LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 8 December 1924, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The potato crop in Oamaru district promises to be very heavy this year though in one or two parts blight is l eported to have made its appearance.

The demand for shearers in North Otago is much greater than the supply; and inanj- farmers are anxiously searehing for men to shear their sheep. A would-be exhibitor at the last show m Timaru wrote to the A. and P. Association recently stating his reasons why he did not exhibit in a certain class (says the Post). One of his reasons uas that he did not know who the judge was!

The defendant trav. lied 45 chains up High street in one minute—l timed him on the town clock.” This remark (relates the Express), made by the Blenheim ranger in the course of his evidence in a charge against a motorist for speeding, caused a distinct titter m the Magistrate's Court.

For being found drunk in charge of a horse and trap on the Ohangai road, Bridget Ann Candy was this morning nnecl Lo and ordered to nay 17s 6d taxi hire. The J.P.’s on ~ the Bench were Messrs J. G. Osborne and L A fu°T’ ifc wa ® stat€d b y the police that this was defendant’s second offence, she being similarly charged and convicted in March last. '

To have two shearers sicken with measles, another with gastritis, and another collapse from overstrain, is surely a run of exceptionally bad luck, even for a farmer (says the Daimevirke Evening News). Yet this chapter of ills actually was the experience of a well-known wool grower, who has at last had his shed cut out. The match with Wales was the twenty- first cf the present All Black tour. When the total scores of 1905 are. compared with the present - total, curious coincidence is revealed. The famous Originals in the 21 matches given in the published table had a total of 503 points to their credit The total score of the 1924-All Blacks at the tvyenty-fh-st match is also, 503 points. History is very, accurately .repeating itself so far. 8

On Saturday afternoon there was another large attendance at the gas cooking demonstration at the Winter Show Buildings, and very great interest was taken in Miss Berg’s deiuoiitraticn of the fight and wrong wav of cooking by means of a gas stove. “The object lesson was made very plain and much benefit was conferred by so practical a means of instruction. To-night will be the last demonstration of the series, and it is. very, certain that full advantage will be taken of the opportunity. The evening’s programme is given by advertisement.

An advertisement appearing in this issue draws attention to the fact that every mortgagor under a mortgage to which the Mortgages Final Extension Act of last session applies, who desires an extension of the term of his mortgage must file in the Supreme Court a notice of motion for an extension order not later than January 31 next-. Notice must be filed in the Court of the provincial district within which the mortgaged .land is situated, and unless .filed by the,, above date the Act provides that no extension can be granted. . .

Illustrating that the principle of writing off rates'in the ease of apparently poor ratepayers is not a sound one, the Mayor of Blenheim mentioned at a meeting of the Borough Council the ease of an old lady whose rates had been written off by the council for 10 years.. She had two or three little cottages in Blenheim, and as her income from them was only about £1 per week the council did iiot collect the rates. When' she died, however, it was found' that she was worth £2OOO, and the money, went to some relative in Ireland, who had never seen the old lady and had never been in Blenheim.

, Rounding up the poultry is the pastime indulged in' by a singularly well domesticated cow in a certain property in Palmerston North (states the Mauawatu Times). A resident keeps his house cow* in a paddock immediately at the rear of the fowl-run, and a hole in the fence allows the poultry to enjoy the freedom of the other day the owner came out and saw the cow’ carefully rounding the fowls up one by one, and driving them into the run through the hole in the fence. One rebellious hen, which escaped momentarily was quickly headed off and corralled W’ith the remainder, and the cow, having accomplished her task, returned to graze contentedly in a paddock at a convenient distance from the run.

The following extrace from a letter of a Aew r Zealand lady now* living in England has been forwarded to the Church News: “We Avere delighted to see in the old parish churelr (Brocken hurst) the New' Zealand flag hung in a prominent position and a fresh huge wrentli of laurel hung above it. AVe are told that the wreath is ahvays kept fresh, as the New’ Zealand soldiers were so much liked and respected. There w’ere thousands of them here, and one part of the churchyard is full of their graves, over a hundred of them.. A new bell has been added to peal in the in memory of the New Zealand soldiers.” OUTRED’S. Large assortment of cotton crepe de chine frock's. 22/6, suitable for beach wear; coloured linen frocks, 32/6; jazz voile frocks, 32/6; smart style cotton georgette frocks, 39/6; Shantung dust coats, splendid quality, 90/-; good value linen dust coast, 49/6; silk jumpers, all colours, from 15/6; assorted neckwear from 1/3; silk hosiery, all colours, good value, 3/3 pair; rush hats, coloured edge, 1/6 each. The House of Good Value—Outred’s, High St., Hawera.—Advt. BOOT REPAIRS FOR XMAS.

Our repairer is an expert at his work, and his work is neat, so bring us your boot repairs for Xmas. AA r e sole, heel or patch men’s and women’s boots or shoos w r ith our Evar-AVear leather, the leather that w-ears, at the New Zealand Clothing Factory, Hawera.—Advt.

The total Customs revenue at tlie port of Oamaru during the month of November was £747 3s Id, while for the corresponding month of last year the total was £1258 5s Id. It is stated on good authority that Dion Boueieault paid £ISOO in income tax on his recent New Zealand tour, says the Sydney Sun. ! “At present only about a third of our people are producing,” said the Hon. R. F. Bollard at Raglan lately. “I want to see all the people producing. We have the land, and I say to the hard-working New Zealander, ‘There’s your chance to become a producer. Take it!’”

A very youthful would-be angler in Oamaru, being most desirous of trying his luck at the breakwater, besought his father to buy him a rod. On account of his tender years his father had to refuse (relates the Mail). The child, however, persisted so strongly that his father, becoming annoyed, emphatically refused to give him the rod. “Very well,’’ retorted the precocious youngster, “spare the rod and spoil the child.” '

News was circulated that the brokers would be paying out earlier than the specified time after the recent wool sale. A broker, when approached by a Wanganui . Herald representative recently, stated that this information was not correct. Some of the buyers paid for their wool earlier in order to release it, but this would make no difference to the date on which the cheques would be handed over to the vendors. There was an enormous amount of work to be covered after a wool sale before the cheques were ready. '

A kinema company is at present engaged in making preliminary preparations for the filming of a moving picture at Xgaruawahia, depicting incidents connected .with the celebrated siege of Orakau Pa. Among the Maoris who . will take part will be an old warrior who, as a youth, assisted in the heroic defence. As the seige took place in 1861, the warrior is now of an advanced age.

A man from thfe south, who attended the Hamilton stock show, had a good deal to say critical of farming methods in the north. Up that way, he said, the farmer expected everything to to him; he took everything out of the land and expected to keep on exploiting it without putting anything back into it. They neglected their pastures and let their hill country run back into scrub instead of utilising it for sheep. In fact,-they were altogether “slack,” in his opinion.

The Taihape district lias, been favoured with ideal weather for the past three months, and there is abundance of feed available for stock. Dairy farmers especially are experiencing a.n extraordinary favourable season, and supplies to the dairy factory are greatly in excess of any previous year (says an exchange). Some indication of the mildness of the season may be gauged by the fact that a local butcher recently put through a line of lambs which, averaged over 301 bin weight, the heaviest being 421 b is something extraordinary for the Taihape district.

Mr. Ramsay MacDonald is not the first, and will not be the last, statesman to receive a gift of money, .or money’s worth, from a friend or admirer, remarks the Saturday Review.’ Hitherto the gifts have been made after death. Old Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough-, left the elder Pitt £lO,000 for his patriotism—i.e., his attacks on whom she hated-for. cause. Sir William Burton left him, when he had become Chatham, an estate in Somersetshire. Rord Rockingham directed his executors to cancel a. bond of Burke’s for £30,000. Mrs. Brydges Williams left Disraeli £40.000, and .the ■P-entbroks left him £27.000 do help pay for Hughenden. Carnegie left Lord Morlev and Mr. Lloyd George £2OOO a vear for life. We are disposed to hope th-rt the glittering prizes attached to political success,will.'not he made too f»'pr>nent too heaw. or men will sri-A ct rotWa to get into power, and swallow anything to remain there. So good has been the season for Hawke’s Bay to date that .an extraordinary growth of grass has been noticeable in the country districts, and if a dry period follows there is likely to be a danger of serious grass fires, unless great care is exercised (states the Telegraph). Many fine oat efops have been raised by agriculturists. In one field near Ngatarawa the oats are over sft, high, ripening well. Another field nearby was levelled, and practically ruined, by a small localised windstorm, which apparently traversed a well-marked cyclonic path.