LOCAL & GENERAL

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 146, 8 July 1937, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL

How Many Hotels? Districts that have not even oue li* censed house must be staggered to learn how many hotels existed in Thames in the palmy days of gold mining, states Ihe Thames Star. So far a representative has compiled an authentic list of 133, and dt is contended that this list is not yet complete. Church and Centennial. A pageant of church history, with particular attention to the history of the church in New Zealand, is planned as part of the centennial celebrations in 1940. The Church News reports that the New Zealand Ghurch Union is maMng plans for observance of the Centennial by means of a pageant in both Auckland and Christchurch, and the proposals will be placed before the Christchurch Clerical Society for the support of the clergy. End of Homework? "I don't know what is happening to our educational system. I believe there is a proposal in view to abolish homework," stated Mr. J. N. Peart, headmaster of King's College, Auckland, when speaking at the annual retmicn of Waikato old boys of the school on Saturday evening. "My hair would soon go grey if I had no ; homework for all those boarders at Islng's every evening." "Life Not in Vain," "My life has not been dn vain," said a speaker whose remarks caused amuse- . ment at the concluaion of a meeting of poultrykeepers at Christchurch. "I have lived to see the poultrykeepers unanimous about something at last. It makes me think the age of miracles is not over. ' 5 The meeting, which was attended by about 100 poultrykeepers, decided to ask the Government to establish a central grading floor for egg^ at Christchurch. A Swan loe-Bound. A large blacb swan, ice-bound in a pond at the Ashburton Domain on Monday, mad© several unsuccessful atteniipts to reach the bank. The plight of the bird was noticed by two coustables, who helped it to reach land. The ravenous hunger shown by the swan indicated that it must have been trapped for several days. One-armed Craftsman. The patient skill of a one-armed craftsman is demonstrated by a 3ft. 6in chaini carved from a single piece of wood,' which has been sent to Mr C. W. Barrell, of Christchurch. The chain was made from a broom-handle by a bushman on the West Coast. It is a remarkable piece of the wood-carver's art, each link being smoothly cut out, aud it is complete with a wooden swivel. Its construction by a one-armed tnan rn.^kes it all the more remarkable. Battle at Sea. A battle between a huge thresher shark and a whale ofE Stephenson Island, near Whangaroa, on Friday thrilled the complement of the Government lighthouse steamer Matai, which was returning to Auckland from visits to northern lights. Watched for about half an hour at a distance of a mile, the light appeared to favour the shark, which continually leaped from the water and whipped at the whale with its deadly tail. The whale fought de3perately and was blowing ceaselessly, and as the ship steamed away the struggle could be seen continuing in a white llurry of foaming seas. Breeding Pheasants. An argumenfc that the society tvas wasting its time breeding pheasants, aud that it would be well advised to abandon the work i.t was doing at present, was advanced by Mr. G. E. Turner at a meeting of the Auckland Acelimatisation Society. The opinion of most of the members was that the society should coutinue breeding pheasants for nnother year at least, and after a vigorous discussion a motion by Mr. Turner, that it should be stopped, was defeated. Cold Breaks Watch Springs. A result of the reeent spell of coldev weather which has caused annoyance in many Hastings households, the sudden snapping of watch springs, is keeping watchmakers busy fitting replacements. Leading jewellers reported yesterday that the occurrence was seasonal, and that the springs usually snapped in the early hours of the morning, this being indicated by the times shown on the stopped watches. Householders not being aware of this, have in most cases been entirely at a loss to account for the sudden stopping of their time-pieces. Big Education Conference. Sixteen hundred people, including primary, secondary, and teehnical school teachers from all parts of New Zealand have enrolled for the regional conference of the New Education Fellowship, which wil open in Auckland on Saturday morning. The large attendance has been made possible by the Education Department 's action in closing all schools in thc Auckland education district next week. The holiday so given will be dedueted from k ; total holidays for the year. Many distinguished educationists from overseas will be present.

Fourth-Crade Rugby. Owing to a misunderstanding in Napier it was thought that the interchange of games in the fourth-grade Rugby, postponed last week, would be played this coming Saturday, but this will not be the case. The ordinary club competition matches will be played in both towns. Unnecessarily Gruel. The ringing of dog's noses, New Zealand veterinarians consider, is un-necessai-ily cruel. The annual conference at Wellington discussed the question briefly. It was pointed out that dogs' noses were particularly tender, and that a muzzle was just as effective as a ring. Pig-Rearing on Farms. "In spite of the progress made in pig-breeding and rearing we have still to get farmers to appreciate the true value of pigs," said a speaker at a luncheon at Westfield, when the Waikato Pipi Recording and Research Association and the works directorate cooperated in staging a porker competition. "The fanner has got into the habit of looking upoh pigs as a means oi using up his by-products from dairying," he added. They had to realise that scientific feeding was essential to produce the correct type for bacon and pork Exohange of Babies. A woman entered a shop in Invercargill a lew days ago wheelingj a perambulator containing a baby. She concluded her purchases, placed them in the perambulator, and contihued her way down the street. Happening to glance at the baby, she noticed with consternation that it was not the one she had had in the perambulator when she entered the shop ; nor was the perambulator hers. How had the change come about P There was only one explanation. Two perambulators of similar design had bebn in the shop at the 6ame time and she had taken the wrong one. This turned out to be correct, and it was a relieved mother who recovered her own baby. Benevolent Union. Defendant in a debt case in the Hastings Magistrate's Court yesterday de- , tailed how the union of which he was secretary, in addition to paying him salary and travelling expenses, was paying off the instalments on his own motor-car for him. "You go to the wrestling matches occasionally — does your union pay for that too?" inquired cross-examining counsel. "That is hardly a necessary qualification for a union secretary, you know," interposed the Magistrate, Mr J. Miller. "Well, I was thinking it might be a kind of entertainment allowance," replied counsel. "Oli, I see," said Mr Miller, with a smile. "Well, of course, it might provide a &nQ opportunity to collect union fees." High scnool Holjdays. The pupils in the lower forms at the Hastings High School will begin their half-yearly examinations ext week, and the week following, from July 19 to 23. the school will be closed to enable the etaff to attend the New Education Fellowship Conference in Wellington. The senior pupils however — those taking matriculation or degrQe courses — will not be given this Holiday and will sit for their examinations iiring that week. On August 20 the school will break up for the term holidays, which this year have been hortened from three weeks to two weeks on account of the amount of time lost at the beginning of the year through the outbreak of infantile paralysis.