NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1736, 4 October 1917, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

An officer, who is well known in Dunedin, writing from France to a member of the Daily Times staff, relates the following amusing story, which also helps to throw an interesting sidelight on the considerateness shown by the New Zealand soldiers: —“Some time ago the Engineers were engaged in strengthening an existing building to enable it to be used as an Artillery Group Headquarters. The building a fairly solid brick stable —was having a conci’ete wall erected inside in order to increase the resistance against high explosive shells. An officer visiting the work, and noting the progress made, remarked to the sapper n.e.o. in charge that the job would be finished within a couple of days, and was somewhat surprised when he was told that it would take at least nine days to complete. ‘Why/ said the officer, ‘the work is almost done now.’ ‘Yes/ replied the n.e.0., ‘but we can’t get at the last portion of it for a week on account of the hen.’ The officer was more astonished than evex 1 , but as a result of further interrogation it was explained that the fanner’s wife had a hen sitting on eggs in a manger which would require to bo demolished, and that she had asked that this portion of the work might be deferred for a week in order that the period of incubation might be completed. As time permitted, the request was agreed to.”

There was a strange happening on the Opihi River recently, when sonic poaching was done right under the nose of the ranger to the Aecdimatisation Society (says the TiHerald). The strange aspect .[•’ the case was that though the jiotu-her was .-uspocied, Ihe ranger wniiid not, search the poison umU i’ suspicion, nlheo he lau- a naan* ti'l 'T;; x .;'| impartiality in lliis respect. The circumstances

however, were unusual. and even the ranger admit;.'; that he was well duped. There was a woman in the ease, in fact, there were several, and under the guise of bathing in the river, at least one of them set to work to secure some trout before the season opened. She had on a regulation bathing costume, and proved an expert in getting fish out of the water with her hands. On ~ approaching the bathers the ranger, from a sense of gallantry no doubt, felt in duty bound to sheer as soon as he saw that they wore women. He noticed that one of them looked extraordinarily stout, but hastily looked the other way, and thought no more about the matter, till later on ho received indisputable evidence Unit she had been poaching, and that her “stoutness” was caused by the fine-conditioned trout which she hud secreted under her bathing costume.