General News

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 77, Issue 131, 5 June 1934, Page 4

General News

PJe-Driving Gang. Pile-driving is being carried out at Strandon at the railway bridge over tho Honui Stream, reports the Taranaki Daily Nows. The oriu'ge gang, which has its headquarters at Wanga't nui, is engaged in renewing a pile is with the assistance of a travelling d crane brought from Wanganui for the o purpose. The gang is at present ocelli'- pied in attending to all the bridges in is the vicinity of New Plymouth, il p Mysterious Find. o Mystery surrounds the finding of a r . ship’s bell, which was dug out of the a sand on the beach at Westport. The bill is inscribed “Bortonius. 1884. Sunderland,” but so far there is no record b of any ship of that name having been at Westport or the vicinity. When ex(f cavated, the bell appeared to bo com- {] paratively now. but the date on it conveys the idea that it is 50 years old. n Inquiries at Westport failed to throw v any light on the bell’s identity, nor h have inquiries from mariners visiting t . the port met with any result. o Finds on Great Barrier. 0 The charred remains of a human 0 skeleton with the skull in tho centre. as though it had been placed there, were found by Mr. C. N. Osborne, of ■ Rosalie Bay, Great Barrier, recently. n Loss than one quarter of a mile from n the skeleton he found 16 coins with dates of 1816 and 1817. There were five pennies, three shillings, seven sixpences. and one threepenny piece. A human tooth, the remains of an iron buckle, and a small piece of brass were also found. Some of the coins bore the head of George 111. ' Poultry Form Humour. There is an element of amusing ambiguity in the text of the application 1 forms issued under the Poultry Runs 3 Registration Act. These forms* begin: ‘I hereby apply, in pursuance of the above Act, for the registration for the 2 year ending May 31, 19—, of the undermentioned poultry-run, of which I am the occupier.” The definition of “oc- ' cupier.” stated on the back of the ’ form, does nothing to remove the possibility of a mistaken impression being gathered. There an occupier is dcJ fined as “the person by whom or on 5 whose behalf any premises arc actually occupied.” i

■ Farmers in Cartoons. • Criticism of cartoons of fanners in newspapers was expressed bv Mr. F. ■ Waite, during the annual conference of the Otago Provincial Council of tho New Zealand Farmers’ Union. He said that in the cartoons the farmer was generally represented as hanging over a fence with his trousers patched up, the general impression conveyed by these cartoons being that the farmer had nothing to do. Mr. Waite said that even in Point Blank, the. farmers’ own paper, the farmer was depicted in attitudes which were not true to life. The More, the Merrier. “It seems a rather queer way of accepting an invitation,” said Mr. G. W. Hutchison, chairman of the Auckland Metropolitan Milk Council, when the council received a reply from the National Council of Women to its suggestion that the latter should send representatives to a special meeting of the Milk Council on Tuesday in order to hear an explanation of the milk control scheme. Tho National Council intimated that it would send representatives and that six other organisations would do likewise. Members showed much amusement when the letter was read, but it was agreed to let the other six bodies attend. “The more, the merrier,” said one. “We have nothing to hide.” Export of Flax.

Concern was expressed at a meeting of the Foxton Chamber of Commerce at the interest Japan was showing in the flax industry. It was sn-id that recently two Japanese had visited Foxton to investigate flax-milling and fibre preparing operations. They had come <ith introductions from various high New Zealand Government, officials and had shown tho keenest interest in all branches of flaxmilling. The Mayor, Air. M. E. Perreau. said that he viewed the visit with some concern, especially as a few month ago p Jarge quantity of New Zealand ilax plants had been shipped to Japan and that country was a potential competitor with New Zealand in tho supply of phormium tenax fibre. It was decided to write to the Minister for Internal Affairs anti register a strong protest against the exports of selected strains.

Co-operative Trading Concerns. The Associated Chambers of Commerce recently sent a circular letter to local chambers of commerce with reference to taxation of surpluses of mutual and co-operative trading concerns In New Zealand. After considering the replies received, the executive of the Associated Chambers has resolved to take the matter up with a view to having the proposal brought into effect. With regard to the position in New Zealand, the chambers of commerce expressed the opinion that special considerations applied in the case of. building societies, dividends from which were taxed in the hands of recipients, which was in keeping with the view of chambers of commerce that company taxation should be abolished in favour of individual taxation.

Tuis at Charteris Bay. A flock of tuis and bell-birds was observed at Charteris Bay recently by Mr. G. F. Whitesides, who commented on the matter at the annual meeting of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, states the Christchurch Times. He said that the presence of these beautiful birds proved that the little grey owl, on whore head a price should be put, did not exist on that side of the harbour. The owls were plentiful at Rapaki, but a resident had practically wiped out those above the town of Lyttelton. The chairman (Mr. F. Steans) stated that the council of the society had sought to arrange with other societies for a uniform premium for the destruction of the little grejr owl, but no finality had been reaches The matter was still in view.

Increase in Puke Kos. In certain parts of Southland duJl®kos (or as they are more fam-iliany called, swamp turkeys) are so numerous as to constitute a menace. This was the opinion expressed to a Southland Times reporter by two farmers, who complained of the severe damage done to their stacks by the birds. “A long period of protection has caused pukekos to increase greatly in numbers and to grow very boli They mav frequently be seen by motorists perched on stacks, plucking at the top sheaves,” said one of the farmers. “I am a lover of native birds, but it is beyond a joke when they begin to over-run our farms and cause a lot of damage. It is time that an open season was declared, even if only for a limited time.”