THE OTAKI MAIL. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1923. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Otaki Mail, 10 January 1923, Page 2

THE OTAKI MAIL. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1923. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

—-——<* Reauors of the “Mail” are notified that s’.ibfcciiptioiit in advance for tho current, quarter are due. By paying in advance a saving of Is may bo made, and all who wish to secure this concession should do so at once. During tlie holidays a Wanganui party of lour, shooting for four days near Karioi, got 1200 rabbits. At the Palmerston North High School baths, Arthur Meecham, a onelegged Boy Scout, fourteen years of age, gained his life-saving swimming badges.

A young man named Kj-te, aged 20, has been in the Waikato Hospital for several days suffering from a malignant sore on the forehead. The disease was diagonised as anthrax, an operation was performed, and the man’s recovery' is now' assured. The source of the infection has not been traced.

“Ail that glitters is not gold” (says a Wairarapa paper). An illustration of this trite saying is in the fac-t that the high price of lOd per pound offered to farmers for fat lambs is discounted to a considerable extent by the heavy rejection percentage—in many eases over 50 per cent. A much-desired feature ha- this year been introduced by some of the Rotorua motor companies, who have instituted cheap hour trips round the town and its environs in the evenings. The innovation is evidently appreciated, and satisfactory patronage has re- i suited. A certain amount of price cutting is going on in the transport line there just now, and competition is very keen. Hotels and boarding houses are full of visitors.

A Press message from Dunedin states that Andrew Johnson, one of the two men who reported to the police recently badly burned by acid, appeared at Court charged with ’breaking and entering a warehouse with intent to commit crime. Chief Detective Bishop stated that the man used a jar of sulphuric acid to burst in the office door. The jar exploded, and accused was only just discharged from the hospital, where the other man was still a patient. Johnson was remanded for a week.

A tall, well-set-up seaman, who rather fancied he was a boxer, received the surprise of his life the other evening when he refused to obey the commands of the second officer of the Ivin;, to which vessel he belonged States the I Napier Telegraph). The second officer, who in stature Is about half as tall a? the seaman, ordered the man. aboard =hm The seaman used unseemly lam—uage. and refused to move, whereupon rhe officer went into action, ana in a very shot time a badly bruised and i very surprised "boxer ,! crawled on to j -his “hip, __

| Lambs are drafting very badly mis year compared with last. Where SO per cent were accepted last year, only about half this percentage is being taken this year.—Wairarapa Age. Tile strawberry season, which is now almost at an end, has been a very disappointing one for the growers, says the Auckland Herald. The most unusual weather experienced was the cause of the trouble, the berries being in consequence very low, both in quality and quantity.

Mr L. McSavney. of Manakati, met with a severe accident on tSuiiday. lie was motor-cycling down toward Oluki and ill negotiating tho concrete bridge over tile railway struck the side of tne structure. Jlc was removed in an unconscious state to Otaki hospital, lie is reported to be making good progress. luin stowaways wore discovered aboard the steamer Atarania which armed m Auckland irom Liverpool on •Sunday. They were uli boys about it) years old, and, being unable to oillain work m England, had decided to try their fortunes in a- new country. Tney worked excellently on the voyage, two serving in the stokehold, and the others as stewards. In view of their conduct on hoard. Use ship’s uuihorities decided to lake no action against them. Deports from the country districts indicate that animals had a premonition uJ an eariiiquuKe on uhrisunas L»a> says the Lyttelton Times). One hunter states that nearly halt a minute before the shock occurred, tie no-

ticed two cows rushing about the paddock in a lraiitic condition, bellowing loudly. Another saw his horses careering across the fields. Even smaller animals, such as cats, appeared to apprehend danger, lor one, resident's domestic feline was seen clutching the earth some seconds beJoie the oscillation commenced.

W'iule on liis iw.cn: visit tu the I’nited States, Mai.-tial Eucii made a witty reply to a man who, when one 01 the, guests at a dinner party m Denver, given by a party oi Americans, look C.Wpt 101 l b> Eleiicli politeness. ” Lucre is nothing in H but wind,” he said with questionable taste- ".Neither is there s.:g. uiing but wind m a ptier indie tyre,” retorted the gallant Marshal, "yet it eases, tile jolts along life’s highway wondertufly.” A returned soldier recently congratulated himself on a very acceptable and unexpected Christinas box (states the Marlborough Express;. While going through ins effects the other day lie cattle across a silver cigarette case, which on being opened was iound to contain live sovereigns, each neatly wrapped up in paper. In 1915, while at shanghai, the returned soldier obtained them from a bank prior to going on active service, and put them away in his cigarette case lor a ‘‘rainy day.” He had forgotten all about them untii lie opened iris cigarette Case.

”1 made the mistake oi allowing myself to be persuaded, to tal-.e a hand in local politics. The ’twelve years spent oil the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, a like term on the Borough Council, and six or seven on the Harbour Board, represent sacrifices which in justice to myself I should never have made.” litis was the confession ol a New Plymouth man who died recently. It is too often the cose • hat when a capable, mat* lakes up public work ige is kept at it continu'jousiy, to the detriment ot his own | business interests. Everything is expected of the willing horse. Lite House of Lords was treated to tin ..jieresting spectacle the othei day, when the Prince of Wales, who outranks all the lords, smilingly disregarded precedent by waiving the rights to which lie is entitled as heir to the throne. When the Prince arrived to take the oath as member oi the new Parliament, he found a queue j of some 50 noble lords lined up ahead of him. 'Lite clerk oi the House imj mediately hurried to the Prince to conduct hint to the head of the line, j but the scion of royalty sitook his head ; and retained his place at the end ol | the line. There was near-consterna-j lion on tlie laces ol several of the | lonis, and several offered the Prince i their places in the line, but he smil- | ingiy declined 'and waited his turn, : | which was long in coming. We have received a booklet dealing I with the great work that-is being j done by Dr. Barnardo’s Home, accompanied by an appeal lor help. ! Since Dr. Barnard© commenced his work 56 years ago no less than 1 04,000 children have been rescued j ironi wretched surroundings and have been given every opportunity to be- j come good citizens and live happy, j useful lives. Not only is a great phil- I anthropic work being done, but a ! work which is ol gteat value to the ’ nation, which is assisted in building up its greatest, asset To keep such * vast institutions in existence reliance j has to be placed very largely on the < voluntary gifts of the public. The ! need for assistance was never more • urgent than at the present time, and ’ ’ gifts, whether large or small, will be !.

j welcomed. ! Inc- upon g: the Weiiiagton Public j Library contains the following: A re- | greitable feature of the reference library's working for the year has been the increasing amount of vandalism. Though the visitors are kept under surveillance ihis sort oi thing is very difficult to prevent, and many books have been cut or altogether removed. One of the recent discoveries was the removal of some twelve pages from a horticultural work. The portion removed referred to grafting. It is quite evident that the person concerned visited the library with one intention, as tiie leaves had been cut out with a Pair oi scissors. Adverse comment on this sort of thing apparently has very little effect on the persons who are responsible for the depredations, and the only- hope of those interested is that a- the destroyers sow so shall they reap, with the even more fervent hope that it may no; be long before the wrongdoer reaps, ana the: the harvest may hi particularly heavy.

There are at present quite a number of ’Wairarapa and ’Wellington"residents in Otaki- on holidnv.

■Messrs J. \V. Hodgson. August An- i dersoii, L-'. Z ill wood ami K. .Sayers left Vairnrapa on Monday in perfect weather to cross the Turaruas. They are taking their time and expect to reach Otaki to-morrow. Within the past twelve months seven drowning fatalities have been recorded in Foxion, including two in tiie lake on Messrs, itooinsun s property, and the finding oi an unidentified male body on the river hank.— Herald. Vt’e hear much of the cheapness of goods in various townships, hut a local lesidcnt , who lias been 10 Palinerston -North and elsewhere, states that the prices of unifies in Dutki compares more than favourably with those in Manawatu ami Wairarapa townships Aii A. K. I'ear, organiser lor Hie Hairy funnels' 1 111011, met with an accident on the liukuni Hoad, on Monday. ?,lr fear was driving along a slippery portion oi road when his ear skidded and turned a somersault into n ditch. Nil' fear s only injury was a oddly mutilated tar, which necessitated his removal to the hospital. During the Indian riots in Fiji tiie lack of mounted troops was sadly felt i>y the officer commanding'. It has j now been decided by (he O.C. (Colonel | Holding) that the nucleus of a mountI ed lorce be formed, and nearly iO men iiave handed in their names as mem-

bers oi the corps. the Government will pay each selected man an annual allowance ol some L‘7 lor horse allowance, with untLonn and rifle. Such a

lorce, small as it may appear, would i he ol very great value in the event oi I fitly civil commotion, as the Indians are very timid of horsemen. some little commotion was caused I Wanganui Herald, when a lady bather discovered that Iter pair of silk knickers custing over I'C. had been substitute'! writ a plain calico pair,, as she termed litem, ‘‘Wurth about hull a clown. Tito bespoiled owner made a considerable fuss and complained to ti policeman. The representative ol law and order blushed considerably when the case was explained to him, and suggested tactfully that anything tit the way of assisting in the work of restoration was quite beyond him. | Armed men who wrecked a train on tiie Great Southern and Western Hallway between Caltir and Clonmel, County Tippenuy, adopted unusual methods. Detonators were placed on tiie line, and us a train Mom Larrick-oji-Suir approached the raiders waved a red light, and the Irani came to a standstill. officials and passengers weic forced to alight, and then tiie tails behind 'lie couches were cut. The engine was detached and driven into the standing coaches, which were telescoped. The operation was tej pea ted three times until the train was completely wrecked

A uisboruu resident received a rude shock the other ' morning. lie was engaged in mowing his lawn when an explosion Occurred under the mowing machine, and a scrap of metal .struck the mower on the elbow, causing a wound which bled copiously. Subsequently an «o;atiM?miion of the lawn revealed the shattered bie.-s oi u detonator, and later several ttae.vplodcd detonators were found. ft is presumed that .outone must have thrown the detonators over the fence as a means ol getting rid of them, thoughtless of the risk which the action involved to others. While working on tiie Clyde Uuay wharf recently, the Wellington liar hour hoard dredge struck an object upon which it could make no impression. A diver was sent down to investigate, and lie discot ered a huge tree slump, standing upright, the top of the stump being about'live feet below the harbour bed. Thus is material provided for an interesting study. The harbour at the spot where she tree was found had already been dredged five feet, ,o the obstacle was oiigmaliy at least 10 feet below the surface. How did ii~get there 'r une theory advanced is that hundreds of years ago the tree was washed down the Jfuu hiver and floated right wayup until it finally settled on the bottom, and commenced to sink. Again it may be that in the dim and distant past there was a forest where Clyde Quay whorl now stands. This point may be the starting point of an interesting controversy. The slump has since been destroyed by a charge or dynamite, and the Harbour Board will probably supply n sample of the wood to any person who desires to investigate further. What is claimed to be almost a re:oi d lor a single night’s poisoning of •abbits was carried out on a soldier’s tilounent by Senior Inspector J. Melulloch and Inspector A. J, Brown on i Jackie’s estate, near Wyoheproof, Australia. It had been asserted that j loisoning methods were futile on land • inder crop, and the inspectors desired , o demonstrate effectually that carry- 1

■ ing out free feeding of c-mots fot three nights and the application vf , poison on the iounh night tv out a give ' good results. Mr McLean’s block o t about skj acres was selected because ' the rabbits had been troublesome on his crop. The trial was witnessed by Cr. J. W. Milburn and about 25 of the soldier settlers. Twelve miles of furrows were preparedd and carrots and sugar were given for three nights. On the iounh night about 601 b of carrots and soz of strychnine were mixed and placed in the furrows, and 1600 dead rabbits were counted, probably nearly 40 more were dead in burrows and elsewhere. Settlers commenced to skin them, as they are marketable at about 2‘ per dozen. A day of simultaneous poisoning was agreed upon ir* the soldier settlers. Chief Inspector Luiy visited the estate and expressed satisfaction at the manner in which the test was earned out, and considered that the result showed settlers the efficacy cf poisoning according to the board’s insoMtSlon*.

The supply of milk to the Daleftcld factory has fallen off considerably, due, it is stated, to over-stocking of the farms. Carterton's high-pressure water supply has long proved a failure and residents are now debarred from using hose. In consequence there is an Outcry against the Borough Council.

There is a rumour that a line large up-to-date theatre is to be built in Carterton, and that the Marquis of Xormanby Hotel is to be rc'built in brick at a cost of £13,000.

Messrs L. l.ist has joined the Maun ganui, while Messrs Knox, A idled 1, and i’at Cootes have also entered on a seafaring life, ft is probable that several other young fellows will shortly da likewise.

Dr. sharp, having sold his resideite

in Wuerenga lvoad, intends taking up residence at Moutere private hospital. The institution will bo ran as previously, arrangements being made to secure tiie services of a capable nurse to take elia rge.

During her trip fo Germany, Mrs J. w. Dimmer, of Levin, attended a race meeting at Cologne. This city is occupied by British troops, and tiie meeting was a purely British'one, the horses engaged being the property of English officers. Totalisators were in use just the same as in New Zealand. Mr P. Bust or, of Wellington. who acted as guide to the students who crossed the Turaruas during the weekend informed the “Mail” that the party was somewhat disconcerted at discovering a pack on the ranges, as such tiling might indicate that some trumpet had met with a mishap. If people discarded a pack they should not do so on a recognised track. In the present case the party wasted a considerable time in searching for people who might possibly have been in distress. The party of students which crossed the Turaruas last week-end stressed the necessity for some recognised tracks from We.-t Peak to Mount Field, and suggest that a light wire be run across and supported. This would last a, couple of years at least, and would lie tt welcome guide in a mist. The few guide sticks now in use are observable at no greater distance than 20 yards. If a wire were used as suggested it would last sufficiently long to develop the track which would in itself bo a. sufficient guide in any weather. The New Zealand picture film, “My Lady of the Cave,” has been purchased by a leading British film company. Mr’> Builaii Hayward, of Auckland, has ■boon in Wellington, where a do luxe f

copy of the picture was made for tko British market. He states that the re-

presentative of the British film company considered that the picture would prove a great success hi the Midlands of England *on account of the beautiful New Zealand scenery depicted. The transaction was regarded as u promising start for the new industry, A purse and money tire advertised for, Mr Lett Kifillister advertise? ripe tomatoes for'sale. English plums are being sold by Mr? 11. Flutey at 2d pet lb. Five ewes and three lamb® will be -old ar the O'aki -ale-yards U-morrow. Mr C. J! Bates, high-da - tvJor o£ JL. vii.. is prepared to make suits to order at lowest prices. Materia! and workmanship are guaranteed. New Year resolutions are the order* of the day. Hero is one that will save vou pounds for 1923 if you decide to buy nil your footwear in Otaki at Irvine's Shoe Store. —Advt.