Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 1923. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2600, 30 June 1923, Page 2

Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 1923. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Manawatu Gorge is now open to light traffic.

The weather locally is still very cold with intermittent showers.

Portions of the Foxton-Palmer-ston North road are badly pitted with pot holes. An inset is published in this issue in connection with Harvey’s and Co.’s huge stock realsation sale at Levin which commenced to-dav.

A Dunedin telegram reports the death of Chief Detective F. Bishop, aged fifty-six. The deceased was born in Taranaki and joined the service in 1892.

The Address-in-Keply debate still drags on. At midnight last night the liftli amendment was moved and defeated by 37 votes to 32.

The Manawatu County Council gives notice eleswhere in this issue that all roads in that county are closed to heavy traffic until 30th .September.

Martin Matthew Holland, a postal officer at Darlield, was charged with the theft of a postal package. The police said 700 postal packages had been missing from Darfleld over a long period and 12 charges would be laid against Holland. A remand till Wednesday was granted.

Mr J. A. Nash, M.P., has given notice in Parliament of the Maua-watu-Oroua District River Bill, which makes provision for carrying out the objects of the recently formed Manawatu-Croua River Board. It provides for the control of the banks of the Manawatu River 411 d gives power hi respect to the flood areas. Power to sell and lease land are also given.

As the Immortal Bard says, “There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy.” How can our scientists account for a phenomenon which occurred at Napier last Sunday week, and which is described in the following terms by a lady resident of that town in a letter to relatives in Manaia: —“From the hill we saw a mirage out at sea, or leather, on the horizon. It was a wonderful sight, and in two parts. One part was an Eastern city—domes and palms very prominent. Then there was a break, and then a cityin flames. The lire was orange and red, and all blown in one direction. It looked strange to see the light against the grey sky, for there was no sunshine.” The writer adds: — “Years ago we saw a fleet of boats that melted into nothing on the sea.” —Witness.

A meeting of the Dorcas Society will be held on Monday next at 2.30 p.m. in All Saints’ Schoolroom.

The monthly meeting of the local school committee will be held on Monday evening. Believing that infant christening has no scriptual authority, the Rev. F. A. Craws haw, the highly-respec-ted Anglican minister of Hinds, near Ashburton, lias turned Baptist, and has accepted a call 'to Gisborne. Mr Crawshaw hold his last service on Sunday night, when the Anglican Church was overcrowded for an undenominational song service, after which presentations were made to the minister and his wife. Mr Crawshaw was recently baptised in the Hinds River.

.it the local police Court this morning, before Messrs Hornblow and D. V . Robertson, J.’P., a young man mimed Norman Tremewan pleaded guilty of riding a motor cycle while intoxicated. Constable Owen gave evidence that the accused gave an exhibition on the cycle in Main Street. His condition rendered him unfit to control the machine and his riding was frought with danger to himself and the public. He was placed under arrest. The Bench pointed out the seriousness of the offence and inflicted a fine of £3.

The Hastings Borough Council has prepared a by-law providing that no person shall, after the expiration of six months from the coming in of the by-law, drive any motor ear or motor in the town unless he shall have satisfied the traffic inspector of his ability to handle efficiently a motor ear or motor cycle (as the ease may be) and has obtained a certificate to that effect. An exemption from the operation of the by-law is made in favour of visitors. Tt is further provided that no person under the age of sixteen shall drive any private motor ear. or drive or ride any motor cycle. The game of Association football is gaining many supporters in Timaru (relates the Tiinaru Post), especially amongst newcomers from England and Scotland, and an argument between a Rugbyite and a. “.Soccer” supporter brought to light two amusing opinions of the respective games. Said the supporter of Now Zealand’s national sport, in disdain, “Soccer? Ob, that’s the game where they use a round ball and talk a strange language.” Said a soccer enthusiast: “Aye, mon — an’ at bailie we ca’ Rugby ‘Legalised Murder,’ played under slaughterhouse rules.”

Dissatisfaction with the adjustments offered by the Valuer-Gen-eral (Mr F. TV Flanagan) in connection with recent representations made to him that the land valuations in the Taranaki and Inglewood counties should be reviewed, was expressed at a meeting of ratepayers held at New Plymouth on Tuesday, and a motion was unanimously carried recommending all branch committees in the two counties not to accept the reductions offered. A 0 per cent, reduction on unimproved values was too absurd for anything said Mr A. Turnbull in the course of the discussion. He defied anyone to farm at a profit on the Government valuations.

Admiral Sir Edward Seymour, who celebrated his 83rd birthday a few weeks ago, is of a family which has funished officers to the Brtish navy practically without a break since flic day.- of Henry VIII., when Sir Thomas Seymour combined the offices of: Lord High Admiral and Master-General of Ordinance. A Seymour served as vice-admiral against the Armada, another was killed in command of the Foresight during Albemarle’s victory over the Dutch under do Ruytcr, in 1606, and through all the war of the eighteenth century, and down to the surrender of the German fleet five years ago, a Seymour has maintained the family tradition. Seymour has been more frequently mentioned in naval despatches than any other name.

A South African paper, commenting on cattle dipping, mentions a story of the difficulty experienced in the early days of the “dipping law” chiefs conform to the “dipping law” in regard to cattle. An official in an up-country district charyed with the duty of seeing this law carried out arranged a demonstration for the local chief. In his presence he had half of his herd dipped, and then invited the chief to return 10 months later and see the difference between the dipped and undipped cattle. On the appointed day the chief returned and noticing the glossy skin and fatness of the treated cattle against the miserable condition of the others, impoverished by the tick, turned to his chief induna, and said decisively: “Fetch my three oldest vvifes.” While every man has a walk peculiar unto himself, it is said that residents of the same city may be recognised by something common to their method of progress (remarks the New Zealand Herald). Thus in Wellington men walk with an elbow crooked in readiness against the playfulness of the wind exerted against their hats; in Christchurch they walk flat-footed, or with a peddling motion; in Dunedin men walk circumspectly. But in Queen Street, Auckland, walking is not strictly walking—or at least the pedestrian pace tends to become a half-run. The body is braced like a sprinter’s before a race, the eye roves anxiously towards the centre of the street and slightly upwards, the complexion is hectic, and the facial muscles set and stern, lhese signs advertise the Aucklander occupied with his daily task the identification of his tram car and, even moi’o difficult, the catching of it.

“I shall go Home to boost New Zealand as God’s own country —the country possessing the most beautiful scenery in the world.” In these words Miss Lily Butler, C.B.E. more familiarly spoken of as “the mother of Blighty,” sums up her impression of the Dominion. A forgiving nature was shown by a man who was assaulted in the Sailors’ Home at Lyttelton, and who was wounded in the neck by a blow with a knife. He offered to pay the fine imposed on his assailant in the event of its not being forthcoming in the specified time. It is reported there are now 100 men employed at the Miranui mill, a large number being engaged in cutting. Now that the old cutters are getting used to the method of side leaf cutting, they freely express themselves as being satisfied and some of them are making good money under this method.

A visitor was being shown round a lunatic asylum. A large room with twenty beds was reached, but the place seemed empty. “This is where the mad chauffers are kept,” said the attendant. “Oh, is it!” remarked the visitor, “but where are they?” “They’re all under the beds examining the springs.”

Garth Roberts Gill, secretary of the Havelock Town Board, was arrested on a charge of stealing £126 14s 2d, the property of the board (states a telegram from Blenheim). Constable Mitchell, in applying for a remand to July 6, indicated that further charges w«jre pending. A remand was granted, bail being fixed at £SOO and two sureties for a similar amount.

A bluegum tree, 120 ft. high, which was being cut down at Christchurch, was stayed on Saturday night bv ropes for the felling to be completed on Monday morning. During a squall on Saturday night the tree fell, and smashed right through the rear portion of a house and also made a big 1 hole in a two-story stable and trapshed. The damage is estimated at £2OO.

Says “Iv” in his “Obiter Dicta" in the Christchurch Press: Concerning the Opposition politicians who have expended so much time this week in demonstrating that Mr Massey is an unparalleled rogue, and that they can save the country, and they only, there is but one thing to say. Tt: can best lie said in a quotation from “The Vicar of Wakefield”: “Very well, cried T, “that’s a good girl; T find you are perfectly qualified for making converts, and so go help your mother to make a gooseberry pie." I am afraid, however, that Mr Wilford does not know good advice when lie sees it.”

The pnkelia thinks he knows the last word about Rugby football, but iu a battle of wits with the Maori lie conies a bad second. In the recent match between To Ante and Wanganui Colleges at Palmerston North, it was noticeable how much better the Maoris shaped in the mud compared with their opponents. This was largely due to the fact that the natives, before taking the field liberally smeared I lie soles of their hoots with vaseline. The result was that the Maoris were nimble footed, whereas the Wanganui hoys had feet of clay with a vengeance. After the match one of the natives explained that when vaseline was used mud would not stick to the sole of the hoot, at least not to the extent of inconveniencing the wearer.—Wanganui Chronicle.

At the last meeting of the Carterton Borough CounciHhe Town Clerk pointed out that the gasworks had never been a paying proposition. They had never been debited with a portion of bank interest for overdraft. and the interest on gas loans had sometimes to he paid out of the general account. In 1921 there was a debit to the gasworks of £1,200; in 1922 it increased through faulty retorts, etc., by another £6OO. The works were now in good order mid were at the present price, a little more than self-supporting and were paying back to the general account a little of what it had taken. The rates charged for gas were not high and were exceeded by nearly all works f similar or eight million cubic feet capacity per Minium. It would not be equitable from a ratepayers’ point of view to reduce the charges at present. The aim of the gasworks was to foster the gas service that could not be taken over bv electricity—mainly cooking and heating, and to this end they were doing all they could. When gas could be reduced in price it undoubtedly would. The price of gas was 10/10 per 1,000 cubic feet.

A wireless lias been received at Sydney from (lie warship Geranium, reporting that she struck a reef in the Sir Edward Pellow group of islands while engaged in survey work. She came off after striking with her keel leaking. She is now making for port. The warship Fantome, engaged in survey work in Torres Straits, has gone to her assistance. A wonderful demonstration of the power of wireless telephony to assist deaf people to hear was given in Edinburgh one day not long ago, when experiments were carried out on the premises of Mr J. G. Macintosh. In the presence of a number of witnesses, a little girl 12 years of age was enabled to hear speech and music for the first time. The child had been deaf from birth, and had been examined by several ear specialists, who could give no hope of her ever having the hearing sense developed. While listening in to a six-valve instrument she showed delight on hearing the musical programme. While using the head ’phones she heard clearly, but when tried under the loud speaker the results were not satisfactory even when the full power was on.

One child among the Makura’s passengers from Vancouver, after four weeks detention in quarantine for a slight rash not diagnosed, as nlnstrin, was released a week ago, showing a clear skin. Yesterday similar spots re-appeared and thq child was sent back to the island as a precautionary measure. Contacts were isolated and other steps taken as if the case were really alastrin. The annual football match between Te Aute and Wanganui Colleges, at the Alniiawatu Winter Show was discussed by the Wanganui Rugby Union, and a resolution was passed to the effect that it would be better if the match were not played during the Show. It was stated that the Wanganui College authorities would not in future allow the College team fo play as a money-making all ruction.