LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2627, 1 September 1923, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

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

At an executive meeting of the Palmerston N. Hospital Board yesterday, Mr A. J. Phillips, B. Com., late statistician for the Board of Health, Wellington, was appointed managing secretary, vice Mr J. M. Fraser, resigned. The local Volunteer Five Brigade will give a public; demonstration at the corner of Main, and Clyde streets at 6.50 o’clock this evening. The turn-out will afford the publican opportunity of seeing the brigade at work under fire conditions.

A local resident suggests that if the powerful lamp erected at the entrance to the Triangle were raised a few more feet, the rays of light would; radiate over a much the light would radiate over a much greater area, and the light would be more effective as an illuminant. “Bad roads, bad driving, and overloading” are given as the reasons for dray-horses in London having a ■working' life of only aboiit six months.

The rainfall locally during the past month was 1.56 inch, the maximum fall, .72 points, occurring on the 4th.

A meeting of the Hunt Club Ball Committee will be held in the Town Hall on Monday evening next, at 7.30 o’clock. A full attendance is requested.

The Rev. J. Boofhroyd, who was recently appointed to net ns supply in the Foxton Methodist circuit until the appointment of a successor to Mr L. Minific, arrived in Foxlon from the South last, evening. The Rev. Boothroyd will conduct the services in the local Methodist; Church to-morrow, both morning and evening.

At Dunedin yesterday, a man named Thomas Deehnn and a woman, Mi's Jessie Bines, were knocked down by a motor ear driven by John Adamson. Both were removed to hospital. Mrs Blues is suffering from injuries to the head and face, and the man had his left arm badly fractured and sustained an injury to the shoulder.

The la lest endurance craze is being carried on at Marseilles between the city’s champion whistlers. A workman named Varois whistled eight hours without stopping, but the glory was short-lived, however, as a young manufacturer, Reynier, bettered the record by two hours and one minute. The new champion bowled throughout the feat, and stopped only five minutes for a few seconds to drink.

“There is no excuse for anybody in this country who goes about stealing,” said Mr J. W. Poynton, S.M., at Auckland, in sentencing n man named Oeorge Wjgg to twelve months imprisonment for theft from an hotel. “Tf they are in trouble there are any number of societies, the Salvation Army and others, all ready to help. No need to steal.” It was stated by the police that every day since the man’s appearance in Auckland a month before there bad been thefts from hotels in ihe eitv.

The following story was told at the Invercargill competitions by Mr Temple White (says the Southland Times). Ernest Newman, one of the greatest musical judges in England, was judging a brass instrument competition in the north. After the award bad been made, an unsuccessful eornetist came to the judge and truculently asked: “What do you know about cornet-playing? fan you even piny the cornet?” “No,” was the calm reply, “I cannot, but neither can I lay an egg, yet I know a good one from a bad one.” The gang of men employed by (lie Mnnawatu-Oroua Power Board in erecting poles, received a rude shock on turning up to work yesterday morning, when they were informed to call at the office for their wages. Tn explanation, the engineer stated that, in the first, place, he would insist on what he considered a fair day’s work for the money spent, and he was now milking arrangements to start a fresh gang on Monday. The Power Board’s offices have since been inundated with applications from men seeking work. i

A Hamburg capitalisf several years ago loaned 10,000 marks to a baker on a mortgage. The other day the capitalist, together with his wife, called to collect the debt. When Hie baker tried to pay off bis obligation with a 10,000 mark note, then worth only about 3-Vd, the woman laughed and suggested: “You’d heller make us a butter cake instead.” The baker hesitated and, then remarking that flour was a very expensive commodity, finally ]y consented to send his creditor a butter cake for Sunday dinner in payment of Hie mortgage.

The shortage of domestics in Belgium has resulted in the Chamber discussing the establishment of a legal status for domestics in the hope of attracting girls to service by raising their social standing. The Bill introduces the name of “household assistants” in (he place of “servants," and provides for eight hours of uninterrupted rest daily, two hours for meals, five weeks’ paid holiday during the first two years of service, and a fortnight afterwards. Tt also provides tliiil the domestic .-.hall he given one afternoon off every week and one Sundnv off a month.

What is perhaps the greatest memorial in all the world is fast nearing completion—the Lincoln Highway across the United States. This highway has a minimum width of 60 feet. It reaches from New York City, on the east_, across (he continent to San Francisco, on the west; and quite a crowd gathered in New York recently as the engineers were erecting a sign-post at one of the down-town corners. The hand on the sign was pointing west, and it read: “Lincoln Highway; to San Francisco, 3,384 miles.” Truly a worthy memorial to the man whom the average American looks upon as the greatest, man of his race.

Some of the advocates of a State Bank for New Zealand have held the view that the State could issue unlimited paper money which would always maintain its face value. An illustration of the fallacy of this idea, was afforded recently when a Dunedin business man received from Germany a small parcel weighing about 21b. The value of the postage stamps affixed, taking the mark at its normal value, is £1,650. That was about six weeks ago. The position of the mark has grown much worse since then, the latest quotation being 21,000,000 to the £.

Tlio vital statistics for Foxton for the month of August are as follows, the figures for the corresponding month of last year being given in parentheses: —Births fi (-1), deaths 1 (3), marriage certificates issued 1 (2). An instance of how insects will change- their diet when the native food is not available is demonstrated in a New Plymouth garden. There is a hush-clad gully attached to the garden, and the owner has planted the slopes with climbing loses. The weta, a fearsome-look-ing beetle not unlike a scorpion, measuring up to two and a-half inches, has taken a great liking to the tender rose tree timber, and during the night comes out to feed. Half-a-dozen of these creatures will in a few hours eat through a branch half an inch in diameter. The result is some very line roses are being destroyed, and the owner is wondering how he can successfully eradicate the pest. The New Zealand Dairy Company, Waikato, says the Taranaki Daily News, is giving a lead to the rest of New Zealand in the matter of scientific research in connection with dairy products. Tt has not waited for the Oovernment to step in, but of its own accord has established a laboratory where investigation is made with a view to getting more out of the material supplied to the factories and utilising the by-products to the best advantage. It is not the. slightest use looking to the Government to establish and control a scientific dairy school in Taranaki. That would be only to invite failure. Taranaki should take a leaf out of Waikato’s book and establish its own institution. The only way to retain our position on the Home markets against competition that must be expected to become increasingly keen is not only by maintaining but improving the quality of our products. It is essential, however, to build on a strong and sound basis. And we suggest that Taranaki could well follow Waikato in providing facilities for the scientific investigation of all matters pertaining to the dairy industry and the training and equipment of those responsible for the manufacture of the products.