Shannon News FRIDAY, MAY 18, 1928.

Shannon News, 18 May 1928, Page 2

Shannon News FRIDAY, MAY 18, 1928.

*■- " '" The annual meeting of the Shannon Amateur Athletic and Cycling Club will be held on Thursday, May 24th, at 7,30 p.m. in the Council Chambers,

The street stall committee of the Shannon branch of the N.Z. Labour Party return thanks in this issue to all who assisted in making their street stall on Saturday such a success.

A dance will be held in the Parish Hall on Saturday evening in aid of funds for the Women's Institute. Good music has been arranged for, and the* committee are sparing no pains to ensure patrons having an enjoyable evening's dancing.

The Levin Dairy Company are advancing Is 4d per pound for butterfat supplied during the month of April.

About 50 men are engaged on the work of erecting the steel tower 3 that* are to carry the power lines south from Waikaremoana to Hawkes Bay.

The Southland Times reports the possibility of the" Southland Electric Power Board purchasing the reticulation of the Invercargill Borough Council.

The Customs Department reports that April imports were valued at £2,697,541, and the exports are £6,563,548. For the past four months the imports were £14,329,831 and the exports £29,700,258.

The wild ducks in Canterbury apparently know that the shooting season has begun (says the Lyttelton Times). The lakes in Hagley Park are sanctuaries, and they are now the safe haven of thousands of grey ducks. On Wed-, nesday the surface of Lake Victoria, the larger of the two lakes in the park, was dotted with the wise birds, who have found the sanctuary a timely refuge from the sportsman's gun. The Avon is also giving its shelter to many hundreds of ducks. This invasion occurs every year, and lasts just as long as the shooting season.

The Power Board's engineer (Mr 3. A. Smith) reporled to the monthly meeting on Tuesday that installation of the community lighting was completed and 43 lights were put into operation in Oxford Street on Saturday, sth May, the effect making a great improvement to the street. The chairman (Mr Monk) remarked that the innovation had had quite a good effect. At the same time, although it would to some extent provide extra revenue, some of the shopkeepers who had previously kept lights in their windows would not do so now on evenings when the premises were closed, because the new system lit up the windows very well.

New Zealand shares with Ireland a reputation for being free from serpents, and it is to be hoped that it will always do so; but it has to be remembered that it is not difficult for tropical pests to be accident? 'Jy imported. There was an allusion to the matter at the meeting of the Hoiowhenua Power Board yesterday, when Mr E. Bryant asked if there were any "animals" in a consignment of poles recently received. The engineer (Mr J. A. Smith) said "No," but added that one pole had a piece of bark on it, with a grub underneath. "There was a snake found on the Foxton Eoad in the early days," said the chairman (Mr G. A. Monk). "We don't know iow it eame there— whether out of a pole or from the gorse hedge." (Laughter).

The Auckland Power Board has accepted a tender of £73,360 for the erection of an eight storey building in Queen Street, portion of whid. will be used for the board's office. The site cost £71,600.

The New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association recently received a detaileld and comprehensive questionnaire from the British Empire Service League embracing many particulars for the furtherance of trade within the Empire. The Wellington Chamber of Commerce has offered to make available to the R.S.A. such records as the chamber may have bearing upon this question.

The danger that exists of the importation of pests from foreign countries was exemplified in Ashburton in the unpacking of a case of oranges from America. The creature found was nearly six inches long, dark brown in colour on the top of its half-iaich-wide scaly body, and salmon-coloured underneath. It had 44 legs. The body ended in two whip-like tails, nearly an inch long, and it had a fearsome looking head, equipped with two short feelers. An examination of the fruit from the case failed to reveal what the creature had lived upon since it left America. When placed on the floor the pest's 44 legs carried it along at a surprising pace, and it showed great agility in evading capture.