Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, AUGUST 27, 1927. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3683, 27 August 1927, Page 2

Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, AUGUST 27, 1927. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

To-morrow is being observed as Home Mission Sunday throughout the Foxton Methodist Circuit. The Manawatu County roadmen are engaged in widening the road and doing general . maintenance work on the H'imatangi-Foxton highway. Owing to temporary isolation, Mr. W. IT. Nicholas will not be able to conduct services in the Presbyterian Church to-morrow. The morning service will be conducted by Mr. G. Huntley and Mrs. Peryman will take the evening service. At the Eltliam Magistrate’s Court Albert Morgan Conroy, of Hawera, pleaded not guilty to four charges of attempted indecent assault on males, two charges of indecent assault on males, and a charge of attempted suicide. • Accused reserved his defence, and was committed for trial at the Supreme Court at New Plymouth on November 22. Bail was refused.

Another of the series of “five ■ hundred evenings,” under the auspices of the local branch of the Plunket Society, was held in the Plunket room on Thursday evening. There was a good attedanee and a most enjoyable time was spent. Mrs. Pearson won the lady’s prizt and Mr. D. Christie the gent’s. A tasty supper was dispensed at the close. The death occurred in the Auckland Hospital on Thursday of the infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Allen, of 20 Bracken Avenue, Epsom, who was accidentally scalded in a bath on Wednesday. The child had been placed in the bath, and the water had been turned on in ignorance of the fact that the hot water system, which had been defective, had been repaired the previous evening.

That relief in regarl to the taxation of racing is an urgent necessity was the opinion expressed at the annual meeting of the Manawatu Racing Club by the president (Mr. C. Louisson). All racing clubs throughout the Dominion, he stated, were complaining of the excessive taxation imposed 1 by The Government, and he joined in expressing the opinion that the Government should take measures to reduce taxation and to give owners and clubs relief as soon as possible.

At a sitting of the Native Land. Court at Levin on Thursday, the transfer of a section of land adjoining Ihakara Garden from the Maori owners to the Education Department, whs confirmed. The donors of the land are the descendants of the late chief Ihakara, and their generosity is to be suitably acknowledged by the Education Board. It is upon this section that the High School is to be erected. Thomas Henry Gardner and Thomas Gardiner Jordan, who shot a bullock belonging to Frederick Nicholl, of Rangataua, and skinned it and divided the meat, were fined £5 each at the Wanganui Supreme Court yesterday, and ordered to pay costs amounting to £4 12s. They had already paid the owner £l2 for the bullock. The party were out shooting wild pigeons at the time, and Jordan shot the bullock out of impulse.

The output of the Dobson mine has reached 300 tons per day, which is equal to the rate of production before the explosion in December last.

A curious “find” was mentioned by Mr. James Smith, of Omatane (says the Rangitikei Advocate). Mr. Smith said that when a huge bluegum which had been cut down on the farm of his brother, Mr. H. W. Smith, of Mar ton, was split at the sawmill it was found to have embedded in it a pack saddle. Mr. Smith thinks that possibly the saddle was placed in the fork of the tree many, years ago, and had been gradually enclosed by the growth since then.

In speaking of the Maori Home Mission Party and their unique entertainment a thoughtful country teacher urged his scholars to attend “for,” said he, “very soon the present community will otherwise grow up in ignorance of many most interesting Maori sayings and doings.” An opportunity to see and hear Mr. Seamer’s talented orators and singers will be afforded at Oroua Downs on Thursday next, and at Foxton on Friday. Adjutant Hayes, the Young Peoples’ Divisional Seei’etary for Wellington, will conduct all services at the Salvation Army to-morrow. In addition to delivering special talks to the young folk and adults, Adjutant Hayes uses to advantage his musical talents. A special invitation is. extended to all to hear this officer, as he may not have the opportunity of visiting Foxton again for some time.

With a view of testing the vitality of the earwig, a resident of the Upper Clutha, near Pembroke, recently carried out a test, with remarkable results (says the Cromwell Argus). On March 1, he placed two full-grown earwigs, in a tobacco tin, with only a small bole in the top for air. He has guarded the tin carefully ever since and occasionally examined t'he prisoners. Just a week ago he opened the tin in the presence of some visitors and the two earwigs were as lively and frisky as ever. They had been absolutely without food for just on five months, but evidently with little effect on their vitality.

A Christchurch listener in (Mr. B. A. Browne) reports having picked up the Russian mystery station last week. He writes: “My set is rather a haywire outfit with detecfor a one-step and a wobbly primary coil, but managed to get him at weak loud-speaker strength. Listened until 10.59 p.m., during which time he was speaking English, but it was so deep and guttural I could only understand words hero and there. He frequently announced his call sign and at 10.59 p.m. announced: ‘’Ullo! ’Ullo! ’TJllo! Radio Station RFN, Ushwer (?) Siberia, on a wave-length of 50.12 (?) meters.’ The parts I am not sure of I have marked with a question mark.” Station RFN is known as the “mystery” station, as it is not a licensed station. The Russiam Soviet authorities have been at great pains to discover and suppress RFN, so far without success.

“The stranger who is privileged to travel through New Zealand and see scores of towns in a few weeks cannot fail to be impressed with the community spirit which exists in the smaller centres,” said Mr. J. P. Castley, one of the motor-cyclists who are circling the world, at the luncheon extended to them by the Auckland Automobile Association. Mr: Castley said the motorist who toured through Britain would see that small .communities of 2000 or 3000 lacked the civic spirit which was so evident in New Zealand’s smaller towns. He had not expected to find well-developed parks and reserves and substantial buildings in the remote parts of the Dominion. The picturesque English village did not suggest the same enterprise and efficiency which characterised many young New Zealand towns.

The Lowestoft laboratory of the Fishery Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has means by which details of the movements of fish from egg to maturity are easily obtainable. Small flat fish are caught when young and marked with “cuff links,” two vulcanite buttons connected with silver wire through their backs. They arc then released in the sea and a r.eward is offered to any fisherman who notices one in his nets and returns it to the laboratory. In this way the scientists can tell the rate of growth and the distance of travel made by each fish since its liberation'. More than a third of the plaice thus treated are returned, but for some reason cod are not so successful, while marked herrings are never seen again.

While going over some of the back country on Mr Hugh Morrison’s station, Awatoitoi, one of the station hands was amazed to find in a w'hare an elderly man named Thomas Ryan, apparently in a dying condition fsays an exchange). He was very poorly clad, and had evidently been without food for several days. After rendering what relief lie could, the station hand hurried for assistance from three other young men who were located about two miles from the hut. Securing a horse the party proceeded to the hut as quickly as possible. The conveying of the 111011 to the homestead, a distance of 3J miles, presented a most difficult task for the party owing to the rough nature of the country. The semi-conscious man had to be held on the horse by a rider, while others assisted on either side, and another led the horse. Ryan died subsequently in the Masterton Hospital.

“I think it is fifty-fifty,” said a motor garage proprietor in evidence at the Wanganui Supreme Court when asked by counsel what he had found to be the general practice among drivers in keeping balloon tyres inflated to excess or otherwise.;' “There are just as many who keep them too slack as those who keep them over-inflated,” he added.

The death is announced from London of Lord Penrhyn, a. wellknown racehorse owner. Lord Penrhyn, who was 63 years old at the time of his death, as a young man was a lientenant in the Life Guards and later a major in the Reserve. He was best known as a sportsman, racing and yatching being his chief interests. He won the Great Metropolitan in 1899-1900 with King’s Messenger, the same horse having previously won the Goodwood Cup. Lord Penrhyn was also the owner of another good performer in Topgallant, now at the stud in Australia.