LOCAL AND GENERAL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 2689, 31 January 1924, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A number of local people took advantage of the half-holiday vesterdav to visit the Levin show.

The only case of infectious disease reported in (he Palmerston N. hospital district last week was One of tuberculosis.

Mr Lcn. Furrie, ex headmaster of (lie local State school and now headmaster of the Stratford school was in Foxton on Tuesday.

The butter consignments sent by the Masterston Dairy Co., per the Pinko, realised 209/- at Manchester and 214/- at Glasgow.

A local resident surf enthusiast slates that the surf on the Hokio beach is far ahead of that a-l the local seaside. He also recommends the head) itself. Muriel Lovel, aged 17, was drowned in the Waikato river at Huntley yesterday. The body was quietly recovered but efforts to restore life failed. M. Rykolf, who admitted the failure of Communism, and advocated the restoration of business relations with other nations, is the likeliest successor of M. Lenin.

It is noted by a statistician of seismic shocks and their results I hat during the past 75 years only seven deaths from earthquakes have been recorded in New Zealand.

A Palmerston North resident, while searching underneath his residence, found a box containing a revolver and some cartridges. He has no knowledge of where the box came from and lias reported the matter to the police. The Port Elliot wreck having emphasised the necessity of a light at Matakaoa Point, the Minister of Marine slates the Cabinet lias deluded upon the erection of a light to be proceeded with as expeditiously as possible.

A very enjoyable dance was held in (he Masonic Hall, under the auspices of the local Croquet Club, on Monday evening, when there was a good attendance. Although rather warm for dancing, the dance was a huge success. Airs F. W. Frankland has presented the local State School with a framed relief map of Switzerland and a collection of specimens of mineral ore for the museum. The committee desire to publicly thank the donor.

Providing there is sufficient inducement, Mr F. Rout’s char-a-banc will leave the local post office at 7.30 o’clock to-morrow evening to convey dancers to the dance in the Moutoa Hall. Fare only 2/6 return.

An unusual incident occurred in Wairoa a few days ago. The little child of a local resident had been left on a rug in the garden when a stray cow wandered in. The cow stopped on the neck of the baby, inflicting injuries which necessitated the insertion of several stitches. A fire occurred in Mr T. Bowe’s milking shed at Marotiri in the early hours of yesterday morning, resulting in the destruction of the engine-room and plant and a number of cow bales. The fire was discovered at about 3.40 a.m. as the family were preparing for the morning’s milking, at which time it had a good hold on the building. Besides the loss occasioned by the conflagration, Mr Bowe is greatly inconvenienced, having at the present time a herd of about one hundred and seventy cows to handle.

The drought has been merely a theme for general conversation in the larger centres, hut apparently in many country places the lack of moisture during the past few months has been a very serious matter. Writing recently to a Dunedin resident, a settler in the Wailuna Fruit lands district, near Waimate, stated that they had been driving stock for miles to obtain water and one farmer could neither sell nor give away six very fine cows, as hi.-, neighbours were no better supplied with water than lie was.

Two murders and 40 motor-ear I l.cfls occur every day in San Francisco, according to a member of the police force of that city, who is in Sydney on holiday. Prisoners, he saw, ale sleeping on the corridors of the big Quentin goal because it is hopelessly overcrowded. Chinese the visiting - policeman stales, are the woist offenders in murders. Fends among the different societies never enil si ml witli siieli erresit secrecy arc crimes committed, that the police arc absolutely bullied. Italians, too, have their feuds, lmt the m o-.t dangerous criminals are the Mexicans.

The lighting of a lire by youths on the riverbed at Waingnwa was lesponsiblc for one ot the mostextensive and destructive grass tires dial have occurred in Ibis locality, savs a Masterton message. Beginning at midday in a gorsc blaze, il spread rapidly to the properties of Messrs -I. Montgomery and J. A. Belts. Assisted by a growing breeze, the progress of the lire, which was startling in its rapidity, arrested the attention of five other settlers, whose places were all threatened. Volunteer helpers foregathered to cope with the outbreak and succeeded in averting the destruction of (he houses, though two outbuildings on one farm were demolished. An unfortunate aspect of the episode is that many of these farmers who had (heir paddocks shut up for winter feed lost a lot of it, principally Messrs Montgomery, 80 acres and Belts 40 acres. The losses of plantations, pasture and fences are heavy. The total area swept is estimated at between 300 and 400 acres.

Mr J. M. Hickson left Invercargill on Thursday of last week by motor on a holiday trip to Manapouri. Mr Hickson will vis-it Queenstown and from there he will go to Mount Cook. Afterwards he.will go to Timaru to visit relatives there for a few days. Then he will leave on his return to London.

Air W. L. Mackenzie King, Prime Minister of Canada, before receiving the freedom of Sheffield recently, was conducted round the leading steel works. At Messrs Joseph Rodgers and Sons, lie examined, through a microscope twelve pairs of scissors, which together weigh only half a grain, a knife containing 1,923 blades, f<> which four additional blades arc filled every four years, and a miniature sporting knife containing fifty seven pieces.

No mortal can sav how ihe scooping of the Kawaran bed will pan mil when the dam holds back the Wnkalipu water says the Dunedin ‘Star.’ Any person of common intelligence can, however, see that lo earnestly and hopefully Iry for the gold that is certainly in that river must bring about liveliness in I lie Cromwell district. One may reasonably suppose that labour will be plentifully on offer. There are hosts of men in Of ago who al some time or other have enjoyed the freedom and I lie independence of a miner’s life, or have been I old about ii by their fathers, and arc even in their older years

A rather unusual experience beI'ci a sheep farmer the other day (says the Wairarapa Age). He found it necessary to chastise one of his dogs, and while he was administering Ihe necessary punishment another dog, evidently resenting Ihe operation, made a surprise attach from (he rear on the farmer luting his leg and tearing his trousers. II is, we believe, a very rare thing for a dog to defend a fellow dog in this way. It is remarkable, 100. how philosophically and even cheerfully a dog wild has commitled a fault fakes the hiding lie sometimes gets for it—jumping quite gaily when the ordeal is over.

A rather unusual incident' occured in the cricket match between Melbourne and Adelaide Universities. One of the Alelhonrne batsmen kept coming yards out of his crease when hacking up at the bowler's end, and on one occasion the Adelaide wicketkeeper tried to run him out by throwing the ball at the wickets. The ball missed the stumps, and the batsmen ran a single. There was quite a discussion as to how the run was scored but the umpire settled all doubts by signalling a live'. Even then many were not satisfied, being of the opinion that the hall must pass the wicket-keeper before a bve could be scored. But the umpire was right, as it could he nothing else but a bye.

“Alelhonrne lias not yet recovered from the effects of the police strike’ said Mr. B. Falck, in the course of a chat with a Christchurch Press reporter upon his return after a two months’ visit to Australia. “The authorities cannot get sufficient men of the right type to replace the strikers, and as a result the city is not adequately policed. Melbourne is the worst city in Aus tralia for its ‘pushes,’ and the ordinary civilian has an uncomfortable feeling that the lawless element, though kept down, is not far below the surface. I have seen jostling by roughs in Collins St. as early as six o’clock in the evening. The police are still patrolling in pairs, and occasionally the ‘scabs,’ as they are called, are struck by a missile. Some of the policemen who lost their positions through the strike are working mi the trams, and many are unemployed."

On Saturday last, Air A. E. Costall, a native of Wellington, died at Makowhai, near llongotea, at the age of 61 years. It must be nearly 40 years since Mr Costall, who was born in Wellington) and bis brother, Air Fred Costall, took up land in the Campbell Settlement (now known as Rongotea) felled the hush and turned the land into a good farm (says the Dominion). Thirty years ago the brothers separated and Mr A. E. Costall went to Paliialua, again to fae(e bush-clearing and making a farm out of virgin forest. Four years ago lie returned lo the district in which he started, and was farming at Makowhai I ill his death. He was the third son of the late Mr J, Costall, superintendent of the Government Printing Ollicse, and married Miss Carter, 15. A., principal of the Okorire Training College. Besides the widow, four daughters and olio sone survive him, the oldest bong 1!) years of age.

Bitumen is a very tine thing for road surfacing, but it is very much more than a nuisance in any other direction (says the Nelson Evening Mail). One of the County Council stall' engaged in the work on the Stoke road had an experience (tie oilier day that gave tiis friends a good deal of merriment. Sitting down on a chair for a few min utos on his return home he found himself a firm fixture there. The only way movement could be see ured was by taking the chair' with him. This proved awkard, and no doubt the individual concerned would have divested himself ol his clothing' had this been possible. As it was, the garment in question had had to be completely sacrificed, the portion adhering to the chairremaining there. Fine bitumen appears to have wonderful adhesive powers. Others also have had rather curious experiences. When legs have have been crossed during luncheon adjournments, they have become joined fast together, much to the embarrassment of the owners. ’ .