LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wairarapa Age, 8 March 1927, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In reply to a question the secretary of the North Wairarapa branch of the Acclimatisation. Society stated Jast evening at the annual meeting that there appeared to be ho chance of the shooting, season being extended from two to three months this year in the W airarapa.

At the conclusion of the celebrations held in Masterton on Saturday on the occasion of the visit of the Duke and Duchess of York, the first and third Master ton companies of Girl Guides (the St. Matthew’s and St. Matthew’s Collegiate School troops) entertained the Solway and Carterton companies. The refreshments served round were greatly appreciated.

A dinner bell, presented as a prize for the members gaining most signatures of visitors to the Dominion Rotary Conference at Auckland, was won by the Wellington Rotary Club, but as that institution is already equipped with a serviceable bell, its members decided to hand the prize over to the Masterton Club.

Between thirty and forty Boy Scouts, members of St. Mathew’s troop, leave Masterton by this morning’s train for Wellington to attend celebrations in connection with th© visit of the Duke and Duchess of York. The troop will be in charge of Assistant-Scoutmaster Lamb. Mr. J. Buckton, a member of the Scout Committee, will also accompany the party. The Scouts will return to Masterton this evening. All primary schools of the district, in addition to the Wairarapa High School, Masterton Technical School, and St. Patrick’s School, will re-open to-morrow after being closed for two days in honour of the Royal visit. St. Matthew’s Collegiate School for Girls re-opens to-day. No holidays were observed at Solway College, but two days additional are to be added to the usual term holidays in May.

For some time past the curator (Mr. J. Miller) of the Masterton trout hatcheries has been labouring under the difficulty of inadequate accommodation for the rearing of the fish, but according to a statement made last evening at the annual meeting of the North Wairarapa branch of the Acclimatisation Society, these conditions are shortly to be remedied, the Wellington Society having adopted a proposal to extend the accommodation.

A special meeting of the. Masterton Borough Council was held at noon yesterday. There were present the Mayor and Crs. Barton, Rue, Peacock, McClymont and O’Leary. A resolution was carried confirming the special Order abolishing the ward system in the borough of Masterton, and fixing the number of councillors to represent the undivided borough. The number of councillors will be the same as at present obtains for the South and North Wards.

While inspecting th© undercarriage of a lift in the store of the “ Lyttelton Times” building yesterday afternoon, ar. elderly man named John Thompson, employed by th© company, was killed by the sudden descent of the lift. The accident apparently was due to the grippers on which Thompson was working becoming loose, with the result that the lift, whieh was suspended some distance above, fell. Thompson was struck on the head. Death was practically instantaneous. Thompson was a married man. with three children.—(P.A.)

Increased interest is being taken in the Ahiaruhe-Ponatahi sports to be held on the Carterton showgrounds on Saturday, March 19. One item which is sure to attract a large crowd on the day is the baby show, and numerous entries are expected. Quite a number of side shows and amusements, apart from the set programme, will be on the ground. It is expected that the Wairarapa Polo Club will stage several events which should be particularly interesting. Programmes may be obtained free from the secretary, P.O. Box 25, Carterton.

The only new developments in the fishing strike, states a P.A. message from Thames, are that the six boats which put to sea on Sunday, returned with good cargoes, which have been sold to various retailers down the railway line, some coming into one local shop. It is understood that loyal fishermen are not putting out, fearing reprisals, one man stating that it was a senseless strike. He upheld the companies’ offer to pay l|d. per lb., as if 2d. were paid they could not compete against Auckland merchants.. The striking fishermen procured five tons of ice from Auckland, made in their own boxes.

The advantage which some sportsmen with plenty of spare time on their hands enjoy over their less fortunate contemporaries when the opening day of the gam© shooting season fails on a Sunday, was the subject of discussion ac the annual meeting of the North Wairarapa branch of the Acclimatisation Society last evening. It was mentioned that the usual custom when such an occasion arose was to declare the season open from the Monday. This resulted in the pick of the shooting falling to a few favoured sportsmen. By the time that the working man could get down to the Lake the following week-end, the best of the birds had been bagged, and the others had been-frightened out of range. It was decided to recommend to the Wellington Council that in future years when the opening of the season falls .on a Sunday, the season be declared upon from the preceding days.

It was announced by the Napier Town Clerk last night* that the Borough Council had been successful in raising locally loan money totalling £26,180. — (P.A.) The campaign for funds in the Wan-ganui-Wairarapa-Wellington districts for the Bush Nursing scheme, initiated by the Women’s Division of the Farmers’ Union, has so far realised £5OO, of which £220 was received in two anonymous donations. The balance was raised on shop days and at garden parties.

The team from the H.M.S. Renown w’on the “Triangular” shooting match at Trentham yesterday morning. The H.M.S. Biomede’s team was second. The twenty men from each team fired seven shots each at 300 yards. The result was H.M.S. Renown, 534 points; H.M.S. Diomede, 479 points; R.S.A., 454 points.—(P.A.) The weekly luncheon of the Masterton Rotary Club was held yesterday, Rotarian. E. M. Hodder presiding. The speaker for the day was Rotarian A. H. Falloon, whose interesting address gh farming was followed by a discussion on the prospects of boys taking up farming as an occupation. The address and discussion are reported in other columns. It was suggested in view of the importance of the questions raised, that Mr. James McGregor senr., be invited to address the club at some-future date on his views regarding the farming industry generally. At the monthly meeting of thQ Carterton W.C.T.U. Mrs. Tyler presided over a good attendance. It was reported that the delegate appointed to go to the Convention at Auckland this month was unable to go. It is hoped to find another delegate. It was decided to forward a parcel of magazines, books, etc., to the roadmen in camp on the Rimutaka road. It was decided to hold an ”American Tea,” at Mrs. Cotter’s residence, High Street, on Wednesday, March 30, at 2.30 p.m. Members and friends are asked to come and to make this widely known. Afternoon tea will be provided. Information was conveyed to Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of York, of the excellent effort recently made by the school children of the Dominion in providing a substantial sum to meet the cost of completing the organ and adding to the library at the Jubilee Institute for the Blind. Mr. F. Norris has received a letter in which Mr. P. K. Hodgson (private secretary) states that he is desired by His Royal Highness to convey his thanks for this information, and adds: “Their Royal Highnesses were delighted to hear .of the splendid action on the part of the Dominion school children, and the generous response that was made on behalf of the blind.’ •

A number of anomalies in the conditions governing the fishing rights nt Taupo, and a series of irksome, overlapping license fees in each adjacent district, were pointed out by Mr. F. C. Brockett at the annual meeting of the North Wairarapa branch of the Acclimatisation Society last night. After a full discussion, in which it was stated that new and permanent regulations were likely to be brought in next year, it was decided to recommend to the Wellington Society to make an effort to have all special licenses for the separate parts of New Zealand cancelled, and that a £2 license, available at all Post Offices, be issued, entitling the holder to fish in any part of the Dominion, the district £1 licenses to be issued, as heretofore if required.

While making an entrance to the Iron Pot in the Inner Harbour at Napier on Saturday night, the Anchor Company’s freighter Totara fouled Tipi Bank, opposite Lever Street, through being caught by the tide. The vessel was broadside on to the bank. An attempt was made to get her off on Sunday night but without success, and at high water yesterday morning another attempt proved abortive. A third effort was successful at 10.30 o’clock last night, when the vessel was refloated, and berthed apparently without having suffered serious damage. The Totara arrived from Wellington with a freight of cement from Tarakohe. She is of 421 tons and is under the command of Captain Baggot.—(P.A.)

Six cases of influenza and two of chicken pox occurred during the voyage of the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company’s steamer Tamaroa from Southampton and the vessel was detained in the stream for aboujt an. hour and a half on arrival at Auckland yesterday. There were 395 passengers aboard, of whom 265 were nominated immigrants, all of a good type and most of them coming for farm and domestic work. The cases of influenza consisted of three third-class passengers, also the Chief Officer, Chief Engineer and Second Electrician. Two children in the third class contracted chicken-pox. All the cases of influenza had recovered excepting that the Chief Officer, Mr. W. Dawson, is in the convalescent stage. One of the children affected with chicken-pox had not completely, recovered when the vessel arrived, and be th have been ordered to remain aboard for a few days.—(P.A.)

A child named Heath Rick Hollier, aged two years and eleven months, a son of Mr. and Mrs. P. S. Hollier, Raffles Street, Napier, met its death yesterday under tragic circumstances. With two other boys, Troy and Roderick, aged five and three respectively, young Hellier went out playing yesterday morning. At lunch time the three were missed by their mothers and a search instigated. It was not till 5 o’clock that the father of Troy heard his son call from a vacant house d&nd just inside of the back porch door ho found the thxee boys imprisoned in a small cupboard, into whieh they had crawled, and allowed the door with a spring catch to close behind them. A doctor was summoned and revived the two older boys, but little Hellier was dead, having apparently been suffocated. Evidently the three boys had been shut in the cupboard from about 10 o ’clock to 5 o ’clock. —(P-A.)