LOCAL AND GENERAL

Hawera Star, Volume L, 5 March 1931, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Yesterday morning a- large stack of hay on Mr C. A. Burke's farm on tlie Rama Road, Otakeho, took fire and was completely destroyed. It was a case apparently of spontaneous combustion. The loss is very serious, especially at this time of the year, being the grass off about 17 acres and worth probably £4O,

When speaking of the research work at the laboratory in Hawera, at a meeting of farmers at Kakaramea last evening, Mr P. 0. Veale said he hoped that farmers would at any time they were in town go to the laboratory and see the work being carried out. He said they would always be welcome.

A letter from Afghanistan was received by the town clerk at Christchurch recently address to “The President, Christchurch City Council.” It was from a professor at the Habiba College, Kabul, and inquired whether Afghans of good position could buy land and settle in New Zealand.

A considerable amount of prospecting for gold is proceeding in various parts of the Westland district. Many places are being investigated in the hope of success, -while old workings are being tested with more thorough methods than those used when the rich returns of the early days were obtained. No finds of any magnitude have so far been made.

“The figures regarding pupils who have left the school are. interesting, ” said Mr T Jordan, chairman of the Wairarapa Secondary Education Board, at a recent meeting of the board. “They are quite contrary to the cuff and collar brigade we are accused of breeding.” Mr Jordan was referring to the report submitted by the principal of the High School as to the destination of those pupils who left the school last year. The report stated: “During or at the end of 1930, 107 pupils left the school. Of these 18 continued their education elsewhere; 11 took up school teaching; 14 office work; 18 trades; 21 farming; 16 domestic duties ; nine, other occupations. Only four entered the civil service.”

Work on the new Kelburn viaduct, Wellington, is practically completed. The ornamental balustrade has been erected, and the footpaths on both sides of the bridge are being formed. Kerbing and channelling extend almost the full length of the structure. Plastering is now being proceeded with, and the viaduct itself should be finished early this month. As soon as the contract is completed the City Council will proceed to link up the bridge with the roadway on both sides.

“I am sorry that we have shut out New Zealand butter —we wanted it; now prices are going up and it is not the farmer who gets the advantage of it,” states a Canadian correspondent in a letter to a friend ,at Wellington. “Not only butter is affected, but'milk and cheese. The only things that are coming down in price are motor cars, but wc do not buy cars every day like we do butter. ’ ’

Considerable progress continues to be made with the construction of the gap in the South Island Main Trunk railway, states the Marlborough "Express.” The permanent rails have now been laid to a point south of the Blue Slip and a few miles north of Wliaranui, and construction is well forward as far as the Clarence River, the advanced gangs being close to Ohau Point, between the Clarence River and the Hapuku. At the southern end. com struction is well forward almost to the Conway bridge, and the advanced gangs arc working at the mouth of the Conway River. Being one of those movable feasts, so .troublesome to calculate, Easter always bothers the man in the street. As autumn draws near one frequently hears; the query: “When is Easter this year?” or more often: “When is Easier Monday?” as it is the last holiday oif the season. This year Easter falls early next month. April, 3is Good Friday, and Easter Monday is on April 6.

A fairly common accident had results more' serious than usual at Taupiri last week (writes the “Auckland Star’s” correspondent). Frances Grant, a girl 14 years of age, was at play with her brother at their home when she ran into the clothes line. The lino, catching her below the chin, threw her so heavily backward that she was stunned. When medical attendance was called, it was found that her collarbone had been split by the force of her fall.

The Hawera Swimming Club has donated the sum of £8 7s 3d to the mayor’s relief funds as the net proceeds of the club’s carnival held on ifehruary 0. in order to assist the earthquake relief funds, a concert, with an excellent programme, wadi be given by Mr unu Mrs Antoni Bonetta and party tins evening m the Meremere Han. n is hoped the people of the distinct will turn out in tulsl force to help so deserving aii object. The concert will begin at 8.15 pan. wmle engaged in carting grain at a farm at Beatiown, Oanternary, a man named William Kennedy was severely stung by bees, and had "to be taken to liospitai (.states the "Christchurch 1 lines’"j. It appears that Kennedy was working on the property with others, and it was while carting in that the bees attacked two of the horses, stinging them so severely that both died. Both were valuable animals. It was found that Kennedy was affected severely, and he was immediately 7 taken away for medical attention.

•‘.\ever now m Australia do* yo hear the word ‘depression' used, j-ec pie always talk about the ‘D.IV in stead,” declared Mr J. T. Spears president of the Wellington Manufac turers’ Association, when talking o: Tuesday about the position in Aus tralia, whence he has just returned He explained that, as the depressio: was the one topic of conversation people had found it necessary t shorten the word to “D.P.,” so ofte: did they use it. The Minister of Native Affairs (Si Apirana Ngata), this week conclude a deal to purchase a further area c 1100 acres of land adjoining the rc cent purchases of hill country nea Whakatane. The new area was pm chased from Mr. W. J. havers, an is situated at the junction of th Ohope-Wainui Roads. The Minister ax ranged for 20 local unemployed native to commence the work of clearing fencing and grassing the areas pur chased. Stated to be the first prosecution o its kind in Wellington, two peopli were convicted * and ordered to pa; costs in the Wellington Police Oour recently on a charge of permitting dogs to run loose in a public garden Counsel for the City Council said tin by-law came into operation in 1929 ‘‘ln these cases we do not ask for i substantial penalty,” he said. ‘‘Wi simply wish to bring the matter to tin notice of the public as a warning.” In the present time of stress » gooc deal has been written comparing th< present Government economy campaigi noth that of Atkinson’s Government ii ISB7, after Sir Harry Atkinson had de feated the Stout-Vogel combination Great retrenchment took place at thai time, andl men dismissed from the pub lie services had to seek employmeni elsewhere. An old Aucklander recall: that some ex-Government employee: took jobs as barmen, one he kneu started hair-cutting, while* others* drov< bakers’ carts or milk floats. It was £ case of work or starve ; there was nc middle course. One of Sir Harry’s owr sons held a high position in the Survej Department, and he was the first tc lose his billet. Undismayed!, he set to work to learn dentistry, and foi many years he had a practice in Hawera. When Sir Harry made a cut o*f £750 in his own salary, as against £4SC in the salaries of other members of the Government, he was regarded in some quarters as a national hero, for it was known that as a result of his long devotion to the public service he was a comparatively poor man. A slip of the tongue is no fault of the mind, nor is it a sign of waning loyalty, says the “Taranaki Herald.’’ At a gathering in New Plymouth the other night the chairman was- about to open the proceedings without the customary singing of the National Anthem. The lapse was noticed by one of the company, who whispered to him, “The King!” as* a reminder of his duty. The chairman did not immediately appreciate the hint. Then enlightenment dawned upon him. In haste to cover his oversight he turned to the audience and announced: “We will open with the Grand! National.” As a result of the particularly dry spell 1 , tomato growers in the Gisborne area are having difficulty in ripening the fruit. The tomatoes -reach a ce# tain stage, but in most cases fail to ripen satisfactorily on the stalks. To secure better results, many growers have been picking the tomatoes and placing them in a dark place to ripen. The crops were late in making headway this summer, but a fair amount of fruit appears to be on most of the early plants. The crops are smaller than ip a normal season.

> An extensive search of the Kohura- ! ta-hi farm formerly occupied by Donald Morrison, the backblocks settler whose disappearance, following the destruction of his house by fire, created an air of mystery that has been deepened by the subsequent discovery in a gully of about a dozen cattle killed iby gunshot, has proved fruitless. Sergeant Power (Stratford) directed the search and was assisted by Constable Whiting, of Whangaanomona, Mr V. Chatterton,. of the Grown Lands. Department, and Messrs Gower andi MoDomer, settlers, of Kohuratalii. For two days a search was made in every likely direction, but nothing of note was tound, nor any due that might point to Morrison’s attitude of mind before or after the fire. ,Sergeant Power has returned to Stratford. The final of the Taranaki half-mile championship will be contested at a carnival to ibe held by the Hawera Swimming: Club on March 9, and an attempt will to© made by S.. Anderson, the Taranaki sprint champion, to break his 50 yards record. A contingent of 30 swimmers is expected from Wanganui and keen competition is also anticipated from Taranaki Gluhs. The. finalists in the half-mile are: B. Ryan: and I. Jobson (Hawera), St. George and Humphrey. (Fitzroy) and N. Gardiner (East. End). Among the other events will be a Taranaki v. Wanganui; relay race of 250 yards. i The inquest into the circumstances] of tlie* death of Thomas Smith, , who mot with an accident in a quarry at Uruti on February 17, was concluded at New Plymouth yesterday before the district coroner, Mr. R. W. Tate, S.M., who found that death was the result of a fracture of the skull and destruction of the spinal cord, caused by the premature explosion of a charge which the deceased was placing in a rock face. The accident occurred in the quarry of Messrs Wright and Johnston, contractors, on the morning of February 17. and deceased died in the New Plymouth public hospital on the following morning. Deceased had been employed b.v the contractors for some time and hud charge of blasting operations. The Ohawc troop Legion of Frontiersmen, which recently organised a highly successful dance in aid of earth- ; quake relief funds, is holding a similar ( function with the same object in St. . Joseph’s Hall on Wednesday, March . 11. As was the case on the previous . occasions, visitors from over a wide , area are expected ancl another big j assembly is anticipated. . ( There are about 3000 railway seasontickets issued between Brighton and ( London. *