Shannon News FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 1928.

Shannon News, 2 March 1928, Page 2

Shannon News FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 1928.

Station 2ZF Palmerston North conducted a final test on Wednesday evening prior to the official opening, on Wednesday next. The new station, Club, has a transmitting power of 50 watts and is on a wave length of about 280. Several local listeners, who picked up the broadcast test are very enthusiastic as to the quality and volume of 2ZF, and some are of the opinion that the new station will rank is important as 2YA so far as Shannon is concerned. Local radio enthusiasts will be pleased to learn that a Shannon party lias been invited to give a programme for broadcasting from 2ZF at a later date. The speakers at the official opening on Wednesday next will be the Mayor of Palmerston North (Mr A. J. Graham) and Messrs J. A. Nash and J. Linklater, M.P.

- Mr T. Rodgers, of Rangitikei Line, Palmerston North, who was 88 years of age yesterday, has the distinction or being the first white child born in the province of Wellington. He is still hale and hearty and enjoys good health.

A successful week-end camp at Packakariki was organised by the Weuing ton Cyclists ’ Touring Club. A large number of members turned out on Saturdav, including a detachment from the Hutt Valley, who proceeded by way of Haywards and Pahautanui, and joined the others on the Main North Road. An enjovab'e tune was spent at Paekakariid” and ideal weather prevailed throughout.

Mary Ivireona, a Maori girl, 19 years of ag>., appeared before Mr. J. L. Stout. S.M,, at the Palmerston North Magistrate ’s Court charged . with having stolen at Shannon a nightdress and glass dish of• a total value of £2. the property of Violet Lockwood. Accuse, i pleaded guilty, whereupon it was stated by Senior -Sergeant o'Grady that, during the owner's absence, she had entered her house and stolen the articles, which had since been recovered. Ae ; cused was placed on probation for a term of two years.

The famous Crow’s Nest geyser at Taupo is a natural phenomenon affected by the continual dry weather (says an exchange). When the neighbouring river—it is one of .Nature’s wonders that this huge pool of boiling water lies within five yards of the cold waters of the great Waikato river—is well up, the huge geyser plays often every hour, but since the level of the river has fallen through the drought once every five or six hours is the most it will do even if coaxed by soaping.

The Federal Lin,e ship Middlesex, which was due in the roadstead at Wanganui yesterday, has on board five young Egyptians training for the Egyptian Navy. These cadets, whose names are Y. Hannnad, A. Badr, S. Sarwat, M. Shankri, and E. Ilafez, are all the sons of prominent Egyptian officials. They commenced their training on the British training ship, H.M.S. Worcester, qualifying foF the rank of sublieutenant. They are now preparing for mates’ tickets and hope to complete on their next voyage. On the completion of their training, the young officers will be drafted into the various ships of the Egyptian Naval Force.

The Coroner (Mr. W. 0. Riddell, S.M.) held an inquest at Wellington touching the death of Patrick Griffin, a mechanical engineer, single, aged 25, whose body was found ‘hanging from a tree in the bush off Moonshine Road, near Pahautanui, on Saturday morning last. Evidence was given by deceased’s father that his son had last been seen alive on Thursday morning, when he appeared to be quite all right. Deceased was not very strong, and had suffered from insomnia for some time pi,st He kved very happily with wit ness and the family. The Coroner found tl.at deceased died or/ February 23rd from hanging, self inflicted, while in a state of temporary depression.

To have lived 84 years and 76 years respectively and to be about to celebrate their 20th and 18th birthdays is the unusual experience of Mr Robert Taylor Warnoclc and the Hon. E. W. Allison, M.L.C., of Auckland (states the Herald). This is due to the fact that they were both born on February 29, a date which occurs only in leap years, and as this is a leap year, their birthdays fell yesterday. For most of their lives they have experienced birthdays only once every four years, but for one period they only had one birthday each in eight years, in 1896 and not again until 1904. Leap year rules state, that every year whose number is divisible by four without a remainder is a leap year, excepting the-full centuries, which to be leap years must be divisible by 400 without a remainder. If not so divisible, they are common years, so that 1900 was not a leap year.

Known as the cigarette picture “king,” Mr George Giding, of Camberwell, has collected over £ll2 by selling these pictures to South London schoolboys at 20 for a half-penny. The money joes to the George Gidding cot at King’s College Hospital.

Schoolboy terms are passing into the English language (remarks the Christchurch Sun). “Is your hearing good?” asked counsel in the Magistrate’s Court the other day. “Bosker” replied the witness, an elderly Scotsman. The magistrate smiled —and understood. ‘

A bronze bust of the late Mr T. E. Taylor, M.P., and for a brief period Mayor of Christchurch, has been secured and will be offered as a gift to the Christchurch City Council. The bust is the work of an English sculptor, and by those who knew the }ate Mr Taylor, is considered a very hue piece of work. Mr Taylor died in August, 1909.

The absurdity of ■ New Zealand s method of issuing number-plates for motor licenses each year and the difficulty it causes both to car owners and issuing officers is emphasised by reports in London papers to hand of relicensing in the Old Country. The Morning Post said that the rush to renew licenses at the end of December was greater than ever, and the official advice was “Apply early, preferably by post, and avoid the crush.” “We do hope that this year people will use the post as much as possible,” added the official. “They only have to* go to any post office to get a renewal form, fill it up, and post, it to us with the registration book and the fee, and the license will be sent back to them through the post.” How much better than queueing up for number-plates and fiddling about fixing the plates on the ear (adds an exchange). And the cost of a'paper license must be infinitesimal compared with new plates every year.

Ignorance among school children of the rules of the road causes hundreds of accidents annually in New Zealand. The wonder is. that such accidents are not more numerous (comments the Christchurch Star.) Frequently there can be seen the spectacle of schoolboys and schoolgirls, dawdling on the road at a busy intersection, or else rushing across blindly without having looked to right or left before leaving the safety of the footpath. It is to be hoped, therefore, that the Minister of Education listens favourably to the request made by the South Island School Committeees’ Federation that provision should be made for teaching the rules of the road as part of the school’s curriculum, such teaching to include practical demonstrations by teachers. Something should be done, too, to teach youthful cyclists greater caution. Nothing but home and school education will train up the rising generation to a proper sense of road care.

Some alarm was caused among women bathers at Corsair Bay one afternoon last week, when it was reported that a man in bathing costume had been seen entering one of the women’s dressing sheds (says the Christchurch Press). The custodian of the Bay was informed, and at first there was some doubt as to whether he or his wife should go and investigate. Eventually the custodian took up a position outside the shed to waylay the intruder when he emerged, while quite a crowd gathered to await events. They had not long to wait, for presently a well-dressed young girl, of rather masculine build, with close-cropped hair, stepped from the dressing-shed. Her general appearance and the fact that she carried’ a man’s bathing costume which she had been using, explained the mistake.

A deputation consisting of several persons whose fathers were killed in the Kaitangata mine disaster 49 years ago, waited on the Minister'of Mines, the Hon. G. J. Anderson, at Dunedin recently, to ask that the sum still standing to the credit of the relief fund be distributed among the surviving descendants. The Minister replied, in effect, that £15,000 or £16,000 was subscribed by the public, and that by the careful management of the trustees over £28,000 was made available, and had been distributed, while £IO,OOO of accrued income yet remained. Hundreds of others had losf their fathers when just as young. There was recently brought to his notice the case of two miners who, he believed, should receive benefit from the fund, and who came within the scope of the resolutions passed by the subscribers. He intended to grant them some relief if investigations showed that the circumstances justified such a course. He would strongly oppose any proposal to distribute the balance of the fund in the manner suggested by the deputation.