Shannon News TUESDAY, JULY 19, 1927.

Shannon News, 19 July 1927, Page 2

Shannon News TUESDAY, JULY 19, 1927.

The friends of Mr and Mrs C. Cronquest, of Vogel Street, will be sorry to learn that their little son “Bobbie” has had to enter a hospital in Palmerston North where he underwent an operation on Friday, He is reported to be progressing satisfactorily.

A collision occurred on the Tokomaru bridge on Saturday afternoon betwen motor cars driven by Dr. Bell and Mr. G-. Mitchell, both of Shannon. Fortunately the occupants of the cars escaped injury. Dr. Bell’s car was badly damaged, while the other car received minor damage.

This morning the Mayor and Town Clerk proceeded to Wellington to confer with the Minister of Public Works in reference to raising the loan for the cemetery road. The work is to be carried out by unemployed, the Government granting a subsidy for the purpose.

The Cinderella dance organised by Mesdames Merwood and Terry in aid of the school picnic fund, was held in the Parish Hall on Saturday evening. There was a good attendance and a pleasant evening was spent. Mr JY T. Bovis officiated as M.C., the music being supplied gratis by the Maori orchestra, Messrs R. Merwood and R. George playing extras. During the evening Mr. Blackwood, a member of the School Committee, in returning thanks to .the organisers, stated that another dance would be held in about a fortnight’s time.

The “Q. Q. Sale” at Howard Andrews has been a success and is being continued. On Page 2 some of the Plums of Sale are advertised, including a special line of Ladies’ Shoes at 9s lid.*

The Foxton State School football team journeyed to Oliau on Saturday morning, and defeated the home team by 6 points to 3.

A teller of one of the Christchurch banks found his cash £l9 short the other day and immediately he made up the balance out of his own account (says the Sun). The error was made by his passing out a £2O note for a £1 note. Several days went by. Then a Chinese sidled up to the grill with a bundle of notes. “Here, you give me too'much money.” There was £l9 in the bundle. That teller handed back one of the £1 notes that the Chinese brought, for him to spend in any way that brings joy to a Chinese.

In speaking at Cambridge of the vast changes brought about in the conditions of the people during the past 50 years or so, Commissioner Hay, of the Salvation Army, instanced the use of baths, and said that whereas at one time very few but the aristocrats had a bath in their houses, now a house without a bathroom was the exception. In this connection the Commissioner told how a deaf old lady in the Old Country was taken to hospital, where the nurses suggested that a good hot bath would do her good. “What,” claimed the lady in disgust, “A bath! No, you don’t! I had one thirty years 1 ago, and have been deaf ever since!”

In an old paper was the following paragraph: “One of the most curious arrangements of words is the sentence: ‘Sator arepo tenet opera rotas.’ It is pretty bad Latin but may be freely translated: ‘I cease from my work; the sower will wear away his wheels.’ ” It spells backward and forward the same. The first letter of each word spells the first word. The second letter of each word spells the second word; and so on with the third, fourth and fifth words. The last letters read backward spell the first word; the next to the last the second word, and so on throughout. There are just as many letters in each word as there are words.

One good Australian that has done remarkably well in the Auckland province is paspaluin, a deep-rooting grass that thrives through the hottest summer months, and provides succulent food for stock when other fodder is not available (says the Star). It is claimed as far as New Zealand is concerned that paspalum was first grown at Riverhead, where the late Mr John Lamb had a large property. On that typical gum country the grass made wonderful headway, and the success achieved led to it being planted in other Northland districts. The original seed was brought from a farm near the Hawkesbury River, in New South Wales, where the grass had been introduced from Queensland.

The tvvo floating totalisator held by the Minister of Internal Affairs are to be allotted this year to the Franklin and Taum-arunui - Racing Clubs.

“The Farmers’ Union is one of the best insurance policies you can invest in,” declared the retiring President, Mr'J-. Livingston, at the annual meeting of the Southern Hawkes Bay branch of the Farmers’ Union.

The clerk reported to the Tauranga County Council that the number of dog registrations were 300 in excess of last year. Further, the registrars carried guns, with the object of destroying dogs, which the Act permitted to be dealt with.

The trustees of the Auckland Savings Bank (states a Press telegram) have increased the rate of interest on deposits by a-quarter per cpnt., to 4J, due .to the higher rates paid by the banks on fixed deposits. The depositors will benefit to the extent of above £12,000 yearly.

‘ ‘ That there is something wrong with civilisation is proved by the fact that the great public does not cry out for philosophy as it does for novels and picture shows. In the large, it is true that philosophy pipes to a generation that will not dance, and the same must, of course, be said of the present position of both art and religion, ’ ’ declared Canon 11. K. Archdall, head master of King’s College.

A lady was walking along Victoria Avenue, Wanganui, on Saturday morning when a sudden gust of wind disarranged her hat, and in her endeavour to save the headpiece her handbag snapped open and sixteen £1 notes were blown away. Only 6of the notes have been recovered. When the incident was reported a scene of remarkable activity followed, several pedestrians joining frantically in the search.

Speaking on modern advertising recently, Mr Tano Fama said that there were actually some people who did not believe in advertising at all. Others considered that because their business had been in existence 30 years there was no need to advertise. There was a church in the district which had been built over 40 years, and they still rang their bell ou Sundays!

That there were about 1000 owners to a Native block of . 2500 acres on the East Coast was a statement made by a witness at the Supreme Court in Gisborne the other afternoon. The block, said witness, was owned by a Maori corporation, the stock belonging actually to the estate, and the horses and cattle of the multitulinous individual Native owners were grazed there.

The severe frosts of late have caused many burst radiators. It is reported that one Southland motorist had proceeded several miles on a journey when there was a loud explosion, and the top of his engine blew off (says the News). The water in the radiator had been frozen, and that in the pipes had been healted and transformed into steam. Unfortunately there had been no outlet for this powerful agent, which caused the cylinder head to lift off.

At a poultry demonstration down south, one of the Government experts stated that if one wanted to pick the good layers out of a number of birds, all he had to do was to go along the perches after the birds had retired for the night and test the crops; those with the biggest crops were, probably the best layers, because being active birds working for their living, they were always hungry and would eat heartily. This test, lie said, is pretty reliable for all practical purposes.

“You will notice that most of the roads laid down nowadays are flat and have no crowns, ” said a Wanganui contractor to a pressman. He pointed out that the reason for this was because the wheels of motors ran on the sides of the road formation, and in time wore them down, the crown forming with the wear and tear. In the days of horse traffic the greatest wear was encountered on the crown, which wore away far quicker than the outside edges of the formation.

An American journal refers in sympathetic terms to the disastrous drought which is ruining the dairying industry in New Zealand (states the Stratford Post). After mentioning the fact that, “there has been no rain for two years in the northern area,” the writer extends himself on the unwise use of such country for dairy production. Obviously he has got his geography mixed up and is mistaking New Zealand for Queensland. A few days in Stratford at present would dissipate any idead about there being a drought.

The fact that a middle-aged resident of Masterton, who had been deaf and dumb from birth, could hoar plainly the the playing of a piano, the stirring music of a baud, and the soft refrains of a song per medium of wireless, was the remarkable result of an experiment carried out by Mr W. D. Ansell, of Masterton (reports an exchange). Mr Ansell had great difficulty in convoying the meaning of the sounds to the afflicted, but delighted listener, but eventually that knowledge was imparted.

A satisfactory use has evidently been found for ironsand, as the Wanganui Chronicle states that black sand has, for some years, constituted the basis of the sheet-asphalt pavements laid in Wanganui, which have proved remarkably successful. Streets paved- with this material, which contains over 80 per cent, of black sand, have kept their original surfaces intact, without maintenance, for periods of four and five years, and as the sand costs nothing, except for cartage, the result is an exceedingly economical street, while the surface is equally satisfactory for horses and motor traffic. The latest extensions of this nature have been in Trafalgar Place, Wilson Street, and Heads Road, the latter being a continuous length of over a mile, and presenting no small temptation to drivers of high-powered ears.

The population of the urban area of Auckland now exceeds 200,000, according to the Government Statistician’s estimate of population at April 1. -His estimate also reveals that the population of the North Island exceeds 900,000 while that of the Auckland province is only 16,000 short of half a million. Maoris are included in all the totals set forth in the statement. .

During a discussion, regarding motor lorry drivers at Saturday’s meeting.of the Pohangina County Council, it was mentioned by Cr. A. Brooking that he had noticed recently that an advertisement asking for applications for the position of team drover had not obtained a single reply. A few days later an advertisement offering the position of lorry driver had been swamped with applications, over 50 being received.

That the McLean clan is Well represented in Waipukurau was amply demonstrated at the St. Andrew’s Church, Waipukurau, social gathering on Thursday evening. Mr R. McLean, Mayor, addressed the gathering, his remarks being translated into Gaelic by Miss A. McLean. The Rev. Alister McLean related humorous stories, and Dr. G. McLean .was content to do his share with a vocal number. Various McLeans, in addition, were present at the function: None of the clan are related.

In these days when a popular slogan is “a school within a mile,” it is interesting to recall the disabilities that some of the children of New Zealand’s pioneer settlers were faced with. A Palmerston North resident, recently stated that when he attended the terrace End School 42 years ago he walked from his home at Fitzherbert and back again each day, a distance of 11 miles. He estimates that during his eight years at school he walked a distance of about 15,000 miles. In addition, he had to milk five cows daily.

Docks, dandelions, and any -of the perennial weeds which send out new shoots from the root after the top growth has been cut away, can be killed by petrol. Take a common iron meat skewer. Tie a piece of rag or wadding round the skewer, at about an inch or so above the point. Dip the skewer in the petrol, then stair the weeds one after the other; so long as a little petrol enters the centre of each weed a few days will see the weed dead. Large docks and very deeply rooted weeds may need a second application, but if persisted in the method will soon clear them out.

A member of the Inglewood County Council remarked recently that, with the advance of the motor-ear, roadnjaking methods had to be revolutionised and permanent materials had to be used for both roads and bridges, entaining more expense to ratepayers. As illustrating this he pointed out -that his council recently renewed a bridge at Kaimiro in concrete at a cost of £SOO. This bridge replaced one that had been erected 35 years ago at a cost of £35. Comparatively speaking,, therefore, the new bridge ,>vould have to last 500 years to give equivalent service to the old one.

The possibilities of beet sugar as a new industry for New Zealand were referred to by Mr F. J. Nathan, of Palmerston North, when Qonveifcing with a Manawatu Times representative. While in Australia, Mr Nathan visited the Maffra (Victoria) factory, which is ruu by the Victorian Government, and he mentioned that it had proved a success. The industry was a seasonal one, and the manufacture of sugar was in full swing in the winter time, when the beet were being pulled out. It was at a time when ordinary farm work eases off a little, and when the dairy farmer had little or no money coming in. For the man who milked cows, therefore, the growing of sugar-beet was a particularly suitable side-line. With up-to-date machinery, the beet went in one end and sugar came out the other, while the pulp was available as food for cattle.