LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 25 October 1924, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

French workmen in a shop at St. Mairenux-Mines, discovered a skeleton of a German soldier with a live bomb in his hand. While a man was washing his hands at Wembley, a thief stole from his overcoat pocket, a wallet, containing a few scraps of paper and overlooked another wallet, containing £IOOO. A novelty in the shape of a perfectly round hen egg has just been purchased in an Oainaru store. Tt was of normal size. Strange noisc-s in the cellar led a woman and her husband at. Guiseley, Yorkshire, to search for burglars. They were astonished to find a cow, which had come in from the road and had descended the steps. Mr. AY. D. Hunt, well-known in commercial circles, has presented t the Invercargill Plnnket Society with the homestead block of Cain field Instate. The gift comprises a commodious residence and twelve acres of land, valued at nearly £SOOO, wliic-li is used as a Karitane Home.

To-day is the .seventieth a universal y of the date ol ‘‘The Charge of the Light Brigade” at Balaclava, which took place on October 25, 1854. The last of the series of euchre parties and dances held under the auspices of the local U.A.O.D. will be held on Wednesday, 29th next, in the Foresters’ Hall. Prizes, etc., will be given. Members of the Ilawera BoAvling Club will see by an advertisement elsewhere that a progressive pairs tournament will be held on the green on Labour Hay. A full muster is requested, when a good day’s enjoyment is anticipated. It is not often a man casually listening-in at a friend’s wireless installation recognises his own brother’s voice from as far away as Sydney, but such was the experience of Mr. Gus Jones of Eketabama, whose brother is one of Sydney’s professional singers and is often engaged for broadcasting concerts. To make certain he had judged aright, Mr. Jones wrote to Sydney mentioning the time, date and song and received a confirmatory reply. The popularity of steerage travel among American university students and others who have visited England this year have evolved a new class in Atlantic travel. Instead of the old division of the liners into three classes, a fourth class is now' promised, which is to he known as the “College cabin,” and will come somewhere between cond cabin and steerage. It is described as “superior” third class, and is specially designed for students, professors, teachers, and world war veterans. Medievalism was carried so far at the consecration of Liverpool Cathedral that sand was used to dry the King’s signature. Before the days of blottingpaper, sand was used for the drying process, and the inkwell in the oldfashioned desk was always balanced by a “pounce-box” on the other side. This •pounce,” unless the cheaper sand was used, consisted of a fine powder—usually pounded g,;msandarach and cuttle fish bones —which was gently sprinkled on the document and then as gentlysliaken off when the drying process was complete. Sometimes neither sand nor pounce .was used. A Morning Post writer says he has a distinct recollection of seeing a receipt in a grocery, s’jop “blotted” with tea-dust. The Ilawera Methodist Choir have has been practising for some time.the beautiful cantata “The Great Light” under the choirmaster • and organist, Mr Hutton. It will be rendered in the Methodist Church on Wednesday, October 29. The soloists are Mesdames Tozer, A. Bates and Mrs M. M. Grahame (of Gisborne), Miss Enid Spurdle, Messrs G. Harvey, E. Jones, A. G. Reid. Mr M. Grahame, who is singing for the first- time in Hawera, comes from Gisborne with a reputation as a singer. No charge will be made for admission, but a collection w.ill be taken up in aid of the trust fund. Skylarkers on the Summit Road (Christchurch) have recently pushed a : piano case over several times in blissful ignorance of the fact that it contained gelignite and detonators. The : explosives axe kept in the case by the - workmen engaged in widening the road. ; Mr H. G. Ell considers that it is more I by the goodness of Providence than ; anything else that the culprits have not ■ been blown to pieces. 1 An “In Meinoriam” service will be ! held in the Hawera Methodist Church r to-morrow evening with reference to , t-Ije death of Mrs, F. Lacey. The Rev. W. J. Oxbrow will preach on “The 1 Valley of the Shadow.” The choir will sing the anthem, f< Wliat Are F These?” (Stainer)./

As from to-morrow (Sunday) the Ivaponga telephone exchange time-table is being extended to provide a service on Sundays between the hours of 9 and 10 a.m. and from o to 6 p.m., and on holidays from 9 to 10 a.m. and from 7 to 8 p.m. As this office has hitherto remained closed on Sundays and holidays. the improvement will be greatly welcomed by subscribers throughout the ' district. It is anticipated that a further improvement, to secure which the postmaster, Mr. W. H. L. Roberts, working in conjunction with the Kaponrra Chamber of Commerce, has pursued energetiq endeavours for a considerable time, will shortly be effected in the extension of the ordinary weekday attendance to afford service between the hours of 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. The Sydney Morning Herald says it was learnt on October 14 that Sir Sam Fay and Sir Vincent Raven (the RoyaL Commissioners on the railways), just prior to sailing for New Zealand, handed to the Premier (Sir George Fuller) a renort which was marked “private and confidential.” It is understood that the renort deals with the railways from an aspect which was not in the scope of the terms of reference. The Premier sent a wireless message to two railway experts asking for permission for him to* make the document public. Should they not consent, they will probably he asked by the Premier to withdraw it altogether. It is understood that the Premier is in a quandrv as to what to do with the document, in view of the fact that it is a confidential document. How people will spend Labour Day depends mainly upon the weather, which is always difficult to forecast at tins time of the year, when winds from the west frequently bring heavy showers alternating with sunshine. Judging by the barometer, however, Monday should be a fine day, and if the temperature’ rises many people will naturally desire to spend the first holiday of the approaching summer out of doors. Followers of the races will no doubt go to Waver ley for the day, wher© an interesting day’s sport is expected. Bowlers, tennis players and cricketers will welcome a bright sunny day. while other people will seek .recreation at the beach, Ngacre Gardens, or the Mountain. The Hawera Athletic .Club has arranged a meeting to he held on the A. and P. Showgrounds during the afternoon, when a number of interesting contests will bo provided. If the day be fine there will be ample opportunity for people to enjoy the holiday in the open. In the evening special picture programmes will he presented. Particulars of issue of holiday excursion tickets in connection with Royal Show at Palmerston North are advertised in this issue. A reminder is given of the garden party, in aid of the Okaiawa Teachers’ Hostel, to he held on Monday next in the Holly Bank Gardens. A very good programme has been arranged, and visitors will he helping a worthy object as' well as getting a full afternoon’s enjoyment. By advertisement in this issue supporters of the Reform Party in the Mokoia, Meremere and Whakamara districts arc invited to a meeting in the Mokoia Hail on Tuesday, October 28, at 8 p.m. The meeting null appoint delegates to the conference at Waverlev that will select the Reform candidate for the Patea seat at the nxet election. Ladies are specially invited to meeting. Children like - W ide ’a Worm Figs. Safe and certain remedy for worms.— Advt.

A daily motor service from Eltham to New Plymouth is shortly to be established. The latest proposal to boom the Westport coal trade is to endeavour to get orders to ship coal to Newcastle. There are at present 745 subscribers to the Oamaru telephone exchange. It is worthy of mention that no a single subscriber to the local exchange surrendered his service on account of the increase in telephone charges. On board the steamer Neils Neilson, which left Wellington the other night, was one of the German police dogs which the ship carries as a Mascot. The animal is supposed to be half-wolf and half-hound, but from its appearance it is more wolf than 'hound, and little would be left of anyone it tacked. A united provincial conference of members and friends of the Protestant Political Association will be held in the Oddfellows’ Hall, Eltham, on Monday (Labour Day), commencing at 11 a.m Rev. Howard Elliott and other speakers will address the conference. The Minister oT Railways announced on Thursday that the railway freight on benzine on a particular section of the railways has been reduced from £3 3s 8d to £2 5s per tonkin order to meet the competitive freight rate by road transport. “As long as I kept permanent rabbiters I never get the rabbits down,” said a witness in the Supreme Court (reports the Lyttelton Times). “That is the old cry,’’ remarked counsel. “I am glad to be back in New Zealand,” said Mr T. Simpson, of Palmerston North, when discussing his recent visit to England with a Standard reporter. “I have no desire to live in England, and the more I see of New Zealand the more convinced am I that it is the best country ip which to reside.” A resident in the Manawatu district who recently received a letter from a friend in England, states that the harvest has been very wet, and in consequence the corn ofFered at some of the sales was in a poor condition. Wheat made up to 555, new oats 255, barley 70s, and maple peas 565. The letter stated that New Zealand butter and-mutton were being eagerly on the London market in. preference to the Home product. A season or two ago a certain farmer .was hard to dissuade from walking off his farm; the whole thing had proved a failure and he was down and out (says the Mataura Ensign). However, he kept on keeping on, and today the same gentleman is walking around Gore with his pockets bulging over a sum running into four figures” for which, he is trying to find investment.