Shannon News FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 1928.

Shannon News, 13 January 1928, Page 2

Shannon News FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 1928.

Mr. A. Blackwood, of Mangaore, commenced his annual leave yesterday, which will be spent at the seaside.

The annual school picnic will be hel at Plimerton on Saturday, 18th Fel ruary.

At the School Committee meeting on Wednesday evening, Mr. J. Bowler was welcomed back after his recent illness.

The Kiwi Bacon Co. Ltd notify by advertisment in this issue that their trucking hours at Shannon have - been altered to mornings now instead of the usual hours of from 1.30 to 3 p.m.

At, Tuesday evening's meeting of the Borough Council a vote of sympathy with the Mayor in the death of his brother-in-law, Mr. J. A. Bradley was carried in silence.

An offer was received by the School Committee at its meeting last evening from Mr. Dal Harris, who is well known locally as a cricket enthusiast, to act as cricket coach to the boys at . tending the school. Mr. Harris's offer was accepted with thanks.

A mishap befel Mr. C. Pritchard, driver of the Shannon Dairy Go's cream lorry, on Tuesday. While crossing over on the punt he was assisting at the handle on the winch for raising and lowering the flap, when he was struck by the handle, breaking two of his ribs.

Good progress is being made by the contractors painting the . school■ also with the tar-sealing of the playing area. In connection with the latter the committee are forwarding a letter of thanks to the Borough Council for their generosity in granting the use of their tar-sealing plant free of charge.

The output of butter from the Shannon Dairy factory up to the present date shows an increase of about 70 tons, compared with last season.. Everything points to the company having, a record production this season. For butterfat supplied during the month of December the ' company's pav-out Will, be Is 3d per. lb. * , ',,, ,:

Keen interest was taken locally ;iii the Tasman flight-on Tuesday, a large number of. residents waiting up to* hear the reports. Many who did' not possess wireless sets were enabled to hear the matter broadcast from Wellington 'through. the courtesy of Mr. T. C. Thwaites, who had a loudspeaker outside his shop in Plimmer Terrace, quite a .number of people remaining until the broadcasting station closed down - :

An electric lantern lecurte ,w;ll be given in the Maoriland Theatre on Sunday night at. 8 o'clock by Pastor 0. A. Paap; the subject being -'The Zulu in his Kraal," in which will be shown charming scenes among the giant Zulus of Natal, their hats, dress, bead-work, hairdressing, etc., and the influence of missionary work and endeavour among them. These are considered the finest pictures of these people ever seen in New Zealand. All are cordially invited.

The teachers' summer school at Nelson is' attended by over 300 visitors and is proving a great success. In introducing the Bishop of Nerson, who gave an opening address, the president. Mr F. Milner, read a message from the Governor-General wishing the school every success. All addresses, including that of the Mayor, Mr W. J. Mof-fac-t, at the civic reception, referred to the fact that Nelson had been a leading educational centre from the earliest days of the colony. Special arrangements which are working very satisfactorily have been made for the accommodation and entertainment of the visitors.

It is reported that a night shift will soon bo operating at the Palmerston railway deviation and that it has been arranged to absorb a number of the men who have finished at Mangahao.

There are still a few men in Palmerston North out of work. Last week fifteen men, eight of whom are married with 27 dependent upon them, made application for jobs to the Departmental Office.

A new Ford story is well worth telling. A small, hot, tired man called to sec Mr. Ford, and so persistent was he that he was admitted. "Say, arc you the Mr. Ford?" asked the visitor. "I am," replied Mr. Ford. ''The feller who invented thein ears, you know?" I ' l invented them. ■" " The chap who's responsible 1 ?" "I accept full responsibility?" "Then come out and give it a push!"

In conjunction with the Forestry Department, experiments in laying poison for wild pigs have been.carried out by the Department of Agriculture. Jsi Waipapa Valley, North Wellington, unpoisoned and poisoned pollard baits, with a small quanitity of oil of aniseed, have been laid, but no evidence has been obtained that the baits have been eaten, although the place chosen for the experiment was infested with pigs. A more extensive experiment was carried out inland from Wanganui River, carrots, potatoes, artichokes and apples poisoned with phospborised pollard, strychnine and arsenic being laid in various areas, but again it is believed that the baits were not taken. Experiments will be continued at intervals and it is hoped that an efficient and economical method of coping with the wild pig will be discovered;

"A savage may cause you considerable pain," says' Sir Hubert Murray, Lieut.-Governor of Papua, in his book "Papua of To-day," "and indeed he very often will if he gets the chance, but he will not knowingly and intentionally do anything to hurt your sensibilities; but the white man is often so masterful, and, I may add, occasionally so utterly devoid of any idea - of courtesy, that, though he may spare the native's skin, he will frequently ride rough-shod over his feelings —for, he will unconsciously argue, a black man has no right to have any feelings at all." In a later passage he adds, "The idea that a black man or brown man is not a man like ourselves is probably responsible for many of the worst outrages which have been committed, not only by white men upon black, but also by black upon white—and especially upon white women."

"News and Views," a commercial magazine established in September-, in Sydney, contains in its iirst issue several articles dealing with Papua, in one of which an account is given of an expedition up the Ur,omo .River in search of oil, the point of departure being Daru Island. The expedition took place in April last, and some- months later Mr. John Home, of Levin, was a traveller from the same point, going by, motor launch up the Qriomo River to Mebu, a trading station. The appreciation that the native boys show for good care and good food is .shown by the fact that as /soon as the news spread about the expedition's arrival, many who had been engaged by the Oriomo survey party in 1925 returned. The Commonwealth Government is_ carrying out a three years' survey of Papua and the Mandated Territory, in which several geologists are assisting.

On the. Auckland oyster beds the Marine Department has a staff waging war on a small shellfish that preys on the oyster. It is generally described as "the borer," and the damage it does is out of all proportion to its size. The borer fastens itself to a live oyster, and then it bores a small hole through' the shell to reach the shoulder muscle at which stage the oyster incontinently gives up the fight. The shell then opens, and a banquet .is ready for the pirate. At present the beds at Bay of Islands, Bangitoto, and Waihcke are beingcleaned, and it is estimated that an experienced picker ■ can gather 16,000 borers in a day where they are plentiful, the number being estimated by the known capacity of a tin, which is used for gathering. So far the borer is not plentiful on the Kaipara, and Manakau beds. It has been found that where the borer is practically eradicated, the oyster crop is more prolific, and of bet- j ter quality. j

From time immemorial civilised man -—and woman—have craved for pas time. The skin-clad caveman probably did not feel the ted'um of the long winter evenings nearly a-s acutely as the modem guest, at a house ' party where they ate short of a fourth for bridge.- Througout the ages men have been busy with the devising of sports and games for the exercise of body and mind, and, more than this, as an antidote to that greatest human curse, empty leisure and boredom. The centuries have laboured, and from the accidental seed of some little pictures devised to amuse a crazy French monarch have evolved the most absorbing, | the most fascinating, the most-brain-testing of all pastimes —auction bridge. If it.be not the king of indoor sports, it is the ace. Nothing in this world is static —not even games —and unless games are allowed to evolve, to develop, to progress in accordance with the growing intellectual needs of jj.lie communities who play them, they inevitably become fiat, stale, and probably unprofitable. Cribbage is dead, tipcat has lost its vogue, and, except in.. the wilderness of Surburbia, even whist is regarded as a curiosity. The present generation is,' indeed, fortunate, in its heritage of auction bridge. The boys and girls of to-day have been borne into the world with the most amazing pastime ready to hand for their delectation, if they have the wisdom and the energy to master it. — Sir Hamilton Grant, in the Evening Standard. ' . I

Sidey's time'"or the extra hour of daylight is not sufficient for some Otaki bowling enthusiasts . for one evening last week four players were so keen on their game that they continued long after the moon was up.

On charges of using premises in Eltham as a common gaming house and earying on the business of a bookmaker, John Dewar McKay, an ironmonger and Antonio Novak, a restaurant keeper, were on Saturday remanded until Saturday next at,Eltham. Bail in £l5O each was renewed.

A wireless plant has been installed in' one of, the carriages of the special train used by Wirth's circus, and when the train was in the railway yard-at Ashburton many people remarked upon the aerial running along the roof oj the carriage. This is probably the first time wireless has been used on railway carriages in New Zealand.

Arrangements have* bjoen jmade in Auckland for the extradition from Hawaii of William Maddison Alt, a former resident of one of the suburbs of Auckland, who has been, arrested in Honolulu on charges of false pretences. It is understood that a firm which 1 claims to have sustained loss in certain deals in motor-cars has guaranteed the expenses involved.

, Five eclipses will take place this year, three of the sun and two of the moon. A total eclipse of the sun on May 19th will be visible as such only in the South Atlantic Ocean. South Africa will witness , a partial eclipse. Two partial eclipses of the sun occur on June 17th. and November 12th, the former being .visible in Siberia, and the letter being visible over the northern part of Europe. The first of the lunar eclipses is a total one .on June 3rd., of which a glimpse may be obtained in New Zealand; the second is another total eclipse on November 27th. also visible hi this part of the world.

By means of a new high speed camera, motion pictures have been taken of air moving into an aeroplane cylinder at the rate of fourteen yards a second, and of the flight of a bullet crashing through an electric light bulb. These pictures haye been made possible by a camera that takes 20,000 exposures a minute,. invented by Baron Shiba, a Japanese engineer. When shown on the screen as a slow motion picture the bullet went slowly up to the bulb, and at the moment of impact dented the glass before it ploughed its way through, while fragments of glass floated in the air.

There w r as great excitement at the East End' Reserve, New Plymouth, on Monday last (reports the Herald) when an alarm was given that there was an escaped convict in the vicinity. A convict was then seen advancing quickly along the railway embankment with a warder in hot pursuit. Immediately there was a rush t.o cut oi his escape and the convict, turning down the hill, clashed into the crowu He defied capture for some minutes til. a well-known New Plymouth constable showed surprising agility in bringing him low with a flying Rugby tackle. It was not till the quarry had been captured that the public and policeman alike found that they had been victims of a well-staged "hoax."

As a chap grows older many things that formerly ga>e him. pleasure lose their appeal. But there's one thing he rarely tires' of —his pipe. In fact, the older a man grows, the more necessary his pipe seems, to become to him. Of course the enemies of the weed will laugh. But What .does the man who does not (or canno\) smoke know r of the joys of smoking! Tobacco is often roundly abused. "Yet's it's harmless enough so long as it's not heavily charged with nicotine as most of the imported brands are. Is there any leally pure tobacco on the market? Yes; our own New Zealand tobaccos are remarkable for their purity. And thejy contain so little nicotine that they may be smoked .freely fear of consequences. Another strong point in their favour is that the leaf is toasted. Hence their fascinating flavour and delightful bouquet. Wher<: are they to be had?.Why, ,at any tobacconist's. Ask for "Biverhead Gold" '•■ mild, "Navy Cut" (Bulldog) medium, or "Cut Flug No. 10" (Bullshead) full strength.—S3*

The sound principle that for any scheme of increased migration' to be

successful, development must precede

any important increase in the number I of .migrants, has been taken up ,by the Development and Migration Commissi I ion created by the Commonwealth Government last year. Immediately after its creation, .the Commission investigated the gold-mining industry at Kal- ' gporlie and the economic position of Tasmania. The recommendations with regard to the former, if endorsed by the interests concerned, are expected to prolong the life of the industry in Western Australia very considerably. Action has been taken on lines recommended by the Commission for improving and further developing the agricultural and allied industries of Tasmania. Investigations-have-been proceeding continuously into a number of questions of manufacture, transport and industrial conditions in Australia, and the services of one of the world's leading experts have been secured to enter upon the work of geophysical rirospecting. For the development' of the tobacco growing industry it has

been decided that, jointly with the British-Australasian Tobacco Company, the sum of £90,000 shall be made available. Australia, with all the conditions necessary for the production of a high-class leaf, imports unmanufactured tobacco to the value of three millions sterling per annum. The activities of the Commission require investigations by its members in all parts of the Commonwealth, and already they have exploited the continent from Central and Western Queensland to the far south-west of Western Australia.

The joys of teaching are not without surprises (remarks the x Timaru • Poet). The Elandeboye School senc 10 pupils for the proficiency., examination. The results are: Eight proficiency, one competency, and one fail- • ure. * The boy who failed stands third in marks in the whole school f*last year he wa9 second, and the year before he. was third, so that from the , consistency of his work better things were expected. Two of the boys who gained their proficiency were considered doubtful by the master. Their , general unconcern entailed upon the master constant concern. Remarking upon the unexplained happenings, the master said: "Probably their general unconcern was conductive to success in the examination room, while the strange surroundings wcrs perhaps the other boy's undoing. "

In its leading columns the London Sporting Life has the following: "A certain amount of discontent has been occasioned by the fact that the New- - Zealand Rugby Union, whose team is to four South'Afiica next season, will . not consider the claims of certain Miiori players who are in the running > for a place in the team. New Zealand l are not to blame in. the matter. They are powerless, so severe is the coloui' line drawn in South Africa, and even J the South African authorities could not countenance the presence of a George Nepia in 'the side. The Maoris are, of course, and always have been, . welcome over here. They constitute a ' part of the Empire of which we are proud, but, unlike South Africa, there - is no native population in these isles," that might easily constitute a menace if at all encouraged. "

New light on an old phrase comes . from the Literary Digest. According to this authority the expression "set the Thames on fire" is so old that its origin has almost been forgotten. -, "Some of us," it is added, "still believe that the River Thames in England ia refercd to in the expression; , but the temse—spelled t-e-m-s-e—is - the channel in which a shuttle travels to and fro, and when one makes use of the expression that some one 'will never set the. temse on fire' one meand merely that the person referred to will never* work fast enough to cause sufficient friction to create heat enough to burn the temse, or groove in which the ( fly-shuttle moves. The first use of the y phrase is to be credited to the dramatist Foote, who introduced it in his "Trip to Calais" in 1778, but in 1723, , or more than 50 years before, the ■> temse or fly-shuttle, was invented by John Kay, and the expression • grew out of the invention.

The spirit of New Year took a very undesirable turn in the breast of someone in New Plymouth on Saturday evening when it impelled him (or them) to take from a motor-car standing in James Lane 25 dozen bakers' small goods. Two officials of the Urenui Seaside Improvement Committee / had collected the goods from a Fitzroy baker on their way to town r as they would not be returning until after his closing time. While other business was being transacted, the car wag left unattended for abont an hour in the lane just off Devon Street. When the two men returned only a few fragments of the cakes were left. To secure the plunder a thorough investigation of the ear must have been made, as the .hood and side curtains were up. Fortunately, an alternative supply of small goods was found to be available, but the committee suffered an unwarranted loss from the prospective net profit of its picnic. ■ ,