LATE LOCALS.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 April 1921, Page 3

LATE LOCALS.

News was received to-day .1 the death of Mrs Ann Hodgson an old and respected resident of Ross.

A peculiar accident happened on the Main Trunk railway on Monday night A horse broke away from the yards at Raurimu, and, getting on to the railway, followed the line into one of the tunnels on the spiral. A mixed passenger and goods south-hound train piocecding ahead of the Auckland to Wellington express, ran over the horse in the tunnel, but got through without accident. The express was delayed at Raurimu until some railway employees cleared the tunnel of the remains of the animal, and was an hour late on reaching the top of the spiral at Waimarino. The lost time was made up later, and the express reached Wellington on time.

It is not generally known, hut it is a proved fact, that the stamen or yellow centre of the arum lily is deadly poison, remarks the “Golden Bay Times. Parents who are in the habit of growing the lily are warned not to allow their children to eat the yellow centre. Children are in the habit of picking out this yellow substance and depositing it in the mouth. It has a rather sweet taste, and once they have tasted it they generally go for more. Recently Kenneth'Lewis Spilsbury, the infant son of Mr and Airs John Spilsbury, Onewjiero, succumbed as a result of poisoning. The little fellow and his sister, aged about three years, ate the stamen of the arum lily. The children became ill, with the result that the hoy, aged about t wen tv-two months, died.

Educational and Cress conteicnces will he held at Honolulu .this year under the auspices of the Pan-Pacific Union. The Senate of the United States has passed a Bill appropriating the sum of £3OOO to cover the expenses of the conferences, on the report of the Finance Committee, which stated “After consultation with Mr A. Hume Ford, sec-retary-director of the Pan-Pacific Uruon, and others interested, your committee believes that this amount should be granted the union as it, through the untiring efforts of Air Ford, has done and is still doing great things, which are very beneficial to the islands.” All the heads of Hie circle of Pacific Governments are officers of the union. The latest to join is Rama VI, King of Siam, who is honorary president.