Manawatu Herald THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 9, 1928. LOCAL AND GENERAL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3752, 9 February 1928, Page 2

Manawatu Herald THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 9, 1928. LOCAL AND GENERAL

A tally taken by the traffie inspector at Hamilton shows that no fewer than 142 service cars and buses puss through Hamilton daily.

Ratana prefers women to wear their skirts short from a health point of view, but he places no restrictions upon them in this respect. or in the matter of dress. It is understood that the contract has been let for the formation of the approach roads to the Foxton-Shannon-Manawatu bridge on the Shannon side.

Even raihvaymen seldom realiso the value of the freight they carry (says the New Zealand Railways Magazine). A train load of butter of 400 tons is worth £70,000 and a train load of meat over £20,000. An Order-in-Counci'l published in the Gazette exempts from “primage duty cotton piece goods, wool packs, and wool packets. The cotton piece goods affected are tubular woven cotton cloth specially suited for use as meat wraps, cheese bandages, or caps.

A young man named lugley was electrocuted while working on a power line in the Waitohu Valley, Otaki, on Tuesday morning. He was lengthening the jumpers when he got a shock. Death was instantaneous. Deceased’s parents live at Whakatane.

From the Wanganui Herald: The despicable action of a number of people who gained admission to CoolFs Gardens last evening through fences was the subject of caustic comment by an official of the Wanganui Athletic Centre to-day. He stated that most- of those who saw the sports without paying were adults. One man who was caught in the act, produced a roll of notes and a handful of silver when he was compelled to buy a ticket.

The installation of a night alarm system in the homes of Blenheim firemen is now being carried out, and should be completed next week (states the Marlborough Express). The system provides for a central alarm which when operated at the fire station, will cause bells to ring simultaneously in the homes of the firemen connected to the installation. It will thus be possible to summon the firemen without recourse to that great sleep disturbed and nerve shatterer —the big bell.

Never has the value to the farmer of a patch of alfalfa (lucerne) been more demonstrated than during the past three months. Both as hay and by hand feeding out it has been the salvation of more than one herd in the South Auckland area. One well-known dairy farmer who sends the bulk of his milk to the .city supply, estimates that the difference between bis returns and that of his neighbour (who has-jno lucerne) during the months of November, December and January, lias paid for the putting clown of the whole of his lucerne patch, and provided feed for his 180 cows. In addition to this, his cattle 'are in good milk and fit to face a winter as well as to produce well-nurtured.calves. His neighbour’s cows are like ladders.

“If the secondary schools would cease wasting the time of the hoys by pretending to teach them bookkeeping, and instead concentrate on improving the hand-writing of the lads, employers would he grateful (says the- Christchurch Sun). This remark was made by the executive officer of an institution which recently advertised for a junior clerk. It received 22 applications, the feature being the had writing of the hulk of the applicants. This man stated that book-keeping learned at the schools was of no use. A boy engaged in an office was never put in charge of a set of books right away. He might he put in charge of one, which has been opened, and he would simply have to follow the method pursued.

Te house of Mr and Mrs Gambrill of Heretaunga St., Palmerston N., was entered yesterday and money and jewellery stolen. Tuesday was the sixty-fifth anniversary of the wreck of H.M.S. Orpheus at Manukau Heads. Of the 250 men on board, only 72 were saved, 60 by a coastal steamer, the Wonga, and twelve in one of tlm naval boats.

The Governor-General, Sir Charles Fergusson, was last night isstalled Grand Master of the Masonic Order in New Zealand, at Christchurch. At the ceremony representatives were present from all parts of the Dominion.

Peter Paul Riska, for being in a state of intoxication while in charge of a motor-car was fined £25, and his license was .cancelled until May, 1930 at the Wanganui Police Court on Tuesday. This was his second offence. Sydney .T. Taylor, on a similar charge, was fined £25 and his license was cancelled until May, 1929.

The production of an entirely new method of canning meat which will mean a saving to the industry of approximately £40,000 per annum, is one of the results of the investigation work which is being carried out by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in connection, with bacon-curing, certain meat products, and stockfeeding meals.

“Summer time” will be enjoyed in New Zealand for oyily four more weeks. According to the terms of the Act, the clock must- be put back at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in March —4th March. Unless another Bill is introduced during 1928 session of Parliament, and passed, “summer time” will not come into operation next summer, since the Act of last year expires in September.

Tar-sealing work on No. T Line, Wanganui, is to commence shortly. The Main Highways Board has approved of the early commencement of the work, and tenders have already been called for the treatment of three and a half miles of road. The surface will be 18ft. in width and the portion of road to he sealed will .commence at the top of the Whangaehu Hill and run back towards Wanganui. The road will be given three coats of tar.

An accident occurred'at the Levin baths on Monday, which fortunately did not result as seriously as it might have done. While two young girls, One of whom was Miss Dolly Parsons, were attempting to go in off the high dive together, they missed their footing and instead of reaching the water, fell to the concrete on the edge of the bath. Miss Parsons was. injured, necessitating medical attention, it being found that the muscles of the back were badly torn and that she had a very narrow escape from serious injury. Her companion escaped without hurt. —Chronicle.

An amusing little joke is related in connection with a friendly rivalry between a couple of enthusiasticgardeners, one a lady. The lady sent to the gentlemen by post a couple each of beautifully grown French beans and broad beans, and asked him if he could better them, fie couldn’t; but he put the lady gardener’s beans in water for about 24 hours, causing them to swell a little, and sent them back to her as his own, claiming that they beat her samples. The lady did not admit defeat, writing him that the beans he sent were certainly ver\ nice specimens of the beans, but not, she thought, of as line a quality as those she had sent him! The perfidious male horticulturist let it go at that. People from Auckland, in conversation with a Wanganui Herald reporter, stated that the Queen City has been plagued with ants this summer. “They are there by the millions, in the cupboards, lino., tins, and in the food. They have nearly driven me mad,” stated the lady visitor. “I have had to use no end of disinfectant to keep them off. All over Auckland it’s the same. They seem to come out of the ground, and the only effective means I have found of dealing with the pests is to mix borax and sugar. They eat that, and in some way their numbers are soon diminished.” In all the years she had been living in Auckland (the repoller scented danger in asking how long that was) she had never known any similar visitation, and she hoped that the city was not going to be-* come like Australian breeding such pests.’

Scene: Smoker of city tram-iar. Stern-faced, anti-tobaceoite, addressing stranger opposite, puffing a huge pint! with evident enjoyment. “Do you know, my friend, there’s enough poison .in that pipe of yours to kill a field-mouse or 37 bluebottle flies?” The smoker: “That so? Well if ever I see a fieldmouse smoking a pipe I’ll tell the cat.” Joking apart, there’s a lot of nonsense talked and written about smoking. So long as the tobacco is pure and as free from nicotine as possible it can’t do much harm. But there’s the rub. Those imported tobaccos just reek with nicotine. That’s why their -habitual use is so injurious. Our own New Zealand tobacco, on the other hand, are almost free from nicotine, so that you can indulge in them to your heart’s content with perfect safety. Also owing ( to the boasting of the leaf, their flavour is simply delicious and their fragrance delightful. Purer or choicer brands money cannot buy. Ask for “Riverhead Gold” mild, “Navy Cut” (Bulldog), medium, or “Cut Plug No. 10” (BuUshead), full strength.

During January there were three frosts in Otaki, but not heavy enough to do inueli damage, while 15 inches of rain fell.

The building of three city blocks at a total estimated of'£llo,ooo are now being commenced in Auckland.

There are 25b,000 acres of mangrove flats around the various harbours in Noi'th Auckland owned by Harbour Boards.

A meeting of the Foxton Football Club Committee, both ladies and gentlemen, will be held in Walls’ rooms this evening at 7 o’clock. The Manawatu river at the Gorge is becoming lower every day. It is now possible to walk dry shod over the rapids at the Aslihurst end.

Debentures to the value of £BOOO have to date been taken up in the Palmerston municipal loan to acquire the McHardy property, leaving £2OOO yet unsubscribed. Foxton presented a deserted appearance yesterday. All business premises were closed and the majority of people took a day off to attend the school excursion and picnic at Aslihurst. t • i A reminder is given of the Labour Social Club’s euchre tournament, which will be held in the Town Hall supper-room this evening at 8 o’clock. Six good prizes* and excellent supper. A runnerway horse careered up Avenue Road this morning dragging a post to which it had evidently been tethered. In Ravensworth Place the animal tripped over the post, which inflicted a nasty flesh wound in the bottom of its abdomen. The horse was eventually captured and taken away. While singeing pigs with a blow lamp'at Tauranga, the lamp exploded. A youth named James Clifford was severely burned on the arms, face and legs,' and a Maori youth named Jack. Napier was burned on the face. Both were removed to hospital for treatment. Something like a record in scholarship has been established by Miss Margaret Audrey Harding, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Harding, and a student at the Hawera High School. Miss Harding gained proficiency at 10 years of age, a junior national scholarship at 11 years, senior free place at 12 and both the senior national and matriculation at 13 years.

A man named Leslie Plummer, aged 32, a labourer, was found dead on his father’s farm on Kent Road, states a New Plymouth telegram. Early in the evening he took a gun to look for rabbits and as he did not return a search was made and the body was found close to a wire fence with the gun alongside. One barrel was discharged. It is assumed that in getting through or over the fence the gun was accidentally discharged.

A huge battle practice target in the form of a vessel for use by the N.Z. Navy was launched at Auckland vesterday in the presence of the Mayor, Commander Bradley (officer in charge of the naval base) and Engineer-Commander Marchant. ' As Mrs. Bradley deftly performed the champagne christening, the vessel slipped gracefully into the water. She heeled over and almost capsized, but gradually righted and rested on an even keel. Built at a cost, approximately, of £lO,000, the target is the first of its kind attempted in this part of the world.