NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3878, 1 December 1928, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

Wanganui deep sea fishermen report that an abnormal number of sharks infest the fishing grounds of the coast. The engines of the Southern Cross have been overhauled and a trial flight over the city the other day was most successful. Captain Smith and Lieutenant Ulm were on board. They do not intend to leave for America"'.until the end of December. They will probably take the monoplane with them. During the service' at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Greymouth last Sunday morning a section of plaster on the back wall, weighing about 2cwt. fell crashing through the roof of the vestibule, causing consternation amongst those seated at the back, some of whom were hurt. After an interruption of five minutes only the service proceeded. Old gas cylinders from beneath railway coaches would” not seem the most promising material to make use of in the new railway shops, but there were a lot of them to be disposed of, so cuts were put in the quarter-inch iron lengthwise, the curved section made into a door, shelv.es put in, and when the whole, was stood on end, there was an excellent tool cupboard. Air. James Martin, of Alma, North Otago, has a dairy herd of 10 Ayrshires, which have produced remarkable yields. The averages of the herd for the month of October were as follows: Ten cows, average 135(1 lb of milk, 58.941 b. of butter-fat of 4.3 test, at I/- per lb. This represents £4 8s per cow for the month. Two of the cows gave 75.901 b. and 77.401 b. of butter-fat respectively. The herd includes four heifers, and their average was 11741 b. of milk, 4.5 test, and 53.461 b. of butter-fat.

An unusual operation was carried out by the brigade while the fire in a Wellington city block was at its height on Monday night. The 80ft. extension ladder was erected, and two firemen were at the top when flames bursting out of a window trapped the men above. The ladder was moved away with the men on it, this being the only way of getting them out of: danger. This is the first time this manoeuvre, which would only be resorted to in cases of grave danger, has been carried out in Wellington. Says- the Christchurch Press editorially: Everyone appears to assume that Sir Joseph Ward will move a vote of want of confidence and will get it earned with the assistance of the Reds, and will then

take offiice. This may actually happen, but suppose that Mr. 11. E. ,1-lolland anticipates the Liberal leader. Mr. Holland, as far as Mr. Speaker knows, is the Leader of the Opposition, and he has a better title than Sir Joseph Ward to open the offensive.

The Liverpool Mine employees recently lost a day’s work through lightning having entered the workings during an electrical storm (says a Greymouth paper). Owing to the iron tram rails leading into the mine being thought to be lightning conductors and with a view to preventing a recurrence of such incidents, they have been replaced by others of wood which extend for about 50 yards from the mouth of the mine inwards.

A commendable example of unselfishness and consideration for their married fellow-employees is at present being shown by the single tramwaymen in Dunedin, reports a Southern exchange. Business is rather slack at present, and it has been found necessary to put some men off duty for a time. Hesitating to ask the older employees to stand aside, the department had arranged for the newest hands to do so. The men themselves, howevei’, have decided upon a plan which at least allows married men to stay on, irrespective of whether their service has been long or not. A number of the single workers have been volunteering to go off by making applications for leave, thus allowing married men to be absorbed. They will, of course, be re-engaged. In the garden of Mr. Frank Gibson, of Cambridge, says the Independent, there is to be seen two unique rows of peas. They are unique for the plants are laden with pods than eight feet in height and are a solid wall of growth. The crop promises to be a most prolific one, for*, the plants the laden with pods and are a mass of flowers. It is also interesting to note that the seed peas were from an ordinary packet, sold by local grocers for eating purposes. Having about a quarter of a packet over Mr. Gibson planted them as an experiment, with the remarkable results obtained, though it should be mentioned that the peas have been careifully tended during their short period of growth. “Zadkiel” (who for 98 years hjps been- predicting future events) is rather weird about New Zealand. Under “The Autumnal Equinox” (September), which is, of course - identical with our vernal equinox, Zadkiel says: “At Wellington, New Zealand, the moon is in mid-heaven, and the ingress takes place in the sixth house. Sudden and unexpected changes will take place in the Government, and there will be deaths of many people of high rank. Strikes are threatened, and the Government will suffer through loss of popularity and election • losses. Financially the quarter will be a very prosperous one and new legislation affecting finance will prove successful. Railway and aeroplane disasters will occur, and shipping ■will be damaged by storms.” IBy a strange turn of Fortune’s wheel, one of the.ships that helped to win the war for the Allies has been purchased by Germany. The well-known Shaw, Savill and Albion Company’s liner Arawa has been sold to German buyers for £24,000. During the war the Arawa was used as a transport. She passed safely through that dangerous period, and since peace was declared has traded regularly between the Old Country and New Zealand. Except during the war period she has been trading steadily on this route mace 1907. The vessel was built by -'Swan, Hunter and Wjigham Richardson, Newcastle, and her tonnage is 9372 tons gross. Her net tonnage is 5985 tons, and she carries 11,379 tons deadweight. She arrived at Southampton from New Zealand on September 15. ■Stoats are wary animals, and so their habits are not widely known. It may surprise many people to know that these rodents are expert tree-climbers, but the fact is familiar enough to opossum hunters (says the Levin Chronicle). A feat which a stoat performed recently in this district, however, is one which has probably not been heard of before, and then it would be hard to credit but for the reliability of the witnesses. The Levin telephone gang were at work on a line at Heatherlea, when they saw a stoat climb to the top of a tawa tree, estimated at from 30 to 35 feet high, and heard the screeching of some starlings, evidently its intended prey. The men threw stones at the animal, and to their surprise <it took a flying leap from the top of the tree. What astouinded them was that, on striking the ground, the stoat was evidently uninjured by its great drop, and made off; at a considerable speed, eluding th% chase that was immediately given by the workmen. An examination of the place Avhere it landed did not reveal any softness in the ground, which was ordinary hard pasture.