Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1925 LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2846, 14 February 1925, Page 2

Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1925 LOCAL AND GENERAL.

During- Hu- “past week a baby was born at one. of the maiernily hospitals in Wanganui weighing 2111b5., a record weight, for an infant. Several local Masons proceeded to Marlon on Thursday evening and participated in the installation meeting of Lodge Ruapehu.

Under the. will of the late .Airs Eliza. Ann Johnson, widow of the late Mr Joseph Webb Johnson, of Palmerston X., the. Palmerston. N. Hospital has been bequeathed £IOO. The Shannon Co.-op. Building Society (to be incorporated) circulate an inset'with this issue announcing a limited number of shares to be available for distribution.

For the information of a large number of buyers, we.wish to stale that our big sale will be continued all next week. The C. M. Ross Co. Watch for particulars.—Advf.

The railway authorities are out, to compete with motor traffic, hut large notice hoards eroded on railwav property between Fox lon and Palmerston X. sei out the advantages of a certain make of car. Xo doubt revenue from siu-li a source hits a certain compensation.

By disposing of (icorge Modriek (Auckland) Xndie Parker of Hastings annexed the Dominion professional heavyweight boxing championship at Xew Plymouth on Thursday night. Modrick'si seconds threw in the towel in the seventh round after Parker Imd several times sent his opponent to the lloor. The corrugations on the Palmerston X.-Foxton road are becoming more marked and felt by motorists. These innumerable waves were only diseernable at night time some time back with the head lights shining on them, but now there is no mistaking the miles of ridges. The county has had the grader going almost continually on the road but this does not get over the trouble which points to a serious problem in maintenance until a permanent surface is laid down.

There were 187 patients, in hospital on January 1, 210 were admitted, 153 discharged, and 8 died, leaving 138 at the end of the month. The daily average was 118.1(i. During January there were 90 operations and 18 eases of infectious diseases were notitiid, namely diphtheria 4, phthisis 3, pneumonia 1, and infantile paralysis 10. On January 31 there were 33 inmates at the Old People’s Home, of these 25 being males. Entries for the N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency’s Hiinalangi stock sale are advertised in this issue,’

Last Saturday’s Plunket shop day was organised by Mrs \\. H. Walton's group and realised £9 1 £»/(». The. competition winners were as follows: J>«> 11 (No. lllli) K. Searle; cake: (Xo. 5), A Fuller; ham (No. 5) Mrs Walls; cho.-.dnlos (NX DU) Leo Caught rt\. A silvery-white wisp of the Duke of Wellington's hair lias been presented to tlie Cnnicrlmry Museum by Mrs Ijovel-Sinith. W hen tlm Duke was lying in slate at \\ aimer Castle, it. is explained, wisps of his

hair were cut off by the stall officers in charge of the ntlieers in attendance, and one was given to each officer. The wisp (hat came into Mrs Lovell-Smith’s possession was given to Air Oliver!.

A lucky chance upset the designs of a burglar in a Hastings music shop on a recent Sunday, (hi entcring the premises with a friend the proprietor heard a noise, which .it first he attributed to ilic scampering of rats. He discovered on Monday morning I tint Ibe noise' bad been made by an intruder, who was in so great a burry to depart Ibat lie went without his loots and, so for as is known, without any loss to the proprietors of the simp.

Infantile paralysis is a somewhat, inappropriate name for the disease (remarks an exchange) seeing that adults of even mature age are not immune. An old mail living alone on a hill in C'eiitrad Otago, not in con tact with any human beings, was stricken through the disease when it spread through New Zealand some years ago. Ilis location was so remote that great difficulty was experienced in removing him to hospital for treatment. No one has been able to discover how he acquired the disease, and absence of knowledge of . its origin renders care the more imperative. A settler of RoloUuia a few miles from Hamilton, lias struck what he considers to be oil on his farm. He was digging a well about three weeks ago, and when about eight feet down strong gaseous fumes began to become apparent, while the water assumed an oily surface, with constant bubbles rising through. He applied a match to the oily substance when he first encountered it three weeks ago, and it hurst into (lames, burning the hair off his hand and arm. Smoke, he stated, is still rising, indicating that the fire is not yet extinguished. Mr At. A. Tuck, the settler in question, is getting expert opinion on the matter.

Within the next three weeks close upon 30,000 breeding ewes drawn from all parts of' Poverty Bay will be shipped to Lyttelton for sale at Addington. Never before have so many sheep been shipped from the district (says an exchange) in so short a time, but the unprecedented demand for good breeding ewes has caused local breeders to rush the southern market. In former years many ewes have been sent, to the Soil 111 Island from Poverty Bay. but llie usual practice has been to spread ihi* shipments over a period of about* three months. The market at Addington is particularly good this year, and farmers arc therefore, desirous of getting their stock sold as early as possible.

Discussing the. state of the timber industry at the present time tin West Coast, correspondent of tin (.'hrislehurch Press says that then 1 is no demand in Australia for riant, end even in white pine buyers across the Tasman are insisting on special sizes. Local mills who have : n stock lines covering a wide range find that the demand is for 12, VI. IF. and (5-inch timber, and that other sizes are hard to place. This is a hardship, as there is no profit in the business unless all the limbei eiil from the tree can lie sold. Should the spell of dry weat her now prevailing continue for anolhei week, several of the West (oast sawmills will again he in difficult ieiowing to the water shortage.

Hr. Ik If. Buck, is preparing a pamphlet in Maori in connection with the diagnosis and treatment ot. infantile paralysis. There are no words us “infuntile paralysis” in llie Maori language, and an ethnotogieal dillieully was experienced in finding a suitable heading for the iinphlefc. Til a author did not desire to coin a word for the occasion, ft is well known that the kernels of Die karaka berry, a. popular native dish, arc very poisonous unless treeled by boiling. Eating the green kernels brings about a state of poisoning and a twisting up of the body known to (he Maoris as ‘Tori.’' Dr. Buck lias therefore chosen the following words: “Mate Wliakaroir Taiiiariki,” which means “The Dis- . use that twists up the limbs of a child.”

Nature generally makes compensations. Here’s a case in point. The gum country in the North ot Auckland is so poor in quality that the soil refuses to lend itself to agricultural operations. Yet this land so unsuitable for the growing of i,: dinary crops, is splendidly adapted for tobacco culture, in proof of which you have only to sample the really fine tobaccos now being manufactured from North Auckland grown leaf. These include “Riverhead Gold,” a mild aromatic with a distinctive flavour, “Navy Cut.” (Bulldog), medium strength, and “Cut Plug No. 10," (Bullshead), full flavour. All these tobaccos are toasted, a process that lias a good deal to do with their excellence, by the way. Another of their good points is'that thjj'v may be smoked with impunity. That is because they contain but comparatively little nicotine. The success attending the culture of these tobaccos in what was formerly regarded as barren country is convincing growers that -there’s money in it.” The yield of leaf per acre represents £SO and often more, 33

- The Friend'y Societies Ihrongh.ini Hie Patmersimi X. Hospital Dis■ I riel are tailing >lcps to fo''in a h'>-'|>, Ia 1 assoc alien. The oh. jo 4 ' 18 |o give members an opportunity to receive Im-pital :r- i Iment at a rediieeii fee, die . s-.i ■i-ia I ion ir. guarantee such fees to the Board up In £3O per member. A deputation of Friendly Society delegates waited upon tlie Board at its last meeting in conned inn with Ihe mutter. AfIcr some discussion the Board <l- - reed to make a reduction of thirty three amt one third per ■cni. in members of I he association, I iMvitb d Ibe Minister approved and that Ibe -oeie.v was incorporated.

Some eight months ago, Ml’. L. (f. I’oingdest re experimented with In.-; weed deal rover on a patch ot blackberry and guise near bis residence in Kent Si reel (-ays the I’al ea I 're -s ) . The lop of tlie plants were .-.pi a.\ rii, and alter ward- Ibe lower port ions and root-. Tlie re.-nli was soon apparent, Hie tops withering in Ibe eour-e of a lew <lav.-, and finally dying oil. Some doiilil uas expre.-.- ed as to wliel tier | fie root- were aellla Wy killed by Ibe preparation, bill all doubt can tie dispelled by a visit to the lucnlilv, where tlie blackberry and gorsc roots can tie pulled up by hand, quite dead. The experiment. so far as this clump ot weeds is concerned, .can be termed a complete success.

Centenarians among the Maoris had no birth cortifieaies, and Europeans are sometimes rude enough to doubt (lie verbal records of the natives. There was evidence at last Thursday’s proceedings of the Native Land Court at Tuahiwi, however, that some foundation exists for the reputed longevity of the old time Maori (states the Christchurch Press). One of the claimants for a share in the Government’s grant of £354,000 for the sale of the Xgsiitn.hu land in 1848 was aide to prove thiit the ancestor in whose light he lodged the claim had a child a great-grand child, all alive in that memorable year. A Court official held that early marriage more than longevity was the special Alaori characteristic reflected in this instance.

That the adventurous spirit is not solely confined to the sterner sex is exemplified by the fact that three Palmerston N. young ladies propose journeying next month to China, where they will endeavour to enter into business for which their (local experience will no doubt stand them in good stead (says an exchange). Undeterred by the fact that they are due to depart for the East to-morrow (Friday) February 13 —a most unhappy combination in the minds of the superstitious—the party will set out confident of success. .

A somewhat novel christening ce'ronionv look place at Taneatna on Sunday afternoon. There were (says tin* Whakatane correspondent of lhe X.Z. Herald) two infants and a child of fourteen to he baptised at St. Matthew’s Church. At ilic appointed hour the vicar of Whakatane, ihe Rev. \Y. \Y. Lambert, and the parents and friends arrived, tint were met at the church grounds bv the local constable who pointed out that under the infantile paralysis regulations children could not be permitted in church or other places where people congregate. The predicament was serious, as the parents had come a eon--iiieralile distance to have their children baptised, hu| the vicar proved equal to the occasion. Tie e-ked Ihe adults present to remain in the church building while he conducted rlo- christening ceremony. liis request was plied with and ihe children were duly baptised in llu open.