Shannon News FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1923.

Shannon News, 16 February 1923, Page 2

Shannon News FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1923.

A social and. dance is to be held by the local Tennis Club in the Parish Hall on Tuesday evening next, with a view to raising funds 'for the purpose of laying down four new courts on their recently acquired property in Vance Street.

Picture patrons are reminded that the film Omar Khayyam will be screened at the local -theatre on Friday, February 23. A Shannon property, consisting of a quarter-awe section and four-roomed cottage, was submitted to auction in Levin on Tuesday by Messrs. Abraham and Williams. The purchaser was Mr H, Hook, at £350. A dairy farm has been taken up in the middle of the swamp from Tokomaru, where there is some high ground. The farmer sledges his cream to the road through the swamp for a considerable distance. It is stated he is getting a phenomenal supply of milk, and the owner is well satisfied with his venture. .

An athletic club has been formed at Tokomaru with a view to holding a sports meeting there at an early date. It is some years since a meeting was held at Tokomaru. Keen interest is being taekn,and a large number have joined the club. Work is now being carried out at the Recreation Grounds in preparing for a meeting.

Mr Corwell, of Tokomaru, lias bad to enter the Palmerston North Hospital for treatment to his : knee.

The work of sinking the artesian at. the Tlokoiha.ru Dairy Co.’s factory is nearing completion. The contractors are now down 280 ft, and expect to obtain sufficient pressure of water at any time. During the sinking operations, when they had gone 70ft, they struck a strata of sand and shells for a depth of 100 ft, which shows that at some time or' other this part of the country must have been covered by the ocean. For all purposes requiring a pure, full-flavoured, piquant Vinegar, we :e----cominend Sharland’s Vinegar. Brewed from pure cane sugar.

Mr Thomas, stationmaster at Shannon, commenced his annual leave this morning. Mr O’Connor is acting as relieving .stationmaster. The death took place at Foxton yesterday of Mrs Ellen Bauckham, aged 75. She took up her residence in Ashhurst in 1879 upon arrival from England.

The Manawatu County Council’s Engineer reported at last meeting that the recent /floods in the Manawatu River had caused an erosion to take place near the Shannon bridge at a spot approaching the south end of the stop bank that was constructed last year. The position was again serious, and it would be necessary to extend the stop bank from Mr Upton’s gate, through Mr Pigot’s property and to the bank on the bridge 'approach. The Engineer recommended that the above work be proceeded with before winter sets .in.

“I don’t have anything to do with the police—l’m not used to being caught at all,” said a witness in the Magistrate’s Court in Manganui when questioned as to the effect of the arrival of the police at a hotel raid. The Thames Valley Power Board has resolved to charge, with a lh.p. motor installed, for 3-cow plants, £lO 10/ for 35001 bof butterfat, increasing pro rata to £2l for 70001 b of butterfat. These rates will apply to installation of lh.p. motors only. This reduction has been made with .the object of assisting the farmer with small herds.

The movement towards effectively checking the dangerous road hog and controlling motor Traffic ■ is coming along. The appointment of special constables to control motor-traffic and to prevent riding on footpaths wa's considered by the Otalti Borough Council at its last meeting. It was decided to ask the Levin Borough Council and the, Horowhenua County County Council to co-operate in the matter of dealing with excessive speed.

What is believed to be a New Zealand record for six animals of two years of age has just been achieved by six two-year-old Jerseys belonging to H .IL Sutton and Co. (Longbush). For the complete year they averaged 513.391 b butterfat: This is a striking example of the value of herd-testing. Mr J. A. Nash (Palmerston) has asked the Minister for Public Works whether the recent flooding will interfere with the completion of the Mangahao hydro-electric scheme at or about the end of 1923. This, urged the hon. member, was a matter of great importance to the various Power Boards, who w'ere taking steps to complete their arrangements for the utilisation _of the power from Mangahao as soon as the scheme was completed.

Matamata motorists who travelled to Rotorua this week report the road in excellent condition, says the Record. The portion through the Mauiaku bush was stated to have never been in a better condition. On the road the party passed a motor caravan, containing a Wellington man and his wife and children, who had travelled from Wellington via Manawatu, Te Kuiti, Hamilton to Rotorua. The vehicle had been six weeks on the road.

A rather fine point was brought to light at the meeting of the Horowheliua Patriotic Association this week The- chairman .(Mr P. W. Goldsmith) said it had been established that in event of a soldier becoming engaged before \he went to the war, marrying after his return and then dying, his widow would be entitled to a pension. If he became engaged after bis return, married and then succumbed, the, widow would not receive a pension. At the meeting of the Kairanga Go unty Council the clerk drew attention to the fact that an audit for the year ending March 31, 1922, had not been made, and it was formally decided on the motion of Cr Anderson “that this Council the Audit Department’s delay in completing the annual audit of its books is unfair to its officers and all concerned, and that the Auditor-General's attention be drawn to the matter and he be asked to have the audit expedited.” A big blaze on the road in the vicinity of Ihakara attracted attention about 3 yesterday, morning. The fire was located on a lorry loaded with’ benzine, which took fire by some means, and totally destroyed the vehicle, only a few pieces of twisted iron being left after the flames had subsided. ,Hhe lorry is said to have come from Wellington.

The shearing has been delayed shockingly this season, says a writer in a Christchurch paper, referring to conditions in Canterbury. Even 1 down

country one may see flocks that are still in the wool, a most unusual sight at this time of the year. There must be many thousands of sheep still unshorn, and dozens of owners who hoped to get their clips into the coming sales will miss the opportunity of doing so. Summer-time is Hay-fever-time. You won’t be troubled this sunfaner if you keep “Nazol” bandy. 1/6 buys 60 doses.

A rather remarkable case, involv-1 ing not a little hardship to a returned. 1 soldier and his wife and family was I mentioned at the Horowhenua Patriotic Association this week. The soldier, I who resides at Shannon, was in bad I health, and made repeated claims to 1 the Department for a pension, but without success. The Horowhenua As-1 sociatioh assisted the man for a con-1 siderable period, and at length Dr. J Macdonald, Shannon, made an exten-1 sive examination, and as a result or- j de'r&l the man to hospital, where an I operation was successfully performed, I and the man will require to continue J receiving treatment in hospital for another twelv e months. It was po:;-1 sibly* due' to the medical examine- I tion and report that the . soldier had

his case reconsidered ,by the Pensions Department, with the satisfactory re- I suit that a full pension was granted, with, provision for his wife and iam.ily. Chesterfield’s landmark, the famous crooked spire of the Parish Church, is in danger of collapsing, and, in consequence, steps are to be taken to overhaul and preserve this unique structure, the cost being estimated at. £2OOO. Since the 14tli century the spire has remained the finest medieval memorial in Derbyshire. Many stories are existent as to the cause of its crookedness. Tradition says that the devil, furious that a place of worship should he erected here, gave the spire a twist. There can be little doubt, however, that, in building, the woodwork underneath the outer case of’ lead was put in before it was properly dried and, in consequence, warped, throwing the structure aslant.

“It is desirable that the utmost publicity should be given to the fact, that any person who has a postal packet or letter wrongly delivered to him should return that packet to the postal authorities immediately,” said Mr Justice Adams at the Christchurch Supreme Court on Monday. His Honour emphasised the fact that- the law provided substantial penalties for detaining such packets or letters.

“1 am certain that men were sent to the front who should never have been allowed to leave the country,” said Mr G. Catley, at yesterday’s meeting of the Horowhenua Patriotic Association, when a communication was read regarding a soldier who had been receiving assistance .and hospital treatment over an extended period.

As showing the value of top-dress-ing pastures, M 1 ’ F. Retter, of Hamilton,' Who visited Levin yesterday, said one of his sons has a, farm of 55 acres in that district, on which he grazes 30 cows. A. small portion of the farm was taken up with growing crops, etc., hut systematic top-dress l ing each year greatly stimulated the growth of feed, and gave results that would not otherwise be obtained,. The erection of the main transmission line for the Power Board’s scheme of reticulation of this district is proceeding, and has reached Ihakara on the oroute from Shannoh. Some poachers in the Waikanae district got an. unpleasant surprise whilst engaged in their nefarious work last

week-end. They were detected by at

party of anglers, who secured the names of the culprits. More will he I heard of the ; matter. | The work of culling the deer herds in the Wellington district is still going on. In the Haurangi deer reserve in South Wairarapa the animals were found to be very numerous, and 214 were shot. The Ruahine reserve herds in the vicinity of Ohakune will be the next and last'to receive attention.

When a locjal carpenter commenced repairs to an old building in Levin yesterday, lie found a hive of bees well established in the roof. The bees must have been in occupation for some considerable time, for no less than 13 large combs of honey

had been collected by the busy little workers, which proved a good haul for the lucky finders.

The ship's cannon which once graced the deck of the ill-fated Hydrabad—the remains of which are still embedded on the coast just above the Hokio—has been placed in Ihakara Garden, Foxton. For many years the cannon was in possession of the late Mr Andrew Jonson, and was subsequently handed over to the Foxton Borough Council*

Everybody is familiar with the nanifj “bawbee,” applied to the Scotch.hal’ipeuny, but to few does it bring Due : association of a baby queen and a 1 loyal people. Those who meet with the word in their reading do not often stop to ask how it came tio be applied. It appears that the flrs.t attempt at the portraiture of the vmfortunate Mary Queen of Scots was made in her infancy, and her small face was engraved upon the Scottish hedf-pen-nies at the time of her Coronation in 1543, when she was but nine months old. A number of these.sma.ll coins are still preserved, and it will be easily understood how the name “hawbee” or baby, he giyen to the coin bearing the effigy of the baby. The halfpenny of Scotland is still commonly called a bawbee, although the. baby face no longer appears on it.