Shannon News TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 1926.

Shannon News, 10 August 1926, Page 2

Shannon News TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 1926.

A largo contingent of football enthusiasts journeyed from Shannon to Palmerston. North on Saturday to witness trie Hawkes Bay—Combined match.

A .first offender for drunkenness failed to answer the charge at the local Police Court yesterday morning. He was convicted and his bail of £1 forfeited.

Mr G. Nahkies, hooking clerk at the local railway station, left Shannon yesterday on his annual leave, which he will spend in Central Otago. He was accompanied hy Mrs Nahkies. !

The fortnightly - dance held under the auspices of Ven. Bede’s Ladies’ Guild will be held in the Parish Hall this evening. These dances are still maintaining their popularity, and those who attend are assured of a good evening’s enjoyment.

Keen interest is being taken in the concert to be given by the Shannon Choral Society in Levin next week, both towns being interested. A fhH .muster is desired at the next practice as this is the final rehearsal for the Levin concert. The Levin artitsts have willingly offered their assistance to help , the sister society.

The engine attached to yesterday morning’s down ;Limit|ed express broke down on ascending the rise south of Koputaroa station. The engine was able to' hack the train to the station, where the engine from Field’s express was taken off and put bn to the Limited, which got away at 8.-30 a.m,,/taking passengers off Field’s for Levin, Otaki, Paekakariki and Thorntlon. An engine was despatched from Palmerston North, and Field’s train was able, to proceed on its way at 9.30 a.m.

Quite recently the Tangimoana river has changed its course and is now 'flowing across the front of the township at the mouth- of five Raiigit.ikei River, and threatens destruction of some thousands of pounds worth of property. It is only 15 chains from the sea where it turned off, owing to the old course being blocked up with snags, shingle and sand.

The grading' of eggs fo.r export, begins under Government supervision on the 16tli August, and in .order that, the first shipment shall leave New Zealand on 6th September, 1200 crates, each of 30 dozen capacity, are required. To effect this clearance it is imperative that eggs sent to either the local depots or the 'grading store shall be absolutely clean and free from blemish.

The work of pruning the trees in Auckland streets is in full swing at the present time. That the task is not a light one is shown by the fact that there are from 45 to 50 miles of trees in-the streets requiring pruning. The number of trees totals between four and five thousand. With the progress of the council's tree planting operations, the number of trees to be pruned increases rapidly each year and next winter there will be about 60 miles of trees needing attention in Great Auckland.

For slightly more than one month —6th September to 16th October—-eggs are exported from New Zealand to the London- market, and it is worthy of note that Levin, in past years, fias exported more eggs than any other centre in the North Island.' Quality, too, was pre-eminent and Mr F. C. Brown, chief government 'Poultry Expert, congratulated the poultry-far-mers in this district upon the fine standard they set for other parts bf New Zealand.

Several Foxton residents were accosted hy an oil-begrwti-ed young man in Main Street on Monday afternoon and asked if they would like to make an offer for an eight-cylinder :l!)23 Oldsmobile car which had “chewed out her big-ends.’’ “She goes to the highest bidder” lie informed his audience. It appears that the car arrived in town on Sunday night under its own power, but ‘'knocking” bodily. The occupants, three young men and two Indies, put up at an hotel and fire next morning the car was towed to Pearson’s garage. There the drivei- inspected the big ends and decided to offer the ear for -sale. No offer being forthcoming the ear was finally towed to- the railway station to be consigned to- Wanganui. The party left by taxi for Palmerston N. to connect with a train for their home town—Wanganui.—Manawatu Herald.

Forty-three cases of pneumonic influenza and fifteen deaths were reported this week ■'in the Auckland district.

Three eases of pneumonic flu have he-en reported in the Otago health district since yesterday, one from Oamaru proving fatal.

The low-lying areas in the vicinity of Moutoa is again flooded as tli© result of the heavy rains during the last few days and the road in fro.nl of Mr W. Smith’s property is covered with water some 2ft. 6in deep. The inundation has forced Mr Treggiil to vacate his house for the time being and the Moiitoa-Foxton Road has been rendered practically impassable.

A letter appreciative of the fact that it was the practice to sand concrete roads was received by the Auckland City Council on Thursday from the Auckland Motor-Car and Horse-Driv-ers’ Union, but the letter went-on to say that tlie custom was, after the sand was spread, to sweep it up again and water the streets, a proceeding which made concrete roads more slippery than ever. The union asked that the practice should be discontinued, and that thb sand should be allowed lo remain.

According to the- remarks of a Wai ra.rapa motorist' in conversation with a “Chronicle” reporter, there are sail a number of cars travelling at night with one headlight burning. Between Shannon : and 1.-evin on Saturday e\e-n----ing two such cars were encountered, within half a mile of each other and it was. difficult, in the glare of the approaching light, to know which lamp was lit, and-the oniy thing left to the driver of the other car was to slow down to a standstill. With traffic inspectors on the 'roads this shortcoming should receive ample and effective'- treatment.

A simple and -effective method, whereby passengers may in the event of -emergency stop trains has been introduced by the chief mechanical engineer of the Railway Department (Mr G. S./Lynde). It permits an emergency application of the West--inghouse brake. In accordance with Mr Lynde’s proposals an emergency brake cock enclosed in a box, with thin glass front, is now being fitted in each passenger car compartment. In an -emergency the glass may he easily broken by a passenger and the turning of the cock will apply the brake just as effectively as would result from an application by the en-gine-driver.

A commencement has been made to lay out the. new block of buildings to he erected for Mr 1 M. Mortensen on the vacant corner opposite the Post Office. The area between the existing shops is to he completely covered except for a right-of-way off Queen Street, and provision will be made for one large shop of ample proportions at the corner, with others of convenient size on the Oxford Street, frontage. The shop fronts will be constructed on the most modern lines with .fine display windows, the piers being tile-finished. The material to be used is reinforced concrete and generally the building will he .of such a character in design and appearance as to add to the architectural completeness of the business portion of Levin. Messrs Burne and Neilson, of Feiiding, are the contractors.

Forty first-aid. attendants lljroated. •>>7 cases on Auckland sports grounds on a recent, Saturday afternoon. . On the football grounds in Auckland the ajinbulanee, with a staff of 17 men, • attended to 118 cases. The biggest casualty list was at .Victoria Park where 32 eases were treated by the staff of three. Ollier grounds wore: Onelumga, 15 cases by one man; Swanson, three cases by cine man; ('Ellerslie, 14 cases by one man; Showgrounds, 'll) eases by three men; Fden

Park, It) eases by throe men; Mangere, 6 cases by one man. At Western Springs and Hubsonvilie, where there was one man in attendance at each • .place, no accidents occurred. The National Reserve ambulance treated 95 cases with a stalf of 19 men. Thirteen cases were treated at Remuera hockey grouVid by two nurses of the Auckland Nursing Division. One accident case occurred at the Mangere cycle races where there were two Auckland ambulance' men on duty,

Though brick is the oldest known product" of its kind, though it-is still—as throughout the ages —made of claj it remains (says a trade paper) "the supreme and unique building mateiial, ’ ’ “We know how cement appears to . dominate the industries to-day, and yet then 1 is considerably more capital invested in the manufacture of brick. ’ ’ It is added that, the modern mcchani-' cal equipment of brick-making is most efficient. In 1925 approximately 10, 000, p0(),000 bricks were produced in the United States, and in their' making 30,000,000 cubic yards of. clay and shale were required. The coal, or its equivalent, needed in their burning amounted to about 3,000,000 tons.

Mid-winter, probably aided by the prevalence of pneumonic 'influenza, has taken heavy toll of aged people in and around Wellington in July. The columns of the Wellington papers have"' recorded since the beginning of the month no fewer than 30 deaths of people who have survived the allotted span of three score and ten years. Four. of these had passed their ninetieth year, one .old gentleman having survived his 96tli birthday. The oilier three wore aged 92, 92, and 91 respectively. Ton people died in their “ eighties,’' and 15 between the ages of 70 and 79. There have also been many deaths lately among people of middjc age.

Rain fell in Foxton on ten days last month, the maximum fall being 4.1 mch’cs on the 25th. The .total rainfall for the month was 6.68 inches.

Feildiim’s master bakers are increasing the price of the 21b loaf from Old to°7d at the shop from yesterday owing to the increase in the price of flour. .

Deaths in the Wellington district during Juiy were 138, compared with ]OO in June, and 103 in July of last, year. Births for the same periods were 166, 177, 183. •

The total rainfall at Auckland for the month of July amounted to 2.81 inches, a figure which is more than two inches below the month’s average "of 4.91 inches. The total rainfall for the present year to date now stands at 31.95 inches.

Whilst working in a piggery at Tirau, James Conborough met with an accident under comewhat remarkable circumstances. He was in the act of getting through a fence when a high wind picked up a sheet of iron and carried it on to the man edgeways,

inflicting injuries to the face and wrist.

•'The family of Mr. Edgar Hine, of Morley street, New Plymouth, had a startling experience in a thunderstorm on a night recently. Lightning struck the sitting room chimney and then ran down into the room, where a blue light spread.,-. Fortunately, beyond frightening the occupants it. did no damage, except that five bricks, were dislodged from the top of the chimney.

A “lip” to farmers was given by Mr. W. J. McCullough, Government instructor in agriculture, during an address at Pahiatua a few days ago. “If any ofV you are racing iuen/‘ the instructor remarked, “take a £1 ticket in phosphate manure and you will get a £6 dividend. It is the surest thing you ever bet on for there are no nonstarters.”

The first of the class called motor bridges, in North Auckland, has been erected by the Hokianga County Council. It crosses the Whirimaki stream at an important point on the western route to the farther north. Hitherto motors would be held up for three or four hours waiting for a sufficient tidal ebb to allow of crossing tlie ford. A motor bridge is defined as a threegirder bridge with a splayed handrail. Ordinary cars will be able to use it, but not heavy lorries.

A somewhat unusual case was heard by the Stipendiary Magistrate at the Whan gar ei Court upon the information of the borough inspector, when F. Courtney was fined 10s and 7s costs for a breach of the local' by-laws. The information stated that he, being the rider of a cycle,. permitted it to be towed behind a motor car round a corner. The offence was admitted. It came as news to some that liis was an offence. The inspector said he did not press for a penalty, but the case was brought, as a warning as the practice was dangerous.

An unpleasant, mot to say dangerous, experience befell the District Nurse at Mataivui, states a Gisborne exchange. In answer to a call she set out for Motuhora driving a horse and gig. The road was badly flooded in places, and in endeavouring- to negotiate the worst part the horse got out of his depth. The gig was completely submerged and almost overturned. The nurse’s bag was washed away, and had help not arrived opportunely it is difficult to say ■what the result might have been. At this spot some years ago, two horses harnessed to a buggy -were drowned, the occupants narrowly escaping.

A new tire engine has been purchased for the Onehunga Fir'e Brigade at a cost of £I2OO, and is now ready f|>r use., The machine is similar to those recently bought for the Central and Mount Albert brigades. If is designed to give the maximum efficiency as ' a tire-fighting unit, and with its low bqdy is capable of maintaining perfect balance, 1 In addition, pneumatic, tyres are claimed to be an improvement on the solid rubber ones. The engine is litted Avith air pumps for feeding smoke helmets, and a tirst-aid equipment is carried. A notable figitui'Q is the electric traffic signals, which indicate which Avay the engine is about to turn.

'a striking instance of the influence the old Te Whiti -faith 'exercises over its few remaining adherents among the Maori race was revealed in Palmerston last Aveek, Avhen it transpired, on the death of an old Manipoto chief that lie Avas in the habit of carrying about £2OOO in notes in a belt round his waist. The money avus the proceeds of the sale •of land through the Maori Land Board, and during tire last IS months payments had been made to the old man froip time to time, amounting to bctAveen £3OOO and £4OOO. Tie clung firmly to the Te Whiti-ite objection to banks and hoarded the Avhole amount in his belt, to the knowledge—perhaps fortunately—of only his immediate friends and relatives.