Shannon News TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 1927.

Shannon News, 19 April 1927, Page 2

Shannon News TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 1927.

•Tendon are invited in this issue by the Makerua Drainage Board for drain cleaning contracts.

All football matches on Saturday in which teams from the Shannon Football Club wero to take part, were cancelled, out df;respect to the memory of the late, Mr Eewi Moynihan. ../..'

As advertised, the Shannon Choral Society will stait its practice on Thursday night at 7 o 'clock sharp (instead of 7.30) on account of those who wish to attend another social' gathering the same evening.

Velour and tailored coats are now on offer and showing at Howard Andicd's at very reasonable prices. Cus tomers would do well to call and inspect. .

The old order changeth. A Maori youth en route to Ngaruawahia Mormon conference on Thursday walked the Palmerston North railway station between trains, adorned with Oxford bags that swept the platform while the skirt "'of his dusky companion was -short enough to display a dainty j>ink {garter above the knee. '

.When Mr J. Neal, a Borouglr workman, was repairing a street drain at Marton on Thursday, a motor lorry driver failed to observe the excavation. He drove over Neale. whose head was caught by the underpart of the lorry,' causing slight concussion. He was admitted to the hospital.

The Charitable Aid Officer (Mr F. Aisher) reported to the Hospital Board on Thursday that during March he liad assisted 17 casual cases in Palmerston North as against 6 in 1926, 3 at Levin and one at Otaki. Owing to the autumn harvesting being finished, employment was only fair in the country and it was very noticeable the number of men on the road looking for work. The total number of rations issued hi Palmerston North Avas 96 and the number of persons'.receiving same was 42.

JWith any . green-manuring crop, if is essential that it is buried while i r is still green and succulent. Actual harm may be done, and will result from allowing the green crop to become mature before thus dealing with it. , This is likely to happen in a season in Avhieh the rainfall is light, when damage is almost certain to be caused by the straw of thee manuring crop keeping the soil open, which -facilitates the escape of moisture. If? is beneficial in several ways that the green stuff is well decomposed before planting is undertaken, and time for that to take place should always be allowed.

The Rev. A. P. Lancefield, rector of St. Mary Arches, one of the central parishes of Exeter, offered a prayer for more houses at a church seivice. He said: "Let us pray for the members and officials of the Exeter City Council that Gcd may give them grace to do their duty in providing for the health and housing of the poor." Mr Lancefield has ,' publicly protested against a proposal of the Exeter Board of Guardians to spend £154 on oak panelling for a committee room, "while cottagers are dying in disgraceful dens of disease. "

In the course of an address at the Palmerston Lunch Club on "New Zealand's Plant Life" Major S. G. Sandle said: "We are told by everybody that. New Zealand trees take thousands of years to attain even a small size, but if one takes the trouble to go carefully into this matter it will be seen that very hasty conclusions have been drawn by quite a number of people. There is a place known as Kauri Gully, not far from-Northcote, Auckland, where within the last 50 or 60 years a kauri forest has grown on the site of an old one deatroved by fire, only one tree now half dead, remaining of the old forest. Here we may see the astonishing progress made by a fine forest of young kauris In the gully proper there .-ire a number of beautiful trees 70 to 80 feet high and over a foot through. Further away are trees just appearing amongst a growth of manuka and fern; others are Jike walking sticks and others healthy young saplings, some 2C feet high or moie. "

"Pork, with three inches of fat on it was not wanted on the Engli-Ji market," said Mr. , Gorringe recently at Owhango. A 11 inches of fat was sufficient, and to get this fariners must feed the pigs systematically. They rerequired plenty of exercise and any amount of good, water. When grain was fed to pigs' it should be scattered along the bottom of a trough. The pigs nicked up the I *,single grain, masticated it thoroughly, and it was easily digested.

"Interest at eight per cent, will bt charged on overdue accounts." A footnote of this, nature is frequently attached to overdue accounts, and a correspondent who asked the Mercantile Gazette as to the legality of such a charge received -the following reply:--"The position is that a memorandum on the invoice of statement is not a condition of the contract. Interest on overdue accounts can be recovered only if a demand in writing is made, specifying a certain date for payment, after which interest will be charged. , To be a condition of the contract it must be included in the' terms of the sale."

The remainder of the present year should be a busy one so far as meteorological happenings are concerned. On June 39 there will be a total eclipse of the sun. ' A fortnight prior to this (June 15) a total eclipse of the moon will take place,, commencing at 5.4 p.m., and reaching totality at. 7.45 p.m.. There will be a partial.eclipse of the sun on December 24. The planet Mercury will pass across the face- of the sun on November A lO, but as the period of transit will commence at 's' p.m., it will not bo;'visible to' the naked eye.

Westminster Abbey ,has in its possession records not to be equalled for their completeness by any otlier house in any other order. They comprise some 170,000 documents, stretching from Saxon times to the present. That seems an cnormjus number, yet the other day it was stated in a court of law that the correspondence that had been preserved of one British Prime Minister through his long life comprised 800,000 letters. It :s quite incredible, but the two items together give some idea of the enormous masses of documentary evidence on which British history is based.

A letter was received by the Horowhenua County Council on Saturday from Mr. R. B. Kilgomy stating that the Council had notiiied him some time ago that the creek near Monk's corner was to.be cleaned' out as soon as it was in a fit condition. His children had been prevented from going to school for eight days owing to the water being over the road. If something was riot done before long, he would bring the matter under the notice,of the Education Board. The chairman (Cr. Monk) said he did not suppose the Education Board could help them much. Councillor Ryder reported that the trouble was ,now being attended to.

• The remarkable sagacity of a sheep dog was exemplified last week when a large crowd of people witnessed a somewhat thrilling incident in the vicinity of the Wanganui bridge, says the Herald. . A mob of sheep was being driven across the bridge, when one of the animals broke loose and scampered on to the wharf. Immediately it was followed by three sleep dogs, who pursued it as far as the edge of the wharf. Here the frightened sheep leaped into the river. Two of the dogs stopped short, while the other dived over and headed the , sheep towards the wharf piles, where it scrambled ashore. The clever clog shepherded the sheep over the rocks and through the maze, of piles under the wharf until the steps were reached. Here the drover was waiting to take delivery of the sheep.

Ambergris has been coming ashore pretty regularly in the western bays of Stewart Island 'during the past six months and several people have found it profitable to keep a close watch after westerly gales. About a month, ago Mr Adam Adamson picked up some very fine quality ambergris, at Doughboy Bay, worth fully £l3O. This beach has proved to be so profitable to visit that Mr Adamson has taken up the lease of some land there and is building a small hut, with the intention of spending a good deal of his time in that spot. He has also had. a light dinghy built to enable him. to visit the, nearby bays during fine weather. It is interesting to iinow that a petition will'shortly be presented to Parliament asking for the protection of the sperm whale in New Zealand waters. According to those interested the sperm whale is almost a rarity now, and from Auckland to Stewart Island many people derive considerable profit from the ambergris, which the sperm whale alone sheds. The value of ambergris found in these parts alone during the past three years is in the vicinity of four figures per year. ;