LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 4 January 1928, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

As indicating the increasing popular, ity of the camp site at Taumata Park Eltham, during last week-end five motoring parties availed themselves of the excellent facilities offered.

Passenger traffic at the Eltham railway station was very brisk during the holidays, showing a decided increase; over recent years. Monday’s race train to Stratford took seventy-five passengers from Eltham. In New Plymouth for 1927 there were loss births, deaths and marriages than in 1926, the decrease being 67, 16 and 11 respectively. A largo party of Methodist Bible Class members made a very enjoyable trip to Dawson Falls on Monday. Several attempted the ascent of Fantham’s Peak, but, their incursions did not extend far above the "moss line.” The Mayor asks that all who have promised to give accommodation to hoys of the Balclntha Boys’ Brass Band will meet the 12.30 train from Pa tea to-morrow ' (Thursday) in order that , they may find out the boys whom tlpy are taking to their homes during the day they are in Hawera. A memorial tablet in memory of the late Hon. Richard Francis Bollard has been dedicated by the ltev. Canon F. G. Harvie, and unveiled by Mr Harold Windsor, the people’s warden in St. Stephen’s Church, Tamahere. The tablet is erected in pearl grey granite, inscribed with gold lettering. The steamer Kaitoa, after waiting in the Grey roadstead, had an exciting experience when crossing the bar one day last week -when bringing about twenty •trotters and trainers back from Westport. The steering gear jammed and had it been the Ivaitoa’s unlucky day she might have piled up on the South Tip. Fortunately the trouble was quickly righted, and the boat headed for port in safety.

A prolonged spell of dry weather is causing Auckland orchardists a good deal of concern. The indications 1 (says the Star) are that the stone-fruit crop will 'be light and not well developed, although there will be nothing to complain about in regard to the high colouring which is appreciated by consumers.

The usual Christmas meeting at Ra-. tana this year was attended by about, 3000, which is the smallest gathering of the kind yet held. This is accounted for by the fact that another big gathering is to bo held on January 25, when a further ceremony will take place in connection with the temple. Last year it was officially opened, but the interior was not then complete. The Christmas gathering is said to have been most enjoyable. Among those present was the Japanese Bishop.

Hull (England) telephone operators have hit upon a novel means of paeifving those who have expressed exasperation on .being given the wrong number. They have started a, dance club which is known as the “Wrong Number Chib,” and have extended a general invitation to subscribers to “dance with the girls who, cut you off.” The Lord. Mayor attended the first function, but whether be came in his civic capacity or .simply as an infuriated subscriber is not stated. A special invitation has been extended to the subscriber who, holds the record for complaints against the service, and his graceful acceptance is regarded as a triumph.

PULMONAS CURED HIS COUGH. “Received your sample of Pulmonas all Tight,” writes a Waipukurau resident. “They cured mo of an awful cough. I tried every cough cure in the country, and spent pounds and pounds on medicines and was in the local hospital three weeks trying to get rid of it. But it was no good; there was no permanent improvement until I tried Pulmonas.” Pulmona Pastilles for coughs, colds and ’flu; 1/6 and 2/6. —- Advt.

“It is no use saying that there is no money in the community,” remarked a Wanganui draper to a “Herald” reporter on Tuesday. He then intimated that for the four weeks prior to the holidays his takings were over £IOOO better than for the corresponding period last year. As far as the. last week was concerned it was a record, and he was simply inundated with customers.

The chassis of a motor ear and two headlamps showing above the. surface of the Tamkai River at the Panmure wharf gave rise to rumours of a. mishap. The objects were seen by an Auckland motorist, who reported the matter to the police at Panmure. However, at low tide it was found the headlamps belonged to a boat which had been ingeniously constructed with the aid of the body and engine of a motor car. The chassis was anchored nearby, and is probablv intended to serve as a means of land'transport for the boat. Falcon Island, in the Pacific, has been in eruption again. It has the reputation of being something of a marine jack-in-the-box, frequently disappearing under the sea and then, a few month® later, bobbing up again. It was in eruption two or three months ago. and while the' Tofua, which arrived sit Auckland on Tuesday, was at Nukualofa about a fortnight ago, a large column of smoke and .steam could be seen, showing that the island was again in action (states the “New Zealand Herald”). It was 'reported that Faacon Island had grown considerably, and was then about 700 f- high and about a mile-in diameter.

Two Maori girls taught an impudent Gisborne youth a lesson last Saturday. The girls were swimming in the Kaiti basin, and were annoyed by offensive remarks ancl the throwing of small pebbles by the youth on the bank. They determined to put an end to this molestation, and while the youth was directing his attention to one of the swimmers the other, scrambling out of the water unseen by the tormentor, came along behind him, and. lifting him bodily, tumbled him into the water below. As he was unable to swim, the youth found some difficulty in struggling out, but he eventually regained the' bank none the worse, but a little wiser for his experience. It was a sorry looking figure that left the scene, with the derisive laughter of the swimmers ringing in his ears. At about 5.30 on Monday evening a fire broke out in the premises occupied by the Union Bank and Mr. S. Spence, solicitor, Stratford. Smoke issuing from the roof of the building attracted the attention of pedestrians, and- in response to a, call the fire brigade was ouickly on the scene. It seems- that the fire broke out in some papers in Mr. Soeuee’s office, but as both the door and windows of the room wore closed the fire was more 1 or leas incipient. The damage done is said to be slight, but considerable renovating will be needed in both the upstairs and the downstairs offices as a result of water da.ma.ge. T.he position of the motor engine and the crowd of spectators bad +he effect of holding up a long line of race traffic, and •it was some time before those in control could get the main road and crossing clear. “The courts at Wilding Park are the. best outside Wimbledon,” said Mr. W. J. Melody, of Wellington, in the course of a chat with a “Lyttelton Times” reporter. “I could not believe that this could have been done in the time since I played here.” Mr. Melody is not long back from England, and played at Wimbledon, Beckenham, Surbiton, and other tournaments. He says that the orientation of Wilding Park is right, the surface “absolutely billiard-table” in its perfection, and the background splendid. He could see every ball, but at other places where he bad p-laved this was the case onlv at the Wimbledon centre court. Wimbledon courts were perfect, but every cue had a different speed. The famous obstetric and gynecological surgeon, Mr Victor Bonney, who will visit New Zealand shortly, As comforting to the poorer class of medical students. In a recent address at Middlesex Hospital he said that some' of the obstacles to success may lie with time, circumstance, or personality, and by their nature be unalterable. ‘‘Of circumstances,” he added, “poverty is often held to be the greatest handicap, but I believe that it is the commonest, mainspring of success, for a wea’.thy man hates work and only extends himself under considerable .stimulation, and of all incentives an empty pocket -lithe greatest. To those of you who have to start so, I say that vour chances of success a,re about- three times those of vour more, opulent classmates.” On board the ferry steamer which left Wellington with the first of the Christmas crowds was a. man from “out-back” with several of his cronies. All appeared to have imbibed too freely. The central figure went to his hunk wearing only a shirt and a huge pair of boots. About midnight-' he went on deck for a promenade. After a time he returned to an empty bed. which he thought was his own. When he awoke next morning, still fuddled, he discovered that he was in a women’s boudoir. He got up, and was seen with a blanket wrapped round his waist, and a half-smoked cigarette behind his ear. frantically searching . for his clothes. His cronies joined him in the search, hut when the other passengers j left the ship at Lvttelton the missing] clothes had not been discovered.