Shannon News TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 1923.

Shannon News, 30 January 1923, Page 2

Shannon News TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 1923.

This week the first consignment ot poies are due at the local staiion lor the . Horowhenua Electric Power Board.

We learn that work is to commence shortly at the Tokomaru Sawmiiling Co.'s mill ai Arapeti. This mill has been closed down ior some considerable time.

Mr A L. Monteith, M.P. for Welligton East,- accompanied by Mrs Monteith;" spent the week-end in Shannon, being the guests of Mr and Mrs Harris.

Owing to the flooded state of the road between Shannon and Foxton on Saturday afternoon, the Foxton cricket team were unable to come through to play the Public Works team at Shannon, the match being postponed.

A consignment of four crates of pigeons forwarded by the Wellington Homing Pigeon Association were liberated at the railway station on Saturday-afternoon by the staff. After circling around a few times the birds struck out on their fly to Wellington. ■

On Thursday evening as Mr Bert Wilkinson was returning from Tokomaru by car he struck the full force of the gale. Coming round one of the corners the wind Avas so strong (hat the car was nearly blown over; as it was, the wind blew 7 the hoodoff, carrying it info the swamp. From the appearance of the hood frame, one would think the hood had been cut off with a knife, so clean was it taken off.

On Saturday afternoon a "heavy flood cdme down in the Manawatu, evidently caused by the heavy rain at Pohangina and Woodville early Saturday morning. The Foxton Road, as usual, received its share of it, the road being covered with water for a good distance, while the low-lying country in the vicinity was also well covered. Vehicular traffic for a while was held up owing to the depth of water, it being estimated that in places there was 3ft of water on the road. Yesterdav morning it had gone down considerably.

A good story is going the rounds concerning a settler up the Wanganui River who recemly discovered that his telephone was out of order. As search for the defect proved futile he ihacT to procure the services of an electrician. The latter experienced similar difficulty in locating the trouble, and finally decided to inspect the line. About three miles from the house his search was rewarded. At a spot Avhere it sagged considerably some Maori women were using it as a clothes line.

The Bluff Press records that a huge block* oi granite, containing 1055 cubic feet' and weighing 150 tons, was quarried at the granite works. This is the beauiiiut black granite, a sample of which may be seen in the monumental yards of Leslie McMinn and Co.', opposite the Levin Railway Station.

A London cable announces the death of Lord Northbourne, who recently announced that he would give a bullock lor distribution amongst his tenants to celebrate Mr Lloyd George's retirement. C

For the 80 scats offering in the Dominion (says Quick March) there were 24 soldier entrants, and of these only nine were successful, and are now entitled to write M.P. after their names.

A Masterton butcher foretells a rise in the retail price of mutton if the price of wethers remains at its present level. On Wednesday 32/6 was paid -for a butcher's line at the Columbia road yards.

A Sydney telegram announces the death of Mr Alfred Richardson Holdship, solicitor, a native of Auckland, xxe captained the New Zealand cricket team against the Australian eleven some years ago.

There is some inquiry for cattle in the Wairara'pa from export buyers, and a fair number are going through the works on behalf of exporters, but not on fanners' own account. The price now being paid for ox beef for export is said to be just over 20/ per 1001 b.

A large object some distance onshore attracted attention at Hokio yesterday as it slowly drifted south with the ebb tide. It. proved to be v a large tree which had evidently come down the flooded Manawatu and went out to sea.

The flood in the Manawatu River on Saturday brought down large quantities of drift wood, which piled up all along the beach yesterday from the, mouth of the Manawatu River down as far as to Hokio.

The teaching profession -is apparently becoming, more popular with young people, and particularly with young men. This was evidenced at the meeting of the Taranaki Education Board, when, in-response to application to fill positions for 13 pupil teachers and 20 probationers, the board received applications from 22 boys and 46 girls, the number of boys applying being in marked contrast to previous years.

A unique record in riding was achieved by the family of Mr Dan O'Connell, of Seacliff, at the Waikouaiti Show (Otago). The eldest boy Jack, won the high jump and district jumping competitions, on Puzzle. Miss Catherine O'Connell carried off the honours for best lady rider, and Dan, a younger brother, won the Stockman's race. Molly was adjudged the best girl rider under 12, and Tom, aged seven, was the best boy rider.

Discussing the remark made by, a stock authority in the. Age regarding pig-raising in New Zealand, another well known breeder stated that he believed this would be a most important industry in connection with dairying. • The best pork in America was fed on lucerne when young and finished off on maize, and our informant believes that some sort of grain will be necessary to put the. industry on a proper footing in the North Island.

-'The richness of the Hawke's Bay flats in the neighbourhood of Hastings may be gauged from the fact that a field seen by a Masterton resident there recently yielded 80 tons of mangolds to the. acre without any manuring. Crops of rape also grow to the height of 2-Ht without manure. The rape crop on such land is found to be too strong for feeding lambs, and is much better fed off by' older sheep. The same thing has been noticed on the rich lands bordering on the lake in the Wairarapa.

A special responsibility that is cast upon teachers in native schools, but which is not always fully appreciated, was referred to by the president of the Native School Teachers' Association, Mr C. T. McFarlane, at the opening of the Association's annual conference on Tuesday, states the Auckland .Star. Native school teachers, he said, were charged with a duty beyond that of the teacher of the ordinary board school. The regulations relating to native schools contained the following: "It is not intended that the duties of the teacher shall be confined merely to school instruction of the Maori children. On the contrary, it is expected that the teachers will by their diligence, their kindness and their probity exercise a benefic<il influence on the natives living near them, and that they will endeavour to give the Maoris of the district such culture a* may fit them to become good citizens. No teacher who neglects this most important feature of his work will be regarded by the De-. partment as satisfactorily fulfilling his duty." j

Some Taranaki woolgrowers who have several years' clip on the place are considering the advisability. of getting the buyers up and selling on the farm, without the trouble of railing to the wool sales. A number of farmers in the Far North, including the Minister of Public Works (Hon.

.1. G. Coates), have already done this. In response to an appeal by the, Star, Auckland people have already subscribed £146 19/.-towards sending D'Arcy Hadfield to Australia to row J. Paddon for the sculling-championship of the World. Mr John Marshall has guaranteed that the balance of the money required will be available, lhereiore Hadfield will at once go into iraining to prepare for the event. The December number of the Monthly Abstract of Statistics, gives an estimate of the season's lambing. The estimated average percentage for the Dominion is given at 86.77. The 11)21 figure was 86.59. The estimated number of lambs in the two years compare as follows: 1922, 10,843,005; 1921, 10,518,780. The estimated percentage for the North Island for 1922 is 9.0.36, and for the South Island 82.53. Owing 10 the time of the year there is a slight falling off in production at the Waharoa (Waikato) dried milk factory, but nevertheless the average for the period is being well maintained. The present average output equals 12i tons per day, as against 15J tons at. the end pi November, the height of the season. The following are the figures for the month of December, 1922: Average^grading, 92.63; superfine, 15,925 boxes; first quality, 517 boxes; second quality, 121 boxes. ■ This makes a total of 16,563 boxes for the month, equalling in weight 414 tons lewt 2qrs. Mr F. Robertson, of Kapuka, has discovered at -Waituna Lagoon, Southland, a bottle containing a message purporting to be from persons shipwrecked. An old, frayed ' piece of brown, paper, which was taken from the bottle, and now. in possession of the ■ police, contained the following 'words: "Help. \V'.e are wrecked on an island 38i deg. S., 17J deg. lat (here follows a word that could not be deciphered, but seemed to be either E.. E.S., or S.)—Geo. Williams, J. Aitken." Until an examination is made (the effects of immersion in sea water for any length of time usually furnish a valuable guide), the inspector is not prepared to express an opinion as to whether the message is genuine or is a hoax. The Customs Department has been advised of the find. "The Chatham Islands is no place for a farmer," said Mr .J .A. Thomson, headmaster of the Te One School, during the course of the visit paid to the Canterbury Education Board's meeting by the' Chatham Islands school children tecently. Mr Thomson added that it was the absentee landlords who were making moneyout of the islands, not the residents. The freight to bring sheep over here was 7/6 per head, and with other charges on top of this a farmer could not make much out of sheep if he got say only 17/ per'head. He instanced the case of one farmer who had lost about 300. sheep out of a mob of 700 sent over here, and added: "You can't expect Chatham Islands farmers to be wealthy." An increase of £1,198,464 in net profits for the past year, compared with the previous 12 months, is shown byMessrs. J. and P. Coates, the cotton thread manufacturers. Their net profits for the year, after depreciations and amount to £3,270,913. . The directors propose to restore £250,000 taken from the dividend reserve fund last year, aiyl to pay a bonus of 6d per share, making a total distribution equal to 17-J per cent lot the year. In the year ended June, 1921, a year of general trade depression, the firm's net profits were. £2,072,499, compared with £4,164,894 for the previous 12 months. The 191!)1920 total was the highest .profit in ' any year in the company's history. 'ln the year before the war, Messrs. J. and P. Coats's profit was. £2,634,400, and-the dividend 30 per cent.