LOCAL & GENERAL.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 25 October 1916, Page 2

LOCAL & GENERAL.

The amount put through the totalisator for the two days at Wellington races was £78,227, an increase of £4,143 on last year. The Pearce .Handicap was won by Fiery Cross with Marsina.h second and Heeltap third. Crowhurst accounted' for the Juvenile Handicap with Ample and Estland in second and third places respectively. Desert Gold showed she had not lost

any of her three-year-old form in the manner in which she defeated Nbnes by a length in the Champion Plate. TaI'ingiiniutu was third. The Ruahine Handicap was won by Branibletye with Weed'-endi second and Bairnsdale third. As is the case at Wellington races an outsider won the last race of the meeting in 'Lady Black with Bi■sogne .second and Bimeter third. A heavy explosion at the iXapier electrical power-house in the early hours of Sunday morning was the cause of the residents in that vicinity being considerably startled and rather rudely awakened. The accident was caused during the process of cleaning the pipes leading from the retorts to the gasometer. The only way in which this cleaning process can be properly performed is to pass fire through the pipes, and precautions are invariably taken to get the gas clear, but this time apparently an amount of gas still remained, in the .scrubbers (in which the gas is purified before reaching the retort), and this caused the explosion. A considerable amount of damage was •clone, but not as much as might have been expected. A man named Carfion, who was engaged in cleaning the ■pla.nt at the time was rather severely bin lit about the arms and face and was removed to the hospital. Levin Defence Rifle Club will hold its annual general meeting on Friday evening next in the Century Hall. Particulars are advertised on page 3. A Wangamii resident who was driving through the Mangawhero district tlie other day was surprised to see a girl of about eighteen handling a ('uuble-iurrow plough and a three-horso team with a .skill that would have done crrd:t to tlie most expert ploughman. Evidently tlie shortage of men is becoming very pronounced in the back districts 011 this coast, but it is pleasing to note that tlie young women are proving equal to the occasion by carrying 011 the most arduous work in the absence of the men, and showing a grit and determination that is worthy of great admiration. -Mr T. A, Archey. who is in charge of Bumham school, informed a Press reporter recently that over 240 boys from the school were now with the forces, either at the front or in training. They had done remarkably well, and it was a source of keen gratification to iiini. He said the eyes of the public were generally focussed oil the Burnham. boys who came up at Court, and they forgot the far greater number who reflected credit on the school, and who now were occupying honoured positions in the dominion. ' c Tlie State Treasury received a big ''windfall" yesterday (says the Sydney Daily Telegraph of the '19th inst), in the shape of a cheque for £123,394, being the amount of stamp duty paid by the executors of the late Mrs Walter Hall, in respect of the New South Wales portion of the deceased lady's estate, which has been assessed by the Stamp Commisisoner at £822,516. The Queensland portion of her estate was assessed at £245,996. but the assessment of the Victorian portion has not yet been completed.

The annual general meeting of the ■Levin Lawn Tennis Club will be held in Williams's tea-rooms on Thursday, 2GtJi insV