Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 1928. LOCAL AND GENERAL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3771, 24 March 1928, Page 2

Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 1928. LOCAL AND GENERAL

It is estimated that from 40,000 to 50,000 sheep have been sent from Gisborne and East Coast buyer to Canterbury during the past six weeks.

“By the end of this year we hope to have 12,000 Boy Scouts, and we are not going to stop until we have 50,000,” says BrigadierGeneral Andrews.

A large and representative meeting of the Taihape retailers held to consider the question of the Easter holidays decided to close fr on Thursday night till Tuesday.

Daring the past year the Manawatu District Rugby Council and the Manawhenua. Rugby Union contributed to the coffers of the Manawatu A. and P. Association approximately £4OO, mostly by way of ground rent. The Foxton Church will observe next Sunday as Thanksgiving Sunday, when the annual golden offering will be received and the harvest festival held. The Rev. George Brown, M.A., will preach at the evening service.

At the Dominion convention of the Women's Christian Temperance Union at Napier this week, the corresponding secretary’s report indicated a large increase in the membership. There are now 208 branches with a total membership of 7.922, and in addition nine Island branches have 600 members, and Bands of Hope 2,213. The state of the Westport bar is still causing shipping companies a good deal of anxiety (says the Times). Vessels are leaving the port short loaded at every trip and the loss thereby is considerable. The situation is more serious than is usually recognised and is a severe handicap to the district.

The broken weather experienced of late has caught many Canterbury farmers napping (states the Sun). In spite of the lateness of the harvest, there, are many who waited to thresh out of the stack, and'they have waited too long. Much of the late-threshed grain will be damaged apd* discoloured, and several mill-owners have had to deal with sprouted grain. When there was a risk of sprouting, the more prudent men. put their sheaves into stack when they were dry enough.

The reputation of the British merchant for ’commercial honesty is well known, and the following incident recorded by the New Zealand Herald serves to illustrate the fairness which characterises his dealings. Through an error in accounts in 1926 an English manufacturing concern which has dealings with a leading firm of Auckland drapers overcharged the latter 6/6. The mistake was discovered by the English concern last January, and immediately it instructed its Auckland agents to refund the amount.

That the school boy of to-day is not without some initiative was instanced by an experience which befel one of the pupils recently at the Invercargill M a list Brothers’ school. He spent too long, in play one afternoon, with the result that his, train, which was to carry him the 18 miles to his? ' home in the country, was well on its way bt.country, was well on its way beno misgivings he set off on a long tramp and reached his destination about 10 o’clock. He turned up at school the next morning as bright as ever and appeared to regard his achievement as la Very ordinary one.

A black cat is supposed by many people to be symbolical of good luck. The black colour of a certain cat did not save it 'from the bad luck of being consigned to what was no doubt intended to bo a watery grave off the coast of Timaru, on Friday (says the “Timaru Herald”), but whether its colour had anything to do with its subsequent luck is not stated.v Miles out to sea some fishermen saw a petrol case floating, and thinking it would be useful for firewood, headed their boat for it and picked it up. Great was their surprise on opening it to find inside a large black eat —very wet, but still alivc. Apparently the cat had been put in the box and thrown overboard from some ship. The fishermen brought it to Timaru and liberated it.

Owing to an error the name of Mr. C. E. Edwards appeared in the annual report of the Foxton Rugby Football Club as being made a life member instead of Mr. G. Edwards, of Lady’s Mile, one of the oldest members of the Club, and exponents of rugby locally.

Hot weather during the month of February, necessitating closed schools was the subject of a request to the Wanganui Education Board on Wednesday by the Head Teachers’ Association, Avho asked that the Board definitely fix the time of closing schools during the month in question. The Board took no action, it being pointed out that the weather was always uncertain and the matter of closing had to be left to the discretion of the teachers.

A special meeting of the local District High School Committee was held on Thursday evening when final arrangements were made in connection with the opening ceremony of the new building. It was decided to extend invitations to district schoolmasters and committees to be present. Permission was given to the secondary pupils to use one of the class rooms for social purposes on Wednesday evening. It was decided to present the Minister with an engraved key at the opening ceremony.

A Wanganui lady had an unenviable experience a few days ago. Having washed her hair and desiring to dry it quickly, she turned on an electric heater (says the Herald). On picking it up to hold near her head her damp hand must have made contact with a “live” part of the apparatus, for she received a severe shock and was thrown to the floor, releasing her hold of the heater. So severe was the shock that when she raised herself she fell a. second time. Her experience should make people careful that before they touch any electric device they should have perfectly dry hands, for water is an excellent conductor and tends to increase the shock considerably. . •

A belief that there is some connection between a boiling mud pool a few chains off the road about a mile from Wkirakei and Ngauruhoe is held by residents in that part of the thermal regions. The pool was discovered aboext 20 years ago and, after a short period of activity, it became quiescent, remaining in that state until three years ago, when it became active again for a short period. At that time Ngauruhoe was active, and now that the volcano is again showing signs, of life the pool is active once more. The pool is an inverted cone about 60 ft. across the top, the pool itself being approximately 15ft. wide. \ At present it is one of the most active in the thermal regions, every ten minutes or so throwing up mud from Bft to 20ft. high.

“That word ‘Australasian’ is a most objectionable one, and should be avoided—l notice' that it is used in two places,” said Sir James Allen, at Thesday’s meeting of the Otago University Council. His remark was occasioned by a letter from the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, which was before the council. A member referred to the fact that a journal —“The British Australasian” —had recently been changed in name to “The British Australian and New Zealand.” Sir James Allen added that in his opinion the association should be made to change its name. He moved that the attention of the association be drawn to the unsatisfactory nature of the name “Australasian.” The motion was seconded and carried.

Asked his opinions on the suggestion that eels should be used for food and manure, a Tiinaru angler told a Herald reporter he did not think the scheme at all practicable. 'Very few people in the Dominion would eat eels; it would be all right in London, where they were considered a delicacy . He did not think a paying market could be established in New Zealand. As for manurial purposes, the scheme had its awkward aspects. The small number and the comparatively small size of the eels caught in the rivers would not make it pay. Plenty of large eels were available in the back lakes, especially Lake Alexandria., but the expense Unit would lie entailed in transport would not warrant the undertaking. He would, as a fisherman, be pleased to get rid of the eels, but on the whole, he termed the proposal as being “rather Utopian.”

Mark Twain once said: “Women is a conundrum —but I will never give her up!” This was in allusion to the changeable views of the adorable sex. The sex is certainly apt to alter its point of view. Time was when ladies “couldn’t bear tobacco sipokc” —said it made them “ill.” In those days father and the boys had to seek the seclusion of the coal-house or the backyard when they wanted a whiff. Nowadays the girls—young, old and middle aged —will tell you when to-bacco-smoke is mentioned that they “love it!” Wjell, there are worse habits than smoking, and so long as the “baccy” is good and not overcharged with nicotine it won’t hurt anyone. Apropos of that, its a pity the imported tobaccos are so full of nicotine. How is it? Our N.Z. brands are almost free from it. You can smoke them “till further orders” and take no harm. Sweet, cool and gragrant .they appeal irresistibly to all smokers. All tobacconists stock them. Ask for “Riveread Gold” (mild); “Navy Cut” (Bulldog), medium; or “Cut Plug No. 10” (Bullshead), full strength.