LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 15 December 1924, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The season promises to be a record one for the Poverty Bay dairy farmers, judging from the returns for November. It is stated that in that month more butter was made at the local factories than ever before, the factories working to capacity. Observations from the country point to the fact that next months also should follow in the footsteps of last month, as the pastures are in excellent condition, and the dairy herds in first-class order. The first of the local butter placed on the English market brought up to 220 s per cwt, and, although the sales are now dropped to a slightly lower figure—namely, 2125, the price is very satisfactory from the dairymen’s point of view. It is not very likely that beyond a slight drop at the New Year there will he any slump in butter this season.

An accident in which a tramcar and a motor ’bus owned by Mr J. Rimmer weer concerned occurred the other day in Symnods street just below East street (says t.he New Zealand Herald). Although the colliding vehicles were well filled with, passengers, no one was injured. Both were travelling toward the city when the driver of the ’bus, which had overtaken the tramcar, attempted to pass between it and another vehicle a short distance ahead. A piece of iron protruding from the side of the hood of the ’bus caught a stanchion on the front platform of the tramcar. The apron of the tram was torn away, the controller extensively damaged, and the windscreen smashed to fragments, but the ’bus was only slightly damaged. “There is a reassuring tone in the land market in the Waikato. People seem to have at last wakened up to the fact that the longer they hold off the worse the condition of the market becomes, and they are now beginning to inquire for property of all kinds, both houses and farms,” remarked a prominent salesman. He stated' that during the past few weeks he had received almost as many inquiries for properties for sale as during the previous two years. Purchasers were now prepared to make substantial cash deposits. and in his opinion the day of “small deposit” purchasers was nearly over. It was predicted that in the future there would be an extraordinary amount of property changing ownership in the district. With reference to the market for houses, it was stated that the indications were for an improvement in the position, although it had not yet recovered from the effects of the slump. The discus is a part of the amateur athletic kit-bag not so easily obtainable that care of it should be a matter of little concern. At the present tim,e practice with this device is being hampered through the fact that the Wellington Centre of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association has lost trace of the only discus which it had in its possession. The loss is not due to carelessness, as the discus was placed in what was considered to be safe-keep-ing at Athletic Park at the end of last season. In order to prepare for the present season the Australasian recordholder at discus-throwing', P. Munro, went to the Park to get the discus, and was surprised to find that somebody had been there ahead of him, though the case in which the discus was kept had been left in its place. Inquiries as to the whereabouts of the discus have been without result, and it is considered that the article has been removed by someone to whom it is of no value as a sports device. The centre is eager to carry on with discus events, and would appreciate any information which may lead to the missing article being again made available for use at sports meetings and in practice. This is not the only thing that has mysteriously disappeared. Points of javelins are among missing articles, and they, like the discus, are not easily replaced.

’ Through the tour of the All Blacks it is not unlikely that New Zealand may benefit commercially. At various functions during the tour of the footballers business topics have been discussed, and of these there are likely to be some interesting reports when the team returns to New Zealand. During the visit to Newport a hope was expressed by Mr. R, G. Clarry, M.P. for Newport, that the All Blacks, when they returned to New Zealand, would not forget the town from the business point of view. Mr. S. S. Dean, manager of the team, said in reply that the visitors were impressed with Newport as an industrial centi’e. Their visit to the docks had been an eye-opener, and one of the remarks which had been passed was: “Why cannot Newport be a distributing centre for the produce of New Zealand?” When they went as ambassadors in commerce, said Mr. Dean, they would do all they could to help Newport and other places in the general distribution of the products of their country. It was also suggested by Mr Dean that British politicians should visit the overseas Dominioixs and see what they were doing. That would do a tremendous amount of good.