Shannon News TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 1922.

Shannon News, 7 March 1922, Page 2

Shannon News TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 1922.

Dr. Angell is at present acting as locum tenens lor Dr. Evans.

The Shannon Labour Party will meet in the Druids’ Lodgeroom on Friday night to discuss the coming election arrangements.

Mrs Edwin Butt, who has not been well for some time, was taken, to the Palmerston North Hospital on Saturday last. She underwent a slight operation, and is making satisfactory progress.

Jing, Shannon’s well known fruiterer, is shortly to leave the town to open'business in Tokomaru.

It is expected that the payments for butterfat at the dairy factory this season will average 1/3 per lb.

The Shannon Amateur Orchestra ntextd to hold a concert in about three weeks’ time in order to_ raise funds for their .Society. They are at present preparing a good programme.

The last rain came too late in the season to arrest the failing milk-sup-ply, though it has served to hold I he feed for winter. Still, even for that more is desirable. At the Ihakara creamery the supply has fallen in the past six weeks from 2350 to l-ioOgai—-a drop of 900.

The turnip-growing competition promoted by the Ihakara Farmers’ Union is progressing well, though a few competitors dropped out owing' to the dry weather. The others remaining to show very good crops, aim these were inspected by the committee recently, the members expressing themselves as very well pleased. A decision wilt be arrived at as to the winner in April.

An Ihakara resident informed a Chronicle representative yesterday that there was an unusually thick crop of blackberries in that district, tills year. Anyone wanting a kerosene tin lull would pick it in half an hour, he said.

The work of draining and clearing the lower end oi' the Makerua swamp, north of Kopnlaroa, goes on apace on a number of holdings in that. area. The task is fraught with great difficulty, but the reward is certainly there in the rich qualities of file alluvial soil. On Mr T. McGill's farm a thick crop of maize grows on a recently cleared portion, and speaks for itself as to the growing possibilities of the land. The trouble, of course, is in the winter time, when the Koputaroa stream and the Manawatu River inundate the land with flood waters. Those interested directly held a meeting on Saturday last, and a scheme for blocking the water by building an escarpment was further discussed _ to a point where u was decided to engage an engineer from Palmerston North to inspect the scene and give an estimate of the cost and practicability of carrying out the proposal. The bank wouJcl be of about DO chains in length, running down one side of the Koputaroa stream and continuing at an angle for some distance along Hie river- bank after the stream joins the river.

The 5 per cent rebate for dish suited in over £J ,000,000 being received at, the Income Tax Receiver's Ofiwo in Wellington on Tuesday in amounts ranging from a lew shillings to thousands of pounds. The due date was February 7, but 21 days’ grace was allowed for the net amount of .tax. There was heavy payment made on February 27 by those who were anxious to get in early and avoid tlty crush. The crush came as was expected on February 28. Alter that date 5 per cent penally, was due on the tax, and longer 7i per cent, and six months 10 per- cent. For those who could pay, then, there was the incentive to. avoid the fine, as well as Hie inducement to pay in early, and so receive the rebate of a per cent. .

Children like Wade's Worm Figs sure and certain.

An attempt was made to break into Mr J. H. Fargher’s premises at Shannon on Friday night, but the wouldbe burglar failed'’ to enter the premises.

A resident up the East Coast made a good bargain recently in the purchase of a horse and buggy from a Maori. The turn-out was well worth £IOO, but he got it for £3O. The reason for sacrifice was that the native had been persuaded the end of the world would come on a certain date.

For'.the December quarter of last year the Customs revenue of the Dominion shows a falling-off of £1,088,458 as compared with the December quarter of 1920. For 1921 the total fall in Customs revenue was £2,282,762. The Excise revenue, on the other hand, shows an increase for the December quarter, 1921, of £36,633, though the increase for the year was £7735 only.

The Government will be benefited to the extent of £8477 as the result of the four days’ racing and trotting carnival last week. The Wangahui Jockey Club contributes £6500 as their share, and the Wanganui Trotting Club £1977, but to the latter amount has yet to be added the amusement tax on the gate takings. ■ An amusing incident, for the sicetators, occurred during a cricketmatch Single v. Married Men, pmyed on the Featherston recreation ground during the week-end. Following a particularly brilliant hit to boundary, a member of the “singles” gave vent to his feelings by performing the haka. - A dog, mistaking his actions, r c-mptly attacked him, and, getting a firm hold of the young man’s trousers ai the liip, neatly removed these g,irmouik

The following Hong-Kong cable, of 19th December, appears in a London paper: While proceeding from Shanghai to Hong-Kong, the- steamer Kwangtee, belonging to the China Steam Navigation Company, was,, hoarded by pirates. Captain Lindsay Crawford and all the European ofiicers were held as prisoners in the engineers' mess-room while armed men remained on guard outside. Between 20 and 30 of the pirates then proceeded to “clean up” the KwangJee, ransacking the passengers’ belongings and forcing open the strongroom. The booty was loaded into a Ashing 'junk which was commandeered for the purpose, and the pirates escaped with valuables worth £14,000 after disabling the engines. One Chinese passenger was killed.

A cage of lions standing unlighted on a main traffic route in New:. Zealand would hold terrors for the stoutest heart, and there is little wonder, therefore, that a young Hamilton lady named Miss Y. Southey Baker received something of a shock and that her horse gave a start on, coming unexpectedly upon a jcollection of these kings of the jungle on a recent dark night on the Te Rapa Hoad. The owner of this menagerie, T. E. Boyd, of zoo lame, who failed to appear hi answer to a charge of leaving a vehicle unliglited in the road, was fined 10/ and 7/ costs and 17/6 witnesses’ expenses, at Hamilton. The great occasion of Princess Mary's wedding day did not go Uncelebrated in at. least one part of Auckland (says the Star), one hotel marking the historic social event, by instituting, between the hours of 5 and 6 p.iu., that popular function “free beer.” Needless to say Hie celebration was immediately popular. A number of impromptu speeches were made, and the health of the bridal couple toasted lreely. “Biime,” one man was heard to remark afterwards, in deep chagrin, “and I never heard about it till one minute to six.”

Further details have been given by Detective-Sergeant Cameron, who has been investigating the recent-safe-breaking case at Taumarunui, where some £ISOO was stolen.from the residence of a Maori. The detective states tliqt the safe was broken open, by us ing two charges of explosives, and was evidently the work of an amateur. A certain amount of puddled chav had also been used fo cover the charge, and the final work of opening the safe had been done with an axe. The owner of the house was away at the time with his family attending some Maori meeting's. Evidently the thief had ridden a distance of about 14 miles to the house, and had lorded a river en route, so as to avoid the necessity of crossing tite bridge, where there is a keeper to regulate the traffle. He had stolen a thorougiibred mare, saddle and briule, and the mare was seen running with some wild horses in a paddock nearby. lie emptied a flour bag and commandeered. a small cash box to carry off the spoil.

We understand (says the Waiisto T.m- s; that a start will shortly be mid; mi the erection of a block of flat s in Victoria Street, Hamilton. Tat flats will each be self-conViirc.t, at'.' 1 are to ilie design of the m ist. modem block in Sydney, where flats are lire favourite form of residence. The undertaking will fill a very muchneeded want in Hamilton, and the ui-

terprise should he well rewarded.