General News.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18506, 7 October 1925, Page 8

General News.

The break in the Otago Central railway line has been temporarily bridged, and trains ran between Cromwell and Duuedin yesterday. Among the latest additions to Wanganui Museum are two skins of the original Mao>i d.ig, now extinct. The dogs were shot in the Waitotara district over 20 years ago. The skins have been well preserved. They are light in colour, and the hair is not unlike the Pomeranian. "I think wo had better issue a timely warning to the public.' 1 said an officer of the Southland Power Board staff, that the work of installing electric power may come to a dead stop shortly." lie explained that the danger was imminent as a result of the shipping trouble. No transfomers whatever were obtainable, and large supplies were held up. The Leitrim, which had been held up for two months, was bringing a particularly large quantity. Even if the transformers did arrive within a jew weeks, he added, tho work would b"o very greatly retarded. A Duncdin resident relates a story to show that the ordinary domestic cat possesses a very remarKable facility of finding its way back to its human friends even a)'t«r a lapse of many mouths. About fifteen months ago the cat was placed on board a steamer at Bluff, but, evidently finding life on the ocean wave not to its liking, it "deserted" the ship in Dunedin a few days afterwards. .Nothing more was heard of the cat until quite lately, when to the astonishment of a local household, which had shifted to Dunedin from Bluff three, months ago, tho animal wandered back and was found stretched out on its favourite rug, just deigning to bestow a few "mews" of welcome upon various members of tho familv.

The sceno of the recent railway smash at Opapa. has been visited by hundreds of curious sightseers armed with their cameras, and the- road lias carried a continuous stream of cars. Souvenir hunters, also, have been prominent, picking up nuts and bolts or small pieces of the wreckage- Tho engine locomotive A6OO, which also drew a special train on which the Prince of Wales travelled when in New Zealand, was taken to Napier, and now stands in the railway workshop yards. Apparently there is nothing seriously wrong with the basic structure of the locomotive, and it was brought in on its own wheels. It was covered with clay and grass and tho boiler casing was (/rumpled and buckled. The superficial fittings on tho side which struck the bank were torn off or twisted.

There is at Stanley Bay, Auckland, a big fylack retriever who has found a new zest in life. Perpetually on the watch for any cars, he waits his chance for vehicles at rest and then mounts the footboard, comfortably ensconces himself on the top of the front mudguard, and then dumbly pleads with the owner for a joy-ride. Not many can resist his appeal, and he gets carried off on excursions that take him far afield. Last week ho wont "on a non-stop run to Milford, and trips into Devonport are of frequent occurrence. He scans tho road ahead like a traffic inspector, riding the footboard liko an Amoriqan "hobo,'' and when chance offetß he either picks up a ride back or comes back "afoot, where on his homo ground near the Stanley Bay wharf he awaits fresh adventures. A youngish-looking man, who said he had just arrived by train especially to hear Sir Ernest Rutherford's lecture in the Scots Hal!, Auckland, was a little disappointed when ho found tho place crowded out when he got there, and people who had fought their way to get in finding just as hard a job To get out again from amongst the crowd. "I sat at the saino desk at Canterbury College, fifteen years after Sir Ernest sat there," he said, "and I must see him'ev'en if I cannot hear him. Ever since I left that College I've been slogging away up north, and I've still got to do more slogging before I become independent. That old desk where Sir Ernest sat never had any inspiration for me, but I want to see the man who made it famous, and to sec what kind of man he is." The country man pushed his, way in, and looked happy when he found standingroom just inside the door.

The retiring controller of the savings banks and accounts branch of the General Post Office, Wellington, Mr F. T. E. Johnson, stated in the course of his reply at a presentation ceremony that he had heard it said that there was no scope in tho Postal Department for men of talent. • There could, he said, be no greater misconception. There was scope everywhere for brains, and nowhere was that more pronounced than in that great service, which was expanding and enlarging its activities all the time. Whatever the distant future might have in store, he made bold to say that tho saturation point for the absorption of men of talent was a very long way off yet. The jobs were there, in some cases only waiting for the right men to come along and show that they were big enough to fill them. The jobs he referred to' were for first-class men. There was an abundance of secondclass and third-class men everywhere. He again affirmed that tho Post and Telegraph Department did provide a career for those who would make the effort to excel.

Consternation reiffned for a brief period in the ladies' cabin of one of the largest Auckland ferry boats on Friday night, when volumes of smoke were seen the curtains which divide the inner compartment from the main cabin. It was late at night, and many of the younger passengers had stored up quite a number of cigarettes, which had been supplied to them by their male friends at a function which they had attended, and had seated themselves in approved fashion before a largo mirror, and, after lighting up, were watching the double effect of the twirling smoke as it escaped their red lips, heedless of all else. Suddenly a matronly lady, who saw the blue smoke above her head, shrieked for help, thinking the cabin was on fire, when one fair smoker, with a lighted cigarette still between her white fingers, shouted out, "For goodness sake don't give the show away. Nothing is wrong; we are just having a delightful finish to a. glorious evening." "Oh, you bad girl?," observed another whitehaired lady. "Oh, don't say that," replied a girl with bobbed hair, "we are only doing what most girls do nowadays." " Well, if you must smoke, go into the smoking cabin," rapped out-the old lady, "and don't stifle us with your smoke." As the party disembarked at the .-jetty there was a coolness which could be felt between the older and newer generations.

The .Southern delegate? for the Baptist Confcrcif *.• at Auckland left for the north last night. On Monday r.oxi Dean Carrington will give an address on George Borrow. to the Enci'.sli Association at Canterbury College. "William Sharpe, 70 voars of acre, was found dead in an outhouse at his residence in Lnndie street. Ro>!yn. yesterday afternoon, under oireumstanre.that pointed to suicide. Deceased had been in j!l-hcelth for the past four weeks.-—Press Associat \ov..

Registrations at the Labour Department of men out of work showed ,-i slight decrease last week as compared with the previous week. Last week's total was 74. the previous week's 77. The registrations last v.-eek comprised D'J labourers, :i each clerks, cooks, and engineers; 2 each blacksmiths, bootmakers, mechanics, and painters: 1 each butcher, driver, farm hand, linesman, and porter. "Australians have a proa' respect for the memory nf your JSeiMon are! vour Massey," said Captain Stanley Hawkins, an Australia:', visitor ro Auckland. "In Victoria many streets have been called after Richard Seddun, and one of Melbourne's leading suburbs was named Soddon at the lime of the great statesman's visit to (he Commonwealth just before his death. I can well remember the scenes of national sorrow felt by all sections of the people when the announcement of that, death was made throughout Australia." After surrounding a house in Havelock street, AucK.ia.nd, last mgm, a posse of detectives surprised a burglar in tho aet of ransacking the dwelling and caught him as he fled lrom a sido door. '1 he house, is the residence of .Mr J. G. H. Alackyy, demist, who, with his family, wa.s temporarily absent. .Neighbours heard movements in tho house, and immediately informed the detective office. Four detectives wero quickly on the scene. One flashed a light in a window to frighten out tho intruder, who was moving abouti with a lighted candle. The man immediately made a dash for safety, emerging from a side door, only to find himself in the grasp of a detective. He was taken to the police station, where it wa.s learned his name was William Howell. He was Hi possession of a bunch of keys and a pair of gloves, besides a sum of money.

There's a hot summer ahead—don't wait till you are run down —start building up your strength right away by taking McArthur's Nerve Tonic and Blood Enricher —it makes rich red blood and strengthens the nerves. 3s 6d and 6s 6d a bottle at McArthur's, Ltd.. Chemists, 675 Colombo street (McArthur's Corner). —6 Make either of Armstrong's Two Busy Stores your shopping headquarters for Clothing, Drapery, and Household Linens. You will save money every day of the week by so doing. Armstrongs buy and sell for Spot Cash, and by so doing th,cy arc able to offer the best quality goods at the low-est possible prices. T. Armstrong and Co., Ltd., High street and Victoria square. A 2928 J. Johnston and Son, Merchants, Rangiora; Established 1863. Have just landed ex s.s. Willaston, comprehensive stocks of American Lawn Mowers and Garden Tools. Prices considerably reduced. ■—4 "Reid and Gray" Tractor Ploughs, new Drill, Lime Sower, all best Farm Implements, and spare parts, consult Mr Harry Anderson, 193 Cashel street, Christchurch, and Reid and Gray, Ltd. Ashburton. —2

Direct selling to farmers with 30 per cent, cash discount still going strong. The best implements in the world with 10 and 15 per cent, only added to cost price. Railage paid to nearest station. Catalogues with all prices posted free on application. P. and D. Dunean, Ltd.. 196 Tuam street, Christchnrch. D 2969