Shannon News WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 1924.

Shannon News, 23 April 1924, Page 2

Shannon News WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 1924.

Mr L. Henry, of the Mastcrton Post Office staff, was a visitor during tire week end. . r

On Friday, 251ih April, a close holiday will be observed In all branches at The Shannon, Post Office. All mails AviJi close at 8 p.m. on Thursday, 24th.

A parly from .Shannon who toured the Taranaki,per...ear during Easter, ptyUe 'tliait what st>ru,ck thdm most wits the splendid view of Mt. Egmont which is practically snowless, an unusual thing lor this time of the year. The Labour Party held a successful dance on Monday night. There was a large attendance, while the music supplied by Mrs Butler added much to tire enjoyment. Mr J. Grqwtlier carried out the duties of M.C. During the evening extras were played by Messrs L. and S. Henry, aiid W. Quarrie. There are at least 500 silver fox ranches in the United States, where the l'ur farm-era have a total of-from 12,000 to 15,000 ol the animals in captivity. About £1,600,000 is invested in this industry. A sheepskin weighing 351bs must be a record. A skin (halfbred) of this weight was sold at Christchurch. At 24-id it realised £3 10s 9d. They sold eight other liallbred skins totalling 1071 bat 24Jd—an average of £1 7s oer skin.

The carpentering work at the Wanganui Woollen Mils is now nearly complete, and it is expected that the end of next week will see this part of the work through. Tire instatUation of the machinery is also being pushed ahead. '‘lt is awful to have to state that we tost £lO4 on the annual ball, hut wo have got to admit it. Had it not been for that we should have shown a profit on the working of the club house of £50,” stated Mr B. J. Jacobs, president of the Palmerston North R,S,A., at the annual meeting.

The estimated number of lambs dropped, in the North Island last season was 5,540,143, average per centage 01.34, and &o,ufh Island 4,949,313 average percentage 83.00. The Dominion total is therefore' 11,498,456, average percentage 88.02 against 10,843,005 (actual),, and 86,77 percentage last year.

Taranaki coastal farmers are perturbed over the loss of their swede crops. On four farms adjoining one another so sudden was the attack of ret -that fully 50 per cent, of the roots were gpue pc/pre cattle were put on to glrdd .-up and consequently there, will he.'# great shortage,:oi wither feed,

A swan which into tlie telephone lines at Hinuera caused an interruption in tire electric light service for 10 minutes in Hamilton on a recent evening. The swan carried the telephone lines into the power lines, which hung immediately above. “I have seen a number of farms sold by order' of mortgagees during the past twio years, and I do. not know of any instance in a forced sale where the property has realised more than til© (mortgage upon it,” said Mr G. Harold Smith, of Pahiatua, while giving evidence in the Supreme Court at Masterton.

“1. advocate a general income tax free lrom all sources, including income from land and debentures, at the same progressive rates, or similar progressive rates, to those in use at present. I think that the exemption of the income tax from laud is a retrograde step, as I think that it is advisable to moke no exception whatever in the assessment of income tax.” Such was the summing up of the evidence oi Mr D. G. Clark, com- j missioner of Taxes, before the Taxation Commission at Wellington. The determination of the German shipping, companies to regain their former trade was strikingly demonstated at Tirnaru when a pressman, who is .shortly going to Europe, was quoted rates. It is (possible to travel first-class on a German boat for the fare asked 'by British companies lor a steerage passage., Some time ago, owing to the rate of exchange, the fare, was as-low- as £l2. A fleet of vessels now runs regularly to Bremen from Sydney.—Exchange. The following incidehit is related as occurring during the recent floods at Wlnmgamomona, in the Taranaki,back country: —Two men managed to set across as far as —, where they found Mrs and her ten children all in bed and. asleep,' with the river running through .the house almost up to the. mattresses. How they slept on was a marvel. The men broke down the door, picked up several of ‘the little children and sat them on th 6 road in rain and .mud, while they returned for the mother and remaining kiddies. There was no shelter so they had to be put into the church for the rest of the night. The section-holders at Foxton Beach have decided to endeavour to secure the assent of 75 to 100 section holders to have their names appended to a petition to the power board asking for the extension of the electrical scheme to the heads. Could 100 signatures be secured it was pointed out, it would only .mean a charge of about £2. per head per annum, and the number qf consumers would increase steadily, thus reducing even this moderate charge required under the guarantee. » It was decided that, as soon as the required number of signatures had been secured, the power board be waited on. Already over 20 section-holders have expressed their agreement with the project. . The United States Government is losing many valuable clerks owing to the lure of high wages paid to bricklayers. Bricklayers in Washington receive from £2 8s to £4 per day, while most Government clerks do not obtain more than £1 4s. Bricklaying lias become so attractive that .evening schools have been opened. It is estimated that hundreds of clerks are learning how to lay bricks. - “Mien of many vocations are taking up bricklaying,” says Mr A. E. Drumin, principal of the local Young Men’s Christian Association, trades school, Which has started bricklaying classes. “They include carpenters, contractors, architects, marble setters and Government ciorks.’'A remarkable instance of heroism by a ten, -year-old boy was afforded when an explosion and lire destroyed a country, house near Montreal. Lionel RosotiilcV aged 10, was alone in* the house with his sleeping baby sister when the explosion occurred. Battlih'g his way throngh. the smoke and flames he carried his : sister to safety, and afterwards rescued a dog and a cat fromi the. top (floor of the house. Hq then-.dragged , .all , three on a little sleigh for a fifth of a mile through the bitter night, clad only in an overt' coat and a pair of slippers to a neigJi bouring house, where his parents jverq

attending a bridge , party. The arriya] of the litde hero at .the party was tin) first intimation that Mr. and MrS. Rosetine had that their home had bhei burned down. ' '

Recently an Oamaru angler who has-rjuuSt.-; taken up the fascinating sport-, • - and .whose, knowledge of /fish and fishing is decidedly limited /find the good fortune to ll'd a rather'nfee fish. Niat baying seen one like ht-be-fore, but being willing to learn,,.fie took it to the secretary of the . society and / aSked what it was. The secretary 'exiiniined the fish, and gravely informed the tyre that it was ’a< fine, specimen of Onoorhynehus tsphawytscha.,. The sportsniian, with visions of fines for taking a rare, fish 'that was perhaps absolutely protected, asked wibat iiite was to do ajbdult it.' • The secretary,.replied: hW'elK-Pis Onooirynchus TschaWytschaw is piprely the scientific name for quinnht'salmon, I think the best thing .you can do is to take it home and cook it; or,' better'''still, take half of it home.” So the new chum took the hint and half the fish. It is not Often that the police are found moving for the reduction of an offender’s sentence,. The Cambridge Independent, however, reports a case in point. Constable Cleary applied to the Bench for a reduction of sentence on behalf of John Taylor and Timothy Driscoll, who were, on 21st March, sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for being drunk and disorderly persons. The constable stated that owing to no escort being available accused had been kept at work at the Cambridge police station Tbev had worked well and had not ahuised anv privileges. Their behaviour had been exemplary and if a reduction could he granted it would help them to earn some, money as the winter was at hand- The Bench took coonisa.ii.Hd' of I<he * constable's report, and reduced prisoners’ sentence 1o a week from date (April 11).

Mr G. 11. Tinkluun, a member of tbe U.S.A. House of Representatives, Ims issu'd a statement that 2000 por cent.-more murders were committed in Washington in 1022 than in London, wiiere there were 28 murders as compared with 38 in Washington, although Washington has only ,l-16th of.the population of London.

“Within a short time 1 have to attend six annual meeting oi returned soldiers’ associations winch are endeavouring to revive their enthusiasm. I assure you that, they all look to Palmerston North as the model association.” —Mr 13. J- Jacobs, president of the Palmerston R.S.A. at the annual meeting. Carrots and parsnips are excellent feed for dairy cattle (says an experienced farmer), cows ted on the former yielding a milk which makes a particularly sweet and linn, butter. Dairymen oitou complain of the la.hour, involved in hand-teeding, but tnose who do hand-leed will realise, far more 1 profitable returns than those who do not.

After the performance oi. “The Crucifixion” on Wednesday night Air Howard Andrew said that air Osborne \the Foxton conductor) and lie Had suggested that a competition ' lake place between Foxton and Levin choirs, three anthems, to be sung by each choiiypoißl; a) test-hyilm, -bitd the combined • chtKr'- to J sihgMhe Uifolor.ia.JL The performance would be given hi Levin ope night fsid .in 'Foxton the next night. A judge would he brought from Palmerston or Wellington, die result: to be announced-, at the conclusion .of last concert, it is understood that this proposal will probably be carried out.

“I guarantee,that if ,an f liotei,:were to be burnt down"‘in* any part of Auckland at midnight, you would find d notice a o%Jte,^oorut,.}) jgVlpok next morning ‘Business’* as'usdal,’ ” declared a speaker at the meeting of householders at JSpsom. “The same with any business house,” continued the householder, amid laughter and applause. “They would -go straight ahead. Of course- they would, and there is something wrong with a department that lets four months go by before it even makes a grant for the erection of a new school.” ,

The ;follo\vixig..paragrapli, taken from a Sydney paper, speaks for itself:, * ‘ Wliat time doias tlie 2.10 train leave foir Flcimngton? ’ ’ was the question put to! the railway officers at Spencer Street station by a man. 2.10, . of course, ’ ’ was the ' reply'. “ Well said the man, “it has gone, and the time is now 2.9. HOW'“do the commissioners pfoposp to ' get ~ -ine in time, -td -back Heroic in the second racetf” The officials were perturbed. They sought in vain to have a special train made up. finally they hired a ta\rfor tnose whom . tlie train had left behind. The pas- ’ siejngers in the taxi wondered, and gave thanks to. the Chief Commissioner, Mr. Clapp, but they wondered nu , longer . when 'they discovered -that one oi’ tliose in the car., tvas the Minister for Railways, Mr. Old, ami-another, a near relative of the Chief Commissioner. Ten years ago if. anyone hud said that people irt Hamilton could hear the Sydney G.P.O. clock strike the statement would have been regarded as incredible. Wireless telephony, however, has made such strides, (says an exchange) that it is now possible to bear tbe clock strike in Sydney. On a recent night at 9.28 o’clock New Z-ealaud time, which’ is one and a-half htours aheadgPl- Sydhey, time, Mr R. if. Haycock, of Hamilton, using a reflex 3-valve set, heard the announcer for Sydney broad casters, say, “In two minutes’ tiime the G.P.O, clock will strike 8 o’clock.” After' two minutes Irad”'elapsed the clock was heard to dhime and then to strike eight, both (Climes and striking being as clear as if the clock was in the room, j The gift of a greenstone mere of , historical interest has been promised tie the Auckland War Memorial Museum toy a Maori chief (says the Auckland Herald), An interesting story centres around this particular mere. The weapon was (handed down through many generations, until it Was buried with .one of the last of the sreat chiefs. About a fortnight ago pne of the descendants of the last owner, a European, visited the native burial ground and pillaged the graves, even opening, the coffin, from which they obtained toe mere. They Were unable to dispose of the treasure as easily as they had expected, and by the time they attempted to sell their ill-gotten goods, stories of the desecration of the grave were afloat, and they found themselves faced with police proceedings. Herepete Papihana 1 the chief of tlie tribe which claims the mere, has now decided to make it a gift to the musum. ' The Wanganui Chronicle says: One of the salvage party that had lined the river bank during the flood on Sunday had hauled hi&h and dry a choice lot of posts, and stacked them neatly in the vicinity of the Imlay Works, intending to return and remove them to his home. As he subsequently wended -his way to the river bank to review his fine collection, he visualised blazingt fires during cold winter nights—but io and behold. When he arrived where (his pile had once stood, inviting the envy of other “early birds,” he found a man in the act of swinging the last log into a. dray. Naturally, he dashed excitedly to the rescue, and a heated argument ensued, each man cl aim tag the logs as his property. Finally the owner of the dra.y meekly admitted that he had paid someone three crisp banknotes for the wood as it stood! Surely the ’worm” was one too many for the “early bird l"