the rate of completion was slower because so many more public and private buildings were absorbing a very large number of men. "It seems to me," added the Minister, "that housing of the people should be given precedence, but I recognise clearly that progress in respect of other buildings should not be checked.”

A trial meeting for young greyhounds will be held at Solway tomorrow afternoon. The events will comprise races for young dogs, in order to provide training for future racing.