TOWN AND COUNTRY

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 220, 13 June 1933, Page 4

TOWN AND COUNTRY

Man-Eating Snails Story

TOPICS OF INTEREST

Dominion Special Service. In a letter received by Mr. A. E. Marchant, of Wanganui, Mr. B. J. Browne, of New York, writes: —“Kindly advise if you are able to supply two man-eating snails. The Associated Press says you are an expert.” This is the outcome of the report in American journals of Mr. Marchant’s discovery ol tlie Paryphanta Marehanti snails on the Ruahine Ranges. It is known that the shaiis have a habit of eating one another, but the American journal evidently likes sensationalism combined with imagination. Illegal Lottery.

Pleading guilty to a charge of establishing a lottery, William Charles Healy was convicted by Mr. J. L. Stout, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court, this morning, and ordered to pay the court costs. It was slated that defendant had run. a small lottery with two ducks as a prize. Defendant said he had done this because he thought the money he could raise would be more useful to his family of nine than the ducks.

Injured by Saw. Stumbling against a stationary circular saw, Mr. W. D. Parkes, engineer at the Koru mill of the New Plymouth Sash and Door Co., received a painful injury to his left leg on Saturday morning. His knee was caught by the teeth, one of which penetrated deeply behind the kneecap. He war, treated at the New Plymouth hospital. Playing ’Possum.

An incident that gave the crowd a chance to laugh relieved -a moment of tedium at the Rugby match at Victoria Park, Stratford, ou Saturday. When a loose scrum rolled away from the ball a Clifton player lay prone and still. The referee blew two blasts and pointed to the "injured” man. wlio sprang into life and ran away. The two blasts were not wasted, however, for another Clifton man a few yards away was not “playing ’possum.” Method of Paying Off Debt.

A letter was received by the Horowhentia County Council, on Saturday, from a ratepayer who was unemployed and owing rates, asking if he could obtain any road work, to pay off his indebtedness. The engineer stated that the letter had been written to him, and he had not heard of the plan of working-off rates on the roads being followed in this county. “I think no action can be taken," said the' chairman. “It is quite impossible in these times. We used to do it on the back roads at one time.” The letter was “received.” Ragwort 14 Feet High! .

“There is ragwort in the country back of Stratford 14ft. high,” remarked Cr. W. E. Carter at a meeting of the Eltham County Council. Incredulous laughter followed, and Cr. Carter added, “You can laugh, but it is a fact. Tho man who told me measured it, and it was 14ft. high and coming up through the gorse.” Cost of Auditing.

“We can well support that resolution,” ejaculated Cr. W. E. Carter at a meeting of the Eltham County Council during the discussion on a resolution forwarded by the Manawatu County Council, pressing for a reduction in the scale of charges made by the Audit Department. The •county clerk, Mr. A. Tiplady, explained that the present charge by the department was 7/6 per hour. “And how much did it cost the county last year?” asked tile chairman, Mr. A. L. Campbell. “'L_he audit cost us £34/17/6,” replied Mr. Tiplady, and there was a whisper of surprise from the councillors. Value of Skim Milk.

The value of milk in a diet for children was stressed by Dr. Mary Champtaloup, medical officer of health for Taranaki, in au address to the North Taranaki Headmasters’ Association.. . After dealing with the nutritive qualities of whole milk and recommending it specially ns a supplement to the school lunch, the doctor said that failing a supply of whole milk skim milk could be given with advantage. It had all the valuable food factors, except fat, of which it contained only a small quantity. A surprising finding" during an experiment in Scotland wns that skim milk was almost as good as whole milk in producing an improvement in the older children. Skim . milk was cheap and probably more easily obtainable than whole milk during the winter. The public should realise that it was a valuable food that was frequently wasted.

OPENING OF BRIDGE

Question of a Ceremony

Wanganui, June 10. In about three weeks’ time tho Ruapirau Stream bridge will be completed, and at yesterday’s meeting of the Wanganui County Council the question of an opening ceremony was discussed. The debate centred round the question as to whether the council should take part in tho ceremony. On the ground that the bridge constituted the last link in the Wanganui River Road, Mr. J. J. Lissette and Mr. J. Maruraarii were in favour of a ceremony being held. The chairman, Mr. D. Mackintosh, doubted the advisability of spending money in that direction in view of the fact that the council would require every penny during the coming year. After further discussion it was decided that a subcommittee comprising Messrs. Mackintosh, Lissette and Marumaru go into the matter and report.

Freezing Works’ Returns. The killing figures at the Tokom.arii Bay freezing works for the season just closed came very closfe to those ,of the previous season on a sheep equivalent. During 1932-33. the number of stock killed, when reduced to a sheep equivalent, totalled 173.449, compared with 180,552 for 1931-32. which was .a record for the Tokomaru Bay works since they were taken over by the Gisborne Sheepfarmers’ Frozen Meat Company. One of the main features of the past season was the great increase in the number of cattle killed, the number rising from SSG in 193132 to 2862 for the season just closed, or a jump of nearly 2000. A slight decline was noted iu lambs, and pigs were reduced in numbers.