Shannon News TUESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1927.

Shannon News, 4 January 1927, Page 2

Shannon News TUESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1927.

The troupe of Poi dancers who competed at the People's Picnic on Saturdav are touring the North Island under the direction of Princess Te Puea Hevangi for the purpose of raising money on behalf of orphaned 'Maori .children.

The many friends of Mr Bert Galloway, who is an inmate of the Palmers ton North hospital, will be pleased to leavn that he is progressing satisfactor ily towards recovery from an attack .if bronchial pneumonia.

During the holidays the traffic en the Shannon-Foiton road has been very heavy, resulting in the men employed on the punt having a busy time. On New Year's Day ninety trips were made and eighty and sixty-five trips on th«two preceding days', the trainee also beiag heavy on Boxing, Day.

The passing of the old year was celebrated by the youths of Shannon by the usual-pranks that are customary on buch occasions. Gates were removed, and early risers who visited the business portion of the town were confronted with vehicles and various articles placed in front of business premises, while from the flag pole on the Post Office there was to be seen a novelty flag, which caused much- amusement.

The dance held in the Druids' Hall on New Year's night by the Committer of the People's Picnic proved a fitting finale 1o the day's sport. The hall was packed to overflowing, the dance being a most enjoyable one, everyone appearing to thoroughly enjoy themselves. The duties of M.O. were in the capable hands of Mr 0. Hanifin, Avhile the music was supplied by an orchestra in charge of Mr Meto. Opportunity was taker by. the secretary of the Committee (Mr T.C. Thwaites) to thank those present for their patronage, and in doing so hestated that the committee would be holding fortnightly dances during the winter months to raise money to augment the funds.

While travelling from Palmerston N.- ; to Wellington on Friday morning a motor car driven by ft. Mackie. the wellknown joekc-y, came to grief near Mr Dalzell's at Makeiua. When approaching the turn the car skidded in some I loose metal and before it could be j righted went over the bank. Fortunately the driver and Capt. Gage Williams, who was acompanying him, escaped injury. Willing helpers came to their assistance and the car was got back on to the road again. The damage to the car consisted of a broken axle and windscreen, which were repaired at Mr C. C v Franks' garage during the day, enabling the driver to reach Wellington the same evening.

Although the warm weather has come upon us all of a sudden, the up-to-date firm of Howard Andrew are well prepared for same as a perusal of their advt. on page 2 will show.

The puffing of a railway engine is a common enough sound, but. few people know by what it is regulated. Actually the number of puffs made by a locomotive in the course of a journey depends on the circumference of its driving wheels. No matter what the speed of the train may be, the engine will give four puffs for every complete turn of the driving wheels. The wheels may vary in cicumference, but the average is 201"'t. With average driving wheels and a speed of fifty miles an hour, a locomotive will give 880 puffs a minute, or 52,800 puffs an hour, the driving wheels performing complete revolutions in the sixty minutes.

A special telegram in the Auckland Star from its Stratford correspondent

:.ays that further attention is to be devoted to the oil-bearing stratas of Taranaki, the representatives of a wellknown and influential organisation having completed negotiations for the right to exhaustively test by boring extensive areas in the Whangamcmona district, on the Stratford-Ohura railway lino. It is announced that experts will be on the field early in the New Year to make a thorough geological survey of the locality, during which the sites upon which the various bores will Input down will be determined. The most modern machinery obtainable will be utilised in the boring operations.

The v Hokio beach is sharing liberally in the public patronage of pleasure resorts this summer. The accommodation provided by cottages is being fully taken up, and several tenta have been pitched by those who do no; mind roughing it. The open spaces afforded an excellent setting for the ceremonies of i'arewolling the Old Year, and sonic imposing bonfires were set ablaze, while the discharging of fireworks was carried out until the early hours of the morning. On New Year's Day there was a great exodus from town to the beach, the service car running continuously to and fro throughout, the day.