Local and General.

Gisborne Times, Volume LVI, Issue 6318, 22 February 1922, Page 4

Local and General.

Several more donations have recently • been, ijiade ,to the Waikanae Beach Society, those not previously ackowledged being as follows: —A. F. Saunders, Muriwai, £5; Mrs Spence, 10s; “Jazz” 10s; M. S. Burgess, 11s; E. J. W., £1 2s, and J. W. Dunn £1 12s.

A general meeting of* the Waikanae IBpacii Society is to be held on Monday next ip. the Savage Club rooms. At the meeting a balance-sheet of the repent Carnival will be presentd, and' cfh.ep matters of vital interest will be discussed. All members are urged to attend.

To-morrow, commencing ..at- 1 p.m., Mr. -Fred Gray will at r Road, the contents 't(ir**Tliif.L 1 *ur-udshecl rooms on. Mr. T? Health Insjyxrffir, who has been trai&Sffiwed to Blenheim.***

While the Prime Minister is in Gisborne he will be approached by representatives of the Waikanae Beach Society regarding the securing of a tenuro of the land fronting the beach. This matter has been brought before other Ministers at different times, but so far nothing definite lias been done in the matter.

What's in ,a name? Truly might it be that the Invercargill Hibernian Band would bo called Wills's Band. There are five of the family in the organisation, T. Wills plays the soprano cornet, lit. B. Wills (cornet), A. N. Wills (trombone), W. M. Wills (tenor horn) and R. A. Wills (cornet). There is one man in Wanganui who during' the last seven years has almost invariably been.- on the common jury list, but he has nevbr sat on a case yet (says the Chronicle). He has been challenged on every occasion his name has been drawn from the ballot box, counsel on both sides using their prerogative.

A visit to Gisborne will be paid by (lie- War Pensions Appeal Board on March 9, and sittings will be hold here up to March 7. The Board is also to visit Tologa Bay on March 8 and Tokomam and Waipiro Bays jju March !). Mr. I). G. A. Cooper is chairman of the Board.

A move is being made in New Plymouth to appoint a paid secretary for the various sporting societies, instead of a multiplicity of honorary secretaries. The idea is to have a central •sports bureau whence the various •sporting interests can be focussed and managed. I'he mystery surrounding an “ assault” on a youth, aged 19, who was found in a street off Quay Street, Auckland, one day recently at about 2.30 a.m. in a dazed condition, with his hands tied behind ids back, has been solved by Ids confession that it was a hoax, and that lie was not attacked. a

The immense benefit of recent rains to Southern Hawke’s Bay is illustrated by a sample of oats which has been forwarded to a local resident from Dannevirke. Towards the close of last year the crop, it -s placed, was \ er.v stunted and threatened to be very poor. It lias now been .--it am! liu* samples to hand show that :t: reached a height of sft Gin., with a -a! istad ory ‘'head ”

The final cf the Canterbury Club's champion rinks bowling competition was played between rinks skipped by T. Kirker and A. J. Benzie, formerly of Gisborne. On the eighth head Kirker was 17 and Benzie nil, but the latter then scored eight in three heads. Kirlccr, however, had too big a lead to be overtaken and on the twentietn head Hie score was —Kirker 25, Benzie 12, and Benzie then retired.

A milk cart was proceeding up Pell Street late yesterday afternoon when one of the shafts broke and the cart fell down, throwing a full milk can to til l-oadway. The driver jumped out and caught the horse before anything further than the waste of u few quarts of milk had resulted.

Journalistic amenities on the V. est Coast (Greymout h Star loquitur): Our evening contemporary, apparently not possessing the requisite time and cohesion among the members of its staff to run an annual picnic, compensates itself with a covert sneer at the outing run by this publication, by its appellation! of “Sunbeams.” We are proud of the designation, finding comfort in the fact that it is better to be "Sunbeams” than “Sunspots.”

Picking and packing of apples for the first export steamer is progressing apace in the Nelson orchards. The Wcslmwreland will carry the first lot of fruit, and is expected to take 15,000 cases. So far, about half this quantity has been sent to the inspection centres and passed as fulfilling the export requirements as to quality and packing. So far, the quality of the fruit coming forward is excellent. T lie varieties include Cox Orange, Worcesler-Pearman, Scarlet Pearinains, Dunns, and a line or two of Alfriston.

In tie Appropriation Act, the last measure to ho passed by Parliament, on Saturday, a cost-of-living bonus to superannuated servants is provided for on the following basis: To pensioners in necessitous circumstances in retiring allowance of less than £IOO pel annum a maximum, bonus of £4O. the banns in no case to bring tlie total to more than £100; to widows a maximum bonus of £2G. to, or on behalf of any child a maximum bonus of £2O. The bonus is not to bo taken into account in computing the income of any person receiving a pension under the Pensions Act, 1913.

There was almost a tragedy in the last davs of the Dominion tour of the New South Wales orchestra. Several members were engaged in Milling on tlio St. Hilda beach, Dunedin, and one of the bathing parly wlio went- out a good distance got into difficulties. A comrade closer in-shorn hurried to the life line but found it tangled, and some minutes were lost before be and another could go out with it. By that time the man in danger 'had been carried out aboutoooyds and bis rescuers, hod a difficult •task in reaching him. After a hard struggle and assisted by a heavy incoming wave, they succeeded in getting, him ashore lit lie the worse for his experience.

Arrangements have been made for 'the Canterbury (N.Z.) Aviation Company's he llavilaud limousine to leave for * Auckland on Saturday morning, weather permitting. The machine will he piloted by Captain Buckley, and will carry as passengers Messrs Stan. Nathan and George Anderson. On Friday the machine will bo used for carrying passengers to the Opotiki races. The small Avro machine leaves for Opotiki this morning if the weather is suitable, and will remain there, making passenger -flights until d riclay, when it .will return to Gisborne. Should the trip to Auckland eventuate, it will be the first occasion on which an aeroplane has made a non-stop flight from Gisborne to that city. Tl*Henri Verbrugghen, conductor of the New South Wales State Orchestra, told a New Zealand Times reporter that he liacl foreseen the result of thefirst two places awarded in the A grade test selection. He had told himself that the Waterside Workers' Band and tlio Woolstpn Band were two of the best entered for the contest, and he was not surprised when the result was announced. “Of course,” he remarked, “y-off .must not forget that the W ateiside Workers' Band had the advantage in that it had the services of imported players. One of them is a, veiy fine cornet-player, and lie makes a gieat difference in the general effect. But there is no doubt about it that, even taking that fact into consider ition, the Waterside Workers' Baud, and ot'heis competing at the contest, are veiy fino indeed.”

It is reported that Peter Binnie, the young- mail who disappeared last week • from the Coronation Hotel, was found in a Maori whare near Tatapouri on Friday night. Motor cars for the conveyance of the inmates of the' Children's Creche to the j Freezers' Picnic on Saturday were provided by Messrs. P. Vosp'er, S. Stein, and Hankins.

The Federated Master Plumbers' conference opened at Auckland yesterday. 'Plie delegates were welcomd by the Mayor, Remits were discussed in committee.—P,A.

At Dunedin yesterday, Frederick Huddleston was fined £25 for carrying on bockmaking- at. the Oamaru races. The police statement showed that he was new to the business. —P.A.

Yesterday at Invercargill ’ Harold James Hill, on two charges of arson in Winton district, was sentenced to seven years' reformative treatment. Mr. Justice Sim said that he was a dangerous young man to be at large.—P.A. A Wairoa telegram states that a halfcaste. Naki Hapi, died at the Nuliaka, Mission Hospital yesterday as the result of spinal injuries received on Saturday, during as 1 ix> on the /Public Works cutting near Nuliaka. lie was pinned against a truck.

Prior to the meeting of the Borough Council last evening the annual meetings of the Gisborne and Makaraka Domain Boards was held, the Boards comprising .members of the Council. The annual reports and balance-sheets were read and udpoted.

A circular letter was received by the Borough Council at its meeting last night from the director of the Queensland Forest Service, stating that the service was now supplying electric light and telegraph poles, and any class of hewn or sawn timber. It. was asked that the service be communicatew with when any further timber supplies were reciuirtd —The letter was received.

An indication of the way in which some, young fellows have been hit by the slump was given in a letter received by a Waikato local body from Mr .1. Thompson, who stated that through inability, to pay interest, rates, etc., they had been obliged to leave their farm near Te Rapa’: They held a sale, however, which did not realise the full amount of the bill of sale. Two days later they walked off the place, leaving between £I2OO and £I6OO Inland, every penny of which they had put into the farm in hard cash.

Thus Mr Hockley in the House: “The iion. member for Dunedin Central has taken up the cudgels on behalf of the lion, member for the Bay of Plenty over the northern counties petition for the amendment of the Gisborne Harbor Enabling Act, but that is quite unnecessary, for in this House the standing of the lion, member for honor and integrity requires no championing, and any lion, member suggesting any reflection on the member for the Bay of Plenty in that direction would be scorned and flouted, as lie would undoubtedly deserve to be."

The establishment of a depot for killing and dressing poultry and handling iish was advocated by the Mayor (Dr. Thacked, M.P.) at the Christchurch City Council meeting last week. “I would like the Abattoirs Committee to establish a depot for this purpose," he said. ‘‘lt would be on practically the same lines as our abattoirs for meat. By cool storage in a central depot people could, have poultry and everything killed m one place instead,of bringing it alive into the city. It is ridiculous to hound poultry out of tiie city and then bring live poultry back into it for the market."

A romantic task is occupying the French Academy. They have to award a prize for virtue from funds bequeathed to them by a rich spinster, Mdlle. Hunt. According to her will, this money prize has to be given every year to a beautiful girl who. disdaining the attractions of luxury dishonestly gaiiv etl, has preferred to live in modest retirement by her own work. Mdile. Huot has stipulated that the recipient of the prize must be pretty and lie in reduced circumstances after having been previously accustomed to a life of idle well-being, which any woman can command at the sacrifice of her good faith.

A Wellington telegram states "hat Mr. Duncan Alclnnes. who was in charge of the boat which drifted from Lyall Bay on Saturday night, and finally came ashore in Paliiser Bay on Sunday aiternoon, explains that ilietrouble arose through one of the oars and a rowlock breaking almost simultaneously. The boat was caught by the flowing tide and carried west to Torawliiti, where they had an anxious time in the "rip." Later, when the tide turned, they wore again swept through the Strait to the eastward, and managed to reach land’ 2-1 hours after they started from Lyall Bay on the fishing expedition.—P.A.

In connection with the recent bathing- fatality in the Waimata Hirer, it is reported that, several stretches of the river, notorious in the past for

'•pot-holes,” have become increasingly dangerous on account of the lodgment of silt in much heavier Quantities. A resident who, at: low tide. walked across the river on Sunday at a spot a little higher up than that at which the tragedy occurred, told a Times reporter that, although there was a fine bottom in the'cent"'' of the stream, the sides were in places feet deep in slime. He attributed the more unsatisfactory state of the river to the erection of the groynes in the Turangiumi.

Thus the Merc.-im He Gazette. “l’arliamenit lias closed, and so far the Government. has not remitted a single item of taxation, in fact the burdens have been increased and whatever economics Mr Massey has been-able to make, there has been no corresponding lifting of the weights which, like the old punishment inflicted upon persons charged with a criminal offence who refused to plead to the indictment .are crushing the life out of the people. The, session has been barren of results. no particularly useful legislation lias been passed, and valuable time has been lost by .the useless and dreary tactics of the Labor Party in contesting various sections of the Arbitration Act/’

The visit of the Verbrugghen Orchestra this year has not proved as successful from the financial point of view as the former, tour two years ago, and it: is problematical whether the Dominion will after all be favored with the annual festivals proposed by the Australian guarantors. The prospectus qf the orchestra guarantee fund published last month made it clear that the fund was merely established to assure the financial standing of the orchestra for the next three years, and emphasis was given to the fact that, the band was primarily an educational, arid not a profit-making institution. The guarantors-’ wish that annual visits should be raid to New Zealand was dependent on the orchestra being able to clear • expenses, and involve them in no loss. But the recent tour has resulted' in unfortunate losses, and. as was pointed out to a New Zealand Times representative by the conductor, M. Henri Verbrugghen, unless definite guarantees are made for the success of future tours, the ba-nd will not be able to undertake further trips across the Tasman, ■ <

At the-meeting of tiio Borough Council last evening the Deputy-Mayor said that a number of complaints had been made regarding pigeons roosting on roofs, and he asked if anthing could he done to overcome the nuisance. It was state,'! that the by-law required that pigeons should be kept in cages, -“lou had better show the by-law to the pigeons,” said Or. Bickford. Present indications are for moderate ■Co strong south-east winds hacking to northerlies in and northward of Cook Strait, northerlies prevailing and freshening elsewhere, dull misty conditions at times, with scattered rain lightly in the North Island and fair to cloudy weather in the South, b,ut with, increasing cloudiness for change following shortly. The barometer should be failing everywhere soon. »

"If you want to see a decent fire ‘in Gisborne you have to be mightly smart," commented an onlooker at the fire in Harris street yesterday. "The Fire Brigade gets to work so promptly that there is never much to see," he added. "I think the insurance companies must have the Brigade squared," remarked another spectator, both speakers unconsciously paying a tribute to the efficiency of the Brigade.

"Last autumn,” said Mr Hockley in the House, "I, in company with other members of Parliament, had the privilege of meeting quite a number of the leading public men in the counties of Waiapu and Uawa, and the conclusion we then they formed was that they were men who were shrewd, clearsighted, and knew their business; and it was felt that those districts were exceedingly fortunate in having men of that calibre to conduct their local aifairs.”

At the Supreme Court at Christchurch yesterday, Elvira Violet Elizabeth • Meaelem was awarded £SO damages for breach of promise against George llicbard Taylor, a motor mechanic in the Postal Department. The parties became engaged on January 1-5 last and on .January 17 defendant repudiated the contract in consequence of allegations concerning plaintiff contained in an anonymous letter received by him. —Press Assn.

The ringing of the fire-bell is invariably an indication for all traffic to turn in one direction, but it is seldom that there is such a procession as was occasioned by tire fire in Harris street during the luncheon hour yesterday. There was a general conveyance of traffic over Haiti bridge and up Wainui Load. A large majority were on bicycles and there were nearly two hundred of the vehicles in Harris street. The exciterunt, however, subsided as sjieedily as it began, and within half-an-hour the locality was practically deserted.

"Much less rain lias been experienced on the Coast than in Gisborn," said Mr. F. Wilkinson to a Times reporter yesterday.. He added that the Coast roads were still quite all right for motor traffic, though the same could not be said of file Gisborne-Wairoa road, which was much worse than it was this time last year. His company were not running cars over Wharerata Hill, and coaches would be put on the Ko-pua-Morere section to-morrow, and would be left on, probably for about a week.

The following list of donors to the Princess Mary wedding gift fund has been received by the treasurer of the Waikofiu County Council from Mr. J. L. Spence, manager of Waipaoa station M. Fitzgerald, L. Spence. \\ . Neil. W. Spillane, S. Fisher, T. Pearce, J. McConaehie, F. Eales, C. Steele, F. Anderson. S. Johnston, C. Owen. AN . Hfarris, P. Fisher, F. Fitzgerald. J. Lloyd, C. Atkins, A. McLean. E. Cooper, K. Norris, Mrs. H. Fitzgerald. Miss Finlayson, 11. Fitzgerald, B. litzgerald, Miss M. Fitzgerald.

Since the beginning cf the present week. Mr. W. if. Bayly. secretary of the local branch of the Farmers’ lnion has been making an extended tour of "the outlying districts for the purpose of reviewing dormant- branches and soliciting new membership. Yesterday he visited the Tahunga district, and will, if conditions,, permit, probably return to Gisborne either to-day or to-morrow. In accordance with the advice of the Dominion organiser, Mr. Poison, it is now generally recognised tliat it is necessary to get into personal touch with farmers if their interest is to be sustained, and this principle the local provincial executive is now acting upon.

In connection, with the Prime Minister's -visit to Poverty Bay next month. Mr. X. S. Williams, M.P.. received a telegram last night from Mr. Massey, accepting with pleasure Mr. V iiliams invitation to spend Sunday night. March 5, at his home, and agreeing to fall in with his suggestions regarding the programme for the tour. This, it was pointed out. however, was subject to the necessity for Mr. Massey to reach Opotiki on Wednesday afternoon, in order to enable him to carry out his engagements at To Puke the following day. The message continued that Mr. Massey understood that ho was to get back to Gisborne from Tologa Bay on Tuesday night, March 7.

"Downing Street is a good-deal perturbed,” writes a London correspondent, •‘about the difficulty of finding governors for the States of the overseas Dominions sufficiently wealthy to be able to bear the burden of taxation, and it is possible that, when the session opens, it may be thought .well to appoint a small committee to look into the whole question. This plan would have the advantage of getting on record the views of Dominion statesmen on the subject, for it is pretty well known that some of them incline to the opinion that it is unnecessary to send out governors from Home except in the case of the greatest "posts, such as Canada. South Africa. Australia, and New Zealand. Sooner or later this matter will have to be gone into, and the present seems rather a. favorable moment.”

“What I want is a camouflaged -car." said the ranger when reporting fo the Horowlienua County Council. His* trouble, he said, was that people wi'.o al-

lowed their stock to' stray on the roads knew his car, and whenever he passed a house it seemed that the telephone was requisitioned to warn the neighbors that the ranger was on the road. “What am I to dor" lie asked, “for when I pass along the roads there is not a sign of a stray animal of any description. The other day I went to Palmerston. North by a circuitous route and, I thought I would catch some offenders by surprise. But I had the same experience as usual—not a stray cow or horse on the road. Next day I went out in a borrowed ear and quite a number of offenders will be prosecuted.

An enthusiastic meeting of the musical organisation known as the “Waikanae Beach Buzzers” was held last night when about. thirty members wore present. The following officers were elected: —President, Mr. T. Adair; chairman, Mir. H. Cato; lion., secretary and treasurer, Mr. D. M. Graeie: committee, Messrs. 11. Armstrong. ,T. McDonald, Stark Lawrie, J. Tait, and L. Cato. It was decided to hold a series of concert parties in town and country in aid of the Waikanne Beach, the funds accruing from tliem to bo earmarked to' assist in building a concert and dance pavilion on the beach. It is intended to start operations in about a fortnight’s time, when the company will commence with twenty-five performers. One of the aims of the organisation is to popularise community singing.

j On Mcndy night the Gisborne Tent I No. 54 1.0. R. held a very successful 1 night in their new Tent rooms, Oddfellows' Hall, Derby street. After the usual business of the evening was finished, the installation of officers for ' the next term was carried out by Bro. W. Waldock, P-C.IL, as follows: Chief Huler, Sis. Huberts; Past Chief Ruler, Sis. J. Coleman; Deputy Euler, Bro. P. T. Walker; Guardian, Bro. Reid; Levite, Bro. Bird; Steward, Bro. Edwards; Treasurer, Bro. Lancaster; Trustees, Bros. A. Sawyer, Waldock, and Ilastie; Auditors, Bros. Pooland Edwards; Superintendent of Juveniles, Bro. Lancaster; Assistant Secretary, Bro. A. Pool; Secretary, Bro. Clark. Bro. Coleman, P.C.R., was nominated for District Deputy Ruler. The various funds of the Tent show a good increase on the year's working. The meeting was closed by the Chief Ruler, Bro. Walker.