Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1929 LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3993, 5 September 1929, Page 2

Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1929 LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Four bankruptcies were filed in the New Plymouth district during August of this year, compared with eight during' August of last year.

Two monster eels were caught last week in the Dlaki river. One weighed 17 lbs. and the other 16 lbs.

The agents notify that owing to the flood and conditions of the river the m.v. Foxton will be loading at Lyttelton on Monday, circumstances permitting.

A mouth organ solo, in which four young competitors took part, was a novelty event at the competitions in Wellington on Saturday night. There were some excellent performances.

The growth of grass during the past few days has been phenomenal and the dairy herds in the districts are feeling the benefit. —'Thames Star.

Noted for their remarkable acoustic effects, the Waitomo Caves are to be used by IYA (Auckland) for a novel relay of a concert on the evening of September 20.

No bankruptcies were recorded in the Palmerston North district during; August. There were two failures in the corresponding month of last yealr. The. sum of £707 1/- was raised by tiro Christchurch Plunket Society with a Violet Day appeal last week. This is a record for this collection in Christchurch.

Marjorie Shine, aged three years, of Wroxton Terrace, Fendalton, Christchurch, died in hospital as the result of burns received in her parents’ home on Tuesday while playing with lighted paper. At the request of a number of breeders the (Canterbury A. and P. Association has decided to include a class for Angora and Chinchilla rabbits at the Metropolitan Show in November.

Robert J. Dixon, aged 54, of Ohai, Invercargill, was killed on Tuesday by a fall of coal while working in the IWairaki mine. Although strenuous endeavours were made to extricate deceased the body was not recovered till two hours after the tragedy.

The survey parties north and south of Kaikoura are busy setting out the track for the, permanent linos. It is estimated that 3000 men, divided into four parties, will he engaged. With their dependants, somewhere in the. vicinity of 5000 people will he located between Parnassus and Wharanui.

At the Hamilton Supreme Court on Tuesday, Herbert Henry Ellis, aged 28, a farmer, of Hangatiki, who was convicted of stealing fifty - eight ewes, was sentenced to twelve months’ imprisonment. Alfred Nicholas Thomas, for the theft of a generator, was admitted to probation for twelve months and ordered to pay costs. A well-known Waipukurau farmer, Mr. Walter Scott, about 50 \ ears of age, was feeding pigs on his farm at Wanstead on Monday morning when he was attacked and knodlced down by a boar, sustaining deep rips on both legs and also severe head and facial injuries. He was admitted to tho Wjaipuknrau hospital and an operation was performed. His condition is as good as can be expected. The annual report of the Department of Internal Affairs states that during the year 391 licenses for raffles were issued, the articles comprising pictures, paintings, drawings, sculpture, or other works of art or literature, or mechanical models. The report states that no difficulty is being experienced in obtaining compliance with the conditions of the licenses. It is pointed out that since the report was prepared two permits were issued by the Government for alluvial gold nlrt unions, but no more are to be issued until the result of the two is known.

Premier Ward expects the House to rise about the second week in October. The first of the season’s hot-house-grown tomatoes sold wholesale in Christchurch last Friday at 4/9 per lb. ThdC antei’buvy Aero Club, which now has a membership of 395, has decided to order a new Moth aeroplane.

There are (512 slot telephones in New Zealand, into which the public last year dropped coins of the total value of £34,8-13. Eolr the first time in the history of Grcyinouth the capital value of (lie borough exceeds £1,000,000. This year’s valuations to March 31 show an increase over the previous year’s figures of £-16,532.

The. Levin Masonic Lodge cele • bra ted its 25th birthday last night when the installation of Dr. Hunter as W.M. for a second term took place. Visitors were present from sister lodges throughout the district, and felicitous speeches were made following the cutting of an artistic birthday cake.

An estimate of the cost of permamently surfacing the cycle track at the Shannon Domain was considered at a meeting on Saturday evening by the committee set up by the Shannon '.Amateur Athletic and Cycling Club to deal with the work. The particulars and estimate before the meeting showed that approximately £l3O is required and as the Club have £9O in hand towards the work, ways and means were gone into for raising the balance of the money.

A fire at, 3.25 a.m. yesterday caused considerable damage to premises in Rangitikei Street, Palmerston North owned by A. Guy, and occupied by G. H. Fitt, motor ear painter and upholsterer. Four cars were almost totally destroyed. One belonging to Fitt was uninsured, hut the others were covered by the owners-’ private policies. The building, stock and plant were insured, hut the amount is unavailable. Another portion of the building occupied by C. J. McGrath, painter and upholsterer, was slightly damaged.

A few days ago, while in the country adjacent to the Hokio-Wai-tarere Road, Air. G. L. Adkin came across some rare natural objects known, as fulgurites (says the Chronicle). These are mineral tubes resembling stalactites in appearance, and are produced by lightning striking through sand and fusing it. Several of them were found on top of a high dune opposite the Moutere trig. 'They ranged from seven to twenty inches in length, -and had evidently been laid hare by the erosion of the top of the dune. A microscopic pipe runs down' the centre of each and is surrounded by vitrified sand, forming a clear white core, surrounded by grains roughly knit together by the lesser temperature of the outer portion of the discharge. The exterior of the fulgurite is somewhat branched, testifying to the minor sparks which shoot out from the central flash. In the same vicinity there were the remains of an old Maori midden, signified by the presence of burnt stones and a few bones.

Now that little Princess Elizabeth is growing up, she is having public engagements like her popular parents, the Duke and Duchess of York. A charming full-page photograph of the “fourth lady in the land” on her way to a children’s, party appears as title-page in tho current issue of the “New Zealand Free Lance.” Prominence is given to the various interprovincial football matches played last week, nolably the attempt by the Canterbury players to wrest the Ranfurly Shield from the W'airarapa representatives. A day on the wharves at Wellington provides an interesting and spectacular double-page feature, and gives an excellent idea of water-front activities. Several striking pictures of the Dominion basketball tournament held at Christchurch are included, and clearly show the vigour and enthusiasm displayed by the various teaiiis. Several interesting photographs ' from overseas are reproduced, including the German superliner Bremen, the Wailing Wall at Jerusalem, and the giant Graf zeppolin. Other subjects dealt with in the pictorial section include maize growing in Poverty Bay, college rugby at Wellington, and the' Y.W.C.A’s. Convention.

At an inquest down South the other day it appeared deceased (death attributed 'to heart trouble), was a heavy smoker and accustomed to consume an ounce a day. His doctor considered this excessive, but thought the quality of the 'tobacco was to blame as well. “You can’t,’’ he said, “go on smoking these imported tobaccos, practically all of them loaded with nicotine without paying the penalty .sometime.’’ The coronqr agreed. Said he couldn’t understand why people would so often smoke poisonous foreign tobaccos when he had here in New Zealand perhaps the purest brands in the world, and quite afe smoking. He was ref erring to the tobaccos grown and manufactured in the Dominion by the National Tobacco Co., (pioneers of the N.Z. tobacco industry). Safe smoking they certainly are, and their comparative freedom from nicotine is due to the toasting of the leaf. This not only renders them harmless, but develops flavour and aroma. Populaj brands: “Riverhead Gold” (mild), “Navy (Cut No. 3” (Bulldog —■medium), “Cavendish” (medium), and “Cut Plug No. ’O’’ (Bullshead —full strength).— Advt. 31.

Woods’ Great Peppermint Cnreh First aid for coughs, colds, influenza.

Seven hundred medical men and women are taking part in the Australasian Medical Congress at Sydney.

■Shortly after t> o’clock last night a heavy hail storm burst over the district and as a result much damage was done to tender plants and spring growths.

A hospital ball is to be held at Otaild ■ on the 25th inst., to raise funds to purchase a radio set for the hospital. The joint secretaries are Dr. Milne and Mr. Pearce.

The present New Zealand High Commissioner (Sir James Palrr) will have his term of office extended until the end of October, and for a further term after that if necessary, according to a statement made in the House of Representatives last night by the Prime Minister (Plight Hon. Sir Joseph Wiard).

Mr. Stewart, of the Australian National Airways, has received a cable message to the effect that Lieutenant Him is returning to Australia immediately. Captain Kingsford Smith will either return in the Southern Cross or fly to America. Three Avro ’planes purchased by the airmen will leave London for Australia on September 13.

A local resident has handed us a circular letter and application form for tickets in the “Great Royal Hungarian Money Lottery,” received by him from Budapest. The circular gives full particulars of the lottery which is under control of the Government, and claims “lo possess more chances than any other State Lotteries together, offering the most and biggest prizes.” The lottery is conducted by the Hungarian Bank Association Ltd.

The friends of Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Browne, of Whyte Street will regret to learn that a serious accident befel their son Douglas, aged 12 yeairs, in Palmerston North on Sunday evening. The boy was riding a horse from which he was thrown and in falling come in eontact with a concrete telegraph pole. He was admitted to the Palmerston North Hospital where an X-ray examination disclosed the fact that he had sustained a fractured pelvis. The child is making satisfactory progress towards recovery. Mr. Phil Davis, of Hamua, who is a candidate for a seat on the Dairy Control Board, has issued a manifesto in which he gays:—“I think that if a vote of the producers was taken, the board would go right out, for I, in common with thousands of other producers whose living depends entirely upon what they receive for their butterfat, cannot afford to pay a board, the main duty of whose members appears to he to draw their salary.” Very well, if it is only a question of drawing salary, why disturb the existing arrangement 1 ? Is it the salary Mjp. Davis is' after? —Woodville Examiner.

This morning to mark the great advance which has been made in telephone communication the Post-master-General conducted for the first time in New Zealand a longdistance telephonic conference. The conference was presided over by the Postmaster-General in Wellington, and was attended at the respective centres by the Mayors and the presidents of the Chambers of Commerce of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. The event indicates the great strides that are being made in connection with the art of communication. The Postmaster-General addressed the gathering and short speeches were exchanged.

The insect upon which researches are at present being carried out, with a view to gorse control, is a European species of weevil, the grubs of which live upon and destroy the seeds in the developing pods. 'This insect is highly specialised and restricted in its food range to gorse and broom; it is not known to attack any leguminous plants of economic value, and even attempts made in England failed to force it to attack such plants. Before any thought of liberating this insect can be entertained, certain initial difficulties must 'he overcome to allow thorough tests to be made on economic plants under local conditions. There is a native beetle that normally bores in the stems of living woody plants; it does not confine its attacks to gorse, but lives in other plants such as apple, tree-lu-cerne, gooseberry, etc. No attempt is being made to utilise this species since it not only attacks plants of economic value, but also is not sufficiently specialised in its habits.

In refusing an application for the remission of the penalties imposed upon two intoxicated motorists, who were admitted to probation, prohibited and deprived of their licenses, Mr. 11. W. Tate, S.M., of New Plymouth, said it had been urged upon him that probation placed the offenders on the same level as thieves, but so did the law. The thieves that he might punish summarily were all liable to the same punisinnient—three months’ imprisonment. Every offender convicted of* an imprisonable offence might he admitted to probation, and probation was surely more merciful than imprisonment He

had warned intoxicated motorists again and again that the time was approaching when imprisonment without any option might have to be imposed. The offence was increasing, and he was endeavouring to stem the tide with something less drastic than imprisonment itself. “I cannot retire from the attitude I have taken up,” concluded Mr. Tate. “Drinking motorists can render that attitude unnecessary by separating their drinking from their motoring.”

Palmerston North raised £2071 for the earthquake relief fund. The management committee of the New Zealand Rugby Union decided last night that there should he no more challenges for the Knnfurly Shield this season and Southland' will consequently be left in undisputed possession of the shield until next yeah'.