Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, MAY 10, 1923. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2578, 10 May 1923, Page 2

Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, MAY 10, 1923. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Til the Christchurch district 30.81 inches ol‘ rnin lias licon, resistored during Hip last tlve days.

At Hip Palmerston X. Supreme Court yesterday, John Francis O’Keefe, on a charge of theft from a hotel at Dannevirke, was sentenced to three years imprisonment. Messrs G. A. Monk, A. Seifert, and A. A. Brown, have been reelected members of Hie Horowheniia Power Board as representatives of the Horowhenun Countv.

The wives of local ministers are ex-officio members of committee of the local Dorcas Society. This fact was omitted from the report of the annual meeting.

The local Dorcas Society desire to acknowledge a donation of two guineas from the Mayor, clothes, bedding etc., from Mesdames F. McDonald, Walton, J. Ross, MoMurray and Huston.

At the Supreme Court criminal sessions, at Wellington, the Grand Jury returned true bills in all cases brought before it, including eharg es of murder against Coopers (man and wife).

Mrs Alexander and Mrs Petrie entertained the Presbyterian Ladies' Social Guild at a most enjoyable afternoon on Wednesday, May 2nd, at the home of Mrs Alexander, Levin Road.

In the Palmerston Supreme Court yesterday, I’oto Tlarawira and Roko Wilson, who pleaded guilty at Levin to a charge of sheep-stealing, were sentenced to imprisonment, the former for three months and the latter for one month.

The ingenuity shown by a farmer near Milton during the recent Hood (says the Free Press) was responsible for saving a litter of young pigs owned by him. As the flood waters on his farm gradually rose he obtained the kitchen table, which he turned upside down, and basing put some straw into the “ark,” he put the young pigs on to it. As the water rose in the stye the table kept ifs unusual burden safe from a watery grave.

The death is announced from Auckland of Mr John Fuller, senr., member of the well-known theatrical firm. He is survived by his second wife and their son and daughter, Mr fuay Fuller, of Wellington, and Mrs Grubb, of Auckland, and also by the sons and daughters of his first wife, Sir Ben and Mr John Fuller, of Sydney, and Mr Walter Fuller, of Wellington, Mesdames John Hamer, of Dunedin, and Boddam, of Wellington. Air Fuller was aged 72 years.

“The great increase in traffic, especially as regards heavy motortrucks and heavy passenger motor vehicles/naturally tends to increase the cost of maintenance of the roads. However, this traffic appears to have come to stay, and is more likely to increase than decrease, and there appear to he only two things to be open for the council to do, namely, either to maintain the roads and continue to improve them so that they will be capable of carrying this class of traffic without excessive mainten unco, or to allow them to go to pieces and thereby discourage it, but 1 do not think any progressive council would be in favour of the latter course. Generally speaking, the roads throughout the copnly have been maintained in very fair order.” —Mr .). Linklater, M.P., at Tuesday’s meeting of the Kairanga County Council.

Following the continued drought in K’hodesia, a native was publicly burnt to death as an offering to the rain god. For some time past the elders of the Mtawarn tribe, alarmed at the delayed rain and the poor crops following a famine, had been holding councils led by a rain doctor. The outcome was a decision to offer to the rain god, Mwnri, a human victim. The choice fell upon a man named Mtegedi, whose preierence for one of his fellow tribesmen's wives lias been noted and resented. The fact that the man was a brother of the injured husband and a son of the rain doctor did not: save him. Mtegedi was bound and dragged to the pyre, around which a crowd of natives had guthei ed, and thrown to the flames. By a coincidence, life had hardly left the victim when the weather broke. Rain fell heavily and continued for several days. The natives prostrated themselves before the ram god, and a barbarous custom which has’ already gone on for years will continue as long as the tribe has a man left to carry it out.

The following officers were elected by the Mnnnwntu A. and P. Association at the annual meeting held on Tuesday: —President, Mr K. W. Dalrymplc (unopposed); treasurer, Mr J. M. Johnston (re-elected unopposed) ; Messrs Hugh Akers, H. Y. Lethbridge, R. D. Knight, F. S. Mcßae, J. F. McKelvie, C. A. J. Lovett, IV. F. Jacob, A. Hannay, R. S. Abraham, L. B. Wall, H. D. Buchanan, and E. S. Short. Our Palmerston morning contemporary resurrects the following for-ty-year-old joke as original by substituting Foxton for Terrace End, — “The train, as usual, crawled along towards Foxton—and then stopped dead. ‘Guard,’ shouted a jovial passenger, ‘may I get out and pick some flowers?’ ‘Afraid you won’t find many about here,’ said the guard good humou redly. ‘Oh, there’ll l>e heaps of time,’ commented the jovial one, ‘l’ve brought a packet of seeds!’ ”

A mild sensation bus been caused in Hie Aria"distrie( (King Country) by the discovery of what is stated In be gold-bearing quart/., during boring operations for water close to the factory. Water diviners selected a site, and a bore lias been put down •to about 170 ft., water being struck, Imt not in sufficient quantity. The bore is now in solid rock, and the geologists consider there is 800 ft.

of it still to be pierced. Drilling is being’ merrily continued, however, Hie patches of what is held to be gold bearing qnartzgan doubt acting as an incentive.

When a single candidate for the position of house manager for the Costley Home was being interviewed at the Auckland Hospital Board meeting, a member humorously remarked that lie might find a wife at the home. “You don’t seriously suggest that ?” asked another member. “Of course- I do,” replied the first member. “In days gone by wo have had hundreds of back block farmers at the home to see if we could supply them with a wife, and I believe there wore several happy matches made.”

A prodigal son, not wishing to spring any surprise upon his family —who live not a. hundred miles from Wanganui—or, to put them to (lie trouble of roasting a haunch of veal on his account, wrote home from the district where he had been in lmsiness —placed there by dad — for about a year: “Dear Dad,” he said, “I may be dropping in upon von any day — say I’m out of collar again. The business you pul me into was quite properly described as a going concern. It’s gone.”

“Man overboard!” When that cry rouses all ranks on shipboard into action, efficiency and smart-hand-ling of the life-saving appliances are what count if the man in the water is not to perish (says the Dost). On a recent voyage of the Union Company’s collier Waipori from Oreymoulh to Wellington, a man fell overboard when the vessel was somewhere between Greymoutli and Farewell Spit. A very heavy sea was raging at the time, lmt within a few minutes of the alarm being given a boat was launched and the man picked up. Actually the time elapsing from the warning till “Full speed ahead,” was again rung down to the engine room, was eleven minutes.

Mr H. Harding, a well-known business man, writes-from London to the Sydney “Sun”: “English butter was 2s id a lb. when I was at Mayfair, Picadilly, and it was tasteless. I could not find any Australian butter there: but New Zealand, which is sold as ‘salt butter,’ was fetching 2s 2d v and was very much better than the English product. At Chelsea ‘Australian’ butter is offered at 2s, and I do not believe it is Australian at all, certainly not Clarence River butter, for it is ranjc and unsaleable. It is sold in round pats with the imprint of a (lower on the top. I think the butter question needs very close investigation. I have been unable to obtain here butter anything nearly as agreeable to the taste or sight ns Grafton batter. Danish is now selling at 2s, and is fairly good, hut it is not up to Clarence River butter.”

Referring to Australia’s dry periods, the Rev. Frederick, of the Brisbane Methodist Church, who is at present in Palmerston North, told a “Standard” reporter that, in order to overcome the shortage of water which prevailed in those times, artesian bores were often sunk to great depths and at great cost. This water was, however, not always cold. He told how in one small township the bore (often there was only one to supply the whole town) sent up a big stream of water actually only three degrees below boiling point. Hence, as no other water was available, this had to he allowed to stand for some hours to cool before being used for drinking or bathing. The surplus (low rail down the street channels and the weather often being intensely hot, no steam was to be observed rising from the clear crystal water. Often it happened that a strange dog, hot and thirsty, and not realising that the water was anything but cold, would throw itself into one of Hie pools adjacent to the bore and be at once scalded to death. There’s a nest for rest in winter Where the glow of welcome gleams, And a world of warmth and gladness In “My Little House of Dreams.” There’s a dear one waits to meet

me All my fond hopes to assure; And when colds prevail to greet me With Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure. 8

The Foxton Volunteer Fire Brigade intend holding fortnightly dances in the Masonic Hall throughout the season, commencing on Monday, 14th inst. Dancing will he from 8 to 12, and the prices of admission ladies a basket, or 1/6, gents 2/6. The purpose of these functions is to augment the social funds of the brigade. Dr. Oliver, an evangelist, who is touring the Dominion, at one of his recent meetings at the Gisborne Opera House met with a number of interruptions, during which a man was removed from the building. After the removal, Dr. Oliver said: “I've been getting a little rumour about what the people of this town intend to do. Let me advise them ‘Don't start any nonsense.’ I’m 6ft. 4in in height, and weight 2101bs. and T’m in excellent form. T’m not afraid of all their bombast. I’ll stand no slur and insinuations against women and children. We will proceed.” (Applause.)

Rheumatism is caused by a microbe, declares Dr. F. Harding Freeland. “Observations and experiments extending over many years,” hr writes in tile British Medical Journal, “have led me to the following conclusions : —Rheumatism is on infective disease due to invasion by the microbe, the streptococcus rheumaticus. Acute, sub-acute and chronic types are variants of the same disease, the essential cause being the same, Kill the microbe, he adds, and you cure the patient. An analysis of cases treated by vaccines shows that 80 per cent, were cured or markedly relieved.

The “Daily Express” says: “A revival of Colonial borrowing in London is taking place. Since January, over £25.000,000 have been subscribed in London for the Dominions and colonies. To-day New Zealand is before the public and it is understood Victoria will follow shortly with a £7,000,000 offer for (he conversion of certain outstanding obligations. This financing means business for the British manufacturers, as the money, except in the ease of a conversion offer, is generally utilised to pay for products of onr engineering and constructional industries. The atIractiveness. of the Xew Zealand loan should ensure a rapid oversubscription.”

Insulin, the new diabetes treatment, made from the pancreas (an organ below ,the stomach) of oxen, pigs, or sheep, is being produced and used in London at St. Bartholomew's, Guy’s, St. Thomas’s, The London, and University College Hospitals; in Sheffield, at the University Departments of Pharmacology and Physologv and the Royal Infirmary. The Medical Research Council reported rapid progress towards large-scale production of insulin, and said arrangements are being made for its sale at a fair price. Some weeks will elapse before supplies will he ready for issue. Successful tests have been made with insulin at: Toronto Universitv.

The death is announced of Air Walter Dinnio, ex-Commissioner of Police for New Zealand. Following on a brilliant career in Scotland Yard, Air Dinnie came out to New Zealand in 1903, and held the position of Commissioner for six years. The late Air Dinnie was born in Aberdeen and is a brother of Donald Dinnie, the famous athlete. When in Scotland Yard he rose rapidly to the position of Chief of the Criminal Investigation Department. In !racking down “crooks” lie knew Ihe Continent well, and many fine achievements went to his credit. A son of Air Dinnie is finger-print expert in the Police Department in Wellington, and a nephew is engineer at--ALnngahao. Airs Bagnall, of Moutoa, is a niece of the late Air Dinnie.

“Is that wood<borer?” remarked a local representative of an ironmongery the other 'day, holding up a tin milk dish (says the Wanganui Herald). “Look as if a miniature rifle team had been practicing on it” remarked a reporter. The hardware man then explained that the

said dish was of British manufacline and bad only been in use a fortnight, and now had to be replaced by life firm. “I don’t like to -ay anythin" against British made •'•cods,” he added, “but that is not ihe way to Send an article out to compete with; makes from other countries.” In tlffi hardware line there are a good many articles of English make which develop faults almost immediately they are put into use. Some of the makers do not appear to have got hack to the good reliable standard they were noted tor before the war.”

Replying to a question from Mr Darkness at Tuesday’s meeting at Levin, Mr G. A. Monk, chairman of the ITorowhenun Electric Power Board, said that there was no truth in the rumour that the Government would sell electricity direct to large consumers such as Boroughs and llaxmills. The Borough of Shannon. he explained, had approached tl u . Government in this connection and had been refused. He further explained that it was not in the interest of the large users of power, such as llaxmills to buy direct from the Government as if they did so they would have to buy straight out the amount necessary for their re quiremeiits. A big consideration under the present arrangement was that they could sell the same horsepower to different consumers at different times of the day —to the farmer and fiaxmiller for power during the day, and to Boroughs and for general lighting purposes at night, thus enabling them to sell considerably cheaper than could otherwise he done.