Shannon News FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 1927.

Shannon News, 21 January 1927, Page 2

Shannon News FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 1927.

Anniversary Day will be observed its ‘holiday, in Shannon to-morrow, with a late shopping night this evening.

Mr and Mrs C. Boyle and family, Mrs 7-'. Small and family* and Miss Sylvia Qaarrie are spending a holiday at the Hokio Beach.

Mr and Mrs A. E. Hyde and their children returned home on Tuesday after an enjoyable motor tour -in the North.

The death occurred suddenly at Napier last week of Ormond, the nine-vear-old son of Mr and Mrs W. V\. Smith, late of Vance street, Shannon. The cause of death was tetanus. In i sympathy of Shannon friends of the family will be extended to them in thensudden bereavement.

Work is progressing satisfactorily on the road being formed through > the swamp from Makerua station to Rangitane. When this is completed it will open up some very fine land and pioviding the flood water can be kept back this should be well suited for small holdings.

A Shannon resident who has latply done a good deal of motoring in other parts of the Dominion writes: We a*e apt to growl a lot about our roads in the Manawatu, but a tour, of the Island will show that we have quite a lot to he thankful for. Some of/ the tracks called roads further north would be hard on a bullock team, but work is being carried out everywhere. In a few years motoring should be a pleasure on all main roads.. In some parts at present it. is just one bump after another.

Some indication of the number of motorists who have been touring during the holidays and taking advantage of the camping grounds provided by local bodies may be gathered from the fact that on a recent tour a Shannon motorist on different nights counted 96 cars and camps in Rotorua, 27 at Wanganui, 24 at Waitotara, 36 at Hamilton, 21 at Taupo and 30 at Napier. The business People call for orders each morning air 1 the camps which usually contain a lot of children are merry and bright.

A local resident, who has returned from a motor tour in the North, states that during the holidays it has been quite a common sight to see about thirty cars on each side of the Mokau river waiting to cross on the punt which is, he said, if anything .worse than our local dreadnought, over the Manawatu river. A two-hour wait was not unusual and a slip in the river quite easy. He says the Mokau bridge is nearly completed, while ours is still in the dim and distant future. But patience is a virtue.

Nurse Jjinklater has received advice that she has been appointed district nurse at Stratford. She will be taking no her new duties in about a fortnight. For the past three years Nurse Linklater has conducted Naseby {louse Private Hospital in Grey Street, during which time she has made many friends in Shannon, who, while regretting her departure from the district, will join in wishing her every success and happiness in her new position.

Miss Clifford-Jones has successfully passed the medical test to enter Wellington Hospital as a probationer and leaves for Wellington early next week. Miss Jones will carry the best wishes of all for her future success. A keen tennis player and a member of the committee of the club, an enthusiastic member of the Golf Club, and last but not least the librarian of the Shannon Choral Society, which office she has carried out most, successfully, Miss Jones will be greatly missed in Sl ,, >,i non.

Mr Len Barnes, the well-known Wellington baritone singer, with Mr Arthur Combes, also well-known i-i musical circles in Wellington, who are at present staying at Levin, made the journey to Mangahao Top Camp, and we e charmed with the scenery on the way up. Tiny are surprised t-hac more ir not heard in Wellington of this beautiful trip, as it equals any bush scenery in the Dominion. They were ml'wesleil in the massive works at the No. 3 dam and appreciated greatly the inl>’unalion given by members of the staff, to say nothing of their very interesting driver. On their way back the \\ ollingtonians were shown all over tire Cower House and thus spent a very enjoyable day.

It’s a great help to know' of a reliable brand of biscuits —always the same, no variation from tin to tiu, and always pure.—Mildcrson’s Ginger Nuts 1/- per lb. from Aiteheson & Son.* w

A schnapper weighing 19lb was caught at. New Brighton the other day by a dohfciman on the pier, and the landing of the big fish occasioned a great deal of interest to those in the vicinity, states the Christchurch Pres?. The fish is easily a record of its kind to be captured at the seaside resort.

A transaction in which a sheep-dog was the central figure was recently effected between a resident of Wanganui and a resident of Napier. The dog was sold to the man in Wanganui, and was duly despatched by train from sunny Hawkes Bay. It arrived safely in Wanganui, but did not fancy its new owner, and a fortnight later re-appeared in Napier. How it got there is at present an abiding mystery.

“You’ve only got to pull the cork and everybedy’s in the room,” said a witness from Mokau when describing the way they drank whisky to the Police Court, at New Plymouth. Race day only happened cnee a year, he explained/and nearly everyone got a ease in at this time and entertained his friends. He would have 1o mention the whole township if he were to say with whom he had had drinks.

The prevalence of the humble three-penny-bit in New Zealand is a source of wond''i- to some English visitors. A Londoner said recently that he would not see a threepenny-bit. in twelve •month. o at Home. Indeed, he thought that the coin had gone out of use altogether and that, like the groat, it had ceased to be minted. “I find myself often in trouble,” he said, “offering threepence instead of sixpence, which is ilie Smallest coin you see at Home. ”

In an editorial the New Zealand Accountant says that in the course of its business it had recently scanned about 30C letters from youths applying f-*< positions, and it found that in letters from lads who had been given the privi 1.-gc of secondary education the spelling and punctuation was abominable, aim from the point of view of the commercial community one wonders wh?tlmr we are getting adequate value for the huge aum of money, that is' expended annually in New Zealand on higher education.

The largest number of clrlcren bom to a New Zealand family, according to the latest completed returns, was 2t). The age of the mother Avas 52, and the duration of the marriage was 32 years. The number of that family still living, unfortunately, is not known, but the same returns quote the case of a family of 17 as that of the greatest number of surviving children of one family. The age of the mother in this ease Avas 47 and the marriage had reached tlu* 29th year. In the same returns it aaiis noticed there were nearly 40U Yew Zea land families Avhere the number of surviving children exceeded 12.

A young lady Avalking along High Stieet, Christchurch, the other morning was thrown into a state of alarm by the sight of smoke floating up fiom a Avell-laden basket. Avhieh she avo.s tarrying. An investigation shoAved that her tow el and bathing costume were smouldering (reports the Press), and considerable damage was being done to a lunch packet. A smoker’s carelessnesj in throAving doAvn a burning match, which landed in the basket, was.said to be the cause of the small conflagration.

Speaking of the recent shortage of Avater at Mangahao, Mr G. A. Monk, chairman of the HoroAvhonua Power Board, stated at the meeting of that body yesterday that the Public Works Department asked the Board to do Avhat it could to assist in keeping doAvn the ioad ou the electrical supply. He found, in travelling round the district last week, that in many ca.sws •onsimers ,vhb possessed Avater heaters Avhieh they did not require continuously, had endenA r oured to meet the situation by turning off the current at night.

“We have entered upon the last quarter of the year and the indications are that the year’s operations Avill fully conic up to the estimates formed at the beginning of the year, Avith perhaps some improvement therein,” reported Mr P. W. Goldsmith (secretary) to the Horowhenua Power Board yesterday. “Loan moneys advanced for installations have been refunded by the revenue or poAVGr fund account, Avhieh is practically carrying the Avhole of the adA ances to consumers. The loan money raised has pretty well been spent, and further extensions or Avorks in the coming year Avill require more capital.”

Trainers who patronised the special train which brought horses South after the Auckland meeting are very sore 0A r er some, of the treatment meted out to them (says the Wellington Post). They have no complaint about the speed of the train; it had a clear line, and came down faster than a “Limited.” But they were unable to obtain refreshments anyAvliere, and this, they maintain, is outrageous. “There Avere 83 horses and about 100 passengois aboard,” one Trenthum man declared, ‘so that about £IOOO Avas being paid for the train. Yet Ave could not get a thing to cat or drink. If it had been a theatrical company or a body of American tourists, avlio would have paid less for the train than Ave did, the tearooms along the line Avould Imwe been opened for the occasion. If that could be clone for strangers, Avliy not for Ncav Zealanders?”

It is said that the Katipo spider is the only dangerous venomous insect which we possess in the Dominion. Hr "W. W. Smith, of New Plymouth, a well-known authority on New Zealand’s insect and bug life, in a letter to the Taranaki News says: ‘‘My chief object in writing to you on the katipo at the present time may serve as a warning 10 sea bathers. Per some weeks I have been collecting kalipos and ots< rving their movements onjthe beach and sand dunes situated between the Te Henui and the Wpiwakailio River. I have found only two specimens under drift logs on the beach. I. procure most of the spiders from under tufts of thick masses of marram grass mi the sand dunes close to the sea. It was on a similar site where the unfortunate boy of 14 was bitten by a katipo on his foot at Wanganui two years ago, and died three days later. Though these dangerous spiders arc not now so numerous on our local beaches as formerly it is advisable that bathers should avoid sitting or lying on the marram grass when undressing and dressing. It will always be safer to do so on the open sandy places fi\:e from marram grass.”

A \ r aluable gift of betAveen 500 and 600 volumes, chiefly reference books, has been made to the Dominion Observatory through the good offices of Dr. fomrie, an ex-Auckland student, iioav deputy Of the British Almanac Office, London.

,A Rongomai farmer stated the other day that he Aval stocked Avith a cow to the acre.- At present his n*sture Avas high enough to run a mower over. He had one cow of his herd giving 821 b of milk daily, and another, a Jersey, Avas giving about 801bs, with approximately a 5 test. —Eketahuna Express.

The Kaupokonui River for some distance from the mouth Avas literally Dlack Avith fish on Sunday and Monday mornings, stated a man Avhe is camping oil the beach. For a distance of fully tour chains from the mouth of the river the fins and tails of millions of kahaivai could be seen by campers. 4 net Avas stretched across the river and the pressure of the fish against it forced those holding it some distance doAvnstream before it could be banded Avith its living freight, which amounted to about three barroAV-loads of kahaAvai.

The Ilorowhenua Power Board’s load is still groAving. Reporting to the Board yesterday, the Engineer said that since last meeting, 10 new eoiioumere have signed up, including 3 ranges, 4 water heaters and one industrial motor. 'i-Venty-two applications have been re ceived for extensions to existing installations, including 3 industrial motors, 2 milking motors, 5 ranges and 4 Avater heaters.. TAvcnty-one new consumers have been connected up, and 25 extensions to existing installations, Avh:ch include 4 industrial motors, 6 milking and separating Avater heaters.

In ans Aver to a question by Mr A. Seifert, at the meeting of the HlbioAvhenua *PoAvcr Board yesterday, the Engineer (Mr J. A. Smith) stated that a petrol pump had been installed at the depot and Avas Avorking fairly satisfa;toiilv. It cost £73 13s, and the staff installed it themselves. Replying to a query by Mr A.- J. Petherick as to lioav the quality of *he bulk petrol compared Avith the cased article, Mr Smirli stated that no difference had been noticed. The saving effected on the cost of petrol by the institution of bulk handling was equivalent to 2/4 a case of eight gallons. , '

An extraordinary experience befell a buttermaker "at the Inglewood butter factory yesterday. The Avorker, Avhose name Avas I Bungay, stopped a large churn, put his head inside, and Avas struck by a huge lump of butter. In a dazed condition, he fell fonvard into the churn, and at the same time umvittingly set the machine in. motion by revolving the inside machine. lie was bruised and in danger of suffocation by the mass of butter, when-an assistant saAv his legs protruding. He quickly reversed Ihe churn and finally extracted Bungay. Medical aid Avas immediately forthcoming and an examination slioaved the to be dazed and suffering from bruises.