Manawatu Herald SATURDAY. FEBRUARY 1, 1930. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4409, 1 February 1930, Page 2

Manawatu Herald SATURDAY. FEBRUARY 1, 1930. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tin- smell of burning paused by a circuit in l,lie electrical cquipii,cut of u ear driven by her husband near Puketitiri, so alarmed .Mrs. A. E. Rea, of Napier, that she jumped from the vehiele before hen was able to pull up. She sustained injuries' from which she latur succumbed in Napier hospital.

Wlhilo playing with a wooden trough in a dammed creek at Taiporohenui, in the Ilawcra district, about half a mile back from the road, two Maori children were drowned on Thursday. The trough capsized and precipitated them into eight feet of muddy reed-covered water.

Many parts of northern and western Queensland that have been dry for years are now inland seas, and in some parts train passengers have been marooned in the railway carriages for a fortnight. r l here is now a complete stoppage of the railway services in tin* north and west. Approximately 1000 passengers are stranded at different pails. Supplies of foodstuffs at Ml. Tsa are running short, as the town lias been isolated for 1 a lortnight. Whilst riding ft bicycle, a girl aged 14 years, accidentally swallowed ft two-shilling piece which she was carrying in her moutii (says the Southland News). The coin lodged in the right side of her throat. She was immediately con,‘veyed to the Southland Hospital where ,an X-ray examination located the object . The florin was tinally removed and the patient, none the worse for her experience, was table to proceed to her home.

The boxing match at Hastings on Thursday night ended in the tilth round when Artie Hay (Hastings), welter champion of New Zealand was awarded the verdict on a foul against E. ■ Morgan, ex-amateur Olympic champion. Hay went down several times and on rising from the count of nine Morgan floored him again before lie had readied an upright position. The referee had no option hut to award the fight to Hay when Morgan seemed a certain winner.

According to statistics collected by the headmaster (Mr. R. Henderson) the Rankslown Public School, in one of Sydney’s most populous Western suburbs, which lias 253 S regular attendants and a stall of (il teachers, is the largest in the British Empire, and ranks dose to being the largest in the world. At the end of 11)28 Bankstown ranked til ill among the largest schools in New South Win 1 os. At the end of 1929 it was not only the “largest” in New South Wales, hut it exceeded anv in New Zealand, Canada, England, or Scotland. “You people have* wonderfully full cable news in your papers. I was able this morning lo read quite n lot about what is happening in Australia,” said Mr. Peril Hordern, ~f Sydney, a prominent, man in financial circles, interviewed in ■Christc.hurc.il. “In Australia we get comparatively little about New Zealand, which is not right when countries are so closely allied. W e (.1,1 v get such untoward happenings as the Mount G'pok disaster and the earthquake. Tt is a fact that, the average Australian knows surprisingly little about New Zealand. The New Zealander knows much more about Australia.”

Ail Auckland 'tank manager has secured possession of a clock made, in England in i. 040, and for the past few mornings has been waking up to the "bell-tike ring of the chimes. The tick and swing leave no doubt about the skilled craftsmanship. The clock was unearthed about 70 years ago in an old farmhouse in the suburbs of Birmingham, and was brought out to New Zealand 25 years ago. It was set going again this month by an Auckland jeweller, after having been silent for three-quarters of a century. Originally the clock had only one hand. The dial is divided into 48 instead of the 00 minute divisions of the ordinary clock.

The annual long term Christmas and New Year vacation is fast drawing to a dose, after what has been one of the worst seasons as regards weather that has been experienced for years. Primary schools throughout the Wanganui district will re-open next Monday. The vital statistics for Fox ton for January, with the figures for the corresponding month last year in parenthesis, are as follows: — Births, 5 (8); deaths, nil (2); marriages, nil (nil). Maori statistics: Births, nil (2); deaths, nil (2). The takings at the Levin A. and P. Show held on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week showed a faffing off from last year. This year I lie takings totalled £153 2/(> as against £197 2/(1 last year. Probably the unseasonable weather this year was responsible for the shrinkage.

A reminder is given all interested dial a .meeting has been convened hv Mr. M. E. Perronu (evhairman of the Beach Improvement. Committee) for 2.30 p.m. to-morrow for the purpose of discussing (lie formation of a Life-Saving squad for patrolling the local beach. It is to he hoped that there will be a large attendance. The meeting will he held outside the store at the approach to ocean beach at 2.30 p.m.

Taranaki bee-keepers who were hoping at the beginning of the sea - son to have a record production season this year arc in for the worst they have ever experienced (snys a northern exchange). 'Tho (low of nectar has only another week lo go, and even with the finest weather production can only be a third of what it would have been bad tin* weather conditions been more favourable.

Few people in towns have any idea of the strenuous nature of the hushiiien’s work (says an exchange). ft is stated that at one mill 'in Southland in summer time the men set out for the scene of operations at 4 a.m., walk four miles, climb a hill of 1000 feet, and start at (i a.m. on an eight-hour day with axe and saw. They carry lunch with them, and at 4 p.m. he l gin the return journey to the mill. They have no spare time for tennis, golf, howls or pictures, and soon after the evening meal are ready for repose.

Tin* estate of the late Bishop Cleary has been sworn at under £ISOO, which is bequeathed partly to the church and partly to his nephew and niece, both of Melbourne. The late Bishop left precist* directions concerning Jiis'obsequies, and forbade the playing of tilt* Dead March in “Saul” on account of “its pagan note of hopelessness." The steel helmets and other trophies collected .by the Bishop while chaplain in France are bequeathed to the Sacred Heart ■Convent at Kemuera.

“Falling Stars” are often observed on clear, moonless nights, hut it is not often that more than a momentary silver arc is seen (says 1 In* Nelson Evening Mail). Recently n large meteor fell in the gateway of a farm on the Arawhata road, near Opunake. Tn the morning a deep, circular hole, about tho size of a dinner plate, was found. The edges of the hole were sharply delineated as though cut by a knife. It was not long, however, before the cavity gradually caved in. and only a few stones were required to level the surface.

Next week, the Bth howitzer battery N.Z.F.A., under the adjutant for the district, Lieut. J. P. Joyce, will he under canvas at Wai pit I; lira n for its annual camp training. It will he followed into camp by the"7-th battery, the second of the two Palmerston North artillery units. Up till last year these camps wore located at the local racecourse and surprise and disappointment was expressed when it was learned that the local site had been abandoned by the defence authorities. B is generally admitted that the Foxfon climate is ideal and that Hit* range seawards is eminently suitable for live-shell shooting. The reason for the abandonment of Foxfon has not yet been made public. Some weeks will elapse between the departure from New Zealand of the present Governor-General, Sir Charles Fergusson, and the arrival of his successor, Lord Bled islot*. In Hie interregnum the Till ief Justice (from Sir Michael Myers, K.C.) will, in accordance with the. Dormant Commission, act as Administrator of New Zealand, exercising all the powers and functions t/f Governor-Geneva!. The last occasion on which a Chief Justice acted as Administrator was in 1924, when the fit. Hon. Sir Robert Stout was appointed to act in thy* interregnum between the departure of Viscount Jellicoe and the arrival of Sir Charles Fergusson.