NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3845, 15 September 1928, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

The London “Daily Chronicle’-’ says Russia is suffering from an epidemic of secret societies and the Bolshevist dictators are fighting hard against the wide-spread revolt of their youth against the Soviet regime. “Russia’s youth is in revolt,” concludes the official statement.

An audacious burglary at the premises of J. C. Oldbury, gunsmith, Rutland Street, Auckland, occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning. A large plate glass window was smashed, • enabling the thief to steal a new .45 calibre colt revolver and sporting gear of a total value of £SO.

Noel Mark Fowler, an accountant, was sentenced in the Supreme Court at New Plymouth on Tuesday to two years’ reformative detention for theft of £27 and falsifying accounts; Herbert Thomas Seamark, aged 17, was admitted to two years probation for indecent assault on two young girls.

A poll for £SOOO, to build a new Town Hall was carried at Hunter - ville on Saturday. Mr. M. R. Varnham, of Levin, is the appointed architect for the scheme, which includes a hall, municipal offices, and a public library. Mr. Varnham was also architect for the Foxton municipal buildings. Mr. W. Ward, of the Wanganui Observatory, states that three large groups of sunspots extending in all over a distance of 17,500 miles (one-sixth of the sun’s diameter) are now in evidence. These are really magnetic storms and are, he states, probably the cause of the bad weather experienced recently.

A bird with a particularly shrill whistle has been heard in Ashburton by several residents lately, and a good deal of interest is being taken in the stranger. Its piping is heard only late at night, and has been in evidence only during the present moon. One observer considers that the bird is a canary, while another claims that it is a nightingale, a number of which were released at Auckland some months ago. A Christchurch paper says the probabilities are that it is a shining cuckoo, an early arrival.

What appears to be a series of acts of vandalism has been committed at the Ashburton Public Library, nearly a dozen pages of Chambers Encyclopaedia having been cut from various volumes, five being removed from one place alone. Though the articles mutilated do not refer to aviation, it is apparent that their removal was connected with receiA aerial developments. The articles refer to the Arctic, the Antarctic, the Pacific and Eastern Australia. The books have now been placed in the personal custody ,of the librarian.

Several years ago a black gelding named Coolpan, purchased in Australia by Mr. W. Duncan, raced on this coast with but moderate success. The son of Cooltrim and Pasty was later purchased by a •Rangitikei sportsman, but did no good. Recently the gelding was sold for the munificent sum of £l, and consigned to a poultry farm to be made into feed for fowls. On being cut up he was found to have only one kidney, one lung (of the size of a man’s hand) and a large lump on his windpipe. It is no wonder Coolpan was not always in the best of moods, and that Fred. Tilley, his former trainer, was puzzled by his indifferent displays. The Bulls correspondent to the “Standard” writes that some excitement was caused there on Wednesday when it became known that two lads who had escaped from the Werar.oa training farm were seen in the district. It is alleged that they visited several homesteads betw.eep Sanson and Bulls late on Monday night, taking food and clothing, and in one case they were interrupted while trying to start a farmer’s car, leaving boots and food in their haste to escape. Their presence was reported between Bulls and Marton yesterday morning, and Constable Larmer is co-operating with members of the Marton police force in scouring the countryside in search of the missing lads. It is now an Offence to purchase goods on Sunday as well as to .sell them (says the Wanganui Herald). At the court on Monday a married woman was charged with having aided in the commission of an offence by sending her son to a store at Castlecliff to buy wheat on a Sunday. “I’m not going to pretend that you’ve done anything criminal,” said i\lr. ,J. S. Barton, S.M. He said that the good principle of not trading on the Sabbath was neglected by many women who thought that necessity was more important. As long as housekeepers tempted shopkeepers to trade on Sundays, the latter would continue to break the law. The woman was convicted and discharged. “May I say that I am sure I am expressing the feelings'of gveryonc present when I say how pleased and thankful we are to know that Kingsford Smith and his brave companions have landed safely in New Zealand,” said Mr. J. Linklater, M.P., at the opening of the .Spring Flower Show at Levin on Tuesday. “The dangers of the crossing were brought home to us by the loss of our own fine aviators, Moncrieff and Hood, and we realise very fully the dangers the Southern Cross crew have faced and have overcome. I am sure we in Levin tender them a hearty welcome to New Zealand. The crossing has brought to us the great possibili- ■ ties of aerial flight, and who can say that I am wrong when I predict that within ten years we may have a regular service of airships flying across the Tasman?”