LOCAL AND GENERAL.

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

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Sulphur fumes from White Island were very strong in Opitiki on Monday morning. Tiie atmosphere appeared blue in all directions, and almost obscured the hills south of the town. When seen from the hills early in the morning, White Island was active.

Work is proceeding at both ends of the duplication of the railway lines between Frankton and Horotiu (says the “Herald”). (food progress is being made. About 20 men are engaged in widening the bank across ■ the gnlley near Forest Lake .Load. It is hoped the work wil he completed within six months. It will then relieve the congestion that exists in moving a large volume of traffic from the Frankfort yards. The .single line causes delay on account of the time trains lose in the sidings while waiting for other trains to cross.

As 'the result of slipping on an apple core a youth was precipitated through one of the plate glass windows of a shop windows in Ashburton. The pane had been in position for 45 years. A large hole was made in one corner and the re«t of the glass was badly cracked._ There were 114 bankruptcies in Auckland during the nine months ended September. in ‘the corresponding period of 1927 the total was 162, and for the nine months of 1926 the figure was 133. The next lecture to be given to members of the women’s division of the Farmers’ Union at the Hawera Hospital will be on life-saving and resuscitation, an important subject in view of the early approach of the summer season. This will he the last lecture but one.

The £1,000,000 mark in the value of building permits issued hy the Auckland City Council for the nine months of the present year was topped as the result of September’s activity in the trade. The total this year stands at £1.037,332, against £957,960 last year. This total does not include £326,000 for the new- railway station contract.

The annual conference of the Leal Estate Institute of New Zealand is being held at Wanganui. The Mayor (Mr W. J. Lagers) welcomed the delegates who have come from all parts of the Dominion. Various matters relating to the Institute were discussed. The conference will conclude to-day.

“I have never known a child keen to go back .to the dental clinic for treatmeat except at Eltham,” said a member of the local executive of the Farm-, ers’ Union at yesterday’s meeting. He said ho considered it a tribute .to the fine treatment received by the children there.

At the ordinary meeting qf the women’s division of t-lie Farmers’ Union yesterday, Mrs Carter advised members that arrangements had been made for a deputation to meet the Hawera Hospital Board at its next meeting, and to discuss the question of a maternity ward.. Mrs Carter said that she had "been able to get much useful information from Palmerston North and Stratford.

The. first quarter of the current dairying season in the Auckland province ended on September 30 with pro-duct-ion over nino per cent, in advance, of the corresponding period of the 192728 dairying year. Production is now rapidly gaining large ' proportions. During September,, over 170,000 boxes of butter were received into the grading stores, compared with about 116,000 boxes for July and August together. Those were months of 40 and 30 per cent, increases respectively over July and August, 1927. At the 'monthly meeting of the Farmers’ Union executive for South Taranaki yesterday, a protest was received from a business firm against the increasing restrictions on the sale of sheep dips and agricultural and horticultural remedies containing a poisonous .ingredient. This, it was considered, was detrimental to the interests of the farmers, and it was agreed to support the protest and to ask the Dominion executive to move in the matter.

The old system of offertory collection with plates is to be abolished in St. Paul’s Church, Symonds street, Auckland (states the “New Zealand Herald”). There will be collection-boxes in the porches, and the. congregation will be asked to place their offerings in them on entering or leaving the church. The innovation is to be tried for three months, arid ,while it is not known whether the new system will he as remunerative as the old, the vicar, the Rev C A. B. Watson, has decided it is much preferable to placing a plate “under the nose” of worshippers, which practice < lie is of opinion, has outlived its dignity. The scheme has been tried in other churches and has proved successful.

Some months ago it- was decided to release a moth called Tyria Jacobaeae which, it was anticipated, would quickly make an end of ragwort, one of the many weeds cursed by farmers all over the Dominion. But, owing to a report having been received by the Noxious Weed Committee ot the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research that this moth lias a penchant for potatoes, the permit for release has not been acted upon In the meantime, Dr. Miller at the Cawtliron Institute, . Nelson, is making comprehensive trials with. 19 varieties of pot a toes to discover if the moth really does attack them. It is anticipated however, that there trials will prove the rumour to be groundless, it having arisen from the fact that ragwort often grows amongst potatoes, the Tyria when seen around potatoes Ikm ng attracted by the ragwort and not by the- potato plants. Dr. Tdlvard says that during the recent summer in Britain conditions were favourable for the Tyria and large numbers could be seen, but in no case which lie investigated could they be found attacking potatoes. However, no risk is to be run in the Dominion, and lyria Jacobaeae will not be liberated until it is proved beyond all doubt that it does not- attack potatoes

McGItUE’K., BONE & CO., LTD. WEEKLY DIAMOND SPECIALS. Pure linen traced pillow shams; Diamond Special, 2/9 each. 32-inch Coloured Fugcnc, soft finish, the equal to silk, fast colours, 13 shades; Diamond Special, 1/0 yard.—Advt. BTTCKBELL’S. We lia-ve now rcartj for inspection new frocks, costumes, ready-to-wear hats, etc. Ladies are invited to view the latest in spring novelties at Buckrcll’s, Union Street, Hawera, opposite Central Hotel.

The ladies’ committee. of the Hawera Municipal Band is holding a shop day to-morrow (Saturday) and will appreciate donations of cakes, produce, etc. As the committee's object is to assist the contest fund, the public are invited to generously support the effort. Over £2OOO is available this year for research in cancer and tuberculosis in New Zealand from the trust of the estate of the late Mr. W. H. Travis, who. died in June, 1927. It has not yet been decided how the money will he expended. The testator stipulated that it was not his wish that the monev should be devoted to scholarships' onlv. This Christchurch doctors were to decide. Mr. Travis directed that the income from the capital account should he used for research in these two diseases. .After the payment of £14,329 stamp duty and £7500 legacies the balance to the credit of the estate’s, capital account is £57,102. The income is £2494, hut tax must be paid on this. The- Taranaki Local Bodies’ Association is obtaining the views of local bodies and chambers of commerce in the province as to the advisability of Anniversary Day—March 31—being observed as a holiday. It is not suggested that an additional holiday 'should be observed but that Anniversary Day should be substituted for some other public holiday now observed. The Taranaki County Council has decided it- had no. recommendation to make in regard to the matter and that it was opposed to any further holidays. Damage to the benzine tank and the .oss o 7 about 10 or 12 galvons or benzine from a* car resulted rrom a. motor ooLision which occurred, abouit 4 o’clock ,-eb'terdav afternoon at the junction or Union and Higii Streets. The damaged vehicle was being ■driven by Ala- J. G. Murchison. of Wanganui, and was turning to its right with the mteniition •jf entering Union Street when the impact occurred. The other ear was in charge of Air P. A. SMerrie, ol Alanaia, and was travel ling in. High Street in die same direction as the Wanganui car.

The wedding at St. Benedict’s Church yesterday morning at of Signorina Nine Algozino, mezzo-soprano of tbe Fuller-Gonsalez Opera Company, and Signor Remo Diotti, leader oi the chorus, excited great public interest. The romance started on the ship which took the company to Australia from Italy. The church was packed long before ‘the ceremony commenced. So excited was tiie crowd that Bishop Liston appealed for silence. The bride was dressed in black, in mourning for her sister who died last year. Sir Benjamin Fuller gave the bride away. The bridesmaids were Misses Anita and Hina Pagui, Auckland, and the best man was Signor Francesco Frederic-i. The crowd showered confetti on the party as it left tbe church. The police had 'to protect the bride from being crushed.

Among the remits carried at the annual conference of the Leal Estate Institute of New Zealand at W anganui yesterday' were the following: That the Land Agents Act be amended to provide that every person shall be deemed to be a land agent whose business is to act as an agent, etc., in respect of the leasing or letting of any premises. That in any case where a man has been refused a land agent’s license, mainly on the grounds or malpractice, it shall be made illegal for any land agent- to employ him as a salesman unless with the consent of the magistrate who has refused the license. That • provision be made whereby in the event of any agent committing a misdemeanour which would be sufficient to justify a magistarte in refusing to renew his license it shall be competent for the magistrate on such misdemeanour being proved to cancel his license during the then current year, instead of having to wait till March 31.

Reminiscent of “slap-stick” motion picture comedies was the turnout of the Southbrook Fire Brigade to a fire in the district last- week. Shortly alter 8 a.m. a man dismounted from a sweating horse in front of the fire station and gave the rope of the bell a mighty tug —only to have it come away in his hand. * Nothing daunted, he clambered up the side of the building on to the roof and up the ladder to the bell, which he tolled to such purpose as to arousle residents for miles around. * No sooner had he set foot on the ladder on his way down than it collapsed under him, but.after a scramble he reached the ground safely. The superintendent and his fire-fighters soon put in an appearance, and with much heaving and tugging they managed to dislodge the hand-engine from its resting-place. A passing motorist was hailed, and he agreed to tow the outfit to the scene of the fire. But misfortune still dogged the proceedings. Halfway to the fire it was discovered that the hose liad disappeared. Then a cyclist overtook the outfit, puffing hard and battling his way again a stiff wind, and bearing the hose in triumph. He had picked it up on the road. The procession once more advanced. The fire-fighters with their engine 'eventually arrived in time to see three chimneys left standing—all that was left of what a, few hours before had been a six-roomed residence.