LOCAL AND GENERAL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3736, 31 December 1927, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

“Mack” put quite an artistic and festive touch on to Messrs Madge Bros, char-a-banc this morning, by decorating the interior with red rambler roses.

A South Australian syndicate intends to start, oil boring in various p'arts of the Dominion shortly. It has arranged for the services of a first-class English geophysical survey party!

New howlers of New Zealand scholars: One question was, “What is the plural of solo?” The answer was, “Duet.” A history question Avas put: “What occurred in 55 8.C.?” Reply, “Christ was born.”

Harry 'Sequa'h, alias Marks, or Harry Venslopsky, 64, a Russian, and Amelia Sequah, alias Fanny Berman, 48, were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment at Manchester for selling coloured Avater and Avorthless pills as medicine to avomen (States the London Times).

The prize-winners in connection with the Labour Social Club’s euchre tournament, held in the Town Hall supper-room last evening are as follows: —Ladies: Ist Mrs. G. Small, 2nd Mrs. W. Williams, 3rd Mrs. Ohurcher. Gents: Ist Mr. C. Coley, 2nd Mr. E. G. Martin, 3rd Air. E. NeAvson.

Miss Norma Wilson, of Gisborne, New Zealand, lady champion runner, is to be invited to attempt the Avorld’s record for 50 yards when she competes with the Poverty Bay relay team at the Wellington Club’s jubilee meeting on February 4. The rec'ord is at present held by Miss Helen Filkey, Chicago, with 6 3-10 sec.

Recenlt mention Avas made of a cow at Taradale giving birth to triplet calves. Mr. J. Hodges, of Rapanui, bred a Shorthorn coav that can easily eclipse this record. The cow is six years old, and is noAV the property of Mr. Donald Ross, of Rapanui. She had had three ealvings, and has given birth to two sets of triplets and also tAvins. She gives over 701bs. of milk per day in the flush of the season, and milks about nine months of the year.

“It is a great pity that farmers do not go to the trouble of securing written agreements Avith shareimilkers. A vast account of litigation and considerable expense and annoyance would be saved if this were done,” said Mr. F. W. Platts, S.M., at the Magistrate’s Court at Morrinsville the other day. The remarks was made in the course of a civil action which arose partly through the indefinite terms of a verbal agreement.

In Invercargill a Avorkman avlio was recently engaged in moAving the long grass in one of the reserves on glancing at his blade saw attached to it a one pound note. The sharp blade had cut it into sevdral pieces.- These, hoAvever, he Avas ablo to collect; but to his disgust the portion containing the numbers of the note Avas missing, and he thought his chances of getting value for the note Avere very small. Inquiries at the bank afforded hope, hoAvever, and after headquarters in Wellington had been communicated with the finder received his pound. A Avriter in the Christchurch Sun says: “Recently I had occasion to dine with a dairy farmer, his wife and tAvo daughters. After some discussion of the Arbitration Bill and the price of butter fat, the conversation turned to hides and skins and the 'time taken in skinning cows and calves. My host Avas choosing his words carefully and as correctly as he knew hoAv, and I Avas listening attentively until he startled me by saying: “Do you knoAV, the last cow I skim I skan in twenty minutes.” The youngest daughter tried to stifle a giggle—l laughed outright, and w-hen the general merriment had subsided father av anted to know hoAv he should have said it.

The natives of the South Sea Islands are very keen on keeping Christmas in the white man’s manner, says Jack McLaren, the Australian writer. At one island, on Christmas Eve, after her husband had told a gathering of native children all about Father Christmas, the missionary’s wife found her supply of stockings had disappeared. It turned out that the children, having no stockings of their oavii, had stolen those of the lady in order to hang them up! Na’tives.are quick to use this season of giftgiving for purposes of their oavii. Here is an extract from a Christmas letter received in the Solomon Islands, where liquor is prohibited to natives, from a native who, apparently, had been to a mission station: “Please you send to me one bottle gin, I can feel plenty goodwill to all men,”

Zane Grey, will make his next fishing expedition to New Zealand in the summer of 1928.

The-Christmas gathering at Ratana this season was somewhat smaller than usual. The visitors aggregated 3000.

Stamps sold at the Central Post Office, Wanganui, on . Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday last totalled £1179 in value.

A Whangarei lady who entered 54 exhibits in a northern flower show won three special prizes, 22 firsts, 20 seconds, and eight third prizes.

A Dunedin financier who made a tour of Southland says it is estimated that there are now 120,000 more sheep in Southland than there were two years ago. The stamp sales last Wednesday in Auckland totalled £1239, on Thursday £1578, on Friday £l4lO, mnd on Saturday £468, making a total of £4702 for the four days. Professor Easterfield, Director of the Cawthron Institute, stated at a recent meeting of that body that there were no known cases of lireblight in the South Island. Napier’s consumption of water is increasing rapidly, and during the month of November 33,343,000 gallons of water were pumped, an increase of 1,700,000 over the same period last year. , 'While endeavouring to catch a duck which he intended to kill for the Christmas dinner, Mr. Arthur McEwen slipped in the yard of his residence in Auckland and broke his right leg. Several mothers in Wanganui had anything but a Merry Christmas season, as an epidemic of measles and colds was prevalent among children. There were also some eases of pneumonia.

This year has been an exceptionally busy one for the official assignee in bankruptcy in Auckland. No fewer than 220 bankrupt estates were handled, and 145 creditors’ meetings were held at the Auckland office. The previous largest number of bankruptcies was recorded last year when 179 cases were dealt with. The lowest number of bankruptcies in recent years was 23 in 1920.

Red tape is issued even by trades unions. Two union slaughtermen whot had booked books for the season at the Irnlay freezing works in Wlanganui were not allowed to start by their own mates, because they had not brought their clearance papers with them (says the Feibling Star). It was known by the union that the two men are financial, yet they had to walk the streets and lose good money until their papers arrived.

Dalmatian quarry workers work extraordinary long hours, according to evidence given at an Auckland City Council inquiry this week. One stonecutter said that the Dalmatians in a quarry close to his were always at work when he arrived and Vere still working when he left ,in the evening. A Dalmatian later gave evidence that this regular hours were from 6 a.m. until dark, including Saturdays, while a compatriot gave his hours as 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on six days a week.

“I certainly think that when a man is krtown to be a New Zealander he is ''«(xtremely well received at Home,” said Dr. Coldicutt, who returned to Auckland after a tour abroad. The doctor said that it was remarkable how little New Zealand was advertised compared with other countries, and that was a matter that should bn remembered, particularly in regard to New Zealand’s products and tourists a ttractions. He had met many people who were anxious to glean information in regard to the Dominion.

The danger of playing with gunpowder and fire together was demonstrated the other day on the banks of the Opawa River, at Blenheim, when a party of boys and youths had a startling experience. Someone had a tin of the explosive, and placed it on the fire they were standing round “just to see what would happen.” The result of what happened was severe burns on the hands and face for one of their number. He was confined to his bed for two. or three days, and is still receiving medical treatment.

The prize for ingenuity should go to a certain man who had a boy attending a certain school in New Zealand (says the Southland Times). Feeling sure that his son would' be dux of the school he offered a medal for the dux. Unfortunately the young hopeful failed to come up to expectations, and did not even secure a pass. The father then changed the conditions of the medal, and insisted that it should be awarded' to the child with the best attendance record, and his son and heir won it, thus keeping the trophy in the family.

A Chinaman called on a, motor ear salesman in Hamilton and asked for a car, which he said he must have that particular night. The salesman took appearances into account and told the Celestial to call in the morning. He did, but drove up in a £7OO car, for which he paid cash on the nail to another salesman, w’ho gave him a car right away. Another instance of appearances belieing financial strength was given in Christchurch recently, when an unkempt-looking man drove up to a garage in a 20-year-old machine with a death rattle. He wanted to buy a new car. The salesman looked over the car and recoiled, but sold a brand new £SOO car. It was a cash deal, and it was not necessary to take the old car.

The “Herald” will not be published on Tuesday next, January 3rd. Dr. C. Coldicutt, iM Auckland, who has returned from abroad, attended the annual conference of the British Medical Association at Edinburgh, and remarked that altogether much was being carried on, no items of special interest in regard to it were brought forward at the conference, and there was a feeling that nothing of a definite nature would be heard in the immediate future. Some consternation was caused one morning last week at the railway station at Ivokiri, near Greymouth. When the guard of a train went to the signal box to telephone to the Grey traffic department, he found a swarm of bees had taken charge, and was prepared to argue the point with any disturbers of the Queen’s household. Strenuous, but unsuccessful efforts on behalf of the guard and drivers to smoke out the bees were made, the bees exhibiting a bellicose attitudt. The train staff finally decided to leave the bees in possession and to get through to Greymouth from the next signal box, some miles distant.

The death occurred in Pahiatua at an early, hour on Christmas Day of Mrs. Anna Darley, relict of the late William Darley. The deceased lady, who was a very old and esteemed colonist, was in her 81st year, and first settled in Pahiatua 33 years ago. She was born in Wellington, her parents arriving in New Zealand by the ship Martha Ridgvvay in the month of March, 1840. Her husband, who predeceased her in 1900, was one of the very earliest teamsters to drive over the Rimutaka ranges, and those were very rugged days. The couple lived in the Wairarapa district for a lengthy period prior to settling in Pahiatua and they were well conversant with hard poineering experiences. The habits of the godwits in migrating from Siberia to New Zealand during the winter months has frequently occasioned comment, large colonics of these long-legged birds having been seen in various parts of the Dominion. Residents of Ngatapa, however, have obtained unusually interesting mementoes of 'the visit of these migrants. A number of birds were recently seen and heard in the vicinity, and by observing their habits a number of their eggs were obtained. These, it is stated, are coated with mud, and buried in. swampy places, and consequently are somewhat difficult to find. The eggs, one of which was shown to a Poverty Bay Herald reporter, are about Ithe same size as those of a pigeon’s, only more pointed, and in colour closely resemble those of the blackbird.

Dr. D. >L. Freeman, Agricultural Instructor in Hawke’s Bay, has a novel suggestion to make regarding the eradication of blackberry from farm lands, a problem which sorely (troubles land-owners in north Hawke’s Bay and to a lesser extent the farmers of other parts of the district, says the Napier “Daily Telegraph.” Seeing thalt salt water was so effective in weed suppression, said Dr. Freeman, it had occurred to him that sea water might be given a trial on blackberries by those farmers living on •the coast. If judiciously applied, sea water would probably prove effective in suppressing the plant. His idea was to spray the blackberry with kerosene and benzine where burns are advisable, and afterwards saturate the ground at intervals with the brine. If salt water had the desired effect iff would also have the merit of being cheap. Preliminary figures of the religious professions recorded at the census of last year are given in a table published in the Monthly Abstract of Statistics just issued. The numbers of the chief religious bodies are as follow (the increases since the previous census being given in parenthesis): Church' of England, 553,992 (39,385); Presbyterian, 330,598 (31,053); Roman Catholic, 173,332 (9199); Methodist, 121,268 (8924); Baptist, 21,959 (2033); Brethren, 12,939 (1884): Salvation Army, 12,341 (750); Church of Christ '7985 (decrease 665); Congregational, 7281 (decrease 696). Attention is drawn by the Government Statistician to the considerable increase in the numbers of those availing themselves of the right to object to state their religious belief. Those who so objected at the last census numbered 62,567, and this fact, states the Statistician, has exercised no little effect upon the movement shown in other parts of the table.

“How many tobacco pipes do you keep in use I ?’' 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 their habitual use is injurious, and it cannot be gain-said 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 fine aroma and exquisite flavour are largely due to the fact that the leaf is toasted in the process, of manufacture. These qualities it is (hat 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.

Car registrations have to /be made It * in February of next year. !

The trout can move throtugh the water at the rate of 30 iiijlcs an hour. • Sharks are estimated to be able to travel 50 miles. \

Good soaking rain fell throughout this district yesterday aiyd was much appreciated by the fanning community. To-day is fine with prospects of settled weather for the week-end. f

Wool is pouring into Wanganui from all parts of the district in preparation for the next 100m 1 wool sale which will take place f.t the Opera House on January 20. i

In a New Year message, delivered at Dargarville yesterday,' ' the Prime Minister (Rt. Hon, J. G. Coates) struck a note of optimism. He said:—“Wfcth the prospects of a bountiful season, the outlook for the New Year is'bright, but we must not for this reason, be led into a false feeling of security. Prudence in administration, thrift ancj industry cn the part of the individual and greater production are still essential, if we are to reap the full benefits of returning prosperity.” Fifty-one petitions in bankruptcy were filed in Palmerston district for 1927, an increase of four over the preceding year. The greater proportion of petitions came from farmers this year, the total number being 11, and in addition to this two petitions came from farm labourers. ~ Six motor mechanics found it neies- r sary to file and petitions were also received from six labourers; the y. remainder came from representatives of practically all trades, but only sixffilings came ;as a result of creditors’ petitions. . The delightful ceremony at Auckland Hospital recently, when Father Christmas distributed gifts to the crippled children enabled another father to convince his little boy of the reality of Santa Claus (says the Star). Rowley (aged seven) \ was beginning to grow somewhat sceptical about the patron saint, but the gathering reassui’ed him. After watching Father Christmas handing out his presents, Rowley turned a shining face to his daddy: “Now T know,” he said decisively. “There is a real Santa Claus, even if he does have trousers on underneath his red coat!”