LOCAL AND GENERAL

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 30 September 1933, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Manaia Municipal Band, under conductor J. A. G. Cosgrove, will render a programme in the rotunda tonight, commencing at 7.30 p.m. Assistance was given to 35 families in Hawera and Normanby this morning by the weekly distribution of rations to registered unemployed in their standdown week. The, following commodities were made up into parcels and issued in sizes according to the number of children in each family: 18 lb tea, 1461 b sugar, 571 b oatmeal, 291 b rice, 40lb butter, 57 loaves bread (coupons), 2161 b flour and 4901 b potatoes.

Viewed from Hawera early this morning the glistening, snow-covered slope® of Mount Egmont bathed m blight sunshine, presented a perfect picture against a background of azure blue sky. The forest belt at the base of the mountain was also defined very clearly in the crystal-like atmosphere but as the morning advanced clouds began to appear and by mid-day the picture was gone.

Evidence was given before the Tariff Jommission in Dunedin on September i2 by Mr Roland Ellis, who supported T request that the present duty of 20 per cent, on quilts should be retained. Mr Ellis explains that his critical remarks concerning a certain class oi English down quilts, wheih were referred to in a Press Association message, referred only to the lowest grade productions, and not to other and better grades qf quilts imported from England.

On September 22 the ‘‘Hawera Star” published a Press Association message from Christchurch, supplementary to a message published the previous day, making it perfectly clear that Mr Francis Oakleigh Shacklock, ail interjector at a political meeting addressed by the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, was convicted by Mr B. D. Mosley, S.M., and ordered to pay costs on one charge only, that of disturbing the meeting. The charge of using insulting language vas dismissed. In order that there shall be no misapprehension in the ini nds of readers the facts of the case are again brought under notice. The following incident took place at a chopping carnival on the West Coast (Soutn Isiand) some years ago when O’Rourke, one of the finest axemen tins country has known, was in Ins prime (states •’Topize” in the ‘‘New Zealand Railways Magazine”). The main event ~-as about to begin when an Irishman, whose son was among tiie contestants, met a fellow countryman and offered to wager him his son would wm. “And i’ll back O’Rourke,” said the other, it was agreed. “Two pounds? 1 ” “Iwo pounds!”. The money was handed to a third man. Meanwhile the limit men had commenced chopping—one by one, as the seconds were counted, their axes swung into the wood. And -O’Rourke, on scratch, waited nonchalantly. Time came, and his axe sang as the big chips flew. Despite the heavy handicap he won easily. And, when it was over, the two Irishmen met again. “Well,” said the one, “I win.” The other pairied a moment. “You do,” he said, “but if the stakes hadn’t been paid, divil a penny you’d see of mine!” “And why? O’Rourke won, didn’t he?” ‘‘Yes, he won —but” (with a sudden burst) “unfairly! Did you see how he waited till the others, were tired before he started!”