Shannon News FRIDAY, MAY 19, 1922.

Shannon News, 19 May 1922, Page 2

Shannon News FRIDAY, MAY 19, 1922.

The Shannon Postmaster, Mr W. Baxter, leaves to-day on three weeks’ leave.

Mr H. Barber was elected chairman and Mr R. Tippler secretary of the Farmers’ Union at a recent meeting 01 that body.

Constable McGregor leit lor the South Island yesterday, word having been received that Ins brother was very ill.

Alter an absence of six months owing to a severe illness, Mr James Dalzeil, foreman to the Shannon Borough council, has resumed work again, Laving regained his usual health.

Farmers are at present having their oat stacks cut into chaff about Shannon. While the wet weather is retarding progress in this direction, the growth of grass lias kept up splendidly, and supplies at the dairy factory are not falling, as quickly as usual for this time of the year.

The dance held in the Druids’ Hall on Tuesday evening to ra/se funds tor the Maori meeting house was a success, both from an amusement and financial point of view, and all present had a very enjoyable time. Another dance is to be held early next month.

“We will have to take a pull,” said the Mayor at the Borough Council meeting on Tuesday evening, when the question of some additional expenditure was raised, “otherwise we will be getting on the wrong side of the ledger.” The Mayor was firm in tlies opinion that the Council should keep within its means.

At the Borough Council meeting on Tuesday evening, the Mayor referred to the absence of Cr. Hyde, who was in Auckland on account of the death of his mother. He l'elt sure that the sympathy of thei councillors would be extended to Cr. Hyde in his loss, and he moved accordingly. The motion was carried with the members standbag.

in reply to a query by a press representative yesterday, a fat. stock breeder said an improvement in beef prices was not in sight at present. He could see no rise in prices until the export business was resumed on something like former lines, .lust now our export trade was flat.

A local resident, writes stating that a day or two ago he came across two boys with an air gun, and they had in their possession two dead tom-tits, which formed their “bag.” The resident considers that, thoughtless acts like this, which result in the destruction of our birds, should be discouraged as much as possible, and suggests that, the school teachers could do good work in this respect in their lessons on natural history, by advising the pupils to protect the little feathered denizens which add to the life and beauty of our forests. Incidentally, it should be mentioned that there are two distinct varieties of the tom-tit in New Zealand, the North and South Islands having different species, of which the former is much the rarer of the two.

The swampy ground just to the north of Koputaroa is about the only spot along this coast where fhe pukeko makes a voluntary appearance for the benefit of the travellers on passing trains. All interested the welfare of native bird life will regret that this handsome specimen of our avifauna has suffered such serious diminution in numbers, but being practically a ground bird, has had to contend with the depredations of all classes of ground vermin, such as weasels, stoats, etc., and destruction by shootists. Still, these fowls continue to exist in the more) isolated spots, and the protection now given to - preserve them from shootists is timely, and should have good results. It is interesting to note that although an albino of this species is very rare, a specimen was captured in the Manawatu district many venrs

ago, and is now a valuable exhibit in a museum in England.

English hothouse strawberries were fetching the record price of 54/ per pound on April last. In pre-war days 40/ was the limit reached. The exotic delicacy was much in demand for West-end parties in London.

Good progress is being made with the bank construction work near the Foxton Road, Moutoa. The bank vuil be continued across the road, and while this is being done, the tanners will drive through the paddocks near by, but the road will be closed'to motor traffic.

Mr Jos. Dunn, of Piaka Road, Koputaroa, is going in for dairying on a large scale next season, and has just completed the erection of one of the 'most up-to-date cow-bails in this portion of the North Island.

About 200 subscribers to the Hamilton telephone exchange, having overlooked the fact that Thursday was the last day of grace for payment of the half-yearly subscriptions, found their instruments unresponsive next morning.

The Railway Department has removed the cutting on the south-east side of the railway at the Tavistock Road crossing at Koputaroa. This permits a good view of the line by travellers along the Tavistock Road, and should prevent all possibility ol a collision at the crossing in the future.

Some of the .Koputaroa farmers archaving a curious experience this autumn. Two months ago they commenced drying off some of thencows, but the rains commenced and freshened up the pasture growths, with the result that the cows are milking better then they .were two months back.

A party from Shannon visited the Middle Camp on Wednesday evening and gave an entertainment at the Y.M.C.A. hall. The building was crowded by an appreciative audience, and each item was well received. Many little adventures came in the way of the party, such as falling through small bridges and stumbling over stones, but the outing was to them a pleasant one, as well as to those who live at the camp.

Whether it is that times are a fit lie more stringent than for some years past or that farmers are more, a ive to the value of the dead timber lying about their farms, but many between Levin and Shannon are at present converting this previously negleciedy asset into posts or firewood. The tim-. her is largely rata, rimu and in some’ cases totara. One farmer who had a paddock of matai stumps converieu these into firewood during the slack time last winter, the sale of which netted him between £9O and £IOO

“I can tell you,” said a well known local sheep farmer to a News representative yesterday, “that some sheep farmers sold their wool last season as low as 2£d per lb, and unfortunately one of those farmers has gone to the wall.” The producer, our informant stated, was still under a big handicap. Shearing cost 3d to 4d per sheep, woolpacks were 4/6 as against 2/6 pre-war and 7/6 during thie war. . The latter price, of course, was the highest, but at that time good prices were ruling for wool and the higher, prices for packs was not much noticed.

A supplier to the Wellington City milk supply informed a press representative this week that the city was being literally swamped in milk, and that the Corporation had had to turn down huge quantities from all over the province. Only the quantities contracted for under guarantee were being accepted at the contract price of 2/ per gallon and any sent over tlib guarantee is paid for at the butterlar rate only. The supplier said he was sending 20 gallons per day over his guarantee of 40 gallons, but he was lucky as some intending suppliers had been turned down altogether. One man had got. a winter herd together at-heavy expense simply for this season’s winter supply and he had just, been told that his milk could not. be accepted and he must look elsewhere for a market.

i The port of Foxton will have an opportunity of justifying its existence to the Horow'henua Electric Po>ver Board. Mr Overton, fhe Board’s Engineer, stated at Tuesday’s meeting that, if material, particularly hardwood poles from Australia, could be shipped direct to Foxton, the Board would be saved thousands of pounds at. the outset. He asked Mr Wliibley, the Foxton representative on the Board, to procure for him particulars of the depth of water and draught of vessels that could use the port. If it could be utilised the bulk of the material could be distributed throughout, the power district, from' Foxton. The tenders for supply would be alternatively for shipment via Wellington or Foxton. Mr Whibley said the poles could be sent by scow to the latter port. He would be glad to obtain all

the necessary information for the

Engineer.

An important change in the working of the Koputaroa. railway yards is in progress just now, the, old system of hand-working of the points being superseded by the electric interlocking method. This is an advance on the mechanical systems operated from signal boxes in the principal station yards, the Koputaroa installation being one of the first, in the Tiorth Island A Californian, Mr A. Stephen Vavra, who says he has been visiting New Zealand, gives an extraordinary report of what he saw here. The Labour Party is in power here, he says, ajnd it has ruined us. He was two months in New Zealand, and he made niany trips by motor into the country, but all the time he say only one man tilling the soil, and that man was a Maori.' He also saw 20lb of apparently. good beef offered retail for a shilling.

— A “Charity Day”’ has been decided upon by the New Zealand Rugby Union. This was reported to the Taranaki Union by the chairman (Mr McLeod), who said the idea was that throughout the Dominion on one day in each season the whole of the gate takings at all the competition mat ches should be devoted to charity,

proportion of the funds to be allotted to the Clutha Mackenzie fund on behalf of the blind. Central Hawke’s Bay is said xo be smiling a.t the astuteness displayed on the Ist of May by a well known resident who is interested in' horses. Presenting himself at the bar ot a big country hotel, he called for a “long one.” v Receiving the same, be told mine hose that he was going out with the pint to exchange it for a brace of ducks. The purveyor of Scotch lin k smiled sceptically, remarking that his client had no hope. Five minutes later the searcher for game reappe-u----ed with a brace of ducks and an empty glass. “How did you do it?” asked the estonislied boniface. “Oh. that was easy. I took the glass to your cook, told Ijiim that you had sent me for the best brace of ducks hanging in the pantry, and that the Speight’s was for him.” The satisfied resident then left the bar with 'the ducks, leaving the astounded , hotelkeeper too dazed even to collect the price of tne pint with which the game had b-'-en procured. ,