Shannon News FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1922.

Shannon News, 1 September 1922, Page 2

Shannon News FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1922.

Mrs Russell, of Wanganui, who has been visiting her .mother, Mrs Jones, of Vance Street, returned home on Tuesday.

Mr Hallaitv, secretary of the Miran;;i mill, is visiting Hotorua lor health reasons.

Mr and Mrs Morgan, of Vance Street, are spending a holiday in Wanganui.

Last evening the committee of the shannon Bowling Club held a meeting to draw up new rules.

The rainfall lor the month of August in Shannon was 5.84 indies. Bain ,ell on 16 days, the heaviest being on ilie -Ist ultimo, when there was 1.55 inches. For the corresponding month last .year rain fell on 17 days with a total rainfall of 6.04 inches.

Arrangements are well advanced for the Venerable Bede's big annual children's fancy dress ball, to be held on Friday, September 15, and indications point towards even a greater success than last year’s function. Even at this early period of the season, the Moutoa district is looking splendid, and stock everywhere appear in fine order. The productive qualities of this land is well-known and is considered by competent judges to be among the best in New Zealand.

Next Tuesday the usual. lortnightly euchre and dance of Venerable Bede s will be held in the Parish Hall. There will be several variety dances, and there will he introduced lor the first lime ui Shannon a competition known as a “Fan Two-step,” which will undoubtedly cause great interest and amusement. Mr Coward's music. Euchre at 7.30, dancing 10 p.m., supper 10.15 p.m. Scotland Yard lias traced to New Zealand the heir to a fortune of £70,000', who has been missing since he emigrated thirty years ago. He was located at Lower' Hutt, where he had become a prominent citizen. A photograph, taken at the age of ten, was the only clue. The matter was mentioned in the New Zealand papers abo it a month ago.

An important point was explained to. a “News” reporter at the Miranui flaxmill at Makerua yesterday in connection with the re-planting of (lax areas or the putting down of new areas in flax. This consisted in using the seed from healthy plants in preference to planting the roots. The

root may possibly contain some unfavourable element or the germ of disease, but with seed this was almost entirely eliminated.

This evening at the Druids' Hall a grand plain and fancy masquerade ball will be field, the proceeds ol which will be in aid of the Moutoa Hall fund. Several new dances wilt be intioduced, including the balloon and confetti dances. The music will be, supplied by Larkins’, orchestra, and as the committee have all arrangements well in hand, a most en ■joyable.evening should be spent.

As an indication of the interest taken in the poll for £i5,000 on Tuesday lust by the Borough Council at Palme,.-;ton North, a rather amusing conversation was overheard. A lady, seeuig die flag at hall-mast at the Post Office, inquired the reason from a gentleman nearby, and on being informed that it was out of respect to a deceased legislator, replied that she thought it was because the sports loan had been killed.

A “News” reporter was shown some flax plants growing in an experimental area at the big mill at Minimi yesterday, which demonstrated the rapid growth of phormium tenax in the spring and' summer seasons. Various fiax bushes were marked with the date and it, could he ascertained at a glance the growth made in a given period. In six months it was seen that the blades had shot up as much as lour and live inches and the plants had thrown out a number of young leaves. In the early autumn, it was stated, when growth was at its best, the growing rale, was fully one inch per day. In the winter, however, growth practically stopped and the plants leniained stationary until the warm season came on again.

lAn ingenious piece of work was employed in floating the pontoon belonging. to ihe Makerua Drainage Board at Kara creek, on the Shanrron-Makerua road. The pontoon will carry ihe dredging plant, to be used in the big- banking scheme which the Board has in hand in ihe Makerua district, The dredge is to make a cut 1J miles long through ordinary country, alter which the Kara creek will be turned through. To begin 'with teams were employed in scooping out a depression alongside the cieek large enough to take the hull, and when a sutfleien! 'depth had been, reached the .slrudure was built in the excavation. Alter Ibis a cut was put through to the Kara creek, a matter of a few yards. The creek was then blocked up and the water rose and filled the depression and floated the pontoon.. When sufficient water had entered and the “ship” was in her proper element the cut was refilled to keep the water in and the obstacle removed from the creek. The launch was thus successfully accomplished. When equipped with power and her huge bucket comes to grips wfili terra Anna, the dredge will fight her way forward to the Tokomaru River at. the rate of 65 cubic yards oi material per hour.

Mr George Seifert, well-known along the coast districts, was a visitor to Miranui and Shannon yesterday. Mr Seifert is now a resident of Hamilton.

Whitebait is now becoming more plentiful at Foxmn. During the past week about 50 t ns of whitebait from Eoxton have: been railed from Shannon to Wellington, five tins being consigned yesterday afternoon.

A great improvement is noticeable in Bailance street, with the construction of the new shops going on. When the work is completed the appearance of this street will be greatly improved, in fact this is aueady noticeable Dy the Borough Council having dressed the northern footway together with other street work.

The plot that has been beautified at the rear of the railway station is a subject of favouiable comment by all visitor to Shannon. It will be an encouragement to go on and take up further work of the kind next season and in time the result of these efforts lnus, be to greatly enhance the appearance of the -town.

The experimental work being carried out by the Fiaxmillers' Association at the Miranui mill at Makerua indicate that the best month for sowing llax seed to secure the best germination is March. Various plots at the mill show the young March plants looking strong and healthy and with the summer coming on they are expected to make good progress.

A natural Leak in the form oi a two-legged lamb was horn on tire 1 a im oi Mr F. Smith, oi Clevedon, last week. The legs, which were per.eetly formed, were on one side, there being neither shoulder-blade no. hip on the other side. The lace o. the iamb was also of the freak order, the nose resembling the beak of a parrot. The little animal was dead when it was found. In Taranaki last season 15,735 cow?, weie tested, an advance oi a bom 4001) on the previous season. Ol these 13,735, 0500 Cows were tested by departmental officers, the otlieu through co-operative dairy companies, liic average yield of those tested b,y me department was 3631 b oi fat, which was a great deal more than what iliey were led to believe was the average lor the whole oi the herds oi uuminion.

Tiie world’s record parachute jump was made at Dayton, Ohio, by Captain A. \V. Stevens, ol the Crated States Army Aviation Corps. Captain elevens leapt from a Martin bomber at a height oi 34,200 feet, in the first lew seconds of liis tail the oxygen tank was torn irom his back, and fie was almost suffocated until he readied a lower altitude, where the air was less rarefied, it took him 30 minutes to reach the earth, during which tune ne united 25 miles. It was Captain Stevens’ first leap with a parachute.

It is announced in our news columns (says the Feildmg Star) that the doughty Prohibition leader ‘rom America, Mr “Pussyfoot” Johnson, wili make a very early appeaiance n. Feildmg—within three yeeks, although lie is in Australia at this moment. It is just a coincidence that on the day Mr Johnson arrives in Feilding there is to be an eclipse or the sun! Folding is not to be allowed to see two bright lights on tin same day—seeing double is prohibited by Prohibitionists.

liie native owners propose to devote £6OOO to financing the Tuwhare-' toa Co-operative Dairy Company, which was established at Wailii, neai Tokaaiiu, as a result of the decision of the. Ngati Tuwharetoa to develop their lands. Not only is this enterprise entirely native, but the. construction of roads, the installation ol g hydro-electric power plant and other works were accomplished chiefly' by the voluntary labour oi the people themselves. The factory was opened last year with six suppliers and 82 cows; at the end ol the season, during which eight tons ol butter were made, there were 16 suppliers ami 420 cows. It, is -expected that when the new season opens there will be 37 suppliers with 950 cows.

From North Carolina comes an extraordinary story of the birth of a baby in an aeroplane. The mother, Mrs Willis, wife of a coastguard at Chimieie, in anticipation of childbirth, had senl for a. local doctor, but

to the dismay of the household a tele-, gram was received from the physi-1

eian stating that the roads were impassible, and that he could hot possibly attend her. What was to be done in such an emergency? Urgent) calls were sent out from a wireless j slation to the- coastguard division :

lieadquarters, and Captain Deotte, J Coastguard Division Commander a' • Norfolk, ordered an aeroplane and j doctor from the naval base. The mo- < ther was rushed away in the ’plane j lronr Chicago to Norfolk, in Virginia, and during the flight the baby was

born. The mother and child were taken 1o hospital at Norfolk, and both ate reported to be doing well.

An item in the profit and loss account of the Royal Oak Daily Company, Omata, which came into prominence at the annual meeting, was “income tax £22.11/5.” The chairman said this was the first time dairy companies had to pay income tax and was evidence that the Government was hard up.

Owing to tne scarcity of good horses in the Waikato, several of the Auckland merchants have had to send to Christchurch this year to fill requirements. It seems that Auckland district people have given their attention so much to dairying of late that they have neglected the breeding of horses, in which the Waikato has always led the way.

A district storekeeper has installed a lorry service between Wellington and his home town, finding it preferable to the present railway service, quite apart from the reduction in freight charges. This mode of ..transit is becoming increasingly popular and the highways from Wellington now carry an almost continuous line of vehicular traffic.

Three sections of land (part of the Boys’ Training Farm at Levin) were ballotted ior at the monthly meeting of the Wellington Land Board on Tuesday. Mr T. Brook, Commissioner, occupied the chair. The, allotments were: Sections 82, 83, and 84 of Block V., Waiopeliu S.D. There were thirty applicants. The results of the ballot were: Section 82, A. H. 'Smith; section 83, D. J. McLean; section 34, A. R. Bryant. '

Who owns the farm now? That was a question that cropped up during the hearing of a case in the New Plymouth Supreme Court. The farm had changed hands several times, till, with the giving and transferring ol' mortgages, the question of ownership was rather involved. The present occupier was asked if lie was the owner of the place. “He’s the,owner of the liabilities at any rate,” observed his Honour.

The unemployment problem is much more serious in Hawera than most people seem to imagine, if subscriptions to the fund that has been opened can be accepted as an indication of public feeling (says the Star). The Unemployment Committee have on record the- names of about fifty men, all of whom are hard pressed and are willing to accept work on TuruturuMokai at 11/ per day, and the committee are unable to cope with the situation.

As showing the progress of the Cambridge hydro-power district, and the extent to which consumers are linking up, the Engineer reported at this week's meeting of the Board as follows: The connections to date are— Country lighting, 149 (increase of 21); country milking motors, 67 (increase of 20); Leamington lighting, 67 (increase of 6); borough lighting, 258 {increase of 19). There are still 12 motors on the waiting list, which will be connected as soon as possible. The total connections number 487, an increase of 47 since last report.

A well-nourished specimen of the sea leopard family, about eight feet in length, made its appearance at the Bluff last Thursday (says the Southland News). Alter swimming around for some time the a dingy moored near the wharf, and spent about half an hour there enjoying a sun bath, until he was driven out of the boat with coal thrown by some _ irresponsible person on the wharf. With an expression of wellmerited disgust at the treatment received, the sea leopard again took to the water, and went in search of a spot where he could bath without being molested.

A Hawera solicitor is reported to have stated that he had recently visited the greater portion of the agricultural and pastoral centres of the North Island, and as the result of his Inquiries on the subject he is convinced that in Soutli Taranaki the mortga-

gees generally are meeting mortgagors more readily and more generously than in any other part, probably better than in any other district in New Zealand. His own experience was that mortgagees came to conferences already prepared to meet the mortgagors liberally,, and adjustments were made without difficulty. He had seen mortgages up to £SOOO and £6OOO thrown in and the mortgagor still left with assets.

Mr H. Holland, ex-Mayor of Christchurch, in discussing hydro-electricity at Palmerston yesterday, stated that, in his opinion a stand-by plant was not necessary. The longest period that Christchurch had been without power

from Lake Coleridge was four days. This happened in July, 1916, during the heavy fall of snow'in the back country. The failure of the power was due in a large measure to the insulators in use on the line, the formation of these permitting the snow to lie on the wire, thus causing a short circuit when the snow melted. This would

not occur with the type of iilsulators that, would be used in. the* Mangahao scheme.