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Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 50, 29 January 1932, Page 6

A sprat measuring just over 18 inches in length, and weighing a pound a half, was caught in a net by fishermen near Rangitoto, early on a recent morning. One of the fishermen said he had never previously seen such a large fish of this species. A kiwi was recently found dead at the top of Mount Egmont by a climber who was entering tne crater from the south-west. The bird was lying between rock and the edge of a snowfiold and was perfectly preserved. New Plymouth climbers retrieved it a few days ago. ‘ . Field-Marshal Plumer holds the opinion that the New Zealand soldiers were the best that-fought in the Great War, according to Mr C. S. Thomas; wjien speaking to members of the Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club the other evening. Lord Plumer was asked if he thought they were better than the Guards. “At least their equal, was his reply. . , , - ' ~ An Australian and perhaps a worm record in school attendances is claimed for the Moores family, of Coonamble, New South .Wales. The five children of Mr and Mrs O- Moores have never missed even a half-day in their lives. Their attendance aggregates 34 years, and with an average of 200 school days a year, they have to their credit 6800 days without a break. Three of the five have left school. Their terms were:-*-Juli, ten years; Courtney, eight years; and Victor, six years. The two still attending school •; ,ate :—Nellie, seven years; and Cornelius, three years. * Heavy smoke over the Tasman Sea as a result of the bush fires in Victoria was reported .by the steamer Kalingo, which arrived at Auckland on Tuesday afternoon from Kiel bourne. On leaving port it was impossible to see the navigation marks for a distance of more, than a quarter of a mile, speed haying to be greatly reduced.. Off the . Australian coast visibility was less than half a mile, and 400 miles out, two days after leaving Melbourne, visibility was. not more than two miles. It was not until Monday, with the changing of ' the wind from the south-west to the south, that 'the atmosphere cleared.

In the examination conducted by the Opticians’’ Board last November a pass was obtained in sections A. and B by Lawrence F. Inglis, of Palmerston North. The transfer of from 60 to 100 patients from the Porirua Mental Hospita to the new mental hospital at Karaka, Auckland province, was completed this week. During a fog on the voyage an albatross struck the funnel of the Kalingo, bound from Melbourne to Auckland this, week, and fell dead on the bunker hatch, with almost every bone in its body broken. A grass fire which broke out in Albert Street at 11.30, o’clock yesterday morning was responsible for the Fire Brigade being summoned. No serious damage resulted from the outbreak, however. The “back to school” rush on the railway commenced with the arrival of the Main Trunk express this corning. The train, which consisted, of fifteen vehicles drawn bv two engines, had few vacant seats when it arrived here on schedule time. The 162nd anniversary of the landing of Captain Cook in New. Zealand will fall to-morrow.- Captain Cook •Was engaged on a voyage around the world in the barque Endeavour, and he hoisted the Union Jack oh January 30, 1770, near. Ship Cove, Queen Charlotte Sound. A grass fire which broke out along the river bank between the pumping station and the Huia Mill at 1) oxton shortly after 1 o’clock on Wednesday afternoon threatened the naxrmUs in the vicinity. The, fire brigade was summoned and assisted beaters in controlling the blaze and confined the flames to grass and fern. No damage was done. —Foxton correspondent. The opinion that only native plants should be cultivated near mountain hostels was expressed in a resolution passed at the annual conference .of the Park Superintendents’ Association, which is being held at' Christ-, church. Delegates suggested that hostels such as those at Mount Cook, Tongariro, and Waitomo should be beautified as much as possible by the planting of New Zealand flora. Three solicitors have advised the Alpine Sports Club, Auckland, that under the Mountain Guides Act, there is a possibility of guideless mountaineering parties being declared illegal. The legal advisers suggest that people who wish to make climbing expeditions without professional guides should bo free to do so. They point out that there is nothing in the Act to guarantee that there will be no interference with guideless parties:

Reorganisation of the Health De T partment’s activities in the North Auckland district is taking place.. Hitherto public health matters in that area have been controlled from. Auckland by a medical . officer - of health and a school medical officer, but from April 1 these two posts will be combined and the duties in connection with them will be carried out by. a single medical officer. It is felt that this arrangement will result in a considerable saving in travelling ex-, penses alone.

Speaking on’ noxious weed matters at the monthly meeting of the Manawatu Rabbit Board yesterday, Mr F.. C. Raikes mentioned that wherever plantations had . been cut down throughout the district of late, and there had been a considerable amount of this during the past year, noxious weeds were springing up and threatened to become a serious menace unless checked (states the “Standard’s” Foxton correspondent). Ragwort and blackberry were the most plentiful in the Oroua plantations. It was decided to have the areas mentioned inspected. 1 1 " " : Hares are very numerous throughout the Manawtu at present, according to reports from members of the Manaivatu Rabbit Board. At a meeting yesterday it was stated that a, farmer on Koputara Road, at Himatangi, had counted 26 hares together in a depression on his property one morning reoently. Another member stated that when cutting some grass with a scythe, on a recent day. a nare ran from almost under his feet and he noticed that it had but one ear. Later, however, he noticed an ear lying on the grass and he must have cut it off with the scythe.—Foxton correspondent.

While the New Zealand cricket team were in England a London paper, referring to their match with Gloucestershire, stated that T. C. Lowry, once again showed what a clever captain be is, and emphasised the value of frequent bowling changes used at the psychological moment. On a pitch that required the batsmen to watch the ball right on to the bat he never allowed them to settle down to any one man or combination. In all he employed seven bowlers, and to this intelligent-manipulation of his attack much of Gloucestershire’s failure must bo put down. The fielding of the visitors, but for the skied miss-hit from Barnett that Mills missed just before luncheon, was quite excellent, and K. C. James all through, and in his stumping of Parker in particular, lent weight to the opinion widely held that there is no greater wicket-keeper in cricket to-day. Describing , a visit to Edinburgh, the “loveliest city in the world,” Beverley Nichols, the English writer, says an astonishing thdig happened one evening while he was there. He was walking down a street even more crowded than Prince’s Street, when suddenly in front of him there was a chink of a coin on the pavement. Somebody had dropped sixpence. Fearing to bo killed in the rush, .he drew back into a street door. Having been brought up on ‘a succession of music-hall jokes about Scotsmen, how could one act otherwise? To his amazement, nothing happened. The man who had dropped the sixpence turned xound, paused, failed to see the sixpence, shrugged his shoulders and walked on. At least a dozen people, going this way and that, also walked on. It was impossible that ■ they had failed to hear the noise of the sixpence falling. Yet none of them paused. The sixpence was eventually picked up by a guttersnipe, who casually put it between his teeth and weiit his way whistling. Th©. only evidence —if evidence it , was—of Scottish “closeness” was to be found in the abundance of threepenny bits.' Every other coin in Edinburgh isvjr threepenny bit. The threepenny bit is a comic coin—associated with flurried tips, church collections, and the like. And now you know where all the - threepenny bits go in the summer time. . , ' 7