LOCAL AND GENERAL

Feilding Star, Volume 3, Issue 553, 30 December 1925, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Sta r wil 1 noff be published next Friday, New Year’s Day, hut will lie issued on Saturday, as usual.

“Auckland the loveliest; Wellington the ; liveleist; Dunedin the wisest" Christchurch the best.”—The Hon. W. P. Reeves.

Warsop, in Nottinghamshire, has still i n . use a two-manual fife engine which dates back' to 1842.

The Shag Point coalmine in Otago, which had bee if closed down for some time, has resumed operations.

In 20 years the local bodies of the Dominion’ have quadrupled their net debt. In l 90 5: the net debt was £lO,626,687, and bn March 31, 1924, it was £40,929,813. . ’ ,

Platinum is found in Southland, hut only in small quantities.

At Puhipuhi, 28 miles north of Whangarei, there is quite a quantity of quicksilver.

In a replace advertisement,on page 7, Simson’s, the well known outfitters, have an announcement of interest to men.

A resident of, Newport, U'.S.A., writing to a friend.' in New Zealand, said: “Poor Queen Alexandra ! We Americans loved her almost as well as you Britishers did. She was a woriderful woman—and the grandmother of “our” Prince of Wales 1”

A painful accident befel a little girl whose parents reside in Harrison street, Wanganui,'on Boxing Day, when she was playing in tlie chi!-; dren’s play ground at Gonville. She was struck on tlie head by a swing,; and injuries necessitating medical ■attention were inflicted. Tlie child was removed to her home, where she is progressing- as favou rably as possible. ;

“Are you tlie Governor” asked a youngster of five years, as he walked up to Sir Charles Fergusson at Grey mouth. “Yes,” admitted Sir, Charles, smiling ‘'encouragingly'. “Well,” said the questioner, “my‘father works on the railway,'.-tun v< are going to be transferred soon. Good-

bye, Governor! Merry Christmas!”

Hamilton (says an exchange)■»presents'a good example of a town that has outgrown itself and in consequence it is feeling the pinch. A noteworthy feature about Waikato’s chief town is tlie large number of empty: residences. Three years ago an empty house was an almost unheard of thing; to-day there are many dwellings vacant.

Speaking to a Tailtape Timqs reporter an enthusiastic angler said he had made three trips to Tokaanu this season, and had landed only one seven-pounder. “I have seen hundreds of big fellows lying lazily on the bottom of pools and in the lake but they are not rising. But they'Nvill next month, and then T’ll get my share of them,T’ll hot.”

While bidding adieu to a friend on tlie Limited express at Auckland the other evening, a lady tarried over long and became an unwilling passenger to 1 Frank ton. Tt was not till ; the first express arrived at the latter place from Wellingon that the lady was able to take train again for her home in Auckland.

Discussing howls, Air Wright, captain of the big team now touring New Zealand said the British team did not profess to include the cream of English howlers. They had some good players with them, but the majority were out for a holiday with bowls as a well loved side line. The Auckland players, he considered, were' exceedingly keen, and had nothing to learn about the game. Aggression appeared

to ho their watchword, and they seem ed to specialise in fast pla.V- The visitors relied more on the draw and what might be termed the conventional game.

A drover, Mr Kelly, had a miraculous escape from, a serious accident while crossing the railway line about half-a-mile south ol Oran' (South Canterbury) a few days ago. He was driving a horse in a sulky and leading another horse, also attached to a sulky, when the evening train from Ashburton ran into the horse that was being led. The animal'had one foot cut off, and was otherwise cut about. r Phe horse was destroyed shortly after the*,accident. The vehicle was damaged considerably.

That electricity is put to certain uses no( generally known was insianeed at the Cambridge Power B< aid’s meeting. A certain district farmer had trouble hi keeping one of his cows in his padT-ok. He C‘ nceived the idea «>f running a wire round the fence ol an .enclosure and connecting tlm xviie, wth the rrsull that'when the ...ox*-' out toe* ndo Ih< fence she ciico*! u* "ed the woe, and received an electric shock. It

is said that the eow was speedily cored of her efforts to escape. PTet--17 risky!