LOCAL AND GENERAL

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3939, 7 May 1929, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The primary schools will break up for their winter vacation from Friday next, May 10, re-opening again on Monday, May 27. Yesterday was Accession Day, it being nineteen years, since King Geoifge, on May 6th, 1910, succeeded his father King Edward VII. on the throne. The Manawatu Hotel has changed hands and is now under the proprietorship of Mrs. S. A. Wallace, of Wjellingiton. Mr and Mrs J. Swindale 'have left for Wellington. At the South Canterbury Hunt meeting held at Waitawa on Saturday, the whip, Mr. James McDondine, was thrown while negotiating a fence, breaking his ne'ek. A resident of Lyttelton, David S. Dodds, a married man with three children, was found dead late on Saturday night in circumstances pointing to poisoning. He was in business as a dyer and cleaner. At Melbourne on Saturday night the Nenv Zealander, Johnny Lecikic, outpointed Claude Wilson. It was a good, hard-pegging fight all the time, with Leckie never letting up for a minute. Leckie, however, stopped a heavy punch in the eighth which nearly ended the contest..

The first unit of the Arapuni Power Works generating 15,000 kilowatts had a preliminary run on Saturday night and will be run for about a fortnight to dry out the generator. It is then expected power will be available to the public. This is one unit of three to be installed and provides more current than the whole works at Horabora, where the output is 10,300 kilowatts. The completion of this great woifc was marked with tragic circumstance, the engineer in charge Janies Wilfred Swaney dying almost immediately after. Power was turned on at fi.3o and shut off at i .30. Later Mr. Swaney who was feeling the effects of strain went fob a drive with his .wife and two friends, but was suddenly taken ill and expired before a doctor arrived. Mr. iSwaney was born at Temuka 40 years ago and leaves a widow and daughter.

The next meeting of the Foxton Lunch (Chib will lie held in Whyte’s Hotel on Thursday.

Local members of the Mounted Rifles are at present undergoing a period of training at Levin. Camp commenced last Wednesday and will conclude on Saturday next. In all theire are 226 men under canvas ■on the racecourse. During the next few days the troops will be engaged in tactical work in the country towards Ilokio beach. An inspection of the camp will be made on Thursday by the Ct.O.C., Major General R. Young, C. 8., C.8.G., D.S.O. and Brigadier J. 11. Whyte, D. 5.0., D.C.M.

Totara is now no longer used for telegraph poles (says the Auckland Herald). It cannot stand a transverse blow. If struck by, say, a runaway motor-truck a totara pole is apt to break cleanly in two like a carrot. A heavy ironbark pole would probably give the truck the worst of the encounter. Ironbark and New Zealand silver pine are now the standard timbers, but silver pine is not used much in cities, for the reason that it is hard to obtain in perfectly shaped lengths.

Shortly after seven o’clock on Saturday evening, an elderly man, Percy McGlone, a resident of the Ivimbolton district, was found in an unconscious condition, lying on Foxton line near Monrad Street, Palmerston North. The unfortunate man was removed to the Palmerston North hospital. Inquiries at the institution last evening elicited the information that the patient was still unconscious as the result of seve're head injuries. It is alleged that 'Mr. McGlone was struck by a motor-car which failed to stop after the accident.

At Auckland on Saturday Aubrey Field Billing, aged 49, was arrested by detectives at his office and subsequently appeared in the Police Court, when he pleaded guilty to a charge of using the premises as a common gaming house. Chief Detective Hammond said Billing had formerly worked for a big bookmaker, who suddenly left the Dominion. “Billing used to post the bookie’s books every night and I suppose he thought it was an easy way to make money 'by carrying on himself, for lie knew the hooktmaker’s clientele.” “He is liable to a fine of £100,” said the Magistrate, in fining Billing £25 or two months’ imprisonment.

Messrs Perry Bros, circus shoved in Foxton last evening to a large' audience. The circus w r as located on Easton Park and attracted a large number of children during the afternoon and evening. The circus earned with it a good menagerie and put on .a good progranilnie. The Flying Lorenzes proved themselves to be ..skilful and daring trapeze artists while the tumblers, riders and clowns kept the audience interested. Senor Alberto gave a particularly fine exhibition of wire walking, and the Achci troupe of perch and ladder balancers executed some wonderful balancing feats. The enlertainlment was well up to the standard of anything previously seen locally. The circus left I his morning for Shannon.

For ingenuity and labour-saving, the efforts of a certain Takapuha scholar will take a lot of beating. A few weeks ago his class was set the task of writing an essay about any football match, or outdoor event seen on the previous Saturday. Young Trevor’s effort read: “Several football matches should have been played at ICaiiow Park on Saturday, but owing to the heavy rain they were postponed.” Since then he has weighed in with another bright effort in answer to a problem of arithmetic. The sum concerned the total of feet possessed by a certain number of horses, cattle and pigs. His answer was the soul of brevity: “They have no feet at all. Horses and cattle have hoofs, and pigs have trotters.”

Cable news every now and again gives particulars of some ancient man or woman found living far beyond the usual span of life, and the question is sometimes asked, who is the oldest inhabitant in" New Zealand? In 1920, when the last Census was taken, the oldest European recorded himself as 108 years old. But a Maori went one better, claiming to be 125, “which,” the Government Statistician remadks, “is understood to be easily the greatest age ever returned at any Census in New Zealand.” This gentleman, if still alive and if bis memory is still good must now be 12S years old, and it is interesting to think that lie was in his prime when New Zealand first becalme a British colony.

Tom Ileeney is said to have developed a taste for cigars since he became somebody. Welldone, Tom! A pipe used to do him! To be sure the cigar is supposed to he more “toney” than a pipe. Nevertheless and notwithstanding most confirmed pipe -smokers wouldn’t exchange the old briar for the best cigar going. *As for the cigar being less injurious than the pipe—tell it to the Marines! Of course if you will insist in smoking these imported tobaccos —full of nicotine as much as they can stick—you’ll deserve what’s coming to you. It’s looking for trouble to smoke stuff like that. Why not fill up with good honest New Zealand tobacco. It’s the purest on the market, so comparatively free from neiotine that you can smoke all you want, day in, day out, and take no harm. Are there more brands than one? Rather, there are several. Special favourites are: “Riverhead Gold” a beautiful aromatic, mild and delicious; “Navy Cut No. 3” and “Cavendish,” both medium; and “Uut Plug No. 10,” a rich, dark full-fla-voured sort. All tobacconists sell them. —Advt.

The Bowling Club social evening to have been held to-morrow evening has been postponed until next week. A new sedan ear left the road at Motuiti at midday to-day and bcca'ine bogged in the loose sand on the side of the road. Shortly afterwards the driver was arrested by Constables Owen and Bell. An important meeting of the Chalmber of Commerce will he held in Ross’s rooms at 7.30 o’clock sharp this evening. As business of an important nature is to be discussed, a full attendance is, requested.