Shannon News FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1925.

Shannon News, 11 December 1925, Page 2

Shannon News FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1925.

A sharp shock .of earthquake was experienced in Shannon at 1.15 a.m. yesterday, the 'vibration lasting several seconds. 'On Tuesday evening 'Miss Mona Neale 'entertained her pupils and their parents to a social evening -tilt her parents' residence, Nathan Terrace, when a motet pleasant time was spent in song and music. On i Friday, December 18th, there will be screened «ut the Maoriland Theatre, "Riders erf the Purple Sage," lrom the navel by Zane G;rey, featuring Tain Mix, and. his well known liorse "Tony." Presbyterians are kindly requested to unite with their,Anglican, brethren in iDiviine worship in the Angilioan Church, Tokomaru, on Sunday first, at 2 p.m. The He v. Mr Farnell Avill preach. Owing to; the Recreation Ground not being available for" the Levin Band's concert on Sunday, and to other unfavoulrable circumstances, the visit to Shannon has been postponed. Xn announcement of the date will be mia.de later on. At tiie Shannon Presbyterian Church next Sunday ithe morning service will be taken by Ma* Howard Andrew, who will take to' his subject "Pits and Dungeons and their lessons." Mr Siinestor will take the evening service. a It has always been the practice of pedestrians desirous of crossing from 1 'Plimtner Terrace toi Nathan Terrace to do so by crossing the .railway yards, thus ' saving a long . walk around the road. In the future the Railway Department intend to prosecute aiiy persons wh"o cro&s the lines and as awarding they have had creeled two noitrecs to." tihite effect. This is certainly going to| cause inconvenience to persons living on (the oilier side of the railwiay Line and there is .no doubt a strong protest will come from (those residents who will be affected-. The railway authorities contend that itbe pxadtice, is a dangerous one.

The ladies of the Tennis Club have sheen'hard ait work foir <l.lie last week or two making Christmas cuikes, puddings, etc., for the Streqt Stall to be held an Saturday next, 12th. Christinas cakes (toad) ranging in price from 1/6 upwards will be on sale, besides home (baking and produpe of all kinds. 'There is also promise of some excellent chances oil' winning a handsome Christmas cake, Qlui'isitinae dinner, breakfast, tea, fait la,m!b, bag of coal, or. dressed doll, and lucky parcels <>f gpod value will be on sale. Club members and friends are asked to leajve their contributions at the stall as early as possible on Saturday morning,, and .offers of -assistance will be gratefully accepted.

Mr A. B. Bioyid, Late ol Shannon, who a few weeks ago,, whib working at Waione, near Danncvirk.o. severely cut his foot (through stepping on u chisel, is now -an inmate of the Auckland ifespihd as (i result. The cut which was under the ankle, severed the tendons and both arteries. The wound was* stitched by rthe dootoa" at Dannevirke and appeared to be healing well and 'lie av&s well .i-nonigh to go to Auckland to. join his wife, and familv hint unfortunately on his arrival the wound hurst open again. It, has since tourist on four more occasions with the result .that he was operated on on. .Saturday last and again on Monday, Mr Bogd will have the. sympathy of hife Shannon friends in his misfortune and they will wish him a speedy recovery.

Mr Cbong iPio-k, fruiterer, and well-known resident oi Shaimon, wjho lias been vi&iting Ohinia, returned to fciianncrn yesterday. In this issue tenders are invited for (the delivery of 50 .yards more or less of screened metal to the Shannon School. Tenders close with the chairman (M:r R. iL. Tippler), on Tuesday evening next. The \V?anganui' Chronicle's Halcombe correspondent writes:—A man near Hialcombe got 15s a week or so ago for a fat steer, which had cost him £5 10s for grazing. That is how they'make money, (these farmers! ' The latest attempt at sharp practices to come to light in this district is far the unscrupulous motorist who runs out of benzine to borrow a tin from the country storekeeper in the name of some well-known garage in a neighbouring town. Storekeepers would be well advised to insist on cash payment, unless they are absolutely satisfied as the bona fides of their customer.

"They say thai the-' Government has too solid a majority," said Mr W. H. Field, M.P., .speaking at a banquet tendered In his honour at Upper H-utt "but 1 am satisfied 'that while it is large and what sonic people might call unmanagealble, Mr Coates knows how to manage it—ati all events lam not going to give any trouble." (Laughter). Under Mr Coates the people know' that they were going to get sound, sane and progressive legislation. (Applause). Ragwort, the noxious weed that is one of the principal menaces to farming 'operations in the King Country, is beginning to make its appearance in various parts of the Wanganui district. The plant is noticeable-.on the banks of the lower reaches of the Wanganui River, while small oluimps of the yellow flower have been seen in the Wangaehu district. Farmers would be well advised to eradicate, the weed immediately it makes its appearance on vtflieir properties, and; particularly before it flowers.

A curious malformation was discovered on the head of a sheep reared by a farmer in the' Levin district. While earmarking was. in progress a short while ago it was discovered that one of the sheep had two mouths, one in the usual position and the other formed just below the ear-lobe. This extra -mouth lacked the large cavity-of the mouth proper, but there was a full formation oil lips and teeth, but without a tongue. The animal itself is perfectly healthy and normal in every other respect, but it is remarkable that this freak had nqt been discovered until almost six months after birth.

An example of the speed with which a person may, in favourable circumstances, nqw from one end of New Zealand to 'another is furnished in the fact that Messrs Martin and Lunn, delegates from Auckland at the Chamber of Commerce Conference in Dunedin, imade tbe .return journey from that city to Auckland this week in 36 hours. They left Dunedin at 11.30 a.m., on Monday, and, connecting with the daylight "limited" at Wellington on Tuesday morning were in Auckland on ifche night of the same day. "Only 3G hours' delightful travelling," one of them has wired to Dunedin.

I There is a .-certain young lady (rej ports the "Grey River Argus") who is lamenting the loss of both love and fortune. Recently, a young Adonis from the North Island paid a visit locally and stole her heart after a whirlwind friendship. However, the tale remains half told, for latterly he pleaded a hard luck story and obtained from her a tfew 'bank notes on trust. Since then she has neither seen nor heard of him, and it is presumed that he has 'returned whence he came. The yonng lady is unwilling to take action, as/the matter has been held in sitiri-ct secrecy, and she would shrink from any public announcement.

When one of the Dunedin-Port Chalmers trains was drawing into the Ravensboiume Ration the otlher morning William Potter, aged nine years, residing with his [parents at Ravensbourne jumped Irani the carriage when the train was travelling at a fair speed, lie fell heavily on the station platform, and rolled for some .distance. Constable Mackenzie, who was standing on the platform, picked the boy up. He was then unconscious, but he recovered within five mintuites. After a doctor had attended to the boy he was removed to the Dunedin Hospital for observation. The boy stated to the police that he jumped off the train as he did not think it was going to stop at the station.

Apropos of the conference held in Marton on .Saturday relative to the establishment of an agricultural college in the North Island, for preference in the central Rangitikei district, a local fawner remarked yesterday that a school of agriculture was miuch more essential in the North Island ,than in the South by virtue of the fact that the latter did not possess the problems of the farm era. In the South Island the land was either rich flat country or unworkaible country; there were the two divisions. The same thing, however, did not apply to the North, which had to contend with fern and bracken problems, amongst, oithers pumice land, and other disadvantages consequent upon the rough' formation of the country.— Wanganui Chronicle.

The audit of champion daffodils at vanoua snuAVs held in the Donmiion in 1925 has been compiled by>Mx r W. 11.' Simpson, of Nelson, >„Tne outstanding feature this year was the remarkable success of title old variety Lord Roberts, wnich was champion at 13 of the 1924 recorded shows and at U of this year's. The next best scorers, were Robert Sydenham ,$;, Macebearer (3), and Silver Dawn 's).

Power Board lines-men are having" trouble from magpies around Haieombe where they, are trying to start house-keeping toy building their nests on tiie lines'Witt i pieces of wire, etc., and thus short-circuiting tihe current. Twice lately the lines, round Halcorribe have been put out of conwiiiission. One stupid magpie insisted on building its nesit between the wires on a transformer pole, but in trying to introduce a piece of wire in the building material a "short" occurred »nd the bird perished., i A Canterbury delegate at the Ket. j Cross conference h'eld in Dunedin lasr wecß. drew attention to the cost o: " comforts " supplied by the society U returned "soldiers in the various districts. As set out'iu the report, tit; figures were as follow: Aucklano £1558 expended on 258 men, avcrag£6 per man: Wellington, £3307 expend ed on 121 men, average £3l; Canter bury, £3788 expended on 253 men, aver age £33; Ortago, i'63l expended on '4 men, average £l-1; Invercargill, exp3ndcd ou 12 men, average £36. I was suggested in. .the discussion th;r, ensued that there'might be a wan of uniformity in defining "comforts' and compiling the reports.

On a recent evening one of the erevof a vessel lying at Castlecliff, Wan ganui, wharf stumbled as he was boarding the ship and fell into the river. He struck his head as he fell and was i.'t imminent danger of being drowned ns crushed between the vessel, which wn surging in and out, and the pile:-. Though there was very grave risk attached to any attempt at rescue by plunging into the river, a man named A. Clarke pluckily jumped into tlu> water, secured hold of the unconsciou man, and just managed to get him clear of a pile when the vessel roiled inwards. Another moment and th" man's head would have been crushc to pulp. :

A resident of Haveloe-k North wa, awakened from his slumbers at abou half-past 10 the other night says the Hawke's Bay Tribune) by the cluck ing of a hen in .the immediate vicinity of the house, and, having put a sittin? of pheasant's eggs under one of hi fowls, he rose promptly to investigate. He found the. hen in a great state o. excitement, due to the presence of :i large hedgehog. A clean sweep'of the nest had been made; there were tb< mutilated remains of 'fivo newly-hatch ed pheasant chickens .and five eggs Only one egg was intact. The resident on the strong circumstant'al evidence executed the hedgehog.

If a man is the owner of a dog that doesn't Ibelong to. hiim, is he the owner also of a' horse that doesn't belong to hint? That's what worried a youthful houselicMer at the Kogarali Police Court, Sydney, one day last week. He was fined 10s for not registering a dog. He explained, without effect, that his house had no fence round it, and tlhat the dog, a naturally affectionate little ' andtoal, had just sort of attached itself tojhe place. It wasn't his dog at all. "Ten shillings," said the magistrate firmly. "Well, there's' a horse that's always straying round'my place, too," said the bewildered defendant, "Does that also ibelong to me?" On this, point the law .was discreetly silent.