Shannon News TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 1923.

Shannon News, 17 April 1923, Page 2

Shannon News TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 1923.

Mr H. E. Williams, of Tokomaru, hacl the misfortune to lose two oatstacks by fire, a few nights ago. it is not known how the fire started.

At tile annual miee'ting of the Shannon Golf Club on Friday night reference was made to the death of the late Dr. Evans who had been an enthusiastic member of the club, and a vote of condolence with his relatives was carried in silence.

Quite a lot of enthusiasm lias been shown by the committee hi the Shannon Athletic Club in the way they are working to make the opening fixture on Saturday, April 28, a success. They now have, their arrangements well in hand. During the week-end the Recreation Reserve has undergone a complete ehan’ge, the ring has been made and workmen are now engaged in laying off the track. It. is not often that the sea-gull develops the tendencies of the kea, but such would appear to be the case on a. farm adjacent to Levin. For some days, a large grey and white gull has been a frequent, visitor while many of the sheep have been found wandering about minus 1 hieir eyes. The owner killed some of the unfortunate beasts, leaving one unburied with poison applied to the sockets. Next day Ihe gull was found not far awnv a victim to its own greed. The arterial road on the Fuxton side of the Wirokino Bridge is stili in a very unsatisfactory condition for heavy traffic and is a. source of considerable expense to the Manawatu County Council. The road traverses low-lying and swampy ground which causes subsidence and deep ruts. The Coiufiy Council applied, to the adjoining local authorities for financial assistance to divert the road to higher ground but the response was not favourable. In the circumstances it is considered that this matter should he submitted to a Commission in order to compel other local bodies to bear a fair share of such extraordinary work.. —Manawatu Herald.

Mr J. Linklater, ifias accepted an invitation to be present at the opening of Bruce Park at Silverliope, to-day. The late Mr Bruce made I lie conservation of New Zealand forest one of his life’s objects and devoted a large part of liis estate to this end. In furtherance of his wishes the Trustees have oscured an area of about 40 acres of beautiful typical bush at Silverliope which will serve both as a National scenic reserve and as a fitting memorial to one of New Zealand’s 'pioneers.

The Director of Education lias issued a circular to education boards and boards of governors of secondary schools and technical . high schools, pointing out that section 11 of the Education Act of IU2I-22 provides that teachers had to make an oath of allegiance, and managers of private schools were liable to a fine of £SO if this was not complied with. The Department desires to know if the provisions of the Act has been complied with by all teachers, and if steps have boon taken to see that all newly-appointed teachers and those who re-entered the service had taken the oath,

The last meeting of the present Borough Council will he held iu the Council Chambers this evening.

The fortnightly euchre and dance ol' the Tennis Club takes place in the Parish Hall this evening.

The Hon. J. G. Coates, Minister for Public Works, arrived by the Mew Plymouth express yesterday morning and was met by Mr Dinnie, District Engineer, and motored out. to tne Mangahao hydro works.

The dance held by the Shannon Athletic Club on Friday evening in aid of funds towards procuring services of a band for their coming fixture, was most successful and those present spent a very pleasant evening. At tire annual meeting of tlie Horuwhenua branch of tlie New Zealand Educational Institute, which was held at the l.evin District High School lasi Saturday morning, Mr F. H. Taylor, headmaster of the Makerua school, was elected vice-president ol the branch, and a member of the executive.

Mr Cummings, postmaster at A raped i, was removed to Palmerston North hospital, suffering from a severe attack of gastric influenza. Mr McBrydc, of Paekakariki, is relieving at Arap'et i during Mr Cummings’ illness.

Mr. W. McKenzie Jeffrey, representative of ilie Flume Pipe Co., Australia, and Mr Evans, manager of line; same firm’s Master!on branch were visitors to Shannon on Friday and together with the Borough Engineer (Mr Edwards) made a lour of inspection'of the route over which the Council s proposed water supply is to be taken. Both gentlemen expressed themselves as being surprised at the simplicity oi the scheme and stalled the residents were fortunate in being able to obtain such a fine supply at so small a cost. When sentencing an accused person at the Police Court at Auckland to 1-1 days’ imprisonment for kicking a man who was lying down on the Ellerslie racecourse, the magistrate, Mr J. W. Poynton, said that it must be understood that the use of the boot in cases such as this could not be overlooked. The man who kicked another man when he was down must go to gaol. It was a serious matter.

Last year was recognised as one of the worst years financially that the Hawke’s Bay district has experienced for some time. Judging from the number of bankruptcies filed during the first three months of this year times are still hard with some people. In March of this year seven persons sought the protection of the Bankruptcy Court against 10 for the same month of last year, but for the first three months of each year the filings total exactly the same, 19.

The law puts a limit of £2OO as the maximum amount which a candidate foi n sent in the House of Representatives may spend in his election campaign. The story was told during the hearing <>t\ the 'Western Maori petition of a candidate,who must be regarded as the most economical of all aspirants for Parliamentary honours. This candidate won a Wellington seal some years ago, and when he tiled, his statement of

election expenses it was seen that, lie gained his success on an expenditine of Os by confining his campaign to open-air speeches. His statement contained the two items: "Tram Imres. 2s (id, and one packet of cigarettes, (id. ” It is not recorded whether the packet of cigarettes was the price of a vote.

It: is curious how religion —religious disunion more particularly has created the staple trades in England. An intolerant king drove the Jews out of France. They passed over to England, and many of them drifted up north and set their looms whirring. Later, another monarch, quite us i'ainitiim.l and far more bigoted, harried and persecuted the most industrious portion of his Flemish subjects until their only chance of life was to leave their country for England. The cloth trade grew, and the villages grew, and the industry in Britain again received a certain impetus from the third influx of the fugitives —the Huguenots.

Most people are wont to look upon a school teacher's life as being a happy one. So it is at times—but at others not so; for instance, when they have to net the part of an amateur detective. One of these incidents occurred within 100 miles of Urey town the other day (states the "Wairarapa Standard”). A pupil lost a small sum of money from her desk, and investigations followed. The teacher asked tire "suspect” to turn out his pockets and in compliance with the old song about the boy's new brooks which possessed a pocket, out

came a "nail, marble, bits of string, liquorice, etc.,” but no money. "Open your mouth! ” said the Sherlock Holmes; still no result. Noticing a slight swelling in the cheek the next instruction was to "poke out your tongue”—with the result that the coin of the realm "poked out” too, and thus was another mystery solved! Evidently that pupil had read about the diving for pearls in tlio early days,

A large consignment of pipes l'or the pipe line at Mangore reached Shannon on Saturday and workmen are now busily engaged unloading.

Fifty years ago a pottery expert from the Mother Country settled at lVaaroa (ivaipara), iuM, finding some si: table clay, lie began to experiment, lie made teacups and saucers and teapots for the early settlers. JMeoiitiy, in Auckland, he produced a teapot that he had made 50 years before. An exhibit of tiles, building facings, and sanitary crockery made from this clay is now on view in Wellington. An English expert was surprised that such articles could.be niar.ufac'urcd from only one clay, because in England and on the Continent he states that at least three ingredients arc necessary to produce sueli a resuit. A company, mostly with Wellington capital, is being formed to exploit the find. The promoters state that they have .100 years visible and accessible supply of the ciap ava lablo, and that there need be no land carriage, as scows can get right up to their wharf.

A traveller by the Main Trunk warns people to lie very careful of pickpockets during busy times such as we had this Easier (says the Auckland iStar). lie says he was standing in the refreshment rooms at Frankton when a man who had just put his purse back in his pocket after getting change felt someone at Ids pocket. Tea was spilled, there was a scuffle, but iu tlie excitement the pickpocket got away, and when the police came in answer to a call there was no sign of anyone likely to be implicated. The traveller recalls tliat last Christmas twelve mouths there was a gang of spielers evidently working the train in the Waikato and Taranaki, and he wonders if it is not the same men at work again.

‘ ‘ There’s fortunes in the liquor trade right enough—running it into the United States these days,” a ship’s officer remarked to a Times reporter. This officer has come from the Wert Indies and has seen the liquor running iu full blast. of the headquarters of the venturesome and lucrative traffic is on a small island south of the Bermudas. Whips from Europe get rid of their exhilarating cargoes at the island. It is carried to the mainland, about 9U miles an hour. These launches run the risk, of course, or running into the patrols on the American coast, but it is remarkable -liow they seem to miss the patrols and get the liquor through. This peculiarity was afterwards noticeable in connection with the official represson in the City of Orleans. A policeman was stationed at the door of a soft drinks shop which prior to prohibition was licensed to sell alcoholic liquors. Despite this evdent precaution the seafaring man went in and asked for whisky. From a bottle under the coun-

ter the whisky was poured into a glass. The price was 25 cents, and the quality was not the best. Suni--1 ming up this sailor reckoned that so far as he could see prohibition in America had merely served to reduce the quality of whisky and increase its price. Mr E. J. L. Strong, of Sidmouth, claims to have discovered a process by which water can be turned into the equivalent of petrol and that the spirit can be produced at 4d a gallon, as compared with 2s, at present price of petrol. Mr Strong is a well-known motori ist, and has taken part in many reliabij lity competitions. I went to Sidmouth | and asked Mr Strong for a demonstraIt ion, but he respectfully' declined, saying lie had none of the ingredients with which lie treated the water by him, j writes a London pressman. He adniitj ted that they could be obtained but it [ would not be policy for him to get them ' locally, as lie might be giving himself j away. Asked to explain the process, ; Mr Strong said into half a gallon of water he poured a pinkish powder that caused the water to cifervesce, and then lie poured in a fluid which carried in a phial. The treated water then had the qualities of petrol. He claimed that it was equal to petrol in every way, worked out at the same mileage, possessed the same pulling properties and at the end of a run did not cause any more carbonisation than petrol. He says he lias already driven his machine, a 7-9 Harley-Davidson, 4,000 miles on his fuel.