Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 1923. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2549, 1 March 1923, Page 2

Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 1923. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

T'lie monthly meeting of the Harbour Bon i'd will he held on Monday next.

Cox ton’s rainfall for February was 2.87 inehes. The maximum fail was on the Bth inst., viz 1.35 inehes.

The weather was very nippy this morning followed by warm sunshine.

Mr if: \Y. Hunt has eommeneed the ereel ion of a block of buildings on the site in Mn in Street, next the C. AT. Ross Co.’s buildings.

A congregational meeting of the local Presbyterian Church will be held this evening to discuss financial matters.

The annual picnic in connection with the local Presbyterian Sabbath school will be held on Victoria Pai'k on Saturday next.

If the attendance of players at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Rugby footballers is any indication, this season will be a record for Rugby.

An egg inside an egg is a rare thing, but such a freak has been found at the Otaki Sanatorium farm. Both eggs were almost perfect, while two yolks were found between the eggs.

't’lie Foxton-Whirokino road is still very bad and continues to subside in places on account of the soakage. The keeping of this road open for traffic is a costly business to the Manawatu County. The vital statistics for Foxton for last month with the figures for the corresponding month of last year in parenthesis, are: —Births 6 (5), deaths 2 (1), marriages 1 (3). We have received from Mr L. Freeman, some interesting jihotograplis of the recent school picnic held on the Ashhurst Domain, which will be handed over to the local school.

We have received from Mr Mantell some interesting photographs of Palm'er.ston, taken some years ago. The views include the Square gardens, showing the post office in the course of erection, the old hospital and a pretty view of a portion of the esplanade. The comparison with thing's as they are to-day indicates a marked improvement. The geyser Pohutu, after a lengthy period of inactivity—five months —has again resumed business, says a Rotorua paper. The geyser gave a good display on Wednesday and another on Thursday. The possible reason for this resumption, it is suggested, is to be found in the blocking of steam vents which were dissipating the geyser’s force. Counsel addressing Maori witness

ill the Cambridge Court this week: Wore you under the influence of liquor? Witness: No! “How many drinks had you had?” Witness: Ten. “How many drinks would it take to make you drunk?” Witness: 1 don’t think 1 get drunk at all. I can drink like a fish all the time.” Many New eZalanders will probably he surprised to learn that they consume on an average almost two tons of coal per head every year (says the Auckland “Herald”), figures in support of this statement were given recently by Mr Ashley J. Hunter in an address at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers. Our representative, when in Wellington yesterday afternoon, notic-

0(1 a crowd of people at the Thorndon railway yard. Upon investigation he found that interest was centred in a number of ponies en route to Christchurch, from Mr W. E. Barber’s farm at Motuiti. The little animals were somewhat startled at their strange surroundings. The spectators passed very complimentary remarks upon the ponies. An amusing story told in connection with the visit of the Viceregal party to the Wanganui races. Lord Jellicoe and. party were leaving the course prior to the last race and as their motor passed through the crowd one of the spectators called out: “Why don’t they wait until after the lasi race?” “Because they have to gel home to milk” came instantly from another by-stander, who doubtless spoke feelingly.

“I’d do something for that cough if I were you, old m!an.” “That cough, my dear boy, is indispensable. When ever a life insurance agent calls to see me 1 turn it on and he never stays longer than three minutes.”

The next time you feel that you are catching cold, writes an exchange, stoop over and tie your bootlaces. Loosen the laces and make a good job of the tying. The principle of the boot-lace tying is that, in stooping over, the blood is brought to the head, and the circulation is otherwise favourably affected. Where there is perfect blood circulation there is immunity from cold.

A very painful experience befell a man in a suburb of Auckland the other night, says the “Herald.” He is a seaman, and was spending his usual shore leave at port. He dreamt that his vessel struck a rock. Suiting his dream thoughts to action, he lashed out vigorously and put his foot through the window near which he was sleeping. The crash aroused the household. The foot was badly lacerated and an artery cut. IYiilling hands got to work and tied up the leg of the energetic dreamer, who had lost a considerable quantity of blood before the doctor arrived.

The number of people who continue to ignore the reduction in postage offered them by the Postal Department from the ‘beginning of this month is really astonishing (says an exchange). A glance through the correspondence received the other day by a Dunedin business man who does a. large mail order business showed envelopes bearing the old twopenny rate posted this month from all parts of the Dominion. Had the alteration been in the nature of an increase the oversight would have been more easily understood.

A sensation was caused at the Grey town Hospital a few days ago, says the “Standard,” when a bullock walked into that institution. It appears that a mob of bullocks were being driven past the hospital when one of' them broke away and sought refuge from the drover in the passage way of the hospital. The drover, on seeing the animal enter the building, went round to the back part. As he entered the passage the bullock saw him and retreated without causing any damage, shortly afterwards rejoining the mob.

At a fully attended meeting of the stewards of the Foxton Racing Club held last evening, the resignation of the secretary, Mr L. R. Freeman, was received and accepted with regret. Mr Barber (chairman of committee) expressed on behalf of the club, the appreciation of the excellent services rendered during Mr Freeman’s term of sei-vice. Messrs Jewell (chairman of finance committee), Bryant (treasurer), and H. C’oley, (steward), endorsed Mr Barber’s remarks. Whilst greatly regretting his departure from Foxton they wished him every success in Auckland. The club have decided to call applications for the position of secretary at £126 per annum, particulars of which appear in another column.

“If New Zealand does not purchase her requirements from Britain even if the prices are not so low as elsewhere, she will suffei',” said Mr Kenneth Sisam, a former Rhodes scholar, who during the war served in the British Ministry of Food and is now on a visit to Auckland. “Many Continental markets for British goods have disappeared with the collapse of their currency and unless the Dominions stick to Britain, the chief market for their produce, then the market will decline because the purchasing power of the British people will decline.” The same argument applies locally. If persons will not support local industry the purchasing power of residents will decline and the town will go back. A person who supports an outside town drives a nail in the coffin of the local town.

“Wfhv do the public ignore the ‘Look out for the engine’ signal” asks the New Zealand Locomotive Engineers’ Journal. “Why do they ignore the wigwag signals or any other sign erected to draw their attention to a train approaching. We do hope that the newspapers of the Dominion will take the matter up and plead with the public to have some consideration for the locomotive engineer. Perhaps in no other country in (lie world are there so many level crossings per mile of railway as exist in New Zealand; therefore, there is all the more need for consideration of the engineer. The keen alertness demanded of a locomotive engineer in New Zealand on accojunt of so many level crossings is sufficient to wear out bis nerves without the additional result of careless, reckless people in charge of vehicles.”

An attempt to fell a large pine tree on a vacant section at the top of College Hill, Auckland, recently was attended with unfortunate results, says the Auckland “Herald.” The (ree, instead of falling in the desired direction was carried across (lie section by the heavy westerly wlind which was blowing at the time, and crashed on to the roof of a residence on an adjoining section. The tree had been properly scarfed to make the bole fall inwards on to the section, while a guy with tackle had been placed in position to control tiie fall, but, as the tree commenced to fall, the wind took charge. A number of rafters in the house were broken, and weatherboarding, spouting, and rootingiron were fractured. The plaster ceilings in two of the rooms were also damaged. There were no personal injuries.

The bodies of Colonel Francis N. Marshall, who served as a brigadier overseas, and Lieut. Charles Webber, both missing since December 7, are reported to have been found underneath their aeroplane in Pa pages Indian reservation, Arizona. The aeroplane had caught tire and same down and the bodies of the two airmen were badly charred. Constables Owen and O’Donnoghue were engaged on a black-trac-king expedition among the sandhills at the local seaside this week. They got on the footprint trails of an individual suspected of a series of thefts from dwellings at the sea side. Time and again they lost and found the footprints and stuck to their task until darkness set in. The fugitive, however, must have doubled back to Fox ton,' for the constables finished (heir job by finally getting their man in the township. At the local police court on Monday Martin R.uruku, arrested on Saturday night, was charged before Messrs D. W. Robertson and M. E. Perreau, J.’sP., with drunkenness and committing a grossly indecent act in Clyde Street. He pleaded guilty to both charges and was convicted and discharged on the first and on the , second was convicted and fined £l. The Bench remarked that the fine was small because no public convenience is provided by the local authority in Main Street.