LOCAL & GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 May 1939, Page 6

LOCAL & GENERAL

Sunday School Sale of Work. In connection with the sale of work held by the children of the Masterton Methodist Sunday School those in charge of the boys’ work and produce stall were Colin Lyttle, Rob Shoosmith and Trevor Davies. Accident Victim Dies. Mrs Susan Blanche Waymouth, an elderly woman who was seriously injured when she walked into a southbound express at a Feilding crossing 'on Wednesday afternoon, died in hospital last night, a Press Association message reports. Automobile Membership Drive. The effort of the Wanganui Automobile Association to bring its membership up to 5000 is meeting with success. During the past month 71 new members were enrolled, bringing the total up to 4284. Mr N. R. Bai" said that at present it seemed that 50 per cent of the motorists in the district were enjoying the privileges for which the other 50 per cent were paying.

Upper Hutt Mayoralty. Mr A. J. McCurdy stated yesterday that he would be a candidate for the mayoralty of Upper Hutt, this office being vacant because of the death of Mr P. Robertson. Mr J. Purvis, Trentham, will probably also stand. Both were candidates at last election in a field of four, Mr Purvis being second to the late Mr Robertson. Mr McCurdy is a former mayor. Kiwi on 1 West Coast.

The presence of a kiwi in bush on a hillside at Baker’s creek, on the Bar-rytown-Greymouth road, has been established beyond doubt. The area has only recently be declared a scenic reserve and it is possible that it shelters more than one kiwi. Kiwis are as rare on the West Coast as in other parts of the Dominion, and at Christmas time last f ‘year, the taxidermist of the Canterbury Museum (Mr P. J. O’Brien) made a fruitless search in an area south of Ross for a kiwi whose presence there had been reported. Gift of Bush Land.

The gift of an area of 200 acres of land at Raincliff, mostly in native bush, was made to the people of South Canterbury as a memorial to the pioneer men and women of the district, by Major P. H. Johhson, at a meeting of representatives of local bodies, Women’s Division of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, Women’s Institutes, and the Timaru Rotary Club, held at Timaru the other day. There was an attendance of about 40 persons from all parts of South Canterbury.

Ex-All Black Joins League. The well-known former All Black and Auckland Rugby representative D. Solomon has signed up with the Richmond Rugby League Club and is expected to take the field for this club in a match against Papakura today, Solqmon came into promince at Mt Albert Grammar School and later represented Waikato. On returning to Auckland he joined the Ponsonby club and won a place in the 1935 All Blacks. Solomon has represented Auckland both at fiveeighth and full-back for several seasons. He is still the outstanding fiveeighth in Auckland.

Skull on a Stick. A visitor to the Wairoa beach recently was horrified to see sticking up in the shingle a stick on top of which reposed a human skull. This, along with other remains, had been unearthed by the river, which, in altering its course, at the heads has scouied through portion of an ancient Maori burial ground. It is not difficult to imagine the feeling of disgust which that person experienced when making the gruesome discovery, nor the attitude of the older Maoris when learning that one of their ancient burial grounds was being desecrated in this manner.

Rare Shipboard Talent. Rarely has a liner visiting Auckland carried such a quantity of stage and musical talent as the Mariposa, when it arrived the other day from • San Francisco. Among the musicians who were passengers on me voyage south were the tenor, Richard Crooks, who contributed several items during the trip, Edmund Kurtz, ’cellist, Artur Schnabel, Frederick Schauwecker, and Marshall Sumner, pianists. The stage was represented by Mr Martin Broones and his wife, who is better known as the comedienne, Charlotte Greenwood, and their company of 14. The popular American writer, Miss Faith Baldwin, was also a passenger.