Shannon News TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1929.

Shannon News, 15 October 1929, Page 2

Shannon News TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1929.

This evening the committee of tin Presbyterian Ghueh will hold a grand concert in the Parish Hall. A first class programme of oiiginal items will be submitted and patrons are assured of a delighted entertainment.

A rumour having been circulated that Mr C. C. Franks has gone out of the carrying and wood and coal business, he notifies in this isue that he-is still carrying on these businesses and that all orders will receive the same prompt attention as in the past.

While engaged in chopping firewood on Tuesday last the Mayor (Mr E, Butt) was struck in the eye by a splin ter of wood which caused a rupture of an artery. r IIe has since Suffered a good deal of'pain, and the affected eye is still giving him trouble. All will join us in wishing him a speedy recovery.

. The Mangaore Tennis Club held its official opening day on Saturday, when Mr Robinson, president of the club, welcomed the visitors. The afternoon ■was spent on the .court. In the evening, a dance was held in the staff rooms. The music was supplied by Mrs Butler (piano), and Mr Mason (violin), whilst Mr Coates 'officiated as M.C. A thoroughly enjoyable time was spent.

A start was made yesterday morning under the Government’s scheme for the relief of unemployment, on the re-constructive work on the main road just to the south of the borough of Shannon. Eight men commenced work, they being drawn from Shannon and Levin. These men were engaged in making the necessary preparations for starting on the road, such as unloading ma'tsrial, tool sheds, etc., which had been brought from Palmerston North by motor lorries. Another ten men v are expected to arrive on. Went nesday and arrangements are being made for their .accommodation.

There is at present a tobacco war among the tobacconists in Dunedin.’ One tobacconist stated to a reporter, as he handed over a tin of cigarettes for which he received 3d less than he did a week ago, that “the whole business is mad, but what can we do? If I don’t drop my prices you’ll just, go around the corner where someone else has.”

Several .suggestions as to persons suitable for the position of sole selector were made to the management committee of the Horowhenua Cricket Association on Wednesday evening. Finally it w r as decided to leave the matter entirely in the hands of the committee, one of the delegates pointing out that this position was a most exacting one. The "ideal selector would evidently be required to be a member of all clubs in order to gain sufficient information to fulfil his task to everyone’s satisfaction.

The President of the Horowbenu.i Cricket Association (Mr G. C. France) in his report presented to the annual meeting held, on Wednesday evening, enumerated the representative fixtures played last year. Delegates were asked to comment upon the programme drawn up for that season, more particularly with regard to the effect that such matches have upon club fixtures. The consensus of opinion seemed to indicate that the programme was heartily approvetd of, and also that the representatives had .shown that cricket in this district is of a fairly high standard.

There have been occasions when capable farmers have placed great reliance on whisky ns a cure for weakness in lambs in the hard season following weaning.' At a meeting of the Agricultural Association at Wanganui, the president, Mr Donald Ross, referred to the experience of one Wanganui settler who tried the whisky cure. He bought two gallons and handed it over to his man. A fortnight later he bought another two gallons. “How is the lamb cure getting on,” he queried as it was handed over*. “Fine,” he was told. Later it transpired that his henchman had made an apt description of results with the exception that the man,, himself was being “cured,” not the lambs.

Sir Harold Beauchamp, who returned by the Remuera this‘week, after a six months’ tour abroad, said the Prime Minister was to be congratulated upon the terms he Avas able to secure for tire conversion of Ngav Zealand loans which matured recently. It appeared that monctai y eenditions were likely to be fairly stringent for some time, Sir Harold added, but in this Dominion Ave Avere in the happy position of having an abundance of money for loanable purposes, on firstclass securities. In fact, the difficulty during the past tAvelve months or more had been to secure in New Zealand suitable advances, which had not been expanding in proportion to the increase in deposits with the banks, both fixed and free.

An. unusual sight was witnessed at the Nelson railway wharf on Tuesday morning, when oil in considerable quantities appeared to be forcing its way through the floor of the harbour uear the Harbour Board's office and floating away in great bubbles on the tide.

Further to the correspondence and publicity regarding the curtailiug of main highway work in the Maliawatu County, letters were received at Tuesday's meeting of the Council from the Public Works authorities, definitely refusing additional grants during the, present financial year. Since the Council was obliged tc slow down on its highway reconstruction work, approximately 90 men have been thrown out of work and nothing can be done till next financial year.

Prior to the annual meeting of the Horowhcnua Cricket Association, at Otaki, on Wednesday evening, the president (Mr G. C. France) presented ths shield to the Otaki captain (Mr S. J. Sievers). He mentioned that the Shield, which had been presented by the late Mr Hugh Hail in 1906, was now almost too full of name-plates to last much longer. A voice: “We could do with a new one; perhaps someone will take the hint." -

A serious accident befel, a Gisborne resident recently. While inspecting building additions, and walking over uncertain flooring, he felt a board slipping under him, and he instinctively flung out his hand to steady himself. The signet ring on his little finger hooked itself over a nail in a wall, and as his full weight bore on it the ring slipped off, taking the flesh of the finger with it, and almost stripping the finger bare. The man will partially lose the use of the linger.

“Vice-presidents are a lot of rot," stated the secretary during the election of officers at a meeting held near New Plymouth recently. "I understand," said the chairman, mildly, that vice-presidents give a guinea each to our funds." The secretary referred to his balance-sheet. “Donations—nil," he announced. Agreeing that six vicepresidents were unnecessary, the meeting elected only one for the coming season. He had given 10s 6d two years ago.

With the drawing-in of the days in autumn comes the cricket problem of the drawing-out of the stumps. Two suggestions bearing on this operation were made at the annual meeting of the Horowhenua Cricket Association, at Otaki, on Wednesday evening.. Weraroa delegates stated that they had a remit from their club to move that ho appeals against the light be allowed in one-day matches, Otaki delegates wanted the rules altered as they contended that 6.30 p.m (Summer Time) was too late to play during dull days in that month, and they suggested 6 p.m. as an alternative. After a full discussion, the Association decided to let the matter remain as at present, which, means that play is to finish at 6.30 p.m, unless an appeal against the light is upheld.

To the Samoans every living thing in the sea is a fish, states a writer in the New Zealand Samoa Guardian, and the natives are not much concerned whether it has warm or ' cold blood, but they certainly know good fish from bad.. The turtle is greatly esteemed as an article of food, despite the fact that there is a legend that “le laumei” origiually came from the pig family, an alternative version being that the pig grew out of a turtle which forgot to return to the sea after laying its eggs. Le laumei is a chief’s fish, and commoners only get what the chiefs leave. In certain instances the turtle represents. those who have found a watery grave, but the porpoise is the reincarnation of all who have died at sea. The porpoise is the one exception to the rule that every living thing in the sea is a fish._ It is not a fish, but a human being; that is why it whines after being caught. It is pleading for mercy.

The returns of the six banks trading in New Zealand for the September quarlcr, disclose healthy monetary conditions. The banks have met demands for accommodation to an increasing extent, and) have ‘ample lards for financing the exports of primary products. An'.other pleasing ■ feature is that the spending power is higher than a year ago by £729,407, which should be pleasing to retailers as it gives promise of excellent Christmas trade. All classes of deposits have increased as compared with September, 1928. Free deposits total £23,963,295, an increase of £622,341; fixed deposits, £30,600,331, an increase of £1,349,267; and Government 'deposits £3,799,140, las against £1,628,687 a year ago. The increase in tW.e Government deposits is substantial and has no doubt been accumulated in view of finding employment for the workless.

While lecturing in Christchurch on the subject of pastoral life in Italy, Professor A. Wall remarked that weeds that grew by the wayside in New Zealand, and which no one would dream of using as food, were exposed for sale in most of the Italian markets. ‘ ‘ Our smallest coin in New Zealand is the halfpenny,” said the speaker, “but in Italy the quarter of .that will buy something.” The thrift of the people in agriculture was remarkable. Hedges ■were practicably unknown, from the fact that they took up ground that could be used for other purposes. Holdings of land were very small, and the audience would oe surprised' what a small amount of land was necessary to support a family. The people were anxious to emigrate, particularly to America. Mr Wall had met many .Italians who had spent five years in the United States, had saved. sufficient, to keep them :n ease, in their own country, and had returned to live on it.

Influenza is still prevalent in Spmtfc. Canterbury, especially in country districts.

During the month of September Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., of Auckland, had. to preside at no. less than 26 inquests.

There were ■ seven marriages, 29 births, and 14 deaths registered at Nelson during September.

The Christchurch City Council is employing 203 extra handß. Of the total, 104 are on unemployment relief work.

At the Horowhenua County Council meeting, on Saturday a report was received' from the Ranger (Mr Geo. Watson) that he had dealt with 61 head of stock during the past month.

“Ex-Patient" writes from Hastings to the Standard as follows: —“I have been a patient of the Palmerston North public hospital,and for kindness, courtesy and general treatment this institution is superior to any other hospital in which I have been a patient, either in New Zealand or abroad."

Under the . heading ‘ * Hooker!'' the following London cable appeared in a Sydney paper last week: “Charles Whiting, the Bath cricketer, and his family believe in perpetuating their name* after marriage in a unique fashion. Recently Whiting married Miss Fish. Two of his aunts married men named Cockle and Herring."

The highest price recorded at Westfield for a heifer since the wartime boom days was secured recently for an extra big-framed solid prime beast ou account of Marsdeii Wakelin, of Whangarei. The beast went to H. E. Swaffield, Otahuhu, for £2l 12s 6d. It stood well up to the top of the pen, and was the centre of interest throughout the morning.

A phenomenal run of schnapper set in throughout the Hauraki Gulf and Mercury Bay on Monday, and boat went in to Thames with full loads. It was not long before the freezing sheds were full to the doors, and though modern, methods of holding the fish exist in Thames it was not long before they were taxed to the utmost. To-day one of the big seeine boats which came in with flour tons of schnapper was forced to set out for Auckland to try to dispose of the catch there.

The Vicar of Cambridge, Rev. Lionel Harvie, has accepted the appointment of Rector of St. Bartholomew's, Adelaide, in succession to Archdeacon J. S. Mayes, who was recently i ho3en as Bishop of Armidale. The Vicar leaves with many regrets (says the Jndepepdent), having made many warm friends in the town and district. While all regret losing such a splendid, efficient, scholarly and brotherly Vicar, we mu3t congratulate him on his important appointment.

A tax of Is per acre was decided upon at the first meeting of the Poverty Bay Fire-blight Committee. The committee derives its authority from the Fireblight Act, whieh enacts that in each orchard district a committee representative of the commercial growers shall* fix an amount per aere that each fruit grower shall contribute to the district fund for the purpose of fighting any incursion of fireblight. There is no traee of the blight* in Poverty Bay as yet, but the tax will accumulate from year to year until a call upon it becomes neeessary, when the burden of protective operations will be less heavily felt by the growers in consequence of the early provision. In Hawke's Bay, where fireblight is in evidence already, the annual levy per aere on the commercial growers is much heavier than in Poverty Bay.

“Here in X New Zealand we are faced with a forest problem unknown in any other country, for during countless ages no plant-eating animals roamed in our forests,” writes Captain E. V. Sanderson in a booklet recently issued by s the Native Bird Protection Society. “A forest has therefore been evolved which cannot withstand. the attacks of deer, goats, opossums and the like. Yet such animals have been purposely liberated, and even now their presence is connived at by the* .department which controls such matters and by others who are evidently prepared to sacrifice their country’s welfare for the sake of a sport or in other cases personal pecuniary gain. Even in warrants just issued by the Internal Affairs Department restriction is put on the number of stags which may be shot, and a season is defined in which deer may be killed. Surely, then, we must consider our forests doomed.” Apart altogether from their incalculable commercial value, continues the writer, our forests are, or should be, the proud heritage of every New Zealander, because out of 283 lands of trees and shrub 3 that go to form the whole, not more than ten are found wild in any other country. They are really tropical forests growing in a temperate region.