Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1929. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3905, 9 February 1929, Page 2

Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1929. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Skilled workers are fully employed in all centres of Southland. The Wellington Show had a profit of £6621.

Fishing off Moturoa, New Plymouth, a fisherman caught a hapuka which when 'cleaned weighed 801 b. There is scarcely a mile of road in the Ashburton 'County that a motor car cannot be driven over.

January was a small building month in Napier, 14 permits of a total value of £3115 being issued.

On Friday next the Bainesse and Taikorea school picnics and prizedistributions will take place.' Class books are now being revised under.the supervision of the Education Department. Another effort to establish the mallard duck in the Wanganui district is being made by the Acclimatisation Society.

Webster, the young Auckland swimmer, will make his second attempt on Cook Strait next week. To-morrow he will attempt to swim Wellington harbour. For two vacant positions on the clerical staff of the New Plymouth Borough Council staff, 61 applications from all over New Zealand were received.

A big gathering of newspaper men will take place at Rotorua next week, when delegates will assemble from all parts of the Dominion for the purpose of holding the annual meetings of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association, the United Press Association, and the New Zealand Section of the Empire Press Union.

There is on view to-day in the C. M. Ross Coy’s. sth window a fine collection of dahlias grown by Mrs. F. Woods. All who admire flowers should make a point of seeing these fine specimens.

The Manawatu County Council’s steam roller has been working on the beach road crushing down the metal during the last day or so. As a result the highway is now in somewhat better condition, although it is still far from good. A big Christchurch property deal is reported in High Street, where the freehold of the Empire Hqjel has been sold for £32,000. The purchaser is Mr. R. Sierakows'ky, present licensee and owner of the White Swan Hotel, and the vendors are the trustees of the Carl Estate. The price paid is equivalent to over £IOOO a foot.

After having maintained a daily service since December 2, the daylight limited expresses between Auckland and Wellington will make their last run this summer to-day. They will he brought on again for the Easter traffic on March 26 until April 6. Railway officials stated yesterday the number of passengers using the train this season has been a little larger in past years.

The foundation work in connection with the new courthouse is now completed, and a start has been made with the bricklaying. The foundations are of a very substantial nature and cavity walls are being erected. The contractor (Mr. T. W. Hunt) is malting good progress with the work and when completed the structure should present a very substantial and ornate appearance.

At the inquest at Hamilton into the Horotiu smash, in which three people were killed, a verdict of accidental death was returned, no blame being attachable to the en-gine-driver. The jury added a rider that the crossing was dangerous, and that the Government should hold itself responsible, for making crossing safe, notwithstanding that motorists may disregard railway regulations. Three small boys were having a very busy time with their spades and buckets at the seaside. Each (says the “Taranaki Herald”) was building a model motor-car. The first hoy had piled and patted the sand into passable semblance of a racing car, the second had made quite a success of a touring car, but the third boy’s construction was without shape or form. “What sort of a car is that?” asked an old gentleman who was interested in tlie proceedings. “It looks like two or three cars all together. 1 ’ “That’s just what it is,” replied the little chap 'loftily. f “It’s a collision.”

A tourist has stated in Dunedin that when lie was recently making his way by motor through the North Island the car skidded oil the road into a small swamp. As there were only two persons in the car they were unable to replace it on the road. They called at the nearest farm, which happened to be one of the Government agricultural farms for boys. The tourist asked the supervisor for the loan of a horse, and received the startling - reply that permission would have to he obtained from the head office in Wellington. About two horn’s passed before word was received that the use of the horse could be granted. In a few seconds the car was removed from the bog and able to proceed.

After a trial lasting three days in the Palmerston Supreme 'Court, James! Morton McGill, aged 26, was sentenced by Mr. Justice Smith yesterday to three years’ reformative treatment on a charge of breaking and entering and theft.

The headmaster of the 'St. Clair School, Dunedin, for the first time in his experience, had occasion to enrol triplets when the classes commenced again this year. 'Such an enrolment is believed to be unique in the history of Otago schools. A fully attended meeting of the Claudelands Anglican committee unanimously decided to approve of Dean Barnett’s action in refusing to resign at Bishop Oherrington’s request. The committee pledged itself to support Dean Barnett. At the Wellington Supreme Court yesterday John Moore McKinder, who had pleaded guilty to a charge of breaking, entei-ing and theft, was sentenced by Mr. Justice Herdman to two years’ imprisonment with hard labour.

Captain T. T. Hugo, Government Inspector of Fire Brigades, inspected the local Fire Brigade at the fire station on Thursday night. Ho complimented the brigade upon their efficiency and equipment which he said was on a higher level than any other brigade in a town of a similar size in the Dominion.

A; complaint has been made to us against the conduct of certain school children who are in the habit of calling names to a certain elderly woman when they meet her on the street. We havejpassed on the complaint to the headmaster of the school who no doubt will look into the matter.

Preliminary arrangements,-which the' parties regard as definite, liavg been made for Tom Heeney, the New Zealand heavyweight boxer, and Phil Scott, the English exponent, to fight in London for the world’s championship. The contest will take place in the last week in April, or lhe first week in May, and the purse will be £2OOO aside. Referring to the conflict of evidence in the ease in the Wellington Supreme Court, in Avhieh an attendant at the Porirua Mental Hospital was charged with assaulting a patient, His Honour, Mr. Justice Herdman, in summing up, remarked that it had been Avritten: “All men are liars.” To that, he informed the jury, there Avere tAvo exceptions on record, the United States president (George Washington), and the instance from Babylonian days “Epaminondas nunquam mentiret,” (“Epaminondas never told a lie.”) His Honour then proceeded to point out instances where the evidence was in 'conflict, saying it Avas for the jury to accept wliat they believed to be the truth.

In vieAv of the improvement in the King’s health, it has iioav been decided that the mission of His lloyai Highness, the Duke of Gloucester, to invest the Emperor of Japan with the insignia of the Order of the Garter, Avill leave London for Tokio at the end of March, arriving in Japan at the beginning of May. The Duke will be accompanied by the Earl of Airlie, one of His Majesty’s Lords -in-W ai ti ng. Maj or- Gjeinerai Sir Hugh Elies, with Mr. Hugh Lloyd Thomas, First Secretary in His Majesty’s Diplomatic Service, and Captain Howard Kerr, Eleventh Hussars, Equerry in Attendance on His Royal Highness.

Blackberries are ripening fast, and many people are already indulging in picking the luscious berries that grow so profusely in the Waikato. Some lady visitors to Cambridge, ttvo bailing from 'Christchurch, will long remember their experiences of blackberrying the other day. They saw a great clump of berries, and were enjoying themselves immensely in gathering and eating the berries, Avheil suddenly one of the ladies, by no means of the slender type, fell headlong into a deep drain, over wrich the brambles had grown. Her two companions managed to secure hold o£ a hand each, and then commenced a desperate struggle'. Tavlco the lady Avas hoisted almost to safety when she fell again, and each time the briars pricked more savagely. Just when the ladies were almost in despair, a man happened along, and Avith his aid the lady was extricated. She lias been busily engaged for the past few days in attending to slight Avounds and endeavouring to pull out’ thorns. She declares that blackberries are an invention of the evil one. —Independent.

’ Nothing like a pipe AAffien things go Avrong —bow it soothes, solaces and cheers! —and lioav it enhances one’s comfort and sense of wellbeing Avhen things are going right! But to get the best out of a smoke you must select your ’baccy Avith discrimination. Avoid brands full of nicotine. Be sure they’ll let you down sooner or later. Then you Avon’t Avant to smoke at all! And —mind this —the imported brands all contain more nicotine than is good for anyone. Why smoke these when you can get pure New Zealand tobacco at any tobacconist’s — sweet, cool, fragrant and very pure because there’s hardly any nicotine in it. You see, the leaf is toasted. That rids it of most o-f its nicotine besides developing flaAxmr and aronm. Better or more' innocous tobacco money cannot buy. There are several brands all good, special favourites being “Riverhead Gold,” ,a mild delicious aromatic; “Navy Cut No. 3,” a blend of choice me-dium-flavoured tobaccos; “Cavendish” (the sportsman’s smoke), another fine medium; and “Gut Plug No. 10,” for those who prefer a full-bodied tobacco. The flavour is unique.

The number of pupils attending the Beach side-school now total GO.

New Zealand must face a 'rising bill for education. That is the considered opinion of the Minister of Education .(lion. 11. Atmore). He stated recently that the general cost of education in the Dominion was £4,000,000, but an increase could be expected. Replacement of schools was a big question, involving heavy expenditure. “One new school a year in each of the four centres is the ideal to be aimed at,” said Mr. Atmore. “There are a great number of claims all over the country, but it will be kept in view.” The Minister promised to consider the question of .providing more manual training centres in districts where such were required.

Mr. Coleman, the health inspector for Wlhangarei, left his car standing at the top of Kamo Hill while lie went back to pick up a number-plate, but before he returned to the car the brakes became released, and the car, with a lady in the front'seat, ran down the steep hillside, gaining momentum all the time. Luckily, after it had travelled several chains, it worked off the road and with a loud crash finished up against an iron telegraph post. The passenger, although suffering from, shock, was not injured, but the car, jammed between the telegraph post and a stone wall, was considerably damaged.

Although the access, to the ocean beach from the old river bed at the local seaside is in good order and quite safe for cars, thanks to the distribution of flax bundles over the soft sand, motorists venturing out on to the hard ocean beach should exercise a certain amount of care in manoeuvring their vehicles. Last evening a motorist who had been for a drive along the beach and taken a run up to the mouth of the river, on his return, ran his. car into a patch of soft sand when turning and found some difficulty in extricating the vehicle. The fast in-coming tide added to the fears of the party that the vehicle was doomed, but with the assistance of drift wood and willing helpers it was soon on the hard sand again and the party was able to proceed on its Avay little the worse for their adventure.

Visitors to the local seaside often find great difficulty in locating the present cutting leading off from the river beach to the metal highway after dark and one motorist last evening spent quite a time endeavouring to find a mode of egress from the beach. He made three attempts to leave the beach between the swings and the cutting and was baulked on each occasion by houses and when lie did ultimately find the right track he raced the engine of his car up to get through the soft sand and fused all his lights and was thus left in the middle of the cutting in the pitch dark. Some means of identifying the cutting should he adopted by the Beach Improvement Committee as the present “street” light is of little assistance to strangers to the beach.

The “Standard’s” Otaki correspondent writes: —Constable Satlierlev on Wednesday received telephonic communication to the effect that a five-seater car had been located in a gully near the saddle on the Akatarawa. He immediately made enquiries and visited the scene. On arrival he found that the car was a five-seater vehicle, originally valued at £4OO, and the property of Mr. John Richard Dunning-, of 101 Overton Terrace, Wellington, now tin inmate of the Han me r Sanatorium. The par was stolen in September, 1927, and had evidently been abandoned on the hill; perhaps pushed over the embankment. Constable Satherley had a difficult climb of some 300 feet to the spot and found the car partly covered with debris from the road, while the hood was badly torn. Parts were also found to be missing. Constable Satherley had to be hauled from the gully by means of a rope. The matter has now been reported to headquarters.

It was with feelings akin to attending a funeral that old-timers watched the dismantling of the old barque Northern Chief, known in the ’eighties and ’nin'ties_ as Macjkay’s yacht, at the Prince’s Wharf last'Saturday, writes the “Auckland Star.” For over 40 years she rendered good service in the intqvcolonial and ’Frisco trade, but, with the end of the war, she was relegated to Rotton Row. So much had her -masts deteriorated for want of attention that when she was being berthed the mainmast snapped below the cross-trees, and crashed upon the deck. The foremast and stump of the mainmast were lifted out by the wharf crane; but the miz-zen-mast, having the shroud lanyards undone, was too rotten to hold its own weight, and plunged overboard, breaking again as it struck the water. Luckily the workmen were clear of both spars when they carried away. The hull is to be towed to Clevedon, where it will be broken up, the beams for fencing posts, and the plunking for firewood.