NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 2042, 16 October 1919, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

He was an 1 Englishman just out, and wont to a land agent with u view, to buying a sheep station. “Do you know anything about raising *heep?” asked the agent. “Oh yes,” v said the Englishman. “You buy a hundred wethers, don’tcherknow. In twelve months they each have two lambs. Then you Sell the old sheep and have the lambs to the good—to say nothing of the fur.” Mr Henry Ford, automobile manufacturer, has promised to prove at his own expense that a gasoline street car can he operated at a cost far below the present trolley-driven car. It is to be built of composition steel, which claimed to ho lighter than ordinary steel. He proposes to still use rails, but do away with the enormous outlay in wires and equipment necessitated under the present method. The exports from the Dominion for the week ended Tuesday, 7th October, were of a total value of £055,652, made up of butter £403 (all from Auckland), cheese £4,080 (all from Patea), land) £BO,/15, mutton £'79,241, other frozen meat £IO,OOB, grain and pulse £5,080, hides and skins £00,843, tallow £03,801, wool £270,131, lia'x and tow £11,824, limber £17,049, and gold £33,907 (all from Auckland).

Inquiries as to wheat-growing disclose the cheering news that the autumn sowing in North Otago bids fair to turn out well, in spile of the rough weather. South of Dunedin several districts report that the wheat fields are water-logged, and that seed is having a struggle. The quantity sown in South Otago and Southland Is much below the average. Farmers say that raising grass for live slock pays holler, and saves a lot of trouble about labour.

A very large increase in the live stock of the Dominion sluuyi in the 1918 returns brought the sheep dock to he a record Jigure, hut this has been discounted by a heavy fall revealed in the 1919 returns. 'Phis was caused by a reduction in Hie number of lambing percentage, losses due to abnormal snowfalls, and increased killings of 1 reezing slock after April, 1918. Jn cattle there has been a satisfactory increase, but there is a further decrease in swine. Speaking at the meeting of the Returned Soldiers’ Association (the Taranaki Herald reports), Air 1). J. Hughes asserted that the' haul in South Taranaki was heller, acre tor acre, than any" other laud in New Zealand, or oven in the world, it was the only land in the whole world on which one could turn out yearling steers, go away to Europe, and come back in three years to find that every one had grown into a fat bullock without anybody being left to give attention. Mr Hughes was illustrating the necessity lor subdividing the first-class land in order to get tiie best results for the connI rv by increasing production.

Last season one and a.-half million dozen oysters were taken in Foveaux Strait. Their value was £12,503. Thejmimher exported to Australia was 442,800 dozen. Ihe price is going up steadily. In 19.1 i it was 8s per sack, in 1918 10s, and in 1919 I3s (id. In the North Island, where oysters are-picked and sold by the Department, there has been an increase of only sixpence per sack’since the beginning of the war. The Foveaux Strait oysters are dealt with by private enterprise. Foveaux Strait oysters have now been transplanted to Cook Strait, where it is believed they will live and propagate.

A Mauri, who had_ apparently !>unk to that morbid slate productive of a desire to create a sensation, without the necessary courage to act, walked into the Waikato .Hospital on Saturday night, and staled that he intended to create a record in suicid/'s, fur he was going to bring ajfoui his end in ten seconds. The nurse to whom he spoke was quite equal to the occasion, and instead of going into hysterics and screaming for help to save the poor man from himself, she surprised the native by nonchalantly asking him to kindly perform the operation out in the grounds, as to take his life in the building might cause the cleaners some additional work, ihe Maori left, but returned later, when ' he announced that he had reduced his proposed time by nine seconds, and was then prepared to do the deed in one second. Answering him ! in a quiet voice,' the nurse told him ! to be certain and complete the deed, 1 and not to come rushing buck to the | building with it half done, as by ; doing so he might shock some of the I weaker patients. Once more the native left, since when he has returned several limes. The deed is still uncompleted. We think this may be regarded as an excellent example of tact and judgment on the part of ihe nurse, for it is just possible that had she acted otherwise the man might, in a lit of bravado, have made a sudden attempt to injure himself.