LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 27 March 1926, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Okaiawa Football Club will hold a practice on Wednesday next for the purpose of selecting a team lor the ivaiponga seven-a-side tournament to be held on Faster. Saturday. Mr H. E. B. Watson of Christchurch, for many years official demonstrator to tlhe New Zealand Jersey Cattle Breedens’ Association, lias kindly consented to address the breeders a,t a, social evening to be held on the night of the Hrawera Jersey Oattle Club* s annual meeting. The executive committee of the Hawera Jersey Oattle Club isi recommending members' to accord Mr. R. J. Linn, formerly of Norm an by and: now of New Plymouth, their support for a. seat on the council of the New Zealand Oattle Breeders’ A.ssiooiatio n. A hydro-electric scheme for Apia is desirable, and the Administrator of Samoa informs the people of Apia, ythat inquiries he had made in New Zealand elicited the fact that a good and serviceable scheme could be installed for much less than the estimated cost set down when the matter was gone into some years ago. The scheme would he undertaken by the New Zealand Estates Board out of the moneys now at its credit, and the engineer in charge of the Public Works of New Zealand —ail eminent man in his profession—would visit Apia and make a comprehensive report on the whole matter.

The need of having proper vents attached to gas ealifonts to permit the escape of fumes was evidenced on Sunday morning at Wanganui when a young man had an unpleasant experience. While having a bath in the bathroom he was overcome with the fumes of gas which, unknown to him, had been escaping from the ealifont. He managed to scramble out of the bath and reach his bedroom, where he fell unconscious- and remained so for nearly an hour. It was some time after that before he recovered sufficiently to move about freely, and throughout the day he suffered from the effects of the gas. He had a lucky escape in the circumstances.

A tender already had been accepted for the construction of a new wharf at Apia, Samoa, and it will be put in hand at a very early date. The contract had been entered into by one of the biggest firms in Christchurch, New Zealand. When the work is compleetd it should make it possible to unload 40 tons of general cargo per hour, instead of oniy 20 dons per hour as at present; this should enhance the prospects of the Canadian-New Zealand liners making calls at Apia, in.the opinion of the Administrator, Sir George Richardson, who hopes that in time to come it will be found practicable to extend the wharf so that it will be able to accommodate deep-sea - shipping. Honolulu is getting ready to welcome Rotarians of the entire Pacific area in, May with all the picturesque hospitality for which this island territory ia famous. Business and pleasure will be combined for Rotarians from upwards of a dozen countries during the Pacific Rotary* Conference, May 2d, 26 and 27, but many Rotarians will arrive beforehand. M:av Was selected for the conference date so that delegates could go on to the Internationa] Convention in Denver, also because that is a most gorgeous month in Hawaii, with hundreds of flowering trees in bloom. ' The Rotary Conference had its inception in the happy thought of Rotarians in Australia and New Zealand. More than two years ago they sent to Honolulu the suggestion of a meeting there. This was followed by correspondence with International Rotary headquarters, which gave hearty approval to the project.

The weekly luncheon of the Hawera Rotary. Club was held yesterday, president B. McCarthy in the chair. The president of the Wanganui club, Rotor inn A. Doig, accompanied by Rotarians R. J. Jackson and Rice, of the -same club, paid a fraternal visit and were welcomed most cordially. Rotarian Jackson will represent his own club, as well as the Palmerston North and Hawera clubs, at the great international. Rotary conference to be held in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., from June 14 to June 18 next. Each of the three visitors gave short addresses, which were much appreciated, and the visit served to further cement the good fellowship which exists between the two clubs. President Doig gave more definite information with regard to the promised visit of the expresident of Rotary International, Ro. tarian 'Everett Hill. It is now certain that the visit will he made about May 6, and the tentative programme provides for a joint gathering at Wanganui of the Wanganui and Palmerston North Clubs, and that the New Plymouth and Hawera Clubs should combine and hold' their gathering at one of the Mt. Egmont hostels a day or two later. The president‘announced the personnel of the various committees for the year, and various arrangements made which should ensure, a very successful year’s work. Rotarian F. W. Gillanders, whose membership under the constitution .automatically ceases through his retirement from business, was elected: an hono&jir.v member. This is the highest honour the club can bestow, and can only be conferred on those who have rendered distinguished public setwice.

The attention of persons qualified to have their names placed on the Parlia mentary electoral rolls is drawn to a public ' notice appearing in to-day’s issue of this paper. Now that the law requires persons to register immediately they become qualified every such person would be well advised to see that his or her name is put on. the roll. It Avill be observed that persons whose names are already on the roll or who have become registered since the rolls closed for printing at the general election need not apply for registration, but these presons, if they change their address, must notify the new address to the Registrar. Harvest thanksgiving services will be held at -Auroa on Sunday afternoon and evening, the goods donated being sold on Monday night.

Harrops Ltd. announce that the latest for autumn and winter is now opening in all departments and will be shpwn during the course of the next few days.—Advt.

The sum paid to the Government by the Opunake -Racing Club in taxation amounted to £2142 6s 6d.

Mr F. G. Coleman, health inspector for the South Taranaki district, speaking with a Star reporter this morning with reference to cases of chickenpox which have been reported locally, said that no parent should send an-affected child back to school until it is free of all scabs, particularly about, the face.

A feature of the funeral service held at E<ltham yesterday was the singing of a well-kuown hymn, in their own tongue, by sixteen memlbers of theHawaiian troupe of singers now in the district. Their action was the expression of a bond of sympathy that was much appreciated. “In Ivll my' experience, and 1 have inquired into dozens of motor collisions, I have never known of an accident to be caused by more than four, shandies, and in fact in a skit in Punch, which came to hand a few weeks: ago, it. was regarded as an axiom that accidents were never caused by more than, four of these drinks,” remarked Mr. J. "S. Barton, S.M.,' during the hearing of the case, at P'atea yesterday, when the police proceeded against a motorist foxbeing drunk while in charge of a oar. In the case before the court, the defendant admitted having had, five drinks during the day. One evening recently 108 members of the 43rd Australian Battalion who only the evening before had gone into a training camp near Adelaide, left the camp and went into the city for a meal, declaring that the food supplied them was poor and insufficient. Trouble had been* simmering since they had their first, meal the evening before. When they lined up for. the midday meal next day, one said, they found that the food consisted of a piece of mutton the size of a cotton reel, and enough potato to fill a spoon. They went to the company commander, who tried in vain to get them an adequate supply. They therefore held a meeting and decided to go to town for tea. A story of a lucky discovery, memories of which were revived in a courious manner, after a lapse of over 50 years, was related to an Otago Daily Times reporter by Mr W._ O. McFie, of Waikouaiti. Over half a century ago, My McFie was digging a hole to straighten a post on his property when |he discovered some hidden money and a gentleman’s gold ring. The coins comprised 15 sovereigns and over £2 worth of silver, including crowns and fourpenny pieces. About 12 months ago a man digging in the same garden picked up a gold ring about three feet away "from the spot where Mr McFie made his discovery. The ring, xvhich jvas undoubtedly part of the treasure which Mr McFie had unearthed, had been hux-ied for over. 50 years. ■

In the large room off the main corridor of the old wooden portion of Parliament Buildings some fine samples of polished New Zealand xvoods are to be seen (says The Dominion). Txvo pieces of panelling are shown. The first consists of Southland beech panels and puriri panels, surrounded with a framing of heart of rimu. The beech and the puriri. appear in most effective contrast —the puriri, dark and silky, the beech lighter and delicately tinted. The second exhibit consists of heart of rimu and kauri panels in a rata framing. Again, the panels make an effective contrast, .the rimu dark and rich, while the other has the well-known kauri softness and finish. The rata is a reminder of ‘the neglect to which New Zealand timbers are subjected, even when plentiful in supply and easily accessible. The genera] result of this , exhibition does credit equally to the xvoods and to the cabinetmaker.

Freight rates are the woof-and warp of many strange stories (says the Manchester Guardian Commercial), but it would be difficult to beat one told at t]ge recent conferences of Canadian, Boards of Trade at Winnipeg. The narrator, Mr H. S. Congdon, of Dartmouth, N.S., stated that a man from Nelson, British Columbia, once bought a printing press in Montreal and began to inquire about freight rates. The rate proved exorbitant, and he was in sore straits what to do. Then he remembered that h& had a friend in Wellington, New Zealand. He forthwith shipped the press to his friend, and on its way to Vancouver it. passed within a comparatively few miles of Nelson. He instructed his Wellington friend to ship the press back to Nelson ; this was done, and after crossing Canada by vail and' the Pacific Ocean twice by steamer it finally. reached Nelson at half the freight it would have cost from Montreal direct, “Does it occur to you that you are part of the biggest family of boys that has ever existed?” asked the GovernorGeneral when addressing Boy Scouts at Auckland on Saturday. There were, lie said, over 1,000,000 .Scouts in the Empore, and quite another 1,000,000 liad been Scouts in the past. The movement was started only seventeen years ago, and it had made wonderful progress. The Empire -was held together by the bond of common brotherhood, and he appealed to the Scouts to uphold the same ideal, to be worthy of the great band of Scouts all over the world. They had promised on a Scout’s honour to be loyal to God, to their King, and country and themselves, to be helpful to others, at all times, and to obey the , Scout law. * If they broke that promise they were letting down the name of Scout all over the world, and that was a very solemn thing. He emphasised the point that the pledge of loyalty was the most important of all their promises. Mr I. Anderson, naturalist, and Alexander Turnbull, librarian, at- Wellington, speaking at a- Rotary Clulb luncheon rin Wanganui, said: “Our New Zealand birds are really musicians.” They were as much alive to music as were human beings. The tui had a marvellous range of four octaves, and had over one hundred songs, while the bellhird had over 60 different notes and songs. Mr Anderson said that many New Zealand birds were actually composers-—“Beethovens of the- bush” —and could remember their compositions and could repeat them for many seasons. None of our birds, with, the exception of the tui, would imitate the human voice, vet the speaker had heard, birds in the bush .sing the opening bars of “Scenes that Are Brightest,” ‘‘Home Sweet Home,” and “The Campbells are Coming.” It-was just as natural for birds to improvise tunes as the humans did, and the fact that the birds sang the same phrases as we did went to show that the phrases were universal in their appeal, both in human and bird life. Mr Andersen also remarked that there were hundreds of birds’ songs that would be written in music man used, which prove that- the birds sing to a- -scale. The speaker illustrated his remarks about the different- by whistling their songs in a clever manner.

The Railway Department advertises in this issue particulars of train arrangements and: of issue of excursion tickets in eonnectign with Easter holidays. Special attention is drawn to the issue of cheap excursion tickets to Hawera. Racecourse on 3rd and stli April, and to the Mardi Gras at Opunake on. sth April.