LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 10 December 1926, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

During the last few days muck excellent work has been done in metaiJing parts of the road to the Stratford Mountain House. The bad patches have been attended to, and the track is now in a most satisfactory condition. —Stratford Post. A Wanganui stock- agent was aroused from his slumbers at 4 o’clock the other morning. Thinking a farmer client desired to interview him, lie sprang from his bed wtili alacrity. It was a sister from a local nursing home at the other end of the wire. In a sweet voice she informed him thg,t he was the proud father of a. baby" girl. The announcement nearly took his breath away. Then, after a good deal of stammering, he informed the sister that she had evidently communicated with the wrong number. When out riding at Glenui station, Matemateonga, on Monday, Miss Rutherford was thrown from her horse when it had bolted ,and sustained severe bead injuries. Medical attention was obtained from Eltliam, and Miss Rutherford was sent- to the Mount A Tew Hospital. She is reported to be improving.—Argus. Compared with the corresponding month, November, of 1925, the cost of living in Sydney for the mouth just closed was 2* per cent dearer. Meat was 7i per cent cheaper, but other food and groceries were S-J per! cent dearer (states the Sydney Morning Herald). The general level of prices showed an increase of 2 per cent compared with the previous month. The price of meat was unaltered, while other food and groceries were 21 per cent dearer than in October. Potatoes were much dearer, while butter and cheese were slightly cheaper. “I did not speculate on the relative severity of the weather here and athome till I saw, on Little Barrier Island, trees actually growing on a few yards of beach between the ocean and the cliffs,” says Mr Conor O’Brien, in “Across Three Oceans,” the record of the cruise round the world of the yacht Saoirse. “Then I said in my ignorance of the Southern Ocean that there was nothing like the North Atlantic. Certainly the North Island of New Zealand "is not like it; the things that sail and steam and motor round the coast here would not be allowed to go out of harbour at home.” The Hawera Astronomical Society met last evening for observation. The conditions were not- very favourable. The director of the observatory, Mr. G. M. Townsend, gave the members some interesting information. Last evening was the concluding meeting of the 'society until the second Thursday in February. It has been decided that the rules of the local society shall be drawn up on lines parallel to those governing the British Astronomical Association. The membership of the local body is now 30. Some six papers are already in view for the new year’s syllabus.

An unusual sight was witnessed in Fenton street at a-late hour on a recent evening in the nature of an artificial rainbow (states the Stratford Post). ' There was a drizzling rain at the time, and the reflection of a motor car’s lights formed a circle in which the varying colours of a rainbow stood out most distinctly for a moment or two, only to disappear as the car turned the corner. The incident was not altogether without its humorous aspect, for three men were proceeding along the street- at the time, and •one of these who was not altogether in the most sober state possible remarked to his companions: ‘‘Good heavens, did you see that ?” On being told they did,"he remarked : “I thought it might have been the whisky.”

“The suggestion that telephone subscribers should be charged according to the amount of use made of the telephone is one that has received very careful consideration by both the department and the special committee appointed by the Canterbury Progress League a few years ago,” said Mr. P. R. Climie, secretary of the Progress League, on Thursday, in commenting on a letter in a Christchurch paper dealing With the question of telephone charges. “While it is admitted by all concerned that a. system of measured rates is the .fairest that could lie employed,” Mr. Climie added, “it unfortunately necessitates keeping account of the number of calls on each telephone, and the heavy additional cost of accounting outweighs very considerably the benefits to be derived. If, however, the department could classify the telephones into two or three distinctive grades according to use, it would certainly remove, or reduce, the inequalities mentioned by the correspondent.” The recent strange case of suspended animation of postponed death, in a Maori village near Wanganui, sends meinorv tagging back to other curious instances of the soul’s stubborn refusal 'to part company with the body (says the Auckland Star). Many years ago a Maori tohunga named Ehau enjoyed great popularity in the Waikato and and the vicinity for his alleged, success in bringing the dead back to life.. At any rate he performed the feat in a quite astonishing manner on one occasion, when he caused an apparently dead girl to sit up and speak. There was a case near Wairoa, Hawke’s Bay, •a few years ago, when a woman who ■had died clearly repented of her rash decision, for she rose on her couch and interrupted the tangi by describing most vividly her journey to the Beinga, the Maori spiritland, and what she saw there. She was offered food to eat there, she said, but fortunately she was not foolish enough to accept it, otherwise her “wairua,” her soul, would have remained there. But the most remarkable incident of all happened at a big tangi on the West Coast. Wiki, an aged chief tailless, had died, to all appearances, and the loud mourners were beside her bier. A surreptitious bottle of brandy was going the rounds among the members of the wake party of wahines. The corpse suddenly pushed away the mats and sat up. Stretching out her tatooed right hand, she made peremptory request: “Homai te waipiro! ” In astounded silence the bottle was passed. Wiki took a long, long pull, sighed a deep gratified sigh, and sank gently back on her pillow.

BOY SCOUTS. Notice.—We have opened up our Bov Scout suits and hats, mufflers, belts, for the coming Jamboree, not forgetting the Cubs’ caps at 2/6 each. These new goods will be in heavy demand for the Scouts’ camp. Call and get your Scout outfit at the New Zealand Clothing Factory, Hawcra. —Advt. BtTCERBLL’S. Ladies! On Tuesdays. Wednesdays and Thursdays every week up to Christinas we display novelties in our show window, Union Street, Hawera; Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays, special attractively priced goods. Every Tuesday and Friday windows illuminated, 7 to 8.30 p.m. Don’t miss Buckrell’s 3/- IN THE £ DISCOUNT. This great opportunity to secure new and fashionable frocks, coats, millinery, and underwear below usual prices is now offered by Harrops, Ltd.

Greetings for Christmas came to the executive of the Winter Show from Mr F. Gillanders yesterday, and was read at the first directors’ meeting by the secretary.

Several eases of breaking and entering have been reported at Christchurch lately On Wednesday afternoon the dwelling of Mr ,J. A. Beattie at Riecarton was entered. A sum of £4 and a watch valued at £5 were taken, but the intruder overlooked a sum of £25 which was in another part of the house.

A singular phenomenon was seen early in November throughout the south of France and portions of the north of Spain in the form of a rainfall of yellow mud. It was preceded by immense copper-coloured clouds. In Spain the mud visitation was accompanied by an earthquake shock. Near Montpelier white linen that was hanging out to dry turned scarlet after the rain.

Applications arc being ealled by the Public Service Commissioner for the position of Director of Education about to lie rendered vacant by the retirement of Mr Caughlcy, at a salary of £1250. From-the fact that applications close on December 22 it would appear that, the field is being confined to New Zealand.

The services of the late Mr D. J. Goodwin to the South Taranaki Winter Show,, were fitly recognised at the annual meeting' when the chairman (Mr ,T. R. Corrigan) said how much they all deplored his death when on a visit to Australia with Mrs Goodwin. The good work done at the show was a fitting memorial to him, and in that work Mr Goodwin had taken a prominent part.

Several consignments of fat lambs totalling over 4000 were despatched from the Waikato to Auckland freezing works on Sunday and Monday (says the Waikato Times). A special train transported about 1800 lamias from Frankton to Westfield on Sunday. They were bred in the Tuhikaramea district and were of exceptional quality. About 1400 lambs from, a farm at Cambridge and another large line consigned from Karapiro were despatched to Auckland on Monday. The combined daily rail and motor service which enables tlie distance bo tween Christchurch and Nelson to be travelled in thirteen hours was in augurated on Monday (says the Christchurch Star). -There were not a great number of passengers for the first trip either way, but the efficiency of the service must soon make it popular, for it is both comfortable and speedy. The service has been made possible through the co-operation of the Railways Department with Curran’s Motors and the Kaikoura Motor Service. The train runs between Christchurch, and Parnassus, the rest of the trip “being done in cars.

No alteration in the law relating to the payment of pensions to .soldiers-’ widows is contemplated by the Government, according to a notification received by the Southern Cross League, Auckland, from the Commissioner "of Pensions. A suggestion was recently made that the definition of soldier’s widow should be changed so as to include under the benefits a larger class of women. This was opposed by the league, which hag been assured that the Government recently decided not to alter the law.

“New Zealand, with a population of 1,400.000. consumes 15,000 tons of batter each year, equal to one-fourth of our annual export,” remarked the president, Mr A. H. Mackrell, at the annual conference of the chambers of commerce in Wellington. “If we doubled our population, we con'd consume 30,000 tons of butter per year, equal to half of our present ar.-nual export, and so the problem of finding markets for butter and all other produce of the land to which this comparison app'ies would he lessened. Appreciation of the work of the auditor, Mr €. H. Suisted, was expressed at the annual meeting of tlie South Taranaki Winter Show yesterday. A special vote of thanks was accorded him for his help and for the extra wor,k he had done during the progress of the show. Mr Bennett said Mr Suisted had been of much assistance to him, and the work could not have been done so well without his help The motion was carried with acclamation.

A ease of infantile paralysis in Auckland. has been notified to the Health Department, the patient being a. boy aged eight or nine years, living in the Parnell district. The case (reports the New Zealand Herald) is not serious, one of the legs being affected. The boy is in the Auckland Hospital, and it is considered there is every hope of hie recovery. “There.'is no occasion for anxiety, and this ca.se is not at all significant,” said Dr. T. J. Hughes, medical officer of health. “We are always likely to get sporadic, eases of infantile paralyses.”

Alick Wickham, the one-time crock Sydney swimmer, holds one record which is unlikely to be taken from him, says Smith’s Weekly. That is the world’s highest dive (205 feet), made at Deep Rock carnival, 'Melbourne, m 1918. By some error the diving tower, which was intended to be only .100 feet, was built up to 205 feet. Wickham did not realise what he was up against till lie climbed to the top of the structure and -saw _the water beneath him. However, he pulled himself together and brought off a perfect “swallow.” He remembers nothing after leaving the tower. He was unconscious when picked up, and his costume was found to have been torn clean off. Jack Wren gave him £IOO to buy a new one.

For the tour of the Duke and Duchess of York whilst they are in New Zealand, fifteen seven-seater limousines will be used, and they will be driven by specially-selected chauffeurs, mostly from the post office staff, with a good knowledge of the cars and the countiy. It is anticipated (says an exchange) that the party that is to travel through the country with the Royal visiors will number beween seventy and eighty persons all told. There will he, in the first place, some twenty-five members of the personal suite. With them will travel the Prime Minister and Mrs Coates, and secretary, the Hon, J. Bollard and Mrs Bollard, and private secrotarv, naval -and military officers, officers of the police, special detectives, officers of the Interna.’, Affairs Department and Publicity Department, representatives of the English, Australian, and New Zealand press, press photographers, etc. In addition to these there will be certain men familiar with the shark aud sword fishing sport to attend to the details of the expedition to Russell (-where H.M.S. Renown will go), and arrangements are being made for a big camp for the fishing excursion to Lake Taupo.

RADIO. Recently the announcer at the broadcasting station 3YA was making heavy weather of it. But he kept going despite a very heavy cold. “It’s all right,” he said, during a spell in the fight he was describing; “cold’s bad, but I’ve got two Puhnonas left.” Pub monas quickly give relief from strained and sore throats, coughs, colds, etc. Their vapours soothe and heal. Chemists 1/6 and 2/6. —Advt.

The pressed weight of 12 fat bullocks bought in the Te Awamutu district recently by a Taumarunui butchery firm averaged 10G21bs. This is considered -n a remarkable average for a line of twelve bullocks from one farm. “This spaison lias been the best in my experience of 25 years in the north for the production of spring lambs,” said Mr. T. McFarlane when questioned about a line of lambs which was displayed in his shop, says a northern advocate. The Lambs were grown by Mr. Irwin Wilson at Whatatiri, four of them averaging 371 b •dressed, and were got from Romney ewes crossed with a Southdown ram. The dams and. sire were also bred and reared by Mr. Wilson. Advice, has been received by the Marine Department from the captain of the Sir James Clark Ross, the factory ship of the expedition now proceeding to the Antarctic for the summer whaling season, that the vessel cleared the .pack ice last Friday night, and the first whale was taken on Saturday. The report added that everything with the expedition was “O.lv.” —Wellington Evening Post. Zane Grey’s schooner, the Fisherman, is at present making her way across the Pacific bound for Auckland. According to advice received by letter, the vessel' sailed from San Francisco three weeks ago. The well-known author intends to use her on the deepsea fishing grounds at Bay of. Islands during the coming season. Zane Grey himself and his partv will .'gave Sun Francisco on December 29, arriving at Wellington on January 7, and at Auckland two days later. Last evening (Thursday) the combined classes of St. John’s Presbyterian Bible Classes held a sale of work, etc,, and social evening in the Sunday School. The function was very well attended by those interested in the work of the Bible Classes, and by the splendid efforts of the girls’ classes over , £2O was naised, the proceeds of which are to go to the Conference Delegates fund. Musical items were contributed by the following, and were very much appreciated by the large number present: Songs, Messrs Jones and D. Stevenson; pioiiaforte ksolos, O. .Laurent, trio. Misses Baasett, 1 Tait and Pettigrew ; elocutionary items. Miss L. Bullock and B. Stevenson.