Shannon News TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1929.

Shannon News, 19 February 1929, Page 2

Shannon News TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1929.

Mr and Mrs W. H. Gunning and Miss Gunning, who Rave been enjoying a holiday at the Paekakariki beach, returned home on Saturday. Mr Gunning’s friends, will be pleased to learn that he his feeling much benefited after his residence at the seaside.

'The weekly euchre tournament conducted by the committee of the Shannon branch of the N.Z. Labour Party will be held in Laurvig’s Hall, on Thursday, 21st February, commencing at 8 p.m. Good prizes are being offered *and an excellent supper will be provided.

In the course of his address on the island of Niue at the Foxton Lunch Club on Thursday, Mr G. M. Cronquest, who has spent several years on the island, said that the chief pastime of the white people there was shooting flying foxes. These mammhls were very numerous on the island and of an evening flew over the bush in thousands. Armed with a shot gun, the shooter would wait on the tracks through the bush and as the night prowlers flew overhead in the twilight they were shot. The shooter hsd to be careful to get a direct hit and to see that the fox was shot immediately over the track or else it was impossible to retrieve it from the bush. They were not used as food by the Europeans but the Natives treated them as a delicacy. The flying fox was particularly hardy and had wonderful recuperative powers when shot up. It was possible for this particular species of teh bat tribe to heal badly lacerated wounds within 24 hours by licking itself.

“I cannot understand people referring to the Islanders as ignorant anfT unintelligent people.” said Mr C. M. Cronquest during the course of his address to the Foxton Lunch Club on the island of Niue on Thursday. In support of his contention he submitted several samples of particularly fine Native hats, fans, mats and dresses, which in design compared more than favourably' with some European articles. These articles, sadd the speaker, were made from the lofi leaf which was taken from the tree", put under the sea for three days, taken out and dried in the sun and then dyed. The material was then woven into various articles by the Native women who used no models of any kind, with the exception of, perhaps, a block of wood. They were an isolated people and scarcely ever saw traders, with the exception of the one or two.whitds on the island, and yet their designs arid the articles they made were of a particularly high order and did not bear out the statements that they were an unintelligent people.

A matter that has caused much controversy of late is the question of whether a left handed child should be forced to use the right hand. Opinions have been divided, therefore the following extract from the syllabus of instruction for primary schools, 1929, should be of interest: —“The problem of ,the left handed pupil gives infantmistresses serious concern. Psychologists and physiologists have dealt rather exhaustively with this subject, but there is fto agreement as to the causes of left-handedness, nor to the probable effect of an attempt to change to dextrality. We are living in a world of right-handedness; and this applies to professional life, to business, and to the arts and crafts, musical instruments, office furniture, household appliances, surgical and dental instruments, labourers' tools, classroom lighting and equipment, etc.; all are designed and constructed for the right-handed person, thus placing the left-handed at a distinct disadvantage. There are such a limited number of occupations into which a left-handed young man or woman may enter without being under a handicap that this fact should be impressed upon the left-handed boy or girl. It is desirable, therefore, that all pupils should be trained to dextrality; but teachers dread the possible effect of changing pupils from 3eft-to-right-handedness. Teachers, therefore, may be guided by the experiences of those who have tried changing to right-handedness the pupils, who, either because of habits or heredity, had developed lefthandedness. The advice of Inspectors and teachers of long experience, who have given the subject much thought, is that infant-mistresses should not permit left-handed children to drift through the preparatory devision. Teachers are advised to secure the sympathy and co-operation of parents and children in an endeavour to make j the change to dextrality. Besides us- i ing the right hand in written work, the child should be encouraged to use the right hand in games and manual < occupations.” ,

Mr J. Humphries, of the Public Works Department’s office at Mangaore, who has been transferred to Tangarakau in the Taranaki district, left Shannon yesterday morning to take up his new position.

The scholars attending the Shannon School will hold their annual excursion to Plimmerton on Saturday. The special train, will leave Shannon at 8.20 a.m., arriving at Plimmerton at 10.35 a.m., leaving on the return journey at 4.25 p.m., reaching Shannon at 6.8 p.m. Those who intend to make the trip are advised to purchase their tickets early, these now being on sale at Misses Baxters’ and A. E. Hyde’s shops. Fares: Adults 4/6, senior scholars who left school before November 30th 3/-, school children free, children under five years and over 3 years 1/-.

, The daily average of occupied beds at the Palmerston North Hospital during January was 172. There were 218 patients admitted, 2[19 ' discharged, while 11 had died. Five scarlet fever cases and three of diphtheria were admitted, leaving 14 in isolation at the end of the month/

The silting of the lower reaches of the Waikato river has become serious since the Arapuni deviation was effected a year ago. Considerable damage has been done to farms. A meeting of the ratepayers of Rangiriri last night decided to ask the Minister for Public Works to inspect and appoint an Engineer to investigate the loss.

The contents of benzine cases lying on the roadway are generally not regarded as harmful (says the Hastings Tribune). Possibly it was with this belief that a small boy approached a seemingly empty case on Somme Parade, but on lifting the case he found, much to his surprise, that it contained a swarm of bees. His departure from the scene was made much quicker than his approach to it. . Miss Margaret Barron, the Foxton -girl athlete, who* , had been selected to compete in the Dominion ladies’ rdnning championships, will not be a contestant at the New Zealand Olympiad. Her parents have wisely decided that the time required for training, etc., would militate against Margaret’s schooling. They point out that probably next year she would be able to give the time required to training.

The method of rating on unimproved values has been thoroughly tried by the Marlborough County, and, in the opinion of some councillors at least, has not given the results anticipated. Recently the council decided to prepare headings for a petition, to be signed by ratepayers, praying for a reversion to the system of rating on the capital value. These will be circulated as a first step toward an attempt to restore the previous system of rating.

Mr F. A. Phelan, assistant traffic inspector of the Palmerston Nbrth borough has accepted a position as' road sendee officer to the Wellington Automobile association and will take up his new duties in a month’s time. Mr Phelan’s headquarters will be in Palmerston North and his territory will include the surrounding districts as far as Levin on the south and Feilding and Pohangina on the north.

“If we dealt with retrospective applications for subsidies, we would have a request in immediately from a group of countries in Taranaki for a quarter of a million pounds,’’ said the actingchairman of the Main Highways Board, Mr A. E, Jull (reports the Auckland Star). On behalf of the One Tree Hill Road'Board it . was submitted that £27,000 had been spent on concrete roading in the district without any assistance from the highway funds.

Viscount Gladstone, who is seventyfive, has recently been telling an amusing story concerning a friend who sought to keep his eight-year-old son from repeating words overheard on the golf course adjoining his home, which the boy frequently visits with or without his parent. His plan was, whenever the little chap used a naughty word, to give him a penny for a promise not to use it again. One day the boy came running to his father, his eyes dancing y\ r ith excitement, and cried, ‘ ‘ Oh, dad, I’ve just heard one that’s worth a shilling at least.’’

The aeroplane flight made on Thursday by the Hon. T. M. Wilford to watch the mimic ‘‘Battle of Woofit” from the air was no new experience for the Minister of Defence, according to the New Zealand Herald. He had flown before in the United States and in France, as well as in New Zealand. His first taste of the air was at Pau, in France, in 1912, the year that Verdricn set up a record by flying from Paris to Bordeaux in a Deperdussin machine. Mr Wilford went up with the famous airman’s chief pilot, Pierre Ducas, who was killed in action during the war. Although it is only 17 years ago, flying was then in its infancy and to go up in an aeroplane was an adventure which required no little courage and nerve.

A tourist has stated in Dunedin that when he was recently making his way by motor through the North Island the car skidded off the road into a small swamp. As there were only two persons in the car they were unable to replace it on the road. They called at the. nearest farm, which happened to be one of the Government agricultural farms for boys. The tourist asked the supervisor for the loan of a horse, and received the startling reply that permission would have to be obtained from the head office in Wellington. About two hours passed before word was received that the use of the horse could be granted. In a few econds the car was removed from the bog and able to proceed.

The Rev. Stent, of Greytown, met with an unfortunate accident on Wednesday through a window sash cord breaking and letting the window down on to the fingers of ofie hand. Mr. Stent states that the accident was painful evidence that a new vicarage is needed.

A sum of £125 has been set aside by the Palmerston North Hospital Board towards the expenses of the Hospital Boards’ conference to be held in Palmerston North next month. ‘‘None of this money will be spent on liquor,’ ’ stated the secretary

In the field of sport Foxton (says the Herald) is becoming prominent. Our swimmers have annexed district honours, our bowlers yestefday captured a coveted trophy, and we possess the 120 yards provincial lady runner, and in tennis a local player was runner-up for the men’s district single championship.

Taranaki’s djahlia championship again went to Palmerston North this year when Mr Arthur Shailer for the second time in succession was awarded the challenge cup for the best collection of twelve named varieties at the Eltham show yeserdajrf. The championship was open to both nurserymen and amateurs and produced keen competition, some magnificent blooms being shown, one of the winning collec- ; tion having a diameter of over thirteen inches.

A few weeks ago a farmer at Golden Bay, Nelson’ found a strange insect on one of his cattle which he sent on to the Cawthron Institute for identification. Dr. Miller recognised the insect as a cattle tick and an inspector was sent to the district to investigate. He subsequently stated' the infected herd had been thoroughly examined and only three ticks had been found. Other herds throughout the district had been examined, but no further trace of the parasite had been found. This is the first occasion on which cattle ticks have been found in the South Island.

A rat which had found its waj into one of the miniature water tanks in a sprinkler fire alarm system was responsible for the raising of a false alarm which brought the Invercargill Fire Brigade out shortly after midnight one night last week. The call was registered on the alarm system at the fire station, but when the brigade arrived at the premises no sign of fire could be seen. The deputy-superintendent made investigations and found the rat, stil alive, under the metal cover of the tank, where it had apparently crawled through a small hole to get at the water, and had come into contact with the electric contact.

If the knack of parsing examinations has anything to do with the old idea that twins have a smaller endowment of brains than the rest of the human family, an Auckland parent claims to have discovered an exception (says the Star)i. The case is one of twin sisters of Newton Road, who are now 16 years of age. Towards the beginning of last year they passed an advanced commercial college course in book-keeping, shorthjand and. typewriting. During the year they passed the terms examinations in dressmaking and millinery at the Seddon Memorial Technical College. In August last, at 35 years TO months, one obtained a partial pass, and the other a complete pass in the first section of the teachers’ D examination, and in December both passed matriculation.

The Manawqtu-Oroua River Board, in conjunction with the Telegraph Department, is installing at Palmerston a delicate piece of mechanism which will give settlers warning of an approaching flood in the river before there is a perceptible rise in the waters in their district. At Fitzherbert Bridge a hollow concrete shaft has b<;en erected, and inside will be placed a float which actuates a transmitter at every rise in the level of the T water. This conveys an impulse to the telegraph engineer’s office, where there is a receiver and recorder, indieating on a graph the movements of the river, thus preserving a permanent record of the water level at any hour of any day. In addition to being shown on the graph, the exact level of the river is indicated to a fraction on a clock dial. Arrangements have been made for the Post and Telegraph Department to issue telegraphic warnings during flood periods to the districts affected-