NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2834, 15 January 1925, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

The sum of £1(5,000 was raised by mjeans of the recent Mammoth Art Union held by Dunedin for the purpose of raising funds for putting Logan Park in a permanent condition as a playing area after the Exhibition.

A movement is on foot in Wellington to have all-night trams run at hourly intervals. It is computed that there are nearly a thousand night workers in Wellington, over 300 being employed in Government Buildings alone. Some time ago the City Council were on the point of ter was dropped.

“The German tourist is the one who gets the shortest shift in Honolulu,” said Mr C. S. Tomas, of Christchurch. “The people are still amazingly bitter, and after the United States entered the war all the Germjan merchants were hunted out by the islanders in no time." A fisherman who was fishing from a boat off the mouth of the Patea river recently landed a 9ft. shark, says an exchange. As it lay in the bottom of the boat, he put his foot on its stomach when it disgorged two sheep’s trotters, which were from a recently killed sheep. The belief that a pig cannot swim without cutting its throat with its forefeet has proved to he a fallacy. A pig weighing 1501 b. was being driven at Port Elizabeth, South Africa, when it broke away and dashed into the surf. It remained in the water nearly five hours before a boat picked it up. It was none the worse for its adventure.

A party of Opitiki residents were motoring to Motu when they were overtaken by a big touring car,.says an exchange. The latter was travelling at a great pace and in passing the local car carried away one of its wheels. The occupants of the big car never even stopped to inquire what damage had been done, but rushed on in their reckless career.

While the employees of a leading Taranaki firm were recently unpacking a tank of ironmongery (says the ERliani Argus) a terrific stench was experienced as soon as the receptacle was opened. They persevered with their task, however, and when the tank was about half emptied there was discovered a dead cat and seven kittens also dead. The animial had evidently crept into the tank when the latter was being tracked in England and had not been noticed.

The British Medical Research Council declares that gland transference experiments in hospitals show no constant beneficial influence upon tuberculosis, or senile, mental or muscular weakness. It eulogises the success of insulin, and als > the effect of the Alpine winter sunlight in increasing the bactericidal efficiency of the blood. The changeability of light and vitamin action opens new chapters of preventive medicine, enabling a great nature improvement in the health nature and beauty of Britons.” Those who have not seen a Maori canoe hurdle race generally imagine that the canoes are raced up to the obstacles and more or less gracefully eased over, without loss of time. Napier people who saw a recent regatta at Taupo, however, had these illusions expelled, the men’s canoe race being one of Ihe humorous tit-hits of the day (says Ihe Telegraph) Four crews reached the first hurdle together, whereat the tight for precedence waxed fast and furious. There were no apologies or caresses about the acquatic conpict but from the bank, particularly to the pakeha spectators, the interlude was hilariously comical. Bathers on the Wainui beach at Gisborne recently had the pleasure of the day marred to a certain extent !hy the appearance!close of three sharks, about live or six feet in length. The tirst of: the visiters was seen by a bather who was about fifteen feet away. He warned others, who were in the vicinity, and after making for theVshoro they watched the movements of two sharks, which remained for some time in abont the second line of breakers. Later in the day a third shark, larger than the other two, was seen further along the beach, where a large one was seen early in Ihe v eek.

A Putiki farmer was retailing some of his experiences. During the holidays he found, camped on his roperty, a mfotor car party, who were on “trek.” They asked permission to remain, and the farmer being good-natured, gave permission readily. Next evening he could not understand why lie had so much trouble with his cows at milking time. Investigation showed that the party had used the wafertrough for bathing purposes and soap was everywhere. A passing circus recently came to the same spot and, in view of previous happenings with siihilar caravan troupes, the farmer asked them to move on. The advance guard assured the farmer that they would do no harm, as they were not the usual circus wanderers. Permission was given, but if was not long before tire farmer found some of the men using fencing posts and palings for firewood. “That comes of being good-natured,” lie concluded.