NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 2707, 13 March 1924, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

Despite the extraordinary address it bore, a letter posted in Bombay on January 4 has apparently come direct to the address in Auckland it was intended to reach. The address was “Messrs E. F. Drew and Co., New York, Auckland, Christchurch.” The fact that the letter bears only two postmarks, Bombay and Auckland, shows something like second sight on behalf of the letter sorters.

Men who will ride horses forty miles to a meeting and a similar distance back, certainly deserve to attain success in their particular work. There were several men at a meeting held at Te Araroa who had ridden 40 miles in order to lie present. The men desired to hear an address delivered by the Government Fields Inspector, Mr A. H. Cockayne, and were amply rewarded for their enthusiasm. —Gisborne “Herald.”

An escaped pig was n subject o interest in Auckland last week. Th Freezing Company’s employees lin bought it in the morning for ■,

prize in connection with a greasy pig contest at (heir picnic. They temporarily housed the animal in the company’s motor garage. From that place of confinement if managed to break out into the yard. There it was recaptured by some men. and was taken on to the King’s Wharf. Subsequently it was offered for sale for 5/-. Another man paid that amount for the pig mid proceeded to take it away in a sack. Later the purchaser was informed that trouble might ensue oyer the animal, so he took it to the police station to inquire how he siood in the matter. The police retained the pig. In the meantime its rightful owners had discovered their loss and had reported the matter to the police who arrested a man, who is alleged to have sold the pig, on a charge of having stolen it. A typical ease of the sturdy independence of the old pioneers (says the Auckland Star) was seen not very long ago at one of our institutions near the city. A race meeting had been held not far away, and the owner of one of the winners had become so elated with his success and the big “divvies” he had struck that he thought he would like to show some liberality to some of his not prosperous brethren. He changed a good few pounds into half-crowns and sallied forth with the idea that every person in the institution whom lie offered a coin would he glad to take it, but almost invarably lie was refused and with quiet dignity the well-meaning benefactor was told

that their wants were lew; they had a good home and were carefully tended, and <jl+d not want to take gifts from anyone. It had not been their way in years past and they were not going to alter now that the evening of their days had arrived.

Some years ago the Rev. Mason, water diviner, paid a visit to a farm in the Kai Iwi district and indicated to the owner where he could find water on a hill. A well was duly sunk and a windmill used to lift the water. The farmer then decided that he could get a more plentiful supply in the prolonged spells of dry weather by tunnelling direct into the hill. Operations were commenced and a drive of 150 feci made. Then trouble started owing to sand constantly falling in and the work was abandoned. Recently the farmer lost a valuable bull and extensive inquiries were instituted but the animal could not be found. After the bull bad been missing for 17 days, it was located at the end of the tunnel into which it had evidently wandered in search of water. The difficulty then arose how to get the bull out. as there was no room to turn him in. The farmer then divised ;i scheme <>( pushing up a cabbage to near the bull’s bead and getting him to back in order to reach it. The hungry bull responded at once, but irampped on the apparatus to which ihe cabbage was attached. Tt took a great deal of coaxing with cabbage, water, etc., to get the bull back to a spot where it was possible to- turn him and now he is wandering about none the worse for his lengthy fast. —Wanganui Chronicle.