NEWS AND NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 June 1923, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

•■The wav that young men are going about wasting their time and means m search of pleasure,” commented feir Robert Stout, Chief Justice, >n Dio Alnsterton Supreme Court, ‘is perfcctlv shocking. They are not studying 'thev are not reading, and they are not‘looking at any books worth while.” He had seen scores of young people running night after night to playhouses, instead of studying and being careful of their means.—“AVatrarapa Daily News.”

A disease of plant life known as f “fascination,” the origin of which if) / at present unknown, and which mainly affects coniferous trees, causing a flattening of the branchlets, has been found to exist in a minor degree in a plantation of trees near Invercargill (reports a southern exchange). The disease, however, is not very serious in its effect on trees which have a commercial value, as it only affects trees which have a weak growth. Strong comment was made by Mr j L. Stout, S.M., when dealing with numerous cases based on broaches of the by-laws, which were brought against Palmerston North residents at the Af agist rate’s Court (reports the “Afanawatu Evening Standard”). With regard to the practice of riding bicycles on the footpaths, and also at night without Fghts, lie lemarked: “Tins „ practice must lie put down. Only the other day 1 noticed a. cyclist riding on the footpath when the road was in good order. This sort of thing will have to stop.” He strongly commented also oil the eases in which ttie rule of the road had not been observed, and warned offenders against a recurrence of the’ offence.

“Persons who outer into hire-pur-chase agreements under which they pay large sums of what is really purchase money, but is nominally rent, are apt to find themselves in trouble if things go wrong,” remarks Hit* Honour Sir John Salmoiul in a reserved judgment in the civil action International Harvester Co. v. AY. Doyle, which was recently heard in Palmerston North (states the “Manawatu Standard”). Defendant had paid half the total value of a truck for six months’ use of it.

It is generally believed that golfers have a very tine command of language, and are seldom at a loss in the matter of expressing their feelings when necessity arises. But (remarks the Wanganui Chronicle”) our local golfers are in very dejected mood just now; the weather has “got them down.” There have been six successive wet weekends, and now the golfers cannot find language that is sufficiently picturesque to fitly describe their feelings.-

A Palmerston North business man has shown us a counterfeit half-crown which was paid over to him ill the course of the day's business, and would like to warn the public to he very alert when accepting half-crowns, as there

arc many "cronkies” in circulation m Palmerston North at the present time i says the “Mannwalit Daily Times”). The specimen (dated 1921) is extremely hard to detoet. It is inclined to lie slightly darker than the genuine article, and, of course, does not ring true.

The story is told iu Ashburton that ,-i young Miss entered the forthcoming Winter Show to compete in the cookery sections. One class she decided to enter for (relates the local “Guardian”), was “scones.” Later this young Miss decided to alter her entry, saying in explanation that her mother could not cook scones!

Something akin to a record in bricklaying was established during the course of the erection of some shops at Pukekohc (states the Auckland “Herald”). One man laid 92G8 bricks in four days of eight hours per day, on llin. work. The bricklayer was on piece-work. lie admitted that his hands were so sore he could not have continued on the next day.

At the last meeting of the l'oxlon Borough Council tho Mayor referred to a certain street as a “dead end at both ends!” as an excuse for not providing it with a footpath. The residents ot the street referred to (says the local • Herald”), will have to puzzle this conundrum out before the next council meeting.