THE Shannon News TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1922.

Shannon News, 10 January 1922, Page 2

THE Shannon News TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1922.

The school picnic will be held sometime in February. Several marriages are to lake place m Shannon shortly, and by all accounts the ministers will have a busy time lor a while. Two court cases of interest to Shannon will he heard in Levin on the hlth inst. Business people report that business on the whole this Christmas has been very satisfactory, especially in view of the fact that, there was much lost time at the mills before the holidays, owing to tire wet weather. Mr Jack Olsen had the misfortune lo sprain his ankle rather badly recently, but is improving slowly. • There have been a few cases of diphtheria. in .Shannon lately, and the Health Inspector has been visiting the town a good deal. A party of Girl Scouts in charge of Miss Wickliffe will visit Plimmerton beach shortly. Mr H. Easton's little daughter, who is in the Palmerston North Hospital, lynow making good progress. The Miranui Mill will resume work foday. It is rumoured that the Weha mill will not open again this season on account of the shortage of flax.

Ratepayers would be well advised to pay their rates before January 20, thus avoiding the 10 per cent penalty.

The recent, heavy rain caused several slips on the Mangahao Road, and also washed away a considerable amount of foundation work near the powerhouse.

The p.W.D. men were to resume work last week, but very lew were there to start. The works are expected to be in full swing again from today.

The output from the daily factory has not yet started to decrease, the abundance of feed this year keepißg the supply-well up.

The scarcity of houses and business premises is becoming even more acute in Shannon. There seems hut. little prospect of an improvement at present. The tightness of the money market makes it difficult to> build. “What is Shannon’s chief industry ” asked a visitor of the Mayor last week. “Two-up,” was the facetious reply. “Is that why I notice in your Borough Chambers a warning reading ‘Gambling strictly prohibited”” was the visitor’s quick retort.

Mr J. V. Bums has taken over the well known bookselling and s.ationery business hitherto' conducted by Miss Dum.kley in Shannon, and he invites a share of public patronage. Full supplies of reading matter, stationery, fancy goods and newspapers will be stocked, and the public can rely on the best attention to their needs at the premises. A local business man, who has just returned from a visit to Lake Taupo, states that the motor trip from Shannon to Napier was excellent, but the surface of the road when nearing Rotorua was very bad, necessitating travelling at about, eight miles per hour. Two t|i.y’s Ashing on Lake Taupo resulted in securing 44 Ash. The trout were in good condition, and the average weight from about 6 to JOllb. The travellers were surprised and amused to see roadmen repairing the roads with fern and thistles, with a little earth on top. The wonders of Wairakei Valley and Huka Falls added great interest to the trip. The whole journey was accomplished without a puncture. The death of a lady, Mrs Saxon, who was lor many years well known, in Levin, took place at Talmna, Morrinsvilie, on Friday last. Mrs Saxon was the widow of the late Mr J. Saxon, and was 74 years of age. She came to New Zealand with her father, Major Horneman, of the Imperial Army, when four years of age. Mrs Slaxon married in. Nelson, and lived there and in Feilding and I/evin, leaving about 18 months ago for Morrinsville. She leaves a grown-up family, who include Mrs Franklin Webb (Waikanae), Mrs C. B. Fasther (Tahuna), and Messrs. A. and J. Saxon (Shannon) and Ik $. Saxon (Morrinsville).

An unusual incident was associated with the running of the Auckland I’rotting Cup at Alexandra Park, on Tuesday. One of the limit . horses, Comedy Chief, to have been driven by the. owner, Mr 1L A. McMillan, lost his driver just as the race started, through the sulky of another competitor colliding with that of Comedy Chief. Notwithstanding the loss of his pilot, Comedy Chief vent to tiie Ironl ttnd trotted out the race just- as though be was being driven. Every time a competing horse would range alongside Comedy Chief, the latter extended himself and drew away without the semblance of a break, and he was the only horse in the event to withstand the great finishing ran of the back-mark horse Man o’ War, actually passing the post about a length in front of the latter.

Some excitement, was caused at Otaki on Saturday night shortly after the closing of the pictures, when a child caused Mr IL McMillan, the proprietor of the theatre, to knock over a. lighted candle, with the result that the flame came into contact with some of the films. ’There was an immediate outbreak, and Mr McMillan realising the situation, secured hold of four spools of films and threw them outside, while someone rushed and rang the siren. This was the means of attracting a crowd, bat by the time the majority arrived the flames had been subdued. Parts one, two and three of “The Texan” (Tom Mix), which had been shown that, evening, were destroyed, but parts four and five were saved. The films "Mutt and Jeff,” and the Australian Gazette, also included in the evening’s programme, were also destroyed. Mr McMillan, while carrying the burning films to the street, was burned about the right hand and arm.—Mail.

Neville Parsonson, the . rune-year-old son of Mr H. J. Parsonson, of Ohau, met with a painlul accident yesterday. He was dismounting from a motor-cycle, the engine of which was still running, when his foot became entangled in the cogs and was badly injured. The big toe had to be amputated as a. result, but the sufferer is bearing the shock well and progressing as well as can be expected. Poultry readers will be interested to learn that Mr H. B. James’ Leghorn hen, i.ady Constant, which in 1917-18 created a stir in poultry circles, by winning the Bendigo single test competition with a record of 332 eggs for the year, has put up the remarkable feat of laying over 1000 eggs. Her first, egg was laid on April 1, 1917, and her 1000th on October 20, 1921—an elapsed period of four years 203 days. Her yearly aggregates were as follow: First year, 332 eggs; second year, 577; third year, 762; fourth year, 931. Up to date this bird, which has always been single penned, lias Laid .103 < T , and judging from appearances, her days of laying will extend over many years yet to come. In some scientific circles it lias been contended by experts that the maximum number of eggs that a hen could lay was well under 1.000, hut this authentic record settles beyond all question that the number of eggs that a fowl can lay is a matter of constitution, stamina and scientific breeding; . n