NEWS AND NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 August 1924, Page 3

NEWS AND NOTES.

A Duuedinite who has just toured the principal cities of Australia says that buildings up to thirteen stories are now being constructed in both .Melbourne and Sydney. Business appears to Ik: normal, but money is tight, tin- banks bolding off lending. Some persons ascribe the scarcity of money to the war loans.

A man who was described by the police as a most conscientious worker was charged at Auckland with being a rogue and vagabond, in that be was tnund by night- oil enclosed premises. Accused explained be was taking a

sbort cut lionm from a party. There was no suggestion of criminal intent, and the ease was dismissed.

M lien a man .stepped into the deck at the Dunedin I’oliee Court to answer a charge of theft (states the "Otago Daily Times”) he addressed the .Magistrate (Air 11. \Y. Bundle) as billows: "Air Hanlon cannot appear tiiis morning, so we shall have to adjourn tiiis ease until Alonday.” His Worship pointed out that the accused apparently did not appreciate the position when he made such a statement- He presumed that the accused v, i-bed to apply lor an adjournment til Alondav.

At a meeting of the council of the New Zealand Ayrshire Breeders’ Association it was announced '.states the

"Alanawatu Evening Standard”) that two silver medals for the best nude and female Ayrshire respectively entered in the herd hook of the association. or tin- New Zealand Herd Book, and to he competed for at the Royal Show in November, had been lorwifrded by the Ayrshire Cattle Herd Book Society (Ayr) Satisfaction was expressed by members at the interest of the Scottish Society in the breed in New Zealand.

The possibilities of converting the last quantities of powdered coal lhal are at present wasted into a marketable commodity was recently indicated by Sir Trevor Dawson, ol Vickers’s International (Timhustiou Engineering, Ltd. lie further stated that at the present time fully 2-T per cent of the coal mined in Great Britain is never In-might to the surlaee. heeanse under cxi-ting conditions it is too line to he of nnv use.

"The painful story of a returned soldier's ilistress was related at a meeting of the .Marlborough I’atriolie As.-n----siation by the Rev Canon (.hiintrcll (say. the "Express”). 'The man was -aid to he medically unlit lor ordinary civilian pursuits, and In- has a wile and live children all existing in a state of abject misery in the Sound'. Canon t.luiutrell said tin- I’ielon Hospital and Charitable Aid Board would see that the family did not want for tood. but he urged that, the association should a-sist them on humanitarian grounds The association had already assisted tin- man to a eonsidi-rable extent and recent lv paid a debt lor hint.

An Ashburton member ol the police j force i- congratulating himself on the j success of an astute piece of detective : Work i-tales an exchange). He was I faced with the In.-k ol discovering the I would-be thief ol a liasketlul ot egg-, j the property of Dean lEDonnell. ol i t |-e Roman Catholic I’n-sbytery. Having only the ba-ket and loot printto I work upon. Con-table (ECriidy tool. ! tig. l-askel round to < lie or two schools on tin- morning alter the attempted limit. It wa- -luted to the hoys that I lie ba-ket had h 10-l . w hereupon one of the lads unwittingly gave Ills lather away I<\ recognising it a- hi' properly. A "Wanganui Herald” reporter r--(entli had an opportunity oi perusing, -nine ot the letters -.-111 to Ratlllla :o In- ab-ini-i-. One ot these was r• .-in a Miinig l.nlv in I .'. \ . w h" :i--ur , -d him that In- pray-rs tor her bad I ice n an-wered and she had been materially hem-tiled in health. 'The J writer referred to the strangeness of the healing at s () great a distance and enelo-"d a scriptural text. A Canadian lady wrote a pathetic letter a -king tor la-lp and enclosing a dol- j lar. 'This money the reporter was iulormed, would h-- returned to t he lady. Another writer explains Imw In- Inis got rul ot various vices lint | to give up Ins favourite pipe appears to he the harde-t task ol all. Towards this end lie solicits KutUllu's help. "A trap tor unsuspecting women” is tie- description given by the Napiet -•Daily 'Telegraph” of a new telephone box al the Mnsiings Street tramway terminus. 'The door ol the new 'phone I .ox Is equijiped with what i' called a hall luck. a. simple spring eaieli designed to allow easy opening Rom -■it I m-r side. But there i- a catch on this door--a diiTerent sort of fit i eh and so effective a catch that it has caught several patrons of tin- telephone. 1 1 v (losing on them while they were using Hie instrument, and te~ fn-ing to open when tla-y had finished. 'Tints several women have found themselves lg-trayed bv the lock. I In-y were caged in a plate-glass prison. On cue occasion a Indy entered the box in I, l oad davlight. Imt found when she tried to leave it that the door re I used to open. No one was in sight, and for ten minutes or so, until a tram arrived. she Si niggled to get out. But Iter elforts were futile, and from the combined result of physical elfort and nn-n----t;i! distress she was almost in a state collapse when released by a (ramway nioiorman. Another ease waihnt of a young girl on whom the traitorous door elo-ed firmly late al •light. The imurixoned damsel sought j-i vain to escape, and had resigned herself to the prospect oi a night in a telephone box when she was released by a strav pedestrian. A system “trying out” l»riti*h immigrants for New Zealand was sug-g-sted hv Air Seymour at a meeting of the Hamilton Chamber of Common e (sillies the ‘‘Auckland Mtar" correspondent). The speaker considered the New Zealand Government/ should acquire a stretch of land in England where ero.spei five emigrants could undergo short training under conditions as similar as ]ns-ihle to those in New Zealand and under the supervision ot :i man tamiiiar with conditions in this Dominion. There was undoubtedly room tor improvement in the present- method of selection. By this farm scheme prospective emigrants would be aide to get an idea ot the class of work tliev would lie expected t„ do. while the supervisor would be able to select- men for their adaptability. There would he various units on the farm where a gruelling test could be enforced, and if. for instance, a man would stick at dairying for. say 12 hours a day for three months, he might- be regarded as a suitable emigrant. Tt was rather to tost men for grit than for knowledge that the suggestion was made. Such a system would save many disappointments and mueh heartburning. 'Twenty-five children, without any assistance from adults, are conducting services in the Episcopal Church it' the town of Hillman. Michigan, with n twelve-year-old hoy preacher, a thirteen-year-old girl organist, and a choir and corps of deacons ranging in flee from yigjit (q tweßpy Jh* church

has been without a rcc-tor since last December. The children lwive been attending churches of other denominations. Imt when Lent began they decided to conduct Lenten services of their own in their own church. Adult members of the congregation gave their permission, and the church bell lolls regularly every Sunday and Wednesday evening (-tilling the children to worship. I-'c-w adults have attended the services, and the children are in complete control. Donald Lake, a liov of twelve, leads the services. Aliss Azile Bicborlt. thirteen, is organist. The Sunday School in the uhnrcTi is now conducted regularly by two youthful teachers, 1 solid AlcNiebol. twelve, and Elizabeth Biehorn, sixteen.