LOCAL & GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 April 1939, Page 6

LOCAL & GENERAL

Good Advertisement. “The fire at Waingawa works was one of the best advertisements for our brigade.” observed the chairman. Mr Trevor Beetham. at last night's meeting of the Masterton Fire Board. ‘lt was wonderful,” he added, “to save anything.” Five Guineas for a Poppy. Much has been said for and against a definite charge of Is for the poppies sold on the streets on Poppy Day. One Christchurch business man, however, cheerfully paid £5 for a poppy last year. He sent £5 5s to the same collector this year, and .in return received one poppy. Sheep Dog Trials.

The Masterton Collie Club will hold its annual sheep dog trials on Mr G. Shaw’s property, Te Ore Ore, next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and splendid sport is promised all who attend. Excellent entries have been received from all parts of the Wairarapa and adjacent districts and the club should experience a most successful fixture.

Manslaughter Sentence Reduced. A reduction of five years has been made by the Court of Appeal in the sentence of 12 years’ imprisonment imposed by the Chief Justice (Sir Michael Myers) on Colin Herbert Hercock for manslaughter. The case arose out of the fatal shooting of Mrs Isabel Annie Aves in Napier last year. Hercock

was indicted on a charge of murder. The jury found him guilty of manslaughter, and he was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment with hard labour. Return to Religion.

By 44 votes to 40, on the count of a show of hands, students of Victoria University College carried the following motion in a debate at the college last night:—“That a return to religion is the only solution to our present discontents.” The motion was debated by teams of three speakers for the affirmative and three for the negative. A motion in the same wording as that debated by the Victoria College students was also the subject of a debate last February by the Oxford Union, the famous debating society of Oxford, England. The Oxford Union surprised England by carrying the motion by 256 votes to 90. Wellington Fire. Extensive damage to the premises of an importing firm on the top floor of the three story Aulsebrook Buildings, next Wakefield Chambers in Wakefield street, was caused by an outbreak of fire early this morning. This floor is occupied" by L. M. Rankine, Ltd., tea china, and general importers. The flames ran apparently from the front to the back of the building between the iron roof and the ceiling. Because of the construction of this part of the building the fire offered stubborn resistance and it was well after 2 a.m. before the outbreak was subdued. In addition to damage by fire considerable damage was also done to stock by water.

Motor Driver Struck by Arrow. A narrow escape from serious injury was the experience of a Masterton resident when returning home to Lansdowne from business on Thursday evening. While crossing the Waipoua town bridge an arrow flew through the open car window and struck him a painful blow on the side of the head. Had the arrow' been an inch or so lower the driver might have lost an eye or hit an approaching car through the momentary blindness. The driver of the car returned to the spot where the incident occurred, but failed to discover the cause. In referring to the incident the driver said that he wished to stress the fact that the dangerous practice of children indiscriminately firing arrows should be corrected by parents.

Woodville Centennial Memorial. Woodville’s Centennial Memorial will take the form of a restroom building to be erected on a borough section alongside the Smith and McSherry building. This decision was made at a wellattended public meeting called by the mayor, Mr Johnston, and it was on his motion that the site was adopted. At a previous meeting it had been decided to erect the building on the present library site. Mr H. P. Horne raised an objection to the form of the proposed memorial, saying that actually it was a public convenience. To this the mayor replied that in his opinion a restroom building was both useful and ornamental, and therefore a suitable memorial.

Alleged Assault of Woman. Two Wellington men, Roy Nicholas Courlander, clerk, aged 24, and John Kitching Matterson, aged 30, appeared yesterday in the Magistrate’s Court, Napier, charged with breaking and entering and also with assaulting Miss K. M. Reston, Napier, so as to cause bodily harm. Both accused reserved their defence and were committed for trial at the next sessions of the Supreme Court in Napier. In evidence Miss Reston said she lived by herself in Hastings Street. Arriving home about 1 o’clock from the theatre she unlocked the back door ana turned the light switch; no light came. She then went to the gas stove and picked up a box of matches, and it was while she was taking a match out to strike it that she was seized about the shoulders and struck on the face, this being followed by other blows. Her head was also bumped on the floor. Public Works Employees. No reduction in the number of men employed on public works is expected by the Minister, Mr Semple, in the current financial year. According' to the latest official figures—those for February—employees of the Public Works Department totalled 22,285. All the works now in hand would be carried through to completion, said Mr Semple at Christchurch yesterday, and as jobs "petered out” men would be transferred to other important works. There was no need to look ahead for the placing of the men, because present undertakings would provide plenty of employment. “If I agreed to carry out all the works suggested to me throughout New Zealand the department's activities would be multiplied," Mr Semple said. “The demands and requests are proof that the people want the work done. The task is to decide which work should come first.” The women’s branch of the Masterton Labour Party will hold a Paddy's Market and baby show in the Y.M.C.A. Hall on Friday, May 6, commencing at 2 p.m. Donations of cakes, produce, etc., may be left at Mr C. E. Grey’s shop in Queen Street. A number of competitions will be held during the afternoon.