Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, SEPTEMB. 11, 1923. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2631, 11 September 1923, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, SEPTEMB. 11, 1923. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At Inst night’s Council meeting accounts amounting to £829 11/4 were passed for payment. A dairy farm of 84 acres near Levin, has just changed hands at £79 per acre. The remarkable price of £2 Ids was obtained for a line of fat wethers at the Wallaectown sale. Seven factories within a radius of five miles of Carl erf on paid out over £107,000 for butler-fat last year. A working man who used lo be employed in Eltliam left here some months ago to take work in a “dry” district. He recently spent a holiday here and gleefully stated that as a result of being employed in a prohibition town he had saved over £6O. He votes prohibition now.— Argus. Mr Tex Rickard says the advance sales of tickets for Ihe Dempsey--Eirpo tight on September 14 already amount to 800,000 dollars, the biggest sale yet recorded. The capacity of the house will nett one and a quarter million dollars. Dempsey gets 37A per cent, of the receipts and Eirpo 121 per cent. At Tuesday night’s public meeting' in the Masonic Hall, the Chairman, engineer and local member of the Horowhenua Electric Power Board will enlighten the local public on the installation of electricity, its cost to consumers,, uses, etc. Everyone interested in the introduction of this new power should not fail to be present.

At last night’s Council meeting the Works Committee’s report was adopted recommending that the Council instal 44 electric street lamps instead of 40, as decided on previously, and to keep the new gas light at the corner of the triangle in use. It was also decided to shift the gas light outside the Salvation Army Hall to the intersection of •Johnston St. and Avenue Road.

Most people are aware that pinus insignis kills the growth of all grass within a radius swept by its fastspreading roots. Not only does it kill the grass, but it kills the gorse and anyone who is troubled with gorse has only to create a pinus insiguis plantation to get clear of the prickly pest. This is what the Wellington Director of Reserves (Mr J. G. Mackenzie) is doing on the gorse grown spurs at Day’s Bay.

Some excitement was caused at Caroline Bay, Tiniaru, by the recent appearance of a large seal. A crowd of spectators soon gathered and watched the movements of the rare visitor with great interest, and a dog, evidently taking the seal to be a patch of seaweed, rushed into the surf to investigate, but the seal raised its head and greeted the investigator with a vicious snap. The dog hastily made for the beach.

“During my 40 years’ experience in New Zealand,” said a sheep man recently, “I have never seen sheep so high as at present” (says the Southland News). He went on to say that those who had paid big prices for ewes would have some difficulty in making a profit out of them There is nothing at present to indicate that the lamb market will open higher than last year.”

Private advices received from the Prime Minister since he sailed for the Imperial Conference are to the effect that he and his party are well and having a good passage. By 390 votes to 225, the Wanganui ratepayers recently sanctioned the raising of a loan of £40,000 for the electric reticulation of the borough.

The “New York Times” Osaka correspondent states that from September 1 to 0 (here were 1,029 distinct earthquake shocks in the stricken area of Japan. Following an attack of influenza, three youthful members of a Dunedin household have shown signs that indicate a rapid development of deafness. This tendency is not altogether unknown as a result of influenza.

“The grand old man” of the Greymouth Jockey Club, Mr John Walton, was able this year to attend his 56th annual meeting of the club—a record which will take much beating (reports the Star). The meeting was held in the afternoon to allow Mr Walton (who is now in his 94th year) to be present. An eight-ounce egg, laid by a White Leghorn hen, was shown to a reporter in New Plymouth a few days ago. It is perfect in shape and very much larger than a duck egg. The shell is much thicker and harder than usual and in this connection somewhat resembles the egg of an emu.

The vital statistics of England and Wales for the first quarter of 1923 show that nearly all records were broken. There were fewer births than in any similar period except during the war. The death rate was the lowest ever recorded as was also the mortality rate for infants under one year. The number of marriages was 26,640 below tlie number for the previous quarter and 15,018 below the first quarter of 1921.

The recent spell of dry weather in Oamaru reminded an old settler of a period about twenty years ago when a severe drought was experienced (relates the North Otago Times). The farmers of Tokarahi adopted the novel idea of shooting at the clouds with a big-gun. They were quite satisfied with their experiment, for rain fell almost immediately. It was a mere coincidence, of course, that rain also fell in oilier parts of the district. The late Lord Plunket, when Governor of New Zealand, told a quaint story of his distinguished relative, (lie Protestant Archbishop of Dublin. The celebrated prelate had a horror of paralysis. He sat on one occasion next to a duchess at dinner, and to her surprise suddenly exclaimed “It has come at last! 1 have been pinching my knee for half a minute and have no feeling in it whatever.” And the duchess replied: “Pardon me, your Grace — MY knee!”

“There is always a temptation to a parish priest to forget the absolute need for study, and sometimes to undervalue the importance of the regular hours spent in reading, and in Ihe preparation of the food for his flock,” said Bishop Averill, in a sermon a I St. Mark’s, Auckland, on Saturday evening. “Tf the man who neglects his visiting is failing in his duty as a faithful pastor, so, surely, is the man who expects his flock to feed on husks and moral platitudes. It is also sometimes necessary to remind a congregation that the parish priest cannot be expected to be at everybody’s beck and call during the whole day, and that his study hours are quite as important as his visiting hours.”

“Riverine,” in the Bulletin, says: The Maori, as a rule, is not exercised by (he statistics that have recently been troubling an Australian bishop. Hori called on a local pastrycook with an order for a large cake —“te two-decker —kettin marrit soon,” he explained. Knowing Hori’s casual financial ways, the confectioner demurred. “A twodecker is expensive, you know,” he said, cautiously; “surely a single one would do.” “Oh that’s all right,” said the customer importantly producing' a roll of notes, “Plenty proomin’ hoot ’ere! You see, poss,” he confided, “I want te two decker —one fore te weddin an’ one for te chris’onin’.”

One thing that has impressed the onlooker is the fluency with which the Japanese delegates to the panPaeific Science Congress speak English, writes a Sydney correspondent. It is the perfect, polished English, which it would bo a treat to hear more of among our own kind. How many Australians, going to Japan, could make themselves understood in clear, undefiled Japanese? Which reminds one of the visiting Chinese Soccer footballers. Out at the Showground, a Sydney youth greeted one of them with, “John, have a cigarette.” “Thank you,” replied the educated young Chinese, “but I am not John, and I do not smoke cigarettes.” The purchasing power of the sovereign of July, 1914, when applied to food in New Zealand, is to-day worth 14s o!}d. The official monthly Abstract of Statistics states that the index number for the three food groups as at 15th July is 1520, a decrease of one point since the previous month, and an increase of 42.06 per cent, over July, 1914. The increase of three points in the Groceries group has been caused mainly in a rise in the price of potatoes in several towns. A considerable fall in the price of eggs in most towns has resulted in a fall of 24 points in the dairy products group. Increases in the prices of mutton and pork in several towns have caused a rise of 9 points in the meat group.

Good soaking rain fell throughout the district on Sunday night and vesterdav.

Those present at last night’s Borough Council meeting were: His Worship the Mayor (John Chrystall Esq.) and Crs. Coley, Walker, Parkin, Adams, McMurray, Smith, and Bryant. Apologies for absence were received from Crs. Thorpe and Ross.

At last night’s Council meeting Mr R. Edwards, civil engineer, was in attendance and addressed the Council at length on river matters. The address was taken in committee and the Council moved a hearty vote of thanks to Mr Edwards at its conclusion.

At last night’s Council meeting Cr. Coley said that if the Council did the right thing they would hand the present Council’s abode over to the local band as a practice room when they vacated it for the more dignified hall of the new Council Chambers. The united intercessory service will lie held in the Salvation Army Hall this evening. The service will be combined with the Methodist Home and Maori Mission service and those attending will be afforded an opportunity of hearing the Rev. Papakura, a talented speaker and singer. A collection will be taken up in aid of the mission fund.

At last night’s Council meeting attention was drawn to the fact that people were in the habit of eating fruit in the main street and leaving the skins on the footpath. One Councillor said that the Town Hall of a Saturday night was also left in a disgusting state. Anything from peanuts to pig-trotters could be found under the seats after the performance.

A most enjoyable dance was held in the Masonic Hall last night, under the auspices of the Foxton Defence Ride Club. There was a good attendance. President Head officiated as M.C. and Mrs Head supervised the catering arrangements. The music and floor were all that could be desired and the consensus of opinion was that the dance was one of the most enjoyable social functions of the season.

In moving the motion that a municipal plumber lie appointed at last night’s Council meeting, the Mayor said that if a plumber was not appointed there was a possibility of the Council being left with a quantity of material on its hands which would possibly be sold at a loss. Cr. Coley took exception to this statement and said that the goods could not have been bought at a right price if they could not be quitted without loss now.

The public meeting to be held in 11:0 Masonic Hall on Tuesday evening next should be of special interest to women. The Power Board engineer (Mr Overton) will devote a portion of his address to the application and uses of electricity to the domestic side of life, cooking, cleaning, laundry work and even the saving of mother’s tired legs by driving the sewing machine! Inquiries at the Department of Agriculture show that much- faith is reposed in the new parasite (a species of ladybird) —introduced by Dr. Tillyard, of the Cawthorn Institute, to combat woolly aphis in apple trees. Spraying with red oil has hitherto been the most potent remedy discoverable for the aphispest, but this has not Droved as effectual as could be desired, besides which the new method entails much labour. If the new parasite multiplies ps it is anticipated, woolly aphis will be kept within bounds, and one big source of worry to orclmrdists will be removed.

The need of some half-way institution between ordinary hospitals and mental hospitals has been urged repeatedly. In referring editorially to the matter the Dominion says:—At times this need is emphasised by cases like that in which a man committed suicide at the Dunedin general hospital on Sunday. The medical superintendent-and the Dunedin Coroner agreed in stating that due care and attention could not be given in such cases in a general hospital. It surely need not be an unduly expensive matter to provide at general hospitals at all events in the main centres special wards for reception of people who are from any cause temporarily unbalanced. Apart from the interests of people affected in this way, . it has to be considered that in existing conditions such duties are at times imposed on niu-ses as women should not be asked to undertake.

A strange accident resulting in the death of three soldiers, named Cox, Dillon and Rae, marred the Centurion’s sports at Malta last month. Some dozen men, dressed up as savages, were giving a display in which a white man was to be captured and rescued in the nick of time before the cannibals roasted him. The white man was captured and a fire lighted, according to the programme, but one of the savages, dressed in oakum and tow, caught fire himself, and the others, disregarding the dangerous nature of their get-up, rushed to liis assistance, and at once caught fire too. lor a moment the spectators did not realise the actual state of affairs, thinking it was all part of a savage war dance, and had it not been for the promptitude and presence of mind of a certain marine, all the savages might have been burned to death. Assistance was promptly forthcoming and the men’s clothing was extinguished, but not before three men had been so terribly burned that they died in hospital. The chief petty officer in charge of this particular display has lost his reason.

West Coast coal miners are adopting a go-slow policy. At last night’s Council meeting it was decided to grant the dog registrar permission to destroy all unclaimed dogs roaming the streets. The Rev. B. S. Rothwell, of Masterton, President of the Methodist Church of: N.Z., suffered a severe stroke last week and his condition is causing anxiety.

Mr J. M. Hickson, the spiritual healer, arrived at Auckland from Sydney yesterday morning and was accorded a welcome by Bishop Averin.

Seven American naval destroyers and a 6,000-ton Pacific liner were wrecked on the Californian coast during a heavy fog on Sunday. ,Cr. A. N. Smith has given notice to move the following motion at next Council meeting: “That when vacated, the present building used as temporary Council Chambers, be utilised for the purpose of a public reading room and library.” At last night’s Council meeting the borough ranger reported that nine cows and seven horses had been arrested and four cows were released to their owners. Driving fees to the amount of 3/- were collected.