Shannon News TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1927.

Shannon News, 1 November 1927, Page 2

Shannon News TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1927.

The usual fortnightly meeting of the Borough Council be held iiij the Council Chambers this evening.

Messrs Aitehison and Son have disposed of their well-known grocery business to Mr. C. Snelling, of Wellington, who took over possession yesterday. ,i . ' " The friends of Mr Cottle, senr., who 'has been an inmate of the Palmerston North Hospital for the past four months, will be sorry to learn that his condition is not improving. ,

Arrangements have beeii made to hold Vert. Bede's Bazaar in,the Druids' Hall on Friday and Saturday, 18th and 39th November, opening each dry at 2.30 ;p.m.

There is evidently a slump in dancing in Shannon. 'The Shannon Football Club's victory dance on Friday evening had to be abandoned owing to the mea-gre attendance, while the benefit dance on Saturday evening, organised by the Women's Institute in aid of a family in distress, was poorly attended.

The Miranui Football and Tennis Club Ball, to be held'in the Druids' Hall, Shannon, on Friday evening, November 4th, promises to be "the ball of the season. The Committee have engaged Lark ins* full orchestra'to pro;, vide the music. A special feature will be the unique decorations and we are informed that,everything possible xvW be done to ensure patrons spending a pleasant: time/ During the evening the opportunity will be taken to present the trophies" jand medals' won during the/ past season by members of the Club for both tennis and football. Patrons are' notified elsewhere that invitations will not be necessary.

A serious accident occured on Sunday evening to Mr. Ron. Thwaites,. son of Mr. and Mrs T. C. Thwaites. He had been spending the evening with friends at Mangaore, which place he left shortly before;nine o'clock to proceed to his home. Sometime later, Mr. Simea, who was proceeding down Crowther's hill, noticed him standing on the Bide 6f the road alongside his bicycle holding his head. On examination he found him to be in a dazed condition and suffering from injuries to his face. He was unable to state what had happened. Accompanied by Mr. Simes he cycle} to his home, where upon his arrival he was attended by Dr. Bell, who on examination found him to be suffering from a fractured jaw, concussion and severe facial abrasions. He ordered his removal to the Palmerston North Hospital, where he was operated upon yesday. How he came by the injuries cannot be stated for certain, but it is thought he was either struck by a passing vehicle or that the cycle skidded on some loose metal. There was no sign of the latter having been the case. The strange part is that the cycle was undnnaged and showed -n: indications that it h,ad been struck by anything.

The gate takings at the Foxton motor sports totalled £250, a slight decrease on. last year.

While the driver of a service car was opening a gate on the Maraenui Eoad, near Opotiki, the vehicle ran backwards over a cliff and was'smashed to pieces. It fell 700 feet, carrying away a tree during its descent. The impact was so great- when the car struck the bottom that the radiator was thrown a hundred yards away from the chassis.

Waipukurau borough lias had no infectious cases of disease reported within its "boundary for the ,nast 61 weeks. With a population of close on 2000, this must be something of a record, remarks a-Hawkes Bay exchange. -

That the housewives of Invereargill collectively waste nearly £SOOO worth of soap annually owing to the "hardness."'of the water supply was an interesting statement made by the engineer (Mr E. A. Gumbley) in a report to the Invereargill Town Council.

There is apparently no shortage of houses for sale in New Plymouth. The following advertisement "Wanted to buy privately house, £I2OO, £ISOO, £6OO deposit. Apply Buyer, Herald Office," inserted on due night last week, had brought 71 letters by the following morning. *

• Whilst the community system may have its advantages,, apparently it has its disadvantages. When giving evidence in the Opunake" Court recently, the Inspector of Noxious AVeeds said that a native had done some work in clearing weeds on a section in which he was interested. "If ? he., does mueh," added the inspector, "the other natives will come in and claim the part he has cleared."

The ' Hastings Borough, Council carried a resolution last evening protesting against' the Government's interference with a local private motor service to a seaside resort, on the grounds that the Railway Department should not compete with private enterprise on a route which is not contiguous to a railway and therefore not in competition with the railways.

A motor truck, driven by Donald McDonald, a Kereone farmer, was comr pletely wrecked i% a serious accident at Mor"rinsville on Saturday evening. The truck was proceeding along Studholme Street, when it crashed into the bridge. The driver was badly cut about the face, while the only other passenger, James McDonald, sustained a compound fracture of the leg, and had to be taken to the Waikato Hospital. ; - ... >''

Since 1913 approximately .90,000,000 dollars have been expended on constructing the Lincoln Highway which runs from New York to San Francisco, a distance of 3142 miles. During 1926, 15,095,518 dollars were spent on construction Work, whilst 1,880,156 dollars were expended on maintenance. Altogether there are only 4r miles of the highway, consisting of natural dirt, which has not received attention. This is in Utah, and although the surface is satisfactory in good weather it is avoided in bad weather. t

The Willowbridge district m Canterbury is well known all over New Zealand for its very prolific potato crops, and by appearances it looks as if it is likely to become noted for its marvellous cauliflowers. A correspondent of the Lyttelton Times states that cauliflowers almost as big as trees are to be seen ■ on the property of Mr A. Lange. One cauliflower, after being'practically stripped of its leaves, weighed 201 b., and another weighed 16£ lbs. Mr Lange states that out of a small patch alongside the Willowbridge Eoad he has already, taken £SOO worth of cauliflowers; and there are plenty left still to cut. A ready market for these very fine vegetables .is found in Christchurch, Ashburton and the West Coast, and large quantities are railed away each week.

There is an Auckland business man who is prepared to affirm that a special burglar proof lock on the front door of his premises has all the virtues that is claimed for it. One peculiarity is that the door can only be unlocked from the outside, and he realised this part to the full on a recent evening, when he tarried on the premises, and found that he was a prisoner. He thought of the possibility: of getting a window opened and sliding down a water pipe, but was afaid the exit in such a manner might be regarded as highly suspicious by passers-by. 'The next thought was a happy one. He rang up the police station on the telephone, a constable soon came, the business man slid the key beneath the front door, and speedily he was liberated.

[ The faulty mortar used in the construction of chimneys was responsible for a considerable portion of the Dominion's losses by fire, declared Mr F. 11. Pope, five insurance loss assessor, in an address to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce last Aveok, says the Herald. He expressed the opinion that the wrong cement was used in the preparation of mortar, and he regarded hydraulie lime as undoubtedly a menace as far as chimney construction was -concerned. Sparks were drawn through the chinks in the mortar and, alighting on wood or rubbish in the vicinity, readily caused an outbreak. No improvement could be effected until regulations, backed by law were introduced: Plumbers, for instance, had to be registered, but anyone was allowed to build a chimney.

Did you ever have the "golf bug" asks a writer in the Wanganui Chronicle. There are many in Wanganui who are afflicted, and under unusual circumstances the disease becomes very pronounced. Monday was one of those occasions, and if any of the uninitiated, had been passing the Seafield links when the icy blast was rip-roaring across the swamps and rain and sleet was sweeping up over the landscape they would have noticed men with baggy trousers and umbrellas .golfing gaily against the gale.' Man's sporting instinct 'indulges in some strange fTeaks at times but surely it would be hard to equal the seeming idiosyncacies of the golfer. For no pecuniary gain whatever he will undertake severe endurance tests, apparently happy in discovering *that once again he is a victim of the glorious uncertainty of the game.

Percy Coleman, whose riding was one of the attractions at the Foxton motor sports, informed a Press representative that the track was one of the best in the Dominion, and was in better condition than last year. The only drawback Avas a few waves at the corner entering the straight.

One of the most cherished plants at the Esplanade in Palmerston is a fine specimen of the dark red Australian waiatah, the gorgeous flower which is the national emblem of New South Wales. There are very few specimens in the Dominion. It was discovered yesterday that some destructivelyminded irdividual had gone to the trouble of breaking oft" all the blooms of the plant, thus seriously endangering its life.

When packing hides for export recently a resident of Wanganui wrote his name and. address on a cigarette card and inserted it in one of the packages. He has now'received a letter from a German in Hamburg, an extract from the translation of which says: "'ln Hamburg there is no money. Itam lodging in a place where they do, nothing else l but unpack hides from Australia. Aye are practically all working for-what we can get to eat." The Writer also inquires regarding the pro' spects of work in Australia.

A Foxton resident, Mr E. G. Martin, brought for the Herald's inspection on Thursday several hanks of scutched fibre, 1 which he stated had been produced from the green blade without the necessity of paddocking for bleaching purposes. Mr Martin said he had been experimenting along these lines for some time and had shown the result of his experiment to some local millers. He said the process 'would lessen the cost of manufacture considerably as it would obviate carting and paddocking andithe vagaries of the weather. Mr Martin stated that there wis no chemical properties" introduced and the fibre lost none of its strength. The process was connected with the stripper. The • hanks were soft and of full strength, but were lacking in "colour," which Mr Martin said could be improved ( upon. He stated that the exhibits were taken from a poor quality of green blade and the whole process of mahufacture could be completed in 24 hours.

A good story was told' by the new Dominion film censor (Mr W. Tanner) at a luncheon "tendered to him in Wellington on Wednesday by the branelr of the Motion Picture Exhibitors' Association of New Zealand. "I am very pleased to be here to-day," he said : " because it gives me an opportunity of meeting men who are under no delusions as to. the duties of a censor. The other day I had a ring on the telephone, and a lady's voice asked, 'ls I hat the Censor speaking!' 1 told her that it was, and she said, 'I wish you would go to the Town Ha l ' and censor the programme there.' 1 asked her what, was the matter with it. 'Oh,' she replied, 'I "am quite sure that the girl had not enough clothes on and her feet were bare,' 'Yes,' I said, 'but what picture is it?' 'Picture!' she exclaimed, 'it's the Plunket Society entertainment.' (Laughter). I told her that if she had. a complaint to make the police were the right people to go to.' (Renewed laughter).

An article appearing in the Evening Post,, with a photograph of a Eotheram watch found in France, which led to ■ the finding of the owner -of the timepiece, Mr E. Sullivan, of Lower Hutt, and the identification of the Soldiers' remains was reprinted in the Home papers. A letter has now been received by Sir Maui Pomare,. Minister in Charge of the War Graves Division of'th'j Department of • Internal Affairs, from Mapor-General Sir Fabian Ware, vice-chairman of the Imperial War Graves Commission, stating: '"I have to refer to the Department's letter dated July last and to say that the Commission deeply appreciate your cooperation snd that of the Post, and the <?are and thoroughness with which their enquiry has been handled. The graves in question are accepted as. those of Privates Taylor Andersota, and headstones will be erected accordingly." "It is gratifying to know," said Sir Maui, "that worlf done by the War Graves Department is rendering quite good service and this, I see, is recognised by the Imperial War Graves Com-, mission." The missing soldiers were identified by the fact that Mr Sullivan had'lent, the watch to one of then), and a sball demolished the cook-holism where he and his mate were engaged.