LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 26, 25 October 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A girl, seventeen years of age, had a beautiful head of hair ruined whilst leaving a picture theatre tho other evening (says tho "Lyttelton Times”), by someone cutting half-way through the plait apparently with a pair of scissors. The girl visited the theatre in company with two friends, and at half-time they left to go home. On her way out the girl felt a tug at the plait, but she did not pay much attention to tho incident. However, on arriving homo sho found a cut half-way through the plait at about a level with her shoulders. The girl’s hair was particularly long and beautiful, and it attracted tho attention of two ushers nt the theatre, who distinctly remember her visit. They stale that, a man and a women were shown into seats immediately behind tho girl and her friends, and went out just behind them at half-time. These two people did not return to tho theatre after the interval. The State Advances Department has granted the Timaru Borough Council .£5OOO for the erection of workers’ dwellings.—Press Assn.

The train which usually leaves Upper Hutt for Wellington at 8.40 a.m. was considerably delayed yesterday, and did not reach Wellington until alter 11 o’clock. The, delay is stated to have been occasioned by tho poor quality of coal used in the engine. The train made its appearance at Petono at about 10.10, and during tho run to Ngahauranga stopped on three occasions.

A well-known Australian, writing from New York to a friend in Wellington, says:—"Tho workmen here are accepting big reductions in salary, and aro working 70 and 72 hours. I wonder if tho working men throughout the British Empire realise that they are going to be leftin tho lurch through their country being flooded with German goods via America while the British factories are out of business.” "If we can evade tho late frosts wo are going, to have a wonderful fruit season down our way,” said a Christchurch resident yesterday. "I have never seen the trees so crowded with blossoms as they are at present, and everything that grows seems to bo most wonderfully forward this year. We have had frosts as lato as November 6, but so far there has been little indication that we may get them yet. We aro all hoping that tho ‘nippy’ season is past, and that wo shall have tho reward of a mild spring.”

Tho opportunities that Now Zealand misses by not having an adequate Dominion museum, with safe, accommodation for the display of articles of interest and value, are illustrated by a communication forwarded to the Government by tho Imperial authorities. Tho communication states that certain arms and armour now in the Tower of London are available for issue on permanent loan to the Dominion Governments. The articles that aro offered to New Zealand in-cludeßack-plates (Maltose), 16th century, brought from Malta to the Tower in 1826; back-plates (Toivas). 17th century, captured from French ship at the period of tho Siege of .Rochelle, 1627; breast-plates (trooper’s), 18th century; breast-plal.es (various), 17th century; helmets (for pikemen), 17th century; helmets (for horsemen), 17lh century; helmets (triple bar), 17th century; skullcaps (for lining felt hats), 17th century; secretes (iron framework for felt cap), 17th century; piaquets (for reinforcing breast-plates), 17th century; carbine (snider), circa 1863-70; pistols (flint-lock), 16th century; arm-pieces, 17th century (theso arc in sets of two, but not necessarily pairs); bridle gauntlets, 17th century; bridle gauntlet cuffs, 17th century. Some peculiar questions are asked ot political candidates, remarks an Auckland newspaper. One aspirant for a seat was asked the other night was he in favour of protecting boarders from the exorbitant tariffs of boardinghouses; further, was ho in favour of bringing such houses under tho provisions of the Arbitration Court, tho said Court to examine their daily menu and fix the tariff accordingly, or fix the menu? "It seems as though 1 the Government should' become your frfthor and your mother,” replied the candidate. “Soon wo will want it to put us all to bed and tuck us up at 9.30 each night.”

Like mankind, eggs seem to run through seven ages (states an exchange). There aro fresh farm eggs, farm eggs, fresh eggs, cooking eggs, and that specuz lativo variety known merely ns eggs, not to mention other classes. When an egg ceases to bo a fresh egg tho pores of the shell seem to enlarge, but not every person is ablo to detect this subtle change which is the sign of age. Preserved eggs, of course, last for months, but once they aro taken out of tho preservative their days are numbered—or ought to be. Canadian eggs were collected during the war and sent in huge quantities to Great Britain, where they wore eagerly bought for “cooking” purposes. They were generally (n good condition, unless thtjy had been subjected to damp. followoiL. by heating on the voyage across the Atlantic, when, of course, things 'began to happen. As ft rule, however, they did not ever show "red spot," which is tho first serious warning to the seller, to get rid of them smartly. "Red, spot.” is a mere pin-point Ted ! mark inside the egg, and is a sure indication of the beginning of tho end There are other stages, in, eluding "black rot,” tho existence of which probably places the egg in tho category of an election missile, and the last'classification is a mere "shell.” One smashed egg in a case will cause great havoc, huge and disgusting fungi being quickly cultivated under certain conditions, the rest of the case being contaminated.

A student of floriculture states that flowers fight much ns do the males of most species of animals. Primroses are most pugnacious, especially if they loei that thov are being crowded too closely. In this 'case they flop their leaves up and down, and so smother tho intruding plants. Manv of tho smaller hyacinths aro regular floral ruffians. Anv unfortunate vegetable intruder on what they deem to he their domain, is seized and strangled in a tangle of vegetation specially grown by tho plant for that purpose. A remarkable instance of this is seen in connection with the common bramble, when, as is often the case. It is found straggling over a pile of stones or up against a roughly-built wall. In such circumstances the plant has tho power to turn its growing sko°to into clubbed roots, which completely fill the crevices where soil is to be found, and. effectively keep competitors out. And so nature provides the power of self-pre-servation.

An estranging factor in Anglo-Ameri-can relations is the abuse of high jouinalistio tradition by the Hearst papers and yellow Press generally, states Mr. F. Milner, rector of tho M’aitaki Boys High School, who recently returned from the United States. Theso journals arc absolutely unscrupulous in tTrcir misrepresentation and vilification of British aims and policies. Tho 1 ormal Anglophobia of tho millionaire newspaper proprietor, Henrst, has teen intensified into rabid hostility owing to the suppression of his papers in the British Empire for pro-Gcrmanism. In spite of repeated exposures of his poisonous manipulation of apocryphal news items, he persists in marshalling all his journalistic agencies in this campaign of slander and mendacity. Tho Hearst papers have a dailv circulation of five million copies, and sojare far from being a. negligible factor ip creating distrust of Britain. A branch of lhe Stea Scouts organisation, which aims at training its members to become sailors, and, if need bo, to help in coast defence, has been formed in Napier under the name of the Victory Company. The Scouts, says «« exchange, are hopeful of receiving a veA. eel promised them by the British Admiralty. It will bo similar to those used in coast defence in Belgium, and fitted with wireless, and submarine detectors.

Tho strange way in which some men picked up, or attempted to pick up, a Living was the subject of recent comm/nt by a police officer during the hearing of a case in the Thames Police Court. The two men in tho dock, he eaid, apparently made a practice of camping near an abattoir. They got hold of discarded horns. Ono of them wae i* polisher. Tho horns were scraped and polished, mounted in a cheap way and then hawked about for sale.

Some great, hauls of crayfish have been made recently at Wliangaruru and elsewhere along the east coast, and the supply on csale locally include some of the largest specimens yet seen in the district, states the Whangarei advocate. To strangers, especially from the Old Country, the size of the crayfish has caused expressions of surprise. A partv of motorists at the Spring Show at Hastings on returning to their, car, after making a tour of inspection of the show, found on 0110 of the seats a large hat box containing a lady’s not, and there was nothing whatever to indicate how it got there. It is presumed that the owner of the hat made a mistake in connection with tho cars, lhe hat was handed over to the police. Many ako ake hedges in tho Manawatu have this year teen attacked by a disease which causes tho stem and leaves to turn black, while the buds become calloused, states the ‘‘Standard. The cause of the disease-is a fly and the effect of its ravages was plainly visible on a small piece of ake ake. A well-known man on the Auckland waterfront for over half a century died early on Saturday in tho person of Mr. David Gouk, states the “Star.” Deceased was a fine type of Scot, and was wonderfully well until about a year ago, when old age began to press upon his hardy constitution. For the past four months Mr. Gouk had been practically an invalid. He was in his eightvsevent.h year. Born in Montrose, Forfarshire, Scotland, Mr. Gouk arrived in Auckland in 1863. He started business as a boatbuilder, his yard being in Customs Street West. The cutter Ins, which was built 50 years ago by Mr. Gouk, is still in commission. He also did a lot of salvage work, having successfully raised about GO vessels. About--20 years ago Mr. Gouk took into partnership his two sons, Messrs. David and Alexander Gouk. The firm then turned its attention to bridge and .wharf construction. Manv wharves in the M aitemata and the Hauraki Gulf were erected by Gouk and Sons, the two most important being the old one at Hobson Street and No. 4 jetty. In 1916 Mr. and Mrs. Gouk celebrated the golden alim-, vorsary of their wedding. Deceased is survived bv his widow, four sons, two daughters, "and sixteen grandchildren. The spell of wet weather 1 that has been experienced over the Auckland district lately is causing growing uneasiness amongst the owners of strawberry beds, stales the “Star.” One grower voiced what appears to .be the general complaint when he said that, his beds could do very well without any more continuous rains. The wet weather appears to have delayed the growers in putting down the mulching which is intended .to keep the berries off the ground and to serve other purposes. The picking season in tho Auckland district should, under nowpal circumstances, commence towards the end of this month, mid usually continues until just after Christmas." Tn fact, i>. few local growers have already found a few ripe berries, but the harvest season is not yet by any moans in full swing. "I rang for the fire brigade; otherwise I would not lie hero,” a member of a Christchurch legal firm informed Mr. Wyvern Wilson, S.M., in the .Magistrate’s Court recently, when answering a charge nf having allowed a chimney in his house to get on fire, states an exchange. The lawyer explained that the chimneys in his house were swept last October, and there had been no fires lighted till April last; he did not think that lie had in any way negligent. "I am afraid,” remarked, the Magistrate, "that on principle you will have to take it like the rest of them — ss. and costs.”

Inferior butter, it is said, has been recently causing householders at Port Chalmers to complain that there is evidently no assurance that top price ensures test quality (states the “Otago Daily Times”). Two well-known brands of butter aro mentioned by complainants, who state they returned one to get the. other and found both were "off” in regard to the usual standard of quality. Owing tft scarcity of employment butter is approaching the status of a luxury, and this accentuates the desirability that only tho test, be supplied when the price charged is for that grade.