LOCAL AND GENERAL

Feilding Star, Volume 11, Issue 4181, 2 March 1934, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The oldest large building in the world is the Step Pyramid in Egypt, estimated to be 6000 years old.

In 1932 Britain spent £232,500,000 on alcoholic beverages, a decrease of £27 millions on the previous year.

Of the 40 million persons living in South America at least 30 million are Indians, negroes or half-breeds.

At Jerusalem on the Wanganui river there is an area of 40 acres of cherry trees.

A Southampton firm recently had on exhibition a collection of nearly 16,000 different types of match box tops.

February was the wettest month on record in Auckland, being' 8.17 inches- Out of the 28 days there was rain on 19.

Germany is sending- England fewer toys. In 1930 Britain’s imports of toys from that country were worth £2,212,000; in 1932 they had* fallen to liftle more than ,£750,000.

In his address at the opening session of the Rotary Conference in New Plymouth Dr. Fong Foo Sec of Shanghai said a speech could be likened to a woman’s dress. If should be short enough to be interesting and long enough to cover the subject. (Laughter).

Saying that he dfid not know his name, where he comes from and whether he is married or single, a well dressed man of about 25 walked up to a policeman on Brighton sands one morning recently. On his finger was a gold signet ring with the initials C.E.A., and a return half of a railway ticket from Derby was in one of his pockets.

A case of black leg, a disease in stock which created great loss on Taranaki farms 25 to 30 years ago, occurred recently at the- hospital farm in Hawera. The animal offected was a healthy calf ? whcih was destroyed immediately by order of the Department of Agriculture and steps taken to prevent the spread of the disease.

An extensive programme for the improvement of the general standard of the roads in the district under its control is being drawn up by the Hawke’s Bay County Council. It proposes, provided it has the approval and assistance of the Main Highways Board, to undertake the bitu-men-sealing of 60 miles of roadway, according* to a five year plan, 12 miles to be done each year.

Culloden or Drummoise Moor, where Prnce Charlie suffered a defeat which finally extinguished the hopes of the house of Stuart, lies about six miles from Inverness. A monumental cairn indicates where part of the conflict took place, and a larg'e- boulder-stone marks where the Duke of Cumberland took up his position. The number of Highlanders seen in the battle was about 1000.

Advice was received at the. meeting of the Manawatu-Oroua River Board/ that the board’s request for an allocation from the proceeds of one of the .£4OOO art unions, to enable it to liquidate its debt of £778 2s due to the department in connection with the costs of the Commission set up to go into the quesion of the control of the Manawafu river in 1926, had been declined

How long may a bank cheque be held and still bo negotiable? We venture to say that if asked this question few people could immediately supply the correct answer. We know (remarks the Waikato Independent) because we have put the query to a practical test. Our representative went out ia the town and had to put the question to several business people before he received the correct answer—six months-

A story concerning a wearisome speaker was told by Dr. Fong Foo Sec. It was at the Shanghai Rotary Club. The speaker had delivered a boring address- One man, sitting between the president and the speaker, went to sleep. The president, anxious that the club should show no discourtesy, tapped! him on the head with his gavel. However, the man went to sleep again. The president used his gavel with greater force. The sleeper blinked for a minute and then said(: “Hit me harder, next time—l can still hear him!”