LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 670, 27 September 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A Tennis Club dance will be held in the Oddfellows’ Hall on Thursday next, and a good time is promised all who attend.

We understand that the receipts in connection with St. James’ Flower Show, held recently, exceed £2OO, &• very satisfactory result indeed.

The Franklin County Council’s stone crusher and motor lorries are busiy engaged in the Drury district re-forming the roads by re-metalling which w r as wanted badly.

The additions to the N.Z. Co-op. Dairy Company’s factory at Drury are nearing completion, and are being erected in accordance with the main building, which is a credit to the district.

A Te Awamutu farmer told Mr H. A. Young, S.M., recently that he lost £4OOO on cattle during the past season. Three-year steers, bought for £lO or £l2 eighteen months ago, were sold at the Te Awamutu sale last week for £2 15s.

A friendly game of cricket . was played in Buckland’s paddock on Saturday, September 24, between Runciman and Drury, the latter team,’ being victorious. There were many spectators, and the ladies provided very enjoyable afternoon tea.

Mr H. Brett, the well-known Auckland floriculture enthusiast, cad on exhibition at St. James’ Flower Show some magnificent specimens of carnations and daffodils. Mr Brett claims that these were the finest blooms ever sent out of Auckland by him.

Messrs William Rattray and Claude W. Gooderham will lecture on St. John Ambulance and its work on Monday, October 3, in the Premier Theatre. The Rev. John P. Cowie will preside. In connection with this lecture it is interesting tc note that Mr Rattray has for the past? 26 years held; the post of honorary secretary of the Auckland Centre.

At the recent Flower Show, and also at the last performance o£ “Hearts of’ Oak” the Highland dancing of Mrs Spence, from Puni, attracted a great deal of attention, and won well merited praises. At the Flower Show her pupils also gave an exhibition, which won, the admiration of all. All young- people interested in fancy dancing should get in touch with Mrs Spence as early as possible.

The equinoctial gales—the “axle* boxal gales,” a worthy old farmer of) our acquaintance calls them—have .not omitted to visit us this month, though, with -the exception of a sheet of iron or so ripped off a root here and there, and a few trees blown down, we cannot learn that! they have done much damage. Science generally denies the existence of these gales,—really, we hr iev? because science, cannot assign asy plausible theory to account for theic occurrence —but like many other Ihir gs that ( science cannot account! for they certainly happen, as any sailor or farmer could depose t 3. ft would be interesting to know why the hour of the sun’s crossing the tropics should be heralded by ucl? atmospheric disturbances, but we really know very little about leso matters, ins spite-of the pretensions of some of our meteorologists, and “the wind bloweth where it listeth, and none knoweth whence it cometh or whither it goeth,” is almost as true still as when it was first written.

A lad£ living less than a hundred miles away has two daughters who .will probably make a stir in the world! some day. They have a mania for lighting fires whenever they can_ get hold of matches, and one day recently after they had started a conflagration in a box in the washhouse, she told them, as a deterrent against such practices, harrowingtales of little girls who got their clothes -on fire, and after lingering in pain for days died in awful agony, and had “This is the fruits of disobedience” chiselled on their tombstones. The next day she was startled. to see two little bare figures facing down the paddock, and following found the little Eves trying to set the hedge alight. Instead of applauding their sagacious precautions she told them how dreadfully shocked' she was, and that they must novel*' take off their clothes again like that. A little later they filled the hath, and got in with all their things on, rather than disobey dear mamma.

The report of the Waterways Commission is being looked forward to with much interest by these concerned in the navigation of the Waikato, and the drainage of swamp lands adjacent. Now that Parliamenthas assembled the report, which has been for some time in- the hands of the Minister, is not likely to be long witheld. We understand that aftei* its publication a conference of those interested is likely to be held at Ngaruawahia.