LOCAL AND GENERAL

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 5 October 1933, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A donation of £5 towards a presentation to Constable E. E. Stewart, who was seriously injured at Auckland in a plucky attempt to capture a motor-car thief, was made lost night by the committee of the Taranaki Automobile Association at New Plymouth. A valuable consignment of Southdown rains was despatched yesterday by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Ct. Ltd., from Hawera. The rarps were from the studs of Messrs C. J. Hawkeu and F. Mills and the four trucks were very favourably commented upon by all those who saw the sheep. A desk of strikingly uncommon pattern has been added to the equipment of the office of Mr J. A. McPherson, curator of the Christchurch BotanicGardens. The desk-top consists of a solid block of pine 6ft- 6in long, 2ft 4ip wide and 3in thick. The legs and lyulerframe are of similarly massive typo. The whole of the wood used came from an old pinusi canariensis tree, which had to be cut down in consequence of the construction of the new Art Gallery in the gardens. The old pine was the only one of its kind in the gardens. Three new specimens are to be planted, However.

Many cartous Items or information are gleaned by the statistician in the course of his researches. A few days ago the Commonwealth Statistician announced that the average age of fathers in 1932 was 32.96 years, of married mothers 29 years, and of unmarried mothers 24.31 years. During the 10 preceding years, he stated, there had been a small but consistent decrease in the average age of fathers and mothers In 1932 the ages of brides ranged from 12 to 86 years, and of those of bridegrooms from 15 to 92 years. The most popular age for bridegrooms was 25, and for brides 21 years, while the most frequent combination was a bride of 21 and a bridegroom oi 23 years. The density of population in the Commonwealth was 2.21 per square mile, ranging from one in ICO square miles in the Northern Territory tc: 20.60 in Victoria. The birth rate of 16.94 per 1000 of population in 1932 was the lowest recorded, but, in conjunction with the low death rate, gave a rate of natural increase equalled by few countries. There were 1102 cases of twins and five of triplets. Of the 105,633 nuptial births 31.917 were first births. In 16 cases a child born was the sixteenth, in five the seventeenth, two the eighteenth, and one the nineteenth. The average family per mother was 2.95. Deaths in child birth represented 5.57 per 1000. “China is absolutely over-run with mice,” said Mrs. A. L. Millington, addressing the Christchurch Practical Psychology Club in the Public Library (reports the Christchurch “Times”). Perhaps a dozen cats would be kept in a household. The head cat wai chained at the gate all the year round except for the annual spring cleaning When the cleaning time came round four tubs of water were prepared, one hot, another tepid, another cool, and the fourth tub icy cold. The eldest man in the house was given the task of washing the head cat at the gate, the eldest son took the next- cat in order, and so on with the male mom bers of the house, because no woman was allowed (or wanted) to touch the cats. After carefully releasing the head eat, the man in charge of it> washing would take the ends of foul socks and wrap them round the cat’s paws to prevent scratching. While the head cat was away from the gate being washed, men and boys with drums created a terrifying noise at the gate to scare the evil spirits during the guardian’s absence. After being subjected to soaping in the hot tub, the cat was transferred by stages to the cold tub and then placed out in the sun to dry, with towels for massage and drying purposes. This ceremony, said the speaker, happened annuallj in China.

“I have heard people complain of the rise in the price of butter, .but, if they only knew it, rises such as this wili be the saving of Stlie country,” stated a representative of a stock and station agency to a Dunedin “Star” reporter. He added that a rise of only a few pence per lb. made a greater difference to the prosperity of the Dominion than most people realised, and if a similar improvement took place in regard to wool and other farming produce, even if higher demands -were made on the purchasing power of the public, it would mean that the end of the depression was well within sight.. City residents should at last recognise how dependent was their prosperity on that of the farmers. Mr J. A. Maeleod, manager of the Wellington I}ranch of the Bank of Australasia, will retire from the service on pension next Monday. He was at one time stationed for a short period at Hawera.