Shannon News FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 1922.

Shannon News, 21 April 1922, Page 2

Shannon News FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 1922.

"Mr and Mrs Armes, of Auckland, arc at present visiting Shannon with a view t,o residing in the Manawatu.

The big' dredge now under construction near Mr Spiers’ mill is nearing completion, and is causing a good deal of interest. Many are anxious to see it in operation.

Mrs Murphy is at present; visiting Hamilton, and intends going from there to Helensville. Mr 'Murphy will join Mrs Murphy later on his vacation.

The following nominations have been received for The School Committee: Messrs. G. Quarrie, A. Birchall, .1. Murray, W. Carlyle, E. Warrington, T. Wattersion, M. Downes and o. Anderson.'

A Shannon dog carried to its owner's door last week three young hedgehogs. They are being reared on bread and milk, and are quite a curiosity in these parts. A Topical Budget on Monday will include glimpses of the Welsh Eistedfodd at Carnarvon, Folkstone and Blackpool in holiday time, Cowes regatta, bathing at Ostend, 'Sheep-dog Trials, Venice on Thames.

The class of residence that has been erected by Messrs.; Spencer Bros., and one in the course of erection for Mr Bert Spencer in Stafford Street,, is of a very high order. Complete with every possible convenience and of a pleasing and artistic design, they form a welcome addition to tne good hqmes of our town.

Mr Huntly, of Wairoa, and Mr G. Whibley, of Te Aroha, are visiting Shannon, and are the guests of Mr and Mrs Whibley. Mr Whibley I'eturns home in a few days. Mr Huntly will be staying a few weeks to enable him, to visit friends and re latives in this district.

It was decided by the Borough Council on Tuesday night to * apply to the Horowhenua Rugby Union foils per cent of the gate takings at alt football matches held on the recreation grounds this year. The Mayor explained that he had made it clear to represenatives of the local club, who had acquiesced in his proposal, that the Council wanted the money solely for improving, the ground. , Those requiring household furniture should not miss the unreserved auction sole to be held in the Druids’ -all, Shannon, to-morrow (Saturday) afternoon, commencing at. 1.30 o’clock, when the Foxton Auctioneering Co. will sell the whole of Mr Pickard’s furniture and effects. The furniture has been removed to the hall for convenience of sale, and will be on view on ‘ Saturday morning. Everything is being sold absolutely without reserve.

Discussion at the Borough Council meeting at Shannon on Tuesday evening turned to the subject of books. The question of how a vote of £'lo for the purchase of new books for the library should be expended led Cr. Fargher to suggest that the reviewer’s column in a certain newspaper be adopted as a guide in selecting the books. The Mayor was of opinion that the best books were not read. “There is a run on Wild West yarns,” he said, “but you put Carlyle’s ‘French Revolution’ on the shelves, or Shakespeare, .and. there won’t be a finger-mark on them. ' “Oh, of course, that is going to the extreme,” remarked one of the councillors. It was eventually left to the Library Committee to make whatever selection they, might see fit.

The Auckland Acclimatisation Society is inquiring from the Department of Internal Affairs the cost of importing from America a million Atlantic salmon ova. To illustrate the menace of the willow, a witness at an- at bluntly stated that practically all Tie willows on the Maiahuru’ stream have grown in the past bU years to his knowledge (says the vvaikato Tunes). In some parts the trouble is so bad lorday that the stream is forced from • its original bed, and in others hundreds of pounds have been spent to give a new course for the water rather than endeavour to clear the willows from the old stream bedWhere willows have been removed they have cost up to £3 per chain. Decently an African sportsman presented a huge baboon’s skull to a certain acclimatisation' society. A discussion took place lately among a number of game enthusiasts who congregated in the secretary’s room. Many were the guesses as to what animal had been the owner of the skull. The wag of the party-' came to light with" the following solution of the mystery, by writing on a large card which he attached to the mighty jaws: “Skull of an exranger. Note aggressive biting power of teetii and blow-resisting" strength of lower jaw.” Under the heading: “An Ominous Indication,” the Oamaru Mail states editorially: The fact that farmers are stocking up with sheep is lull of significance. It means that there will be a considerable decrease in the 'coming season.' Farmers have been led to revert to grazing by several considerations, the fpremost amongst these being the recovery made in the Home market in the prices of both, wool and mutton and lamb, coupled with the refusal of the Minister of Agriculture to guarantee a price for wheat, as he has been repeatedly urged to do by the farmers’ organisations in Canterbury and North Otago. Mr Lilfiton related at a meeting ;n Wanganui how, some years ago, when his office was near a well known local solicitor some one commandeered his new umbrella on a rainy day. He accused the solicitors of playing a joke upon him, but they repudiated ail knowledge of the umbrella and kindly lent him a broken one, minus several ribs. Some .days Mr Lilfiton saw a man enter the solicitors’ office and deposit a silver-mount-ed umbrella near the door. On closer inspection he discovered to his great satisfaction that it. was the one he had lost, He quickly changed the old umbrella for his good one, and sat quietly to watch the fun. The man came out of the office, and picking up the old umbrella, walked off without a word. It was then Mr Allen Robinson’s turn to' relate his experience with a hard hitter hat which, had been taken and another left m its place. Later he confronted a local resident and told him that he was not wearing his own hat, The resident remarked: “You astonish me.” Sure enough, Mr Robin'son’s initials were in the hat. “Now, who do you think that resident was?” asked Mr Robinson, “Well,” he .added, “it was Mr Liffiton.”

Laughable coincidences take place occasionally even during the solemnities of a church service (says the Christchurch Press). Thq other Sunday evening, for instance, in a certain sacred building that stands, let us say, at least, within 100 miles of the Cathedral, a lady member of the choir was constrained to leave her place owing to the persistence with which herTiose bled. Just as a fel-low-member ‘rose to follow, with the object of rendering first-aid, the minister from the pulpit above, Who was holding forth in prayer and was sublimely unconscious of' what was transpiring, brought out with fine effect the scriptural injunction “to bind up the bruised and bleeding.”

A case lias come under a Marlborough Express representative’s notice, which, as an illustration of sheer willpower and line stamina, is hard to surpass. On Friday, the last day in March, an old gold-miner named Longhurst (known to many as the “ Silver King”), who lived in a lonely shack far back in the ranges in the direction of Waikakaho, had the index finger and thumb of his left hand blown clean off by the explosion of a detonator cap which he was cleaning. The injury was severe to one of his advanced age (over 75 years), but he made shift with bandages and string and set off to trudge back to civilisation. He had a solid three-hours’ walk along a rough, unfrequented bush-track, and it must have taken much courage to go through with the trip. He finally reached the Picton Road, was picked up by a passing motor-car, and whisked away to the Picton hospital, where lie is now progressing quite favorably. As showing the rugged constitution of the man, it is stated that two years ago hr rowed in an open boat alono down the Opawa River, out to sea, and

round into Queen Charlotte Sound, where he was prospecting for coal.

Mr Hosldn, while walking on the sandhills to the nor til of the Otaki beach on Monday found a skull and several bones —probably the remains of a Native youth who has been dead for many yGitrs.

All accommodation in Otaki was severely taxed during the Easter holidays. Luckily, the weather was line, and pleasant times were spent. The seaside, naturally, proved a popular resort.

A Balclutlia lady visiting Milton recently was shown a rooh»of potatoes, white variety, which when counted numbered 64, and more than filled a kerosene tin (says "The Leader"). The smallest was lit for cooking, and the largest was nearly a foot long.

The."Taranaki News” says thcic is a moveinfint_ftn the part of drapers throughout the the giving, of discount to special Sections of the community, and to establish a rule of allowing 5 per cent, for cash over the counter and 21 per cent, on credit accounts paid by a fixed date.

“No less than 4184 mol her; ~',d babies visited tii'6 office of tlm t urnbridge ' Plunket Society during die year,” stated Nurse Golistoue in Resenting her report to the ana ail meeting, “and 1129 visits have been made to homes, and where this was impossible advice has been given jver the telephone.” The announcement was received with applause.

William Ansley and lola Maloney were married by Justice of the Peace Eugene Charpe, at Detroit while the ink was drying on iheir respective divorce decrees. ' Both decrees were granted by Judge Hunt within a few minutes of each other. The bridegroom was granted a decree divorcing him from his former wife, Nellie, on the ground that she insisted on attending festive parties and finally left him. Mrs Maloney was freed from her husband, Guy C. Maloney, when she testified that he frequently beat her, and on one occasion struck her with a -lamp.

The members of the Horowhenua Hydro-Electric Power Board, with the exception of Mr McKay, who was prevented from attending owing to a meeting of the Hutt Council, of which he is a member, met in camera on Wednesday to deal with applications tor the position of engineer to the Board. A salary of £IOOO a year is to be paid during the constructional period at least. No fewer than 38 applications were received, three of ; which were from Australia. By their credentials many of the applicants were very highly qualified men. After careful consideration the choice was reduced to three, who will be asked to meet the Board for personal interviews at its regular meeting on Wednesday next, when the final selection will be made.

An old colonist, Mrs E. B. Ostler, died at her home, Remuera Road, Auckland,'Hast Thursday. The deceased, who had reached the age of 74 years, was the widow of the late W. IT. Ostler, formerly a well known runholder and owner of Ben Ohau station in the Mackenzie Country, Canterbury. Mrs Ostler was one of the early settlers in the Mackenzie Country, and experienced the hardships incidental to pioneering in the early days of the Dominion. After the death of her husband, who was accidentally killed in 1579, Mrs Ostler removed to the North Island, talcing up a block of bush ' land at Levin and going through a second strenuous period of pioneering. She had the satisfaction Of seeing the district she had chosen, for her home grow from forest to flourishing farm lands. Eight years ago Mrs Ostler removed to Auckland,, where she resided until her death. The deceased is survived by iwo daughters (Mrs C. K. Wilson, of Puketiti, King Country, and Miss D. Ostler), and one son (Mr H. H. OsL-“-ler, barrister and solicitor, of Auckland, and formerly of Wellington). . Commenting on the Post and Tele, graph’s decision to affiliate with the Alliance of Labour, the Eltham Argus says: “It. has been made plain that the Government contemplate some action in the matter, though what that action may be does not yet appear. Indications are not lacking that a sharp industrial conflict may be precipitated upon the public; the many sympathetic resolutions that are being passed i>y various organisations may prove to be something "more than blank cartridge. Well, if trouble comes, the people must be prepared to take their part in it by submitting to a greatly restricted postal and telegraphic service, and such a restriction would not be unbearable. . In the past these services, especially the postal, have largely been political shuttlecocks. Daily services have been inaugurated where semi-weekly services would have sufficed and other conveniences have been granted which were not really necessary. The result has been to overload the people with a burden of salaries which they need not have been called upon to hear, and which they would he thankful to be relieved from. A restriction of services would really be a benefit fa the taxpayer.”