TOWN AND COUNTRY

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 104, 28 January 1924, Page 3

TOWN AND COUNTRY

NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE PROVINCES

A Palmey-;ton North resident (says the "Manawatu Standard”) has received a letter from his son. who is on a farm near Waipukurau, Etating that for nine weeks up to the t'me of writing no rain at all had fallen in the locality, though showers Lad been observed a few miles away.

A family at Mount Eden had an unpleasant experience last week (savsthe Auckland “Star”). When they awakened in the morning they all felt heavy, and one child was found very difficult to arouse. r t was not i ntil a neighbour, who came in, exclaimed; “What a smell of gas?” that they realised there had been a serious leak during the night.

“He says a woman deserves a jolly good hiding every now and again.” The cave-man methods of a defendant in a maintenance case at a Magistrate’s Court reccntlv didn’t appeal to his wife (says the Wanganui “Chronicle”), and she gave as a reason why she objected to living with him" his view of wives. The Magistrate: “I suppose you object to that view.” And the reply of the lady was most emphatic.

On the authority of an agent, the “Manawatu Daily Times” learns that the representative of an Australian firm, which has ten branches throughout the world, is seeking a suitable location for a factory in .Palmerston North, forty or fifty acres in extent, where workmen’s homes and i mple space for extensive buildings could be procured. Several properties have already been examined with the assistance of a surveyor. The nature of the business has not been disclosed.

A pile of dead and dying lambs in a yard at the llawera station on Wednesday night caused some curiosity (writes the Hawera representative of thp “Taranaki News”). A epnsign ment of about half a dozen trucks of poor-oonditioned shorn lambs arrived during the day from Fordell. After the long journey in teeming rain the lambs were in a wretched condition, and when unloaded well over a hundred were dead or dying, -and many more were in such a bad condition that it appeared unlikely they would recover.

The three Hawke’s Bay rivers, the Ngaruroro, Tuki Tuki and the Tutaekui, are at present very low (says the “Napier Telegraph”); in fact, they are lower than they have been at any time in the last 12 or 13 years. Tfie Ngaruroro is only a foot deep at the Pakowhai bridge, whereas there is usually a good depth at this spot. Viewed from the Farndon bridge, the water is as high as ever, but this is because th<3 water there is tidal. _ Where formerly there were holes in the river, they have now become non-existent. There is plenty of green weed in the streams, anl this is not conducive to good fishing, as the trout avoid the weed as much as possible.

Upon being told that the Rabbit Boards in this district supply poison free and the settlers do the rest (relates the “Manawatu Times”), a visiting Hamilton farmer remarked that their Rabbit Boards were much more satisfactory. They collect the same rate as here, and not only supply poison, but their inspectors and men lay the poison and conduct regular killing with packs of dogs, etc. All the settlor does is to move his stock as required.

Still another protest has reached us (says tl>4 “Manawatu Times”) to show that the cabled report of the “famous ride from London to York ’s mere child’s plav to old-time New Zealand men and horses. In the seventies, Major Willis, of “Woodendean.” Marton, on learning that his wife wms dangerously ill at Mr. Riddtford s house at the Hutt, rede the farm stock horse a distance of one hundred miles in one day along the sea beach, swimming the rivers en route, lhe horse was fit for the return journey in the following week.

.Blackberry is the most troublesome of the noxious weeds with which the farmers of North Taranaki have to contend, and continual ploughing and thorough cultivation of the land have been advanced as the only practical way in which to copo with it. It is interesting to note, however, _ that blackberry vines in several districts have this year been attacked by a blight which,, while it may not have effectively destroyed the plants, has certainly held them in check. A _ Herald” reporter saw some blight-infected vines the other day, and they gave one the impression of having been sprayed with some strong solution which had scorched all foliage and destroyed all young shoots. In other parts of the district a caterpillar is dealing very oflecti'.'olj' with ragwort plants.

A most peculiar accident happened to one of the New Zealand Co-op. Dairying Company’s electric trucks (relates an exchange). It was cn tho road between Waitoa and Waihou, and had commenced the ascent of a hill when a bolt in connection with the steering rod came adrift. Without warning the truck turned at right angles to the road and was precipitated into the nearby swamp, where it stood r p on end. Fortunately the driver, a man named McLeod, had the presence of mind to jump, landing in the swamp up to the waist. He pulled himself out unhurt. Meanwhile the truck sank into the soft mud past its electric battery box. !

Altogether too clean a sweep had been made of many of the native forests north of Auckland, said Mr. E. 0. Armytage, of Melbourne, speaking of his observations during an extended motor tour. It had heen found in Australia that when the trees went the rainfall was reduced enormously, and when it did come, with nothing to hold it, it caused washawa.ys and floods. Not only that, but bad silt from the hills was carried down on to the flats, spoiling good dairying land. Forest reservations should be made at the headwaters of evety stream. Mr. Armytage said he was,pleased to learn that" the Forestry Department, had made a beginning in that direction. “New Zealand Herald.”

An unusual letter was received recently by a busines man in ilawern, who was requested to 'mmediately deliver a piano at a country address some 20 odd miles from the town. No stipulations were made concerning the quality, make, or price of the piano required, but a substantial cheque was enclosed, the writer stating that the balance wotild be paid on deliver'. Though the «diont was quite unknown to the business man ho promptly delivered an instrument calculated to give satisfaction to the most exacting of buyers, and received the, balance payable, the transfer being made with an entire absence of lengthy inquiries, discussions, and trials which usually take place prior to sudli a purchase. The vendor referred to the event as quite unique in a lengthy experience of the trade, adding, however, that every precaution had been ta.kcn to ensure that his customer would have no cause to regret the rapidity with which the busiuo >s bad been transacted.—tHawera '‘Stax.”

A Gisbomite who presided at a recent conference in Wellington (remarks the “Poverty Bay Herald”) will long remember his visit there. Having completed his conference duties, he proceeded to the railway station, musing on the fact that his son had just earned a scholastic honour, rnd also a bonus of a “fiver,” which bad been promised him by a father who undervalued his capabilities. Arrived at the station, the traveller discovered that his bag had been left at the hotel. With ten minutes in which to recover his property, he bounded into a taxi, and set out on an errand that consumed fourteen minutes. Pressed for time, he ordered the taxi-man to chase the train, and succeeded in overtaking it at Johnsonville. The motor excursion gave him cause to mourn the loss of another £2.

Speaking on cancer at Oamaru, Dr. Barnett said that it was the duty of every medical man to recommend an operation in certain ■ cases, but there were other cases in which radium would prove beneficial, and operations were not desirable. One drawback in the treatment of this disease was that after all the years of research the exact' cause of the disease was not yet known. It was a disease of the strong rather than the weak. —“North Otago Times.’

The tramway systems of Wellington and Christchurch were discussed recently by an Auckland business man who (says the “New Zealand Herald'’) has just returned from a visit to the south. Wellington certainly Jed the in respect to flestina-tion signs, Lo said. In addition to bold name signs, there were shown distinctive coloured head-lights as a guide to the route of the car. “Probably, on the ether hand, Christchurch can boast the politest conductors,” said the speaker. “Frequently I saw cars delayed while anxious mothers with. young children were assisted in alighting at tuo st«ppino- places. Th© ictea of t-hc obsei'vation car trip in Wellington, where ono is conveyed over the various routes for approximately 30 miles for 2s> 6d. is one that might well l>e copied by Auckland.

The claim that bowls is a peaceable game and does not involve any risk of danger to either players or spectators was upset by an amusing incident that happened during the pairs games on the Canterbury Club’s green on ft recent Saturday afternoon (says a southern paper). W. F. Raphael, a wellknown Sumner skip, with a reputation for terrific driving when he wants i;o “burn a head,” was iftsponsible for ■two casualties. The first occurred when he drove his bowl -with great force from the north to the south end of the green. The bowl missed the “head” it was intended for, smashed into the ditch, bounced into the air, landed on the toe of a spectator, then bounded into the air again, ind landed on the head of another onlooker. The victim’s head soon developed a big lump, but he was not badly injured, and regarded th© incident philosophically.

War experiences are always interesting, especially when they contain a dash of humour or of singularity (says the’ “Poverty Bay Herald”). An exsoldier related a peculiar experience to-day. While he was on service in France, a mate went on leave, and this narrator gave him two letters ix> post from England. As they contained censorable matter, the soldier i/ook the precaution x to conceal thle letters in the butt-trap of his rifle, where oil and pull-through are usually kept. On arrival in “Blighty” he found it impossible to extract the letters from their place of concealment, and they remained there for three months, during which the owner of the rifle returned to his uiat, and advised his friend of the occurrencte. They were both wounded, and the riflo .was left among the debris of a battlefield. Ten or twelve weeks later, the letters were delivered by the inte''ligence department to the addresses, the rifle butt having, presumably, been smashed by a shell-fragment and the letters revealed. 1