Shannon News FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1923.

Shannon News, 9 February 1923, Page 2

Shannon News FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1923.

The Mayor (Mr - W. Murdoch) intends to offer himself for re-election lor the Mayoralty of Shannon at the forthcoming election to be held on Thursday, April 28.

The Department of Internal Affairs have' informed the Borough Council that, the election of Mayor will .take place on.. Thursday, April 26, owing to the last Wednesday, in April being Anzac Day. On Wednesday, January 2-1, the ■'School Committee of Makerua gave the children a social evening before the school resumed duties after the holidays. Although the ' annual- picnic had been held when the school closed for the winter, holidays, the Committee thought that a further treat would be appreciated. Tea was dispensed at 6.30 p.m., and after tlie tables had been cleared games were indulged in, to the great enjoyment of the youngsters; in fact, the adults entered into Hie childish games with great zeal. There was a very generous supply of sweets and fruit, and a very enjoyable evening was spent. It is intended to remember the youngsters again at an early date and give them another, evening. After the little folk had a real good time the floor was cleared and the adults iiad a dance. Songs were rendered by Mrs Parker and Mr Burling. Mr and Mrs Judd very'kindly gave selections for dancing.

There is at present, says the Eltharn Argus, a great demand for two and three-year-old. store cattle, aind big mobs are passing through Taranaki to tire Wanganui district. Quite recently at least 1500 bullocks have passed through, there ’ being over 500 in one mob. A large number of them are coming frofn the Ohura, and Mokau districts. Buyers are scouring the country, but cannot buy much in tiiis neighbourhood. It is doubtful whether it would he possible to buy 100 bullocks of beef breed within half a dozen miles of Eltham. 'The Jersey strain permeates all our herds, but the buyers are. iooking for Shorthorns. The buyers are: said to be giving good prices for any animals that suit them, and those who have any two or three-year-old steers of heavy breed are “on a good wicket.” .Counterfeit florins 'are iri circulation in Palmerston North. On Saturday a local tradesman received an exact imitation of an Australian two shilling piece minted in 1917. A careful scrutiny at the bank revealed that it was composed of lead.

Mr Frank D. Whibley, of Foxton, has been appointed* manager of the Grey River Argus, New Zealand’s only Labour daily paper. He was the Labour candidate for Manawatu at the general elections. The people oi Te Aroha are making a determined" effort to get a return of the Wednesday 1 ” half-holiday in*: stead ol' Saturday. The president ot the local Chamber of Commerce estimates 'that Te Aroha is losing trade at the rate of £75,000 per year through having Saturday as the statutory half-holiday. Otaki business men are also organising a campaign for reversion to Wednesday.

Two members of the Leamington Town Board were the other day engaged in trimming the; feet of the goats kept on the river bank for the purpose of checking’the* noxious weeds there. Some passers-by watched the operation with interest for some little time, and one man ejaculated: “Cuttin’ the goats’ corns!- Well, I’m jiggered!” . Whilst a party of electric linesmen in the vicinity of Manakau were sinking a hole to take one of. the large poles a few 1 days ago they broke through into a hive of wild, bees. Naturally the bees resented the intrusion, and 1 showed fight. The linesmen beat' a. hasty retreat, and various artifices had to' be resorted to before the bees could be induced to change their quarters. “It’s like drawing teeth,” said the Town Clerk of Wanganui to a reporter when asked how the rates had come in. Saturday was the last day for payment before the .10 per cent penalty could be put on. There was a big rush of ratepayers during the last week to avoid the 10 per cent additional, but rates amounting to from £4OOO to £SOOO. out ol' £54,000, are still outstanding. This means a few hundreds extra to the borough coffers, but the Council would far sooner have ■ the rates paid earlier.

The best trained, and most docile of dogs become ferocious when indulging in a meal. This fact was exemplified with very painful consequences on Sunday 'evening when Roy, the 'six-aiHi-a-hall-year old son- of Mr and Mrs K. Easton, of Norbiton Road, was bitten on the lace by an othewise trustworthy dog (says the Foxton Herald). Some meat was given to the dog, and as the little hoy was passing, the animal reverting to a natural instinct, turned on the child and inflicted a severe wound on the forehead and over the eye. Dr. Wyllie attended the child and ordered his removal ttd Palmerston Hospital, where he was placed under the care of an eye specialist. It will not be known for a few days whether the injury-to* the eye will affect the sight. The child is progressing satisfactorily, and the dog has been destroyed.

Reviewing the position in regard to the proposed Channel'tunnel, Mr Robert Donald, in a letter to the Times, says all engineering, difficulties have long since been overcome; its economic and commercial advantages are admitted; its political influence is accepted. The military objections to the scheme have almost, disappeared. At the same time it is recognised that the 'war has affected the construction of tho tAmel in two respects; it will be necessary to go deeper below the bed of the ocean, and to protect the tunnel from depth charges. It is also considered to be necessary to make the exit of the tunnel a considerable distance inland from Dover. The pre-war estimate f-or the cost of the tunnel was £12,000,000. We may safely double that figure now. Steel, which would be la'rgely used (there would be two separate tunnels for trains, and two smaller drainage tunnels), is now cheap, and recent improvements in boring machinery will lessen the cost and shorten the priod of construction. France, according to the latest reports, is ready to do her part of the construction — half-way across—and is prepared to find half the cost.