Shannon News TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 1929.

Shannon News, 29 January 1929, Page 2

Shannon News TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 1929.

The tangi that has been held at the Maori Pa at Moutoa during the past week was brought to a conclusion on Saturday, when the visiting Natives dispersed to their homes.

A general meeting of members of the Shannon ;Ama\teur Athletic and Cycling Club will be held in the Council Chambers on Thursday at 7.30 p.m. for the purpose of arranging a date -for holding a .sports fixture.

Miss Ivy Middlemiss, X L.A.B., and Gold Medallist, will resume teaching in piano, harmony, and elocution on Wednesday, February 6th. Tha address of the studio will be announced la'ter, but Miss Middlemiss will also •undertake teaching ifi pupil-'a own home.

Among the successful candidates at the recent examinations who obtained their matriculation was Alison Clayton', daughter of Mr and Mrs W. Clay* ton, of Shannon. Miss Clayton is a pupil of the Levin District High School.

the North Wairarapa School Committee's Association invited quotations from nine firms in connection with a supply of stationery and requisites for a number of schools, when the tender of our late townsman, Mr J. V. Burns, who is now in business in Masterton, was accepted* We understand the order is a big one, being for a twelve months' supply.

The street stall held on Saturday by the local committee in aid of funds for the New Zealand Labour Party was well patronised fby the public. The stall was well stocked with fruit, produce, etc., practically all of which was cleared Competitions were held the results being as follows:—Roast beef dinner, E. Thorne; big dinner, J. Conchic; two cwt. coal, M. Easton; six roosters, Mrs Allan Carter, string 7yds 2in.; cake, P. Buckman, 51bs 10 ozs.

During the southerly which prevailed last week, two 'boats that had gone out with fishing parties from Paraparaumu to Kapiti Island on Tuesday were unable to return that evening owing to the roughness of the water. One party got back on Thursday after a rough trip across, while the other did not return until Sunday l . This party, which included a number of ladies, stayed at Mr Webber's residence, where they were most hospitably treated, reaching the mainland none the worse for' their adventure. Among the party was Miss R. Christophersen, of Shannon.

Under the Rabbit Nuisance Act, 1925, which came into force on January Ist, it is illegal to keep pet rabbits without a permit and for a breach of the Act a person is liable to a fine of £2O.

The two tiger cubs recently born at the Auckland Zoo have been taken away from their mother, and are being reared on the Plunket principle. The Zoo has also had an addition in the shape of a oaby hippopotamus, recently born in the institution.

Levin is now leading in the Triangular Bowling Shield competition by two points from Otaki. The averages to date are as follows: —Levin 22 Otaki 20 1-5, Foxton 19, Shannon 1$ 1-3. The final game in the competition will be played at Shannon on Wednesday, February 6th.

An oil fpainting of Horowhenua Lake done over fifty years ago by the late Francis Bailey is at present on view in Mr A. H. Maclean's window. It is understood that when Mr Bailey painted this picture he came in over the sand hills from the sea coast as no road or settlement existed then. The picture is in an excellent state of preservation and is shown with several others painted recently by Mr Bailey's son, who is now a resident of Shannon.

The Commissioner . of Taxes draws attention of taxpayers to the notification appearing in to-dj.y's issue that the due date of payment of the In-come-tax is on Friday, the Bth day of February, 1929. Additional tax will accrue if the tax is not paid on or before Ist March, 1929. The demands will be posted from the office of the Commissioner of Taxes on or about 31st January, 192,0!. Demands must be presented with all payments, and if a demand has not been received the Commissioner should be communicated with. ,

The local paper reports that a raspberry grower in Greytown picked a ton of fruit frcin his patch in one day of this week.

Mr A. J. McPherson, late clerk i> the Hutt County Council, and ex-Town Clerk at Eastbourne, has been appointed Town Clerk of the Borough of Elthain, out of 62 applications. Mr W. H. Reynolds, of Eltham, was appointed reserves caretaker, put of 24 applications.

Visitors to Kapiti Island in the early part of the week had a trying experience owing to the roughness of the' water. Three bo&ts that had gone out with fishing parties from Paraparaumu were only able to return with great difficulty on Tuesday. Another party, which included ladies, stayed on Brown's Island, where there is a fishermen's hut, to the south of Kapiti, and endeavoured to make the crossing on Wednesday, but the weather had become worse, and after accomplishing two-thirds of the journey they were obliged to put back. On Thursday, however, .they were able to reach the mainland, and are fortunately, none the worse for their adventures.

The Marine Department reported to the Dominion Museum on Wednesday that what appeared to be a pigmy sperm whale had been east ashore at Breaker Bay, Seatoun. Mr Oliver, Director of the Museum on going there, identified the specimen as being the specie 3 named. It is very rare in the seas around New Zealand. There are skeletons, or parts of skeletons, in the Wanganui, Dominion and Canterbury museums. While the work ary to preserving the skeleton was in progress, an unborn calf was found aud casts have been made of the fully-de-veloped embryo. It is about 40 inches long. It is hoped at a later date to add the skeleton and the cast to the Dominion museum.

Ain interesting reference to early days in Levin was made, as follows, in the report presented to the Levin Borough Council by Mr C. Skitrop, C.E., consulting engineer for the streets loan work:—"ln conclusion, I beg to say that I take more than a passing interest in Levin, having spent six months on the shores of its then beautiful Lake in 1888 and 1889. There was at that time one shop only in the township—Bevan's butcher (shop. There were no picture theatres then, and for excitement we used to walk from the camp at the Lake to Oxford Street 1 in the evenings to see the Wel-lington-'Manawatu express train flit past —then home again."

A prominent Cambridge citizen informs the Independent that las-; year he took particular notice of two clumps of ragwort in a certain locality in Cambridge borough. This year, in the same spot, he counted no less than 40 clumps of the weed in full bloo.*n. If this isolated instance is anything like the experience in other parts of the district, then in a short time the evil will assume moet alarming proportions. The experience of several farmers who were talking to a Taranaki Herald reporter the other morning is that the caterpillar which usually' attacks ragwort has made its appearance earlier than usual this season, and that it was very much mere numerous than for some years past. One man said that in his district the caterpillar was stripping ragwort of flower and leaf.