Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 1923. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2620, 16 August 1923, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 1923. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

While Unit hns made its appearnnee in small quantities in the Otaki river, and a few ealehes are recorded. The chief nieelianical engineer of the Row Zealand Railways has ordered 25 electric- headlights of the latest design which will he fitted to engines running on the Main Trunk line.

The “Times" complains that there is growing up in Opiumke “a sorl of Star Chamber" system of transacting public business. Special meetings are he'd on the quiet, the newspaper man not being notified.

A London cable si ales that a woman who was slowly dying front an incurable disease in London, conceived the desire to die in her own house in Brussels. She was therefore conveyed thither in a specially fitted aerial ambulance, accompanied by a. doctor and nurse. A claim to have discovered a new way of restoring youth is made by Dr. Ilelnn Jaworski. Injections of the blood of fowls are given a I a cost of about two shillings a time. The fowls suffer no ill effect as a result of the use of iheir blood for the injections. The remains ol a man’s body, the lower part of the trunk and legs, were found on the West Short beach at Napier on Tuesday. At an inquest, the remains were identified as those of Herbert While, a fisherman, who was thought to have fallen overboard from the Nora Niven while in port on -June 19. Deceased was aged 38, ami was thought to be a native of Grimsby, England. The inquest was adjourned. A quaintly-worded petition by 38 Maoris for the prohibition of the netting of stingrays and sharks has been read to Parliament. The petition states that these arc delicacies with the Maori race and “have been so from the days of our ancestors even to the present.” The petitions ends: “Enough! Good health to the Speaker, and bon. members under the blessing of the All Highest. Enough. Mrs Rosita Forbes, the intrepid woman explorer, tells this story against herself: When lecturing in the north on her visit to Kufara, a slide was shown out of order, and without noticing anything amiss, she announced: “This was the kind of dress I wore in the desert for six months.” There was a howl of laughter. She turned afterwards to the screen to find that the operator was showing a picture of a little naked black boy. Now she always looks at the screen before making comments.

At the last meeting of (lie Manawatu Rugby Union, an allegation of neglect to attend to a footballer who had met with an injury was made against a Palmerston doctor. The injured player received first aid on the football field by a doctor and was taken to Union’s doctor, who was unable to attend him, owing to indisposition and sent him to another doctor, who it is alleged, not only refused to attend him but said as the other doctor had started the work he should finish it. Subsequently the injured player was attended to by another doctor. The Union passed a resolution to the effect that in no circumstances was an injured player to be sent to the offending doctor in the future and a vote of appreciation and complimentary ticket were extended to the doctors who had rendered humane treatment.

Mr Alan Walls has been appointed lion, secretary of the local Fire Brigade vice Mr W. Ross.

Sydney Metropolis defeated the Chinese Soecerites by four goals to two at Sydney yesterday.

Owing to the Footballers’ Ball being held on Monday next, the usual fortnightly dance of the Fire Brigade will be postponed to Monday August 27th. The local Eire Brigade desire, through the “Herald,” to express their sincere thanks to all who assisted and the public generally, :n making their recent ball such a financial success.

Mr Lloyd George, who has definitely decided to sail for Canada and the United States in the autumn, is being pressed to visit Canada first, and may do so. ITe will be accompanied by Mrs Lloyd George and Miss Megan Lloyd George.

Mr C. A. Pearson has been temporarily appointed to the position of Deputy-Superintendent of the Foxton Fire Brigade, vice Mr Nat trass resigned. Permanent appointment to the position of Brigade Superintendent and Deputy will be made at the next meeting of the Fire Board. The annual Land and Income Tax Bill, introduced in the House last night, proposes to take off the remaining 10 per cent, super land tax reduces income tax by 20 per cent, all round, and increases local body and debenture tax from 2/fi to 4/0 in the £.

The harbour engineer at Wliangarei, Mr W. Fraser, visited the Marsden Point beach to inspect the strange spectacle of a shoal of stranded black fish. They were 03 in number. Fully half of them were adult males and females, ranging up to twenty feet in length by eleven feet in girth. Mr IV. Ross, son of Mr and Mrs Alex Ross, has left Foxton to undergo a course of instruction at the Rnnkura Experimental Farm at Hamilton and his many friends will wish him success. Since leaving Scots College “Willie,” as he is familiarly called, has taken a keen interest in the local tennis club and Mouton football club, and also officiated as lion, secretary to the local volunteer Eire Brigade.

“A thing that struck me as very strange during my visit to New Zealand was the habit of serving dr\ mustard on the tables of many restaurants, and even in some of the smaller hotels. Any mustard eater will tell you what a horrible practise this is from their point of view lor there is not the slightest flavour hi mustard until the ‘essential oil has been liberated by the action of cold water.” This statement was made to a New Zealand Times reporter by Air Allan Coleman, a director of Messrs J. and J. Coleman, Ltd,, of: London and Norwich, known world-wide as the manufacturers of mustard, blue and starch.

A si ea y which set the table in a roar was told recently by Sir Eric Geddes. II concerned a certain railway director, a stickler for discipline, who one day sternly rebuked a ticket collector who allowed him to go through the gate without producing his pass. “No matter if you do know who 1 am,” he said in reply to the collector's excuse: “T am entitled to ride free only when I am travelling with that pass. You do not know whether I have il or not.” The collector, nettled into action, demanded to see the pass. “That’s right,” exclaimed the director. “Here —why —where —well, I declare I must, have left it at the offices.” “Then you'll have to pay your fare, sir,” responded the collector grimly, and he did.

Young fellows are not always entirely to blame apparently for prefering town toe ountry life. Here is u case in point: A New Plymouth boy, between HI and 17, has been working on a farm in the Aokura district, and was making good, those best able to form an opinion being satisfied he would be a sue - cess on the land. Ilis wages were 35s a week and found, and he was to get a little extra by way of gifts such as a, calf and a young pig. His mother, however, writes him enclosing a “Wanted” advertisement and stating that she has secured the job for him at £1 a week, but that it will lie more later on if he suits, and so the boy gives up the position in the country and comes back to town. The worst, feature of the mother’s letter, however, is that she encourages the boy to tell a falsehood in leaving his work out in the country by saying that he has to come to town “to help his mother because dad is ill."

Under the Bankruptcy Act, a bankrupt is allowed to retain furniture to t he amount of £25 only, creditors having the power to realise on everything above that amount. The harshness of this regulation was the subject of comment, by the Auckland Official Assignee, Mr W. S. Fisher, in a case where the value of the furniture was set down at £IOO. Creditors were plainly reluctant to avail themselves of their legal right. “Wc cannot leave the man and his family to live in an empty house,” said one, voicing what appeared to be a unanimous opinion (states the “Herald”). “The amount of £25 is an absurd one,” said Mr Fisher. “It. was fixed about 30 years ago, when prices were on a different level from those to-day. Even under the Distressed Persons and Replevin Act, a man is protected up to £SO. However, I am required to put the question to creditors whether they wish to realise, in every bankruptcy. I may say the regulation is hardly ever put into effect now-a-days, unless a man has put up a very bad record, when creditors do not hesitate to ‘skin’ him pretty close.”

Roy Governor was committed for I rial at Dubbo (Sydney) on October 18, on a charge of shooting Sergeant Young with intent to murder. Seven other charges include breaking and entering and stealing.

A Wanganui boy had an experience the other day which is calculated to leave a lasting impression on his memory (says the “Herald"). Coming along the Avenue early, he noticed a lady’s handbag and on picking it up discovered it contained a purse and £35 in notes, 's the name and address of the owner was also inside the boy lost no time in returning the bag. The lady carefully counted out the notes on !lie table, presumably to see if they were "11 there, and then becoming overwhelmed with generosity, she handed out Is to the boy.

Erosion is said to be steadily diminishing the area of the fiats near the entrance of the Otago Harbour. Every winter the south-west wind drives the waters of the harbour against the sandhill formation of the fiats and thes and washes back into the harbour. A resident of that locality estimates that this winter about an acre has been washed av.ay. During the past 12 years erosion has accounted for the loss of five or six acres, and the tide at high water now washes across the roadline near the gum tx - ees at the southern end of the flats.

“Anybody would think that there was only one city in New Zealand,” said a world traveller to a group on the Main Trunk express at Auckland. “From the time you turn towards this Dominion you hear and read nothing but Auckland. Files of Auckland papers on every intercolonial steamer maintain a live interest. in the northern city; travelling Auckland citizens lose no opportunity of ‘boosting’ their home town; and even the wireless seems to be loaded with Auckland news. I was (piite surprised when I arrived in New Zealand to find that there were other important cities on the map, But I have to compliment Aucklanders on their enterprise and downright belief in their own city.”

What is claimed to be the world’s smallest and dearest newspaper exists on Thursday Island. It is named the Daily Pilot, and owned by a woman. Only two short columns of news and of a small page, about nine inches in length by about four in width. Approximately, it contains about as much reading matter as would go into less than a column of the “Herald.” Shipping intelligence receives premier position. Then follow condensed reports of the outstanding events in each of the Australian capitals. Advertisements are few, and consequently the juurnnl has to depend upon its circulation almost entirely. The inhabitants eagerly look for it each day, ns it is one of the few connecting links with civilisation.

A new process by which rubber, in conjunction with leather shaving', wool shoddy and cork dust, can he vulcanised without heat is the latest wonder of applied science. By this means dozens of the essentials of home life will shortly he produced at a price that will almost halve their cost to the householder. The rough rubber is fed to a machine which masticates it as thoroughly as a cow chews her cud. To it is

added powdered aniline dye of any shade desired, followed by the powdered shavings. A compressing machine next pounds it to the required thickness, after which it is consigned to a coffin-shaped metal container, in which sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide are let loose on it to do their odoriferous worst. After this simple treatment the substance is ready to be made up into the required article by the manufacturer.

The cold conditions at Otira the week before last were particularly hard on men engaged in wiring, who had to handle bare cable, states a Christ church correspondent. They frequently had no feeling in their hands and lingers. One linesman gave as an illustration of the intensity of the cold that during last week he had seen a man rolling a lag copper drum with his gloved bands. The metal was so cold that the man’s hands were stuck to the drum and he was rolled over the lop as it moved. Another statement which was fully supported by (he men was that a 4in. pipe burst and the water spouted upwards, touching a copper wire. After touching Ihe wire the water instantly froze and formed an icicle, which constantly grew as the water from the burst pipe poured on to it. By the time the break had been repaired the icicle had grown to huge proportions. A short time ago a document, of vital importance was thrown by mistake into the lire. When its loss was discovered it was nothing more than a blackened, fragile thing, containing not a single word that was decipherable. An expert was then called in though the owner of the burnt paper had little hope that he could be of any use. Four weeks later the expert returned and handed the owner a clear photograph of the document, with everv word as easy to read as on the day it had been written. The expert knew that photographic plates are acted upon by other things besides light. The ink of the original writing contained chemicals, and ever though they had been in the heart of the tire, he felt that some of their potency must remain. He placed the paper between two ultra-sensative plates and left it for a week. Then he looked to see if there was any result ; a few faint marks appeared on the plates, but that was all. Undeterred, he gave a three weeks’ exposure, at the end of which period he was able to deliver the perfect photograph.

During last week one ease each of enteric fever and tuberculosis, three of diphtheria, four of pneumonia, and five of pneumonic in fluenza, were reported in the Palmerston North hospital district.

A new explosive has been invented. It is a preparation consisting of sawdust and ammonium nitrate, and it is possible to make it to sell at one-third the cost of the commercial dynamite, as neither of the two principal materials are expensive. Twenty odd years ago there was a meeting of forty odd Maori War veterans in Palmerston North (records the “Standard”). To-day they are represented by about five Maori War pensioners, and these have all passed the traditional ailed ted span by several years.

The schedules for the Foxton Horticultural Society’s Spring Show have now been printed and may be obtained along with entry forms, from Messrs M. Perreau’s, J. Walls’ and S. Dndson’s business premises. On account of the lateness of the season, it is anticipated the date of the show will he postponed a week from the date originally decided on, and the question will he gone into at a meeting of committee. Any alteration in the date will be duly notified by advertisement.

Crime statistics, presented to Parliament on Monday in the annual report of the Commissioner of Police (Mr A. 11. Wright) show that certain serious crimes continue to decline in New Zealand, while others are increasing. The offences reported show a net decrease, compared with 1921, of 1,852. The proportion of offences to the population was I.BG, compared with 2.04 during the previous year. For over 12 years the Auckland Merchant Service Guild has conducted an agitation with the object of having a light placed on the Three Kings. Up till now the Ministry of Marino has refused to accede to the demand, hut to-day the Guild received a communication from Mr Anderson, Minister of Marine, stat - ing it was proposed to make provision in this year’s estimates for a light.

A defendant who was found on licensed premises after hours informed the Court at Wanganui, states the “Herald” that he went there to see a man who owed him some money. The Magistrate replied that it appeared that licensed premises were liecoming popular places for collecting debts about 9 p.m. He had heard these debt-collecting explanations too often, and they did not satisfy him. That horso-rnoino- and its concomittant, betting, are the ruling passion in Australia admits f no argument. Figures tell their own story. According to the lair -: New South Wales Treasury report, the yearly totalisator invi -Imenl ; in this State between 1913 an.l 1923 increased to the extent o_ £2,000,000, and the bookmaker, who bets alongside the machine, seern.- to llourish more than ever. The gross investments in the totalisator from 1918 to 1923 were to he precise £15,397,586. It is officially announced that Saturday's crowd at the Chinese match at Sydney was 50,000. The takings were £2,500. The total cost of the tour is estimated at £3,000. Whether the Chinese will visit New Zealand depends on the New Zealand officials. The team is prepared to make the trip if its itinerary is speedily arranged. The New Zealand Association’s only financial responsibility will be providing a

£lO bond for each Chinese which wi be refunded when the visitors leav the Dominion.

The Committee of the combined Hunt and Racing Clubs Ball are making all arrangements towards tlie end that the function will be a record for the district. The issuing of invitations is now receiving attention, and in this connection a rather novel form has been adopted, which not only includes self envelope, but also au acknowledgment form at foot which is to be detached and returned to the secretary if (he recipient intends to be present. The name of Mr .T. Burr was inadvertently omitted from the personnel of the committee.

Proclaiming the virtues of the Dairy Farmers' Union at the close of a deputation which waited on Mr Massey last- week, Mr J. Linklater, M.P., told the Prime Minister that it was really representative organisation of primary producers. He himself, was a member, and so also was his colleague, Mr J. A. Nash, M.P., and they therefore, could plead the cause of the organisation. Thus encouraged, the organiser of the union suggested membership to Mr Massey. “You say that jokingly,” was the quick response, “but. I am quite prepared to join—l mean it,” and thus the union enrolled Mr Massey a member.