LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 3 February 1926, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Up to the present £430 has been collected for the district ambulance fund (says the Opunake Times).

The Elthain school commenced the year’s work on Tuesday with a roll number of 355. Last vear’s total was 357.

The death occurred in hospital, at Auckland of Edward Preston, a jockey, aged 28, who was injured through, his horse falling in a hurdle race at Takapuna last Saturday. Albert Thomas Buseli, aged two years and ten months, fell into a tub of .scalding water while' his mother was washing yesterday, says a Wanganui message. He wa.s fearfully jealded and died shortly after his admission to hospital.

Anthony Bo'ger, single, aged 50, employed us an acting deckhand on the Lyttelton Harbour Board’s dredge Tewhaka, was crushed between the vessel and the wharf at Lyttelton yesterday, fie was removed to hospital, where he died. Carl Beck, a .well-known sawmill manager in the Taumammii, met with a fatal accident yesterday afternoon. He Has riding a horse along a road about three miles from Taumarunui. A Hindu scrub-cutter in the vicinity heard a horse galloping hard, and on going to investigate found Beck lying facedownwards on the road. A doctor was called and pronounced life to he extinct. The trial was concluded at Auckland last night at the Supreme Court of three Maoris, Hepeho Eruera, ins daughter Teluii Hepehe, and his wife, Sophia Hepehe. on charges re'ating to setting fire to a house over u Iv'rii ;■ dispute had arisen. The jury 'eturned a verdict of guilty against all the accused with a recommendation to mercy. The male accused was sentenced to_ six months’ imprisonment and the ethos d i sell a r ged —P. A.

It is understood by a contemporary that the Department of Internal Affairs has granted permission to an American bird-hunting mission that is at present in New Zealand to collect nearly 100 native birds, including some that are on the verge of extinction.

In pursuance of a proposal on the part of the New Zealand Institute of Horticulture that a diploma should be granted without examination to the older horticulturists—men over 40 years of age and of wide experience who have contributed to the place of horticulture in New Zealand in its present state of efficiency—no fewer than 110 enthusiasts in horticulture who came within the specified category have signed a memorial asking that the diploma may be conferred on them. - The Feilding show opened yesterday in showery weather. There were very large entries in all classes, showing a substantial increase on last year. The Jersev cattle, Romney and Southdown purebred® and fat lamb classes are the leading features. Following is the list of the championships: Shorthorn bull, \Y. F. Jacob and Son. Jerseys —Bull, R. L. Horn, reserve, W. Devine; cow, W. T. Willninis, Ayrshire® —Bull, J Macfarland and Son. Milking Shorthorns —Bull, R. V. Brown; cow, R. V. Brown. Red Polls —Bull, B. W. Harvev; cow, B. W. Harvey. Friesian cow. O. A. Cadwallader. Romney ram, J. E. Ilewitt. Lincoln ram, R, Mcßetli. Southdowns—Ram, Hugh Burrell and Son; ewe, J. Knight. Hylands —Ram and ewe, F. J. Ellis. Mr J. H. Chapman, formerly of Palmerston North, who for some years has been attached to the economic and trad© section of the League of Nations secretariat at Geneva, is spending his vacation with his wife and. family in his home town. In instancing the international character of the secretariat, Mr Chapman stated that he had working with him two Britishers, one of whom is head of the department, two Italians, two Swedes, a Frenchman, a Pole, a Dutchman, a Greek, an Austrian, a Bulgarian and a Czech. Mr Chapman’s three children are more familiar with French than English, and the youngest is only beginning to acquire English. The visitor is one of only two New Zealanders on the League staff. The steamer Rimu had a rough passage when crossing the Hokianga bar last trip. The sea outside was fairly calm, but three big waves were encountered on the bar, and one of them stove in the whalebaclc stern, which smashed the wooden framework covering the steering gear and very nearly jammed it. The officers’, cabins were flooded, and water found its way down the hold. It played havoc with the deck cargo of benzine, and scattered it in all directions, some even landing on the upper deck, and numbers of cases were washed overboard. The Hokianga bar can be very treacherous at times. A head-on collision between a Ford car driven by Mr T. A. Connery, of Ohawe Road, Hawera, who was accompanied by his mother, sister and a male friend, and a. Dodge two-seater driven bv Mr E A. Nixon,’ salesman for Newton King, Ltd., Hawera and accompanied by Mr Davies, farmer, occurred on the Mountain Road South just outside the borough boundary on Monday night about 8 o’clock (says the Elthain Argus). The Dodge was struck on the offside mudgard and front wheel to such an extent that progress was impossible and the Ford sustained damage to (he forepart, though not so seriously. The passengers received a rude shock, but were uninjured. The mail train from Wellington to New Plymouth has been late in arriving here practically every night for the last month (says the Taranaki Herald). Those persons waiting for its arrival have had delays of from one minute to three hours. Last Saturday night was the record, and on Monday night ther e was a wait of over an hour. The delays have been caused principally by the lateness of the Napier express in arriving at Palmerston North, alleged congestion in the yards at that junction station, the heavy passenger traffic returning from the Dunedin Exhibition, and, more especially in the last few days, by the number of parents and children returning in time for the reopening of the schools. Six thousand boys and girls in the State schools have taken part in the tenth annual Christmas vacation swimming school (reports a Sydney correspondent). It is estimated that since the classes were established 40,000 children have been taught to swim. Their ability to, swim will at least give something of a chance not only against the risks of surf bathing on Sydney beaches, but also against sharks if they happen to be prowling in their neighbourhood. No one in Sydney doubts the presence of sharks about its beaches. The public, however, were shocked a ' day or two ago to learn that a school of sharks numbering from 2-5 to 30, and ranging in size from baby sea-tigers to monsters, were disporting themselves one afternoon in the popular waters of picturesque Middle Harbour. They were plainly discernible. It was probably a school of instruction for the smaller fry of man-eaters in the fine points of snatching bathers. They were on the fringe of what is regarded as one of Sydney’s safest beaches. Before the alarm was raised there were crowds bathing. The school of sharks, however, quickly had the water to themselves.

At the inquest at Dannevirke into (lie circumstances surrounding the death of the lad William Janies Little, who was found dead on Damplirey’s farm, Te Uri, 20 miles from Danne. virkc, the evidence showed that he had been working on tlie farm since May I, having been apprenticed to Damplirey. He was of -a. quiet disposition, and was not inclined to mix in company. Sometimes he was left alone on tli© farm, and lie had his meals in the kitchen. At 'Christmas time he was left alone for a fortnight, but he never complained of being lonely. He had written to Mr Thomas Rowley Rees, managing trustee of the New Zealand sheepowners’ fund, stating that he was getting on very well and liked being witli Damplirey. Tlie lad was last seen on the farm. When another employee returned on Monday deceased was found alive on Friday, when he was left alone dead in a plantation, near the' house with a, rifle alongside the body. ' The Coroner found that deceased died from a gunshot wound apparently selfinflicted. TTe commented that the indications pointed to deceased' having become morbid through being lonely. He considered that it was not fair that deceased should have been left alone during the Christmas period. There should be a regular system of inspection of lads so apprenticed.— Press Association.

Daniel De Oourcey, aged 20 a trimmer on the Manuka, had a. narrow escape from serious injury last night as the steamer was leaving Dunedin. He was jammed in a fall of coal in a. bunker and the captain put in to Port Ohalmens. As the coal was dug away more fell in. An acetone plant was brought into use, but before the bulkhead was; cut away Do Courcey was liberated in an exhausted state, no bones being broken. Always use Magic Nervine for toothache. —Advt.

Thousands of trout an the Leith stream (Dunedin) have been destroyed owing to the pollution of the stream, and fishing there has been ruined for this season. The number of trout exterminated is estimated at between 15,000 and 20,000. A few eels were also poisoned. From investigations made it is surmised that a large quantity of strong disinfectant or chemical had been emptied into the stream.

A statement has been made by the Hon. A. D. McLeod concerning the rate of interest to be charged on money advanced to returned soldiers for the purchase of properties which have since been transferred to civilians. Houses, etc., had been purchased by returned men with money loaned by the State, and the interest (with rebate) worked out at 4-J per cent. A number of these men applied to the constituted authority for permission, to transfer their properties. Exception was taken in some cases, but in others tile situation was rather difficult. In the latter category were the cases of men who had been transferred and men who said that their health or the health of members of their family was being detrimentally affected through their being forced to remain where they were. It has now been decided to lift the former restriction on the transfer to civilians on the condition that the rate of interest to the purchaser is 5J per cent.

After the deputation of representatives of fiourmillers, poultrymen, master bakers and dairy farmers had w°aited on the Prime Minister (the Pit. Hon. J.. G. Coates) and Minister for Agriculture (the Hon. O. J. Hawken) at Wellington yesterday to discuss various phases! of the wheat question, the Minister for Agriculture stated that he ha,d told the deputation that it was his desire to stabilise the position in order that the various interests concerned might be enabled to make future arrangements with a full knowledge of the situation. Cabinet, of course, had to lay down the policy, but the Government would go into the matter thoroughly and give an early reply.—Press The alleged danger of poisoning from apples sprayed with a compound including arsenate of lead —a question which has been referred to in recent London cablegrams—was referred to by one of the leading fruitgrowers in the Manawatu (says the Standard). “The arsenic scare in connection with sprayed fruit was caused by the action of America.!! growers in using dry powdered arsenate of lead,” he stated. “It has been their custom during the past two years or so to spray, or rather puff, * the powder mixture on to the trees in a more concentrated form' than in vogue' in New Zealand, where the wet spray is used. All fruit exporters in the Dominion have been warned by the New Zealand Fruit Control Board to exercise great- care in the use of sprays, as any apples sent abroad would be carefully examined, and if found to bear any .arsenate of lead, a great deal of damage might be done to the fruit export trade.” The Americans, stated the orchardist, had even tried spraying from aeroplanes over the top of orchards, and claimed that this method of distributing the dry compound had been successful. The trial of Frank Patrick Fleetwood, charged with the theft of silver trophies and a bicycle, the property of the trustees of the Wellesley Club, commenced at the Supreme Court iat Wellington before Mr Justice Heed yesterday (says a Press Association message).* The evidence showed that the caretaker noticed that a door had been opened, the place ransacked, and the trophies removed. One of the glasses covering the trophies was marked with finger prints, and on eramining the prints an expert (Mr Dinnie) found that they tallied with those of Fleetwood, whose finger prints had been taken some time before when he had been convicted of being a stowaway. It was found that Fleetwood had been a close companion of Bryant, a former steward at the club, and both were arrested. The Jrophies had been recovered from the harbour. Expert evidence was that the prints were those of Fleetwood. Bryant, who admitted his guilt, denied that Fleetwood was concerned in the theft. The case was not finished when the court rose.

The crew of the tug Dunedin were wondering on Saturday morning whether they had been the victims of a hoax, it is reported from Dunedin. A message on Friday night from the police at Anderson’s Bay stated that two boats had been observed in difficulties at seven o’clock in the vicinity of Bird Island, adjacent to the bay. . Urgent aid by the tug was requested. The Harbour Board officials were unable to find that any boats of the local fishing fleet were out, and the lighthouse at Cape Saunders was rung up, but no boats, had been observed from there. It was a dirty night, with a fresh northerly gale, rain and fog, but the tug left Port Chalmers at 5.45 o’clock. A heavy sea was breaking on the bar. The danger signals were showing from the look-out station and the fog signals were booming. The tug was unable to get out of the harbour, although she waited at the heads until midnight before returning to Port Chalmers. As there is safe shelter at Cape Saunders when the wind is from a northerly direction, some t-ion tool! place a.s to why, if the' boats were in difficulties in. that- vicinity, advantage was not taken of the shelter at the Cape'.