Shannon News FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 1923.

Shannon News, 23 March 1923, Page 2

Shannon News FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 1923.

Two special services will be held at the Methodist Church on. Sunday morning at 11, and in the evening at 7,o’clock. There are Harvest Festival services, and appropriate music will be used, and. special addresses delivered. The, church itsell' is being, lasieiully decorated with fruits, (lowers and greenery. A cordial invitation is extended tO' all. Seats are Free and hymn-books are provided. On Monday evening in the Parish Hall at 7.45, a. selected concert programme will be given. The gifts of fruit, produce, etc., from the Harvest Festival at the Methodist Church will •be Sold by Dutch auction, Supper will be provided at the close. The price of admission is only 6d, including supper.

The Tennis Club's dance, lield on Tuesday evening, .was u great success, and was well attended. Mr H. Hook officiated as M.C., wliile all the necessary arrangements Were capably carried out by Mr W. Quarrie, These evenings have proved so successful it lias been decided to keep going. It was announced that, owing to the Labour party’s dance' being held on Caster' Monday night, the next dance will not take place for a month.

Mr John Albert Grumwald states Unit he will be a candidate at the forthcoming election -for councillors.

In our advt. columns appears a list of business firms who notify the public *of Shannon that their premises will be closed from Thursday, March 2!), to Tuesday, April 3, for the Caster holidays. They will remain epen all day on Wednesday, March •is, and observe a late night on Thursday. .

Telephone subscribers are reminded that from April 1, the telephone rentals will be collected monthly in advance, instead of half-yearly.

Arrangements are now completed lor the Scotch concert to be held on Tuesday evening next, in aid of the Soldiers’ Memorial fund. Word lias

been received that the following ladies and gentlemen from Palmerston North will contribute items: Miss Evans (medallist), dancing stheauntreubhs and Highland Fling. Mr J. Stevenson, a singer of some merit, who won several items at the recent Wellington competitions, will render “The 'Trumpeter” and “Friend of Mine.” Mr Houston's numbers will be “The Waggle o’ the Kilt,” and “Tobermory,” and Mr H. Cole, comedian, ■will sing “Noses” and “Baked Sheep’s Heart.” With the local talent that has promised to assist, and the object being such a worthy one, it is anticipated there will be a large attendance.

Claimed, to be the biggest boy in England, Aaron Chester, of- Townhead Street, Sheffield, has found himself too big for his native town, and at 14 years of age he has decided to seek his fortune in London and perhaps beyond the seas. Having put on another stone during the past month, he is now approaching 14st. .He is 6ft in height, and his calf measurement is bigger' than Carpentier’s. He is not a fat boy by any means, but is a handsome youth, a champion swimmer and a good boxer, with a quick intellect and a happy humour. He is too big to get a 'job in Sheffield, as lie would have to have a man’s wage", nis .mother points out that it needs a man’s wages to. deal with his fullsized appetite. Mr s Chester is a small woman, definitely' below the average size, and the contrast with her athletic, manly-looking. boy is almost ludicrous.

During the. past few days the staff of the local Post and Telegraph office has undergone a change. Mr T. Knutsen has transferred to Woodville, his place being taken by Mr C. G. Robertson, of Waipawa, while Mr C. 1.. Hunt goes to Waipu, North Auckland, bis successor being Mr C. M. Smith, of Waipawa. Both the departing officers received presentations from the staff on Wednesday evening. Mr Baxter, the Postmaster, who made tire presentations on behalf of the staff, expressed his. regret at their departure, wishing them success in their new sphere, Al. the Council meeting on Tuesday evening the Town Clerk drew the Council’s attention to the widening and banking of the Otauru Creek by the Public Works Department, pointing out the serious position of the Council in obtaining gravel. The engineer (Mr Edwards) was instructed to interview the Public Works Department’s engineer and discuss the borough ‘interests. At Tuesday night’s meeting of the Borough Council, the old question of dealing' with wandering stock came up. . It was finally decided that first, offenders be warned by letter from Town Clerk, and for a second offence a summons will be issued. The Mayor reports he has received a, donation, of £5 5/ from Mr .1. Linklater, M.P., towards the Soldiers’ Memorial Fund.

Lord Balfour of Burleigh distinguished himself as a maker of bulls some years ago—“ The noble lord shakes his head, and I am very glad to hear it.” But many members of the Commons can go one better than “the noble lord.” It was Captain Craig who said: “The naked sword is drawn for the fight, and never again will the black smoke of the Nationalists’ tar barrels drift ; on the Home Buie wind to darken the hearts of Englishmen.” “The law relating to labour combinations,” said another member, “must be water-tight, made so that no judge can drive his coach and four through it.” “Whenever the Prime Minister mentions Home Buie he puts his toot into it up to the knee,” was the startling statement credited to' a Unionist member; against which we may place Mr Swift MacNeilFs, “I will now put lo the Attorney-General another question, which distinctly arises, Mr Speaker, out of the answer the right lion, gentleman has not given.”

As far back as October, 1921, a cable message foreshadowed the crossing of the Sahara by “caterpillar” motor-cars, and the revival of Ihe ancient city of Thiibuctoo. Now tlie first of these results has been achieved. & caravan of live French cars left Algeria about ten weeks ago and crossed the 2000 miles of desert to Timhuctoo in a trllle less than 21 days. These were the first sell-propelled vehicles to cross the desert since the. beginning ml time—though aeroplanes bad traversed the air above it—and as the most rapid camel caravans take 90 days, the re-appearance of Timbuetuo on the map may mean the disappearance of Ihe “ship of the desert.” The ancient slave city, too, .1 bough it may never regain the grim splendour is enjoyed when it fattened on endless processions of slaves, should soon become something more than a sleepy salt-market. In the fifteenth century il had 70,000 people; to-day probably it has no! 7000. But wdien the “caterpillars” come each month, when the merchants of Morocco join hands with Ihe traders of strange Nigeria, who knows what wonders may follows

In connection with the report from Gisborne that cows grazed in the streets of Tauranga, a Levin resident who knows 'Tauranga well supplies further particulars. Some of the streets there, be says, are practically all unmelalled, being merely tracks along the grassy thoroughfare, and the cows, which are taxed, and wear collars after the style of the ordinary dog-lax collar, serve Ihe useful purpose of keeping the grass eaten down. Our veracious informant asserts that the danger to traffic is slight, as Ihe. cows soon learn Hie rule of ihe road, and signal their approach to a crossip g by bellowing loudly!

Whitebait were caught in great quantities from the Devonport wharf, Auckland, last week. As a general rule, the fish are very scarce near the wharves, but they were present on this occasion in such numbers that scores of people secured a biliyful with ease.

“The Government does not stand any humbug about trees,’’ was a remark made at. Wednesday’s meeting of the Horowhenuia Power Board. “If they want to take their transmission line across a man’s lawn or through his orchard, they do so.’’ The question was raised by Mr Barber, who said he had heard of very drastic destruction of plantations in the Waikato to make room for transmission lines. The Engineer said ilie same conditions did not obtain here as in the Waikato, where there were large plantations and very high trees. The Power Boards, however, usually gave more consideration to the position of plantation-, Ilian the Public Works Department. The Clerk said that lie had already received a ' number of letters complaining about the main transmission line, the writers thinking the Board was responsible, but he had referred them to the Public Works Department. In one case it was stated that the lines passed directly over a settler’s house. Mr Kilsby confirmed the latter statement, the house being in the Otaki district. The opinion was expressed that compensation could be claimed for the destruction of plantations or similar damage if any pro-perty-owner cared to take the matter up.