LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 March 1939, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Extensive Grass Fire. An extensive grass and gorse fire broke out in the river bed 'rnTthe end of River Road yesterday morning. The Masterton Fire Brigade turned out but the fire was outside of the borough. The outbreak, which attracted a large crowd of spectators, burnt itself out after about two hours without doing any material damage.

Valuable Trophy Won. Competing at the Ngaruawahia Sports on Saturday, Pipe Major Murdo MacKenzie, of Masterton, won the John Gordon Memorial Cup for the pibrochs bagpipe contest. As this is the third time Mr MacKenzie has, won this trophy it becomes his own property. The cup is valued at 35 guineas.

College Approaches. The kerbing of the footpath in Pownall Street, outside Wairarapa College, is at present being carried out by members of the borough staff. Later, the tarring of the footpath will be put in hand. When it is completed, the improvement will greatly enhance the appearance of the College approaches from this street.

Fatal Jump From Train. Fatal injuries were received by a 15-year-old youth. Alfred Capper, Green Lane, when he jumped from a moving train about 400 yards north of the Otahuhu railway station on Saturday. The boy who was employed at the Westfield Freezing Works, was thrown heavily to the gravel at the side Of the track and received a fractured skull. He died in the Auckland Hospital.

Tragedy of the Sea. Private advice received in Auckland from Nukualofa by the motor ship Matua stated that severe loss of life occurred early this month when a cutter capsized on the voyage from Eua to Kaloga, a coastal village on • the main island. Of the cutter’s crew, 19 natives were lost and at the time the Matua left Nukualofa, three bodies had been recovered. Ten members of the crew were saved. No advice has been received of the name of the cutter.

Cricket Umpires’ Association. Mr F. Dohnt, an old Featherston cricketer and Wairarapa . representative player, speaking at the annual dinner of the Red Star Cricket Club on Saturday night, stated that the need for an Umpires’ Association in the Wairarapa was very obvious to all who took part in the game of cricket. He could assure those present that next season matters would be rectified in thi? connection and already he had received considerable support for a proposal to form an Umpires’ Association. Mr Dohnt’s remarks were received with cheers. Twice on Fire. Small fires broke out twice yesterday in the Hutt Central School, Lower Hutt. The first outbreak at 4.10 p.m. attracted a crowd of hundreds, small boys finding the school more exciting as the scene of a Sunday fire than as a seat of week-day learning. The novelty had worn off by 9.25 p.m., when the second outbreak occurred, only a few spectators turning up. The fires occurred in some old chairs and books stored under the school on the west side. No interior damage was done to the school, but the outside wall at the seat of the fire was slightly charred. Sealing and Topdressing. The sealing of Titoki Street, Lansdowne, is to be put in hand in a day or two. The top half of the roadway is at present being metalled and consolidated. Another task which it is hoped to complete while fine weather prevails is the top-dressing of Queen Street from the Wairarapa Power Board’s offices to Kuripuni. The length from the Waipoua River to the Power Board has already been attended to. Motorists have noticed the great improvement in the road surface in the portion already top-dressed and also in Perry Streel and Lincoln Road, which have received similar treatment.

Athletic Records Broken. Two New Zealand and one Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay centre records were lowered on the Dannevirke Domain Oval on Saturday afternoon, when the Dannevirke Amateur Athletic Club held a meeting. In an attempt on the 80 metres hurdles record, Miss Tong lowered the New Zealand record to 12 3-ssec. F. Sharpley lowered his own New Zealand record for the 220 yards hurdles by two-fifths of a second. Application will be made to have these records recognised. J. Bickerstaff, in a special attempt, lowered the Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay centre record for the 440 yards hurdles by one second to 56 2-ssec. Week-end Motor Accidents. The week-end was not a good one as far as road accidents were concerned. Serious injuries were received by two motor cyclists, one of whom collided with a train on the Gear Meat Company’s crossing on the Hutt Road yesterday, and another who came into collision with a motor car approaching the Hutt bridge early yesterday morning. A Rolleston motor cyclist was fatally injured when he collided with a motor cycle at Irwell early yesterday morning and four people were injured, two seriously in a head-on car smash on the Shannon Road on Saturday night. Child Drowned in Copper. A tragic discovery was made at Papatoetoe (Auckland), when a 16-months-old child, Dawn Koivu, daughter of Mr R. Koivu, was found drowned in a copper in the backyard of her home. The child had been playing in the yard with the other children and when Mrs Koivu went to call them to lunch she found the child’s head and the upper part of her body immersed in about 12 inches of water. The child was rushed to the residence of Dr. Valentine but she was dead. At the inquest, evidence was given that the copper was used to provide drinking water for the house cow. A verdict_of accidental drowning was returned.

Pr.aise for Lansdowne Cricketers. Mr Len Matthews, president of the Red Star Cricket Club, speaking at the annual dinner on Saturday night, extended the congratulations of the club to the Lansdowne Club on their very fine performance of winning the senior championship twice in succession, and algo the Bidwill Cup. (Loud applause.) On each occasion Red Star had been runners-up in the championship and had provided interesting cricket in the contests with Lansdowne. The Lansdowne Club contained in its. ranks some of the best players known to the game in recent years, and the team as a whole was a tough proposition for any opposing eleven. (Hear, hear.)