THE HUNTLY PRESS. PUBLISHED WEEKLY AT l P.M. FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 1915. Local and General.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 4, 15 January 1915, Page 2

THE HUNTLY PRESS. PUBLISHED WEEKLY AT l P.M. FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 1915. Local and General.

At the Magistrate’s Court, a sitting of which is being held today, there is quite a long list of cases to be decided, there being about twelve cases set down for hearing.

The Huntly Musical Society under the conductorship of Mr Farrimond, paid a visit to Mr Mathew’s residence on Wednesday evening of last week, and last Wednesday they called on Mr and Mrs Fraser, senr. Needless to say, the orchestra met with a hearty reception at each place and two very enjoyable evenings were spent.

It is reported that another drowning accident was very narrowly averted one day last week. Some young men were swimming on the west side of the river when one got out of his depth and called for help. His mate went to his assistance but also got into difficulties through the first man getting hold of his legs. Fortunately, another of the party was able to get hold of the second man and pulled both out on to the bank, very little the worse for their experience.

The fence which has been erected along the approach to the Huntly Bridge on the Huntly side of the river lias proved a great boon to stock-drivers, there being now no difficulty in getting cattle off and on the bridge at this end. In striking contrast to this is the condition at the other end, where no fence lms been erected and where most vexatious delays occur every time eattlo are sought to he driven over. Yesterday morning it took tlo-'' '• urs <o get a. mob of forty fat bullocks across the bridge. Apart from the delay and trouble of getting the cattle on to the bridge, there is a distinct loss, especially in the case of fat cattle, in their value, after being knocked about for so long.

The Rev. J. Kayll states that be has been able to forward the sum of £9-5-U to the Time’s Overseas Tobacco Fund as a result of the subscription list that lie recently circulated in Huntly. This sum will be sufficient to send each of 185 soldiers at the front J4IK °f tobacco, 50 cigarettes and a box of matches. The names and addresses of the subscribers to the fund will appear on the packet of tobacco. No doubt the gift, when received, will be doubly appreciated, for the promoters of the fund have been informed of the hardships under which Huntly has been suffering of late. We understand that other lists are still in circulation in Huntly so that persons wishing to send any soldiers the above gift can do so by subscribing one shilling.

Mr Herbert Clapham, the well known herbal practitioner, is giving a Health Lecture in the Miners’ Hall on January 20th entitled “ The Battle of Life.” The proceeds of the lecture are to be devoted to relieving a deserving case of sickness and distress. This is a chance that may not offer itself again, and the public would do well to avail itself of the opportunity of hearing an instructive and highly interesting lecture. Mr Clapman is an eminent and successful herbal practitioner, and the benefit of his knowledge, which will be obtained by those who go to hear him, will be invaluable. Mr Clapham is already known to the people of Huntly, as the gentleman who got up several entertainments in Auckland for the benefit of the Huntly Relief Fund, the nett proceeds|of which was over one hundred pounds.

Here is an essay on “ breathing,” ■which, on the authority of one of the masters, was written by a boy at Wesley College, Melbourne : “ Breath is made of air. We breathe with our lungs, our lights, our livers and our kidneys. If it wasn’t for our breath we should die when we slept. Our breath keep the life agoing through the nose when we are asleep. Boys that stay in a room all day should not breathe; they should wait till they get outside. Boys in a room make bad, unwholesome air. The make carbonicide. Carbonicide is more poisoner than mad dogs. A heap of soldiers were in a black hole in India, and a carbonicide got in that there hole and nearly killed everyone of them before morning. Girls kill the breath with corsets that squeeze the diagram. Girls iioan’t holler or run like boys.' because’their diagrams is squeezed too much. If I was a girl I’d rather be a boy, so I could run and holler, and have a big diagram.”

The late sad drowning accident should be a warning to people to be careful how they move about on the various sandbanks in the river. It cannot be too widely known, that the downstream end of each sandbank is in a state of constant agitation and is liable to give way at the slightest pressure. It a curious fact also that this end of the sandbank is always very steep, with deep water quite close up to the edge. On examination, one finds that the sand on the edge is in constant motion, and a steady stream of salid* is continually passing over the edge. The quantity of sand that thus passes over the edge must be enormous, and the wonder is, that the banks are so slow in extending themselves. We have heard numbers of people remark on the peculiarities of the sandbanks in the Waikato River. Perhaps some of our readers may be able to explain them. We should be glad to publish any information on the subject.

The dryness of the present season is becoming father a stale topic, but it will not be amiss to point out another evidence of the very small rainfall we have had during the last few months. The Kimihia Lake is the reservoir for the water from quite a large watershed, and has one or two permanent creeks flowing into it, besides tho drainage from several swamps. The overflow from tho Lake finds its way into the Waikato River at Tele’s Hill, by a small creek which ordinarily has a good flow of water. It was noticed last week that the flow at the lower end of the creek was lessening

very rapidly and now it is found that the creek has gone quite dry. This is a thing that probably has never occurred before and means, that the evaporation, and soakage into 'the surrounding country is taking up m ire water than the permanent creeks can supply. On one farm, known as a very wet one, I lie drinking water is reduced to two small pools, and one of these begins to look like drying up. Warner’s Corset Comfort in real —no expense is spared is securing the finest Soft Fabrics, flexible boning, rubber button hose supporters and dainty trimmings for their construction. We always recommend Warner’s. Local Drapers,

A resident of Huntly had a narrow escape from a serious accident at Awaroa one day during the holidays. He was driving in a gig with his wife and child down a long sidling. On one side there was a steep descent te the creek and on the other a high bank. As the grade was fairly stiff, and the horse going well, the occupants of the gig were enjoying the sensation of travelling at a high speed, when the horse shied at some planks in the watertable. The road being narrow, there was no room to steer, and in a second, horse and gig were over the bank. A few feet down the bank, there was some young wattles growing, and fortunately the horse plunged among these, each wheel of the vehicle being caught by a sapling coming between the body of the gig and the wheel, and effectually stopping the carreer of the vehicle and also the possibility of a capsize. The child which was asleep on its mother’s knee, was thrown out of the gig by the force of the impact, into the branches of one of the trees. It was rescued from there by its mother, who deftly climbed over the back _ of the gig into a place of safety. The horse stood quite quietly when it found the gig was jambed in the trees and allowed itself to be taken out as though nothing had happened. The driver then dragged the gig up on to the road, harnessed up once more and proceeded on the journey, none the worse for tho incident.