Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 1924. LOCAL AND GENERAL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 2684, 17 January 1924, Page 2

Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 1924. LOCAL AND GENERAL

The statutory half holiday for the ensuing' year was set down as Wednesday at Monday night’s meeting of the Council. Speaking at Monday night’s Borough Council meeting, Or. Walker said that he was opposed to any public meeting dictating to the Council.

Donations for the Palmerston N. Soldiers’ War Memorial are coming in steadily, and the committee have now £4,103 of the £. r >,ooo required.

Owing to stress of weather outside, the s.s. Kennedy’s running has been delayed. It. is hoped that the vessel will dear for Wellington to-night and return mi Saturday.

A keen southerly wind was experienced at the local seaside yesterday, the (lying sand making things very unpleasant for those on the river foreshore and open beach. At Monday night’s Council meeting, the Mayor congratulated the Town Clerk (Mr Trueman) on the two balance sheets for the years 1922 and 1923, just returned from the audit department. Mr Trueman was also congratulated upon his work by the auditor.

AFr Stohr, of Foxlou, has just received a letter card from a business firm in Berlin, addressed to “Mr Stohr, Mastering, Australasia” and with two 20,000,900-mark postage stamps affixed to cover cost of postage. The card enventually arrived at. Mastcrton where it was re-addressed to Eoxton. The ferry steamer Maori encountered a severe gale on her trip to Lyttelton on Wednesday. The vessel had to slow down on leaving Wellington Heads but thereafter proceeded at full steam. Nothing could be seen forward owing to the spray and heavy seas were shipped all night. Minor damage done to the lower portion of the bridge and a door washed in. The vessel reached port at 10.15 a.m., the passengers missing the first express south.

An amazing story of what can happen on the New Zealand railways is boastfully related in one of the daily newspapers by Mr Roy McDonald, a. member of the New South Wales Legislative Council “Last year I was in New Zealand,” Mr McDonald says. “1 discovered when I got on the boat for the return voyage that 1 had left my M.L.C. railway pass in Sydney. I had travelled over the Dominion railway system with a gilt pass on my watch chain. H was my Australian Jockey Club membership token!”

Dr. W. A. Chappie, an ex-M.P. in New Zealand, was opposing Sir Robert Horne, in an election in Stirlingshire. Having heard that Dr. Chappie was a native of New Zealand, Sir Robert told his audience: “I see around me >o many old friends with whom I have played or. the green as a boy, and I venture to think that you would rather have the home-bred stock than New Zealand mutton.” This was received with cheers and laughter, hut its effect was spoiled by an old Scot who shouted: “We can do line wi’ the mutton —it’s the horns we dinna want.” Sir Robert was not ieturned.

On Saturday afternoon the grocers of North and South Bi’ighton, Christchurch, put into practice their threat of defying the recent grocery award of the Arbitration Court, which ordered that the statutory half-holiday within ten miles of Christchurch should he Saturday (states the' “Press ), and all the grocers’ shops in both places were open. Saturday as a holiday is not at all suitable to the seaside shopkeepers, for that afternoon is a very busy and profitable time. They omitted to protest when the Arbitration Court was silting, hut, having obtained legal advice, decided to recognise the Shops and Offices Act and to ignore the Arbitration Court. The next move svill be watched with interest.

An. alphabetical avenue of trees which, it is said, will he the only one of its kind in the world, is being planted by Sir William Nevill Geary at bis house at Tonbridge, Kent. The alphabet is made up o! initial letters of the names of the trees. For a time the letter “\ stopped Sir William and the professional horticulturists who assisted him. Viburnum, the one “V tree, was too stumpy for inclusion in tlie avenue, so has had to he supplied by vines wreathed nround walnuts and widows. A Lost letters of the alphabet have several trees allotted to them, guinea is tlie only representative of "Q." The avenue, when completed will consist of 270 trees.

The bank returns for the December quarter show the following iigures: —Free deposits, £24,201,042; iixed deposits, £.18,509,135; Government deposits, £3,592,32(1; note circulation, £0,043,900; discounts, £1,801,538; advances, £44,427,841, The deposits increased a million and three-quarters on the corresponding quarter of 1922 but the advances were a little more than 2i: millions greater. The returns from wool sales at which improved prices have been operating, did not come into the quarter under review, hut will have a benelicial effect oil the current quarter’s hank returns. Considerable importations of late have also been a factor in making tbe calls on the hanks for funds rather heavier than usual.

A new Masonic Lodge (Lodge Aw at ea) is to he consecrated at Palmerston North at the end of this month.

Kcarbron, one of the three prisoners who escaped from Mount Eden Gaol on Monday, was arrested mi Tuesday in a street in Auckland. Scnrbrea submitted quietly. The others are still at large.

The King and Queen gave an audience to Messrs Foster and Smith, the Trovcssa officers at Buckingham Palace this week. Their Majesties expressed much interest in the manner in which they escaped t ruin the vessel.

There appears to be little attraction for school teachers on tlie West Const uf the South Island. The Greymoiith Main School Committee has not yet been able to secure a permanent successor to its latest headmaster, who resigned to accept the headmnstorship of the North Brighton School, near Christcliur-

A Brisbane message stales that two skeletons, found near Coveman River last month, have been identified as those of youthful returned soldiers. E. Stephens and If, Stoebhom, who were engaged in n walking four through Australia. They were last seen alive in October 1922. by natives, in the vicinity of the discovery.

The Ash hurst Domain Board has granted the local School Committee the use of the Domain for the annual school picnic to he held there on Wesncsday, February oth. This annual outing is looked forward to with pleasurable anticipation by both children and parents. The committee is now making arrangements in connection with the railway excursion.

Mr .Tuck, of the Ilorowhenua Hy-dro-Electric Power Board, has completed the second and final group of Eoxton applicants for power and light. We are informed that the applications for services are fully one hundred per cent, in excess of what was estimated. The Board will immediately invite tenders for connections in the two groups.

“A lot of people believe their member lias to be of the right political colour before their district can benefit from Government grants,” said the Alinister for Public Works at Alangakahia recently. “There is no such thing as political favours with me. I try to take the national viewpoint and to allocate public moneys according to the merits of the case, and apart from any political consideration whatever. I have not sufficient money to do all 1 could wish, hut 1 am doing bv best with what is available, attempting tu allocate it fairly and to get just

A New Zealander in Japan, writing of school work in that country, says that the teachers are like big brothers and although discipline is kept there is a freedom of atmosphere never experienced in colonial schools. There are no truant officers, for hoys never want to stay away from school, strange as it may seem, hut nevertheless true. There are no punishments of any kind. The result is only what one must expect after years of sueli a system. It produces few had hoys, few poor scholars and excellent morals.

The hospitality of the North hits been well demonstrated during tlie tour of the lion. J. C. Coates, Atinister for Public Works and Railways, but a record was established at Rawene (stales the “New Zealand Herald”). It was after midnight before deputations had been disposed of, hilt the County Council decided to proceed with its banquet at 12.15 a.m. The less hardy who hail repaired to the hotel aciciss the road from the banqueting hall were able to hear from then beds, the Minister discoursing oil the Alolor Vehicles Bill at well after 1 a.m. and still other toasts followed. Yet tlu‘ Minister was up at 5 a.m., to start out on a most strenuous ride through tlm Waipoun State forests.

The sale of a farming property in Otago was just about being completed the other day when the seller notilied the representative ol the purchaser that the negotiation-; were at an end (states tlie "Otago Daily Times"). "Mhals the mailer.’" he w:m asked. "1- not the price big enough.’" ‘Acs, he answered, "the price is all right, and | am wanting to get out, but 1 u 1 -een the customer, and liml that lie f, a ret arm'd soldier who is >lill feeling the effect.-, of Ids war services. and I should he a-hamed it il turned out that the work he would have to pul in to make the property pay at tin- price he is giving should land him in regrets. 1 should feel that 1 had taken down u returned soldier. ’ It is a pity llnu all sellers have not been so considerate.

Of interest to growers of pinus insignis on sandy ground is tlie fact that a 47-year-old tree oil the Kaiapoi Park which lias been uprooted by the gale in the last days of the Old Year, was 117 feet over ail. At the hole, close to the ground, the circumference was 13t't. (tin. ami at 54ft. it was 7ft. From the ground the lirsfc four feet long cut was 4ft. in diameter, the next 3ft. 7iu. and the third 314. Gin. The timber was sound throughout, and worth milling, but it was being crosscut into lengths and split for firewood to season for winter use. The pines were planted by Air James Dowse, following tbe example of the Kaiapoi Domain Board —the first board in North Canterbury to undertake afforestation upon the disappearance of the last of the large native bush to the westward.

Captain and Airs Goffin, some years ago in charge of the local S.A. Corps., and now in charge of the Auckland City Corps, are visiting old Eoxton friends and are the guests of Mr and Airs P. W. Brown. With the incessant rain, Lake Wakatipu has reached the highest level since 1878, flooding the lower part of Queenstown. All the wharves are submerged, and the Coronation bathing buildings were wrecked by (be gale. The Creighton Wharf' has been carried away, and the Mount Nicholas wool sheds marooned.

We understand (says the Westport News) that five members of the detective force are now engaged on the West Coast in search of the Wanganui murderer, and it is expeeted that ail arrest is imminent. Seventeen bankruptcies were notified in the latest issue of the New Zealand Gazette. Fourteen of the number were in the North Island. The new steamer Tnaha which will trade to and from the port of I’nten is expected t<> arrive there shout tin- end of the month.

An elderly Morriusville woman \\ lm had been bedridden for a number of years, jmd whose life, it was considered, would he endangered if >he were removed from her bed, was taken to Rotorua on the oeension of Air Hickson’s visit to that town. She can now leave her bed and is able to walk a lew steps with the aid of crutches.

A few months ago the Harbour Board laid off and formed a new i-oad at right angles from the enmity road, at tlie local seaside and thereby giving direct communication with the .-sanatorium, the best, sheltered portion of the seaside. The road at present, is unmetalled and is only open to motor traffic. When this road is completed, it will lie the principal thoroughfare as it will obviate (be cuttings and -and drifts.