Shannon News FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 1925.

Shannon News, 2 January 1925, Page 2

Shannon News FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 1925.

It Is estimated, tout between 3000 and 4000 natives gave Raitana and ins party a welcome home at Ratana last week.

The greatest spot cash land sale is the Ashburton Couhly lor many years has been negotiated. Properties aggregating 2000 acres were sold lor £116,700. The sale was made under instructions. of the Supreme Court on behalf of the mortgagees.

The Auckland Health Office is concerning itself seriously in regard to mosquitoes, which are regarded not only as a pest, but an absolute danger, and it has furnished informative circulars to the various local' bodies detailing the life history of. the insect, and the prevention of its breeding, and its extermination, states the Star.

The Kourarau plant, which supplies the. Wairarapa with light and power, is runing again. It will be several days., however, before a supply of electricity can be given, as. the work of drying out the machines and coils is now proceeding. The work of deepening the .stream and removing the deposit left by the flood is. proceeding apace, hut it will be. several weeks before it is completed. At Ratana las.t week, a Wanganui city councillor who tips the beam at over 21 stone, jocularly remarked that he was the heaviest man on ine ground. It was. not long before a native was. brought along who could claim 22 stone, as his weight. The latter was quite modest about it, and said that there were at. least six Maoris in, the camp whose weights ranged from 25 stone upwards. A wedding ring, found on the Milford track, has, after 15 years, found its owner. The Tourist Department m Wellington received a wire Incmi a Dunedin' gentleman, stating that a reverend gentleman now residing in Melbourne, whilst on his. honeymoon trip fifteen years ago, lost the ring at Pompalona huts. Correspondence followed with the manager of the Milford Track at Glade House. The ring is to be ‘forwarded to its rightful owner.

The cost oi publications and advertising during toe last, financial year amounted to approximately £SOOO, an insignificant amount viewed in the light Qf developmental possibilities. We recommend that, energetic steps be taken to improve this aspect of tne Railway Department's wiork, and that on of a secretary, as suggested in our report on “Organisation,” he. be placed in. charge of information, advertising and publicity work, and be assisted by a competent staff.—Extract from Commission’s, report on our railways. In the records, of the Whaiigaiei County Council during toe year 1880 is a resolution censuring the then chairman, the late Mr J. T. Wilson, for having expended £SO on toe purchase oi an area of land in the borough of Wiiangarei. That area, which was. then dubned a duck pond, is. .tlie site of. the existing county chambers in Bank street, and it embraces toe shops and offices, adjoining to the boundary fronting on Vine street. The property to-day is worm approximately >£15,000, on a basis, of £IOO per fqot.

A London coiTespondieiii (writing on November -31), mentions the interesting fact that the sales of Nevv Zealand butter, in the Dominion’s, pavilion, at Wembley, realised £2737, representing 54,740 hali-pound packages. High! up to the last tne quality was of the best. If. purchasers could always be. served with New. Zealand butter so uniform in quality there wiould be no hesitation on the part oi the shopper in demanding to have i none other. “Finest New Zealand butter” was the invariable, designation imprinted on the neat cartons in which it was sold. Dr. W. A. Gifl'en, president of the American Dental Association, at its annual convention held in Dallas, Texas, remarked; “Pre-digested eatables eventually will make a race oi Andy Gumps out of file American people if a halt is not called soon. Unless the American man gives his teeth a good work-out regularly over some rough and 'tumble morsel such as jerked beef, grits, or hard bread, within a few generations his chin will have faded into his Adam’s apple.” This was the beauty hint j given by Dr. Giffen at the Dallas Con- j vention, and he declared that ‘‘lazy j eating” and soft foods cause imper-1 feet teeth and 'under development of the lower jaw muscles.

A letter addressed from England to a Cornwall street resident, “Masterton, New South Wales,” reached .its rightful owner a day or so ago. Tine use oi the instrument known as me •moin-euieher,” was required at ine Auckland nospitai on Sunday, to remove two iiaiipeiinies wnicu were swallowed • ny a iive-year-oiu Mauri gin, Barbara Hereti, who was admitted to the institution on Saturday. Tne coins .were removed without dimculty. The child was sent to Auckland from Whakatane for the operation.

VVuen u patient is admitted to a hospital he is required to answer several questions including one concerning liis religion. At a local district institution an incoming patient was asked the usual says tne Wanganui Herald. I ins appeared to be a puzzler. “Pin bio wed it 1 know, ’ was the reply and then, as a bright idea struck him he immediately asked, “Are yo.u short of any?” One of. the six persons convicted of drunkenness at the Palmerston Police Court yesterday was more lucky than wise and less careiul than generous. On his, first arrest after lying out m the rain all night, his “wad” consisted. of twenty-nine £1 notes almost m a state of pulp. These were, carefully separated and dried by the police. A few days later when again arrested he had reduced the amount of his estate by ten pounds. Out of tills he generously paid the fines of two of his.- fellow unfortunates besides ids own.

'Gisborne garage proprietors report (says the Poverty Bay Herald) mat private cars from Auckland, Wellington, Napier, W.anganui, ■Hamilton, Hastings, Rotorua, New Plymouth, iiawera, Featherston ,and i-edding, and numerous cars, from other parts of the North Island, are frequently visiting Gisborne, and some tourists have even brought their cars from as far south as Christchurch. Motorists are calling at Gisborne far more tins season ilian in, past years., this is attributed, mainly to the splendidcondition of the Gisborne-Napier road. The question of the dearth ui men offering for, the ministry was referred’ m by the Rev. John Dickson at a meeting of the christchiufrch Presbytery. He said that. to. account for this dearth of ministers, and iinius--terial candidates in the Presbyterian and other churches, various causes had been assigned. Some said it was due tq an unsympathetic criticism oi the Word of God, which, they thought, hardly left a gospel worth making sacrifles. to preach. However, personally, he considered that the real cause was that the stipends offered were , not sufficient, and did riot ensure against pecuniary embarrassment m the midst Qf the absorbing duties of a minister.

Several sparrows have made fast friends with the men stationed at central fire headquarters in Cumberland Street Dunedin. One bird in particular, * which is now the mother of several young, has become so lrientlly that she. accepts dainty morsels from ■ the hands of the men. This bird has a ne.st in the. wall directly opposite the Central Fire Station. Entrance is obtained to the nest by means of a small hole.; just .sufficient to allow the passage of the sparrow’s body. At all hours of toe. day the bird will emerge from toe opening, and should any of the men be m sight she immediately takes a short flight and lands at toe fee.t of the man who happens to be tempting her with food.

An instance of the hardship that may be caused by the strict methods of labour unions is provided by a story' told by a seaman of Lyttelton, who faced Christmas, with practically no money for necessities and nothing to provide cheer for his children and wife. Several se.amen who had been out of work for some time were put on painting work on a dredge by the Harbour Board, and had been at work some days when the union secretary informed them that their work must cease, as they were not members of me Painters’ Union. The men left the job feeling that they had been deprived of earnings they greatly needed. -The work would have, gone on some time and would have pro*vided funds for Christmas. Some of the men are fully financial members of the Seamen’s Union.

Lari Spencer, whose Countess is a daughter of Uni Duke oi Aborcorn, ib suiting his Wormleignton property oi 2001) acres, in Warwickshire, out 'is keeping tne old manor house oi his race] and tne home farm, me estate was 'nougat m 1506, mut mere the Spencers began rearing me sneep which brought, them a vast fortune. The manor House, Which they ieit for Althqry, Northants, dates from Ltii3. These Warwickshire yeomen, who are connected with the ducat family of ’Marlborough, prospered exceedingly, and in three or four generations tlie.ir head was the richest man in England and was created Lord Spencer. But a limit was, pot to the extent of their flocks. So soon as a Spencer’s sheep approached 20,000 some mortality began to reduce them. The family still keep sheep, and many may be seen grazing at Althorp.

Early in the New Year citizens are to he. given a reminder that a change of some moment, was made in the electoral law last session. The responsibility Qf having his. name placed on the electoral roll has always rested upon the voter. The penalty for failure to do so- has been deprivation of the right to cast, a vote. Various organisations have in the past been active in urging all citizens to register. There has been no official cognisance, however, or inertm on the part of any individual. Within a very brief time, all that will he changed. Soon it will be legally incumbent on everyone qualified to vote to have his name, placed on the Parliamentary roll. Penalties are provided for those who neglect the duty. 1 Tlie main point of interest, however, is. that everyone, whether at present on the roll or not, will be required to register again under the new system, so that entirely fresh rolls will speedily be compiled.—Herald, Auckland.

in an editorial note on the death of the late Sir John Salmond, the Law Quarterly says; “it may not he generally known that the manuscript oi “Salmond on Torts” was offered to the publishers tor £IOO and the oflei was declined. The hook was then published by and at the. expense 01 me affinor. Many years-later, when the book was an assured success, me surviving partner in the -publishing, linn was forwarding a cheque representing the prolits accruing to the teamed author in respect oi a subsequent edition, and was lamenting me want oi foresight shown by the firm. The language of the surviving partner was extremely forcible, as me cheque represented a sum far in excess of that for which the firm couid originally have acquired the copyright. The death of ail the par ms concerned now renders it possible lor the editor to relate a Story for the truth of which he can vouch.”

“There lias been much' discussion as to whether school games snouiu become a public spectacle or not, said Mr J. S. narreit, m presenting the Heatiioote-Wliliams. Shield to me Audklaiul Grammar School. "i do not see any harm in boys playing before six or seven thousand people. Odi pnofanum viulgusl (Laughter;. The boys will have to get out and mix with those six or seven tliousanu people. I like to see all school games played in the best spirit, but the outside public should have, consideration. Some schoolmasters, fear that the result of playing games in public will do harm to the boys. 1 advise you to play the -game in the best spirit. Don't get a swelled head n you make a .century. Thousands have done it before you. But swelled head is not such a had thing. It’s a much worse disease in the pedagogue than in the pupil.”