Local and General

Gisborne Times, Volume LX, Issue 9723, 5 June 1924, Page 4

Local and General

, The intended visit to Gisborne of Brigadier-General A. W. Andrew, Chief Commissioner of the Boy Scouts, has been indefinitely postponed.

At the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Mr. E. C. Lewcy, SAL, gave judgment by default for the,Gisborne Garage for £145 19s 2d and costs amounting to £7 10s Od in an undefended action against Thomas Lunam.

The Auckland Education Board au r thorised the llotorua School Committee to introduce the Nelson system of Bible reading. The matter was of about four years’ standing, the Board previously declining permission. The present decision is the result of a resolution by parents of scholars. —P.A. Information has been received by the district representative, Mr. Max R. Fry, that the Now Zealand Olympic Games Association’s art union, which was to have been drawn on' April 30, has been extended till July 31, the draw being made on that date.

Charged with driving motor-cars on the wrong side of the road,’ A. Silverwood and Fred. Hall, junior, were each fined £1 and costs by Mr. E. C. Levvcy. S.M., in the Police Court yesterday.' It was stated that both motorists had passed tramcars on the wrong side. , At the meeting Of the Auckland Licensing' Oommit-tee yesterday, the chairman (Mr. Outten. S.M.) expressed extreme disapproval of allowing women to drink in hotels. The license of the Anchor Hotel, which is being removed in connection with the piogfess of the City Square scheme, has been transferred to (Jargon private hotel, in the. Crescent. —P.A.

The largest crocodile in fho London Zoo is about fourteen feet in length. It is approaching ninety. years of age.

Innkeepers are being trained in cookery and in the licensing laws at a special “school” recently established in London. »

Whitebait in winter is an imusual event, yet these delectable little fish have been caught within the last few days in the creeks branching off the Wangiyiui River. Their extraordinary appearance is regarded by some natives as an indication of an. early spring.

Reports are current _ that ostriches j soon will be seen at Vincennes race- j course in light two-wheel car race. Sf. j Some 50 fleet birds —said to. be able to outrun the fleetest trotters—are to 1 be sent over from South Africa. Women.' it is asserted, will not .bo per- j mitted to.pat the.darlings lest they i bo. temnted to pull out a feather or j two. * i

The rubber ball‘in which Mr Bobby : Leach intends to make a trip over i the Horshoe Falls will be of the ; thickness of an ordinary large motor- : ear tyre, and will have a hammock ] inside, in which he. will recline. The ball will be placed in the water a few hundred feet above the falls on the Canadian side, and bo believes that it will clear the great cascade and land safely in the river below. j

Models are being made of the Queen’s dolls’ house in' china, wood, cardboard, and metal, and in all sizes, so that every child will he able to obtain one. These are to be made by the Cauldon Potteries, at Stoke-on-Trent to whom the trustees of the Queen’s dolls’ house have assigned the rights of .'reproduction, under an arrangement by which the Queen’s charities will considerably benefit.

Tho Holy Trinity Young Men’s Club’s annual dance, which was held in the City Hall on Tuesday evening, proved a most successful function. The hall had been tastcfiflly decorated and when over 150 couples took the floor it presented a very attractive appearance. Messrs. It. Newman and O. Hawkins capably filled the position of M’s.C. Excellent music f >vas supplied by McMullen’s orchestra. During the evening supper, provided by mom bet’s of the Club, assisted by the Holy Trinity Girls’ Club, was served. Extras were played during the evening by Misses Grant and L. Wheeler.

At the annual meeting of the South Island Dairy Association at Dunedin yesterday, Mr. Middleton, the chairman referred to the future, lie said there were not very bright, prospects for dairy produce prices. He warned producers against being hasty in turning from dairying to sheep, tempted by the high wool prices. He added that dairymen were now seeking to minimise the reduction of profits by improved marketing, but should turn their attention to an improved yield of butter-fat. The present average, 1751bs per cow, was not creditable. Press Assn.

, ! Mr. Wilford gave an address m Die i Auckland Town Hall last night in ; continuation of the Liberal-Labor , campaign. There was a large audience which gave linn a .sympathetic bearing, though there -were a good many interjections, obviously from Labor supporters. The address was , on the lines of his recent speech at Napier, dealing mainly with the need.: for economy, agricultural hanks, a State Bank and settlement. • A motion expressing confidence in the Lib- : oral party and Mr. Wilford as its loader was declared carried amid cheers and counter-cheers. Dr. W. H. Horton presided. —P.A. j

A deputation representing poultry interests asked Mr. [Massey at Dunedin yesterday for a subsidy against loss on future shipments of eggs to j England, and to use his ' influence. with the shipping companies for a re- 1 Auction of freight. Mr. Massey said ; there was great room for-the devcl-, opment of the industry, and he ad- ! vised poultry farmers to grow more food for fowls, and not rely upon the shopkeeper for wheat! He was anx- j ions to see the export trade in eggs ! increased, and hoped that shipping companies would help to meet . the competition. He could not promise a j subsidy.-—Press Assn. ;

“One fee for everybody,and those : that can’t pay. let them off,” is the j Mayor of Riccarton’s idea of how a . public hospital should be run ' (states • the Christchurch Press). A proposal from the Waipawa County l Council ; “to increase hospital revenue . by j higher charges to those who are in a , position to pay fees more in accord ; with those ruling at private hospi- i tals,” was received at the meeting of the Riccarton Borough Council, and .< it was adversely commented on. “We j don’t want class distinction in the j hospitals,” said the Mayor; “its 1 been kept out son far.” On the motion!; of Councillor Steere. it' was decided ! that the Council was unable to j endorse the resolution, and that class ; distinction was a thiim to bo avoided. ;

What is generally considered as one ' of the most enjoyable kororcs held by ; the Gisborne Savage Club took place ; in the City Hall last evening, when ; about 300 ” members were present. ! Savage Packe was in the chair and j was supported by Savage H. E. j Bright. The hall was b’eautifuljy dec- i orated with hundreds of colored streamers' from a central dome, from : which was suspended scores of colored : balloons. The members of the Hum- ' plirey Bishop company were the: guests of the club, and contributed , many items, individually and collec- j . tivelV, the male quartet being accord- ! od a most enthusiastic reception with j their ragtime numbers. In addition to items by the visitors, a well-varied ; programme of instrumental, vocal and 1 elocutionary -numbers was contributed , by members of the club, the selections by the orchestra being amongst the , most popular items of the night. j The Gaiety Skating Rink should be . crowded to excess this evening on the j occasion of the first fancy dress oar- ; nival since the rink was opened. ; Yesterday the management spent; considerable time in decorating the j rink, which should present a very _ at- ; tractive appearance. The carnival will commence; to-night n’t 7.30, and | .all skaters must be in fancy dress, j Prizes, to be decided by the audience, > will be awarded for the most graceful j couple, best fancy dress, most origin'- i al fancy dress and most- original hu- i morons fancy dress. To-morrow the i children will have their fancy dress! carnival, for no children- will be al- j lowed on the floor this evening. At; 9.30 p.m. to-morrow adults,' who need j not be in fancy costume will be al- j lowed on the floor. Spectators will, •of course, he admitted to the Rink on • each carnival night. It should be no- j ted that both to-night and to-morrow night are “Iona: nights.” This evening the City Band will march from Peel Street to the Skating Rink. The heavy seas caused by the strong southerly winds during the past few, days have alleviated the position at the harbor entrance. The outer por- | tion of the sandbank at the entrance ! has been washed away Soundings J wore taken at .the entrance yester- | da.y morning by the Harbormaster (Captain A. Carson) and it was ascer- ! tained that the portion of the bank j which overlapped the breakwater had practically disappeared, there now l be- j ing from 10 to 12 feet of water where > only throe existed a week ago. liirside, however, there has been little or j no alteration, but the position is .now j not. nearly so serious, as the remain- j der of tlie silt deposit can bo dealt j with more -or less effectively by the ; dredging plant. The sea is still too j ’rough to permit- of dredging being j undertaken but as soon as conditions j moderate an immediate start will be ; made, and it is hoped to improve con- j ditions. considerably within a few days. In the meantime the state, of the sea still prevents the port being * worked.

It is estimated that the settlors at Kai Iwi got £2OO to £3OO worth of , post and. strainers as a result of the ■ flood in the Wanganui River during April. There was a lob of good totara amongst the timber cast *up on the | Kad Iwi beach. , The free and easy method of Maoris j was illustrated during the hearing of i 6, case at tho Auckland Magistrate’s j Court (states the Star). A Euro- 1 pean witness stated that when he \ went) home one night he found, a j young Maori * and his Life occupying j , fiis bed. Tho only reason for the j visit that was given was that they / were on their honeymoon. j “I have come from my house to ! your palace,” said Queen Victoria on ; her first visit to the then Duchess of' Sutherland ato Stafford House, now j Lancaster House, Stafford House was ; the largest and most magnificent j private houses in London, but it cost - the late Duke of Sutherland £20,000 f a year to keep u| . so he sold the re- j mainder of his Crown lease to Lord j . Leverhulme for £60,000, and Jxird i Levcrhulme gave it to the nation to j ; house the London Museum. j | A local resident had an unenviable : experience recently (says the Wanga- . nui Herald). He was sitting reading ■ ; under a light, when a small moth : flew into bis ear. Unsuccessful ate j ; tempts were made to probe the in- • [ trader out of the ear, but it buzzed j its way further in. Acting promptly, j the gentleman bad some oil poui’ed ■ I into the car, and the dying kicks of ; tho drowning moth were soon felt, j Had this not been -done, the moth would have broken the ear-drum, which is thinner than a cigarette paper. j I The new model wireless set which . lias been installed for the ’ King at j i Buchingham Palace is without a • 1 parallel in the world. One of the j most interesting departures from type : is the absence of aerial or “earth” j external, and the dispensing with a 1 frame receiver, as used in the majority of sets of the cabinet type. In its present form the set will only receive London, the reason being that it is desired to get the London programmes perfectly before nnvthipg further is done. j ■ The difficulties created* by local bodies attaching conditions to their . donations to the Herries Memorial : is holding up progress being made. | Reference was made to the matter at ; the meeting of the Te Aroha Borough j Council. The principal difficulty, the j Mayor said, was that the offers of I certain local bodies were made con- j tingent upon wliat other bodies were • doing. It was decided to recommend , the Herries Memorial Committee to ; seek definite offers free of conditions, i [it being understood'that the site i : would he in Te Aroha. I i “Are we to have an, early elec- . ’ tion?” That was a question very j often asked, remarked the Hon. R. F. j ; Bollard, [Minister for Internal Affairs, j t ex-Cffief Whip of his party. “I think j j that when the House settles down to . | work, although there may be a good: deal of opposition, an early election will not be wanted. Should a crucial j 1 vote be taken all the members of the Reform Party will be there, but there j will be some absent members of other ; parties. I don’t think .we will, have another election until 1925 —the I proper time.”

A great step forward to baffle automobile thieves has been taken in America. More difficult to counterfeit than money, according to the insurance underwriters, the new safety-plate, approved by the underwriters, will reduce insurance rates 20 per cent, it is said. The plates will' be coined in a mint in New Jersey and may be attached to motor and frame of automobiles with a perfected holder which makes impossible its removal under any circumstances. Motor and frame number along with trademark or car, is imprinted in the scroll work of a steel plate. It will make unsaleable any car taken by . thieves, for its ownership can be easily traced and any effort to tamper with the platewill be very noticeable.

A good example of answering a question conclusively by asking another was given at a conference . of collie dog clubs’ delegates in Christchurch. “Who is the competitor, the man who owns the dog or the man who works it in the ring?” asked a delegate. “'Or to put it another wav: If you own a racehorse and send it to a meeting with a jockey, who is the competitor the owner or the jockey. Sir Thomas Lipton is a yacht owner, but is be or the man in charge 1 the competitor in a yacht race?” The chairman (Mr H. T. Little): “I’ll answer that in this way. If I own two dogs and allow, another man to work them in the ring, who pays the damages if those dogs. later worry sheep?’ (Laughter). “You’ve answered it,” replied the first questioner. “An Englishwoman of peculiar sensitiveness has for many years pastbeen able to report almost every earthquake in all parts of the world before anv news comes in” writes Professor H. IT. Turner in the Quart-

erly Review. “She suffers from a curious nervous tension as though under the influence of electricity which alnjost incapacitates her while it lasts, but goes off suddenly. She has consulted several doctors, but none of them has been able to relieve her.” The woman had a “bad attack” on September 9 last year. On September 11 came news, of a considerable shock in India two days previously. “The testimony is unexceptionable and indicates a but of iuquirv which has hitherto not been explored. It may supply unsuspected information both to seismology and to physiology.’^

The excavations under t-lie. Bank of New Zealand have resulted in an old three-legged iron pot being dug up from the bed of the old Ligar Canal, at a depth of about thirty feet under the present level of the. street (saVs tlie Auckland Star). It is a veritable antique in its present condition, being richly encrusted with black sea mud, and the smell is akin to that of the waterfront when the tide is out. In t-he early days these three-legged iron

pots were in common use, and sett piers’ wives could cook fine meals in them by means of a fire underneath and burning wood .on the lid. These pots used to be called “Go A shores.” There is a legend that when Captain Cook was in New Zealand waters some Maoris crowded on the dork and were greatly attracted by one of these three-legged iron pots. The Captain wanted to clear the deck of . his visitors and shouted “Go Ashore,” at the same -time throwing the pot overboard. This rapidly cleared the deck, ar.'d tlie Maoris took “Go Ashore” to be the name of the cooking vessel.