Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1928 LOCAL AND GENERAL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3888, 27 December 1928, Page 2

Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27 , 1928 LOCAL AND GENERAL

“One str<oi% impression gained during, my last tom* of the Continent was the gaiety and happiness to be found in Germany,” said Mr. Ken Impett, who has returned to Auckland,

For 20 positions by the Taranaki Education Board almost 1000 applications were received. This does not represent that number of teachers, however, as some applied for two or more positions. In the Matemateonga district a notable sheep-shearing record was recently established (says the Eltliain Argus). In a local shed which was used by most of the settlers for shearing three machines put through in ten days'over seven thousand sheep. Not an hour’s tin* was lost by adverse weather.

The programme of music furnished patrons at the summer meeting of the Woodville Jockey Club was given additional interest by the presence in the combination of two members of the fair sex. It was principally the talent revealed which held the interest, of the occupants ,of the im'ain grandstand! for, not only did the two girls join in the concerted work, but proved capable of rendering solo items on the cornet. In is stated that the two young musicians are former residents of Calgary, Canada. A Greymouth angler, out after trout, had a thrilling experience (reports the Greymouth Evening iStar). Using a trout rod, casting with the whitebait minnow, he caught and landed a 281 b eel, 4ft. 6Jin. in length and with a girth of 17in. Inside the eel was found a trout 10,$in. long, and the remains of an another which must' have gone from 2Mb. to 31b. in weight. The eel took over two hours to land.: Recently another angler landed a trout with a stone about an inch and a half long in its stomach. He was fishing near Omoto and thought at first that he had solved the mystery of disappearing golf balls.

Flying from the stern of the Danish scientific ship now in Auckland is one of the most interesting flags in the world. It is the Danish Government flag known as the Danebro and it dates back to the ninth century. A legend associated with the flag tells how it fell from Heaven at Reval in Estland during a battle which the Danes were fighting against the people of Estland. Only Danish Government institutions are allowed to fly the flag which differs from the ordinary Danish national emblem in that it is fishtailed. The letters “L” and “M,” surmounted by a crown, are contained in the upper left-hand section of the Danebro.

A lady who attended a school breaking-up ceremony a few miles from New Plymouth last week had an unenviable experience. Returning home by motor she had not proceeded very far when her car began to splutter and soon stopped. Thinking that a blockage had occurred in the benzine feed-pipe, that p>art was taken off after considerable trouble, with the assistance of some passing motorists, but no cause for trouble could be located there. Further examination revealed nothing that was likely to prevent the car from giving its usual good (Service ’ |untill the benzine tank was examined, when it was discovered that some one had emptied the tank which had contained over three gallons of petrol, and had left only enough in the tank .to enable the driver to get well started.

A suggestion by the Auckland Board of Education that it should consider the question of taking' out a general insurance policy covering accidents at schools and to children being conveyed to school, has been .replied to by the Education Department. The department advised the board that, while it had in some eases made contributions toward the cost of accidents which had occurred to pupils and teachers, it could not assume the whole responsibility for accidents, mainly because teachers were not the department’s servants, and therefore were not responsible to the department for their actions. In any case, it was not the department policy to insure, because it would probably be found that premiums payable would more than equal liability. That question, however, might be discussed at some future conference of education boards. The board received the letter.

A motor cyclist named Charles Braddo'ck, aged 35, _a station cook of Orari, was killed on the main north road, Christchurch, at noon yesterday. At first it was thought the man’s name was Hamilton, but this proved to be wrong. Braddock was caught between a motor truck and a motor car. He tried to pass the truck and the motor car coming from the opposite direction struck him. The rider was badly hurt and died from his injuries.

Shortly before nine o’clock on Christmras night a man named Charles A. Rodman, between 45 and 50 years of age, was sitting with a companion on the .Jervois quay wharf when he slipped over the side and fell’ into the water. A crowd soon gathered, but no trace of the man could be seen. Constable McjCrae and other police officers dragged the water in the vicinity, but to no purpose, but the body was recovered yesterday. The other man was arrested on a charge .'of drunkenness.

With the completion of the Turakina bridge, another important improvement has been effected in the main Auckland-Wellington Highway says an exchange. The first motorists ito pass over the bridge on Monday were enthusiastic in their praise for it, the new route doing away with one of the most dangerbus railway crossings on the road, and also making the old “one V; ay”'bridge a thing of the past. The approaches to the new. bridge are still rough, but will be given a permanent coat, as soon as the formation has settled properly. “Mercutio” in the N.Z. Herald writes: To view the new Cabinet as pictured on appointment may inspire numbers of reflections ranging from “a magnificent body of men,” “a striking array of talent” on the one hand to “a mighty poor lot” on the other. A great deal depends on the point of view, or on what one had for supper the night before. Yet what should instantly spring to mind, comparing this team with its many predecessors, is “Where are the whiskers of yester-year?” Not a single beard is to be found in the whole lot of them. Can that be said of any Cabinet that has ever functioned in New Zealand before? The outgoing Ministers carried a couple away from the Treasury benches, and a search backward will disclose m'any, many more am’png the Hon. and Right Hon. Gentlemen of the past. Only moustaches, most of them close-clipped, adorn the new Ministerial faces, and not all of them at that. The fashion of facial hairlessness has grown and grown. Now it has reached the stage when even the grave and reverend seignors are in the same mould as the sheiks who set the gay pace in the resorts of youth, beauty, and fashion. As well, the clock will not be put back. Whiskers are out-of-date. They say it is just the fashion. Perhaps it is, but the advent of the safety razor probably has much to do with it;. . *

“Hi, mister, one of syour chains is loose,” shouted a well-inten-tioned young man to the driver of a benzine tank wagon which was, slowing down in the Hutt road traffic stream says the Wellington Post. He, like many other perhaps, did not realise until it was explained to him that the trailing chain seen on all such wagons is a requirement of the Explosives Act. The reason is that the movement of the spirit in the tanks when the vehicle is travelling is liable to generate static electricity. This, uuless effectively earthed, may cause a spark, the last chapter of the drama being the ignition of the spirit. The chain is an effective method of letting the electricity get away without danger. The kindly intentions of the public toward vehicle drivers is exemplified by another mistake which is sometimes manifested .on the highway. It happens now and then that a motor driver with more or less (knowledge of electrical equipment considers it necessary when on a long journey to turn his lights on in full daylight for the purpose of “‘saving his battery.” Passing pedestrians, -cyclists and motorists, by loud shouts or gesticulations endeavour to appraise the driver of the fact that he has his lamps alight, and appear disap, pointed when their signals do not bear fruit. The reason for the lights being turned on lies in the fact that a battery is capable of being’ overcharged, which induces overheating and effervescence, and stimulates earlier disintegration of the vital pastes. By running with lights on when the driver knows his battery to be well charged relieves the cells of this strain, and is thus economical practice.

“What a blessing tins smoking is 1 Perhaps the greatest we owe to the discovery of Amei'ica.” So wrote the late Sir Arthur Helps, and millions of smokers the world over have doubtless endorsed his words. But- great as is our indebtedness to America for giving “us the priceless boon of tobacco, the fact remains that practically all the American brands in use to-day contain an excess of nicotine. And that is bad, as any doctor will tell you. It is no less true that the purest tobaccos of all, —i.e., those comparatively free from nicotine, are our own New Zealand varieties. They are so pure in fact, that they may be indulged in with the utmost impunity. The leaf is toasted in the process of manufacture. Hence their delicious flavour and delightful fragrance. They come in several strengths, and are thus adapted to all tastes. You can get them at any tobacconist’s. Ask for “Riverhead Gold” mild, “Navy Cut” (Bulldog) medium, or “Cut Plug No. 10” (BuUshead), full strength.

Early in January the work of permanent surfacing of the Shan-non-Makerua section of the main highway will be commenced. The machinery is already landed and there should be no delay directly the holidays are over. The latest bulletin concerning the King’s health has paused nationwide gratification and an atmosphere of happiness and relief throughout the Palace. The authorities consider the most reassuring sign is that the King is maintaining his strength. The oxtremo slowness, of the progress continues, therefore they do not expect any rapid advance.