NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3740, 12 January 1928, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

Four of the seven German sailors who deserted from the steamer Kerston Mies, at Auckland ear*ly this week, and Avho were arrested at Howick, came before an Auckland Magistrate on Tuesday, and were sentenced to seven day’s imprisonment, the understanding being that they will be returned to their ship at Wellington. The sight of a sleek cat wandering over the Invercargill Post Offijce counters on Christmas Eve with a label attached to its neck created the impression that the eat was intended for transmission through the post and probably as a Christmas-box (says the “Otago Daily Times”). A perusal of the words on the label, however, showed that it was merely a novel method of conveying the season’s greetings from the post office officials to the public. The Lower Waikato district is' feeling severely the present drought conditions, the landscape is a col-our-tone of browns and yellows, and the opinion of farmers is that the dairy herds will also be di*y before long, that is, unless rain (and heavy rain at that) does not come soon (says an exchange). The hay crops have been light, there are few root crops, and the.outlook for winter feed is not bright. At the moment there is a distinct prospect of farmers having a setback, one which may reflect on the unemployment problem next winter.