Shannon News TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 1922.

Shannon News, 21 March 1922, Page 2

Shannon News TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 1922.

Mrs Butler has been confined to her house for a few days with a mild attack of influenza, and was in consequence unable to play for the hall on Friday last.

A dance in connection, with the Levin Mardi Gras Sports Queen is to be held in the Druids’ Hall on Thursday next, 23rd inst. Good progress is being made with the foundation of the permanent power house at Mangapao. The site is right in the bed of the stream, >vhich has been turned. A large quantity of concrete work has already been done.

Banking operations are forward at a good pace at Moutoa. j At present three shifts are working’, And with the aid of modern machinery a mile of bank is being erected per week. The work on Mr Tippler’s farm at Shannon .of ■ straightening the creek is nearing completion, and a dredge is being imported to continue to work right down to the river. The machinery will afterwards be used for cleaning the big drain. The Public Works Department is at present cohstructing a large shed in the railway yards for the purpose of storing cement and other supplies in. Large quantities of material are expected shortly, and no doubt the railway Yards will present a busy scene.

At the Palmerston Police Court yesterday, five charges were preferred Against Timothy O’Regan: (1) That he. did wilfully break a window pane in a Government railway train valued at 12/6; (2) that he did conduct himself in a disorderly manner whilst drunk in a train on March 11; (3) that he did, on the express on March 11, assault Frederick Sathprley; (4) that he did use obscene language on a Government railway train, and (5) that he did resist Constables McGregor and Shannon in the execution ot their duty, at Shannon. Accused did' not appear. Counsel stated that accused was in the Public Hospital and his condition would not permit of his attendance at the Court. He had been allowed out of goal on bail of one surety of £lO with his own recognisance. The case was adjourned till Wednesday at 11

a.m. The cost-of entertaining the Gov-ernor-General at a banquet at Greymouth was £134.' The local bodies are now squabbling ove the payment of a considerable deficit. A deputation {rom the Borough Council waited upon the County Council and re 1 quested it to increase its Subsidy from £lO to £2O. This the -County 'refused to do. Councillor Blair opposed the request, declaring: - “There are a , lot/ of people who go to these banquets purely and simply for a feed. 1 ' “Yes,” he concluded, amidst, roars of laughter, “I am not joking. They go simply for a good feed of whisky, and I don’t see why we should pay.” Mystery surrounds the death of s young naval artificer named Tilley, who was travelling to Alnwick in the Newcastle express from King’s Cross, and whose body was found on the line a few miles north ol Huntington. All the Carriage doors were secured, and there was no sign of a struggle. Apparently all the man’s luggage was intact, and no one was seen in the compartment with him. There is no suggestion of foul play. On his tbody was a letter from his sweetheart at Alnwick, expressing the hope that nothing, dreadful would happen to prevent their happy meeting that week-end. On Saturday morning she was mixing a cake at her home, and. suddenly, without any rational reason, declared she pould not go cn with the work. She felt that something strange had occurred.

The mail which closes at Shannon for Wellington at 5.55 p.m. will, on and after Monday, March 20, close at 5.30 p.m. daily.

Thp engagement' is announced of Miss Thelma Hemmingson only daughter of Mr J. Hemmingson, of this town, to Mr Andrew Graham, youngest son of Mr L. Graham of Ireland. , The children ol the Methodist Church intend holding their annual picnic on Mr Byers’ farm on Wednesday next. Everything is in readiness to make the day a pleasant one, and, providing the weather is favourable, the little ones should have a memorable outing. \ Over 200 couples were present at the ball in connection with the Catholic Church held on Friday last, visitors being present front Levdn and elsewhere. The floor was in. perfect order, and the music supplied by Mrs Davy (piano), Messrs. Merwood (violin), H. Graham (cornet) and Prouse, left nothing to be desired. Extras were played by Miss McDonald, and Messrs. Spencer, McDonald) Disen and others. A splendid supper was supplied, the supper room being in charge of Mesdames Murphy, Roach, Randell and W. Moynihan,. who were assisted by a number of youn 1 ladies. Mr Randell made an excellent M.C., and Mr F. Main an; able secretary.

The stone-throwing habit of a boy attending the Masterton District High School has resulted in a l'ellowpupil being handicapped during his whole future life by the loss of an eye. The victim of the accident was the eight-year-old son of Mr H. > T. Jones, motor engineer. The injury was caused on Friday, and was of such a serious nature that the'child was taken to a specialist in Wellington, who found it necessary to remove. the eye.

“We are proud of you, and we congratulate you,” said Mr George Darton to the Prime Minister at the Gisborne reception last week (states ihe Gisborne Times). , “The only thnig 1 am sorry., for is that you are not a Liberal.” (Laughter.) Referring to this statement during his address, Mr Massey said, jocularly: “We hear a great deal about party politics, but party politics do not affect this country. If Mr Darton is a Liberal, then I’m a better Liberal than he is; if he is a Conservative, then I’m a better Conservative thah he is; if he is a Labour man, then I am a better La bour man than he is.” (Laughter.) “I notice,” he added, “that Mr Darton has nothing to complain about, but reading between the lines of his remarks, he has given me to understand, and must have given you to understand also, that he is quite satisfied with, the present Government.” (Laughter.) ’ There are terrible wars sometimes among animals in a state, of nature as well as among men in the state called civilisation. A ship steaming the other day along the West Coast of Africa ran through a 'battle-field covered with blood, and with the bodies of numberless combatants,

dead or dying. A ‘British Commissioner in the Gold Coast Colony, Captain Poole, has described the scene. The sea was-for , miles blood-red; ?t took over an hour to get through the battle area. On the surface were some hundreds of whales, , “all 'of them suffering in the struggle. Some were just able to move sldwly along; few, if any, could move quickly.” Whether the whales had been fighting among themselves, or whether they had been attacked by swordfish, could not' be discovered for certain. The crew of the ship supposed that swordfish had been at work. These would inflict terrible wounds in the flesh of the whales, ' and the unfortunate whales would have no weapons to oppose to the blades of tlieir quick-mov-ing adversaries. Captain Poole said it was thought on board that the expanse of sea red with blood mustmean that many more whales than were visible had perished. No one hi the ship, had seen, or ever heard; of, anything approaching such a spectacle.

“A few of us got pinched over the last rise and fall in the sheep market,” said a sheep farmer to a Mail representative yesterday. He said he bought a good line of hoggets in expectation of the market improving, but it fell almost immediately, and. as he could not hold the sheep for a lengthy period, he had to sell at a loss of £6O on the line. i Cable news has been received of die death, in England of Mr Borneo Gardner, formerly of Wellington, the cause of- death being pneumonia. The late Mr Gardner, was well kn,own in musical, circles in Wellington!

A Registrar .of Aviation, similar u the present Register' of Shipping, ib to compiled at- Lloyd’s. In ibis way it is hoped to put •flying insurance on as satisfactory a basis as shipping insurance.

An application for a land agent’s license, made by the wife ol a f mneri land agent, now bankrupt, \va.i refused by Mr Wy.vern , Wilson, S.M., in the Christchurch Magistrate's Court this week, on the ground that the applicant lacked -the knowledge and ability required. The application was opposed, by the Christchurch Land Agents’ Association.

Mr Andre -Skalski, who was recently appointed conductor of the New South Wales State Orchestra during the absence of Mr H. Verbrugghen, is a young Polish musician, wlip arrived in Sydney lastt \October via Siberia and the East, where he bad been touring as a 'pi-anist.

Several Masteaton housewives are lamenting tlieir confidence in an itinerant vendor .of, soap, who assured them that if sin;all pieces were place;! in the rooms of a house they would kill every fly ttiat came near them. After several da;ys’ trial, when it was found that not only did the flies refuse to die after inspection of the soap, but actually preferred it as a resting-place, the buyers made, inquiries. and discovered that they had paid 2/9 for a piece of coal-tar soap, and that for half- the money they could buy a much larger cake.

A Melbourne niian who has been experimenting witti wool grease has come to the conclusion that by not looking alter this by-product of,-the scouring processt, Australia loses well •ver £300,000, and by sending Home nine-tenths of Tier wool unscoured, she .places in the. hands of manufacturers in Europe and America a substance which “thoy put to a score of uses and then send back to Austra-' Jia under a score of disguises for sale at fancy prices, wool grease being the basis of lanoline, some complexion creams, and ;so forth. At most woolscouring establishments, it is pointed out, the onljr grease saved is that which floats on the surface of the water—about 1£ to 3 per cent of the grease extracted. (The rest sinks into the mud at the botton of the tank, and goes to waste. Recently the Melbourne experimenter • treated 210 tons of greasy merino wool, \and when scouring was completed found that the floating grease represented only 1 per cent. But out of some 90 tons of residual mud, he secured by a new process 8 per cemt of grease. In times such as the presont, the return represented by this < quantity of valuable wool grease is not to be despised. “I welcome nthis opportunity to speak regarding: 'the policy of the service in the matter of utilising pinus insignis,” said Mi* Entrican at Auckland. “The quality of this timber varies to such'a g'reat extent that it is impossible to give i an unqualified recommeridatiora for i ts use as a buildihg material. Rega-rding its susceptibility to borer, tlEe evidence available points to the South Island timber as superior to th at in the northern districts, hut the ,-on ly certain protection is the application of a wood preservative. It shon Id never be used in contact with the ground. In every case where used for houses several layers of creosot ed felt should be placed between t£ ie foundation and upper timbers. Good house timber should show not loss than six annual rings'to the inchi. , Where appearance was not of great importance, such as in barns, etc., tljis Timber treated with Creosote could be recommended. It should also find.', good use as box material."