MISCELLANEOUS.

Otaki Mail, 22 December 1922, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

The municipal electric power station would be ready to generate current in seven months’ time, said .-Mr J. A. Nash, M.P., at the meeting of the Manawatu-Oroun Electric Power Board, tn 13 months ’ time the whole municipal scheme would be complete, but it would be possible to supply part of the town before then. An interesting find in the shape or a fairly complete skeleton of a moa was made last week by Mr J. H. Sorenson while working his goldmining claim at Falls Creek, Orepuki i(Otago). The hones were" unearthed at a point some 20 feet below the surface, pointing to the conclusion • that hundreds of years must have] elapsed since that gigantic biped roamed. The jfbstal revenue bids high for a substantial fall in rcccnue from Christmas cards this year. At one time the postage was id, then Id, now lid, and few are in consequence being posted. Many who do send them, do io in the belief that the postage is still Id, and their friends me consequently being chargecl-doublo postage upon very large numbers of them. A warning to those unfortunates who may think of drinking methylated spirit is provided in a Gazette notice which stipulates that every vendor of completely denatured methylated spirt for sale without restriction shall label every vessel containing the liquid with the following inscription printed in capital letters: "Methylated spirit. If so taken may cause blindness or death, and it will induce general physical decay.” Fire blight disease is still rapidly spreading in the North Auckland district. The Agricultural Department at Auckland luts received information that the disease has made its first appearance at Fort Albert, in the .Rodney County. It is also prevalent in Kaukapakapa, Huapai, Kumea. Helensville, ami Paralcakau, as well as at many other places previously notified as infected.

‘‘lf an ordinary working man on a threshing machine can make £IIU in eleven weeks, after paying all his expenses, how can the wheat-grower make money.” was a question fired at the members of the Mid-Canterbury Executive of the Farmers’ Union in Ashburton the other day (states the ‘‘Guardian”). There was nb answer. The speaker said he had’ heard of such a case last year in this district, and the President stated that he knew of a man in a similar position who made £1(30 clear in sixteen weeks. The rapid spread of blackberry and the best methods of keeping it in check were frequently under discussion at the Supremo Court at New Plymouth the other day, states the ‘‘.Xotvs.” Thu consensus of opinion among the fanners giving evidence in Ike case before the Court was that the best time to cut the pest was in January, when the sap was right up, and that it should be cut right to the ground would be entirely cleared of the weed.

Considerable excitement was ocea i siouud among the residents of tin j southern end of the Marine Parade J Napier, recently, when an island! was | J espied some distance south of Maliui 5 j Peninsula, aud about eighteen miles j j from the shore. Thu large crowd who I witnessed (he unusual spectacle declare that the island, destitute of trees and i with the waves dashing on it, could be seen very plainly. It was, of course, a | i mirage, caused by the'intense heat of j j the sun. j 3 lire following resolution was passed Ij at the last meeting of the Thorudou I j branch of the Amalgamated .Society of Railway Servants of New Zealand:—1 -‘ ‘ That Aho members of this branch of the A.tS.K.S. congratulates the New s of its candidates at the recent* general Zealand Labour Party on the success .election, and express the opinion that (| although the Labour Party has not yet J .succeeded in occupying the treasury benches, the extracting of the fangs J and the clipping of tlie daws of the j most reactionary Government that has j j ever held sway in New Zealand, should I provide the liveliest satisfaction to the working people of this country. We | believe that the defeat of reaction in the present’,instance is the beginning of i a new era of progress and working class security and prosperity that will outrival the palmy days of, Ballance, Seddon, McKenzie, and- Reeves, aud bring back to Ayw Zealand the proud and enviable claim pf being tlie political «»- cial and economic laboratory of the British Empire, and of being in the ! true sense of the term —Gotl ’s Own i Country. x.

At tlie Police Court at Palmerston yesterday, Waller Webb, storekeeper and carrier, of Tokomaru, was charged with illegally selling liquor. The allegation was that accused had been buying liquor at a brewery at Palmerston North at 3/ a gallon and selling it from his store at Tokomnru at *3. Algernon Williams, a witness, said the practice had been going on for years. The question arose during the hearing as to whether a certain ’ witness named George for whom liquor was .allegedly procured by accused was a full-blooded Maori, as the district In which the offence is alleged to have been-committed is a “dry” one as far as natives are concerned. The contention for the defence was thataccused <&1 not actually conduct a sale of the liquor, but was merely the agent of. the persons who came to him i and asked them to get it for him. r>e- i fendant had, Mr Cooper stated, plac.ed | in the hand? of the brewery a list of those' for whom he required the liquor and they had supplied it in orie-gnl-lon jars. The Magistrate reserved his decision, remarking that evidence would have to be procured as to whether the witness George was a Maori or not. -

t r ' “it is much to the credit of the young people that, as soon as they j find that their-attraction for each other |is waning, they mutually agree to dissolve tiie contract existing between them,” said Mr Justice Chapman at the Supreme Court at New Plymouth during a breach of promise action, when referring to the behaviour of engaged couples.

An accident of a serious nature occurred on the Makura during the voyage from Sydney to Auckland, the victim being- Mr J. H. Douglas, father, ol the famous English cricketer, Mr •1. W. H. T. Douglas. While walking in the luggage room Mr Douglas'stipped and fell through the hatch six leet into No. 2 hatch. His Ihigih was broken and he also sustained a contused eye, but in sfute of the fact that lie is 70 years old, lie find recovered in a wonderful manner up to Hie time of the vessel’s, arrival. An ambulance conveyed him to a private hospital, where he was reported to be making satisfactory progress.

“He’s a great trier,” remarked a member of the Patriotic Association at Wanganui, when assistance .was sought on behalf of a wounded soldier with a paralysed arm and side, whose wife helps him on the little farm. Yet another case before the Association was that of a soldier with 80 per cent permanent disabilityright arm useless and wounded m oilier parts the- body—the wile .milking JO cows night and morning. Help was asked lor a sick child. The Association has never turned a deal ear to a sick case.

An after-ihe-eleciton joke is told at the expense of' a well known Dunedin prohibitionist .whose business includes the selling of umbrellas. He was rung up on the telephone by a person who inquired the price ol' these useful. articles —something good, silvermounted handle, etc. The matter was discussed for several minutes, and then the “customer” said: “Oh, well, I'll come round and see. 1 must have something good and strong, because 1 understand it is going- to be wet for the next three years.” inarticulate noises were heard at the oilier end ol the wire, and the joker was quickly rung off.

Public wonderment has often been

ai oust'd at the singular manner in which, year after year, movements ol the Australian fleet synchronise with important happenings on the turf, says the Melbourne Age, of November U. By some strange eoinciden.ee Hie ci uisers and destroyers with their crews, ail of which and of whom Australia is so justly proud, came to Melbourne just in time to see Tlie Melbuurne Gup race run. And now that the spring carnival has ended, the fleet lias begun to move again. Yesterday the destroyers Stalwart, Anzac and Tasmania left Victoria Dock to Williams town—another coincidence, lor the V illiamstown Cup was run yesterday—and will sail again to-day on .an etxended cruise. But, as the song says, this is “Au revoir, not good bye,” for all past experience has shown that the whole fleet will find it. imperatively necessary to go into dry dock about the first Tuesday of next November.

A number ol men sitting in a loom in u public building in the city last a eek (says the Auckland Star) were discussing the value of, land in tno vicinity of where they were. “I jvaS. born a hundred yards from here (>0

years ago, ’ said one, “;utd my father did not think it worth while to buy the allotment where our house was. lie put up another house on a section he bought further out at one-twenti-eth the price asked for the land where we are sitting.” “My father also had a section near here long ago,” said another; “but -he sold it to go out to Onehunga, where land did not go up

very much.” “Anyway, I’m still earning eight quid a week,” said the first mart. “And I’m able to knock out nine quid,” said the second man, "and perhaps we are as happy as if our fathers had left us great sums of money through sticking to their Auckland properties.” Both agreed they were not worried with having to look for investments for their surplus cash, and faced the world every morning free from care and worry. The faci mat deer are becoming a nuisance to agriculturists in certain paits of the Dominion, and are causing a great deal oi damage to crops, has been before the Department of Internal Affairs for some time. The decision of the department that it is possible ilife protection on deer will have to be removed in the more settled parts of the Dominion was communicated to the council of tlie Auck- j land Acclimatisation Society last eveti-} ing. Mr H. 11. Ostler presided. The [ department stated that it might- be j necessary at a later stage to hold a

conference of acclimatisation societies and others interested. A final decision had not yet been reached, but meanwhile owners or occupiers of land where damage was being caused by deer were authorised to destroy animals found there. Such persons were permitted to sell or otherwise dispose of the venison and skins, but no one would be- permitted to dispose of or sell or even retain the head or antlers of anv stag without the consent of the local' acclimanS.niton society. This communication was apjd'P ve( b The late Professor Williams In his I "Principles and Practice of Veterin- ! ary Surgery,” says: With reference' to the clipping of horses, I am of the opinion that it is a great advantage; they work better after being clipped; thrive on less food; are less liable to disease; are stronger, healthier, and more cheerful: and, when sick, recover in a much shorter time.” " Vouatt fsays London Live Stock Journal; refers to clipping as a powerful tonic to the animal suffering from debility, depression of spirits, and temporary , loss, of appetite .associated with grow- S ing the winter coat, adding; "We may | not perhaps be able satisfactorily to explain the apparently magical effects < of clipping and singeing on the gene-’ ral constitution, and particularly on the wind of the horse or the respira- ■> tory functions generally, but there is no doubt ol their existence.”