Shannon News FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 1925.

Shannon News, 9 January 1925, Page 2

Shannon News FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 1925.

Miss Rita, Roach is at present spending a (holiday in WeUmgton. lire new Government Motor Registration nunicer now appears on a rms m Shannon. . "

A meeting Qf ,the Domain Executive will be held this evening to discuss the' final plans for carrying out, improvements to the XJoinain. Work w.as. resumed on Wednesday at ,Mangahao and all day the local taxis were busily engaged in oonyeying men out to the works.

The .Tennis Club have made a. start with their championship games for the year. A very pleasant afternoon was spent on the courts on Wednesday wnen some, evenly contested games resulted.

A motorist who has just returned from the Hawkes Bay district, states the roads in the vicinity of Dannevirke are in a shocking state, no doubt caused by the amount, of heavy traffic which passes over them. Messrs E. spencer and W. H. Gunning leit to-day for Wellington to take part in the singles and pairs tourney at the New Zealand Championship Bowling tournament which commences at Wellington on Monday next. Mr Roberts, 'Of Stout Street, who has been an inmate of. the Palmerston N. Hospital for some time suffering from the effect of a motor cycle accident, has returned home and is now on the road to recovery. It was reported at the. Chamber of Commerce me.et.ing last evening that the loss to the Shannon .Co-op. Dairy Go owing to traffic (being cut off from Moutoa on,account of the bridge being washed away will be £5.00 at least.

To seoure an extension of telephone hours from 7 a.m. to U p.m. it is necessary tQ obtain three-fourths oi the total number o.f> subscribers. There are 1.19 subscribers, on the Shannon excnange. A petition to get the extension is now in circulation in Shannon and all who desire the extension and have not yet signed are requested to do so as early as possible. The Tnames VaUey Power Board is supplying nearly 110 Q milking plants wiin electric power. It is understood, that wool buyers at present in New Zealand have. biaoK. listed a, number of woq! clips that-have unduly high reserves placed upon tnem by owners. Mr C. Stewart, qf Maa-opiu, received 34d per lb lor his' wool (halftored) at me last Auckland sales. This is said to be the highest price obtained in Auckland by any woolgrower in the Nortnern Wairoa district.

A splendid example of. community spirit is to be seen at the seaside, village at Te Awanga, where most of the residents keep the. grass on their road Jrontages. neatly mown. The result is that the summer dwellings a/e not only beautiful with flowers and lawns, within the borders of their own sections, but are also fronted by well-kept lawns up to the metal roadway, states the Napier Telegraph.

At i.i.15 un Saturday morning the lunar u Post Office clock began to chime the hour—although the. hour had not actually arrived. When the cnimes exceeded the maximum numm.i, twelve, it was soon apparent that something was amiss. With mathematical precision, however, the clock continued to chime; it was not till ten minutes, had elapsed that a halt was called. During the period of "activity" or "eruption" the clock struck 350 times.

I Mr A. T.. Davies (president oi the New Zealand* Ama.te.ur Athletic Association) states that he has received -u cable from Mr C. G. Krogness, New [ Zealand's representative in America, as follows:—''P.addock cancelled New Zealand trip because doctor advises that his mother who accompanies him cannot stand voyage Australia to Japan. Cancellation includes Murchison. Writing." It is now proposed to invite an athletic team from Australia to visit the Dominion.

According to an exchange a Menzies farmer has found a new use for his tractor in using it as a ra'bbit exterminator. The method adopted is to fill up all the burrows and nests, leav. ing only a small inlet Into which he inserts a tube connected with the exhaust pipe of the tractor. By running tiie engine for a few minutes, on a rich mixture, sufficient smoke and gas are driven into the warren to destroy effectively all the ratobitg therein. Sq far, the results have, been most satisfactory. I

One farmer at Parkvale, Carterton, lost 2000 hales of hay during the. recent floods.

Mr P.. Hunt, one Qf. tire Horowhenua County roadmen, residing at W.aiKanae, was kicked by a horse yesterday morning, his leg beung broken. Me was removed to the Utak>i Hospital for attention.

An mi usual item in the homeward trame iroin poxton to Paluieaston in. yesterday was an aeroplane being towed by a small motor car. The Hying machine, w.nich is owned by Mr P. Coleman, broKe. a valve vvlule making a flight at Foxton iieads beach a few days ago, the breakage resulting in damage to the piston which will necessitate its replacement. When tne accident occurred Mr Coleman was flying no* Tar from the beach and easily' effected a safe landing. The machine was successfully towed to a Palmerston North garage.—Standard. "Parliament having provided additional racing and trotting totalisator permits," said Hqn. R. F. Bollard, in reply tq- a deputation from the Winton Trotting Club, "my opinion is that most of these, permits should go to country clubs. The cry is 'go on the land young man and help to increase the production of. the country.' To keep the young "men,, on the land we must provide them with some of the amusements enjoyed toy city dwellers, and that is the standpoint I have in view." Whatever may or may not be done by government, it is perfectly clear that the success of the individual farmer -will depend on his own efforts. That he must work hard goes without saying, but under the present conditions it must be work with the head 1 as w«U as the hands. The crops to be grown and the kind of farming to be followed must be determined, not alone with an understanding of the conditions which influence production, but with some knowledge of the prospective demand for those crops and stome study of the conditions which are likely to influence the price.

For some time past the Northern Wairoa Co-operative. Dairy Company has put in each box of butter exported a card on. which the purchaser is asked to fill in particulars as to the date the box is opened, the quality of the butter, the price, and whom it is purchased from, also asking that tne card be returned to the factory with postcard views of the town or district where the purchaser resides, in return for a postcard view or illustrated booklet of this district. Mr T. Downs, manager of the factory, informed a representative of the Hawera Star that by almost every mail the. company receives cards filled in, also, postcards. States the Carterton News:—-"Mr C. R. Blake, of Pembroke street, Carterton, has called and informed us that the statement that Mr W. Shute, of Masterton, is the oldest living white person toom in New Zealand is incorrect. Mr Blake advises that his. lather (Mr C. Blake, of Levin), was bom at the Lower Butt on Septemtoer 2nd, 1842, which is over three months earlier than the date Mr Shute was born at New Plymouth. Mr Blake's partnts were among the earliest immigrants, and arrived from Kent, England, by the Catherine Stewart Forbes. Mr Blake is now over 82 years oi age."

A Kenington resident, Mr W. Swale, is the owner of a remarkatole dog, a three-year-old 'pointer (states the southland limes). The canine is an expert at catching eels from the Wai* hopai River, and has already a total of about 40 "kills" to his credit this season. In the experimental stages his modus operandi was to seize, an eel near the head, hut as this entailed a good deal Qf discomfort through the thrashing of slime and water oy his victim, ihe. has now got the mealis of capture down to a fine art, aria drags his prey ashore, by the tail, then proceeds to give the quietus to his "take," and carries the body carefully to his owner's residence.

An awkward, contretemps was narrowly averted in one of Aucklauu s hospitals last week. The sister on duty had escorted one flower-laden man to the bedside of her latest patient, a winsome young damsel oi 20 summers, when another young man, also flower-laden, arrived. The patient appeared to have a sudden paroxysm of pain. Covering her face with a. towel she moaned piteousiy. The sister despatched the two visitors, and hurried to her patient's side. She was mopping her forehead with the towel. "That was a narrow escape," she breathed, with a, sigh of. relief, "l am engaged to them tooth—hut they are so quick-tempered,. I should, hate them to meet.]"

A ratepayer in the Carterton borough has p£Ud rates on u non-existent section ior the past 17 years, and nnunig this out at last he applied to tne. Carterton Borough Council tor a reiund. Councillors, ail agreed tnat a refund *>e made iotf the total amount paM in, I'M 13s 44. Before doing this, however, tue council obtained the opinion of tne municipal bodies' solicitor, who stated that legally the Council could reiund only the rates for the immediate, six years, the Statute of Limitations, then coming into operation. The Council decided to refund six years' rates, amounting to. about £l3, ana to endeavour to obtain the consent of the Audit Department for a full refund.

A sad sequel to a motoring tour occurred last week, wihen an Aucklander, Mr F. R. Abbott, died as the result of injuries received while attempting to remove his car from mud in the road ne.ar Mount Messenger, in Taranaki. On the party's arrival at New Plymouth, it was found that Mr Abtoott had badly over-strained himself in his efforts to remove, the car. At mid-night he collapsed, suffering from the bursting of a blood vessel in the brain. Medical aid was unavailing, and the unfortunate young man died at an early hour the following morning. Mr Ajbbott, who was 20 years of age, was a surveyor's cadet.' He was $, son of the late Colonel F. W. Abbott, D. 5.0., who died suddenly at sea tl years ago, when returning Jrom England to take charge of the Auckland military district. ■

There are some 48. types of locomotives in service on tile New Zealand railways. As ia,r as the retail drapery business in Wellington was concerned, the trade of the holiday season formed a new record. Norsewood is the smallest town

board district in New Zealand, having a population Of. 165 persons. Otane and Ormondville have 346 and 300 respectively. Of 325. bridegrooms under the age of 21 in New Zealand during last year one was ibetween 16 and 17, while three were between 17 and 18. There were 1653 brides under 21, including two between 14 and 15 and eight between 15 and 16. A Press Association message reports ■the deutfi a; the age oi ay ox i.om Doverdaie, who started life as an errand boy in a paper mill. From this i.e rose to oe managing director and vas also a director of tne. Manchester and Liverpool District Bank. He was knighted in 1912 and created a baron m tyi6. .several of the farmers in the Wairarapa whose hay crops were, spoiit by the recent floods are finding the task of cleaning up the paddocks a difficult one. The silt and hay hate formed a mixture that is difficult to get rid of. Some farmers are raking it. up and keeping it for manure. Three express trains left Auckland for Wellington on Sunday night, ar d even these, could not cope with the traffic, some forty disappointed Passengers being left behind. It is estimated that nearly 2000 people left by the three south expresses. One train comprised eighteen cars and one. van

At Sandou on New Ye.ar's Day and the day following the Manawatu Gounty Council's traffic inspector set a trap for motorists travelling at an excessive speed to the Marton Jockey Club's, race meeting, with the result that just •■under',2Q speedsters were caught. These offenders will in due course appeal* before the Court. The growers of early potatoes this season have had another clear demonstration of the folly of neglecting to spray, says the "Farmer." Crops have to be hurried to market before they reached the most profitable stage °f maturity, as farmers were afraid that they were going to lose the whole crops as a result of the prevalence of blight, if not disposed of as soon as possible.

With the. continuous rain experienced in December the harvesting this season was to some extent delayed, causing some anxiety to farmers. However, with the dry weather now predominating, haymakers appear to be very busy in Heatherlea, Ihakara, and other parts of the district, and tiie continuation of the" present summer weather will find within a week or so, the largest proportion of buy safely stacked.

A I'almerstoii angler who spent the Christmas holidays on Lake Taupo writes:—"Anglers to the Lake district are assured of good sport this season. The trout are already in excellent condition and hags of 16 to 20 fish penman, averaging $ to 171bs in weight, are the order Qf the day. "Steel heads' and 'slabs' are few, and even the smallest fish are in the pink of condition. Fishing around Paukawa, Grace's, and Waihi Bays, fie angler is assured of good sport, though the. Delta is the favourite fishing ground, and about this spot the heaviest fish arc being taken. The Kuratau and Tongariro rivers are at present too high to afford good fishing, Omt may be looked to to yield good bags later m the season. Tokaanu is rightly termed the 'angler's, paradise,' and promises to foei again the most popular fishing camp of New. Zealand. New and improved accommodation served by a regular motor service from Waimarmo is available and anglers intent upon securing the finest of sport should not miss visiting Tokaanu."—Standard.

lie was u IHtJ.e Weilingtonian barely two years, qld, but he nad the bump or iuves.Uga.tion abnormally- developed. In passing through Levin xus parents puUed up for dinner. Jack wandered off to investigate a toy shop and it took the. re.st of the family tne nest part of twenty minutes to iind him. it was. in Wangunuii, however, that he. caused the greatest sensation for he. scrambled QUt, of bed beiore anyone else, was up and wandered off down the street in the early moaning. Evidently the music in St. John's Church attracted his attention lor he walked boldly up the aisle jtn his night attire during the 7 a.m. service. A kindly matron took charge, of the youthful investigator arid tried several hqmes. in the vicinity, but no one would own him. Even on arrival at his proper abode his. aunt, .who answered the summons. to titie door, did not recognise Jack as she had only seen him fully dressed for a few moments the previous evening and up till now he had not been missed. However, Daddy came to the rescue and the Christmas, morning episode ended happily for all concerned.

Tlie Official Year Book for 1U25, a copy oi wnich ,comes to band from the Government Statistician, Mr Malcolm Fraser, is as usual packed with a mass of information- regarding the Dominion, all of which is. marshalled in a most convenient form for reference. This valuable production grows larger each year and is one which should find a place in. every library or office containing as it do.es nearly 900 pages., spread over 38 sections and supple-

merits. This year's publication has. ail the features of the 1924 number with the addition of. a considerable amount of new matter and the extension oJ existing sections have resulted in a substantial increase in the size ol the book. One of the special features is a series of special articles on the following subjects:—"The Education System o? New Zealand;" "Terman intelligence, Tests in New Zealand Schools;'' "The Effect of the. Nativity Order on Infantile Mortality;' 1 "Local Government in New Zealand." The book gives a wealth of information in regard to the Dominion. It can be obtained lirom tho Government Printer, Wellington, for 7s 6d per copy.

During the year tjhe Wanganui City Council collected £316 from speeding motorists and other breakers of the bylaws. iMuslirooins have made their appear, ance in South Canterbury unusually early this year, owing proLably to tne copious rains. In various parts Qf the district they are now: being gathered, and they are much better grown than j usual this. year. I Mr Dick luikwood, a. cinema actor, [was killed wmle carrying out a, tnriilI iug "stunt" lor the pictures. He was clinging to a ladder dangling irom an aerupiane. flying over uie mountains near Los Angeles when he slipped and crushed to the ground. Death overtook a starling flying over a Napier suburban section in sudden and curious lasmon. Several small ooys were playing cricket, and a juvenile batsman mt out iustiry at a short-pitched hall. The hit was welltimed, ahd tne. ball whizzed away line a bullet. Suddenly it stopped almost dead in its course, there was a flurry of leathers, and a starling that had been flying across the course of the ball dropped to the ground, dead. Ihe attention of persons entitled to a vote at parliamentary elections is drawn to a public announcement appearing in this paper in regard to compulsory registration of electors. By the Legislature Amendment Act, past last session, an obligation is placed on every person qualified to be registered as an elector to enrol, whether his name is already on the roll or not. A further obligation is. that every person, after he has hecome registered, is to notify change of residence. A complaint was made, to the Wellington police the other day toy a woman, w.ho stated that she had left her handbag, containing money and bonds 10 the total value of £550, on a terry steamer. The. matter was placed in the hands of Detective Thomas, who was later informed that the missing bag had been found by a young man in iMuritai Park. The contents were intact, and as the owner had actually been in the park on that particular morning, it seems likely that it was there she lost the. bag, and not on the steamer.

On the Monday before. Christmas Day there was a heavy call on, the Chief Post Office, at Auckland, when 1600 depositors trooped into the savings bank department and presented withdrawal slips (which taice. the place of cheques). The 'bank, ihowever, was well able to weather storm, and*(states the Star) expert tellers were detailed off to handle the business, which was put through with remarkable speed. In addition to local depositors, the post office dealt with a large number of country depositors, replenishing the depleted purses from time to time.

According, to the N.Z. Herald's Taupu correspondent, the unprecedented tourist traffic has provided some amusing- incidents. Numbers of visitors have had tq seek sleeping accommodation in the police cells, a n d in trie historic Courthouse dating to Maori War days. Others, have slept in sheds and in motor cars under t/he„ pine trees. At Atiamuri, after aU the. available accommodation was taken up, 19 visitors bivouacked in the cowsheds. Seven hundred visitors stayed at Wairakei in six days. The motor service companies all report record traffic.

Genuine regret will be ielt by sportsmen ut the death of Mr A. Atwood, tue well-known trainer, which took place at rending this week, in his 47th yea*. Deceased trained in nis time sucn well-known horses as Tangihou (a New Zealand Cup winner), Waiputere (u winner of the Century hurdles, at Nvanganui), Miss King, KiUamey, Expect, Red Bob," Star Lady, Sir Fanciful, Lubujine, and other well-known performers. Mr Atwqod in bis early youth was associated with the Hon. J. D. Ormond's stable, and after leaving that gentleman's employ joined U P with the well-known FordeU stable presided ever by Mr Fred Tilley, for whom he rode with success in the days of Kaiwhakaroa, Return, Bona Fide, The Hempie and others.

The Government has come la for a good deal oi adverse criticism during me last lew. years ior its delinquencies in advertising JNew Zealand abroad. The' complaints concerning advertising are not confined to the failure to make known to the qutsidq world tlie attractions jjf New Zealand from a tourist and residential point of view, but in smaller but equally important matters of detail some of the State Departments have not been alive to trie possibilities qf publicity, indeed (says tilt; Wanganui Herald) were it not for the good Offices of the newspapers of the Dominion, who are persistently prof erred "free publicity" matter of a purely advertising nature the business of the Postal, Railway, Public Trust and other Departments would suffer material loss, while the public would be deprived of many ad. vantages tq which they are entitled.

Preaching at the Trinity Church at Wanganui, the Rev. E. T. Cqx commented qn the fact that while £3OOO qr £4OOO was esteemed a big "gate" for a cricket test or a Rugby international, a brutal pugilistic encounter' between two men had been known to return its promoters a "gate" of nearly u quarter oi a million. Personally,

he held a high. opinion of ibqxing as 1 a sport, it was a gqod thing, a, thing which every boy should be taught, but brutish professional pugilism was quite another 'thing, incidentally, Mr Cox mentioned that only a few days ago he had had'reason to be thankful that he himself, had been enabled to learn something of the art of boxing. He was, he said, quietly reading I in his study when be was disturbed Iby loud shrieks. They came, apparently, from the right-of-way which runs past the dhurch, betw.een the* [Avenue and Wicksteed Street, and on | hurrying thither he discovered a i young girl, qf about 16 years oit age,. being molested by a. big brute of a man. "Had I not. known how to use my fists," said Mr Cox, "I should have been helples.s, but as it was, well, the blackguard deemed it expedient tq make his escape."

During the. year bama'u±Hcy were hied in the Paiiners-

iou umn as complied Willi aa ia uf tue total eignt were tuose ox farmers. * ino remaining 2-*; petitions were tiled ny bamaupis lu vacuus, callings as loiiow: Builders, 3; boounuKers, «c; pqik butchers, 2; commission agents, 2; printers, 2; land agent s cieiK, .crockery inei.cnant, poultry iarnier, carrier, sharemtiker, electrician, vvarehousemaii, labourer, engineer, .market gardener and hoteinveytii, one each.

According to Captain W. H. Hargraves, pt Wellington, there are three i\ew Zeaiand-born white women living in the Bay of. Islands who can claim to he the oldest New Zealand-born white persons of either sex alive today. One of the women, Mrs. Bcddgood, a grand aunt of Captain Hargraves, is stated to be well over 90 years of age, while the captain's mother is 87 years of age. Mis Kemp, the other old iden. my, will shortly celebrate, her bTth birthday. Both Mrs Hargraves. and Mrs Kemp were members of Dr. Marsden's missionary party. It is considered'prooable that Victor Charles Hugo Greaves, who escaped from the Wi Take prison, Trentham, on Thursday evening, is. heading for the Manawatu. He was seen on Moonshine road, Upper Hutt, during tne week-end, and had an extremely narrow escape from capture on Saturday, hut was later reported to have been seen near Te Horo. He appears to have been accorded a generous amount of assistance. On July 19 last, Greaves was sentenced at Blenheim to two years.' imprisonment for breaking, entering and theft. In regard to the claims made as to the oldest living white person born in the Dominion, the record for longevity of the New Zealand-born se.eins sofar to he held by Mrs. Edwards, ot Feilding, mptfher of Messrs J. and T. H Edwards, of Levin. Mrs Edwards, whose maiden name was Sarah Jane Ray, first saw the. light in Wellington on January Ist, 1839, and is therefore in her 87th"year. She still enjoys good health and presided over <a happy family gathering at Feilding at Christmas time. .

•An ideal way of spending the. holidays was adopted by a Hamilton family. They set out in a large caravan drawn by two ho.rsea for Te Aroha and Waim beach, where they spent some weeks. The main vehicle was a large wagon, with adjustable hoods, of the motor car type, and many patent devices, for disposal q£ gear, which permit the interior being turned into a cosy room for use in the day tune and evenings. All meals are cooked by the wayside, and a "trailer" (a small, wagon) carries water and stores. '

I'ne Cambridge police have -in then possession just now, having confis:;ated same from a Cambridge resident, a rara avis in the shape of a stuffeu white New Zealand pigeon, it is a magnificent specimen, pure white in colour, identical with the common native pigeon, except in colour, but a trifle-slighter in proportion, with long tail. Wnite New Zealand pigeons are exceptionally rare. Indeed it is said that this specimen is .probably ihe only kind in New Zealand, and is therefore most valuable, and of special interest, to ornithologists. What will become of the specimen is dilficuh to say, but it will probably -be sent to one of the museums.— ■Independent. aoiue time ago the members of the i police force were specially trained at t the depot in Wellington in traffic- con- * tral. That this training was. effective i was. amply demonstrated by an incident which occurred locally during} tne holiday rush of vehicular traffic in Napier, says the Herald. Constable W. Heslop was on duty at the corner ol Emerson and Hastings streets, when there was a sudden block of the traffic, no fewer than 15 motor cars and two large motor buses becoming entangled j in seeming chaos. To a layman it seemed impossible to restore any sort of order without some minutes of confusion and hard ,words. But not a bit of it.- The constable ran to almost the last car a layman would think of as the pivot of. the trouble. He made the driver turn into Market street. This unlocked the jamb, and within 15 seconds all was plain sailing and order evolved out of seeming chaos. It was a splendid illustration of the e.ilic. acy of the police training. A caretaker, : Mr A. S. Wilkinson, has now been appointed to till the vacancy on Kapiu island, who should be able to carry out the onerous, duties as custodian of this sanctuary jn a very efficient manner. Bird lovers will be pleased to'learn the. appointee is a man after their own heart, happy amongst his birds and .bush. He is a | member .pi the New Zealand Native] Bird Protection Society, and ot tie Royal Australasian Ornithologists. Ln-1 ion, a most expert bushman and a good boatman. The authorities, are to oe congratulated on their choice and the appointing of such a man is- heralded as a new. era in choosing men of bird and forest loving instinct for all such positions.—N.Z. Native Bud Protection Society monthly letter. Describing "the Hill" at the. Sydneycricket ground, a Press correspondence says; There go all the wits and the wise men in the game, and they do tell trie, players, just how to do it. On one occasion Tate had appealed for 'leg-before" a couple of times, and his appeal is a very raucous, toneless sort of yeli. After the second appeal someone 'with a, voice like Punch squeaked: "What did he do to you, boy?" Tate looked disgusted (because he had twice beaten tlie batsmen and missed the wicket. Whereupon he was consoled: "They must have put Uio wicket in the wrong placet"—this in tones of mock disgust and sympathy. If you have to wait for play to begin don't read, listen. You will hear more cricket lore, more cricket theory, ana more candid criticism, than you, can read in many books. You may hear a well sustained dispute as. to whether 'Ughle Trumble was a better bowler than Barnes, as to whether 'Obbs is as'good as Trumper was.