NEWS AND NOTES

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3671, 28 July 1927, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES

The diameter of flic record kauri tree for New Zealand is 22 feet.

Mumps, measles and whooping cough are seriously affecting the attendance at the HaAvke's Bay schools. There were 617 cases in the Auckland Hospital one day last week, a record. The capacity of the hospital is 650.

It had been intended, if Sir James Carroll had been alive, to celebrate his 70th birthday at Whakaki, Wniroa, on August 20. At Lady C'arrolj’s Request the gathering wil,i still take place, and the fine lifesized oil painting of the deceased will be formally presented to his widow by the Wairoa friends of Sir James. The Whakaki natives are making great preparations for the. event, at which it is expected a large number of .pakehas and Maoris Avill attend from' all parts of Hawke’s Bay and adjacent districts. On the ground that the car was shabby in appearance and unfit to ply for hire, the Gisborne traffic inspector recommended to the Borough Council that, a license be refused for a certain taxi-cab in Gisborne until the owner provided a car that, complied with the by-laws. It iW as stated that the car was at present in an unfit state for hire, but if was decided to grant a temporary license for three months, on condition final; .the owner put the car in proper repair, failing which his license would be cancelled. It’s an incident that has 'been seen in comic pictures at the movies on many, many occasions, but it happened “in real life” at a Wanganui Bible Class recently. The speaker’s address was a stirring one and if opened the. tear ducts of an emotional young man, who had been A’ery lime'll impressed by the sentiments contained in the lecture. He felt for his handkerchief, but it was a lady’s white silk stocking with which he wiped away the, sal tine tears which were coursing down his checks. Boon everyone in the room Avas crying—with laughter.

“Shellback” writes to the Auckland Star as follows: “It happened while lying alongside the wharf in Woolloomooloo Bay, Sydney. An Italian barque was moored astern of us. On {Gotod Friday morning they cockhilled the fore and main yards so as to form a huge cross, and then the crew brought o,ut ?! life-size otfilgy and sat it on the main batch. The effigy was like those the boys carry on Guy Fawko’s Day, with a hideous bearded face. I asked an A.B. what the “guy" was for, and was told that [lie dagoes were going to ,fiog\ Judas. Getting a point of vantage, I was very interested in the ec.lemony. TlbiC crow I ornied in a pi o- < ession, and, m they passed the figure, they spat: .on it. and cursed it very volubly. From ■»■?//) t I haAe been told, there is as much difference bet ween cursing in English sin?l cursing in La'tin as between fresh milk and O.P. rum. After the procession had been around several ti/iies and their slock of cuss words was' exhausted, rope ends were brought into use, and Judas was ■well thrashed and kicked around the deck. The dismal ceremony ended by picking the remains up with a stick and throwing them into the sea.”