NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 2783, 11 September 1924, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

“A load of hay and a drink of wnfor make a lot of difference to the appearance of dairy cows al a clearance sale.” remarked a witness in a cow warranty case at the To Awamutu Magistrate’s Court.

Asked what had been (lie effect of the return to penny postage, the Postmaster-General stated in rhe House of Representatives on Thursday that the increase in business had/ amounted to approximately 10 per cent.

“I am the only man on the payroll of the Royal Navy allowed to wear a moustache,” said Air C'. G. Ammon, Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty, at Nottingham. “The admirals tell me not to remove if, because it is a mascot.”

After being hit in the face with the ball in a cricket match at Spalding* and treated at the hosuital, a schoolboy, William Lawes. went back —made top score, and by two runs won the match for his side, (lie Moulton Grammar School.

“No man is compelled to enter the Government employ,” said Mr L. M. Isitf (Christchurch North), when replying to statements made in the House of Representatives regarding the conditions of employment, “and that fact is often overlooked. If a man chooses to enter the service lie must then recognise that there are certain regulations to which lie must conform.”

The English mail which arrived yesterday brought further news of Ratana’s party. One of the writers states that the party have been inundated with invitations from all classes of society, including lords, dukes, and the Hungarian Prince. The party arc not rushing the social invitations, but are giving performances wherever they can in aid of hospitals, etc. The party were very pleased one day to meet Mr. B. P. Lethbridge, of Turakina. At the time of writing, Katana did not know how long the party would remain in England. A further budget of letters arrived yesterday by the English mail for Ratana, and these are mostly from America, all soliciting spiritual help, and most of them enclosing a dollar or less. The address of Ratana has evidently been obtained from a cutting which was enclosed in one of the letters from New York Times. Practically all ilie letters were addressed “Marama Ratana, Railway Station, Wanganui.” One was addressed to “Wharf Railway Station, Wanganui.” One New Zealand writer states that an improvement in health had taken place, since last time of writing - , and the writer had been able to dispense with crutches.

A tine specimen of quinnat salmon was found a few days ago in the Mangaore Stream, near Mr. -Jos. Curran's property, by Mr. Syme senr. The fish, which was nearly 3ft. in length, and weighed Sib., was found in the stream stranded and exhausted, dying immediately on being- removed. It had evidently been working its way up iho stream, and reaching shallow water became stranded in endeavouring to negotiate the nipples. On examination, it was found to be full of spawn. This is (he first lime the quinnat salmon have been noticed in these parts. —Shannon News.

Infectious diseases may he spread by paper money more frequently than by any other article in every day use. It has been found that coined money is innocuous owing to lhe self-infecting action of the metal itself, and because its smooth surface prevents Ihe development of germs. The dirtiest piece of copper is, from the standpoint of the bacteriologist, better than newly-is.-med paper money. On post war bank notes which had been in circulation for some time, up to 143,000 bacteria were found. On pre-war notes the highest found was 3,000. The post war note is, of course, handled much more frequently than were notes of the pre-war period.

“The American lady who advertised her houses to let only to persons with large families, writing to a. friend in Auckland says: “L

wondered how I he news of my unusual proposition got into the pages of the “Auckland Star." I had hundreds of letters from all over the United States asking was it really true that 1 wanted children in my houses?"l have bought seven houses within a. stone’s throw of Lynn, Mass., and 1 have in them forty-three children, one family of ten, one of eight, and in my fourroom tenements four and live children each. It is a dreadful thing the way landlords act about allowing children in their houses. They seem to think it. a crime to have a family.” In Ireland, says “Mercutio” in the Auckland Herald, the pig helps to pay the rent; at least that is the role tradition assigns to him. With the modern growth of small holdings and freehold farms he may have lost his job in large measure, l.ut nothing will ever shake the good old tradition. In New Plymouth the pigs owned by the municipality help to keep the rates down. If they don’t help they ought to, judging by the balance-sheet concerning them, presented to the council the other day. Incidentally they do good service in helping to dispose of household refuse. It is, a pity indeed that nothing was known of this when that lively controversy was raging round a destructor for the suburban local bodies arpuud Auckland. Everybody wanted to share in one, but nobody wanted to give it house-room. If only they could have compromised in a communal pig

farm they might have composed their differences to live happy and prosperous ever afterwards. It may not he too late even yet. But the pigs however universal their appetites, would account for only part of the refuse. The local bodies might try a few goats to deal with lim jam tins and other incidentals. There is great scope for dcvolopment in this livestock sideline. Remarkable scenes were witnessed in.sidc one of tin* main entrances of Amusement Park at Wembley at about 10 o’clock one night recently. Some of the home-going visitors, on reaching a certain spot, stood still and clutched desperately at a neighbouring lamp-post, while others sprang several yard# up the road, as though they were sprinting in the Olympic Games. The strangest part about i| was that when they became normal again no one seemed to know quite what made them do it. Two dignified exhibition officials walking up the road, to the astonishment of a lit lie crowd ilial had collected, imluldged in a brief but bright dance when they readied the spot. The crisis was reached when a dimimilive newspaper boy was literally taken oil his fed and rolled over and over in (he abundant mud of the road. A policeman arrived on lhe scorn*, and with the assist n mu- of several officials the spot, was encircled by benches to prevent further midlap, and then the. mystery was solved. Il appeared that an electric cable underground bad in some way leaked and established contact with the road surface, thus giving a shock lo everyone passing over a certain area.