LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 5 January 1928, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It is said to be unlikely that the report of the commission set up to inquire into the confiscation of native lands will be published before its presentation to Parliament next session. A motor lorry laden with fruit was run into at the crossing at Khandallah (Wellington') by an express yesterday. The driver and a boy with him escaped uninjured, but the lorry was bad.y smashed. With another yard to spare it would have crossed the line safely.

A twelve-roomed boarding-house in Hastings, which had been vacant for alxmt. three weeks, was considerably damaged by fire last evening, most of the rooms' being practically gutted. The origin of the outbreak appeared to be in the ceiling, but the cause is unknown. The building is owned by J. W. Harding, Waipukurau. This is the second instance within a fortnight of fires in unoccupied houses in Hastings.

The Hon. 0. J. Hawken at Wellington yesterday, said the Government bad last year panted 32,000 acres of trees on Government plantations, which now amounted to 130,000 'acres. The object was to plant 33,000 acres by 1935. Tests were being made to see if certain New Zealand woods could be utilised to make paper pulp. The new motor regulations recently circulated in draft form will probably not be gazetted as revised for some weeks. A fair response has been made to the invitation extended to local bodies and others to consider the proposals and to forward suggestions to the authorities, and a batch of replies has reached the Public Works Department. It is understood that the major proposals have been generally accepted as satisfactory, but that the criticism offered has not in the main followed a constructive line. The revised regulations are ready for issue, hut further consideration by Cabinet will he necessary before they are gazetted.—Press Association.

The deadlock between the contractors for the Tawa Flat tunnel and their workmen concerning conditions and rates of pay • still continues, states a Press Association message from Wellington. After the last abortive conference the contractors declared that if the men did not accept their offers by the end of the year they would man the tunnel with independent workers. Mr Cooke, general secretary of the New Zealand Workers’ Union, stated yesterday that his union had not been further approached by the eon.tractors, and the union intended to make no further move in the meantime. Work was not restarted at the tunnel yesterday.

Five eclipses will take place in 1928, three of the sun and two of the moon. A total eclipse of .the sun on May 19 will 'be visible as such only in the South Atlantic Ocean; South Africa will witness a partial eclipse.' Two partial eclipses of the sun occur on June 17 and November 12, the former being visible in Siberia and the latter over the northern part of Europe. The first of the lunar eclipses is a total one on June 3, of which we may obtain a glimpse in New Zealand; the second is another total eclipse on November 27, also visible in this part of the world.

As a result of a collision, at the intersection of High and Disraeli Streets at about 7.30 o'clock last evening, a sedan car driven by 'Mr F. Boase, of Hawera, with Mrs Boase as a passenger, was turned completely round to face the direction from which it had come and was. overturned after striking a telegraph pole. Although a considerable amount of damage was done to the car, the only injury sustained by either of the occupants' was a slight cut on the hand by Mr Boase. The other car involved in the collision was a five-seat or touring car owned by Mr F. S. Ball and driven by Mr H. J. Harris, with two other passengers, all of Blenheim. Beyond a dented bumper, no other damage was done to this car. Mr Ball’s car was travelling on High Street towards New Plymouth, while Mr Boase had been driving across High Street along Disraeli Street towards South Road.

Messrs P. 11. Haigh (Auckland), E. C. Ferries, R. Beattie, and J. R. Moloney ('Christchurch), who tramped through from Bainham, Collingwood County, to Karamea, and from there came on to Westport, described the track as the'finest forest walk in the Dominion; indeed, one of the'party enthusiastically spoke of it as “one of the world’s greatest forest walks.” For variety of scenery it surpassed the Milford track. The scenery of the latter is of one type, whereas that on this route is richly varied in 'bush, mountain, and river, and there is also a great variety of plant life on the mountain. The variety of ferns, stated Mr Haigh, was beyond compare. Native birds of every kind also abound. Neither had they seen a beach as a pleasure resort to compare with that of the Henphy. The trampers found excellent accommodation at. Heaphy in a hut wr five bunks erected by the Buller County Council, but they suggested that two other huts should be erected, as those en route were rather far apart.

Prom the extensive stock of McGruer, Bone and Co., Ltd., you can quite easily choose a suitable gift for every member of the family. As Christmas approaches nearer and nearer, the chance of getting first pick of our stock fades further and further away. Buy NOW. Our fancy department is full of inexpensive Xmas novelties, while in our men’s and boys’ section we have a most wonderful array of useful gifts. If you are thinking of giving something in napery, then bo sure and see McGruer, Bone and Co.’s selection.—Advt.

MOTORIST ’.'S NARROW ESCAPE. When a well-known Auckland motorist was setting out on a 700-mile trip the other day he complained of soreness of the throat. A friend accompanying him bought a box of Pnlmonas. Their soothing vapours speedily restored his comfort and he accomplished the long journey without the sign of a cold. For coughs, colds and influenza. Pulmonas 1/6 and 2/6 at your chemist. —Advt.

Dr J. I. R. Gfiay, resident at Eltham for the past two years, has taken over Dr. M. M. Hockin’s practice in Kaponga and district.

The ignition of two tanks of bitumen, which were being heated at the Hawcra Borough yard, was responsible for a call received by the Hawera Fire Brigade a't 6.30 o’clock last evening. The superintendent ('Mr A. Morrison) with eight brigadesmen soon extinguished the outbreak with the aid of a single lead of hose, only a slight amount of damage being occasioned by the fire.

Hauraki Plains farmers literally “broke the bank’’ at Ngatea one day last week. Folio-wing on a favourable season’s dairying the demand for cash withdrawals at' the Ngatea branch of the Bank of New Zealand exceeded the supply of coin 'brought from Thames for the purpose. The bank was forced to declare its inability at the time to satisfy its clients owing to a temporary shortage' of funds.

The Hawera Egg Circle’s pool which closed about the middle of December realised is 6id a dozen, showing a decline of 2£d a dozen on the price obtained last year. The number of eggs handled totalled 1360 dozen, an increase of over 100 dozen above that for last a ear. The majority of the egqgs were disposed of on the 'Wellington market, although a considerable quantity was sold locally. The decline in price is attributed to a reduction in exportation.

To-niglit, in King Edward Park, the Balelutha Boys’ Band, under Bandmaster A. Woods, will render a selection ox classical and other numbers. The boys, numbering twenty-seven, who are accompanied by the president of the band, Mr. John Gold, and two teachers, Messrs T. Wilson and E. Andrews, are pupils of the Balelutha school. The object of the tour is to stimulate interest in boys’ bands throughout the towns of New Zealand. At the Dunedin exhibition the band was among the competitors, while on more than one occasion its music has been broadcast from 4YA. The performance is to commence at 7.45 p.m. A collection will he taken up to delray expenses.

Through the instrumentality of the Hawera. police a bicycle which had been missing ror several days was restored to its owner yesterday. In this particular case it appears that another bicycle was borrowed for a 81101+ journey during tile absence of the owner, though with the consent of other members of the household. The borrower, who was a visitor at tbe household, duly returned: what was thought to be the machine originally taken, but on the arrival home yesterday of the owner the latter discovered a strange bicycle in its place. The strange machine was at once taken to the police station, where it was found that it corresponded with the description of a bicycle reported as missing, while at the station was the bicycle borrowed from the household by the visitor, who had quite innocently effected the exchange. In conversation with a ‘‘Hawera Star” reporter concerning the incident, Sergeant Henry remarked upon the carelessness of bicycle owners in leaving machines on the streets. During the year just ended, said the sergeant. 57 bicycles had been restored to their owners "by the Hawera police, and in the majority of cases they had been found on the streets or footpaths at night. The sergeant explained! that no charge was made for the services Tendered in restoring the property, but a collection box was kept at the station, contributions to which ’’ were handed periodically to the local branch of the Plunket Society.