LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 1951, 13 March 1919, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A Mastodon horticulturist told an Age reporter that the burr known as “biddy-biddy,” which is such a. curse to Wairarapa sheep-owners, is at present catalogued by a linn of English seedsmen.

Messrs Mounsey and Co. will hold an auction sale of furniture and live and dead-stock of all descriptions in Xyc's yards next Monday, commencing at 1 p.m. Further entides are solicited.

A. Douglas, ilaxmiller at Mercei

who has been missing since Thursday last, is. believed to have been drowned. It is supposed that while recovering (lax he capsized into the river, lie was a single mam, aged between 30 and -10.

The Auckland district is suffering severely from dry'went her, and in the country townships there is a shortage of water. Farmers arc in constant fear of tires, particularly in the vicinity of Ihe railway lines, where the scrub is like tinder. The whole province urgently needs copious rain.

(V. darkness informed ihe Uorowheima fount y Council uii Balurliny that lie considered ihe colleclimi <>T small birds’ ceys was haviny a good effect, mi (In? past. This opinion, In* said, was supporied by a local yen)lonian who had just* returned from Kurland aft or nearly four years’ ahsimco. lie had remarked on the small number of birds lo he soon, Ihe nuisance heinp a much more noyliyihlo one limn ho had expected lo find.

Levin is shortly to have a now (healre. A syndicate has been formed in Wellington to build a (healre at tin 1 town larye enough jo provide .-.eating accommodation for .1.0(H),

The Maori women of Taiimarunui (says the Press) are adoptin';’ Hat American style of hair-cul known as (he “buster" cut. What with short skirls and the "buster" cut. ancient wahines are heciiniiiiy to look cpiile youthful ayain.

An episcopal visit by seaplane was made on Tuesday by. Bishop ('deary, who si art ml from the Ilyin,r school at Kohimarama at “..‘id a.m., and arrived at Kuaotuna ai 8..'57, a distance of (in miles. Tie inlends to visit other coastal ports by the same means, lie slates that he is more than ever convinced of the value of the seaplane as an aid to visit in*; remote districts, especially where the roads are bad.

In proposing Ilu* (oast of' “Our Departed Heroes,” ul Ihe Druids' banquet u( Christchurch. Dr. Thacker suid Iho graves of New Zealand soldiers, wherever I hey might he, Mould he .-anctilied and hallowed, with possibly New Zeahuid trees grow ini; over them and New Zealand stones placed over (hem. These men, their comrades declared,, were not dead, they had pone West, where (he sun said-: in (he sky. and some day we would rejoin them. We must see that these men's dependants were properly looked after. (Applause.) That was (he lirst and especial care of this country. He pointed out that hi members of the Canterbury Druid community had given up their lives, and 285 were still at the front. Dour hundred members, practically one-sixth of the Canterbury Druid community* had gone to the front,

JF YOU HAVE A cough, cold, bronchitis, or influenza, and you are kinking for a quick, safe and certain remedy with which to fight them, nothing will give such quick and sure relief as Chamberlain’s ConglrKoinedy. The first dose soothes your throat, stops the tickling, and gives .relief. For sale everywhere. —Aclvt.

The Queen of the South, from Tern kohe with a cargo of cement,, is line to-morrow.

A movement is on foot locally to .have Foxton included in the present Chautauqua tour.

The tender of Mr J. W. Alderton for the brick work of the new State school for Foxton, which has been accepted by the Wanganui Education Board, was £3,074.

A Gazette Extraordinary published fixes the maximum retail price of bacon at Is (id per lb., with lb. extra when cut into rashers.

An eight-roomed house a! I’aiaka, owned by Mr F. S. Easton, and oc< cupied by Mr and Mrs G. Boberfs, was totally destroyed by lire on Saturday night. Nothing was saved.

The Postal tnail bag lust from the Levin-Foxtdn coach ten days ago, was returned tt) (he mail contractor on Saturday by the person who picked it up on the roadside. On Monday. April 14th, M rssrs Mounsey and Co. will sell a very desirable building section in Foxton, For full particulars see advertisement.

A new dredge for Wanganui Harbour has left London for New Zealand, and it is expected to arrive tit Wellington by the end of May. The actual cost of the dredge has been £33,000. When there is added the cost, of insurance, £3,750, the grand total amounts to £42,500. or less than half the insurance value.

Tims tlie drey Slur: “The people of New Zealand want coal, ami they consider that it is the duty of the doverninent to see (hat they get it. AVhy does not the Government lease the Slate mine to the .Miners' ..Federation for a term yd' years, and allow the miners to work the mines under their own management and conditions of labour, (he only stipulation being' that the output should he as great as is possible?"

It is reported by the Christchurch Sun that some time ago the police received instructions to compile a roll-of the enemy aliens resident in Christchurch, and also to ascertain how many of: them desired to he repatriated to their own countries. The investigation has now been completed, and the results forwarded to Wellington. It was ascertained that there are (id enemy aliens in Christchurch, and it is significant (hiit only one —a German —has ex-* pressed a desire to he repatriated. Many of: the aliens arc Christchurch citizens of long standing, and several of them professed loyalty to New Zealand.

Says Hie Levin Chronicle: The farmer who disposes of his holding at what ho thinks a good price sometimes finds himself in the position of n tish out of water. When he commences to look round for another farm lie becomes aware that it is not so easy to get hold of something as suitable as The old place." There arc numbers of instances of farmers having bought back again at enhanced prices, and were the wiser men for the experience. An experience of this sort cost a farmer in this district the sum of T3OO recently, which he ■willingly parted with to, get his old farm again.

The first blind girl in New Zealand to pass Ihe matriculation and solicitors’ general knowledge examination is (jueenie Roussel, a daughter of Mr F. G. Roussel, of Kenuiera Road, Auckland, whose success is announced in (lie list of passes published. Miss Roussel is a pupil of the .Jubilee Institute for the 111 irid, and sal for (he examination with another pupil, Mr .lames 1). McGuire, who* also secured a pass. Miss Roussel, who is not quite 17 years of age, has been blind since she was four years old, while Mr McGuire, who is 18, lost bis sight when quite a small boy. Several male pupils of the institute have previously passed the matriculation examination. Miss Roussel and Mr McGuire were coached for the examination by Mr David Out rim, 8.A.. who is quite blind, and Mr Doric Algic, M.A., who is almost blind.

The daily time signal, says (he Government astronomer in his annual report, is sent from the observatory slat.dat'd (dock to some -,499 telegraphic stations by the Telegraph Deparlment every day (except Sundays) at 9 a.in. The operation is an interesting one. A •■lock in the telegraph operatingroom at Wellington is kept to correct lime by comparison with the time-signal from the observatory standard (dock. Al a “few minutes belore 9 a.m. all the telegraph officers are called to attention by the Morse signal “FS." which is repealed until the supervisors call “Time," exactly at 9 a.m.. when each operator telegraphs the word “Time." By this means, all the railway and telegraph offices receive correctlime signals. The more accurate signals required for rating chronometers tire sent entirely automatically from the observatory clock over the telegraph lines. The astronomical clocks have .developed certain irregularities in their rates, and they have been overhauled and adjusted, but without showing much improvement. Experience this yer.V again confirms the previous conclusion that clocks of more modern lype in airtight cases are required for standard clocks. Owing to the irregularity in the rates of (he standard clocks, it has been necessary to disconnect the galvanometer in the public telegraph office, Wei-, linglon; and in a recent interval of bad weather it became necessary to suspend all fime-signals until observations could be obtained to determine the clock error. Proposals for (be improvement of the time-ser-vice equipment are under consideration by the Government. i

In conned ion'with (lie increased prices of gas decided upon at the last Councilmeeting, it was reported that coal at the local works was now costing 34s S)d per ton, as compared with 24s two years ago. The manager points out that the cost of coal at present is 44s 9d per ton, as against 24s two years ago, an increase of 47s !)d per ton.

The average yield of gas per (on of coal carbonised at the local gas works last month was 44,320 ft. The amount of gas unaccounted for was 44 per cent, of the output.

We have been asked to draw (he attention of the Borough Council to the necessity of having the seals recently removed from the Triangle at the. end of Main Street replaced for the convenience of visitors.

A very curious thing happened on a farm in the Otata district on Sunday. says the Taranaki Herald. There is a lagoon on the farm, perhaps two acres in extent, and the farmer was at the lagoon on Sunday when he saw a sort of eruption of the water, followed by the gradual appearance of a little island, which is now about 40 feel by (i feet in area and several undies above the water level, quite dry. There has long been a warm spring at about the same spot. The depth of water where (he island appeared was aboiil four feet, and probing with a rod on the island met with a hard ■bottom at about six feet. It may be (hat the phenomenon has somoJ connection with (he activity recently observed in the oil wells at Motiiroa, for these were indications of oil on the water after the eruption.