NEWS ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 November 1924, Page 4

NEWS ITEMS.

THE FIRST EXHIBIT. The first exhibit for the New Zealand and South Sons Exhibition that is to open at Logan Park in a year’s time, has already 1 cached Dunedin (ail- | imunces the ’‘Evening Star"). It i.s a model ol First Church, made of --.100 pieces of cork, the pieces joined with glue, the cork cut from the stoppers ol ordinary bottles. All’ Robert

JML Field, of Sumh-iland (Durham), is I the maker, lie was in Dunedin in LSSI. mid being struck hv the arehiI tecturnl beauty of First Church, he set . about this work at once, ami in his spare time completed iL in IS!)” when I it uas shown in Melbourne. The scale I worked to is a quarter-inch to the I foot, so the model will he a con.spieuI oils object, measuring 3ft. din. by Iff. I bin., the spire 3ft Sin. high. Each I slate on the roof is independently forml ed, and the walls, buttresses, finials. and spire are in exact imitation. ATr Il* iehl is now in Nelson. His sou has I brought tho model to Dunedin, and is I already well through with the task of preparing it for the big show. The original design for First Church liuildI ing was prepared in Melbourne in 1802 hy .Mr R. A. Lawson, who had offices in Elizabeth Street. The edifice as ,it stands on Bell Hill is probably the most elegant and imposing specimen of ecclesiastical architecture in Australasia, and Mr Field’s model may be considered as a worthy tribute of respect to Afr Lawson’s professional greatness.

A NARBOM' ESCAPE. A motorist had a narrow escape from death the other day. when lie drove into one of the Patea Borough Council’s power transmission lines which had come down on to the login road (states the Hawera “Star”). Apparently the break occurred shortly after midday, the line coming down on to

the centre of the tar-sealed road at a spot about two miles on the Hawcra side of l’atea. The cause was the snapping of the cross-arm on one of the poles, and owing to the curve in the particular part of the road the lines in falling swung out into the centre of the highway. A portion of the crossarm still remained attached to the wire, and this, as it rested on the road, served to draw motorists’ attention to what had occurred.- A swerve to the side on to the soft portion of the road allowed vehicles to pass safely, hut one motorist, Air A. l’earce, of Kakaramea, who was driving a two-seater car without the hood tip, drove in underneath the line, and did not notice if until it had struck his hat and had knocked it hack on his head. Jfe pulled tip on the other side and it was only then that he liecame aware of his narrow escape. A few minutes later the Patea Borough Council was advised of what had happened and at 2 p.m. linesmen were on the scene repairing the break'.

A SHOOTING Al'T-'H AV. AY hat an American would describe as a •‘shooting affray” happened in the Union Bank of Australia on Monday afternoon (says the ‘‘Christchurch Press”). It was not a “hold up” organised iiy iiohhed-hair bandits, however. hut an accident ‘•••li'ch might have been followed with more serious results. At about 3.30 p.m., Keith Nevill, a junior employed in the Union Bank, escorted two of his friends through the place. Eventually they arrived at and entered a certain room—'Presumably a strongroom, because there was a loaded revolver in it. Nevill picked up the weapon and carelessly handled it. lie accidentally pulled tile trigger, with the result that the gun discharged, and the bullet, which (lew perilously close to all thr- e lodged in the arm of one of Nevill's friends named t Toward Paynter. I In' lad was immediately attended to and removed to the Christchurch .Hospital, where he. was operated on next das. lie svns aide to leave for his Home, but it will probably lie some days before he will recommence work.

A LOST CERTIFICATE. A young lady attendant at one of Dunedin's houses of entertainment, when passing through the dress circle at the close of the entertainment one evening iccciitly. picked up all article which one would hardly expect to find in such surroundings (slates the ‘‘Otago Daily Times”). It was a iriere of parchment, and great was (In- lady’s surprise on opening the article to find that it was a marriage certificate. AYitli feminine curiosity, she read it from beginning to end, and by that time had almost convinced herself that she was well ac<lllaillloil with the contracting parlies. Site found that the certificate contained the names of two very young people, and that the marriage had taken place that day. The finder of the certificate placed it in the hands of the caretaker, who was awakened from his slumber the next morning by an early call on the telephone from an anxious bridegroom. The young mail gave a sigh of relief when informed that his property (or rather his wife’s) had been found intact.