Shannon News WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1928.

Shannon News, 4 January 1928, Page 2

Shannon News WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1928.

Guessing the live weight of the lamb at the People's Picnic was won by E. Sathorley 67}lbs, the correct weight being OGJlbs.

Rev. A. J. Farnell, who has been at tending the Boys' Bible class camp a Wanganui, returned to Shannon oi Saturday.

A silver beet of phenomenal size is to be seen growing in Mr. 11. Pettit's garden in Grey Street, the plant having reached a height of eight feet.

The passing of the old year and the ushering in of the new one was,,.not marked by any celebrations in Shannon. There also was an absence of tho usual pranks that are customary on such occasions.

As a finale to the People's Picnic tho dance held in "the Druids' Hall on New Year's night by the committee proved most enjoyable. The hall was comfortably filled, and everyone appeared to have a good time. The duties of M.C. were carried out by Mr Watson, Mr J. Olsen providing the music.

The committee of the People's Picnic 'ask us to state that they regret very much that so many of the public were unable to obtain a proper view of the haka and poi exhibitions on Monday. The arrangement to have the dances carried out on the, mound was done with the best intentions, but unfortunately ths position proved a failure. We are assured that in future occasions the arrangements will be such that everyone will be able to get a good view.

Now that the holiday season, is in full swing, Howard Andrew, Ltd., arc offering crepe rubber shoes (cvew pair guaranteed), bathing costumes, and sunshades at special holiday prices. A perusal of the advt. on page 2 will convince anyone of the advisability of seizing litis splendid opportunity.* '

"One of the finest sights in New Zealand," was the enthusiastic description of the Awakino Valley made by a Wanganui motorist (says the Chronicle). He considered travel on the valley road to be very favourable, and it compared well with the less remote stretch of road between Mahoemii and Te Kuiti.

At the monthly meeting of the Wellington Presbytery it was resolved to approve of the application from Otald for permission to apply for a loan of £4O from the New Century Fund for a church site. The suggested site Avas approved; and the Presbytery also consen fed to an application being made for a loan of £l5O towards the erection of a new church.

A stoAvaAvay did the journey from Sydney to America on the Aorangi without being discovered, and left a diary at the end of the trip. There were records in the diary of every one of the 22 days of the journey, and it ended something like this: "Thanks for the fine trip. Quarters and food excellent." During the voyage the stowaAvay consumed 46 tins of condensed milk, 561 b. of biscuits, and a large quantity of Avater from the lifeboat's stores.

Two cars, a Ford on its way to Wellington and a Dodge which was making for Auckland, collided at Buckley Hill, on the Shannon Road, about 1-30 p.m. yesterday. The former sustained the principal damage, the steering rod being rendered useless and a tyre cut about so much that it had to be replaced. The Dodge car had the lug-gage-trellis torn aAvay. Both cars Avere repaired in Levin, and Avere able to proceed on their, respective journeys later in the day.

The new dam at Mangahao is completed to the point of where the water storage in it is equal to the existing Mangahao and xirapeti dams.

Thos. Douglas Leitch, blacksmith, of Manakau, was granted a discharge from bankruptcy at the Supreme Court this week by (he Hon. Mr Justice Ostler.

The Foxton police were informed that the office connected with Messrs Goldingham and Beckett's bowser in Main Street was burgled some time on Christmas Eve, and a sum of upwards of £3O stolen. The matter is being investigated.

"Can you see without your glasses," inquired counsel in the Blenheim Supreme Court the other morning in handing a document for perusal to a witness 93 years of age. "I don't need glasses, thank you," replied witness, to the surprise of the court.

The following figures show the numbers of the Manawatu-Oroua Power Board's consumers to date:—Lighting and heating, 3906"; electric ranges, 346; water-heaters, 728; industrial, 83; milking motors, 603; small motors, 273; street lighting, 249; community lights, 60. _*

"Now, children, I have an uncompleted proverb problem for you this morning," remarked a teacher at the Eltham school the other day to her class. "I want you to complete the saving; 'People who live in glass houses should not .. . ; " "Have a bath." was one hopeful's brilliant idea.

Replying to representations • recently placed before the Minister of Immigration by Dunedin clergymen the Mayor has received from the Minister a reply definitely stating that the Government has no intention of establishing receiving depots for immigrants in the four centres.

"This has been as good an entertainment as Wirth's Circus," declared a member at the conclusion of a heated and irrelevant argument across the table at the South. Otago Hospital Board's meeting recently. "We ought to let the public in and charge five shillings for admission. 'lt's well worth it."

E. Kcskincn. 'the fine all-round athlete who represented Queensland at the Australian and New Zealand championships, and who won the Decathlon, <has decided to remain in the Donrnion for some time. His intention is to gain experience of butter-making in New Zealand before returning to his native country, Finland, where he is a'butter factory manager.

"When is it your intention to proclaim Palmerston North a city?" asked Cr. W r . L. Fitzhorbert, of the Mayor (Mr. A. J. Graham) at the Borough Council meeting on Monday evening. The Town Clerk (Mr. J. R. Hardie) in-, timated that while the urban area had reached over 20,000 the town population had n.ot. Nothing, therefore, coulbe done.

An interesting feature of Summer Time is that New Zealand begins the New Year ahead of any other people on the globe, says a Press-wire from Wellington. Hitherto the Fiji Islands have been the first fully inhabited spot to welcome the New'Year, but, owing to Mr Sidey's Act, New Zealand will be half an hour ahead of Fiji on this occasion, instead of half an hour later. i i ..... .i . ■ :&■{ k.tH i '&iij&'

The births registered in' Palmerston North during the past year constituted a record, states a Press message. They totalled 601, as compared with 593 last year, which was the previous best. A slight increase is shown in the number of deaths, but the number is no more than the average. ' Marriages show a decrease as compared with last year, when the figures constituted a record.

The robber crab of Niue Island is exceedingly fond of coconuts, and the islanders are fond of the robber crab when a tasty meal is required (says the Auckland Star). The crab scales the tall coconut trees with ease, severs a nut from a branch so that it crashes on to the ground beneath, and then descends leisurely for the contemplated feast. When a keen-eyed islander sights a crab up a tree he gathers some grass, and makes a girdle round the trunk, about five or six feet from the ground. When the; descending crab reaches the grass he apparently imagines that he is back on the ground, and an incautious step precipitates him the rest of the journey. The result is a dislocated neck or broken legs—an incapacitated crab ready for the gatherer.

Uncooked vegetables are far better han cooked ones. To prepare them all

that is needed is to reduce them to the finest possible state of division. Root ones should be' grated, a custom now becoming quite common on the smart menu, although many people do not realise what they are eating. The green ones should be finely minced. Carrots are invaluable to the woman who would cultivate a clear complexion; turnips are useful too. The humble cabbage

and turnip-tops are wonderful blo.od purifiers. Celery also has its use in helping to keep the body healthy. Tomatoes are good for .the blood and should be eaten plentifully. Spinach is fortunately procurable all the year round; it is one of the vegetables rich-

:st in iron, and so it helps to bring he roses to the cheeks. Lettuces are

another useful article of diet, but in some places, hard to get. A lettuce sandwich costs far less than a rich pudding or cake, yet it is far more valuable for health. The onion is one ,of the most important vegetables; the odour can be reduced if not entirely removed, by eating parsley immediately afterward?.

A lire of a minor nature occurred in the bunkers of the Kaitoke, at Auckland, last night. It was subdued by the ship's appliances. The Kaitoke is used as a store-ship for coal.

The Customs dutv at the port of Wellington for 1927 'totalled £2,012,324, as against i'2,534,011 in the previnu.twelve months, says a Press message. The dutv was £:">2,2J.3, as against £;H ( - 379. '" ' .

I!is Excellency (he Govcrnor-Oencru' lias announced viiat on the occasion of the New Year His Majesty the King has conferred the following honour.-: Knight Biehcloi—The Hon. Thomas Walter Stringer, K.C., lately Judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand: C.M.G.—George Ciaig, LL.M, Comptroller of Customs in New Zealand; Albert Puller Ellis, N.Z. Commissioner on the British Phosphate Commission.'

According to the New Zealand Smallholder, some New Zealand enthusiasts have formed a syndicate to make a joint purchase of rare and grotesque cactus species from New Mexico. The precious plants are to be landed at Auckland some time in January. It is stated that cactus culture is becoming popular in the North Island, the interest being stimulated by the fine collection in the gardens of the Ellerslie Racecourse. They are appropriate occupants of rock gardens, jardiuieres, and tubs, and are likened to the camels of the desert, storing up water, which enables them to endure long droughts.

That it be a recommendation to the Education Board to grant headmasters discretionary power to decree half days when wet weather conditions prevail, the school work to- continue up unti. one o'clock, was a motion tabled by Mr; Oliver (Palinerston North) at the meeting of the Combined School Committees ' Association on Wednesday evening. "We, as a committee, are in favour of this m,ove, but the board, .1 believe, is not," stated Mr. Oliver. Mr. Whitehead (West End) did not think that it would be advisable to place such power in the hands of headmasters. The motion on being put to the meeting was lost.

Wild bulls, which are large and grand in appearance, deep and square in form, wide backs, well-sprung ribs, and massive shoulders and thighs, are reported by trampers in the mid-island to be a fairly common sight. Although' the animals are of dangerous inclination, they occasionally prefer to run off at the sight of parties. Apparently they thrive better upon the bush pastures and conditions in the King Country than bulls in captivity. They are handsome specimens, with well-formed horns and silky dark coats. Trampers w r ho returned to Auckland this week report that they saw a number of these bulls last week but were not. molested.

Three Levin mountain-climbers, Messrs W. R. Harris, Bert Biohards, and J. G. Eolston, commenced an ascent of the Tararuas on Tuesday morning, with the object of crossing to Master! on, which) they accomplished after some delay occasioned by wer weather, which was experiened aftev the first day's tramping. They reach ed Avalanche Clearing on Tuesday night and camped there, and next day I hey traversed the Dundas Bidge and the top of the ranga to the Tarns. where they camped. Bail, fell all Wednesday r.y,ht and coiu'nued on Thursday, ard the conditions wortcold as well as boisterous. However'. at 3 p.m. the journey wag resumed, the. trampers striking out for the Waingawa; where they camped on Thursday night, which was also wet. The whole of Friday was occupied in travelling to the Waingawa flats. The party found that they could not ge; out through the gorge owing to ihe flooded state ,of the river, so they worked their way along the sides of the hills, and' at about 5 p.m. came oui on one of the big fiats. After camping there for the night, they continued the trip on-Saturday by way of the Flats and reached the Wairarapa Valley without difficulty, eventually nrliving at. Mas'.erton the same. day. Pigs and young deer were seen in the Ohau Valley, deer on the tops of 1 lie. range, and many pigs and deer in tl)e Waingawa watershed.

There was a shark scare at the Foxton beach on Tuesday last when a large fish was seen swimming close in shore and in a few minutes the surf was left well behind by the numerous bathers in the vicinity. While some are inclined to believe that the fish was a porpoise others who had a closer view and whose word one'has no reason t.o doubt, stale it was a man-eater.

Good progress is being made with the new concrete bridge under construction over the Mangatainoka River at the township of that name. Of the six spans which will form the bridge four have been completed and the structure is expected to be open to traffic toward the end of March.

To have his arm broken a third time within a comparatively short period was the unfortunate experience of Mr. A. W. Creighton, of the Blenheim Post Office staff,'who sustained the injury in the first place in a representative Rugby match. Subsequently, Mr. Creighton had the ill-luck to break the arm again while playing tennis at Seddon; and on Tuesday ,night it again came to grief. The arm had apparently mended and was not being carried in a. sling, but a bump opened up the old fracture.