LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 23 August 1924, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The appearance on the Dunedin streets of a motor-ear bearing the number 1,071,939 leads to the thought that the poliemen in the city where it came from would have had a job to catch its number if it flew along too fast. The registration was in California (remarks the Otago Daily limes).

Evidently it is business before pleasure with a number of Chinese residents in Auckland (remarks the Star). On the occasion of the first test played between China, and New Zealand at the Domain, it might have been expected that the day would have been declared a. close holiday with the Chinese, but several were noticed doing the usual rounds with vegetables. A very select little function was held on Wednesday evening in the Kakarameii Hall m aid of the hall funds (writes our correspondent). Owimr to there being various counter-attractions m othei parts, or possibly to the somewhat meagre advertising of same, the attendance at the dance was distinctly disappointing from a financial point of view, but the few enthusiasts who were present took full advantage of the hall s ample? space and enjoyed themselves to the utmost. Miss Hurley officiated at the piano in her usual excellent fashion. Mr C. Lord was a very satisfactory M.C.

The 9.30 train to Napier the other day carried a rather unusual freight m the shape of five double-decker truck loads of goats, consigned to Eskdale. It is ■suggested that the importation might be for the purpose of destroying blackberry and other noxious weeds, which in some parts of Hawke’s Bay are getting beyond control by ordinary methods (states the Telegraph). For some years past the experiment of putting goats on blackberry land in Taranaki has been carried out with undoubted success.

The ordinary mortal does not regard a. cold as a matter of 'Serious eonsequence; but it is quite a different affair when that, common complaint afflicts a star like Dame Nellie Melba, speaking of the enforced postponement oi her appearance as Desdernona during the grand opera season in Sydney because of a cold in the head, Melba told a pressman that she once neglected a. cold and went on the platform when her vocal chords were pink.” As a consequence she was l ,early six months. rrn - 6 6 ? ,d .’ “ C ° St ™ e a boilt ~~0,000 Tills, it has been remarked, works out at something like a pound a microbe.

Particulars of excursion fares and train in connection with the JS'orth Taranaki Hunt Club races at New Plymouth are advertised in this issue.

Saturday is positively the last day of tlie Melbourne’s Great Sale of assigned stock. Everyone should take advantage of the further reductions on sale prices. Read these: Palmer nap trousers. 7/11; Kaiapoi tweed trousers. 13/6; Kaiapoi suits, 49/6; Petone socks. 1/pair; Canterbury socks, 1/3 pair; Mosgiel socks, 1/11; Petone flannels, 5/11Pennine shirts, 0/13; smart neglige shirts, 4/11. —Advt.

Woods’ Great Peppermint Core for coughs and colds, never fails.—Advt.

In the 1923 report of the Uganda railway is the quaint entry: “Two native passengers killed by wild animals. ’ ’

The South Taranaki Automobile Association is meeting with considerable success in the matter of membership, and up to this morning tlie total had reached 72. It is intended to hold meetings at Eltham, Manaia and Patca.

linden- the Sale of Food and Drug;' Act, 1908, on tlie Ist of August thi>. year, section 2 of the Act required, inter alia, that packages of flour up to oOlbs must be full net weight-. Tn consequence of this merchants decided to increase the price of flour in 501 b bags by 2s 6d per ton to cover the extra. cost of flour so required.

A Masterton fire brigadesman a few days ago accosted a lady in Queen street (says an exchange) and pointed out that the umbrella which she was carrying closed was burning. Evidently some careless smoker had dropped a cigarette butt into it.

“On the road from Sydney to Melbourne there is a finger post at every corner, and a stranger can, with tlie aid of a guide book, find liis way anywhere,” commented Mr 11. R. Green, of Kairanga, to the Manawatu Dailv Times. “The trouble is to find your way out of Sydney, but once you are on the open road you would have no trouble whatever. ”

A valuable motor car which was driven up from Wellington a few davs ago came to grief when it got on the tarred road approaching Masterton (states the Age). Seeing imperfectly some object in front of him on the wet pavement, the driver jammed on the brakes, which were on all four wheels. The car swerved sharply and turned ove* on its side, the driver having a lucky escape from injury. The ear itself, which was a new one, costing well over £IOOO, and was being brought up for demonstration purposes, was considerably disfigured. Active weight carrying hacks are in demand in the Wairarapa at present. Some farmers are willing to pay about £25 to £3O for such horses. The cabse of the shortage is that, during the war period, farmers sold at any price to get them off the farms. One Wairarapa man last year bought seven moderately good animals that, he now considers he can get £3O each for. Some of the large stations have many unbroken young hacks running wiid, and one farmer informed the Wairarapa Age that he intends to round up 20 of the best shortly. He expects them to fetch good prices.

At the last meeting of the Wanganui Education Board, Mr Hemingway reported that, in company with the hoard’s architect, he had" visited the Kakaramea, Alton and Hui'leyville Schools, and as a result he recommended that a grant of £5 be made to the Alton Committee towards the cost of an iron fence at the back of the schoolmaster’s residence, and £6 towards the cost of a bricked-in boiler at the Hurleyville residence. He also recommended that the matter of fencing at the teacher’s residence at Kakaramea he left to the architect, with power to act. The recommendations were adopted.

A disturbing remark about the high rate -of fire outbreak in New Zealand is made by the general manager of the State Fire Office (Mr J. H. Jerram) in his annual report. Mr .Terrain says that New Zealand has an excephigh fire loss ratio among civilised countries, and if any substantial reduction in fire waste could be brought about the saving would be of national economic importance. A large number of fires arose from causes which it should be possible to eliminate by education, and there was a wide field m the Dominion for work along such lines. -