Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, 1929. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3891, 5 January 1929, Page 2

Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, 1929. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The weather during the holidays has been very changeable and as a result colds are prevalent. In all, 38 persons were adjudicated bankrupt in Palmerston during the year, compared with 52 in 1927, a decrease of ,14, 18 from the town itself, the others being from outside districts.

During the six. months ended last October the road motor services operated by the Railways Department carried 1,443,120 passengers as compared with 290,111 in the corresponding period of last year. Miss E. Hoyle, a well known Napier runner, Who recently equalled the New Zealand record time for a ladies’ 100 yards race in Napier, has been invited to appear in a big sports meeting that is being held in Wellington on January 12.

Old}' seven farmers, compared with 12 for the previous year, have been bankrupt in 1028 in the Palmerston area. Seven labourers, five small traders, four agents and salesmen, and three contractors were among the number.

A Press Association message from Ashburton states that George Bishop, aged 33, a farmer at Mount Somers, was found hanging in a shed at the rear of the house where, he resided with his' mother and faster. He was unmarried. There is considerable discussion among sporting writers in N New lYorlc regarding Tom Heeney’stpossible retirement from the ring. It is stated that the 'New Zealander has only a lukewarm desire to. continue, and that his wife is constantly pressing him to retire. The number of bankruptcies in the 'North Canterbury district this year was 80, compared with 82 in 1927 and 65 in 1926. In each of these three years farmers have been the worst sufferers, Thirteen fanners were forced to file in 1928, 15 in 1927 and 11 in 1926.

The Hull Magistrates heard an application by Eva Venus for a separation order from. William Venus, a vocalist, who gave evidence that his wife was so lazy that he had to wash her, dress her, cut her nails, comb her hair, and do the housework. The application was dismissed.

There passed away at Westport on January 3rd, Annie, fourth daughter of Mrs. .Sullivan, - -of Shannon, and wife of Mr. Louis Hansby. Deceased was 29 years of age and had been ill for some finite, recently undergoing a serious operation. Deceased leaves a young family of three children besides her husband to ‘mourn their loss. Mr. J. B. Coley, of Hillary Street, Foxton, is a brother of deceased.

Frank Bosniel), aged 17, son of Mv. Tony (Bosnieli, lost his life at Wlliangarci on .Sunday afternoon, (states a correspondent). With a group of boys younger than himself he went to a pool in the Waiarohia stream near the dairy factory and dived in. His head evidently struck the submerged projecting bank, dislocating the, neck . The boy’s hor-ror-stricken companions .saw him double up and fall into deep water. They at once informed the police. A boat was secured, but the search was difficult, and the body was located eventually by means of grappling hooks. Artificial respiration was tried, but when Dr. Ventry Smith arrived the boy was dead. His mother is at present dangerously ill in the hospital. The owner of the fowls could hardly believe his eyes when he returned home at the dinner hour (reports the “Taranaki Herald”). What was iu the morning a pen full of healthy chicks looked like a fowl hospital, for m'ost of the birds lay on their backs with their feat pointing skywards. One or two, hardly strong enough to•stand, staggered weakly about before subsiding again to the ground. Fearing the chicks had been smitten by some fell disease, the owner made anxious inquiries. He eventually discovered that his wife had mixed the morning bran and pollard with the moist residue from some homemade wine which her husband had lately manufactured.

Over 2,507,000 gallons of mineral lubricating nil was imported into New- Zealand during the first 10 months of 1928.

There are only three of the Amelia Thompson.’s passengers (who arrived at New Plymouth in 1841) alive to-day—namely, Mrs. S. Wright, Mrs. W. Greenwood (sisters) and Mrs. 'Telfar. The Taranaki iHerald states that Mrs. Greenwood celebrated her 90th birthday on November 3. Mrs. Telfar is also over 90.

While a party was .fishing for crayfish in one of the pools among the rocks at K'aifci beach at Gisborne on Christmas morning a conger eel was discovered. Little difficulty w'as experienced in .spearing the eel, which apparently had become sick 'and drifted in on the rocks. After the fish was landed and killed it was found to measure over sft.

A freak Scotch thistle, found on the farm of Mr. J. 'Cairns, Flemington, was brought into Ashbuiton the cither morning (says the “Guardian”). .The several stems have grown together into a flat stalk, nearly a Toot wide at the top, and half an inch thick. A bunch of leaves has Tor a centre piece a cluster of buds nearing the opening stage. These are not round, but have been flattened in the same manner as the steins. The whole plant is over four feet high. Thousands of moths, having the appearance of a large cloud, were seen at Riverside, Otago, recently. A motorist passing through the district at about half-past seven said the moths extended over a distance of 'about three miles above the road and surrounding paddocks. The cloud of insects was more dense in the vicinity of tree's, and appeared bo be travelling toward the sea. Several of them flew into the motor-car. They were each about an inch in length and white in colour.

■S'tewart Island possesses a rare animal, namely, a distinct species of bat that is 'apparently not found elsewhere. The bat possesses a tail, and evidently is the only bat to have one. In the extreme south of the Island they had their home in a cave known as Bats’ Cave by the fisherinen. The bats used to be there in great numbers but recently it was reported that someone had lit a big - fire in the cave and the bats had disappeared. They may have transferred to some other haven, but it is singular that this cave is the only place where the bats have been seen.

The holiday rush at the Auckland railway station had its lighter moments (states the “Sun”). Because of the late arrival from the south of one train extra ears to the Tane'atua express had to be found in the yard. These were not labelled, and were locked, until a porter could mark the seats. He carefully locked the doors, and started busily pasting - numbers to the scats. Meanwhile, the doors were besieged by waiting passengers . One clever traveller produced bis po'cket knife and carefully opened the door of the carriage in which the porter was working. But he had not thought of the crowd which swarmed up behind him. The door fled, open, people piling on top of each other in the rush to find seats. The swinging door met the porter with a crash. His paste pot and 'tickets flew in all directions, but not before lie had received the full flavour of the paste in his mouth.

As a chap grows older many things that formerly gave him pleasure lose their appeal. But there’s one thing he rarely tires of —his pipe. In fact the older a man grows, the more necessary his pipe seems to become to him. Of course the enemies of the weed will laugh. But what does the man who does not (or cannot) smbke know of the joys of smoking? Tobacco is often roundly abused. Yet it’s harmless enough so long as it’s not heavily charged with nicotine as most of the imported brands qre. Is there any really pure tobacco on the market? Yes; our own New Zealand tobacco are remarkable Tor their purity. And they contain so little nicotine that they may he smoked freely without fear of consequences. Another strbng point in their favour is that the leaf js toasted. Hence their fascinating flavour and delightful bouquet. Where are they to be bad? Why, at any tobacconist’s. Ask for “Riverhead Gold” mild, “Navy lOut” (Bulldog) medium, or “Cut Plug No. 10” (Bullsihcad) full strength.

i A correspondent writes to the PPiost” asking which >of the Ministers of the late Reform Cabinet are entitled to retain the title of “Honorable.” The question is governed by the length of time the Ministers served as such. In order to qualify permanently as “honorable,” a Minister must have served for three years as a member of the Executive Council, the period commencing as from the date of appointment by the Governor-General. Five members of Mr. Coates’ Cabinet have not served for the requisite period —Mr. R. A. Wright, Mr. J. A. Young, Mr. F. J. Rolleston, Mr. 0. J. Hawken, and Mr. K. S. Williams, and they therefore relinquish the title. The late Prime ■Minister, now Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Coates), retains the title “Right Honorable” by virtue of his office as a Privy Councillor, 'and in any case would be entitled to retain the title “honorable,” as he has held Ministerial rank for more than three years. The only other Privy Councillors in New Zealand are the Right Hon. Sir Frances Bell, the Riglit Hon. Sir Robert Stout, 'and the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Wlard.

Owing to the continued wet weather, blight lhas affected potato crops in this district.

Mushrooms have already made their appearance in it lie Manawatu, due, no doubt to the plentiful warm rains experienced recently.

With the completion of the Turakina bridge, another important improvement has been effected in the main Auckland-W-ellington highway.

Farmers who liave no't been able to make an early start with shearing and hay-making ,t>his season have been greatly hampered byjthc persistent showery weather that has characterised the present summer to date.

The friends of Mr. S. Mudgway will regret to learn that he met with an accident during the holidays. He was trying his motor cycle out on the Levin .cycle track when it got out of control and crashed, the rider sustaining a severe shaking and bruising. It will be some days yet before he will be able to resmue work.

The world was using 32,500,000 telephones at the end of 1928, an increase of 1,500,000 over ,1927. North America leads with 20,000,000, Europe, is second with 8,500,000. The number o'f telephones per hundred inhabitants is as follows: United . States, 1G; Canada, 12.7; New Zealand, 9.9; Australia, 7.4; Germany, ,4.4; Great Britain 3.G; France and Argentina, ,2.1. A start has been made with the preparation oif the first strip of the Foxton-Sanson highway, commencing just outside the borough .boundary. For some distance in this locality the side of the road h'as been ploughed and scooped, the earth being used to lay the foundation Tor widening the road on the western side.

Bishop Bennett of Aotearoa, is now on the first stage of his tour of his diocese, which covers the whole of New Zealand. On Monday he left Hastings, preaching at Opoutania on Tuesday. Later lie will continue up the East Coast through the Bay of Plenty to Rotorua and Taupo, and thence to Taranaki and Wanganui, afterwards visiting the South Island.

‘The little daughter of Mr. and' .Mrs. W. D. Neville met with a painful experience on Thursday evening. While at te'a the child got a fish hone stuck in its throat and ■medical assistance was summoned. It was found necessary, however, to remove the sufferer to the Palmerston North Hospital where a slight operation was performed and the obstruction removed. The child ■was able to return to its home the following day. „ Millions of small green beetles, all well and truly drowned, at present cover the beach at (Retane, near Napier, just about high water mark, having been washed up by the sea. The place of their origin is a mystery and it is impossible to tell how far they have been carried by the waves. Their numbers are such that if they have all been carried from one particular spot, says a Napier paper, they must have constituted almost a plague in that locality during the time of their residence.

A fish that might be described as a marine porcupine was fofmd dead in the sea near the New Plymouth breakwater recently. From the character of certain punctures in its scaleless body it seemed that it had received a fatal bite from a barraceuta that had hastily dropped the morsel on discovering it was well armoured above and below with rows of short but sharp quills. The fish w'as about 9in. long and weighed about IMb., its square head being set in a stocky body that tapered sharply toward a tail supported by fins. There was no dorsal fin and an exceptionally small mouth was provided with two boney ridges in lieu of teeth, that in the upper jaw being triangular in shape. The ,eyes were set. wide apart on either side of the head, while further back there were two gills.

'The industry of Germans greatly impressed Mr. Claude H. Moses, of Auckland, during a recent visit to Germany. Giving an instance of this he said at Cologne the rubbish hvas collected in sealed tins and taken to chemical factories. All cloth and other .material Avas recovered and made into artificial silk. Bones and vegetable matter were treated for the making of fertilisers, Avhile other matter Avent through a process 'which culminated in the production of blocks for street paving. “As a result, there is no Avaste,” Mr. Moses added. “In fact, huge profits are made from this industry alone. It is interesting to note that 400,000 people are employed in chemical factories in Germany. The number in America in 35,000, and in England only 15,000.”

Starting off Avith a ruby ring, and adding various articles from time to time to stimulate the bidding, a Wanganui auctioneer the other day succeeded in bringing the price offered to him for the collection up to £23. He was asking Avhether there Avas any advance Avhen a Maori appeared on the scene and promptly called “Twenty-four.” No one seemed prepared to go above this and the hammer fell. A hitch then occurred in the proceedings, as the Maori, on going up to the auctioneer’s assistant, entered into an argument Avith him, the upshot of which Avas that it was learned that the successful bidder had thought the 24 Avas shillings and not pounds. The sale Avas declared off as far as the Maori whs 1 concerned, and the articles Avent to the next highest bidder.