LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wairarapa Age, 8 February 1927, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A fire at Otaki yesterday morning destroyed Mr. D. Clark’s fiveroomed residence, with its contents. The insurances arc not known.—(P.A.)

Burglars entered Mr. Stan Parker’s 'billiard saloon at Otaki, on Sunday night and stole £B2, including cheques, three of them open, for large amounts. The sum of £7 in silver was overlooked. The bodies of the two girls and. the man drowned in a boating accident in Hamilton Lake on Sunday night, have all been recovered. Dragging operations took place yesterday and Miss Kell’s body was found shortly before noon, the other two being recovered Within-a few minutes shortly before 5 p.m.—-(P.A.).

The secretary of the Mount Holdsworth Chib (Mr. F. Norris) desires a working party to visit Mount Holdsworth on Saturday next. A conveyance will leave Queen Street from Knex Church, at 1.30 p.m. and will return about 6 o’clock. Any person desirous of making the trip should notify the secretary at once.

The railways of northern Rhodesia were referred <to in complimentary terms yesterday by Rotarian H. E. Hart at the Rotary Club luncheon. A line penetrated 500 miles inland, serving mining interests and the Belgian Congo. There were few cuttings and bridges. In one place the line went for 70 miles in a straight flat stretch. The cars were comfortable, and all had installed a wash-basin and sleeping accommodation, for which 3s was

charged. Tickets were collected once a day.

The services of the Masterton Fire Brigade were called upon yesterday afternoon to extinguish a grass fire in the Park, adjacent to the lake and

cemetery. The outbreak was soon suppressed by the use of two leads of hose and water pumped by the Dennis en-

gine from the lake, but not before several ornamental trees had suffered. At about 6.50 p.m. the brigade was summoned from a street alarm box, but the cause of the alarm was found to be merely the burning of rubbish on a 'section adjacent to Mr J. L. M.urray’s residence in Church Street.

A suggestion has been made to the secretary of the P.I.M. Committee by a resident of Masterton that.a round trip should be organised via a new road now being constructed by the Public Works Department to the East Coast. The now road will connect Castlcpoint with the lower Whareama Valley, and 'thus a round trip would be .possible to Castlepoint. The journey is described as one of the most beautiful and varied scenic excursions in the North Island, and could be completed when the road is finished, in four hours. A good sandy beach, beautiful seascape and landscape views, good fishing, and fresh water are among the attractions. An inquest concerning’ the death of Leslie Masters Ball, aged one year and eight months, who died last Friday in the Wellington Hospital, where he had been admitted the previous day suffering from scalds, was held in Wellington yesterday before Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., Coroner. The evidence showed that at 9.45 a.m. last Thursday the child’s mother, who resides in Palmer Street, heard a scream from the pantry and found that the infant had upset a billy of scalded milk over its neck and chest. The milk, which had been taken off the stove a quarter of an hour before, had been left standing on a copper, about one foot from the edge. The Coroner returned a verdict in accordance with medical evidence, that the child died of heart failure, following burns accidentally received.

Colonel T. A. Hunter, Director of Dental Hygiene, has returned to Wellington after a visit to America and Great Britain. While on his travels he took advantage of the opportunities afforded him of seeing what is being done in other countries in regard to the dental treatment of young children. In America he delivered two addresses in which he gave details of the New Zealand system for the dental treatment of children, and opinions were expressed by speakers present strongly approving of the method in existence in the Dominion. Que authority went so far as to say that he considered it '‘solved the problem” of the care of the teeth. He also visited Denmark, where they have started a clinic in Copenhagen. Colonel Hunter has returned more convinced than ever that the New Zealand Government’s dental system is far more effective, efficient and economical than that in existence in any other country which he visited.

The Minister of Mines (the Hon. G. J. Anderson) yesterday telegraphed expression of his deep sympathy to the relatives of the victims in the Millerton mine disaster.

Edwin John Leathern, aged 63, of Lincoln Road, Christchurch, was killed by a motor car while crossing the street on Saturday evening. He was wheeling two bicycles when a car. driven by Robert Patrick Grant, struck him.

At the re-trial of Thomas O’Hara, in the Supremo Court at Wellington yesterday before the Chief Justice, on a charge of the attempted breaking and entering of a warehouse with intent to commit theft, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty.—-(P.A.). At a meeting of the Buller Diamond Jubilee Committee last night, the secretary (Mr. A. L. Black) presented a balance-sheet showing receipts, £599 16s 8d; expenses, £582 7s 9d; credit, £l7 8s lid. It was decided to divide the balance between the Old People’s Home and the O’Connor Home.—(P.A.). A large number of immigrants aboard the lonic are due at Auckland from London and Southampton to-day. The

vessel has 528 pasScngers, of whom 425 axe in the third-class. The destinations are: Australia, 21; Auckland, 136; Wellington, 220; Napier and Gisborne, 28; Lyttelton, 65; south of Lyttelton, 58.

On Friday night a burglar stole £5O from J. Stack, a barman, at his house in Dec Street, St. Albans, Christchurch. The thief entered, through the pantry window and stoic the money from the pockets of his victim. This is the third case of its kind that has occurred recently. Previously £l5O and £2OO were stolen from sleeping men.

Referring to the dress of the natives in Africa, Rotarian H. E. Hart stated at the Rotary Club luncheon yesterday that as progress was made inland, the dresses- became shorter. In the swathern portion of Africa the nates dressed the same as Europeans, but northwards the women used a one-piece garment, while still further north a waist cloth was utilised, to give place in some districts to a girdle of beads. A. correspondent states that the upper and larger reservoir of the hydroelectric power scheme at Kourorau is now practically empty. Some two or three weeks since, he adds, the water was within two feet of the overflow, though no time since the formation of the” dam has the reservoir been full of water. The secretary-manager of the Power Board (Mr. George Brown) stated last evening when the *matter was referred to him, that there was no shortage of water at Kourarau. The supply was well maintained and the reservoir filled up during the night.

A resident of Carterton who visited the vicinity of Mount Holdsworth recently, has offered to fix a new connection and tap to the water tank at the mountain hut,-.provided a stand for the tank is erected. At present the tank is lying on the ground. This well-wisher of the Mount Holdsworth Club suggested that if a parking fee of, say, 2s 6d per car, were charged, except to club members, funds could be obtained to improve the road, A reduction to Is could be made to those who visited the locality at least six times in the year. Thirty-six cars were counted at the foot of the mountain on a recent occasion.

An air of idleness still hovers over the mining township of Kaitangata and the distress of the miners is acute, a Press Association message from Dunedin states, but there is now a definite prospect of this being alleviated in the immediate future. Yesterday Mr. J. Marks (Public Works Engineer) received instructions to proceed with work on the Chaslands-Niagara Road. The work on this road, which is in the Southland district, will absorb forty men who will be placed through the Department’s sub-office at Invercargill. The subject of carrying out other works m the vicinity of Balclutha in under discussion, and a decision on the point can be expected at any time. A triple drowning fatality occurred in the Hamilton Lake on .Sunday night, when a pleasure boat carrying four occupants capsized. Those drowned were Annie Kells, aged 20, ’a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kells, of Te Rapa; Ruby Harlowe, aged 22, whose parents reside at Napier; and Trevor Graham, aged 22 a son of Mr. and Mrs. W. G. Graham, of Hamilton. The fourth occupant, George Smith (of Hamilton), was saved by climbing on to the bottom of the upturned boat. The bodies of the two girls and the man have been recovered. Dragging operations took place yesterday and Miss Kell’s body was found shortly before noon, the other two being recovered within a few minutes shortly before 5 p.m. — (8.A.). » * Capable general wanted.

Black and tan sheep dog lost. Housekeeper for country wanted. Person to board baby boy wanted. Lady’s leather purse lost. Reward. Situation by married couple wanted. Mr. W. H. Buicki elsewhere inserrs trespass notice. Married couple advertise for position on country station.

G. Malmo, Ltd.,- advertise several used car bargains. Park Kiosk is open daily for cold luncheon, ice cream, fruit salads, etc. The Reniucra will leave Wellington for the United Kingdom on Saturday. February 12, at 4 p.m. “Summer’s gone,” says Dame Fashion. “By no means,” retorts the Clerk of the Weather, “there are weeks of warm summery weather yet.” No doubt the Old Fellow is right, hut autumn goods are now pouring in to Hugo & Shearer’s, which means ail summer wear must be quitted, therefore, the remaining summer merchandise is marked at further reductions for clearance as End of Season Specials. Details of some of these Specials are given on napes 1 and 2.