LOCAL AND GENERAL

Hawera Star, Volume LII, 16 November 1932, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

For riding a cycle in High Street. Eltham, wit limn a proper light, lan Lemoy was lined £l. with Cl Os 6d costs, in tbe Eltham Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Tt was stated that he refused to give his name to the inspector and was impudent. The magistrate .said Lemoy was a foolish young man and should have known hotter. Believed to have cycled practically the whole of their 192 miles journey, two boys, aged 11 and 13, who left their homes at- Wellington on November 8, were discovered and detained at Patea yesterday by Constable Kelly. The lads were on their way to friends in Hawera and left home unknown to their parents. They were returned to Wellington to-day. Skidding on the main road near the N’gaere store on Monday* night, a ear driven by Mr G. Lee, of Hawera, who was returning from New Plymouth, ran off the road into a deep ditch. A breakdown waggon was obtained and with the aid of several -settlers the ear was hauled back to the roadway. It was found that beyond a dented radiator the vehicle was undamaged. The driver was not hurt.

Stating that the incident was authentic, Mr H. P. Donald, of Christchurch, told the following story to the Wellington Boy Unemployment Committee: — A Christchurch business man engaged 1 a boy who worked well, but persisted Jn whistling jazz tunes incessantly. Unable to bear this any longci, the employer said: “For goodness sake, if you must whistle all the time, whistle something decent.” “Well, sir,” replied the boy, “you can’t expect Grand Opera for 10s a week.” “So far as I can see, the younger people of to-day are developing into a generation of -gcri-bblers,” said Mr TM. Charters at the Opawa School jubilee celebrations, when referring to the fact that Mr G. Petrie, his old headmaster at the school, had not permitted any carelessness in handwriting (reports an exchange). “I see no reason why handwriting should be illegible. It seems strange to me that so many business' men adopt signatures that are absolutely indecipherable. Perhaps they want to keep their identity a secret.”

A somewhat interesting position has arisen in regard to a Napier junior competition., cricket match which was played between High School Old Boys and United A last month, says the “Daily Telegraph.” After the match, which was won outright by the H. 5.0.8. team, the United Club entered a protest, claiming that their opponents had actually played 13 men in the match by taking the field with eleven men on the first Saturday, butappearing. witn only nine of these on the next Saturday and filling the breach with two new players. The Management Committee of ‘the Hawkes Bay Cricket Association dismissed the appeal, stating at the time that the necessary -protest deposit of Ids had not been forwarded. 'Hie club Mas now forwarded the deposit to the committee with a request that the matter should he re-opened, and it is. stated by members of the club that if they do* not receive satisfaction in this way, they will Dinner their ease before the New Zealand Cricket Council. ’ According to recent advices from England, the difficulty of arranging exchange with European countries is limiting trade seriously in 'Great Britain, and a. system of barter is in vogue. A member of a well-estab-lished motor cycle manufacturing firm in Birmingham states in the course of a note to an Auckland friend that his firm had to accept Greek tobacco in Athens in payment of motor cycles supplied to "the Athens police force, and had to take plums in Czechoslovakia in the same way. Both these commodities had to be shipped away, and sold by the motor cycle firm.! Fifteen European countries, he added, were carrying on this- system of barter. “We are indeed fortunate trading with overseas Dominions,” he, adds. “Although we expect you are still feeling the depression acutely in j New Zealand, our Australian business is looking up fast. We think "New j Zealand will be through the worst in > a few months’ time.” I

There are a, number of magpies in Canberra which seem to take a. delight | in attacking unwary pedestrians and j golfers. ■ EK'ery day reports of attacks are being received, a. recent victim being Miss M. Barkas, a resident of I the Hotel Kurrajong. She was set ! upon suddenly near the hotel and her hat was torn almost from her head. Several short cuts across fields have been abandoned on account of the magpies. Women carry umbrellas, men swing sticks when passing scenes of former attacks, and golfers, remain alert with, one club out of the bag when playing on at least three fairways. While ball-stealing crows have been less troublesome this spring, the “mad magpies” of the filth, fifteenth , and twelfth, fairways have provided a diversion for golfers on the Canberra course. The magpies remain .sheltered in leafy trees, awaiting the approach of victims. When the golfer is intent upon addressing the ball the magpie swoops down and snaps at liis 1 head. Many a duffed shot has resulted. The free golf course at Acton also has its “mad magpies” and several players have been peeked on the head while golfing there. Last spring two leading members of Parliament wore ! reported to have been pecked on the | bead while admiring the beauty of the Molpnglo River. “For very many years in two dif-i brent parts of the country ] .owned I .wo thousand-acre farms. Now, in' inv old age, as a colonist of .53 years'j standing, and, when just on four score| ] years of age, for reasons which 1 do ‘ not wisli to explain, I find myself on : 45 acres of land,” declared an old J farmer to a pressman last week (re- ' cords the Auckland “Star”). Only a short time ago, according to the farmer, this area was covered.with black-' berry and gorso, hut he was intensively farming it for all it was worth with most gratifying results. It is! limestone sub-soil, but there are on if 30 cows, 1.5 calves, three horses. 1 about- 50 fowls and a good few pigs,) ; and yet the owner is getting hay and ensilage. There are two young let-,,, lows on the place, a girl to help in , the house, and a boy to run the mos- ■ ■ sages. All live off the proceeds of the place, but perhaps the home vego-j., table garden should be mentioned, be- ! cause enough is grown from it to sup-’ ply the vegetables wanted all the year round, and two or three fruit trees 1 supply abundance of fruit. The del farmer declares that there are yet j chances in the country for practical men, who will go on to small areas of ; land at little cost, if they will work ; hard, manure heavily and choose the 3 right kind of stock.