LOCAL AND GENERAL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2670, 11 December 1923, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

At lasi night’s Conned meeting accounts amounting to .Cl 172 0/7 were passed for payment. Mullet have been running in large schools in the Wanganui River of late snvs the Herald.

Wellington cinema enterlainmenls are to he permitted on Christmas Day, subject to the programmes being approved by the Town Clerk.

Whales were recently seen near Kaipara, and Maoris who patrolled the beach looking for ambergris are reported In have found a quantity estimated to be worth £BO.

The new come! reported from New Zealand was observed in Sydney and identified as Dubiago’s, for which observers have been waleliing foi* some lime. At Otahuhu last week a farmer named Henry Stokes, was lined £3 and costs for cruelty to calves by overcrowding them in a motorlorry for conveyance to a sale. The latest advertisement clipped from an exchange: “For sale, a baker’s shop. Good trade, excellent oven. Owner been in it for 17 years.”—We surmise lie should be clone to a turn bv now!

The diphtheria death rate in New York hospitals has been reduced from 33 to 10 per cent., due to an invention of Dr Lynch. TTo utilises a tiny electric, suction pump to clear the throat.

The whitebait factory at Cohden, West Coast, has commenced operations (states the Grey Star). Tho banks of the Grey River are lined every day by iarge numbers of people, and fair oalehcs are being made, (be price to fishermen being up to 30/ a kerosene tin. At the meeting of (lie Paten Borough Council on Monday, the special committee set up to confer with the Pntea Fire Brigade regarding the upkeep of the fire plugs recommended that the sum of £lO be paid the Paten, Fire Brigade annually to keep all fire plugs in the borough in thorough working order, the brigade to have control of the plugs and to do all the necessary work. Tliis was adopted. Christopher Clinton, an elderly single, man, who died in Slanmore road, Christchurch, on Tuesday, and was generally believed to bo a pauper, left a hundred sovereigns rolled in brown paper in a brief bag, and bank passbooks showing a total property valued at £5801). Clinton was usually clad in rags, and often accepted gifts of food and clothing. lie left no will. Tho Public Trustee will divide tin* estate between the next-of-kin in Ireland and Canada.

A pest, of small black slugs is infesting - parts of the dislricl u- , round Levin. A farmer told n Chronicle representative Mint lie had lost ten acres of grass seed through the vermin, which had eaten away all Mie green part of the leaves, leaving - nothing- hut a skeleton of ribs. He knew of several other cases in which farmers had suffered similar losses. Air F. Allen, head gardener at the Weraroa Training- Farm, also reports a sing- invasion, and a good deal of damage in consequence. "Healthy criticism is all right, said Mr Glapcott, town engineer, at a farewell gathering- to himself, "hut 1 remember a man coming to me once and saying that the workmen on a, certain job were being smitten with the so-called “corporation stroke.” As a matter of fact, the job in question was being carried out by a contractor, and you can rest assured that I let this particular busybody know what 1 thought about him. Fair, criticism is a good thug for anybody, because it is by this means that we sometimes learn. You never want to take any notice of the man in the street talk, because if the gentleman had something to do he would be too busy to worry about somebody else’s business. —Southland Times.

Don't forget the local State school concert on Thursday night. The programme will bring back memories of school days.

During (lie month of November four horses were impound*! and driving fees to the amount of 4/wero collected.

A special reminder is given of the dance (o be held in the Oroua Downs Hall to-morrow night in aid of the local Band funds. A good time is promised all who attend. Those present at last night’s Council meeting were: Tlis Worship the Mayor (John Chrystall Esq.) and Crs. Walker, Ross, Thorpe, It. Bryant, Coley, Adams and Parkin. Mr J. Colder, bandmaster of the loeal hand, has received several congratulatory messages in reference to llie excellent dance music supplied by (he Band at Montoa las! week. The Band is busy rehearsing selections for (lie forthcoming local race meeting for which il has been engaged. The Riant fiat dredge is stated to have come upon a reef that is likely to give good gold returns (says the Grey River Argus). The dredge has lallcrly been getting big returns lint il is possible dial the new find will mean an increase therein. Tt is reported to have been proved to a length of 30ft. and is over 10ft. in width. Recently the dredge has been running short of water, but this difficulty is now being overcome. “These modern dances are unfortunately attended by young women who seem to go in order to make a drinking parly of it,” commented Mr F. E. Wilson during the hearing of a case in the New Plymouth Magistrate’s Court, snvs the Taranaki News. Mr A. M. Mowlem S.M., later had somthing to say on the subject. Il was a matter for very serious consideration, he said, ilia) young fellows weni out to the country on these dancing expeditions. and apparently got very thirsty. These young fellows did not seem to care who broke the law so long as I heir thirst was satisfied. At last night’s Council meeting the Mayor moved that llie ex-Afay-ors of Foxton he asked to donate photos of themselves to adorn the hare walls of the Council meetingroom. In doing so he said (hat on tho night of the opening of the Council Chambers he had suggested (hat ex-Mavors should do this and an enterprising photographer, seeing this request in the paper, had visited Foxlon. On asking lo lie allowed to snap one ex-Mnyor, he was lold that llie ex-Mnyor would not allow his photo to adorn the Council Chamber until lie had been officially requested to do so by the. Council. Hence the Mayor’s molion, which was carried.

The proverbial “Chinaman’s luck” was in evidence again at Tukapuna races on Saturday afternoon (says llie Star), and when the handful of winning tickets were paid out oil Arch Ami, which got second place in the last stride in the Vanxhall Handicap, a celestial was there with two of them. “Charlie” collected the best part of £IOO. For the greatest part of the betting there was not a ticket rung upon the inside totalise tor, but when the machine closed, there were five lonely tickets on the unknown performer. As the official figures sliowod 51 ten shilling tickets taken out on the horse the remaining 41 must have been taken out on the outside machine. Certainly the ten shilling “tote” tempts patrons to try the long odds where they hesiale !il investing £l. The dividend was one of lie biggest ever returned in Auckland for second place at either trotting or galloping.