LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 57, 8 March 1923, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

. Bargains, genuine or doubtful, were to be secured at the sale of unclaimed goods at the Concert Chamber yesterday afternoon. Mr. J. Watspn, chief city inspector, was tb.e auctioneer. Various articles left in tramcars and with the Corporation's luggage department were up for disposal and, as usual, there were many bargain-hunters. One woman got something in the nature of a shock a|te.r effecting what she no doub,t considered \yas a very smart deal. S.he bought a bunch of umbrellas for ss, but on looking them over afterwards discovered that there was not a good one amongst them. Among the articles on sale were spades, shovels, walking-sticks, a moth-eaten fur coat, sledge-hammers, a fender, numerous 9 carat gold brooches, and last, but not least, a brown paper parcel containing eight dozen eggs, not exactjy fresh., for they were eight months old. Altogether 200 lots of gods were sold, and the total realised was £37 7s 6d.

Prime Ministers doubtless have some amusing experiences, but one that occurred to Mr. Massey at Te Aroha is probably unique, telegraphs "The PostV Auckland correspondent. On Monday evening trje ministerial party was waiting on the platform for the outward train by which'the Prime Minister intended to return home after a day at the races. Just before the train arrived two typical stable lads stepped forward and one, with outstretched hands and pleased smile, said: "Hullo, Mr. Massey. My word, I'm pleased to see you looking so well. How are you?" The head of His Majesty's Government, with his accustomed geniality, shook hands heartily with Nq. 1 and then turned to extend the. same courtesy to .No. 2, whereupon the latter, with something of disappointment showing on his face, ejaculated: "Blime! Ms cobber just hsi me a quid he was game to go^up and shake hands with you, and now I've lost a quid. I suppose I'll have to pay." Mr. Massey was quick to realise the joke,,and when the'laughter of t«§ party had subsided fje.ndyiß.erl No. 2 to pay iip, as his has been top pieveifor him.

Sympathy with tiia residents of BusceU terrace and neighbourhood in the trouble they are experiencing with the- fly pesj; was expressed at, last night's meeting of tiie Labour Representation Committee, when a resolution >v<is passed, calling upon the public health authorities to take immediate steps to "end a plague which eiiould not hv allowed, to continue for an hour."

An unusual record of attendance at the annual meetings of th.c Poneke Football Club stands to the ci^dit of Dr. A. K. Newman, who was again re-elected to the position of president of the ojub at the meeting last evening. Dr. Newman was present at the first annual meeting forty years ago, and 3ince then his record has been practically unbroken. His keen interest in the club has been shown in many ways, and there have been quite a number of instances in which he has made a point of coming from very long' distances to be present at the annual meeting. On one occasion some years ago the news that he was to give a political speech in the Auckland district just prior to the day of the annual meeting came as a big disappointment to members, but to their surprise and delight the popular head of the club put in an appearance as the meeting was about to start. The high estaem in which lie js held by the club ■was shown last evening. "He has stuck to us, boys, through thick and thin, and I know, he always will," said Mr. A. F. Wiren in nominating Dr. Newman for re-election to the office of president. "He is the best man a club ever had, and no club in New Zealand ever had a better president. We hope to have him here for many' a meeting yet." Other members of the club who have records almost equal to that of Dr. Newman are Messrs. AY. S. Hood and A. F. Wiren. '' ' : ■• • •

To ■ discuss the desirability of instituting a more satisfactory system of collegtiug fundg for charitable purposes in place of the cumbersome methods at present in vogue, a conference of delegates of charitable and social organisations was held in Christchurch yesterday. The chairman, Mr. H. Holland, said it was thought that it would be a good thing, instead of having separate appeals for each organisation, if there were one joint appeal per year., Ii was thought if such an appeal wer« made satisfactory arrangements could be made for equitable division of funds amongst all the organisations. Moreover, it was thought that business men and others would subscribe more generously to one appeal, if they knew it was the only one of the year. The City Council had apparently decided to refuse permission for separate street appeals, but Mr. Holland thought there would bp no difficulty in securing permission for one big appeal per year. It was decided to adjourn the meeting so that the delegates' could place the position before their societies.

The troubles of the Railway Department in trying to arrange improved and faster train service^ may be gathered from the following extract from a leading article,in the- "Hawera Star," following a regent announcement in "The Post" as to thp proposed quicker express railway service between Wellington and New Plymouth, The Hawera paper says:—"A few days ago it was stated definitely that the New PlymouthWellington mail .train is to be speeded up and that; a new timetable Wijl come into operation after Easter! ' The change, which is causing considerable discussion in South Tafariaki, is an important matter and we have sought more information concerning the time of arr rival at Hawera, but it is not forthcoming. Mr. J. K. Corrigan, M.P., jiejegraphed to the Minister of Railways inquiring what time under the new proposals the train will leave New Ply-, mouth and arrive at Hawera and Patea. The Minister replied on Saturday stating that the details had not been worked out yet and that he would inform Mr. Corrigan later. If when the fulj facts are made known—and we claim that South Taranaki is entitled to have them without delay—it is found that the alteration is so arranged that it is as satisfactory to" the: people at this'end of the province as it is to New Plymouth, then w*e shall raise no objection. What ig wanted! and we,urge South Taranaki to agjtat.e for it, is full information concerning the timetable for the slow,train from the nprth which, it is understood, will leave ahead of the mail train. What time will it reach Blthain, Normanby, and Hawera?"

In making reference to the record of the. Poneke Club at the annual meeting last eyening, Dr. A. K. Newman mentioned that his observations of football last season gave him the impression that "there are as good fish in the sea as ever there were." Many of the younger players, he sqi4, would gp on improving with age and weight. The club had had «ome great players, but it could not live on its past. By training and getting themselves fit the players would assist the club to gain many more victories.

The January number of "The Fiejd," London, contains as a frontispiece, a full page photograph of a magnificent swordfish suspended by the tail frpm a crane on the Bussell wharf. "The Field" remarks: "That New Zealand «an produce angling marvels over and above its trout fishing is proved by our frontispiece this month."

After several weeks in Wanganui, th» American schooner Lottie IJennett, Vider the command of Captain N. Jensen, took her departure from Castlecliff on Sunday, en route for San Francisco, via Suva. Before the vessel sailed, the captain stated that he had, with the exception of the cook, obtained a- New Zealand . crew, and three were Wanganui lads. All his crew were practically novices at the work, but that did not worry him in the slightest. He looked upon New .Zealand lads as a splendid type, being intelligent and quick to learn and adapt themselves to any new circumstances. "On getting outside," he added, " my first act will be, if the wind is favourable, to get clear out' of sight of land, where 1 will have plenty oi opportunity of getting the crew used to manning the ship." He added that there would be no profit in this trip for the ppmpany, owing to the extensive damage to the sails when off ;the New Zealand coast-

A party of fishermen on the Oreti River, in Southland, reported recently that they had seen a white crane. • Th«i bird was observed at a distance of about 60yds with the aid of field-glasses, and there could be no doubt as to the identity. It was engaged in fishing in the river, but on being disturbed made off at great speed. Since then the bird has been observed by the employees of a flaxmill in the district, indicating that, this rare newcomer has probably taken up its abode there. About two years ago a white crane was seen near the same place, but unfortunately some irresponsible vandal saw fit to destroy one of the rarest and most interesting o.f New Zealand birds. It was even impossible to secure the skin for a museum. Local fishermen fear that as it is by no means difficult" to approach within easy range pf the. bir<J, it may share ttye. same fate as the last. The white crane, or as it is frequently and erronepusly called, the white herpn, is believed by naturalists to migratp from Japan and Crjina in company with the godwit, or snipe, as it is here called. The body of the bird appears to be about as large as that of 'the seagull, but has long blijck legs. In flight it x-eaemblea the hawk, although it is very much swifter. Only very rarely does it nest in New Zealand, Westland being the nlace usuall} selected, jvliere as iß&py as 20 nests have been found in the sam£ lqijality. The nest is built high up in the tree, and usually 'conking' from thi'ee to four pa-je green egs^s. Ihe tpeci^s is not seen in the North Island, where there is, however, the more common white crested crane and blue T'ane. The Maoris are ■ exr tremely superstitious about the white heron, whjch fhey call kptuku, and. believe that any oils vb.p touches it \yjll be immediately stricken with baldness.

An assemblage of some thirty Hastings business people gathered in thd > porough council chambers od Tuwday morning to meat Mr. A. T. Markman, Assistant-Secretary of the Post »nd Te)pgraph Department, to discuss with him £he proposed increases in the telephone charges. Aftar hearing Mr. Markman'g statement as to the suggested new arrangements, it was resolved that, while appreciating the explanation of Mr. Markman, the meeting wa« not in accorj with the drastic charges suggested by the Minister.

"Ha had the airt of kicking goals from almost any angle—a lost art, Jam afraid, among even some of our best'players today." The remark was made by Dr. A. K. Newman at the Poneke IJugby Football Club's annual meeting last evening, and concerned one of the old supporters of i;he club, J. Baumber, wheee son was among the jiew members proposed at th« meeting.

A note in the anuual report of the Ponekp Rugby Football Clnb, presented to th,e annual meeting last ey^ning, was as follows:—"We would like to see some responsible coach not only in the gymnasium, but also with eadh team at tho various grounds ea-ch Saturday. , This would be greatly appreciated ' by" the players."

.Enthusiastic anglers have been looking for quinnat salmon which usually make their appearance in the snow rivers about the middle of February, and during the past few days they have been well rewarded,, states the Christchurch "Press." A well-known doctor opened the ball in the Hurunui last week, catching five splendid specimens weigh-" ing up to 181b, and losing a sixth. These fish were in excellent condition, and were taken within half a mije of 'he mouth of the river on a soleskin minnow. Two Christchurch anglers, fishing in the Eangitata, bagged 14 quinnat in two" days, the weights on this occasion running up to 19£lb. Numerous other catches of ones and twos are ■ reported from this river, and also from the Waitaki. Up to the past few days thera. has been a strong scour on the south, bank of the Eakaia, with a result that the river has beep, unfishable. Two or three ods quinnat were taken, and on Friday advice was received of a bag of eight, the informant adding that thp river was in splendid order. With the exception of an .odd fish, very fpw r catches are reported frpm the Waimakariri. This is strange, in view of the abundance of quinnat. which may be seen "porpoising" about between Stew? art's Gully and Kairajri.

Anglers generally were astonished at the catch reported from Russell as having been made last week by a party of Au.ckland.ers, for it surpassed "anything that had previously been recorded from the waters of the £iotth, state? the Auckland "Star." Jit.transpires that ohe fish were "phantom" fish, and-the report was possibly inspired by the illluck of the party. They did get one large mako shark alongside, but in its struggles the thick line became wrapped around its body and the hook was de--tached. Although it wae brought alongside "and shot, on the line becoming- unwound the fish sank. Much to the chagrin .of these anglers, another party soiri.e twenty-five yards away hooked a swordfish. It provided good sport for some twenty minutes before being captured two miles from the' gpot near Capg Brett where is was originally hopjeed. It is considered that this' was a "sick" fish and consequently did not sbow the strenuous and prolonged fight usually associated with the capture of swordfish. The weather has not been overfavourable |or tyg Eearfishipg in . tho north for the past tow but farther' south, off Tjauianga there has been a different pale ti> tell.

The suggestion vt>' recently made at the Engineers' Conference that the corrosion of the pipes carving the-water from Lake Takaptma, the soare© of iha North Shore watep- supply, was ixte to' the action of bacteria, states ti» "New Zealand, Herald." This is not borne out. by bacteriological investigations tL'-t have recently been undertaken. Disusing the matter on Monday, Dr. J 4 Boyd, of the Government, Health Departs ment, stated that tile investigationß disclosed that while the .corrosion gays greater trouble at North Shore, it wa» a common difficulty in the water systems on both sides of the harbour. It tad been established tjjat the 'cojTOsipii was diie to the a-ctjon of carbon dioxide on the surface of the pipes. Examinat'on. of badly-corroded pipes revealed that the material was mainly peroxide of iron. I'Jie .deposit was n,ot found in the resejr? vpir, or on anything but the iron surface. Specimens from the mains on both sides of the harbour were of a similar nature. There was no trace of iron bacteria or any other iron organisms, though such bacteria are known. £p exist in both tha water systems. The consistency and- appearance of the peroxide was different from that usually associated _ with iron bacteria, and indicated that it was the resujt of chemical act-jon.

The prospecting bore at Birchwood, Otago, has now reached a depth of 940 ft and is at present progressing through a hard sandstone'formation, states "Otago Daily Times." Two seams of excellent coal have been located; the first ona. was 12ft in thickness at 783 ft, and the second 28ft thick at 863 ft. Water and gas is met with in conjunction with each' coil seam, and these generally increase □afore the coal seam is actually touched. At present the gas is again increasing, and has now reached a stage which n? suits in a geyser of no mean order. Tha period of quietness is estimated at between 10 and 14 hour's, and that pf action of about half an houi-, during which, time the powers that be take control. The display generally begins by the ejection of considerable quantities t £ water, under low pressure^ in the form of columns, which gradually .increase i\ pressure untij.. they reach a, height oj: from 60ft to 100 ft above the surface. A period of from five to ten seconds separate each column of water, 'and thessi continue, to play nearly a quarterof ail hour at the maximum height, and then gradually recede and finally cease. It is noticed that in its final stages a considerable quantity of a dark, oily substance is ejected.

Beference-s to the services rendered to the' Petone" West School by Mr. W. H. : Shardlow, who is leaving for a tour to the Australian States, was made at th« monthly meeeting of the committee. Mr. Shardlow has been associated with tha committee's activities since the inception of the school, having at different periods served as chairman and secretary.

A shipment of College Hats for Girls lias just arrived at Kirkcaldie and Stains, Ltd. Wide brims, in four qualities, smart appearance, excellent finish. Sizes, 6|.'6J,'6J, and 7. Prices, 7s lid, 10s jsd, '12s 6d, and W<? 6d.—Adyt.

Back to 21s and 25s for an Engliph Fur felt Hat, in smart shapes and bound edge. All colours. See th.enu Fpwlds'.s, Manners-st.^-Advt.

For sheer delicacy and richness, De. fiance butter is without rival. This week, Defiance butter grades 96 points out of the possible 100. Every groce; sells it. Learn- to say Defianije syerj^ time you want butter.—Advt.

ftliiliojis. of packets of Norrabbing Laundry Help sold to grocers last year s Truly nothing succesdo like saccses.—i Advi. ' - '.

Efficiency te order of the day. Coughs and oolds impair efficiency an^ heallh. If you get a cough or cold, talc Bonnington's Irish Moss and remain efficient. Is 6d, 2s 6d. Avpid imitetioni, —Advt. ' ' . ■ ■