LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 April 1938, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Mawley Park Camp. During March, 45 motorists availed themselves of the facilities of the Mawley Park Motor Camp. Fees collected amounted to £3 9s. Band Activities.

The Masterton Municipal Band held nine practices during March. Programmes were rendered at St Matthew’s Ladies’ Guild garden party, at Knox Church Ladies’ Guild garden party, and in the Park. Missing Walnuts.

A Masterton constable was somewhat puzzled recently to find that about 151 b of walnuts had disappeared from his garage, which showed no indications of having been broken into. It appears that rats were responsible, the missing nuts being found under the floor boards. Abattoir Returns.

The following stock was slaughtered at the Masterton Municipal Abattoir during March:—Cattle, 448; calves, 222; sheep, 1356; lambs 236; pigs, 74. Killing fees for the month were £l6 4s lid lower than those for March, 1937. To date the fees are £lO3 2s. lid lower than those for the corresponding period last year.

“Getting Ahead Of Ourselves.” “I think we are getting ahead of ourselves,” remarked Councillor Gordon Lee, when referring at yesterday’s meeting of the Masterton County Council to the estimated cost, £28,423, of tar sealing the Taueru-Blairlogie section of the Mastertofi-Castlepoint Main Highway.” If it is going to cost that much money it is not worth it,” observed Councill J. W. Colquhuon. “Never Missed a Thing.”

A captain’s club was formed on the German raider Seeadler after several ships had been captured, said Count von Luckner in an address at Christchurch. There were six members including himself. The president was a Scottish skipper, and it was his duty to remove the provisions from captured ships. “He never missed a thing,” declared the Count. Municipal Library.

The following- are the figures for the Municipal Library for the month of March, Books Issued:—Fiction, 2978; Travel, etc., 109. Books Added, Fiction, 70; Travel, etc., 36. Subscribers at end of February, 375; new subscribers, 14; subscribers left during March 2; Total subscribers end of March, 387. The amount spent on books from April 1, 1937, to February 28, 1938, was: Librarian, £lB5 14s 6d; Committee, £73 2s Bd. The amount to be spent on books for March was: Librarian, £l9 6s 3d; committee, £l4 6s 6d; Times Book Club, £2 10s Bd. Motor Laws in Norway.

“How is the law in New Zealand regarding leaving the key in a motorcar?” Captain Mathisen, master of the Norwegian tanker Noravind, asked the presiding Magistrate at the Lyttelton Magistrate’s Court. Captain Mathiesen was acting as interpreter for four members of his crew who were charged with converting a motor-car to their own use, and obtained leave to ask the question. He was informed that there was no law on the subject. “In my country,” he informed the court, “if I leave the key in my car I would be fined about £lO in your money, or else they would put me in.” “You seem to have some very sensible laws in Norway,” commented the Magistrate, Mr F. F. Reid, S.M. The Empress of Britain.

The Empress of Britain is one of the Atlantic liners maintaining constant touch with the shore through the radio-telephone, and this was used when the fine vessel came near Nev; Zealand. The first occasion was on Friday last when the Empress of Britain was approaching Milford Sound. Several conversations were held relating to arrangements which had to be made during the liner’s visit to the Dominion, and the shore equipment used was that of ZLW, the Post Office Radio Station at Wellington. When the Empress of Britain is on her normal route and within approximately 1000 miles of Great Britain, the charge for a radio call with London is £1 16s for three minutes, and when further afield £3 12s for a corresponding period. Juvenile Wisdom.

The following example of juvenile wisdom appears in a recent English collection of more schoolboy "howlers”: Father says farmers have had a bad harvest this year. He says most of the farmers will be ruined, same as they were last year, and the year before. Father says when ruin stares a farmer in the face he stares back and buys a motor-car. He says, farming is the only business where you can be ruined every year and make it pay. A farmer once told father he had lost money for 20 years, but father says he must have had a of a lot of money to start with. After harvest comes the harvest festival, when the farmers take their largest vegetable marrow to church. Father says a farmer's ambition is to grow a marrow so big that he can scoop it out and live in it.