Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 177, 24 June 1940, Page 4

Local and General

Shortest Day. With the sun above the horizon for only 9 hours 38 minutes, tomorrow, will be the shortest day oi the 3 7 ear. The sun will rise at 7.1 a.m. and Avill set at 4.42 p,m. From then on the sun will continue to rise at 7.4 a.m. for several days, but will set later each day. It will not be until July (5 that the sun will begin to rise earlier, and by that time it will be setting at 4.47 p. m. On the Job. That the passion for exclusive news stories is by no means con fin.-' ed to the newspapers of the big cities was illustrated not long ago by an editorial in a country paper in lowa. "We were the first journal in the State/" ran the nolle-, "to announce, on the 11th instant, the news of the destruction in Dos Moines, by fire, of the mammoth paint establishment of Jenkins ®nd Brothers. We are now the first to inform our readers that the iepor<. was absolutely without foundation.'' An Unlucky House. Not 10 miles , from Dunedin there is a house with a history thni would delight the heart of any writ er of stories of the thriller states the Olago Daily Times. It has been the scene of a fatal shooting affray, it has three times been on fire, it has almost been overwhelmed by a landslide, and on one hectic evening the roof was blown off by the explosion of a cartridge in the kitchen stove. But those are not the only queer happenings with which this now tumble-down dwelling has been associated. Many

years ago a former occupant ran arnuk and was captured only wb.cn a lasso was brought into use. Then a tank of water fell on his leg and pinned him until the following morning when he was rescued bj a neighbour. Reputed to be a miser, he was, before he hanged ihimself. supposed to have buried his hoaid somewhere on the property, but encrgetie hunts by amateur treasure seekers revealed only a must-' ard tin containing a plan Avhich so far no one has been able to decipher The house has been vacant) foir the last 15 years, and a large proportion of the youth of the district are convinced that it is haunted, i*nd give the neighbourhood a wide berth after nightfall.

Men Available. Discussing the question of farm labour in the House of Representatives on Thursdaj'' night, the Minister of Mines, the Hon. P. C. Webb, said that there were 1508 experienced farm workers available. This, ho said, should'dispose of the statements made that farmers were unable to get men. Salesmanship! You 'may have heard of Japanese drinks—such as "said''—but in Jap-* an they also make whisky. A Japanese whisky distiller called his pro duct "King George VI." This didn't quite satisfy him, so he added t'o the label the words, "As Supplied to His Majesty King George VI." And finally—a piece of real inspiration, this—he added, in bold lettering, "Bottled at Buckingham Paiace, Under the Personal Supervision of the King." And then he wondered why a protest was made! Rubbish Tip Treasure. To some people, money seems to come without their even buying a raffle ticket. Of such, apparently, is the Cliristehurch man who took the family out picnicking in the country. and, going for a solitary afterlunch stroll,, came upon a rubbish tip in an old gravel pit. Among the debris was a tarnished old brass kettle, and recalling that the school children would shortly be collecting scrap metal for the patriotic fund, lie thought of adding the brass kettle to his kiddies' contribution. Tested, however, it proved quite watertight, and the finder thought it might be worth a shilling or two more as a kettle than as scrap metal, so, having given it a cursory rub-aip, he took it into an antique shop on the way to work next day. "Might get live bob for it," lie thought optimistically. The dealer examined it closely. "Fm sorry," he said, "but I haven't" enough cash in the shop to buy this, but I do not want to let it pass. very line piece. Would you accept £8 on account and call back for the balance later in the day?" "How much is it worth?" asked the astonished vendor. "I'll give you £25 for it." replied the dealer!

Shop Realises £89. The Awakeri ladies are to be congratulated on the success of th,eir shop conducted in the Whakatatne Hotel Buildings last Friday in the interests ol' the Red Cross. A total of £89 6s lid was realised. The winners of' various competitions held in connection with the effort were as under: Box of Chocolates, David Martin (68); Doll, Myrel. Raweti (149); Turkey, Rev Gaultoiv (18); Cake, Mrs Old (82). Fourteen-Page Advertisement. A remarkable advertisement appeared recently in an issue of the "San Francisco Chronicle." .Covering no less than 14 pages of newsprint, it was sponsored by a Chinese herbalist of some 25 years' residence in the city. The firm of which he was principal had been summoned before the Federal Trade Commission of the United States to answer complaints of false advertising, and that the herbs possessed no curative agencies. As a means of justifying his case, the herbalist had the 14>-page verbatim account of the hearing issued by the newspaper. The Avhole of the witnesses' evidence was published in the advertisement, a special stenographer having been employed throughout for the purpose of keeping this com plete record. The British Spirit. The indomitable spirit of Britain in these grave days is well expressed in a letter dated May 23 received in Auckland from a London firm. "Since your letter was sent," says the Avriter, "there have been many more momentous and grave events, but we can assure you that we in this country are more resolved than ever to overcome the tyrannical foe of all freedom-loving people. We find it somewhat difficult to express ourselves by correspondence, but you, our kinsmen in New Zealand, can be assured that we feei prepared- to meet all dangers, - confident in the inevitable victory of the Allies. We would again like to record our great , appreciation of your valued orders and support given to the Mother Country in these troublous times."