LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 26 July 1927, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

From the cliffs of the Waingongoro on Sunday a large whale was seen, not a, great distance from shore, disporting itself and rising ever and anon to blow. It was in the vicinity for some hours.

Plans have been prepared for an up-to-date theatre in Wanganui. Apparently, it is now only a matter of finally deciding between two sites and the erection of the building will then he proceeded with, . states the •‘Herald.”

At a meeting of the Hawera Municipal Band on Monday it was resolved to make an effort on behalf of the distress caused by unemployment, and this will take shape this week. Members of the band feel sure that their effort will meet with cordial support from the public.

Asi a result of the derailment of the Auckland do\Jn express at Otaki yesterday morning the Taranaki mail train was held up for three- hours at O’taki before a relief train from Palmerston North arrived and passengers were transhipped. This train reached Hawera at 10.5 o’c'ock last night, about four hours behind scheduled time.

A conespondent has forwarded to the “Otago Da.ilv Times” ia recipe for the complete destruction of the common house fly. If a weak solution of formaldehyde is secured from a chemist and placed in saucers, in rooms, the correspondent says, the deed is done. The fly cannot resist sampling this solution, and its first sample is its last, as lit die® forthwith and is disinfected at once.

The successful hybridisation of rainbow and brown trout, an achievement which it is believed has never been accomplished before in any part cf the world, was reported at a meeting of the council of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation! Society by the curator, Mr. D. Hope. “I think we should he very proud of what our curator lias done,” said Air. B. Ashworth. “It is the first time this has been done in the world. We do not do much, out here, but this is one of the things we have done.” A congratulatory motion was passed, and it was decided to send copies of his report to other societies.

It may surprise New Zealanders to learn that even those members of the Canadian* Association football team whose home towns are in* the coldest part of the land of “Our Lady of the Snows” have felt _ the cold snaps experienced in this Dominion very severely. One player states that in his home town in Alberta* the house fires were kept up day and night for about seven months in the year. Often iin the winter months snow to -he depth of some feet lay on the ground. But for all that he 'had never felt so cold in Canada a« he had at times ch ring the tour of this country. Their match loss at Greymouth was due to inabi'ity to sleep on account of the < ••Id. In order to try to keen warm they had gone to bed in pyjamas, shorts, sweater, overcoat, sox and scarves, and then had not succeeded. To the* visitors it was astonishing, he added, that the Canadian system of neating_ of homes did not prevail in this Dominion in the winter time.

A plea for greater preference to British manufacturers in the New Zealand market was made at the annual meeting at Auckland by the committee of the New Zealand Land Settlement Development League. It was suggested that this should be given in order to ensure a more certain market in Great Britain for perishable foodstuffs. An interesting comment on this proposal was made by the president, Sir Andrew Bussell. “Just as to-day,” he said, “there is no thought of a tariff Iretween the North and South Islands of New Zealand, so in a few years there may be no thought of one "between New Zealand and Australia. In my opinion we should eventually have free trade* within the Empire.” This view found, a good measure of endorsement from the body of the audience.

Public health regulations require isolation of cases of infectious diseases, even to the perennial measles, one of the minor afflictions of childhood. An Auckland mother recently discovered that the eldest of her large small family was in that interesting speckled condition* that is a symptom of the epidemic to which juveniles are so susceptible. She foresaw a procession of measles among the family, and determined to finish the attack in one fell swoop. The younger children were put into the same* room with the patient, and even put to sleep in the same bed. The effort was vain. The other children are still spotless and measleless. and now the fond parent is wondering if the officials of the Health Department who frame preventive regulations really think they are protecting the community by so doing.— “Star.”

One* would imagine limit a little place [ike Norfolk—the island only 8600 acres in extent, and where there are .less than a thousand inhabitants, many of whom have never been to either Australia or New Zealand —would have a comparatively small mail from the otnside world, states* the “Auckland Star.” But this is not so. _ Last week the steamer Ma.kambn arrived' ait the island with nearly a hundred bags of mail matter, enough to fill the two whaleboats which came alongside, while, in addition, the Hinemoa landed about a dozen bags of Auckland letters. This was an unusually big mail for Norfolk and gave ample proof # of the wide extent of the islanders’ circle of friends. When the Hinemoa had sailed on her return trip, and the island was fast disappearing astern, _it was* d : s'-'*vc~<l that v bag of letters intended f'"' Vila had been nut on board bv* mistake and the vessel had to put about to return the stray hag.

The Eltham Fire Brigade decided last night to donate the sum of £5 towards the Mayor’s ambulance appeal fund. Next week, says the Stratford correspondent oi' the “Taranaki Herald,’ will see the final scrapping of the electric plant that lias served tlie town for more than a quarter of a century. It now awaits the re-wiring of a few houses and its duty is done. The power from Tariki is giving full satisfaction.

It lias been announced that the Governimyit lias taken steps to relievo the unemployment position in Dunedin by providing employment • for 150 men. The Public Works' Department will employ 120, mainly on road improvement work, and the Forestry Department will absorb 20. In addition to the work provided for the unemployed in Dunedin, the Public Works Department will engage 30 men in Invercargill for work for the Southland district.

A fire, started apparently through a defective chimney, partially destroyed an eight-roomed wooden house at Masterton yesterday, owned by the estate of Airs W. Sellar and occupied by Samuel Alinton. The outbreak was observed soon after the fire was lighted in the kitchen range, and had totally destroyed two rooms before it was extinguished. The house was insured for £SOO and the contents for £2OO.

A barge, heavily laden with machinery used in mixing concrete for the construction of the new wharf at Devonport, Auckland, capsized and sank shortly before one o’clock yesterday afternoon. The barge was discovered to be leaking early in the day and the heavy sea, together with the driving wind and the heavy machinery on board rendered its condition unsafe. The Harbour Board authorities decided to remove the barge to a more sheltered anchorage, but directly the painter was cut the mishap occurred. The men on the dock of the barge Avere hastily transhipped to a tug. Fortunately no one Avas injured, although one man was compelled to dive into the Avater and was subsequently rescued. No arrangements haA r e yet been made for refloating the barge, and in the meamvhile the construction Avork on the new wharf avill 1)0 temporarily held up. A neat pie.ee of financing Avas brought to the notice of a Taranaki Herald representative, the truth of which can be vouched for. A farmer Avho had interest payments to meet in two places in the course of the next few days Avas in the position of not being able to meet his obligations Avithout recourse to an oA r erdraft at his bank, to obtain which there Avould apparently liaA’e been no diffeulty, as the amount Avas quite small and the time for which the accommodation Avas required was short. To aA'oid paying interest on a small amount for six days he offered the solicitors concerned in one case, in payment of an amount of £5, a post-dated cheque for £B, and collected the £3 change. In effect, lie raised a loan of that amount for six days from the solicitors, Avithout interest, instead of by Avay of overdraft from tlie bank. A clever piece of finance. when an accommodating firm of solicitors can be found!