LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 February 1939, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Injuries Prove Fatal. Richard Nowland, aged 22, a member of the Hamilton Fire Brigade, died in the Waikato Hospital from injuries received when a ear in which he was a passenger capsized on the Hamilton-Whatawhata Road on Sunday.

Erection of Flats Opposed. An application by the Department of Housing Construction for permission to erect an eight-story block of 55 flats on property overlooking the Grafton Bridge, was declined by the Auckland City Council. The council resolved to negotiate for the purchase of the property in question as an addition to the Grafton Gully Reserve.

Trend of Expenditure. Alarm of the trend of expenditure by the Wellington City Council is expressed by the Wellington Ratepayers’ Association in a statement issued yesterday. The organisation contends that the burden of the ever-mounting cost of the city’s administration and development is borne by only 22,000 ratepayers out of the population of 150,000. The Association put forward certain suggestions to meet the position. Bittern Electrocuted. Apparently killed through comint into contact with power lines, a bittern was discovered at Konini by one oi the Tararua Power Board’s linesmen early this week. The bittern is a protected bird, anyone shooting it being liable to a fine of £5O. It is unusual to see s bittern in the Pahiatua district. It is probable that the specimen at present in the possession of the Power Boarc will be handed over to the museum authorities for preservation. Habitual Criminal. “New Zealand is too small a country for misfits from other places,” said Mr Justice Callan in the Supfeme Court this morning, when sentencing George Cecil Horry to three years’ imprisonment and declaring him an habitual criminal. He was found guilty of demanding money by menaces, assault with intent to commit crime, and assault so as to cause actual bodily harm’. The judge said that it undoubtedly was a bad case, and the prisoner had a long list of offences. The crime for which he was now before the Court had been committed within a few hours of coming out of gaol. Tourist Traffic. The number of persons classed as tourists who arrived in New Zealand during the nine months ended December 31, 1938, was approximately the same as in the corresponding period of the previous year, the totals being 7721 and |7713 respectively. These figures do not include travellers in cruising liners, who numbered 4939 in the nine months ended December 31, 1938, and 3107 in the same period of 1937. The number of permanent residents of New Zealand departing temporarily during the nine months ended December 31, 1938, totalled 13,491, an increase of 2037 over the figure for the corresponding period of 1937. “Heedless Butchery.”

Sitting on a log at the edge of the vast Puketi Forest, probably the largest remaining stand of kauri timber in the country, yesterday afternoon, the Minister of Public Works, the Hon R. Semplq, spoke of what he termed "the heedless butchery” of Northland’s forests and likened it to comic opera mining where rich natural wealth was despoiled in order to grab 30 per cent of the easiest production. Referring to the Forestry Department’s announcement of the intention to remove mature dry trees each year, Mr Semple emphasised that the strictest care would be observed by the department. The forest might be improved without affecting the scenic value, but harvesting must not be allowed to interfere with a great natural heritage. New Scenic Reserve.

The possibility of Johnston’s Hill, Karori, being secured as a scenic reserve and bird sanctuary, was mentioned at a recent meeting of the Wellington Beautifying Society. It was reported that as the result of negotiations with the owner, the Wellington City Council, and the Government, it needed only the acquiescence of the Wellington Provincial Centennial Council in the suggestion of the Minister of Lands that it should contribute a subsidy of £1 in £3, a total of £5OO, to make success practically certain. The Wellington City Council had agreed to contribute £1250, and the Minister of Lands had indicated that a subsidy of £5OO might be given from the domains vote. The purchase price asked by the owner was £2500. It was considered almost certain the remaining £250 could be secured' by public subscription.

Soil Survey Maps. A further advance has been made in the Hawke’s Bay soil survey with the completion of soil maps of the central district, extending from Tangoio in the north to Waipukurau in the south. Two sheets of the four in which .he maps will be reproduced are now ready for publication, and the remaining two will be completed within a month or so. Soil investigations in Hawke's Bay have added materially ■o the geological information of the province. One of the functions of the soil survey is to map limestone outcrops, but the maps are also used to locate areas of certain other economic deposits, such as the fine pumice sands used for pozzolanas, cements, ind bentonite, the latter having been first found in Hawke’s Bay by the New Zealand geological survey. One result of the survey has been to add considerable information to existing knowledge of erosion and its causes in Hawke’s Bay.

Share Milkers’ Pay. Information was recived by the Wanganui provincial executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union at its monthly meeting yesterday that sharemilkers were asking to be paid a 5 per cent mcrease on cream cheques and that steps should be taken to oppose this increase. Mr C. Smith questioned whether the executive, without further information, was in a position to deal with the subject. Mr Morrison said it seemed to him that private contracts wete going by the board. The farmer could not make a private agreement at all with a sharemilker. Mr T. Currie said the proper method would be to ask branches to call meetings of those interested and obtain their opinions. It was decided to adopt this course. More farmers’ rallies along the lines of that held in Makirikiri which discussed the problem of deteriorated hill country were favoured by the Wanganui branch.