Shannon News WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 1923.

Shannon News, 24 January 1923, Page 2

Shannon News WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 1923.

A special meeting of the Tennis Club will be held'at the Council Chambers on Friday. During the past week heavy rain has fallen in Shannon. On the 16th 1.47 inches were recorded, on the •21st .93, and 22nd 1.06 incres. A lafge number of pigs have been trucked from the local station to Palmerston North during the past week. Mr Fargher is at present on a visit to Dunedin. He expects to return to Shannon about the end of the month. The powerhouse at Mangorei appears to be a long way from completion, and' it does not look as though' it will be finished this year.

Although the weather was so boisterous for Anniversary Day, quite a number of persons from Shannon intended the Foxton races.

Owing to the figures being confused, a recent par in the News made, it appear that there had been an increase of crime in Shannon last year as compared with, the previous year. The. figures in parenthesis below are for 1922, and the others for 1921: Drunkenness 21 (6), drunk and disorderly 6 (3), obscene language 9 (10), vagrarTcy 7 (6), gaining offences 11 (31), supplying persons prohibited 0 (2), breach of prohibition order 0 (11), on licensed premises 6 (2), house, and shop breaking 7(1), receiving stolen property 2 (2), theft 18 (13), assault 6 (4).

On the plane laid out for the electric lighting oi' Shannon by the Borough Council, every street in the borough will be illuminated. Many travellers to,- Foxton races strongly commented on the shocking state of the road between Shannon and Foxton alter leaving the borough boundary. There" is no doubt the County j Council has much work before it. An advertiser in the Paeroa paper announces that he 4ias five "goblin" turkeys for sale. Another ex-pupil of the Levin District High School to pass matriculation and the iengineering examination is D. Jamieson, now a student in Wellington.

The state of Mrs Massey's health still gives considerable anxiety. Her medical advisers recently stated that it was imperative she should get away' from Wellington, and as her relatives are chiefly in Auckland she went there. The change did her a great deal of good, but it is feared Mrs Massey will be an invalid for an indefinite time. Members of two well known and highly-respected district families were the contracting parties in a marriage solemnised on Wednesday last, when Mr James Rolston, fifth son of Mr and Mrs R, A. Rolston, of Ohau, was married to Miss Gwendoline Saint, youngest daughter of Mr and Mrs H. Saint, of Foxton. i The ceremony was performed at the residence of Mrs S. Saint, jun., the officiating minister being the Rev. H. Curran, of Hawera. Mr and Mrs Rolston will reside at I lhakara and will, have many good wishes for their future happiness.

There, is a small creek, or stream, not far from CJpTinake, which is said to be the lair of a gigantic eel, one which'Ts said to be well known to the Maoris of the district. The eel is described as being of considerable length and great thickness. The Maoris tell "a story of this big eel being once caught on a hook, but his strength was sucli that the Maori who had hold of the line was dragged into tha water. It is said that the Maoris claim that this particular eel is a very old acquaintance, and that he has been known to theni for "80" years." Some of the natives, it is saTCt, speak of the eel with bated breath, and are inclined to the opinion that he is. not an eel at all, but a Tamwha."

Fiji is a regular hotbed of gambling. It is reminiscent of what is known as "the good old days" to see Suva gambling with a feverish abandon, which quite, rivals the stories one hears of the "wild and woolly West." The Indians gamble all day. In nearly every Indian home gambling is openly carried on. Now the Chinese have become so- bold in carrying on pak-a-pu that every European boy and girl in town has a 'flutter." One boy who gets 10/ per week in wages acknowledged 3ie spent "9/ a week on pak-a-pu and 1/ on cigarettes. As a contrast, one week a church function, which advertised a chocolate wheel as an attraction, was notified by the police that such "an ihTfaction of the law" could not be allowed.

It is learned from the Home Department that four women patients and one; male patient, all whites, have been released. from Pearl Island laza-' rette, after satisfactorily completing their cures, says a Brisbane message. Another woman patent (coloured) will soon be released. Of the whites released, one came from the north and one from central Queensland, and •the. other three from. Southern Queensland. Most oTffiem have been in the lazarette lor years. All. have been successfully treated with chaulmoogra oil and its derivatives. Each released patient will be required to report at least four~trmes in the first year of their freedom, twice in the second year, ancT once a year thereafter. None of them was released till after careful and exhaustive tesls extending over a considerable period.

The fate, of the Kaiser's Memoirs in France as well lis in England is very sad. In England they were hawked about Fleet Street without finding buyers except when as a last thought they were offered to a picture paper. In France practically all the big papers agreed to take them at a low figure from an agency. They announced them with many apologies, stating that however unwelcome they were they must be regarded as an important document. Alas! after the first week it was seen that they contained nothing that has not been told over and over again, and the poor French newspapers began to cut i'hem down. At last "the instalments became microscopic in dimensions, a mere summary wluTien by the subeditor. They were relegated to the back pages, those pages which are known as the waste paper basket. The French newspapers complain that they have got nothing for their money, and some of them even suggest that they have been swindled.

Comment was made at last night's Council meeting on the amount of heavy motor traffic passing through the main street of the borough lately, and the damage likely to be done to the roads. The Mayor pointed out that, according to the Act, the Council could fix its own routes through the borough, and also stop unreasonable loads. Apart from this, the Council could do nothing.

The contour of the great Antarctic Continent, states Sir Douglas Mawson, is roughly tHat of a huge inverted saucer; and In the centre of the continent the land is buried under thousands of i'aet of ice. Here and there crops out a small piece of rock, the top of some big "mountain, the rest of which is Buried far below. Indications on the TTocky Mountains, stated the lecturer, show the geologist that when America .was buried under a polar ice-cap in the far distant past, the ice in places was 9000 feet fhlck.

Mr and Mrs John E. Eagle, of. Park Vale Road, Karori, celebrated .their golden wedding on the lOtii January. A number of guests, including seven sons, three daughters, and eight grandchildren, were present to celebrate the occasion, Mrs Cornford, mother of Mrs Eagle, who is in her ninty-third year, and is still in good health, was also present, ' Mrs Cornford is one of New Zealand's early settlers, having arrived in New Zealand in 1841. The Eagle family living comprise seven sons and four daughters, the sons being Messrs. Robert Eagle, of Shannon; John Eagle, of Manga weka; Charles and William Eagle, at Te Horo; Stephen Eagle, of Karori; and Edward and Richard Eagle, of Wellington, The daughters are Mrs J. Bowler, of Shannon; Mrs J. Hoskins, of Kaimnga, Palmcrston North; Mrs E. Allen, of W'eraroa, Levin' ;and Mrs G. H. Smith, of Karori. 'There are forty-three grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Mr and Mrs Eagle were married in the old church at Karori, St Mary's, which is now being used as a Sunday school.

"Blue and White," the school magazine of St, Patrick's College, Wellington, a copy of which comes to hand from the editor, is a production of which the institution might well be proud. Consisting of over 80 quarto pages, tastefully printed-on art paper, the contents are worthy of so charming a dress. The journal is filled with newsy accounts of all phases of school life and photographs of the various sports teams and champions. There are notes on the famous Passion Play at Oberammergau, by Fathers Schaefer and Gondringer, and these travellers also give an account of their tour through Germany, Lourdes, Paris, Ireland and Italy. The visit to the school of the Sistine Choir is the -üb"ject of an appreciative article by L. Whelan, and there are obituaries concerning the lives of deceased teachers and pupils of the school. Football, tennis, cricket, swimming, rowing, handball and are all fully dealt with in special sections. Archbishop Redwood has published some interesting reminiscences, and the prize list and sports results are catalogued. Altogether it is a journal that will increase the pride of old pupils in their "Alma. Mater," and interest the general reader as well.

The Dunedin Star reporter, in concluding his comments on the M.C.C. v. Otago match, wrote: "When seen after the match, Colonel Hartley, the skipper of the visiting team, was for some reason or other most.uncomplimentary to the Press of this country in regard to cricket reports. His comments, rapped out in somewhat acid terms, were to the effect that cricket reporters here were entirely ignorant of the game. It transpired that most of the scribes have found the batting of the M.C.C. representatives not so dazzling as the advance notices led everyone to expect, and it is the expression of their disappointment in this connection that has raised the colonel's ire. From all accounts the general public have, on occasions, declared themselves at one with the scribes, but perhaps the New Zealand cricket crowd, too, is adjectively irnorant of the game it patronises.

Coming home from a week-end at the seaside to find that one's fowlhouse had been raided by a ferret and eight nice young fowls killed was the unpleasant experience of a Balclutha resident (according to the 'Free Press'). Retribution had followed fast on the depredator's heels, and it was found caught in a rabbit trap that had been left set for birds. The incident moved a neighbour to the expression of opinion that ferrets, like dogs, should be registered and bear a collar and a number in order that the owner might bo identified in cases like this. Another ferret, since discovered to have been the mate of the first depredator, raided yet another fowl run, and killed twen-ty-eight chickens and a hen.

A house at Arapohue, Northern Wairoa, erected 60 years ago of pitsawn logs, is still in a good state of repair. The Feilding bowlers successfully defended the Dixon Cup and .Tucker jjadges on Saturday against Pahiatua, Morion's rink going down to Chappeii by 25 to 18.

The Castlepoint County Council useu a wrong loim of voting paper in a poll on the Wharama bridge loan of £3OOO. As nobody was mi&led by the' irregularity the poll has been validated by Order-in-Council.

The Ohau bridge, which is to undergo repairs, will be closed from Thursday next between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily. The bridge will be opened on Wednesday and Thursday of next week, January 31 and February 1, for the convenience of visitors to the show.

The committee of the Feilding A.

and P. Association has decided to extend • the time of closing entries lor the Show and Ram Fair until Friday next, 26th inst, Intending exhibitors will please note this, and if they have not already received a schedule, one will be forwarded to them per return mail, on application to the secretary, Box 98, Feilding.

A pleasant surprise awaited one Wanganui business firm which was sending a bank draft to London to pay an account of £lO 19/6. 2 nstead of having to pay exchange, the firm gained twopence, for the amount of money required was £lO 19/4. The explanation lies in the fact that this bank has a tremendous lot of money lying to its credit in London.

"I have stopped growing wheat," said a farmer at the Ashburton sale the other morning (states the Guardian). "I cannot see the profit in growing to provide only the millowner with his bread and butter. The sooner the wheat-grower realises thefact that they are fools to themselves. the better it will be for them, and there will be a greater chance of the--charges for threshing coming down."

The paying out of purchase money to the natives at Taumarunui for the freehold of the town section is in progress. A considerable sum has already been paid out, and large amounts. have yet to be received by the natives. According to reports somes of the Maoris are losing no time in turning their cash into Pakeha luxuries.

A motor lorry met trouble on the Matahoura Gorge while conveying wool to Napier on the Wairoa Road last week. It is reported to- have gone perilously close to falling over the side. The vehicle was practically balanced on the edge of a 100 foot drop, and was kept on the road by the weight of- one man while another released some of the ropes and let. go several bales of wool, which rolled! to the bottom of the gorge, where; they still remain.—Telegraph.

An accident to two* motor-cyclists; occurred at_ Waihi beach. The young; men were Eric E.-Smith arid Albert Phillips, both of Waikino, and they were astride the' one machine. They/ were racing along the hard, smooth* sand, at about 60 miles an hour, when the machine, struck a soft patch, which caused it to perform a series of bounds and before it crashed on the sand, the riders were pitched in the air, and came down about 30ft or 40ft ahead of the. badly-smashed cycle. v The men were picked up in a semiconscious condition and conveyed tothe Waihi Hospital.

A letter written by Loyalty Islanders to a former missionary, a Miss rladfield, now believed to be living in'. the Dominion, is in possession of the.' chief officer of the Pukaki, which arrived at New Plymouth from Walpole? Island on Wednesday. The officers are loud in their praises of the work done in the Pacific .by missionaries. "The Loyalty Islanders grew passionately fond of Miss Hadfleld," said the chief officer, "and when they knew we were coming to New Zealand they wrote and gavfe me this letter for tier. I don't know where to find her, but I am extremely anxious to deliver this letter for the boys." The Pukaki proceeds to Auckland and the leaving again for Australia and the islands.

Practically all the surplus station ewes have changed hands in Otago, in some instances more than once, at always improving values. Sound* mouth ewes, with a good sprinkling of young ones, have been placed at up to 29/; ordinary sound-mouth ewes at 24/ to 26/. The position would seem to indicate higher rather than lower values, when topping time is near at hand, and fanners think of getting in supplies. The folly of marketing any ewes as fat capable of breeding for a season or two deserves reprobation (says an exchange). Certainly a nice tidy carcase of meat makes to-day around 30/, but it seems poor business selling when supplies of breeding ewes are not too large. However, one witnesses this every year.