LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20280, 24 August 1937, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Queen Mary’s Gift. —Queen Mary has presented a large signed portrait of herself to All Saints* Church. Twickenham. This is to be placed in a new church hall when erected-

Estate of £356,779. —A cable message from London states that the Duchess of Bedford, who was reported missing on a flight on March 25, left £355,779. The Duchess bequeaths £3OOO and her aeroplane to her private pilot and £SOOO to the Guild of Air Pilots and Navigators.

Examinations Condemned. —"I would like to see all examinations abolished," stated the headmaster, Mr J. G. Gatran, at the Cambridge High School's prize-giving ceremony. He considered examinations had a cramping effect on scholars and confined learning to limited channels, while much that would be of value in later life was omitted.

Reduoed to Round Figures.—Australia’s national debt was reduced recently from £1,262,911,646 0s Id to £1,262,911,646. A letter was received by the Treasury at Canberra from a taxpayer who stated that he had read of the national debt. He enclosed a penny stamp in his letter as a gift to the Commonwealth, to reduce the debt to “ round figures.’’

Removal of Willows. —With the object of re-planting them in native ferns and sliru-bs, the banks of the small stream known as Gibbon’s Creek, which flows through Parana Park, are being cleared of willow's. Good progress Is being made with the work under the supervision of the Hamilton borough engineer.

National Book Association. Earl Baldwin, says a London paper, has accepted the presidency of the National Book Association, which was founded recently under the general editorship of Mr Arthur Bryant to bring books of current political interest, WTitten impartially, within reach of the average citizen. Its aims are educational, not propagandist.

Lesser of Two Evils. —“ I think we should make it clear once again that we are not a sort of harmless right wing appendage of the Labour Party, but an organistiaon Interested In certain objectives, and neither pro-Lab-our nor pro-Nationalist in our affiliations,’’ said Mr. J. H. Pennlket at the Social Credit meeting in Hamilton last evening. “ Don’t we regard the Government party as the lesser of two evils?” asked a delegate from the back of the meeting, a question which was greeted with loud laughter. ‘‘Yes; most of us prefer Independents or Country Party men,” replied Mr Penniket.

Cambridge Saleyards. —The decision reached by the Cambridge Borough Council after the saleyards question had been discussed in committee was that the borough solicitor be instructed to notify the associated auctioneers of the council’s intention to reenter into possession of the saleyards within seven days as a result of alleged non-fulfilment of the covenants of the lease. The present lease will expire on July 1, 1938, and the auctioneers had the right of renewal at the nominal rental of Is a year. However, since the lessees have applied for a renewal, it lias been alleged that the covenants of the lease were broken.

“Terrible BtufF.” —Dutch food Is very different from that usual to the New Zealander, according to remarks made by the speaker at the w-eekly meeting of the Palmerston North Rotary Club, recently—Mr P. Heuts, who came to New Zealand from Holland to Join a commercial firm last year. "I have not got used to it yet,” remarked Mr Ileuts, and then in an aside he said, "It is terrible stuff.” When the laughter had subsided he explained that in Holland a favourite dish was a ‘‘good old beef-sleak,” softened by pounding with a hammer, then minced and cooked in bails. In the top of the ball was scooped a hole, and in that hole placed an egg, with onions, pepper and salt. "I have never eaten anything better,” the speaker said.

Hamilton’s Anniversary. Seventythree years ago to-day members of the Fourth Waikato Regiment stepped ashore from the gunboat Rangiriri to found Hamilton. The exact spot in Memorial Park is marked by a brass plate. In the days when Hamilton was first established the Waikato River provided practically the sole means of transit from the north, but even waterways were fraught with danger, as the Maori troubles were acute during the early sixties, and few journeys were risked without convoys. Upon his arrival in 1804 Captain William Steele, who was in charge of the regiment, established a garrison, fearing future assaults. There were, however, no serious uisturbances, although Maori villages were common in the Waikato, one occupying the land in the vicinity of the Hamilton Rowing Club pavilion.

Gold Tax.—Mr J. E. Wheeler, chairman of the Okarito Gold Dredging Company, replying to recent criticism by the Hon. p. c. Webb, Minister of Mines, said inter alia: “ .Mr Webb says he wants goldmining to *U>e an Investment, not a gamble. Mr Webb is a practical mining man and knows only too well that in ;i geologically disturbed country like New Zealand such a prospect is visionary. \Vilii restricted bold-bearing areas A ere is a limit lo the amount of money that can profitably be spent on prospecting. The two main impositions on goldmining companies were the gold export tax and the inequitable system of income taxation”* Mr Wheeler thought lhat the export lax should be remitted in the case of ail companies which had not paid their capital dividends. When a I he imposition of the lax, but'unless a profitable return can be secured by an investor in a goldmining venture capital will cease lo be forthcoming.

Defaulted on Levy —For default In the payment of his emergency unem- 1 ployment levy, Charles Henry Tisch : was fined £1 and costs by Mr. J. G. L. < Hewitt, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court,: \ Hamilton, to-day. School Bazear Realises £I3OO. When all expenses have been met. it is anticipated that tlie bazaar held in aid of the establishment of a Brothers’ School in Palmerston North will yield : a profit of £I3OO. Record Price for Bull. —lt is re- ; ported from Buenos Aires that an im- ; ported British Shorthorn Bull, Gruggle- ! ton Captivator, bred at Stranrear, 1 Scotland, was sold for 95.000 pesos, or about £5900. This is a record price for the Argentine. Brewery’s Record Profit. —Profits j of Queensland Brewery, Limited, Brisbane, for the year ended June 30, reached a new high level- of £48,417, an advance of £15,091 over the previous year’s profits. The ordinary dividend has been maintained at 7 per cent.

.. A Difficult Manoeuvre. —A difficult manoeuvre was suggested by counsel to a witness In the Supreme Court at New Plymouth in a motor collision case, as the explanation of his theory of what had happened. He said that according to the witness the motorcar must have madef almost a “ righthand turn to the left.” What he probably meant was " almost a rightangle turn to the left.”

Elephant In Town. —Victoria Street was treated to the unusual spectacle of a large elephant pe’rched on a motor lorry yesterday. A large number of pedestrians paused to admire him and the situation was not without humour. Two men emerging from a local hotel, on catching sight of the elephant, stopped dead. One scratched his head and looked at his companion. "Is it or am I?” he asked.

Housing In Qreytown. —Startling disclosures have been revealed In the housing survey recently conducted by the Greytown Borough Council. It Is stated that a five-roomed house near the centre of the town was occupied by 20 Maoris, whose ages ranged from 77 to two years. There were 11 males and nine females; five were married, one divorced, one a widow, three were single males and 10 were minors. Every room was utilised as a bedroom.

Farmers’ Sons as Policemen. —No better endorsement of the value of farm life for good health can be given than the figures in connection with the recruiting of men for the police force in the Waikato. Fully 75 per cent of those chosen to go into training In Wellington were the sons of farmers. The examinations, prior to acceptance for the force, are very rigid, but it Is apparent that those who have been brought up on the land have nothing to fear from it.

The Policeman’s Lot. —"lt has been said that the policeman’s fcilace Is between the law-maker and the lawbreaker,” stated Inspector C. W. Lopdell in an address to the Hamilton Rotary Club yesterday. “I have found In a lifetime association with both that it is difficult to define either of those two classes.” (Laughter.) Inspector Lopdell added that most criminals made no attempt to condone their own crime and they realised that the law under which they were convicted was essential for the welfare of society.

Unusual Find In Sweet. —On buying a shilling’s worth of ‘‘chocolate roughs” at a Napier shop the other day, a woman received a greater measure than she either anticipated or desired. As she was eating the first chocolate, she tasted something metallic. She thought at first that an amalgam filling hail become dislodged from a tooth, but investigation revealed a half-inch wire staple, which had been concealed in the confection.

Soviet and Peace.— “ While no nation has made any very practical contribution to world peace, most hope lies in the Soviet Union and in the development of the Popular Front,” said Mr. W. T. G. Airey, of Auckland University College, In reply to a question put at the conclusion of his address in Hamilton last evening. While In the opinion of many the Soviet was the greatest champion of peace and collective security, he himself, with others, had had certain misgivings at the recent news of conspiracies and trials which seemed to indicate that all was not as It should be.

A School on Wheels —An old passenger carriage, reconditioned and equipped with models of every part of a locomotive, Is being used by the Railways Department for the instruction of engine-drivers. The car will be sent to every depot where drivers are stationed, and is at present at New Plymouth. The instructor, Mr B. Glblin. is enthusiastic about the educational value of the scheme, as It Is a great advantage for engine-drivers to have the full workings of a locomotive explained simply and clearly. The models were all made at the Railways Department’s Hutt workshop, with the exception of the working model of the triple Westinghouse brake. They are set out on benches along the side of the car, in cross-section, showing the internal working of each individual piece of machinery. Everything is labelled, and on the wall are detailed plans showing the general arrangement and complete working of ihe parts.