LOCAL AND GENERAL

Grey River Argus, 5 February 1941, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Otira Gorge, which was blocked by slips during Monday’s storm, was again open for traffic yesterday Motorists are advised to use caution.

At a medical examination at Greymouth yesterday, of 28 overseas ballotees, 16 were passed as fit, 11 were classed as temporarily unfit, and om was rejected as permanently unfit.

Buy your Fashion Goods at the home of style, quality and value.— White’s Corner, your Fashion Centre. —Advt.

On Monday evening, over 50 men attended the first parade of the Kunanga Home Guard. Lieutenant Bastings, who was in charge of the instruction, delivered a short address. Parades are to be held in the Gymnasium every Monday evening.

Last week freight hauled throng!’ the Otira tunnel from the West Coast to Canterbury amounted, to 14,446 ton s compared with 12,777 tons in the corresponding week o! last year, an increase of 1,669 tons In 1939, the corresponding total was 13,149 tons.

Last evening thirty trucks, of sheep and lamb s and one truck of cattie were railed from the West Coast by the goods train for Christchurch Some are for to-day’s Addington market, and some for Canterbury freezing works. On Monday one truck of sheep and lambs, and one of cat'-G were sent to the freezing works. Twelve truck s of sheep and lambs will be sent, to-day, and twenty trucks of sheep and lambs to-mor-row, both consignments for the freezing works.

One particular bay in the Sounds district has been reported to the Picton Borough Council as being absolutely free from mosquitoes and sandflies. Mr R. G. Dawkins, the member of the Council who made the report, said the phenomenon could be vouched for, and was well worthy of research by the health authorities. He suggested that the attention of the management of the Cawthorn Institute could well .be drawn to the matter, with a view to further investigation.

Mr Norman Stouppe, of Barry and Stouppe, Opticians, is in Greymouth, and may be consulted for sighttesting to-morrow 7 (Thursday, 6th) at the surgery of Mr D. Mcßrearty. Dental Surgeon.—Advt.

Discovery of a round block of hardwood timber, 15 inches long and 9 to 10 inches in diameter, beside the Palmerston North-Napier railway was made after a train had struck an obstruction that bent the brake gear of the engine. The incident occurred at a level crossing near Dannevirke station. The block was carried some distance by the engine before being thrown clear. Investigation disclosed broken glass at the place of the impact, suggesting that a beer bottle had been placed on top of the block of wood between' the lines. A serious view is taken of the matter by the authorities.

Bring your boots and shoes to Chalk’s Footwear Repairing Depot, opposite Haglund’s Store, High Street, Greymouth (formerly Mr. J. Murphy’s). Good leather, laces, polishes. (>tc., at. town prices. Absolute satisfaction guaranteed.—Advt.

What is thought to be the first identity disc of an Italian soldier to reach Auckland in the present war arrived by air mail last week. It was sent by Lance-corporal A. W. Douglas, a despatch carrier with the Third Echelon in Egypt, to his father, Mr A. Douglas, Cleary Road, Panmure. The disc, which has a brass chain instead of the usual cord, bears the inscription: “1915. 5792 (7) C. Viani Pietro Di Vittorio Di Lardi, Martina (Parma).’’ It was taken from a prisoner at Solium. Also in the letter were four buttons from, an Italian uniform —two of which appear to be aluminium and two of brass. Stamped on them are the Roman eagle and the “fasces,’’ the symbol of Mussolini’s rule.

A quiet row on the Avon River ended disastrously for a mixed party recently. The female helmsman apparently did not know her ropes, and a violent collision with the bank saw all four on their feet trying to rectify the position. The inevitable happened. One young woman placed one foot on the bank and the other in the boat. She did a fine imitation of the splits and finished in' the river. Her friend followed suit. The two men were a little more shrewd and suffered only wet feet. It was quite exciting while it lasted, but one girl looked very miserable as she hung her best coat on a tree. “There is no need to worry about that. Mine’s all’ right,’ said the other, and she retrieved a white fur cape from the bottom of the river. Suddenly there was a cry, “Where’s by hat?’’ and two hats were seen in the distance bobbing down the stream.

Normal services have been restored on all railway lines except to Rewanui, where the big slip near tne railway station was not cleared last night. It is expected that the line will be cleared by this morning. The express from Christchurch was over ’’o minutes late in reaching Greymouth yesterday afternoon, the delay being due to the failure of the power supply putting the automatic signals near Otira out of action.

About 40 logs which broke adrift from a raft some time ago have been washed ashore at Thorne’s and O’Neill’s Bays. Takapuna, Auckland. Between 30 feet and 40 feet long and 9 feet in diameter, the logs were cast uo during Friday night, and residents with homes on the foreshores at tne bavs are concerned lest they may damage the stone walls of their properties should a high tide bring the logs higher up the beaches. Arrangements are being made to nave the logs removed by the owner.

“Some of our men are true Christians and on e incident is well worth telling” writes Major Mitchell, now with the Middle East forces, m a letter to his mother, who resides in Palm Avenue, Hastings. “There are 2000 Italian prisoners quite near to our camp and, of course, they are a great attraction just now. When my men were issued with their Christmas pai cels a number of them took out the cake and presented it to the prisoners who were, of course, overjoyed to receive it. They knew very little about the war, are pleased to be out of it themselves, and appear to be quite good chaps.”

Black Gym. Hose, best quality, sizes 5 & 6, 6/6 pair; 7, 6/11 pair; 8 & 9, 7/6 pair.—H. Hamer, Kumara. Advt.

“Until recently the crops planted at Marewa under the increased food production scheme, were looking re, markably well, and a record crop was expected from that type of land, said the monthly report of the Superintendent of Reserves (Mr C. W. Corner), which was presented to the Napier Borough Council at its last meeting. Although the maize, corn and mangels were still looking well considering the adverse circumstances, the beans have suffered under the drought conditions and strong gales, so that only a mediocre return could be expected.

Taken from an Italian prisoner of war, a picturesque badge, apparently of some artillery unit, has been received by air mail in New Plymouth from Corporal R. D. Ward, of New Plymouth, who is serving in the Middle East with the 19th. Wellington Rifle Battalion. It is a red, white and green cockade, superimposed on which are crossed cannons and an orb and flame, worked in gold. Pasted on the back is a slip of paper bearing the type-written name of the owner Lab. GRAZIA. Corporal Ward w 7 as unable to comment on it or even state the rank of the soldier from whom it had been taken.

A complicated accident, resulting in three cars being damaged in varying degrees, occurred on the main Pahiatua-Masterton road, seven mfles south of Pahiatua, last week. None of the occupants of any of the cars received injuries beyond si gut cuts and abrasions, although one car was badly wrecked. The leading vehicle, a light car driven by a. daughter of Mr R. B. Humphrey, of Hamua, slowed down preparatory to entering a gate. It appears that the second and third cars in the line pulled out to pass, touched each other and the leading car, and all turned over in various directions.

Blackberry pickers:— Consign your berries to Richard McMeekan, 89 Packe Street, Christchurch. You receive 3/6 dozen lb. I pay freight and supply tins.—Write to-day.—Advt.

fl’he early miners’ train from Greymouth to Rewanui yesterday consisted of two engines and only three cars instead of the usual six, as a result of which there was much overcrowding and only 200 miners were at work at the Liverpool mine. x...s is about 100 less than the normal number. A large number of the men returned home from Runanga and Dunollie, when they found accommodation restricted. Many of the men on the train could find only standing room. On account of the train having to stop on the incline, owing to the slip, the Railways! Department had to use two engines, one at the front and the other at the rear, as the engine taking the train up the incline could not be turned round to be attached to the front for the downward trip. As the extra engine added 50 tons to the load, only three cars could be put on the train, and this was not sufficient to take all the men.

Thackery appreciated a good cigar occasionally after dinner, but at other times he preferred a pipe. His favourite was composed of a meerschaum bowl set on a 12-inch cherrywood stem with a curved vulcanite mouthpiece. He limited himself strictly to six pipes a day. Cigarettes had not been invented then, and neither had toasted tobacco made its appearance. Had the famous novelist lived to witness the introduction of “toasted” he would (it almost goes without saying) have smoked one or other of the five famous toasted brands so popular to-day—Riverhead Goid, Desert Gold, Navy Cut No. 3 (Bulldog), Cavendish, o r Cut Plug No. 10 (Bullshead), and his choice would almost certainly have been “Riverhead” or Navy Cut No. 3, for he loved a medium or mild tobacco. But all five toasted brands are delightful smoking. There’s pleasure in every whiff! And (being toasted) they’re as harmless as they can be! Small wonder that these beautiful tobaccos are in Dominion-wide demand! They are as good as the heart of smoker can desire! But keep a sharp lookout for imitations! —Advt.