LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3765, 10 March 1928, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The (C. A. Larsen has been successfully floated.

On a charge of bookmaking Harry Asher, a tobacconist at Hamilton, was fined £25 with costs.

Advice lias been - received from Mangahao that the two old dams had been filled and the new dam half tilled as the result of the recent rainfall.

An apiarist at Eketahuna complains that as his bees leave the hive, blackbirds eat them. He soon will have no bees left at the rate they are disappearing.

The tar-sealing of the road between Wangaehn and Wanganui has been commenced. A stretch about a mile long at the top of the Wangaehn hill has already been completed.

Len William Lorgally, aged 34, was fined £3, in default fourteen days’ imprisonment at Christchurch on a charge of striking William Thom in High street. The ChiefDetective said that the defendant gave no reason for the blow, other than that there had been a dispute on the battlefields of France. Lorgally was apparently still carrying the grudge. The Magistrate told the defendant to be a man and get over it.

The legal! profession of New Zealand will hold a conference in Christchurch on April 11, 12 and 13, the first ever held in the Dominion. Acceptances to attend have been received from seventy practitioners.

The Manawatu Gorge road is now in preparation for tar-sealing, and provided the weather does not break the work should not occupy a long time. Motorists will welcome the additional stretch of bitumen, which should make the Gorge road one of te finest in ,the Dominion.

The deer-stalking season opens on March 24, and will close on May 31. As usual, separate licenses will be issued for the two districts in the W'ellington Acclimatisation Society’s area—Wairarapa South and East Coast on the one hand, and Horowhenua, Oroua, and Rangifikei on the other.

Frank Andrew Morgan, aged 28, 'a .labourer, charged at Auckland with having converted a motor car to his use and being intoxicated while in charge of same, was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment on the first charge and on the other charge he was fined £lO, in default one month’s imprisonment.

As a result of an isolation order in a case of scarlet fever, Ethel Goodrick, married, was charged with a breach of the Health regulations, at Christchurch this week, and was convicted and ordered to pay the costs, £3 10s. The evidence showed that one child had contracted fever, and that the other was found swimming next day in the school baths, despite isolation orders.

The disappearance of a "bankrupt and what was described as base ingratitude caused some concern at a meeting of creditors in Wellington yesterday. The meeting was adjourned from October last when Mrs E. V. Robertson, confectioner, a bankrupt, stated that her debts amounted to £l9l. The assignee said that- he had failed to get incommunicatiin with the bankrupt. The meeting, was adjourned sine die.

Why should it not be made an offence for merchants to sell rotten eggs? asked Mr. J. Sclater (Wellington) at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Poultry Association, at Wellington. Inspectors, he observed, took action if. diseased meat, milk, or fruit was exposed for sale, and he thought that action should also certainly be taken against the sale of rotten eggs. That would protect the honest merchant, and the general public, too.

A stringhalt disease among horses, which gives a peculiar lift of the hind legs, has made its appearance in .the Poverty Bay districts. So far only about half-a-dozen cases rave been reported, but one of the horses afflicted has died. The disease is not contagious, but there was a serious outbreak in Canterbury a few years before the war, and endeavours are being made to prevent a similar outbreak. Little is known of the cause of the disease, but it is thought that some weedy growth in the pastures might be responsible, and investigations are being made.

Describing, in the course of his address at the New Zealand Poultry Association Conference at Wtellington, the miles and miles of beautiful streets in Montreal and Ottawa, with lovely gardens and fine hoines on both sides of the roadway, but never a fence between llie section, or between the gardens and the pavements, Mr. R. W. Hawke (New Zealand representative to the World’s Poultry Congress at Ottawa last year), said that we in New Zealand wasted millions of pounds on fences —many of them very ugly ones —in our cities.

lii these days of high living costs it is pleasast to know that there is a Dunedin lad who had apparently solved the problem of obtaining the luxuries of life, if not for nothing, at east for a merely nominal cost. He assiduously studied every advertisement concerning free samples, and the outlay of a few pence for stamps, plus a certain facility for penning a reasonably good business letter, did the rest. His mail became heavy, and at latest the bag included two tubes of shaving cream, a small cake of soap, a bottle of pills, several varieties of biscuits (all said to contain the requisite amount of proteins and carbo-hydrates), cocoa, custard powder, a sample tin of varnish, asd a quantity of literature.

“A yard of clay”—and contentment ! A well-known New Zealander just returned from a trip Home (lie motored all over England) says the happiest man he met on his travels was a Devonshire yokel in a smock-frock who was seated on a rustic bench outside a country inn with his back against a tree and “a yard of clay” in his mouth. “He looked a perfect picture of contentment.” Wonderful is the power of the weed! It halves our sorrows and doubles our joys. Its enemies say hard things about it, but so long as its quality is good and it’s as free from nicotine as possible it does more good than harm. Unfortunately most of the imported brands contain so much nicotine that they do more harm than good. It’s otherwise with our New Zealand tobaccos. They are almost free from nicotine, and so may be smoked with absolute impunity. They are quite remarkable, too, for flavour and fragrance. The favourite Inlands are “Riverhead Gold” mild; “Navy Cut” (Bulldog) medium; and “Cut Plug No. 10” (Bullshea<;l), full strength.

The Dunedin Harbour Board Inst week received 70 applications for |,lie position of apprentice in Hie engineering department.

Tiie Foxton Football Club held a KiieooKMl'ill dance in the Masonic Hall la.Mt evening. A similar function will be held as usual next Friday evening. The final span of the Mangatainoka bridge has now been completed, aad as soon as the road formation is finished, the bridge will he ready for traffic.

Opinion was freely expressed.at u meeting of Ilia Rangitikei County Council on Saturday that the names of motorists convicted of being drunk while in charge of cars should on no account be suppressed. The menace of drunken motorists was stressed, and the clerk was districted to direct the attention of the Minister of Justice to the matter.

Thursday ,was a memorable occasion in the history of the Presbyterian Church and of the Maori Girls’ College, erected to replace the old college at Turakina, and costing close on £17,000, was officially opened at Marton by the of the New Zealand Presbyterian Church (Rev. Janies 'Aitken, of Gisborne). The recent spell of dry weather lias had a bad effect upon the blackberry crops. Parties who have visited Himatangi state that the berries have been withered by 'the heat and what are left are very small in size compared with previous years. Land-owners would rather that the heat had eradicated (plants instead of withering the fruit.

A humorist, speaking at the Chamber of Commerce social tendered to Mr. A. Alsop last night, said on one occasion when Mr. Alsop was engine driver of the Fox-ton-Palmerston train, a passenger on arrival of the train at Foxton, offered Mr. Alsop a £5 note in recognition of his having brought th<* train in on time. Mr. Alsop refused the gift explaining “that it was the arrival of last night’s train.”

Both the Returned Soldiers’ Association and the Navy League are dp in arms against the decision of the Christchurch City Council recorded on Monday night to remove from the city’s reserves all guns and trophies of war. They claim that the council is not fairly representing the opinion of citizens. The Returned Soldiers’ Association passed a motion of strong protest and it has been decided to call a public meeting of protest. , “Oh, it doesn’t matter,” smilingly said a Chinese defendant in the Timaru Magistrate’s Court when asked how he wished to take the oath. “Oh, yes, it does,” replied the clerk. “Will you swear on the Bible, or blow out a match?” Without further ado, the defendant took the oath in what is supposed ,to be the usual Chinese way, and blew out the match. During the hearing of the same case a Chinese witness took the oath on the Bible in the Christian style.

The. Irish “bull” is not unknown in New Zealand. A Parapara settler in reminiscent mood was telling of his early experiences and struggles, records the “Wanganui Herald.” “Yes,” he said, “when I carnu here first my neighbour had a clearing on which the grass and clover were up higher than the fence. He got finance from a stock firm, and put on a hundred young cattle, but the rich feed made them scour badly, and they were dying in each other’s arms all over the place.”

The statistics of deaths for the past year are more encouraging than are those of births. Only 11,611 deaths were registered during 1927, as compared with 11,819 for the previous year. This figure, while not as low as some recorded in recent years, is nevertheless sufficient to maintain the death-rate on the same satisfactory low level as has been established 'since 1924. The death-rates per 1,000 of mean population for the years, 1926 and 1927 were 8.47 and 8.60 respectively. An inquest was held at Masterton on Thursday concerning the death at Te Ore Ore, Masterton, on March 1, of Harry Scott, aged 57, a contractor, whose charred re-, mains were found in his whare after it had been destroyed by fire. Alfred Clarke, grocer, of Te Ore Ore, stated in evidence that he had taken deceased home drunk on the night prior to the fire. Witness lit a candle in the whare and left deceased, who had a bottle of whisky with him. Witness had often taken deceased home. The Coroner’s verdict was that the body destroyed by fire was presumably that of Scott’s, there being no evidence of the cause of death other than by lire.

Speaking at the opening of the Presbyterian Maori Girls’ College at Marton on Thursday, the Moderator of the New Zealand Presbyterian Church (Rev. James Aitken) said they had learned to esteem the Maori for the many good qualities which they were known to possess. In the Maori war’s they were known as chivalrous and courageous enemies, and in more recent years when Maori and Pakeha fought side by side for British liberty, they were known as brave and loyal friends, “and these are not their only qualities,” he continued. “Their dignity and courtesy, which do so much to oil the wheels of social life, their friendliness and kindliness, which are well-nigh unfailing, are peculiarities if the Maori which we white people could advantageously copy.” (Applause).

To-morrow afternoon the Wellington Artillery Band will play a programme of music on Easton Park. Admission by silver coin. Amongst the contracts recently Jet by the Public Works Department was one at £6lB for formation work on the Foxton-Shannon main highway.

The medical superintendent of the Palmerston Hospital (Dr. Frank Ward) reported at Thursday’s meeting that 229 patients had been admitted during February, and 203 discharged, 165 remaining in the ininstitution at the end of the month. An announcement is made in our advertising columns that the 19th Battery will hold a dance in the Town Hall on Tuesday evening next, 13th inst. ( Music will pe by the Artillery Band and Artillery jazz orchestra. Proceeds in aid of Jack Short! fund.

“Charitable aid during the month has been only fair,” reported the Palmerston North Charitable Aid officer (Mr F. Aisher) to a meeting of the Palmerston Hospital Board on Thursday. One hundred and forty-one rations to 61 persons at a cost of £3l ss, had been issued during the month, compared to 71 rations to 35 persons at a cost of £lB 15s, in February, 1927. There was still a good number of men on the roads seeking employment, continued the report. During the* month 27 had called at the office, and of these 15 had been assisted.

The number of birtlis registered in New Zealand during the year 1927 was 27,881 (males 14,291, females 13,590). This figure is the lowest recorded since 1919, and is a decrease of 592 over the previous year, this being the first time since 1923 that a decrease in the actual number of births registered has taken place. A substantial drop in the rate per 1000 of mean population is also recorded, the figures for 1926 and 1927 being 21.05 and 20.29 respectively. Such a low birth-rate is unprecedented in the history of the Dominion.

Honorable O. J. Hawken announces that Captain L. Macintosh Ellis, Director of Forestry, is relinquishing his position at the end of the present month in order to take up an important post outside the service. The retiring Director, who is a Canadian, was appointed to the position, then newly-created, in January, 1920. He is well known in many parts of the world as an expert in forestry work, and his guiding hand will be greatly missed by the Department. Captain Ellis’new duties will be in connection with private and proprietary timberland and afforestation activities in Australia and New Zealand.

A humorous story was related by Mr. D. Christie at last night’s gathering of the Chamber of Com-, meree members at a valedictory social. A Mayor of a certain suburban borough, he said, went on a world’s tour. Upon his return to his home town a weicome social was extended to him. The guest of honour, said he had been privileged to hear great statesmen speak on various occasions' and when hearing them his mind went back to his home town Councillors. He, couldn’t help thinking of them. “Well,” said one of those present, what did you think of us?” Pausing, the guest then said: “I couldn’t help thinking what a set of mugs you are!”