Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1927. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3711, 1 November 1927, Page 2

Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1927. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The remit "files have caused a "ood deal of damage''to local gardens and orchards. It is possible that the (Licensing Bill and the Bible-in-'Sehools Bill will come before Parliament this week. • Strawberries realised 3s to 3s lid per chip at auction at Auckland on Friday morning, against Is 3d to 2s fid at this time last year. In addition to the rose trophy valued at £5. 5s to be competed for at the forthcoming show,,, Mr. John Ross is giving a trophy : for the champion rose blooms. • Tha Young Women's Bible Classes of thp Presbyterian Church of New Zealand contributed £3,000 to•.wards the cost of the new Maori College.

At about four o'clock on Sunday afternoon Mr. Irwin’s taxi was totally destroyed by tire as a result of a backfire, while proceeding along Whale Line. The car was insured.

At a meeting of the executive of the Wellington Ministers’ Association it was decided to; advise the ministers not to change- the time of services on Sundays on account of the coming into operation of the Daylight Saving Act.

A bus to carry people to church and home again free of charge is an interesting innovation arranged by the management of St. Paul’s Church, Devonport, Auckland. The expenses will be borne by the church management. A railway worker yesterday morning found the body of a newlyborn male child in the grass alongside the permanent way at Park Road near Ivhyber Pass, Auckland. The body was wrapped in paper, and apparently had been dead for two or three days. The end of the session is practically in sight. Prorogation is freely talked of now, but there is a wide difference of opinion among members as to the actual date on which the House will rise. The next authoritative views incline to the week ending November 19, or November 26 at the latest,_ as that in which the bells will ring for the last time this session, says the Dominion.

The Commercial Hotel at Mur,chison was totally destroyed by fire at 4 o’clock on Saturday morning with the loss of one life. Several people were injured. The casualties are as follows:—Bert Roulston, boot repairer, dead; Tom Barclay, farmer, badly burned about the head, back, and arms; Miss Shea, sister of the proprietor, slight abrasions and shock; Miss Flo Finnerty, maid, injury to leg and shock. The injured are in the hospital jand are progressing favourably. The cause of the outbreak is unknown.

“Yesterday I sent a man to gaol for a month for driving a car while lie was drunk,” said Mr. E. ID. Mos--1 ley, S.M., at Christchurch on Saturday. “The Court will have to send these men to gaol right away. We cannot have the public endangered by them. W.e simply cannot have it. [lt cannot possibly be allowed to continue, and the only course will be to send them all to gaol. Day after day, day after day,” continued Mr. Mosley, “men are charged with having been intoxicated while in charge of cars, and I have done my best to warn them. Why a man in charge of a car should take any liquor whatever I don’t understand. It’s beyond me. And now I issue a further warning, and I 'hope the newspapers will take it up. I am seriously considering sending all intoxicated motorists to gaol. I am satisfied that 90 per cent, of the accidents are caused by men having taken ai little liquor. Their equilibrium is disturbed, they become more venturesome, they take risks they would not take in the ordinary course and it must be stopped.”

After a trial at the Auckland Supreme Court lasting two days and a half, Paul Lendichj a Dalmatian gum-digger of Kauri Flat, near Kaitaia, who was charged with murdering a newly-born infant child of Rose Te Whin, a Maori girl, with whom he had lived, was on Saturday folnul not guilty and discharged the jury being absent from the court only 20 minutes. A secondary charge of concealment of birth will not be proceeded with.

“A clergyman, is not, as a rule, a worker within the meaning of the Act,” said a speaker at the Diocesan Synod, when the question of insurance for the clergy was being considered. Loud laughter which greeted the remark caused the speaker to hasten to explain that he merely intended to make it clear that a clergyman would not come within the provisions of the Workers’ Compensation Act; he would be covered by a private policy.

Just prior and subsequent to the motor cycle sports held locally, many of those possessing motor cycles travel through the- streets at what appears an excessive speed. This is not all The riders emulate the speed kings by leaving the cutout open and their machines make an unearthly noise. By the way we notice that certain local authorities have adopted by-laws requiring all motor vehicles .to use silencers, and if any unnecessary noise or nuisance is caused a fine of £2O may be imposed, and for continuing the nuisance a fine of £5 per diem may be imposed.

A sub-committee of teachers reporting to the Dunedin branch of the Educational Institute on the teaching of history in public schools stated that such teaching was today showing a decided tendency to place more emphasis on the social and economic side, and less on the militaristic side. The growth of civilisation was given prominence. Consistent with the capacity of young minds to absorb it, the ideals of the League of Nations should be taught in all schools and definite teaching given thereon. The provision made for world history teaching was a valuable feature of the latest history syllabus and more ought to be done in that direction. 1 , “It was the industry, ingenuity, and fighting spirit of the earlier settlers in clearing forests and draining swamps and converting them into fertile farm lands that had created the 'great fanning industries during the last three-quarters of a century, and made for progress,” said the Hon. A. D. McLeod (Minister of Industries and 'Commerce) at the pageant of secondary industries held in Wellington on Saturday. The .Minister said some of the land was going back to-day. He did not give any reasons for this ho'wever. Is it because the farmers of to-day have lost the spirit of industry, which animated the pioneers?

Several amusing experiences at the Turakina health camps were described to the Wanganui Rotary Club recently by Dr. Elizabeth Gunn, says the “Wanganui Herald.” On one occasion a dozen children attended sick parade for a dose of medicine to relieve their coughs. Next morning Dr. Gunn was alarmed to see over forty children on parade. It transpired that the eleven .who took the cough medicine had spread the news through the camp that the medicine was “hummer stuff,” with the result that next morning the sick parade was considerably larger. Those without coughs were given castor oil, and next morning there was no sick parade at all.

“Post the prospectus of our new ‘lrish History’ to the Otago University,” said a Dublin publisher to his mail clerk. “Faith, and where is the Otago University?” asked the clerk. “Sure, and it’s among the savages and diggers away on the bottom of the world,” answered the publisher. The clerk scratched his head and opened his little atlas. He found lots of red-coloured islands marked “Australasia,” but the scores of names printed on them did not include that of the Otago University. So he took a few at random, and posted the prospectus to the following address: —“The Librarian, University of Otago, Christchurch, New South Wales, Australasia.” Fortunately, says an exchange, Postal offilcials are better acquainted with the geography of the Antipodes than the Irish mail clerk, for the prospectus has arrived at its proper destination. The wrapper in which it was enclosed adorns the wall of- the university library.

“How many tobacco pipes do you keep in use?” The writer knows a man who has 31 and smokes them all, turn about! Rather a lot? But it certainly is a good plan to have a few pipes going instead of smoking'the same one continuously. More important still is the tobacco. Let it be good, and avoid brands heavily charged with nicotine. Any doctor will tell you there habitual use is injurious, and it cannot be gainsaid that the imported brands all contain more nicotine than can be safely absorbed into the system. The purest tobaccos of all are the New. Zealand ones. There’s surprisingly little nicotine in them, which means they can be indulged in with the utmost impunity . Their line aroma and exquisite flavour are largely due to the fact that the leaf is toasted in the process of manufacture. These qualities it is that differentiates them from all other tobaccos. You can get them in any strength. Ask your tobacconist for “Riverhead Gold” mild, “Navy Cut” (Bulldog) medium, or “Cut Plug No. 10” (Bullshead) full flavoured.

Vital statistics for the month of October are as follows, the figures for the corresponding period last year being given in parenthesis: — Births 8 (4); deaths 1 (nil); marriages nil (1). There was one Maori death during the month. Two petitions in bankruptcy were filed at the offllce of the Palmerston North D.O.A. during the month just closed. This compares with seven for the previous month, and two for October, 1926. To date this year there have been 48 petitions filed.

A motor-car was turning into Cameron Street, Whangarei, the other night when both its front wheels simultaneously left the chassis. Fortunately the motor was moving slowly, and there was very little traffic about, otherwise the consequences might have been serious.

During the month of October a total of 2.28 inches of rain fell locally, the maximum fall, 1.5 inches, being on the 24th. The coldest day of the month was on the 25th, when the temperature was 40 degrees in the shade. The warmest days were cn the 14th and 22nd when 62 degrees were registered..

An old well was accidentally discovered on a section in Federal Street, Auckland, much to the surprise of the driver of a waggon. One of the wheels broke through the surface, leaving the driver perched above a shaft that was 25 feet deep. The site was previously occupied by a cottage. The well had been long forgotten, although in the early days people used to gather there and draw Abater.

■ What is believed to be the best price given in the Gisborne district for polo ponies was announced ; yesterday after negotiations during the week-end by Sir Bruce Stewart, Pigeon Bay, Canterbury. Sir Bruce is a keen polo player and wanted some really good animals. He secured Mr. James Jobson’s .pony Ruby at £2OO, and Mr Lee Fitzgerald’s Bone Dry at £75.

Though the blizzard and frost which'wrought the terrible havoc in stone fruit orchards in _ Central Otago last year came about the middle of October, orchardists ..in that district are now hopeful that the danger of a recurrence this year is past (says the Otago Daily Times). Reports from Fruitlands, Earnseleugh, the Cromwell Gorge and Flat, and Ripponvale are all to the effect that an excellent season is expected as far as production is concerned.

The Rotorua Chronicle states that the levels are steadily rising in every lake in the district, and at Okareka the water has reached an unprecedented height. The road at Rotoma runs along the lake shore, and it is highly desirable that some limit should be placed on the rise. The lake is at a higher altitude by some hundred feet at Rotoeheu, and Rotoeheu is higher than Rotoiti. Laddering these three lakes would appear both easy and practical: When the question of developing electrical energy at Kaitaina was being investigated, this phase of lake inter-connection was taken into consideration as an additional source of power.

A Palmerston North lad met with an unenviable experience quite recently. He went out fishing early in the day at Karere, and having no luck with the trout waded over to an island and spent some time fishing for eels. While engaged in this more exciting sport he failed to notice the river rising and when he attempted to cross over to the mainland found it impossible to do so owing to the depth of water. Towards evening his parents became alarmed at his absence and a search party noticed a fire on the island about 10 o’clock. On calling out they were relieved to find that the missing fisherman was safe and sound but he had to remain on the island until daylight when he was taken off, little the. worse for the night spent in the open.

On Thursday, 10th November, occurs a celestial phenomenon fairi ly rare and of more than passing interest to astronomers. This will be the transit of the planet Mercury over the face of the sun. All, however, that the ordinary observer will see, and then only if smoked glass is used and the clouds kindly keep out of the way, will be a tiny spot travelling slowly across the sun’s disc. Mercury will enter the sun’s disc very near the vertex at 3 hours 31 min. 54.9 sec. (New Zealand Summer Time), the “second contact” (when the whole of the planet is in front of the sun) being at 3 hours 33 min. 30.1 sec. Unfortun ately the finish of the transit will not be visible in New Zealand, for the sun will have set; the transit will end about 9.30 p.m. At the time of sunset, 7.42 p.m., Summer Time, the planet will have apparently traversed in a downward direction about two-thirds of the sun’s surface.