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Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 54, 1 February 1938, Page 6

No Bankruptcies. No petitions in bankruptcy were filed at the office of the Deputy Official Assignee in Palmerston North (Mr F. C. Litchfield) during the month ended yesterday. There were none during the corresponding period of last yeai. Fire Threatens House. A grass fire near the railway line at Rangiotu on Saturday afternoon at one period threatened the residence of Mr T. Donaldson and about a dozen men were engaged in preventing the spread of the flames. The undertaking was unpleasant in the heat and dust, but whs successful, although a lan amount of grass was damaged. English Cyclists in Germany. The marked preference shown for Germany by English cyclists when they go abroad is shown in figures published by the**Cyclists* Touring Club. Out of 2640 cycling ' tours abroad undertaken by members of the club during last year, 854, about a third of the total number, were made oyer German territory. In 1936 English members of the C.T.C. made /90 cycling tour in Germany, and in lffiio tiie number was 455. Motor Registrations. The motor licensing figures recorded by the Transport Division of the Post Office usually reach their highest point towards the end of each year, and the totals of licensed motor vehicles disclosed as at December 31 last constitute a record.- When the registration system was instituted in 1925 approximately 100,000 vehicles were licensed; the latest total is 260,3b2. There are also about 39,000 dormant registrations representing licenses not recently renewed, and if these are added to the licensed total it shows that 304.000 motor vehicles are now owned in the Dominion. It,is interesting to note that in the Palmerston North district 11,341 cars were registered in December. an increase of 1131 on the previous December ; 2559 trucks, an increase of 93 ; and 798 other vehicles, an increase of 180. Motor cycles, however, declined in number by 82 to 942.

Juror Fined. Failing to put in an appearance at the Supreme Court in Palmerston North to-day when called for jury service, George Sutherland Bremner was fined £2 2s, unless cause could he shown why this penalty should not be imposed. Phenomenal Rainfall. A phenomenal rainfall of 95 points in half an hour occurred in the Maraokakaho district, Hawke’s Bay, on Sunday afternoon. The heavy initial fall was followed by further showers during the night, and the total fall for about 18 hours was 145 points—nearly liin. Birds Perish in Storm. One effect of tho cyclonic storm which swept Hawke’s Bay early last week has been the grave depletion of tho bird population of the district. From various quarters reports have come to hand of largo numbers or birds being killed or drowned, while many residents have removed the bodies of stray birds that have fallen on the garden plots and lawns. Aerial Tour. Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton, who is making a tour of New Zealand by air to arrange for a visit of English public school boys, arrived at eilington yesterday from Nelson. He will come to Palmerston North on Thursday and then to Hawke’s Bay. He is flying a Miles machine hired from the Auckland Aero Club. Schools Reopen. Primary schools in the district reopened to-day after the Christmas vacation. This year, under the new curriculum for February, it has not been necessary to immediately settle down to hard scholastic duties, and tho new scheme of things is welcomed by pupils, after six weeks in the open air. Adequate provision is being made this month for outdoor activity, with special attention to swimming.

Known By Handclasp. A New Plymouth man received a pleasant surprise recently, when, after five years without any spoken word, he was recognised by a blind girl merely by her highly-developed sense of touch. The circumstance was that on her previous visit he danced with the girl, whom he had not seen since then. This day lie noticed a blind girl alighting from a New Plymouth tram, and his chivalrous instincts prompted him to offer assistance by taking her by the hand. His surprise can be imagined when, in acknowledging his help, tbei girl asked if lie was the person with whom she danced over five years ago. The recognition was instant. Many On Holiday. Though eighty summonses for jury service had been issued, commented His Honour Mr Justice Beed at the opening of the Supreme Court session in Palmerston North to-day, at least half of the jurors to have been called had been found to be on holiday and could not be served, or had been excused for good reason. His Honour said he supposed that the wage alterations bad enabled the men to have longer holidays. The Municipal Roll. In preparation for the municipal elections to be held in May, the Palmerston North city’s main roll closed .yesterday. Although figures are not yet available, the “Standard” was advised to-day that the number of applications for inclusion on the roll has been exceptionally' large, indicating the remarkable growth of the city. The purging of the old roll has resulted in comparatively few names being removed. The supplementary roll is now being compiled. “Return To Sanity.” “I regard the rearmament programme as a return to sanity on the part of the British nation, and if the rot hadn’t been stopped in time wo would all have been in ‘queer street,’ and it would have been a case of “R.1.P.”. said Engineer-Admiral E. O. Hefford, 0.8. E. (retired), London, who arrived in Wellington yesterday. During his active service career, Admiral Hefford, who retired in 1925, was for many years on tho staffs of the Director of Naval Ordnance and the Director of Torpedoes. London. Against New Zealand. “There is a feeling against New Zealand in Holland and Denmark, and even in Great Britain, for selling butter so cheaply in London,” said Mr E. Bruce Levy, Director of the Grasslands Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, in the course of an address to the Palmerston North Rotary Club yesterday. “The general depression in price in Denmark, however,” he added, “is held to be due to the diminished purchasing power of Europe and to selfsufficiency plans adopted by certain countries, and there is no question that these are contributory causes.” Survivor of Khartoum.

Exhaustive inquiries • overseas have convinced Mr Samuel George Jones, of Wellington, that he is the sole survivor of the 50-odd men who escaped with their lives when Khartoum fell, two days before the arrival of the force sent to relieve General Gordon. Well over 80 years of age, Mr Jones, who served with the 66th Berkshires, has vivid memories of the terrible privations suffered by the _ troops. Among his treasured possessions today are the Afghan medal for 1878-79-80, and the silver clasp, awarded to those who took part in the battle of Kandahar, fought under General Sir Frederick Roberts (later Lord Roberts) on September 1, 1880, at the termination of liis famous march from Kabul. Delay to Trains.

Unavoidable delays in the running of trains during the week-end, yesterday, and early this morning were experienced by the Railway Department. Due mainly to the heavy tame on the Main Trunk line, occasioned by the large number of children returning to their homes in readiness for the new school term, the up New Plymouth express yesterday afternoon was. 35 minutes behind its schedule time of arrival when it reached Palmerston North from Wellington. The down New Plymouth express was 52 minutes late, while the Napier express was 23 minutes behind time. Last night, the Limited express was 21 minutes late. This morning, the Limited express from Auckland was 50 minutes late and the Main Trunk express was 36 minutes behind time.

Tasman Air Service. A denial that the desire of the New Zealand Government to have the Tasman air 'mail service operated by the Governments concerned was responsible for the delay in the commencement of the service, was given by the Prime Minister Rt. Hon. M. .1. Savage) yesterday. This desire on the part of the Dominion authorities was stated in a cable message from Sydney to be the only outstanding point of difficulty regarding the start of the service. is not the outstanding point, and the Australian Government knows that it is not,” said Mr Savage when invited to comment on the Australian message. ‘‘lt is a question of arranging a company that will be representative of all the Governments concerned for the purpose of running and organising the service. It is no use one Government trying to blame another for the apparent delay.”