Local and General

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 6 March 1935, Page 6

Local and General

The management of the Opera House has been advised that the film, “The Barretts of Wimpole Street,” which was originally booked for a four nights season, can he screened in Hawera for a three nights' season only owing to the heavy demands for the picture in other centres.

The recent floods caused damage totalling £10,442 in tho Inglewood county area, according to a report submitted to tho council yesterday. Of that amount, damage oil highways accounted for £2203 and on riding roads for £8239. It was decided to adopt the report and forward, it to the Public Works Department with a request for financial assistance.

Demonstrations of ‘‘ethyl” petrol were given in Haw r era garages to-day by the travelling representative of the Vacuum Oil Co., before interested at-< tendances of motorists and members of the trade. A light-car engine, mounted on a trailer, fitted with a special sw-itehboard and glass petrol tanks was used for the demonstration.

A splendid muster of Flag 500 enthusiasts gathered at the Soldiers’ Club last evening to participate in the continuation of the series. Play was very keen and a tie resulted for the first prizes, Mrs Donald, Messrs Collins, Swaysland and Stevens winning the cut. Mrs Donald also won the ladies’ special prize after tying with two other ladies. Mr C. Rasmussen was successful in winning the men’s .special prize, whilst consolation prizes were won by Messrs C. Lovell, K. Brown, C. Black and D. Martin.

“One unfortunate feature of the past two years has been the poisoning of dogs both in the city and country,” said the chairman (Mr. Crosby Morris) at the annual meeting of the Otago Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. “This work is done by someone who, unfortunately, cannot be detected. Though the society has offered a reward for information that will lead to the conviction of any person responsible for poisoning, nothing has come before us that would enable us to take action. It is difficult to understand the nature of anyone who can lay poison for unoffending dogs, and one can only conclude that it is some maniac that is going about this nefarious practice".”

An ingenious confidence trick of which only chance prevented him being a victim was described to a Christchurch Sun reporter last week by a New Brighton resident. He said that late the previous evening a man had come to liis door in great distress saying that his son was suffering great pain, and could he have the loan of a bicycle to fetch a sleeping draught from the chemist? The householder had no bicycle at home, but. said he would get- his ear out, and went to get his hat. The man was nowhere to he seen when lie came back a few seconds later, and did not return. The householder learned from some of his neighbours later that the same trick had been tried on them, fortunately without success.

A suggestion that the Government should issue £1,000,000 in Treasury notes, without interest, and shofuld distribute the notes among local bodies for the employment of men at standard rates of pay, was made by Mr C. M. Dowd, of Takapuna, at a. conference of local body representatives to discuss unemployment. He said that recently interest-free money in England during the early years of the war was a success until the banks stepped in and scotched the scheme. As a result of the action of the banks, England’s war debts had been raised to the colossal total of £4,000,003,000. “We are pretty safe in having good Governments, but no matter what our Government is my country is always run very efficiently,” said a Swedish business man, Mr O. W. Ohlson, at Wellington recently, on his arrival in Wellington by the Maunganui from San Francisco. The reason he gave for this was that “such public utilities as railways, post office, the wine and spirit trade, and the tobacco trade, are nationalised, hut are entirely divorced from political control.” Only a few important items, including taxation and Customs tariffs, are regulated bv the political party in power, he said. The other departments are not controlled by ministers, but by permanent general managers who have supreme control. Grown for the beauty of its flowers, eichornia, the blue water hyacinth, one of the most dreadful weed scourges of the world’s waterways, has been introduced into the Dominion apparently without knowledge of the significance of its importation on the part of the Government. Plants of it have been openly sold in a New- Plymouth flower shop and it is by no means uncommon in New Plymouth ponds and gardens. The menace .is not confined to navigable rivers, as the hyacinth flourishes in even swiftly running water. In Queensland and on the north coast rivers of New South Wales where the pest has gained a strong footing expensive endeavours are even now being made to keep it in check, but to little effect. Once established the plant seems to grow anywhere from the tiniest detached shoot. A novel development of the tourist industry occurred recently when an English lady, making her second visit to this country, decided that, having been invited to take charge of a produce stall at a big bazaar in aid of a city hall in her town of Bury, Lancashire, she would arrange to stock it entirely with. New Zealand goods. The lady is interested in mills in Lancashire, and mentioned that a campaign by the New Zealand office to spread the sale of goods there had met with considerable resulfs. Cases of tinned whitebait, rock lobster, toheroa soup, tomato juice, spaghetti, beans, fruits, jams, sandwich pastes, tongues, rabbits, etc., have been ordered literally from Auckland to the Bluff, while arrangements are in hand for the supply of lamb, apples, honey, and butter from the London boards.