Shannon News FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1928.

Shannon News, 12 October 1928, Page 2

Shannon News FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1928.

To those who are thinking about purchasing a motor cycle, attention is drawn to Franks and Christie's advertisement in this issue. This firm are local agents for "Douglas" motor cycles, which they are offering on very easy terms, further particulars of which'can be seen in the advertisement.

This evening the "Joy Night" dance will be held in the Parish Hall and a good time is assured for old and young alike. The music will be provided by an orchestra from Foxton, while the supper arrangements will be in charge of the ladies of Veu. Bedes. Various competitions will be held during the evening and a joyfu time is guaranteed.

The monthly meeting of members of the Shannon branch..of the Plunket Society was held in the Plunket rooms, Stout "Street, on Wednesday evening, the president, Mrs Clifford Jones, presiding. The resignation of Mrs J. S. Spencer as secretary and treasurer was received with regret.' On behalf of the committee, Mrs Jones referred in eulogistic terms to the excellent services rendered to the Society since its inception by Mrs Spencer. Mrs B. G. Taylor was appointed to fill the vacancy with Mrs Q. Cronquest as associate. Mesdanles Clifford Jones and B. G. Taylor were appointed to represent the branch on the Levin Committee. 'The- nurse's (report ('received showed that during the monWi 83 visits had been made to the room, while the Nurse had made eleven visits outside. Mesdamcs Edginton, Burling, H. Hook and Gubrin were elected members. The committee expressed their appreciation of the services of Mr Laurvig in making a step for the front door and his donation of a table for the rooms.

We are now booking orders for Christmas numbers of Auckland Weekly and Free Lance, to arrive in time for Home mailing. Book your orders now to save disappointment.—Baxters, where the new books are.*

When builders who were renovating the premises in Collingvvood Street, Hamilton, once owned by the Waikato Farmers Supply Stores, Ltd., pulled down a partition at the rear of the shop, they found that a space between the walls, Bin. wide by 10ft. long, was packed high with nuts. It appears that the rats stored the nuts when the Supply Stores occupied the building.

Writing from Brazil to a friend at Thames, Mr T. Kilmartin, an Australian grazier who is touring South America, suggests the adoption in New Zealand of the freezing of milk to preserve its purity during long periods of transport. Mr Kilmartin states that he inspected a milk freezing plant in Brazil which had been put into service to produce blocks of frozen milk. Excellent results were claimed for this method of working which enabled the despatch of milk over long distances without any sign of deterioration.

An unusual sequel to a fashionable wedding which took place recently not 100 miles from Napier is reported by the Napier Telegraph. The happy pair were loaned the house .of a friend, but the young husband evidently came from a district where calif outs are not, in use, for on rising in the morning and blithely lighting the machine, he almost blew it and himself to pieces. The explosion that occurred fortunately damaged the machine more than the man.

According to a report on the vital statistics of the Dominion just issued by the Government Statistician, the number of births registered during the year 1927 was 27,851. The figure is the lowest recorded since 1919, and was a decrease of 592 compared with the previous year, this being the first time since 1923 that 'a decrease in the actual number of births registered has taken place. A substantial drop in the rate per 1000 of mean population was also recorded, the figures for 1926 and 1927 being 21.05 and 20.29 respectively. Such a low birth-rate, states the Government Statistician, is unprecedented in the history of the Dominion. The habit of the pukeko were discussed at a recent meeting of the Te Awamutu Acclimatisation Society. One farmer stated that he had been a wit ness of a strange incident near a sluggish stream. In the water was a wild duck and her brood. Nearby, standing on a thick matting of watercress, was a pukeko. A hawk, frying overhead, was the signal for the ducklings to dive, to emerge a few seconds later* among the watercress. To the astonishment of the observer the pukeko swiftly iseized one of the ducklings by the head, stepped over to firm ground, and there killed the duckling by striking it sharply against a stone. A second later the head had. vanished into the, pukeko V throat. ■ ■ -^

"Taken as a rule, the motor-cyclist is the most selfish individual who uses our roads at the present day." Thus Mr A. M. Mowlem, S.M., during the course of a case against a motor-cyclist heard in the Napier Police Court the other morning.

In his opening speech at the Woolstou Tennis Club, the Mayor of Christchurch (the Rev. J. K. Archer) told a good story against himself. On the afternoon when the Mayor took his maiden flight in the Southern Cross, a group of his friends was standing on the field at Sockburn. While the Mayor was soaring in the clouds, another man, not quite ,so friendly, came over to the group and, loudly pointed out the 'plane. ''Huh,'' he said, '' that's about as high as old Archer ever will get!"

A curious freak of the lightning accompanying the thunderstorm on Monday evening is reported from Bartholomew Road. The occupants of a house had occasion to leave it for a while, and before going out they switched off the lights. On returning they found that a 100-watt lamp had been blown off at the neck. The assumption is that the source of the lightning was close enough to cause it to jump the switch and run along the wire to the lamp. In another residence a lamp was momentarily illuminated by a lightning flash.

A rather unusual phenomenon is now visible in the evenings in our western sky. The bright planet Venus is showing, but a little to its left is the planet Mercury, reddish looking. Mercury is very seldom visible. In fact the early astronomer Copernicus avowed that he had never once seen it. It is the nearest planet to the sun, moves very rapidly, and is soon lost in the sun's rays. No doubt on account of the rapidity of its movement it ,got its name Mercury, the Messenger of the Gods. In the telescope Mercury is now showing as a crescent.

With a view to stimulating interest among school-children in the national transport system —the railw'ays—the Publicity Department is arranging an essay competition among pupils of the primary, secondary and technical schools. The subject will be "The Value to the Community of the New Zealand Government Railways." The schools are divided into four grades with two prizes in each. The prizes will take the form of free return railway trips between any two specified stations for the winning scholar" and parent or guardian. The competition closes on November 12th. < »Ts-s,r-v Horses are still very much in demand in India, state the officers of the steamer Hatkola, which arrived at Auckland last week from Calcutta. The vessel is to go to Australia on her return voyage to India, and. 45 horses, purchased by the Indian Government, will be taken back to Calcutta. The •horses 'are remounts for the military and police horses, who find Australian animals highly satisfactory, and able to stand the heat better than those of more temperate climes. To ensure that "the horses will be delivered in good condition a party of grooms has been brought from Calcutta to attend to them on the voyage. Sections of stalls ready to be assembled are carried on deck, and their erection will provide plenty of work on the voyage to Australia after the vessel has completed discharge at Wellington.

Owing to the general election having been fixed for November 14th, the Wei-, lington Methodist Synod, which -is to have its next sitting in Levin, will meet a week earlier than was formerly intended. The Synod will open in the Century Hall on Tuesday, November 6th, commencing with the ministerial session at 11 a.m. In the evening there will be a civic welcome, at which the Rev. E. O. Blamires and the Rev. E. Harkness (late of Tonga) will speak. General meetings of the Synod will take place on November 7th and Bth, the Synod finishing on the Thursday afternoon. The chairman is the Rev. E. D. Patchett, and the secretary the Rev. C. 11. Olds. The district covered by the Synod comprises " Wellington, Wairarapa and the coastal area up to and. including Levin.

When well on their journey from Wanganui to New Plymouth on Saturday, members of Kempthorne Prosser'3 Association football team discovered a small boy stowaway among the baggage of one of the' buses. Naturally they Avere very much surprised, as the boy had, so they thought, farewelled them on their departure from Wanganui. The youngster had- witnessed all the matches played by the team • this season, and was regarded as its mascot. Being determined to see this important game also, lie decided to stow away on one of the cars. On the discovery of the boy the manager of the team sent a telegram to the lad's father advising him that his missing son was safe and well, enjoying his joyride with the foofcallers. He went on to New Plymouth, witnessed the game, and returned home on Sunday with the party.

Speaking to the Canterbury Horticultural Society on spring-flowering shrubs, Mr E. Nairn pointed out that, among the specimens he had on the table, there was not a single native of New Zealand. He said that New Zealand was not absolutely bankrupt in spring-flowering shrubs, but was very poor in them. At the society's latest show the only natives in that class were the pomaderris, or Tainui plant, and the rangiora plant. On the other hand, Australia was well represented in the specimens on the table. Among the Australians in the collection were sevHeral varieties of acacia, the Australian mint-bush, < and the boronia. Most of Die othei'3 came from China, Japan and; other parts of Asia. Mr Nairn complimented Protestant and Catholic misj sionaries to China on their work for horticulture. This led him to state that, after the fall of the Eoman Empire, the monks from jH- M "f *n *f n TOliuii ■i.iiiiimimiiiii