LOCAL AND GENERAL

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3898, 24 January 1929, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A number of local Territorials left Foxton yesterday by train on route for Waver! ey where they will receive a week’s training.

A meeting of the creditors of Ronald Norman Shaw, bankrupt labourer, of Foxton, was adjourned yesterday owing to an insufficient attendance.

A sou-westerly gale raged throughout this district on Tuesday night and yesterday afetrnoon with a wintry drop in temperature. Yesterday afternoon Wanganui was visited by an electric storm and a heavy downpour.

Mr. R. J. Webster, the Auckland swimmer who contemplates attempting to swim Cook Strait, yesterday swam from Arkles Bay almost to Milford bealch, a distance of about eight and a-half miles in a direct line, in four hours and 58 minutes.

Becoming entangled in a leading rope a girl named Myrtle Pattenson, the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Patterson, .aged 17, of Marsden Point, Wihangarei Harbour, was dragged round a paddock by a horse, sustaining terrible injuries, including a broken neck. The girl was picked up dead.

The Wanganui Education Board, yesterday confirmed the following Alexander Scholarships, tenable at the Wanganui Technical College: Kathleen Irving (Marton D.H.S.), Jean McGregor (Oliakuiuv D.H.S.), Maurice Hollas (Hunterville D.ILS.). The scholarships are valued at £SO each.

As a result of instructions received from the chairman of the Foxton Harbour Board, (Mr. J. LinkJater,: M.P.), the pilot (Captain C. Larsen) has been deputed to place the life line at the beach near the water’s edge on every occasion that visitors arc likely to visit the seaside.

A .serious accident occurred about three miles on the Levin side of the uShannon road at 7.30 o’clock last evening, as a result of whicjli Mr. Thomas O’Donnell of Wanganui, was admitted to the Palmerston hospital suffering severe back injuries. Mr. ;M. O’Donnell was driving a car carrying as passengers the injured man and the latter’s wife and child, when another motor grazed the front of their car and broke the steering gear. The car overturned blit the only occupant miueli injured was Mr. T. O’Donnell, though the driver sustained a superficial wound on the forehead.

■The local paper reports that a raspberry grower in Grey town picked a ton of fruit from his patch in ne da v of this week.

The two tiger cubs recently born at the Auckland Zoo have been taken away from their mother, and are being reared on the Plunket principle. At the Wlairarapa Motor Sports held at Carterton on 'Saturday, the lightweight •championship was won by T. Morgan and the New Zealand heavy-weight championship by P. Coleman.

At the Sydney Stadium on Saturday night after a thrilling bout, with niany exciting rallies, the American welterweight Jack Span' Cl (Ist. 41b) signalised his first appearance in Australia by defeating Touifiiiy Fairhall (9st. 121 b.) on points in 15 rounds.

At the Levin sports meeting, held on Tuesday evening, Ball succeeded in running into second place in his beat for the 100 yards men’s handicap event. He was unsuccessful in the final, however. Miss M. Barron won her heat for the 100 yards ladies’ handicap off 7 yards. Time 40 4-ssec. She was also successful in winning the final, which resulted in a close finish. Time 11 l-ssec.

Richard Murray, aged 18, an upholsterer’s employee, at Toorack, was soldering a four gallon tin of methylated spirits when an explosion ignited his clothing and he became a human torch and was burned to death. The shop was set on lire and two horses were roasted, and six motor ears, four hands'om cabs and three waggonettes destroyed.

At Sydney on Saturday Arne Borg broke the world’s record for swimming half a mile formerly held by Charlton, by five seconds. The achievement stamped him as one of the greatest swimming wonders of tin* ago. His time was ten minutes, 27 seconds. His nearest opponent, Noel Ryan, who is a promising youth, finished 45 yards behind Borg.

At the return athletic meeting between the Wellington and Wanganui clubs, held at Wanganui on Saturday evening, the ladies’ events were won as follows: 75 yards: Miss Cannon (Wanganui), 7 yds., 1; Miss Grcager (Wanganui), lyd., 2; Miss .Sampson (Wanganui), 74yds., 3. Time 8 4-ssee. 100 yards: Miss Cannon (Wanganui) | 10yds., 1; Miss Sampson (Wanganui), 10yds., 2; Miss Edwards (Wellington), oyds., 3. Time llsec.

William Park, of Raglan, aged 58, and Clarence Walter, of Ngavuawahia, aged 24, were drowned on the Raglan bar on Sunday afternoon. Together with L. Park, son of the former L. Bcrtling, they went out in a launch fishing. They wore returning over the bar when a big wave came over the stern and the launch began to break up. The alarm was given and help sent but it was impossible to save the victims. Their companions clung to portion of the launch and reached the shore. L. Park made a great effort to save his father.

Tn the course of his farewell remarks at the Wanganui Court on Tuesday, Mr. J. S. Barton, S.M., related a humorous incident that occurred in Gisborne when he was stationed there. A new and nervous Justice of the Peace asked Mr. Barton if lie would allow him to sit on the bench one day with him to get experience. Mr. Barton agreed to the suggestion, and on looking down from the bench at the oouiimlencement of the day’s list the Justice remarked to Mr. Barton: “My word, you have got a tough looking lot u pbefore you this morning.” Mr. Barton: “Shi Sh! They are members of the Bar.”

Mliss Copplestone, who abandoned her attempt to shvim, Cook Strait on Saturday miorning informed a Dominion reporter that she was keenly disappointed that she was unable to start. However, “she would do it if it took her ten years,” and she hoped to make another attempt in a fortnight’s time if she could make the necessary arrangements with her employers. Miss Copplestone said she realised it was necessary for her to become familiar with the course she was to follow across the Strait, and in (February she hoped to be able to spend a week becoming acquainted with the tides. As it was she was placed at a disadvantage, because the strait had not yet been crossed by a swimmer and information from ■the experiences of others was lacking.

“A yard of clay”—and contentment! A well-known New Zealand - n just returned'from a trip Home (he motored all over England) says the happiest man lie met on his travels was a Devonshire yokel in a ■ shtoek-frock who was seated on a rustic bench outside a country inn with his back against a tree and “a yard of clay” in his mloutli. “He looked a. perfect picture of contentment.” Wonderful is the power of the weed. It halves our sorrows and doubles our joys. Its enemies say hard things about it, but so long as its quality is good and it’s as free from nicotine as possible it does irioro good than harm. Unfortunately most of the imported brands contain so much nicotine that they do more harm than good. It’s otherwise with our New Zealand tobacCos. ‘They are alm'ost free from nicotine, and s'o may be smoked with absolute impunity. They are quite remarkable, too, for flavour and fragrance. The favourite brands are “Riverhcad Gold” mild, “Navy Cut” (Bulldog) medium, and “Cut Plug No. 10” (Bullshcad) full strength.

“During my long residence in this locality,” said a local farmer to our representative, I have never seen such a prolific summer growth as we are at present experiencing.”

The 81)th anniversary of the foundation of Wellington fell on Tuesday. The (first body of immigrants arrived at Port Nicholson on January 22, 1840. The preliminary expedition of the New Zealand Company under Colonel William Wakefield arrived on September 20 of the previous year. The Wellington Post, referring to the local Pace meeting says: “Judging- by result, the Foxton; Club has made a happy move in altering the dates of its meeting, for visitors abounded and the locals turned out in good force. The picnic nature of the gathering was well in evidence amongst the hundreds of motor-cars and under the trees.”

At Toowoomba, while Mrs. Edward Perkins, was crossing a railway lino, her shoe heel became wedged in the rail points. The crew of ail oncoming trijin failed to notice her plight and frantic signals and she was killed. Iler husband is manager of the Perkins brewery at Brisbane. A sedan car overturned on the Foxton-Sandon road yesterday afternoon about ten miles north of Foxton. The occupants escaped uninjured and the car was not seriously damaged. The cause of the accident was the blowing out of one of the tyres, which caused the vehicle to skid in, the loose metal.

The Mayor (Mr. M. E. Perreau) and Town Cleric (Mr. _ \\>n. Trueman) attended a conference of local body (representatives in Palmerston North to-day convened by the Manawattt-Oroua River Board to discuss the proposed river cut scheme. The Council's instruction to its delegates'at last meeting:'was to oppose the proposal.

A local resident who spent several years gold mining in New Zealand and Australia states that lie intends to again go ,over some of the country lie prospected in the Marlborough district years ago. He informed our representative that lie left a creek where lie gathered several hundreds of pounds worth of alluvial gold to go to Kalgoorlie. “I'm going to fossick in that creek again,” he concluded.

“In my opinion every school in New Zealand should teach swimming to its pupils,” commented Dr. Pinfold, Deputy-Mayor of Hamilton, when discussing recent drowning accidents. “It is far more important than .many other subjects such as intensive geography —but,* of course, that is a matter of dispute. Secondary as well as primary school children should have so much time each day devoted to swimming lessons. In a period ol ten days eight persons have accidentally been drowned in (lie Waikato district, Five lost their lives at Kawihia, two at Raglan, and one at (he Narrows oir-fhe Waikato River. Some of the victims were swimmers.