NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4038, 7 January 1930, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

There were 8(i cars parked ill' the Arainoho motor camp silo on Boxin,!;' Day. The influx of visitors for the holidays severely taxed the accommodation of the Auckland hotels and boarding- houses. All the freezing works in Canterbury resumed killing- yesterday. Present indications are that there will be a good supply of stock.

Shearing- has not yet been completed in the Alfredlon district. Wnirairapa, on account of the abnormal weather conditions.

'Some 1(1 employees of the Wanganui City Council maintenance staff have been put off owing' to necessary retrenchment. There were 130 bankruptcies in Auckland for the year 1929, which is three less than the previous year. Last year the majority of bankrupts were farmers. Farmers again lead in the 1929 list with 15.

There was rather an unusual occurrence in the llawke Cup match in Palmerston. McVicnr sent down a ball which grazed (lie bails, and removed some varnish from one. The bails, however, were not dislodged. For the New Zealand dairy farmers’ tour of Europe there have been heavy bookings in Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin. The party will leave Sydney by Ihe Ormonde on Way 10 and will arrive in London, oil .June 19.

During 1929 the total number of vessels which called at New Plymouth was 30-1, as against 404 in 1928. The large decrease of 40 vessels, however, is easily balanced by the increase of 0074 lons in the amount of cargo. In December, 10 building permits, amounting in value to £14,911, including three dwellings, were issued by tlu* Master!on Borough Council. For December last year, six permits were issued, amounting' to £1294 in value.

An indication of the improvement that has taken place in the economic Conditions in the Dominion is afforded by the number of bankruptcies in the North 'Canterbury district during 1929, -which .shows a decrease of 16 as compared with 1928.

Bookings for various parts of New Zealand and overseas this season constituted a record. In previous years intending -travellers booked their passages well, before Christmas Day, and from then onwards there was a lull. This year, however, the bookings maintained a steady fkrw.

From the Sun, Christchurch, of December 23: “New Plymouth people have seen a white pheasant. This is nothing to what some Christchurch people will see during the next two days. Sain says lie thinks it is not a bad effort for three days before Christmas. He has never readied (lie pink rat stage till Christmas Eve. At the Marion Jockey Club's races there was a remarkable series of coincidences in the day’s results. A publican won the First, race, a publican won the third race, a brewer won the fourth race (the cap), a .retired publican won the tilth race, and in the solventli race a publican won, while a brewer’s horse was second.

The first ear to make the journey along itlie new road from Hopuarnahinp to Ruatahuim round AA'aikaremoana was a Public Works Department vehicle. The road was a tritle soft after the rain, and a couple of draught horses had to assist to pull it through the creeks. Although the bridges arc not completed yet, the road to the Lake Douse is reported to be passable, except for the Hopuaruahine bluff. The road round the lake is in very good order, and is being well maintained, but it is still very narrow and it behoves drivers to be very careful.

Prom the Christchurch Star: —A friend relates an extract from a letter about dear old people who subsist happily on the old-age pension and “who would rather be dead than have rows.” The old gentleman is ninety-two years of age and the old lady eighty-six. Decently the old gentleman felt not 100 well. lie stayed jn bed for sixteen weeks, then got up and went for a walk. He had bis hair cut, and ithe walk and the haircut were a little ion much foil' him. He was toddling slowly along when a young woman asked him politely if she might accompany him. He gladly accepted, fie was .making hard weather of it, when the young lady said: “May I take your arm?” “Xo, certainly not!" said the old nian. “Mv wife ain’t dead yet!’’