LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 March 1939, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Vickers-Wellington Bombers. The first batch of the new long-range Vickers Wellington bombers ordered for the Royal New Zealand Air Force should reach New Zealand in October stated the Minister of Defence, Mr. Jones, at Christchurch. Altogether, 30 bombers will come to New Zealand, flown in batches by New Zealand and British crews. Masterton Competitors’ Success.

Two Masterton competitors at the New Plymouth Amateur Athletic Club’s meeting on Saturday were W. A. C. Pullar, who won the mile handicap in 4min 21sec, and F. Bodie, who was third in the javelin throw. These two competitors flew to New Plymouth in a Wairarapa-Ruahine Aero Club plane, piloted by Mr Bodie.

Miss Norman's Superiority. The British Empire champion woman athlete, Miss Decima Norman, showed her superiority over the Dominion’s finest worqen performers by decisively winning the 100 yards, the 220 yards and the broad jump championships at the first national junior and women’s title meeting held at Carlaw Park, Auckland,. in brilliant weather on Saturday. St. John Ambulance Shop Day. .

The officers and members of the St. John Ambulance, Masterton Nursing Division, desire to thank shoppers and all those who contributed so generously towards the shop day on Friday last. The shop day proved a great success and cadet divisions funds will be greatly augmented thereby. If help is forthcoming at future functions in the same generous measure there will be no doubt of the nursing division being able to give the increased service to the public which is its duty. There was an outstanding display of Maori craft work. Straw Stack In Flames. A smouldering straw stack at Te Ore Ore burst into flames yesterday afternoon and the fire spread quickly into a paddock of dry wheat stubble on the farm of Mr J. H. Griffin. Hundreds of acres of dry grass on adjoining farms and Mr Griffin’s homestead were threatened, as the, flames swept through a plantation of young pinus i’nsignis. Settlers attacked the fire with wet sacks, confining the outbreak to about six acres. The breeze dropped, and in five minutes only the original straw stack remained burning. Mr Griffin, who was picnicking 10 miles away, was summoned by telephone, and arrived to find the fire out. The breeze grew to a gusty wind as the volunteer fire-fight-ers left the field, but the danger had then passed.

Manufacture of Tyres. “We have got to pay through the nose for everything that is manufactured in New Zealand,” said the chairman, Mr I. L. M. Coop, at the meeting of the North Canterbury executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, when a circular from the Dominion headquarters on the proposal to issue licences for the manufacture of motor tyres in New Zealand was received. Mr Coop said that imported motor tyres in New Zealand were cheap and extremely good, and he doubted whether locally-made tyres could compete in either respect. It was decided to ask the bureau not to grant any licences which would involve a monopoly for the manufacture of tyres, a restriction on their free importation, or an increase in their cost directly or indirectly to -the user. French Priest in Fiji. Having enjoyed his first holiday with his parents in France since he undertook mission service with the Marist Fathers in Fiji 17 years ago, tl?e Rev Father Joseph Nicolas passed through Auckland on his way back to Suva. Father Nicolas is a native of Metz, Lorraine, which he left just after the Great War, and recently found it an extremely prosperous province. Much political dissension was rife in Lorraine, Father Nicolas said. People were bitter in their opposite views, but evidence was given last September, during the European crisis, of to what extent these would be allowed to affect national interests. As soon as the war clouds began to gather, the people came together as one, until the danger was past. “I saw the people in their most anxious moments,” said Father Nicolas. “I saw relief written on their faces when the crisis was over. I fear the endurance of the people is again to be tried, and I feel the utmost sympathy for them.”

Broken Moa’s Egg. A moa’s egg, broken evidently just as it was about to be hatched, as the bones of the chicken were mingled with the shell fragments, was found recently by Mr E. T. Frost on the foreshore at Doubtless Bay. The shape and curve of the pieces suggest that the egg would have been more than six inches in length. Other finds of wellpreserved bones were made close by, and it is probable that the nest and bird were overwhelmed by a fire, as the charred remains of scrub can be seen on the same level. A curious feature of these old remains is that the jaw bones and other small bones of the tuatara are to be found mingled with them. The tuatara was apparently an abundant contemporary with the moa. The foreshore at Doubtless Bay was evidently the home of hundreds of moas. It is suggested that the Maoris hunted and ate them, as their bones can be found around the old oven sites mixed with the bones of seals, fish, and birds.

New Museum Exhibits.

Several articles of considerable interest have been deposited in the Canterbury Museum for exhibition. They include an exceptionally fine greenstone tiki, and a carved and a straight unfinished pendant of transparent serpentine (a form of greenstone), from a 'collection made-by the late Mr Selwyn Bruce and sent to the museum by his daughter, Miss Edna Bruce. A further very interesting exhibit is a wooden maul (or club) deposited by Mr G. Calvert, of Canterbury University College. This Maori article, which was found in a cave in the Lammermoor Range, Central Otago, is hollowed out, and according to Mr Louis Vangioni, of Akaroa, was possibly used to hold the blood of prisoners slain, which was drunk by the victors. Another exhibit, from Captain O. F. Wilcox, of Lyttelton, is a stone statuette from Easter Island, saved when the yacht making a magnetic survey in the Pacific blew up and was destroyed in Apia Harbour in 1929. Mr R. S. Duff, after commenting on the value of these exhibts, said that the museum was glad to receive such articles on deposit. The only difficulty that the museum had was lack of space to accommodate them.