LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Issue 59, 10 March 1924, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Queen Carnival at New Plymouth concluded on Saturday and resulted in £2500 being raised "for Pukekura Park.—Press Association

An old boar which was put up for auction at a, clearing sale in. the Ashburton district evidently was noo wanted by any of the stockmen present (relates the "Guardian"). The auctioneer could not get a bid, not even a sixpenny one. Finally he pulled out a £1 note and.planted it on the pig's back. "Now, gentlemen," he said, "what will you give' me for the lot?" -The boar and the note wore sold for 18s.

The danger of a person handling the telescopic rails between carriages when the speed of the train is being changed was emphasised by a particularly painful accident which occurred on a Lower Hutt train as it was slowing up at Lambton Station on Thursday. A boy, passing from one carriage to the other' grasped the side-rail to steady himself and as the train eased up the rail telescoped and cut the tops off two of his fingers.

"Macrocarpa fences are one of the worst institutions in this town," deCi ia£l d the chairman °f the Advance Ashburton Association {Mr. A A Jl'Donald). There was always a great danger of fire. An example of this had been afforded a week or two ago, when a fire near the hospital spread from hedge to hedge, and without the services of the brigade would have burned probably a great portion of the western side of the town.'

A public meeting, to be presided over by the Mayor, Mr. R. A. Wright, is to be held in the Council Chamber, Town Hall, at 8 o'clock this evening to make .arrangements for-the entertainment of the officers and men of the British Spe%nl Service Squadron, which will arrive at Wellington about 24th April. Citizens desirous of assisting and of making suggestions for the entertainment of the naval visitors are cordially invited by the Mayor to attend the meeting.

According to a Press Association message, a deputation representing trade union organisations waited on Mr. J. Nash, M.P., at Palmerston North, on Saturday, to protest against the continuance of the wheat subsidy before the Government met and approved it. The spokesman said public opinion was against it, and referred to the resolution carried by a trades union meeting opposing any further subsidy. Mr. Nash promised to have the resolution submitted to the proper quarter.

_only one question -was put. to Mr. H. E. Holland after his meeting at the Blenheim Town Hall. It inquired the Labour Party's opinions as to permitting persons. convicted of- crime to go on racecourses.' Mr. Holland indicated that his party would always fight to take out of the hands of the Racing Conference the power to punish a man without trial. • A person who had been-convicted of a' crime and had been punished should not again be punished for the same offence.

An interesting point with regard to the length of time the Maoris have been in New Zealand was made by a Wanganui resident the other day in the course of a discussion upon the subject (says the "Herald"). He mentioned that a few years ago, when working in.the bush in the South Island, he came across the remains. of a fire, also two small stone axes, under a tree, which, according to its rings, was estimated to be over 850 years of age. The oldest tree in the forest was 1500 years. • The evil, which would result from the present epidemic of ship desertions being allowed to continue was stressed by Mr C. R. Orr-Walker, S.M., at the Magistrate's- Court, when he was dealing with a saman named John Cooney, who admitted that he was absent without leave from the steamer Essex. The' country, said the Bench, was being saddled with this class.of man who was quite ready to serve-"the maximum sentence, fourteen days, for the privilege of remaining here. Men signed on in England for the round trip, and when they deserted in New Zealand it was not known whether they were of a desirable type, or if they had records of convictions. For this reason the work of the Police Force was made all the more difficult. All he had power to do in the present case, however, was to sentence the accused to the maximum provided by the Act, fourteen days' imprisonment.

A Wairarapa farmer, Mr. A. M'Donald, in giving evidence in the Supreme Court at Master-ton, said that the copious rains which had recently fallen had unfortunately come "a bit too late." The Chief Justice: "I understand that many farmers in the Wairarapa had to soil their sheep at a . considerable decrease in value for want of feed." The matter before bis Honour was a petition for maintenance against the settler, who averred that the losses incurred by him as a result of the drought made it impossible to meet his wife's monetary demands. Another witness .said that, there had been a noticeable improvement since the rains, and that the outlook for the present year were decidedly hopeful. As illustrating a few of the difficulties experienced by Wairarapa farmers, witness said that one farmer had sent his stock as far as Feilding, to be disposed of at a disappointing figure.

About 5.30 o'clock on Saturday afternoon a young man made away with ■ a case o£ peaches from a fruiterer's in Courtenay place. His action was observed by the proprietor, who gave chase, and ultimately recovered the fruit, but not- without some trouble. This morning Albert Spurning Denton appeared before Mr. C. R. Orr-Walker, S.M., to answer the 'charge of the theft of the peaches. It was stated that alter the fruit has been recovered, the accused, in company with a ship-mate, went into dining-rooms in Dixon street, and while lie was there he was arrested, by Constable Shirley. His companion took exception to the constable's entry, and threw a plate of food at the representative of the law. Fortunately the plate missed the constable, but t-ho contents went over the pantrymaid. As a result of that incident John O'Brien answered the charge this morning of as-saulting-Constable Shirley.in the execution of his duty. Both accused were remanded till to-morrow morning for sentence.

Judging hy common talk Jean of Arc's big ball for everybody to-morrow nio-lit is going to be a big affair. We are showing new and Beautiful Bail Breves" .U. vot-y ooenomicml prices, Kirkculdie

The Postal authorities have received cable advice that the Waikawa left Newcastle/on the Bth instant for Wellington. She_ carries 34 bags of mail from Australia and five from the East.

The dispute which arose this year over the date, of the Lyttelton waterEiders picnic will be ventilated in the Courts. The picnic was originally set down for 23rd January, as provided in the award, but, that day being wet, the picnic was held on Monday, 28th January, on which day no work was done on the wharves. The Labour Department will now take action against the Lyttelton Watersiders' Union for "a breach ot the award in respect to rendering the work of the port idle on Monday, 28th January, the day of the picnic, seeing that such picnic should, according to the award, have; been held on the preceding Wednesday, the award providing that 2ord January should be observed as the picnic day, wet or dry" (states the ' Lyttelton Times"). The hearing is set down for 26th March at Lyttelton