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Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 49, 26 January 1938, Page 8

Funds For. Cancer Research. For tlie 12 months ended July 31. 1937, £03,678 was raised by the appeal department of the British Empire Cancer Campaign compared with £64,682 in the previous 12 months, states the annual report presented at a' meeting in the House of Lords. Additions to Chapel.

Arrangements have been made by the Seventh Day Adventist trustees to have an extension made to the New Zealand Missionary School at Longburn. This is to meet increased requirements for accomodation. Water for Cattle.

As the result of an appeal made by Mrs Agnes Seal, of Te Kowhai, together with the Hamilton branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, several long stretches of road in the Waikato district where cattle have been unable to obtai;i water will be supplied with troughs. . Missing Man. Mystery surounds the whereabouts of a mill hand ‘at Waitaanga, near Oliura, who has been missing since Friday, January 14. The man is Mr H. J. (Harry) Ckldy, aged about 30 years. His height is 6ft Sin. The missing man attended a dance in the Waitaanga Hall on the evening of January 14. He left the dance at 11.30 p.in. to return to his whare, but since that time lias not been seen. He apparently returned to the whare, which he shared with another man, and changed his clothes, as the suit which he wore to the.dance, and which contained several bank notes ‘ and some silver coins, was found in the hut.

Minister As Fisherman. The' Minister of Public Works (Hon. R. Semple) accompanied by Mrs Semple and his staff, who went fishing at Mercury Bay, caught over 4cwt of fish. Mr Semple was extremely pleased with the success attained.

Higher Hospital Costs. Compared with the estimated expenditure for the nine months ended December 31, payments made by the Auckland Hospital Board resulted in a net deficiency of £23,740, according to a report submitted to a meeting of the board. The deficiency at the same time a year ago was £16,932. City’s Low Rainfall. In contradistinction to the experience of some other districts, Hawke’s Bay having a very heavy fall and over two inches being recorded in the Wairarapa, Palmerston North had only 36 points of rain in the 24 hours previous to 9.30 a.m. on Monday and 22 points in the next 24 hours. The total, 58 points, was thus only a little more than half an inch. Injured At Cricket.

While playing cricket on Saturday for the Onerahi team Mr A. J. Murdoch, chairman of the New Zealand Dairy Control Board and a Nationalist Party nominee for the Marsden seat, received a painful injury. He was batting when a fast ball flew off his bat, cutting his right cheek. After he had been attended to Mr Murdoch continued batting and made 27 runs. A Mean Theft.

A local resident who has been away on holiday during January returned home temporarily during last week to make the disconcerting discovery that thieves had entered the orchard and robbed a plum tree in full bearing. The fruit of this particular tree is always prized for its richness and is generally preserved for winter use. Unfortunately, this year the family will have to go without its winter supply of plums for pie_s when fruit is scarce. New Species of Whale. Recorded for the first time anywhere in the world, a new genus and species of beaked whale, a description of which by Dr W. R.. B. Oliver, D.Sc., F. director of the Dominion Museum, has been accepted and published by the Zoological Society, London, has been named Tasmaeetus Shepherdi, in honour of its discoverer, Mr G. Shepherd, curator of the Alexander Museum, Wanganui. The whale, which was cast up on Ohawe Beach, near Hawera, in November, 1933, was 201 t in length. Readers’ Preferences.

According to the Dunedin city librarian, Dunedin is the best reading city in New Zealand. Last year more reading was done per thousand of population than in the city libraries of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Dunedin reads more philosophy and religion than the other three centres, more sociology, more science, more fine arts and more books on trades and useful arts. Auckland reads more magazines per thousand of population than any other of the four large cities, and the Wellington and Dunedin libraries are issuing proportionately more novels than Auckland and Christchurch. Traffic Census. The six-monthly highways traffic census was entered on at 6 o’clock this morning and will continue for a week. One census is taken in the winter and another in the summer, the Main Highways Board, which bears the total cost, being then able to compile data showing the relative importance, from a traffic carrying point of view, of the various highways. On the State highways the census is conducted through tile Public Works Department, but the county councils make the necessary arrangements in respect of the other highways. Numbers of the men so engaged are taken on through the Placement Office at the standard rate of pay. Night on a Sandspit. Marooned on a sandspit near the mouth of the Ashley River, two young Rangiora men, Mr Donald Macdonald and Mr Albert Allen, spent a recent night crouching in a hole in the sand, with their canoe upturned above them to keep off heavy rain. The young men left Wnikuku in the afternoon to go fishing, but a choppy sea upset their canoe near the spit between the Ashley River and Saltwater Creek. Efforts were made to right it but it was capsized three times. Struggling on to the sandspit, the men abandoned their efforts to regain the shore when night fell. Scraping a hole in the sand, they crouched under their canoe to shelter from heavy rain and a cold wind. At 4 a.m. next day they reached Waikuku beach, the tide" having fallen sufficiently to enable them to wade across.

Pig Takes Charge. A pig recently provided two interesting hours for the guard of the mixed train which leaves New Plymouth early each morning for Palmerston North. When placed in the van at a station near Patea, the pig appeared safely housed in a crate, but as the train stopped at a flag station lower down the line the guard heard a resounding crash. He discovered that the pig had made its way out of the crate and had invaded the sanctity of his cabin. Strategically the guard closed the sliding doors at each'side of the van, cutting off the pig’s escape. After attempting to drive or cajole the animal into taking its quarters in the crate again, he decided to allow it the freedom of the van until the train reached Wanganui, where the guard, with a nico sense of humour, invoked the assistance of a member of the staff, who is known to be keen on wild pig hunting. Standards For Commodities.

The possibility of legislation dealing with the standardisation of commodities being introduced this session was mentioned by thrf Minister of Industries and Commerce (Hon. I). G. Sullivan) when speaking at the opening of the annual conference of the New Zealand Master Grocers’ Federation, in Wellington yesterday. The Minister said he was confident that the application of standards would prove an enormous advantage not only to those engaged in production but also to tlioso engaged in distribution. His study of the question bad led liim to the conclusion that New Zealand was lagging behind other countries. Marvellous progress, however, had been mado since the Standards Institute had been sot up in New Zealand. The institute was receiving the support and encouragement of hundreds of business men. “Probably during this coining session legislation will bo brought down giving the institute a charter,” said the Minister, “and providing for the issue of a standard mark for approved commodities.”