Local & General

Chronicle (Levin), 11 August 1949, Page 4

Local & General

Ride On Telegraph Pole. A telegraph linesman was swept 300 feet . down a hillside when a telegraph pole on which he was working cn the Napier-Taupo Road was carried away by a slip. Undaunted, the linesman carried on and compleofcd the job. Juries' Responsibilities. The jury faiied to agree in the re-trial of Robert Caurtney Reece, labourer, aged 19, charged with the attornpted murder of his brother. A new trial was ordered for the next session. "T'hese juries are not facing up to the true issues with a sense of responsibiiity. They arfe not bringing their minds to bear on the real issues," said his Honour (Mr. Justice' Finlay) . During the present criminal session in Auckland six different juries have faile'd to reach agreement. High Opinion Of N.Z. *"We know New Zea and is a prosperous. free and happy country," said Senor Victoriano de la Torre, an Argentine Consular official who arrived in the Monowai, accom'panie'd by Senor Anlonio de Silva E. Souza. Both are1 from the Argentine Consulate-General in Hongkong. Senor Torre said he was looking forward to his stay in the Dominion. His tasks would be to strengthen commercial relations between New Zealand and Argentina. Games Accommodation. The "private guest" scheme organised by the Public Relations Office for the accommodation of visitors to Auckland for the Empire Games in February was iaunched by the Deputy-Mayor, Mr. J. L. Coakley, in a broa'dcast appeal from Auckland on Monday night. He asked lis-eners to throw open their homes and alleviate the shortage of accommodation. Outlining the scheme for paying guests, Mr. Coakley said that a set charge of 15s a person a day for bed and breakfast would be made. Cow In The Well. An old disused well, an iron covering which had rusted through and a light layer of earth and grass on top'were the causes of "the mystery of the disappearing cow." No one could have been more surprised than Mrs. Tuffrey, Bell Block, when a cow she was leading to fresh grazing suddenly disappeared. The weight of the cow caused the light covering to cdllapse and it fell 20ft down the shaft, and became wedged tightly at the bottom. A well-sinking firm was called and after some difficulty, fixed ropes round the cow and pulled it to the surface. The cow was shaky and stiff but otherwise unharmed after spending four holirs underground. Increase In Price Of Lime. At a meeting of the East Coast Lime Manufacturers' Association held in Palmerston North this week, it was resolved to increase the price of agricultural lime by 3d per ton as from July 14, 1949, in accordance with the authority gazetted by the Price Tribunal, the increase being authorised to offset the recent general wages increase. It was also decided as from September 1, 1949, to amend the prices charge'd for bags. Bags oroginally charged at> ls 8d and credited on return at ls 4'd will now be charged at ls 4d and credited at ls on return. Furthermore, it was unanimously agreed to make a minimum charge of one penny per bag for sorting, receiving, stacking, and storing a farmer's own ba'gs when they are sent in for filling.

Flood Danger Passes. The cessation, of rain in the; vital areas, long exhausting hours worked through two nights by men of the Manawatu Catchment. Board, Drainage and River Boards and the farmers themselves, and the solid work of past generations of > river controllers in defending the surrounding countryside from the depredations of the Manawatu River, defeated the gravely threatehing floodwaters which swept down toWards the lower Manawatu area on Tuesday. Yesterday afterhoon river and streahi levels were dropping slowly and the danger period was declared past. .