LOCAL & GENERAL

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 10475, 4 January 1928, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL

The Sydney CS'vic 'Commission was sworn in yesterday and took, over control of the municipal affairs of Sydney.—U.P.A.

The Gisborne water supply is to be cut off in town to-day, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. whilst repairs arc effected to the .pipeline.

Vital statistics for Opotiki for 1927 are as follow, last'year’s figures being-given in parentheses : Births 70, (70); deaths 02 (30); marriages, 20 (20).— -Special. '

The South Island two-mile' cycle championship'was won by W. Macltie (Christchurch), with \V. Willmott ‘Timaru) second, and P. O’Shea (Christchurch) third, time 4mm. 42 4-osec. In the dancihg section the Ghillie Galium: South Island championship and the Highland Reel N.Z. championship were both won bv H. McKay.—P. A.

There has been a very healthy demand from outside for cattle of all classes, ‘more particularly for steers for fattening purposes. So far little business is reported, and the Poverty Bay- farmers appear to have no inclination to sell at the' present juncture, even although in most cases the offers are stated to be tempting,

In connection with the statement that P. Coleman scratch rider in the Gisborne Open Handicap at- the motor-cycle sports on Monday got away a minute before his time, the starter, Mr. W. Thomas, states that the rider was despatched only twelve seconds in advance ol : his handicap.

The comet, which suddenly appeared a week or two ago, has disappeared from the view of those in the Southern Hemisphere and is now a source of interest to people in the Northern Hemisphere. At the present time it is in a part of the sky not visible in New Zealand after sunset, being somewhere to the north of the star known as Alpha Aquila, As the comet is rapidly moving north it is, exceedingly doubtful-if. we shall see it again. *.

A search party patrolled the Waikanae and Kaiti andi Wainui beaches yesterday in. search of the body of Patrick JRoff, who was washed over the diversion wall on Monday and drowned, but up to late last- evening the search, wae fruitless. The sea is still very rough and waves are breaking almost 20 feet.v over the wall. Owing to the heavy seas no boats ventured out in search yesterday.

At present there are two lots of Poverty Bay sheep on the road southwards, one of wethers going to Taihape, while 2000' two-tooohs are going to Hawke’s Bay. A start to drive 12,000. breeding ewes to the Waikato will be made to-morrow morning, this line to be divided into three lots for the convenience of droving and feeding on the way. It is reported also that there will not be so many sheep shipped to the South Island this year as last, when 100,000 were consigned.

Second class mail was carried overland by the mail service contractors to the Post Oilicc lor the first time on Monday. To cope with this business, the contractors, the De Lux© Motor Service Co., have put on a lorry, and for the initial trip from Gisborne in the morning a heavy load was carried, probably as the. result of an accumulation of matter at the close cf last week. The afternoon mail from Gisborne and the night service from Napier is now in charge of the Hawke’s Hav Motor Co.

Hull telephone operators have hit upon a novel means of pacifying those who have ■ expressed what is after al] a very human exasperation on being given the wrong number. They have started a dance club which is known as the ’Wiong Number Club,” and have extended a general invitation to subscribers to “dance with the girls who cut you oil'.” The Lord Mayor attended the first iunci on, but whether he come in las ci.dc capacity or '.imply me an infuriated subscriber is not stated. A special invitation has been extended to the subscriber who holds the record for complaints against the service, and his graceful acceptance is regarded ns a triumph.

Since the. advent of daylight. sav«ing. upwards of 20 old subsen >crs to the Ashburton public library have failed to renew their subscriptions. This is accounted tor bv the fact that the extra hour of daylight is taken up' in outdoor pursuits and rv the time artificial lights are required indoors the evening is so far advanced that reading is almost out of the question. Those who have deserted the library list are not all late additions, but have been connected with it for many years. They, of course, are expected to join again when the clock'is put back.

A cow. in Chillicothe, Missouri,.is* particular who milks her, and as a result she was milked twice daily in the presence of a Court jury. When Judge W. H. Utz,' of St. Joseph came’ to sit in a bank failure case he found one juryman who wanted to be released because his cow would permit no one else to milk her. Judge Utz, wanting to keep the jury intact, rose to the occasion. Every morning and evening the jurors, in charge of the sheriff, marched to the ono juror’s homo, five, blocks from the courthouse, and stood by while the cow was milked.

If popular opinion is any indication the festive season of 1927 will be known ns the “Book Xmas,” for of late book* have occupied the premier position as gifts. This has occasioned no great surprise, for this year astonishing value is given for a small sum. Leather,-bound classics and poems can be purchased from 5/6 upwards; which is considered even better than pre-war value. Then every Xmas sees one particular novel by a

woll-known writer placed on the market, but this season, there are fully a dozen popular authors, represented, the most prominent being S'abntini, Michael Arlen, Geoffrey Moss, Zano Grey, Temple Thurston, Margaret; Pedlar, and Robert Hichins, all with novels appearing for the first time.' New Zealand books also claim their devotees- The, children’s annuals, of course, are almost innumerable, and exceptional value is seen in volumes of stories of school life, _ adventure, etc.., , a bulky-size book; being retailed at 3/6. Eastwood’s Book Stores,. at, the comer of /Derby street and Gladstone road, and in’ Gladstone road, iiext to Mrs.'Grcig’s, have an urn usually large assortment of .all. literature, and issue an invitation, to the public generally to pay a.,visit to brouse over the latest books, no one being pressed to buy,***

, Mysterious and sinister noises in the dining room awakened a Blenheim resident .at an early hour the other -morning, says the Express. Leaping to the conclusion tliat. burglars .averejn. house, be • glided downstairs with greatest stealth. Beaching the door of the room, he lstened breathlessly a moment, and, as the sounds continued, felt lor the switch and flooded the roqm light to surprise a modern Bill Sykes in the. form of an, opossum which was perched on the table.' eating jam with Considerable relish. A grand chase, worthy of a movie comedy, followed, and finally the furred marauder was caged.