Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1024. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 2691, 5 February 1924, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1024. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The local State School re-as-sembled this morning after the stun mer vacation.

The various county councils are taking tallies of road traffic on their principal roads in connection with the Alain Highway Bottl'd administration.

Air R. Moore, M.A., L.L.8., senior partner in the local legal firm of ATessrs Afoore and Bergin, tuts added further lustre to his academic career by passing his final B.Sc. in the recent University examinations.

Mr and Mrs \Y. Eogden. who have been residents of Fox ton for several years, intend to settle in Carterton, where it is hoped the climate will lie more suitable to Afrs !•'Ogdon's health.

Bathers at the K.inpokonui beach have not reported the appearance of sea sharks (says the Maltaia AV.ituess), hut it is stilted that sharks of another variety make free with their wearing apparel. Recently a young lady found on returning tor her clothes, that portions had been cut away, and her shoes were ntis-

At the annual meeting of tlie'cxei alive of the Otago Rugby l. nion, held ;it Dunedin lasi night, the lolls,wing motion wits carried unanimously: “That the New Zealand Union tie requested to hold over I lie appointment of the All Blacks !"iir and that the appointment he left to the annual meeting of delegates, and further, tlmt the various Unions he oircularUed and asked to support the motion." The following were f-enleticed at the Wellington Supreme Court yesterday :—Gavin Brown, breaking and entering at Feildittg. one year’s imprisonment; Herbert Doughty, theft, two years; Frederick Ellis, false pretences, two years; Ambrose Joseph Lipinski was charged with incest. Counsel said lie had been tempted by an unscrupulous "omau and he wits sentenced to three months’ imprisonment. At the Wellington Supreme Court yesterday, Herbert Reginald Holdawiiv, an ex-schoolmaster at Kelson, was sentenced on three charges of indecent assault to live years' imprisonment. His Honour heard a statement as to the excellent character hitherto borne- by prisoner, which Lie said, was undoubted, hut such, a ease could only he dealt with in one way. The case was one of the saddest ever brought under his notice.

An impromptu race is in progress between the New Zealand Shipping Company’s liners Kimutaka and Ruahiue, now en route from New Zealand with passengers, mails and cargo for Southampton and Loudon. The Kimutaka, which sailed from Lyttelton on December 21st., cleared the Panama Canal on January lSlli. The Kualiine was dispatched from Wellington eight days after the Kimutaka, and made a

good run across the Pacific, reaching Colon on January 19th. She resumed her voyage to Southampton the following day, only three days behind the Kimutaka.

The Dargaville Times records the following incident : Air Jim Hunter, one of our well-known local “sports,” had the surprise of his life at Turiwhiri one day recently. A few weeks ago he thought he would set a licit on some duck eggs, so he secured a broody hen, and put a dozen duck eggs, as he thought, under her, When he went to see how the ducklings were progressing much to his dismay, lie found half of them (six) were young pukekos. The work now being done by the Government School Dental Clinic is evidently attracting the attention of people in England, for a request lias been received from an authoritv in the Midlands and also from other sources for information as to the lines on which the New Zealand Dental Clinic is being run. It is believed that in New Zealand this work is far in advance of that of iiny other country in the world.

The total amount, that passed through the totalisator at the Woodville Jockey Club’s autumn meeting which concluded oil Saturday last-, was £25,053, a decrease of £6,500 on hist year’s figures. Of the two popular country meetings, the Foxton racing club’s figures for their recent meeting, £35,758, shows a good £IO,OOO above the Woodville fixture, although both clubs show a decline this year.

In connection with a recent Court case at Marlon, in which it commercial traveller was sentenced to fourteen days’ imprisonment on a charge of theft of a lady’s hat valued at 30/-, the offence being committed by way of a joke, the Kangitikei “Advocate” reports that successful representations w'cre made to the Minister of Justice to have the balance of the sentence remitted. and on Wednesday last the solicitors were advised accoidingIs-, and Unit instructions had been wired to the gaoler at Wanganui to discharge defendant.

The wood and coal merchants of Palmerston North, together with their wives, families and friends journeyed to the local seaside on Saturday, and there spent a pleasurable time surfing and enjoying the glorious sunshine. Approximately one hundred and fifty comprised the picnic party, and in every respect the fixture proved most successful. The young folk were exceedingly well catered for and the party returned to town at 7 o’clock. During the day a programme of sports events was got off and keenly contested.

Nature plays some strange tricks occasionally, and recently Nature (or some pushing seed salesman) landed a “corker - ” on our borough gardener (says the Mataura Ensign). The latter thought to improve the grass part of the domain next to the post office, and had it

till dug up some time ago, renewing it with “the finest and purest and best-dressed grass seed” that could he bought for love or money. The “grass” is now well above the ground and there’s yar, there’s docks, there’s thistles, there’s stray shoots of hitrley, and there’s a lovely wild turnip shooting its yellow head a foot in the air—and the grass has given ui) the ghost and remained hidden from the light of day.

Tin*. Mastertou Times says: — While :t man cannot call himself self taught- who has the advantage of our State system of education, yet it is pleasing- to find some of outvoting New Zealanders who supplement the State’s aid by hard work. Such lias been the ease of All- Lawrence. AVillis, grandson of the late Mr William Willis, of Featherston, and son of Mr W, Willis, who for many years lived in Alustcrton. Afr Lawrenee Willis lias a fine scholastic record. At the day school he passed four standards in two years. At eleven years of age he secured his proficiency. At 12 years he gained a junior national scholarship. At 13 years of age lie. Matriculated, after which he went farming for it year. At 15 lie entered a solicitor’s office at Napier, and at It; passed his final examination to qualify as a solicitor. He then, took •i two year’s spell from study, hut ; .i -JO years of age he passed his barrister's examination, and at 21 years of age he has just gained his L.E.B. degree. llis study has hem done “on his own," and out of working hours.

A grim story of conditions prevailing in England is loid by Air G. K. Large, secretary of the Operative. bakers* Society iu Melbourne, who lias just returned from a trip to tiie Old Country. "in London you see poverty everywhere you look," said Air Large. “Fine, strapping fellows selling anything and everything for a crust. 1 remember silling one night reading the news of the day iu Trafalgar Square and being accosted by an artisan, who pointed out St. Martin’s Church to me, and said, ‘Have a look iu il." i followed his advice and found tlie church packed with people seeking siicder and sleep. Waitresses at the London Hotels get 11/5 per week. On the Isle of Man 1 found they were getting 15/- and the occupation is seasonable only. In Scotland the miners receive £2 a week. The engineers in Leeds receive £2 18/fi a week and lose two days a week. 1 was told on good authority that round Bradford — the textile area —there were 16,000 out of work because the woollen stuffs were coming in from France. From Germany boots and leather goods were pouring in. Day work in the baking trade is carried on in Scotland, Brussels, Manchester, Staffordshire and other places. As far as I observed, the world has nothing to teach Australia as far as the industrial movement is concerned.

Britain’s National Debt in .1914 averaged about £ls per head of the population six years later it had risen to £l7O per head. Miss Thelma Shaw, of Levin, has received advice from London that she has obtained the coveted degree of Fellow of the Trinity College of Alusic.

A horse drawing a milk cart at Grey town recently took fright at an elephant belonging to Wirth’s Circus and then bolted, but after traversing a short distance dropped down dead.

“Bunny” is becoming troublesome in the Woodville district, and a Rabbit Association has been formed. The meeting resolved that a levy of lid per acre be fixed for the current year, and that a rabbiter he engaged at £l7O per annum. The following literary gem was recently received by a County Council in the Wairarapa: “One council tol Ale that they was courling tenders four the gravel reser ev and they dident 1 am perped to giv you six pounds four it.” It is said that the operations of the Katana movement have been extended in another phase by the creation of a- form of hanking institution. The funds are believed to already amount to a considerable amount of money, contributed by the natives holding allegiance to the movement.

The reticulation of Shannon under the Horowhenua Power Board’s group system is progressing very favourably, thirty odd dwellings having already been wired. The main line from Shannon to Foxton has also been commenced and when finished will complete the local main line circuit. A rather strange incident is re ported from Taieri Mouth (Otago). A visitor heard screams from the river hank, and saw two girls struggling, in peril, in the deep water. Jumping in, lie pulled them out with some difficulty, and then discovered that one of them was his own daughter.

In a sperm whale caught near Durban, it is reported a large quantity of ambergris, worth £l4 or £ls nu ounce, has been found. Tt is reiimured that the find weighs over 1001) pounds; in that case it will probably he valued at £24,000, Samples of the ambergris have been sent to London to have it tested.

The trade of the ports of New Plymouth and Wanganui has just about, reached an equality. In net tonnage New Plymouth is substantially to the fore and the fact Unit Wanganui shows a heavier gross tonnage is ascribed by the Herald to the latter port’s practice of counting all shipping twice —on arrival and on departure. New Plymouth counts only once.

A city-bred young lady read iu a poultry journal that poultry raising was remunerative, so she decided to try it. She purchased a hen and set her on thirteen eggs. She wrote to a poultry journal that poultry raising was much to her liking and wondered how long the lien was to remain on the eggs. The paper wrote hack: “Three weeks for chickens and four weeks for ducks.” Later she the poultry journal as follows: “Many thanks for your advice about setting the hen. Ehe remained on the nest three weeks and at the end of that time no chickens were hatched. I did not care for ducks so I took her off I lie nest and sold the eggs.

At a. meeting of the Alorrinsville Borough Council, a suggested scheme for road improvement was submitted by the overseer, the estimate of cost being £18,630. it- was decided to submit the proposal to the ratepayers. The principal items in the scheme include a bitumen surface mad 18ft. wide on the two main roads to the borough boundary, and in the business area a full width bitumen road, concrete kerbiug, c liiuinednjr and a footpath of mixed asphalt. Another item is machinery costing £2,500. The engineer was authorised to prepare an estimate of treating all footpaths in the borough with 2in. of chips and tar spraying Oft. wide.

In the marquee tent iu Park St., Mr J. W. Clapham intends delivering a series of remarkable lectures dealing with the rise aud fall of the four Gentile powers—Babylon, Me-uo-Persiu, Grecia, and Rome. The rise and fall of these great empires, together with the subsequent return of the Jews to their native land is, according to the speaker, the. icey to the world’s history aud to tiie present order of events. The marquee iu which the meetings are being held, is well fitted up, and the puhiic is cordially invited. The subject for to-night will be the story of ancient Babylon. A delinite indication that the hodghug is likely to spread like the rabbit, or that he may become as great a pest in this genial climate of his adoption, comes from a soldier from the Trcnthum Camp. He reports that there the spiky Little animals come across the held iu droves, and that the men scoop them up by the bucketfuls and drown them, because they clean out the hens’ nests and eat the eggs. This may or may not be an exaggeration, but a Hokowhitu resident states that it is a common thing for him to despatch four hedghogs u day. Hedgehogs are also reported to be fairly plentiful around Blenheim just now. On a recent night a resident picked one up iu the main street, and playfullywrapped it in a lady’s rug in the hack seat of a motor car. What the occupant said when she sat upon the rug is not recorded.

It is understood that there are between 300 and 400 names on the railway retirement list. Some of the dairy factories in the South Island are reported to be storing t])eir butter in anticipation of a shortage in the Dominion in the winter.

In speaking of the value of afforestation, an Oamam farmer stated that if a landowner were to plant an acre of pines for every child in his family, and dedicate the pines to the children, they would have a valuable asset when they where thirty or forty years of age.

The latest ballroom fancy is to have one’s monogram worked in brilliants on one’s dance shoes. So far. comments an Australian contemporary, there is no corresponding suggestion that men should have their crests emblazoned on their shirt fronts.

The Government experimental and training farm, at Weraroa, is, in its way, a good advertising medium for Levin, although at tjpies it compels a certain amount of unenviable notoriety re the escapades <>| fai - m escapees. Be that as it may, the farm attracts many distinguished visitors to the locality, who in turn advertise the town abroad. To-morrow a number of Japanese naval officers will visit the farm. Three motor cars, fitted with caterpillar wheels, left Colomb Be-lli,-ir on January 24th and arrived at Port Bauman on the Niger on January 31st and at Timbuctoo on February 2, thus crossing the Sahara in seven clays, compared with twenty-one days last year. Tt. is declared that the itinerary followed this time can be undertaken by wheeled motors and is a sure and rapid means of communication between Algeria and French West Africa,

“Our family have lived in One hunga between 40 and 50 years,” said a matronly lady, “and I can remember the time when there were a great many people who would sooner invest their money in Onelimiga property in preference to Auckland, because they thought the western town on the Manukau would rival the city growing up on the shores of the Waiteniata, but it only was a dream and never came true.”