Shannon News WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 1928.

Shannon News, 6 June 1928, Page 2

Shannon News WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 1928.

At a meeting of the Tennis Club committee held on Thursday evening it was decided to call the annual meeting this year earlier than usual, when matters relative to reducing the mortgage on the grounds will be put before the members. The Secretary reported that the financial position of the club -was fairly strong.

A Foxton flaxworker caught half a p.ound of whitebait up the river last week. . ,

There are 51 schools in Taranaki without committees, due to the wet weather on the day fixed for the householders’ meeting. The Education Board has decided on June 11 for the date of the adjourned householders’ meetings. i ’ The maternity home at Palmerston North did not cost the contributing authorities a penny for construction. The capital cost was subscribed voluntarily, by the public of Palmerston N. and Manawatu, and included a donation of £SOO by the chairman of the Board (Sir James Wilson). The money subscribed was subsidised by the Government.

An interesting cargo is at present being taken aboard the West Elcajon. the liner now lying at the Breakwater, states a Napier exchange. She is engaged in shipping .600 toils of manure produced at the three Hawkes Bay freezing works, the manures being intended for transportation to Honolulu, where they will be used in the cultivation of pineapples.

When Sir Robert Stout was speaking at the Shetland Society’s meeting at Wellington on Saturday night, lie said that the Shetlands had the first compulsory Education Act in Europe, which dated from 1717. “The penalty for not sending children was that the rates were doubled.” Amidst much laughter, Sir RoberF added: “And the children always went to school!”

Despite the improvement in the condition of the Chief Justice (Sir Charles Skerrett) shown by the medical bulletins he is still extremely ill. Following the operation . upon Sir Charles, complications caused his medical Attendants much concern and he continues to be very weak. Fears are expressed that when the Chief Justice recovers he may not be able to resume his seat upon the Bench.

The King has conferred the honour of knighthood upon the Hon. George Fowlds, of Auckland. Sir George Fowlds was 'Minister of Education and Public Health in Sir Joseph Ward’s Ministry, and has taken a great interest in education. Other birthday honours are: Commanders of St. Michael and St. George, Dean Fitchett, of Dunedin, and Mr H. J. Manson, N.Z. Agent at Melbourne; Commander of the British Empire; Judge R. N. Jones, of the Native Land Court, and Miss Mary McLean, formerly principal of Wellington Girls’ College; Imperial Service Order, Captain John Bollons, master of the Tutanekai.

Three English Princes do not often have the opportunity of dining together in a London restaurant, as they did upon the occasion of the initiation of Prince George into Freemasonry. Prince George was admitted to the craft through the Navy Lodge, of Avhieh his brother, the Right Worshipful the Duke of York, is Permanent Master, and the Prince of Wales, who is also keenly interested in . Masonry, hurried back from Norfolk, only to miss the ceremony, but in time to join in the dinner festivities. Two hundred and twenty members and visitors attended the lodge and the dinner, and the Prince of Wales stayed almost until the end of the proceedings. Traditional secrecy was maintained, yet it was curious to find a crowd gathering to watch the arrival of the Princes. Rarely in recent years has a more distinguished gathering met for a Masonic ceremony. The Princes delight in the freedom of Masonic banquets. They can “let themselves go” in a way not possible when every word uttered is to be reported. Prince Arthur of Connaught is a splendid after-dinner speaker on such occasions, and has a rare fund of amusing stories, which he relates with fluency* and skill. Althongh the King did not join the craft, he is doubtless pleased that all liis sons are following the example of the Duke of Connaught, and also of their grandfather, King Edward.

Howard Andrew, Ltd., announce on page 1 that they ate offering the balance of their valuable stock on Thursday, Friday and Saturday next, at half price. The firm apologises to the great numbers who were unable to get served last week. The cash register showed that over 1200 transactions were made in the two days so customers are advised to come , early on the'next, three days. There are still plenty of good bargains available. The shop will be closed till Thursday morning at 9 a.m.

His Majesty King George the Fifth celebrated his 63rd birthday on Sunday.

A brisk demand for good farming lands is reported in the Eltham district, One land agent during the past si:: weeks is stated to have effected sales of farms to the value of £<>4,640, the prices ranging from £SO to £6O an acie.

One of the world’s foremost authorities on pastures, Dr. J. B. Orr, of the Eowett Institute, Aberdeen, arrived m Wellington from Melbourne, this week.. He has come to New under an arrangement with the Gov'ernment to confer with those members of the Scientific and Research Board who are engaged on rvork in, connection with the health of pastures, in which connection Dr. Orr states that New ->Zealand has done excellently. The Rowlett Institute is devoted to the study of animal nutrition and all that applies to it —in other words, the study of pastures and all that affects them, the object being to make the most of the glorious heritage of pastoral lands that are contained within the Empire. Dr. Orr, ivho has been in Australia for the last two months, can only spare a week for New Zealand. >

On Tuesday (says the Stratford Post) there was a noticeable reduction in the number of motor cars standing in Broadway. This was, no doubt, attributable to the fact that during the past ten days or so thousands of tons of basic slag have been landed at New Plymouth for distribution throughout Taranaki, and that all farmers are now busily engaged in top-dressing.

A candid small-trader in a neighbouring town is reported to have posted the following notice in the window of his shop. "Our business was established in 1904. We have been pleasing and displeasing people ever since. We have made money and. lost it. vve have been cussed and discussed, knocked about, talked about, lied to, heldup, robbed, etc. The only reason we are staying in business is to see what the —— will happen next.”

At the annual meeting of the Stratford Scottish Society a suggestion was made that the rules oe altered to piovide that the subscription for gentlemen be one guinea, ladies to be admitted to membership w'ithout fee. Mr Eod Macßae, of Inglewood, was present, and urged that the subscription should be increased. , He said that every ingleside held at Masterton it was the rule to enrol anything from twenty to fifty new members at a pound a piece. "Ye tak m’a breath a’wa,” said Mr T. W. Smith. —Stratford Post. /

At the Moeraki fishing station on Monday, a record haul was secured, no less than 3951 b of groper and 60001 b of blue cod being sent to the Dunedin market, to, say nothing of a large quantity sent to Christchurch and other northern places. Each Moeraki boat puts out two 500-fathom, lines with 400 hooks on each line. A light anchor at each, end carries the line to deep soundings. Four buoys are attached, to indicate the position, and then*the boats go away fishing with hand lines, returning after a while and hauling in the sunken lines. By this means as many as 'IOO groper have been taken -on one line. - ■.

As forecasters of the weather, bees never make mistakes. They know what the weather for the day will-be without consulting the direction of the wind or markings of the barometer. If there is going to be rain they will not go to work, no matter how. the sun may shine in the morning, ,and if the weather is going to be fairy the thickest clouds do not keep them at home. If on a summer morning bees are going out and coming in as usual, one can conclude ‘the day will be fine. If they are loitering about at their hives as if they intended taking a day’s holiday, they know it is going to rain. Sometimes they will be seen rushing homeward as if in a hurry, but none will be noticed flying away to the fields. When this happens a storm is threatening.

A point stressed by the Hon. Edward Newman, in his address to the Levin Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Friday, was that the Flock House movement aimed to inculcate in the boys and girls from the cities of the Old Country a love of country life and rural pursuits. As evidence that it was succeeding Mr Newman quoted the following letter received by a member of the Ladies’ Committee of Management from a Fleck House girl. He drew attention particularly to the writer’s altered views of town and country life: “Thank you so much for your letter, and also for your great kindness to me while I was at Flock House. I was extremely happy there, and was very sorry to leave; but of course if I stayed there all my life, my ambitions would never be fulfilled. Both’ M — and I are tremendously happy here. We couldn’t possibly be treated better, or looked after more carefully than we are. It has been quite easy for me to settle down, and feel quite at home as my sister is here. We are several miles away from any town, so we shall be able to save. I don’t think I could live in a town now. It is so much nicer in the country. I would far sooner have the pleasures of the country, than any entertainment in the town. I suppose E— will soon be thinking about leaving Flock House, I wonder if she, or any of the others, will come down in this district. I do hope I shall see you again, some day.” •

A working profit, of £1,889,414 is shown by the Bailway Department’s working accounts for the financial year ended March 31, as compared with £1,943,773 for the previous year. As shown by the Prime Minister sonic days ago, taking all financial considerations into account, the year’s operations reveal a deficit of £293,479.

The news of the death of Mr. Martin Dalzell through a dray accident at Makerua yesterday came as a shock to the members of the Management Committee of the Horowhenua Rugby Union Council last evening. Before proceeding to the business'of the meeting, the President (Mr. ,W. Hannan) moved a vote of condolence with the relatives of the late Mr. Dalzell, and it. was carried in 'silence, the members Standing as a mark of respect to an esteemed player.

Mr F. W. Saxton, of Christchurch, who was formerly in the service of the Wellington City Council, claims to have discovered a method of laying a bitumen road surface cold, which will enable such work to be. done all the year round. The Public Works Department has offered a stretch of road upon which Mr Saxton may make a trial of his new process/' He has accepted the offer.

* 1 Why can’t doctors cure a cold in the head?” was a question propounded to Dr. Reeve at Hastings. Dr. Reeve said: "As Jong as people think that colds are caught by exposure, it will be difficult to get rid of them, but when it is recognised that colds are due to microbes and when doctors are endowed with powers t.d isolate persons with colds in tfyeir heads then the malady can be cured.

There have been several instances lately of the high price that is ruling for stock in the Waikato. A line of nearly 1000 fat wethers sold on behalf of the Waipa Estate (Putaruru), realised 35s per head. Another illustration of the advance of the market is indicated by the sale of a Polled Angus, heifer by Messrs Dalgety and Co. at the Frankton yards on account of Mr Vere Chitty, at £ls ss, the-purchasers being Messrs Ayres and Smith. ,

A Dorset farmer has established a world’s record' for sustained bad language. He did not like a neighbour across the road, and in order to give full expression to his opinion about him he sat on a wall from seten in the morning till eight o’clock at night swearing copiously and with rare' turn for variety. It was expressive oratory. He was fined £SO for the use of abusive language. Perhaps it is not surprising that farm land in merry England is going out of cultivation. A day’s swear-, ing must be less profitable than a day’s cultivation.