LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 20 November 1924, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The motor companies at Rotorua report greatly improved business during the past winter compared with that of last year. Visitors a,re beginning to arrive in increased numbers for the summer season. —Exchange.

“If you want to. live long New Zealand is the place to come to; there is no doubt about that,” stated the Rev. MacKenzie, .secretary .of the Presbyterian General Assembly, when referring (reports the Manawatu Standard), to the fact that in New Zealand the church had 52 aged and infirm ministers. .

An eagle measuring Bft from wingtip to wing-tip. is reported from Chatham, Ontario, to have swooped down upon a golf course, clutched a boy of fourteen, and lifted him sft into the air. The boy’s clothing gave way and he dropped to l the ground. “The League of Nations is the only means by which) the , awful curse • of war can be prevented,” remarked the Rev. Dr. Gibb, in moving a motion in support of the League of Nations at the Presbyterian Assembly.— Manawatu Standard. -

' How good, deeds are not always attendent with the best of results was recently exemplified in a country district in close proximity to Timaru (relates the Timaru Post). By request, a farmer lent a neighbour a horse, and told him when finished, to turn the animal loose on the road, as it would wander home. That night the .owner went to a dance, in his car, and travelling at a fair speed round a corner collided with his own horse. The car headed up a steep bank and was completely wrecked. The occupants of the cai’, and the horse, a valuable thoroughbred, escaped with minor injuries.

An official of one .of our homes for old people said (states the Auckland Star) that a good deal of fuss was made in regard to young women smoking, as though it were quite a new thing. Some of the old women whom he knew, and were quite hale and hearty and nearly four-Score years of age, had tobacco served out regularly to them, and it seemed the greatest consolation they had. One very old lady always had her pipe at the bedside, and when she could not sleep she sat up in hed and lit up, and was so soothed that when she lay down again she dropped off to sleep at once and dreamed of the days of her happy youth. There was a time (says the Auckland Star) when, no Auckland trader in Queen Street would have dreamed of leaving his shop windows unprotected; each shop was as carefully shuttered as an invalid, is wrapped up before going out into the night. To-day you won’t find a shop shutter within how many miles of Auckland? At any rate there must be thousands of Auckland children, and older than that, who have never seen a shop window otherwise than naked and unashamed. What is the reason for the change of fashion? The old style of shutters to every window must have been a great waste of time; it made Queen. Street a risky promenade between eight and half-past, and was the cause of much incipient had language in diminutive office hoys; hut there must have been some good sufficient reason for it. Probably the modern plate glass was not so common in by-gone Auckland, or probably the present system of insuring windows had not been introduced. One or two Aucklanders who were recalling this forgotten precaution of the by-gone shopkeepers remarked, “you forget thev had 11 o’clock licenses in those days.” Has Auckland got more sober, or has the plate-glass got thicker? The perilous positions of windowcleaners are sometimes such as to cause palpitation of the heart—to the onlooker. The cleaner does not seem to mind much, but it is certain that directors of insurance companies would be attacked with syncope if they were to witness some of the feats performed by him. Thirty feet or more above the street the other day a cleaner was observed wandering along window ledges-, clambering every now and then around a pillar, with only an inch or so of foothold, and nothing between him and the ground but atmosphere. The other morning an Auckland Star representative watched in trepidation the acrobatic feats in mid-air of a cleaner in the Strand Arcade. This young man was perched on one toe on the ledge outside the hailing on the third floor, reaching head downwards with a dry mop to dust a window several feet below, having only a., precarious- hold of the railing with one hand. It would not have taken more than a tremor to have dislodged him and sent him to certain death on the pavement far below. A monkey should not he asked to perform such evolutions. It would seem an easy thing for a man with any regard to his life to have secured himself to the railing with a strap passed round his body. But perhaps windowoleanerg haven’t q,ny regard for their lives. BUCKBEItIi * S, HAWERA. We are Taranaki Distributors of the “TREO” All-Elastic Corsets, and keep full stocks in Hawera. Ladies who have not already worn them should do so, as they are the most comfortable eorset ever made. Ladies! We shall be pleased to show them to you.—Advt.

The Wanganui Hospital Board has received a donation of £331 Is from Chinese residents of Wanganui. Mr. James Watson, who is wellknown, in insurance circles as exmanager ,of the Standard Insxirance Company. Auckland, has been appointed provincial secretary of the Wairarapa Farmers’ Union, vice Mr. J. Hebenton, who resigned. At a meeting of the Native. Land Court at Wliakatne, a proposal to: have the district around Tarawera, in the vicinity of the recent gold find, declared a goldfield area, was refused for the present, the Maoris wishing to pros~pect on their own account in the meantime.

“You go out and find work; there is nothing like work for rheumatism,” remarked Mr J. L. Stout, S.M., to a defendant in a maintenance case at the Palmerston North Magistrate’s Court, who pleaded as an excuse for being £2O in arrears on the order ow r ing to rheumatism. The magistrate added that defendant did not look very bad. The case was adjourned for one month.

A curious feature of a race at the Christchurch meeting (observes an exchange) was that four of. the horses were named Circulation, Money Order, Currency, and Overdrawn. But this is outdone by a race up north, in which the acceptors included Sea Comet, Red Comet, Bright Comet, Gay Comet, Star of the East, and Bright Knight.

Leonard Bull was standing 4 with one thumb resting over the end of a doublebarrelled shotgun on Mi*. F. Smith’s farm at Kiwitahi, when the gun exploded (telegraphs the Morrinsville correspondent of the Auckland Star). His thumb was blown off, and although the shot went through the brim of his hat his face was not injured. Medical assistance was obtained in Morrinsville, and the sufferer was sent to Waikato hospital.

The ignorance of New Zealand in Canada proved rather astonishing to Mr T. R. Low, of Auckland, who returned by the Makura. This applied even to Vancouver, where steamers and mails were advertised as leaving for Australia, but with no mention of New Zealand. In Montreal Mr Law was surprised to read in the evening newspaper that Mr Jambs O’Grady, British trades unionist leader, has been selected by Mr Rameay MacDonald as Governor-General of New Zealand. Sir James O’Grady has, of course, been appointed Governor of Tasmania.

The Church Assembly has given general approval to the clergy pension scheme. The scheme has a contributory basis, and provides for graduated pensions from £34 annually, after fifteen years’ service, to £2OO after forty years’ service.

An ex-resident of Hawera, having received a copy of last Saturday’s issue of the Star, has communicated with us stating that the issue has revived memories of old associations with the Egmont A. and P. Association and old Hawera friends,. Mr R. W. Foreman ’s name being* specially mentioned in both connections. Our correspondent has authorised us to offer on his behalf, he wishing, for the time at any rate, to remain anonymous, a special prize of two guineas to the exhibitor at the present show who has the longest record as an exhibitor at the Egmont A. and P. Association’s shows, i.e., the present exhibitor whose original entry dates farthest back. The exhibitor does not require to be a prizewinner. It may be a matter of difficulty to decide who is entitled to- the prize, and we suggest that the exhibitors who consider they have claims should place themselves in communication with the secretary/and thus assist the executive in making the award.

A story as it that a genial Irishman confided, to a friend “Me full name is Patrick Michael .O’Flanagan, biit Oi’rn going to change it. It’s too expensive” The surprised listener inquired, “What on, earth do you mean ?” “Well,” was the surprising reply, “Oi was in court yesterday, and the Judge says,. ‘Phwat’s yef name?’ ‘Patrick Michael O’Flanagan,’ says Oi. And he says, ‘Are' ye Irish?’ Oi replied, ‘Don’t be a fool!’ And he fined me £5.” Perhaps the contempt of court may be held to have been warranted under such circumstances; but in any event, the punishment seems to have exceeded the crime in point of magnitude.

A novel electrical installation has recently been completed by Messrs W. J. Sinclair and Company for Mr A. b! Williams. at his Puketiti station (says the Gisborne correspondent of the New Zealand Herald). Natural gas on the property has been harnessed and led through pipes about a mile to the residence into a gasometer. It is then used t'o. operate a gas engine drinving a generator and charging a large storage battery, which supplies the. house and all outbuildings with light and power, and also runs a pump for the water supply. / Whilst playing with fireworks Albert Woolhouse. of Maxwelltown, met with a painful accident (states the Wanganui Herald). It appears that) the unfortunate boy placed some, fireworks into a- tin and set them alight, the result being that the tin was blown into fragments in the boy’s face. One of his eves was injured to such an extent- that its removal was necessary. He also sustained minor injuries to his face and body.

“We are going to carry the war intoyour own camp,” said the Hon. J. G. Coates, Minister for Railways, at Tauranga. “That can be done only by energy and incessant work. Our departmental heads will be onlv too pleased if you will approach them and talk over railway matters with them. They are keen to get the psychology of the public and to meet you. I believe that in -this way we may break down a prejudice against the railways. There is a prejudice. In some parts of New Zealand it is only necessary to say you belong to the raihvavs to be ‘down and out.’ We want to stop that.” ■

Mr. Jack Butcher, junior, of Stratford, met with an accident at Ngaere yesterday morning when he was thrown from his motor-cycle and sustained severe bruises to his ribs. Mr. Butcher was proceeding to his work at Eltham and when opposite Mr. W. Moss’s nursery, overtook two milk carts proceeding south, and at the xame time, met. another coming north. r n order to avoid a collision he put on bis brakes and as a result the machine skidded, and he was thrown violently to the ground. He was taken -to Mr. Moss’s residence, and after being attended to by Dr. Steven was able to ’■eturn to his home.

The Melbourne Limited continues to dispose of great “swags” of merchandise at bargain prices in their sincere effort to clear the shelves to make room for the builders. Here are a few examples: Cashmerette blouses, 4/11; Fuji silk bloomers, 9/6; lovely 54in. damask, 2/11; fine 36in. madapolam, 1/3; Grewdson’s famous 36in. calico, 1/3; Hoyles’ indigo prints, 1/4; dark pin point shirting, 1/4.- —Advt.

Smiling floors reflect smiling faces when “Tan-ol” liquid polish is used. Cuts cost —lightens labour. —Advt.