THE OTAKI MAIL. FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 1924. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Otaki Mail, 4 January 1924, Page 2

THE OTAKI MAIL. FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 1924. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Readers of the "ifail" are notified that subscriptions in advance for the current quarter are due. By paying in advance a saving of 1= may be made, and all who wish to secure, this concession should do so at once* Mr Curtis, eryner ol the Philadelphia Ledger, has purchased th 9 New York Evening Post for £400,000 that trees were kept lopped, so as Cabled item. "I suppose 'damn' has ceased to be a swear word now?" said the magistrate at "vvanganui the other day. Mr. Cohen: "Yes; it is a classic word now, and often used In the pulpits." The magistrate: "It always was there, but used with special license." Mr. Cohen went on to say that farcial comedy nowadays would be sousidered very ' tame without a few damns. He referred to the first time its word was used I' on the stage in England, and the audi- ' ence were awrully disgusted, and the »' play had to be withdrawn. ' ! ; Comment on the combers of wild', j cattle which are eonsing serious dam- \ age to the trees of Mount Egraont was j made at a meeting of the interim com- j mittee of the newly-formed society r to promote interest in the flora-of. the | mountain. It was stated that wild £ cattle were to be seen on the moun- c tain in large numbers, and that they i were doing irreparable damage. It t wiLi also mentioned that the cattle I had caused the National -Park Board £ rrav? concern is the r>ast, and it was j decided tp gi*-~e tie ba.fi snrjDort in x Shoes made to your OTm order. W* < are making a srjeciaiiri? of this put of I ozr bnsztst'ios 1924; The it i gnariitee'i.on fas Isiejt lasts, "titi style - and inisi. iTac* in «j*d*« or tny » leather to y*aj asra c»iire, viti tpjji&r- 3 a=£4 Sana U iwjt sracjj Uls*. M « ISTIKX'S, d&4 i$0&; £>i»3Br-£ast 1

"The man who calls himself a 'reformer' wants to smash things. He is the sort of man who would tear up a whole shirt because the collar button did not fit the button hole. It would never occur to him to enlarge the button hole." —Henry Ford. "A man lives and loves and rues and dies." This was the short summing-up of life, written on a piece of paper found beside the body of George Edward Henley, 39, at his home in Manly, Sydney, last week. Lying on the floor was a bottle containing liquid, and a bundle of papers.

The Wairarapa Daily News says:— "Some months ago Otaki, by a queen carnival, raised £9SO for improvement to the domain there, but ever since —Councillors have been squabbling as to how the money should be spent. In consequence of the trouble, three will tender their resignations at the next Council meeting."

A number of Patea residents are not at all satisfied regarding the prospects of their freezing works being closed down. A proposal has been made to the directors to call the lucal business people together, also the shareholders, for the purpose of arriving at some workable scheme to carry on under reconstruction.

At New Gardens there is a heron that must be the vainest bird alive. It asks to be photographed. If it sees a camera it poses as if lo make itself an attractive "subject." It has been known to stare at a camera and follow the owner of it until the camera has been duly "snapped." Then it contentedly toddles away. Work on the Opunake railway is progressing satisfactorily. One hundred and sixty men are at present on the job, and a steam shovel is doing excellent work, dealing with about 6000 cubic yards of material per month. It is hoped to have the rails laid to Opunake within the next twelve months, and present indications point to this being accomplished.

At the annual speech day at Girton House School, Adelaide, last week Professor Darnley Naylor added another gem to the list of errors disclosed by papers submitted by candidates for the public examination's. He instanced the case of a candidate who at a recent examination wrote: "The Scottish Highlands are a rather dirty people, who talk a language called garlic."

An instance of the results which can be obtained from some of the Poverty Bay laud was related to a Gisborne Herald representative by a farmer who prides himself upon having one of the most heavily stocked properties in the district. This man has a farm of 2(30 acres, upon which he wintered 1208 breeding ewes, 870 lambs, and 40 head of cattle and horses, the whole of which were fed solely on grass, this working out at an equivalent of about 10 sheep to an acre. Iu addition to having sufficient feed for this number of stock, a contract has now been let for the cutting of 60 acres of grass for seed.

Recently a settler living on the banks of the Waiohine river near Woodside, had a peculiar experience with a broody hen. He had set the hen near the river upon a nest of eggs. The brood were within a few days of being hatched, when a sudden fresh in the river was experienced with the result that the flood waters gradually reached the setting! hen. Although frightened she >tuck to her post till compelled by being washed oil the nest to retreat. The hen hung round the spot and as the waters receded she went back to her nest, and gallantly hatched out her clutch of chicks. They were all born alive, with only one drawback, their legs were feeble.

"No one realises the absurd effect of the unfortunate Taupo 'quakes of last year until one visits Australia," remarked a returned New Ztalander to a 'New Zealand Times, representative. "Talking quite seriously, the effect has been decidedly unfair'to the Dominion from a tourist traffic point oi view. Why the newspapers of .Sydney —(.he biggest offenders —chose to star these matter.; i;< the ridiculousmanner iu which they did, I m& Dot know. The remark that greets the New Zcalander in Sydney." he said, is. "Oh! you come from the Rickety Isles; when are you going to disappear beneath the oceanr This might be \zry amusing, but the epitaphs 'Rickety' or 'Shivery' Isles has not been to the advantage of our country. Some Australians seemed to regard New Zealand as a place likely to disappear beneath the ocean at any time, he added, and this meant bad business from a tourist point of view."

It in not unusual to bear of the theft of a motor car these days, but it is seldom the exasperated" owner has the satisfaction p,f catching the thief rod-banded. That, however, was the experience of a resident of Invercargill, who, with his wife rnotored into the show on People's Day, ' They found that theirs car had been taken from the parking place, and hired a garage car. iu which they started for home. When passing the Post Office the irate country man srae surprised to see his own car being driven towards him. His wife quickly alighted and Wen? in search of a policeman, while he headed the absconder off, causing him to run the i stolen car into the kerbing. The joyrider made off in haste on foot, and the car-owner was starting in hot pursuit when the advent of a police officer further complicated matters. He jumped to conclusions, and closed with the pursuer instead of the pursued. Fortunately the lady arrived in time to dissuade the limb of the law from arresting her husband. The pair of thern went oft after the real dilinquent in the car that was the cause of all the excitement, and were successful in overtaking and apprehending a man who was charged with the theft. }

A most interesting reunion UAk place at the counirv home, ' Waimana," Te Horo, ci Mr J. G. Harkae*«, on Boxing Day. Mr and M r s 3arkne=s were celebrating their goid>n wedding, and the children, grandxbildren, and other relative* had a-nth-jred to the number of about 30." All he sorts but one were present—Mr Percy Harkaess, of Midimrst; Mr 3 .eg. Harkness, of Stratford; and Mr Z. I. Harkness, of Levin; also the hre-e daughters, Mrs W. HaidyOnes, of .Stratford: Mrs Fiav Brown, >I Levfn; and Miss Constance Hark-ibs-s, of Te Horo. A presentation was nade to Mr and Mrs J. G. Harkness r/ Mr-Percy Karknesj on behaif of he children, who spoke oX tite- sttTjng qualities or the parents, and Iheir tealth was drunk witTa musical hon--IT*. Mr T. B. Hodder, of Paimerson North, a brother of the bride of 3 years ago, hi .speaking to the toast. escribed the original ceremony ana Hi how the bride and bridegroom rent away from the bride"* home In Schmoud, Nelson, on two Sen- steeds, istead of the modern motor car. A odd number of £h.e 23 grsssekfejldrffii j •ere present and helped to make the J athefing mere Jfaly.. .&.' meeting of th* Otaki Stat* School • -S,— r - Trbi Barrett, after Tannine »3 rue njr, row ieac; the lis* for hoe* » - J • iO'ft rapairs. £l& &&s » oppte-dais bwnts, aus e lirit to sts aa® until sha-r- -what hjgVgTade gao3( * 3&»S =• Bis Hi Ai&a-dMfe.—AJto& -

The result of the sheep guessing competition in connection with the Parapara umu sports is as follows: —Live weight 131 lbs, Mr. M. Maclean; dead weight 78 lbs, Mr. Fairbrother and Dr. Eeid.

Mr W. Harbutt pointed out, at last night's meeting of the Oambridge Power Board, that the Board was Often blamed for faults for which, consumers were themselves responsible. He quoted two instances that had been ibrought under his own notice, where blow-outs in fuses had been caused Iby branches of trees causing short circuits. Consumers should see not t° cause those trouble. The "Southland News" office was the scene of a serious conflagration at about (3.30 a.m. on the morning of Wednesday, January 2nd, resulting in the total destruction of live linotypes and serious damage to three others. The damage is estimated at approximately £BOOO and it will be several weeks before the machinery can be replaced. Meantime arrangements have been made for the regular publication of the paper.

It has been assorted by a water di- ! viJior, Mr. A. McDonald, that he has' located many oil streams in the Pon- j garoa district. 12 of them being actually- in the township. These streams are said to be from 15 yards to 30 yards wide, and separated only by half a chain. The diviner (says the Hawke's Buy Herald) claims that he is sure the fluid located is petroleum oil. and that the depth of the streams is about 360 feet. Pongaroa residents have decided on a bore as a trial. Mr. T. B. Bax held his first auction sale in Otaki yesterday afternoon. There was a good attendance of the public ami bidding for some lines was very keen. General satisfaction was expressed all round, buyers realising thev had .received good value and the vendor recognising that the auctioneer had done his best to realise the best prices possible for the lots submitted.

Letters received by last mail from Germany continue to carry an increasing postag-o (says the Christchurch Press)' Postcards which are posted for the humble penny in New Zealand require 6.000.000 marks coming from Gormanv. A post card dated Berlin. O'tober' 29 last, just received in Christchurch by a business firm, has on it postage stamps to the value of 6,000,000 marks, which, on pre-war basis of exchange, would represent £300.000. This goes to show the awful collapse of the German mark since the war.