LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 February 1939, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Piping Title. In the open piping competition at the Highland gathering in Hunterville on Saturday the New Zealand championship for Highland slow airs resulted: John McKenzie (Masterton) 1; Murdo McKenzie (Masterton) 2; W. Budge (Wanganui) 3. The judge remarked on the high standard. Only two points separated the competitors. Fly Fishing.

It will be of great interest to local fly fishing enthusiasts to know that the Ruamahanga River continues to give excellent sport. One local resident, Mr O. L. Jansen, on Saturday evening landed a fish weighing over s,'ilbs taken on the dry fly. There are many fishermen who consider there are even better fish in the Ruamahanga than the 9| pounder taken by Mr J. Smith last month.

Claybird Shooting. Masterton and Carterton clay bird shooters were successful at the Pirinoa meeting on Saturday. The first match (18 birds) was won by Jack McKenzie, of Masterton, with 15 breaks. F. Taplin, W. Moroney (Carterton) and L. Smith tied with 14 breaks each. In a second match, Moroney (Carterton), Hall (Martinborough) and lan Sutherland (Pirinoa) tied and in the shoot off Moroney was successful. Other Carterton Club members who shot well were Lipinski, Williams, M. Kiddie and Broughton. Killer Dog Shot.

The shooting of a female dog with an Alsatian strain in the Mangaroa Valley by a farmer, Mr W. Lindsay, ended a period in which stock and poultry valued at about £lOO have been killed. Farmers found poultry missing each morning for some time before the dog was seen. After being shot at several times she became gun-wise, and was seen only at night. With poultry protected, the dog turned her attention to lambs and calves, once killing a calf and a number of lambs within an hour. One of her pups, caught wandering one night, was used as a decoy and the dog was destroyed. It is understood the dog was taken to the valley from Wellington by a picnic party and abandoned. Empire Legislators.

The Isle of Man branch of the Empire Parliamentary Association will be represented at the conference of the association in New Zealand next year by the Speaker in the House of Keys, Mr J. D. Qualtrough. Several other overseas branches have also replied accepting the invitation of the New Zealand branch to send representatives to the conference, but the selection of delegates is to be made later. Because their legislatures are in recess some branches have not yet had an opportunity of placing the invitation before their members. The present’ intention is to hold the conference, which is expected to last three or four days, about the middle of October, 1940. This will be followed by visits by the delegates to various parts of the. Dominion, these tours extending over approximately 24 days. Minister Loses Seat!

When the Minister of Education, Mr Fraser, was speaking at the opening of the new Hutt Central School on Saturday afternoon, a small boy slipped into the Ministerial seat and, with a sigh, settled down with his little legs barely reaching the edge of the chair. Everybody laughed except the Minister, who' was obviously unaware, of what, had happened. Mr Fraser was about to conclude his speech when he turned round. There was a roar of laughter from the crowd. “I see there has been a general election and I have lost my seat,” he said. “However, there is this much to be said,” the Minister added, amid renewed laughter, “there is more hope for the future than when I was sitting there.” Remarking that he had great pleasure in declaring the building officially open, Mr Fraser took the boy by the hand and said, “Come on, my friend, we will open the school together.” And they did.