Shannon News TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1925.

Shannon News, 6 January 1925, Page 2

Shannon News TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1925.

The vital statistics far Shannon, for the month ending December 31st, 1924, were:~Births 3, deaths one, and marriage. one.. A movement is on foot to acquire a piece of native, bush near Shannon for a public reserve, and no dou'bt more will be heard of this. later. The result of the All Blacks’ match against England on Saturday was known in Shannon at 4.10 a.m. on Sunday. Gonstable McGregor has been promoted to be sergeant and expects to toe transferred to the South Island shortly. The head of a Wellington firm! was a visitor to. Shannon last week, and was making enquiries, with a view to establishing a small, factory here. At a special meeting of the Borough Council ‘ yesterday morning the services of Mr J. Hamilton, sanitary contractor, were terminated owing to his ill health.

“The Village Blacksmith” will toe screened at the Maoriland Theatre on Saturday evening. This is a special picture, but no extra charge will be made.

It seems strange to relate that a local business man has never visited' Mangaore since the work of constructing the power house, commenced. Yet he has visited other parts, of the Dominion sight seeing. The recent flood which broke through the bank on Mr Richardson’s property, covering the country lying between Buckley and the. Shannon-Foxton road, has completely killed the grass in many places, while the smell from the decaying vegetation on some of the low: land is very pronounced.

A general meeting of the Shannon Chamber of Commerce will toe held in the. Council Chambers, on Thursday evening at 8 p.m., when Mr Hi A. Seifert will address the meeting on “Taxatiojn.” Representatives of the Farmers’ Union and Buckley residents will also attend to discuss the question of rural mail delivery.

Among a batch of chicks which a hen recently hatched for Mr C. Young, of Vance Street, was a freak cluck. The new arrival had two beaks, properly formed, also three eyes, one of which was placed in the centre of the head. The head and neck were double the ordinary size, while the body and eyes were normal. The chick was hatched alive but died soon after.

The New Year was welcomed in Shannon toy quite a number in the ald-fashioneu way, by serenading their friends with music and other glad noises, rousing them from their beds and making them pay their looting and assist in the At the Parish Hall a paper hat dunce was held, when; a large nulmtoer welcomed the New Year and enjoyed a good night’s fun.

A meeting "of those interested was 'held in the Ihakura Hall yesterday afternoon for the purpose of coming to some arrangement for repairing the breach in the stop bank on Mr Richardson’s property at Buckley. During the recent ibig flood the water i ibroke through at this spot flooding a ! large area of land in the vicinity, j There were about twenty propertyI owners present, IMr McDonald presid- ' ing over the meeting. After a good I deal of discussion those settlers in the southern portion of the affected area decided not to assist with the cost of the work. It was then agreed that Mr Bryant repair the breach, the neighbouring settlers to assist him. During the past low* weeks several bicycles, have been taken from outside business premises in Shannon, 'but - ’fortunately most of them have been recovered, generally on the roads some distance from town. The sequel to one sucih case was heard at the Police Court on Saturday morning, when Samuel. AVestrupp was. charged before Messrs Gunning and Spencer, J.’sP., that he did unlawfully and without colour of right convert to his own use, but not so as. to be guilty of theft, one gent’s bicycle valued at £5, the property of Horace iPayne. The accused pleaded guilty and was convicted and fined £5, in default one month’s imprisonment. This was the first case of its kind heard in Shannon and was. brought under the Police Amendment Act, 1924. Under this section a person is liable to a penalty of ' j £2O or three months.’ imprisonment. The presiding justices stated that in future they will Inflict the full penalty with a view to stamping out this kind of offence. 1

The postmaster (Mr Jones) reports an increase of business over last Christmas week in ail departments at the Shannon Post Offiqe. A large number of local residents journeyed away for the holidays and as a result the main streets wore a very deserted appearance most of last week.

The public can now purchase at the Post Office for the sum of 2s a book containing stamps to that value. Tbe book is of a convenient size suitable for placing in vest or ticket .pocket. Business at tbe railway station was good up to Christmas Eve, after which there was a big failing off. This, no doubt was largely brought about by the completion of the Mangahao Hydro Works., a large number of men having left the district. There was only about haif the passenger traffic fro.m the local railway station to the races during the holidays this year, compared With the previous year. The public preferred to avail themselves of the motor service. The Black and White Orchestra are greatly appreciated on Friday nights at the Maoriland Theatre. The management of tbis theatre are installing new De Luxe chairs which are expected to arrive this month. Owing to the wet weatliei' having left the Domain in a very damp condition the People’s Picnic to haye been held on New Year’s Day had to be postponed. It was very unfortunate as the day was a glorious one and there was every indication of u large gathering. Many were disappointed. The committee have, now decided to hold the picnic on Eas.ter Monday, this date being the only suitable due available.

During the year the Wanganui City Council collected £316 from speeding motorists, and other breakers qf the ; by-laws. During 1924 New. Zealand apples sOld in London have averaged 2s per case more than any other imported apple. The demand has been greater than the supply. The Taranaki Jockey Club has paid into the. Government account the sum of £3705 13s Bd, being taxation on tne recent race meeting. The dividend and lotalisator tax amounted to £3513 16s and the gates tax to £45 2s 3d. Many residents of Masterton who threw out the gas when they had electricity installed, have put in the gas again, and Will consequently have it available should there be an interruption in future in connection with the supply of electric light. New Zealand dairy produce received a good advertisement in London when two of the hiuige one-ton cheese made by the Ngaire factory were removed from Wembley to the premises of. tire firm which had purchased them. A decorated lorry, with whiteclad attendants, carried out the removal in a very ceremonious fashion. The lorry bore prominent notices explaining what its freight was, and it twajs. hrivefn slowly through some of the principal streets. A lady visiting Timaru recently felt behind her in a local tea room her purse, containing £lO. On her departure iter table was immediately occupied by a demure young, lady, who the purse and made a quick get-away. In her baste she inadvertently dropped a letter addressed to herself. When the owner of the purse returned to find Ler property missing, she informed the police of her loss, and by means of the letter the authorities were soon hot on the trail. ,

Efforts are being made toy' the New Zealand High Commissioner’s Department to procure. 65 brace of Hungarian partridges, which Slave, been ordered by the Southland Acclimatisation Society. A London firm has the matter in hand, tout there are difficulties in the way, owing to a scarcity of birds in Hungary this year. Under these conditions it may not toe possible to obtain a license from Prague. In that case the matter will have to be postponed for a year, as November is about the latest month it is possible to obtain and transport the young birds.

The king of the . New Zealand forest, the kauri, is regarded ns. not only indigenous, but peculiar to New Zeaiand, and although a tree known as the Queensland kauri exists in Australia, it is not the true kauri, it was mentioned by Dr. J. M. Steward, Bishop of Melanesia, qn Ins return from the Solomons, that a forest of kauris had been discovered in the islands of Vanikoro, which is. in the Solomon Islands protectorate (stales the Auckland Star). An Australian company has been promoted to mill the limber and a small band Of workmen, practically all of whom hailed from the Bay of islands, had begun the work preliminary ‘to. marketing the timber in Australia. Some of the trees were between seven and eight feet in diameter, and had stems clean to a height of forty feet. It is estimated that there ajre millions of feet of timber of commercial value on the island, 'but as to its quality, in comparison with the New Zealand kauri, the Bishop could not give an opinion.

A former- resident o.f Taranaki, now farming in the Waikato, looked hi at the Taranaki Herald office qii Saturday and, drawing attention to his muddy hoots, said; ‘’Look at this. 1 have come all the way from the Waikato, over the To lv uiti-Awaki no-Ne\v Plymouth route, and have miuddied my boots for the first time in your New Plymouth streets.” Inquiry led to the further information that the xnud was. found in Devon Street, and that his car was stuck up by it, necessitating his getting out to put on the chains, and thus having his boots well plastered. The locality was Devon Street West, which ought to be, but is not, the main entrance to the town from- down the coast. It struck our friend as rath or remarkable—and so it is—that a motorist from outside should get into trouble in the mud on the main street in the principal town of the province that boasts of having the best roads in the Dominion. He regards it as a serious reflection on municipal management and enterprise.

“Dq you know what happens to little hoys who tell lies?” asked, a J.P. 01 a child witness at the Wanganui Police Court. “They get a hiding,” was the reply, which raised a sinile. A Wanganui resident, who _was. formerly a settler in South Africa, showed a Wanganui Chronicle reporter a letter he had received from a friend in Johannesburg. The letter stated that things were in a very had way as the result of the Smuts Government’s term of office. When the new Government came into power it was found that one in every lour of the white population was holding a position in the civil service. The. industrial outlook in Johannesburg was far from bright, as it was dependent upon the gold industry, and some of the best mines were showing signs of petering out. Few of the general public, unless, intimately connected with business, realise what the present gathering of natives at Ratana means to Wanganui, says, the Wanganui Herald. Hundreds of pounds have been spent in the community during the past week. When it is realised that over 3000 people will., he. assembled at tile pa over Christmas, a rough' estimate can be formed Qf what will be required to feed the multitude, and it will require more than five loaves, and two small fishes. For instance, one firm to-day despatched an order bordering close on £IOOO.

Probably not since the days of tile war, <vhen every able-bodied man was required for active service, has there been such a shortage of labour in Hawkes Bay in general and Napier m particular (says tue Napier Telegraph). On every hand industrial centres throughout the province are clamouring for workers, both skilled and unskilled, but more particularly for the former. For the first time, for many months, the. books, of the Napier Labour Department are clear of applicants for wjork. Everywhere the shortage of labour is being fe.lt A pair of Canadian geese, built a nest just below Slade House, Lake 'le Anau, recently. The nest was a Remarkable piece of work on the birds’ part, being a huge mass of sticks and reeds put together in such a maimer that the result was a nest like a raft which was. floating. It was attached securely to the reeds. The manager of Milford Track, who lives at Slade. House, gave orders that the birds were not to be molested, and a few days ago the goslings were safely hatched. The proud parents took them safely away down the lake.

On Christinas. Day (says the Foxton Herald) a foregathering took place locally of certain men. They were in the open intent upon something which took their gaze alternately from the heavens to the earth.. Interested, though unsee.n spectators of the assemblage, were Constables Owen and Ryan, who appeared to be busy taking notes of what was transpiring. We are informed that the sequel to the Christmas gathering will be unfolded at the Magistrate’s Court, when certain persons will be charged with allegedly playing the unlawful game of “two-up. 5 ’

“1 was bluffed about tliese roads, or I never would have come over here,” £uid a. Wanganui motorist, who is at present in Napier. His remark is "an example, of the. extent to which bad roads may damage provincial prestige, and was the outcome of a crash five miles this side of Dannevirlte, where, on a bad greasy bend, the car and its five passengers finished up in a creek. No one. was hurt, but the car is at present undergoing repairs at Dannevirke, and the owner states that if the roads as far as Matamau are a fair , sample of the rest of Hawke’s. Bay’s highways, someone else can drive his car the remaining distance to Napier.

Discussing the stale' of affairs m Germany, officers Qf the White Star line steamer Zealandic, which arrived at Melbourne recently l'romi the United Kingdom, said that tiiey were not as bright as had been stated. Stevedores at Hamburg worked only ilioan. 8 o’clock in the morning because of the restricted number of. vessels, in port. Commodities were, highly priced, and £1 was worth only 18 marks under the stabilisation system. The port authorities had endeavoured to cope with wharf pillage by issuing passes to members of the crew of. incoming vessels which admitted them to the docks. All of these' had to be accounted for before the vessel left, or £1 forfeited for each missing pass. This novel method .had proved efficacious without beiiig at all costly.

A spectacular, though dangerous occurrence for the persons involved, was witnessed on the Skeet Road at a spot near Byrne’s Creek on Tuesday, when one of the early models of the übiquitous “Lizzie” got out of control, presumably owing to a mishap to the steering gear (says the Hawera Star). Though travelling at a moderate pace the vehicle had sufficient momentum to xnakp the position of its two occupants very precarious, as it commenced a daslimg career of short rushes from side to side, of the road. Finally the front wheel locked and the car overturned completely, leaving the rear wheels revolving wildly in the air. . One of the. occupants was thrown clear and escaped with a few abrasions. The driver, however, clung to the wheel and was. penned inside the inverted body frame, which supported tile Aveight of the car and afforded him protection. Mr J. Kehely, of Kaponga, AVho was; driving in the \ icm-, ity, arrived on the scene a few moments later, and with the assistance of two others raised the car sufficiently to allow the imprisoned driver to - get free. It wag then found that, apart from a feAV bruises, be bad sustained no injuries. When the car Was righted considerable damage was. apparent in the body and frame, but it was able to proceed under its own power. Both persons may he credited with an exceedingly fortunate escape, but the driver’s luck would surely warrant his anticipating success should he take a chance in a Ford raffle or speculate in certain oft- j quoted tickets.

“Rain was resumed after a day’s play,” said a Wellington tennis player who vve.nt to Christchurch for the Christmas tourney in the Cathedral city.

There were more tourists Staying at iuupu and VVairaker inttse nufruays Ulan at any otne.r period, also a record number camped on the lake shores near Taupo. The largest fish reported from Waitahanui was a impounder. in competition with Uie. railways, a motor lorry carried to Masterton on i-riday two new motor cars in cases, as imported from England. The huge cases, were piled one above the otner, and were delivered and unpacked m Masterton on the same day as received from the ship’s, side. Mr Percy Coleman made a flight irom Palmerston North to the Foxton seaside in his whippet flying machine on New Year’s Day, which added to the interest of the crowd assembled there. A good descent was made on the old river bed. Later, Mr Coleman started on his return journey, but owing to a mishap to a piston of the machine, he again landed and will remain at Foxtoh until repairs are effected to the little machine. Professor Todd, iof Amherst University, U.S.A., ha.s been propounding a .strange theory. He says that the present practice in. the United States of erecting thousands, upon thousands of tons of steel sky-scrapers, in the cities, qoupled with the continual draining of the subterranean' oil and gas pressure, will some day result in a series of terrible earthquakes or slides. Thousands of oil wells everywhere are drawing off the pressure day and night. The professor thinks that this constitutes a real danger. It hits remained for the Melbourne Housewives.’ Association to set an example at once useful and entertaining. They participated in. a new fashion for tea parties. This one lasted about two horns, and the president every halfhour sounded a bell, and some of tne occupants. Qf each table moved to another, just as they would at a progressive card party. The idea was to afford all that variety of conversation that wouldL make the afternoon not only pleasing, but useful.

The growth of business in thq Auckland province during 1924 is strikingly reflected in the record number of companies registered s wit’h the assistant registrar of companies, at Auckland within the year. As compared with the previous year’s record of 176 companies representing a total nominal capital of £1,768,460, the registrations in 1924 numbered 225, representing a nominal capital of £3,193|565. These figures indicate an increase of 49 companies and £424,105, nominal capital. During the past five, years 820 companies have been registered m Auckland, their nominal capital amounting to, £10,082,639.

A hiccough epidemic was. lately reported from Australia where some dismissing symptoms were the result. It was hoped that the complaint would not. reach these shores, but during tne Christmas season a very bad case developed in Auckland, the unfortunate sufferer having to take to 'his bed, and having to endure an amount ol inconvenience, which is almost inconceivable, The v cause Of the ailment seems tq be in the nerves, and in the case under notice it is thought that spinal treatment may lead to a cure. Perfect quietness seems to be essential, because any effort to carry on a - conversation causes a recurrence of the trouble. Hiccoughing goes on incessantly and there is no chance of sleep and no chance of real rest. Drinking hot water causes temporary relief.

“One fact has struck some of the New Zealanders with whom i discussed their tour, and that is the age. of most of the teams, they have played against in England. They cannot understand how it is that so many ‘old men’ still retain their places in tbe county sides, and wonder if it is. because there is a dearth of new blood in the country. They themselves are a young team, several of them being under 21, with Q. Nepia, the very excellent full-back, and A. H. Hart, the speedy wing, only ID years of age. The average age of the England side they Avill be called upon to meet today will be nearer 30 than *2O, so that tiie adage that Rugby is a young man’s game hardly seems to apply to England.”

■ One oi the most attractive places l'or a visit during the holiday season is. the Portoheilo Marine Fish Hatchery, where air hour i'uii of interest and instruction may be spe ri t with much pleasure, states the Dunedin .'Star. The full name of the hatchery includes a marine biological station, and iite work being curried on there is pt present mainly observational. The possibility totf renewing title stocks of turbot, lobsters, and English crabs dues not exist at present, on account of the high cost of freight, and meanwhile all the existing stocks have been liberated. Though so far no results have been observed, yet on the analogy ol the introduction of the two species Qf salmon which arq now abundantly naturalised in New Zealand waters it is almost certain that all three tvill yet be met with in our seas. Meanwhile the work is all observational, and consists in recording the growth, food, occurrence, and life histories of the loud fishes of the adjacent sea. The tanks wqrq built for observation and not for show, but j they contain nearly twenty species of local fishes, besides many other forms of life, such as crabs, hermit crabs, sea anemones, sea urchins, sea slugs, starfishes, brittle stars, and tunicates, several of them dredged from a depth of sixty fathoms. While the fishes, do not exhibit the intense, colours of tropical species, they have a quiet beauty of their own. To see blue cod, trumpeter, Maori chief, moki, travalli, sea perch, spotties, parrot fish, leather jackets, pig fish, and others swimming in the tanks is a revelation to those who only know them on the slabs of a fish shop or fried on their breakfast tables.

From 200 applicants for the positioi uf I 'engineer-in-chief to title. West Aus traiian Government, Mi: F. W. Fur kert, Engineer-in-Chief, and Under secretary for Public Works in New Zealand, was selected recently. Notwithstanding the attractive salary (£2500 per annum, with annual increments of £100), Mr Furkert withdrew his application, and the next selection was Mr H. J. Deane, 8.E., of Sydney. Although there, is declared to be no justincauon for any alarm, the position regarding the outbreak of infantile paralysis in Wellington would appear to be somewhat serious, judging from the number Qf cases admitted to the Hospital since December 3. To date there have, been 50 adinissiuis, and out of these about nine deaths have occurred. Stringent precautionary measures against further infection are being continued. Various and conflicting opinions as to the vitality and value of jazz' music are expressed, as is also doubt of the origin and meaning oi the word. The word “jazz” is African in origin. it is common on the Gold Coast and in the hinterland oi Cape Coast Castle. In his studies of the Creole, patois, and idioms in New Orleans, Lafcadio Hearn reported that the word “jazz,” meaning to speed tilings <ujp, to make excitement, was common among the blacks of the south. In the oil plantations, when the fun languished, some West Coast African would cry out: “Jazz her .up!” and this would be the cue. for fast and furious fun. In connection with the. sand dune reclamation, and afforestation work being conducted by the Forestry Department between the Manawatu and Rangitikei rivers, an area of 500 acres has been wirenetted, and last year title planting but of 60,000 trees vyas undertaken. This year the. planting out will be extended, and shortly a dwelling will be erected for the officer in charge. At the present time, the department is experimenting with a Rhodesian grass, which was. imported by Mr J. F. McKelvie. It is claimed for this grass that it has the same virtue as marram grass, but in addition it has a high food value for stock, arid does not hum during the dry weather like marram grass. Dr. Bamardo’s Homes, never shut their door to a destitute little one they recently admitted their 98,000 th child; that is to say, 98,000 of the nation’s forlorn little people have been received and given a chance to make good. Dr. Barnardo, the man with the great heart, laid dioixvn the principle when he founded the Home that no destitute child should he refused admission, and since - that day, 58 years. ago,‘ the ever-open doors throughout the country have maintained the charter. Five children on an average enter the Homes daily, and the present family numbers 7300, of which 1328 are babies and toddlers, and 407 are crippled or sick. An application for the £IO,OOO offered by the Government for an effective and economical eradication of tne blackberry pest is likely to be forthcoming from Feilding ih the, person of Mr H. Currie, of Camden St. A test made upon some -blackberry with Mr Currie’s, spray shrivelled the plant in a single- night. The liquid runs up the sap of the plant, and is equally

efficacious in wet or dry weather. Owing to the small quantity necessary, the method should prove very cheap, and it is also very speedy in its. results. It will also eradicate penny-royal, ragwort and other noxious weeds, and Mr Currie hopes to place the spray on the market iri a short time.

Speaking with regard to the presentday tendency of putting hoys into professions rather than trades, Sir C. J. Parr at Gisborne recently, said (reports a local paper) that the real cause was the attitude o$ the minds of parents towards trades. “For instance, if a i-boy is an engineer and comes home black and grimy, it is quite all right, as. he is m a profession On the other hand, if the same boy were following the profession of a blacksmith, and came home in the same condition, he would he losing caste in the. social scale.” The Minister added that the very best brains ot the country were neecled v to-day m trades and in the country, as well as in professions.

A small pally Qf. visitors, obviously from tbe country, started to cross the town Bridge from the Avenue end early on Thursday evening (says the Wanganui Chronicle). Father was m the lead, and after eyeing the turnstile on the footway dubiously, lie it a sihove and started to follow it round. Great was his surprise vvlien he described a circle, and found himself still on the wrong side Ql\the obstacle as. far as progress was conceited. \ Mother essayed the passage with some difficulty, and the children started to follow. A small 'boy spun the turnstile with such energy that one ol the revolving arms caught a younger brother in the vicinity of the ear. Iso doubt' both “dad” and “mum” will have a lot to say about the city when they get hoinifti That tne study Of agriculture is a means of great intellectual stimulation, and is not a subject for a dull boy alone, was. the opinion frankly expressed by Professor Easterfield, at Marlborough College. “One which has struck me. is the attention vou pay to the science of agriculture, ’ declared the professor. “Agriculture is an important study, because it is the source of the riches of all nations ultimately. So many,people say: u the boy is dull we* will put him on the land,’ but if he is any good they say : •We will send him to Wellington and see if he can become Chief Justice. ( (Laughter). It is a mistake. I believe i that if the boy’s interest, has been; aroused, there is as much intellectual' stimulation in agricultural work as i in any other work there is. The soul is always a subject for study and an- j alvsis. Every particular plant that is placed before you is a scientific prob-l I era. If you want to breed any type of j animal, it requires very careful study and examination in order that the best., results may be obtained. Agriculture properly run should be eme of most intellectual of all employments.

in giving some impressions of his re.ceni visit to Auckland, where he sat on tne commission .ua inquiry m regard to the Western Whan, Mr Cyrus williams told a Christchurch interviewer, when referring tq roaduig, that while trie concrete streets in Auckland \yere very pleasing to run on, ne. saw enough to satisfy him that tne concrete road could not he treated as a permanent structure and would require an allowance for depreciation like other roads. Experience had not gone tar enough yet, however, to enable one to state what amount should be estimated for this. ‘‘People need not hug themselves in the delusion that once having built a concrete road there is an end to the matter,” said Mr Williams.

Ttie following incident, which occurred at Sumner, shows, (says the Press) exactly how much warning some people have taken from the recent drowning fatalities. About 4.30 prin. some bathers noticed a girf a fair distance out—much farther iinni the mapority qf the bathers were venturing at tne time—who appeared to be receiving a severe buffeting by the huge surf. One of the party went to her assistance, and fortunajtely for both the rescued and the rescuer the waves had hr ought her into within fairly easy reach. In spite of a. strong undertow, a sale landing was made, the girl being none the. worse for the adventure except that she had swallowed a few mouthfuls oi water. On being more than gently chided for her rashness, the girl remarked in reproachful tones: “But there has been nobody drowned at Sumner this season.” /