Local and General

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 29 May 1935, Page 6

Local and General

Ten tables were occupied at the Returned Soldiers’ Club in Hawera last night for the weekly flag “500” social. The winning table was that occupied by Messrs Brett, Rouse, Campbell and Rasmussen. The men’s special prize was -vvan by Mr Brett, and the ladies’ special by Mrs W. Rue. Consolation prizes were won by Messrs Edwards, Nathan, Spratt and James. The time was long overdue for the Government to take action to bring law costs in line with present day conditions, said delegates at the Farmers’ Union conference at Hawera yesterday. A remit urging the necessary action was adopted, delegates remarking that as rent and interest costs had boon lowered, by legisla-> tion enactment, such action was justified.

A remit urging that all freezing companies he required to maintain a record of brands and the source of supply of all cattle killed through their works was not supported by the Farmers’ Union conference a,t Hawera yesterday. The Awatuna and Te Kiri branches advocated that- this would he advisable in view of the reported disappearance of numbers of cattle in various districts. Several members could not see how the scheme could bo put into effect, and besides, it was doubtful how far the companies would go in the matter. The view that claims of the present were the first call and that no attempt should be made to reserve funds for the future was endorsed at the annual meeting of the Otago Patriotic Association. During the past year encroachment of £3IOO was made on capital, and several members \irged that the present capital he spent in 10 years and that more be raised for future years. It was announced that about £40,000 remained in the fund. The Hawera post office advises that on the occasion of the King’s birthday there will be a counter delivery ol correspondence, including registered articles, on Saturday between 7 p.m and 8 p.m. and on Monday (June 3) the post office will remain closed. All mails will be closed at 7.15 a.m. and receiving boxes will be cleared at 6.30 a.m. The telegraph office will open from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and! 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. (telegrams to be presented upstairs). The telephone exchange will remain open continuously. Private box lobby hours will be from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. For seven days in succession the geysers at Whakarewarewa have continued in a state of intense activity, according to a Rotorua report. There was no pause in the action of Waikite. Waikoroliihi and Kerru, the three smaller geysers, throughout Monday. The most spectacular event of all occurred at 5 o’clock in the evening. A massive column of boiling water lose from the Poliutu cauldron to a height of 20 feet, overflowing like a cataract and plunging into the creek below. With a roar Pohutu broke out in violent eruption immediately afterwards, a column of water rising 8( feet. The display continued for fifty minutes.

The recent discovery of an old Maori quarry in the ranges near Coromande 1 has aroused interest, and drawn attention to the fact that it was not altogether unknown to some of the other Maoris. The practice was t< break out tTie rough stone on the spot and to transport it to where it, would ho fashioned into implements. More than a century ago metal implements from the Europeans became available, and the quarries fell into disuse. The oiling of lagoons (possibly to destroy mosquitoes) was strongly condemned by Mr W. G. Clark at the annual meeting of the Southland Acclimatisation Society; This practice not only kept ducks away, but also lulled fish, he said, and a man caught doing it deserved goal without the. option. He moved that it be a recommendation to the incoming council of the society that it take steps to have the oiling of lagoons made illegal. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

Messrs. Smith and Trim Ltd., of lfawera, advertise particulars of their mart sales for to-morrow of fruit and vegetables, etc., at 11 a.m., also poul'i Austin car wheels ■ ■nmplote an 1 f initure. etc., at 1.30 p.m.

■ “I am accustomed to hear in these collision eases that the speed was 15 miles an hour,” remarked Mr \\. R. McKean, S.M.. during the . hearing ol a. motor collision case in the Oneliunga. Police Court on Monday, when one of the drivers contended that he approached the intersection at that speed? “Fifteen miles an hour seems to be the most dangerous speed, ’ added Mr McKean.

The four Rkigbv selectors who met in Wanganui last Thursday to choose, the combined All Black Trial team representing tbc unions of .Taranaki, A\ anganui, Manawatu, and Horowhcnua, carried the following resolution: “That in future wiien several unions are asked to put a combined team in the field, matches be arranged so that the selectors concerned can see all the nominated players in action before having to select their team. ’ This solution is to he forwarded to the New Zealand Rugby Union. “The needs and problems of those suffering from the affliction of deafness arc less generally understood than those of people burdened with any other serious physical disability.” said Mrs 0. A. Hurd-Wood, when addrossin<r members ot tbc W ellington Rotaij Club yesterday. “The deafness itself is invisible, the magnitude of the suffering inflicted on the spirit of the individual is unknown.. It is easy to un-derstand-the problems of a soldier wjm lias lost an arm or a foot. His problems are immediately recognised and subconsciously we are as easily interested in helping him to readjust life to the changed conditions. But what of the hearing cripple?” The unusual sight of counsel appearing before Mr Justice Kennedy in the Supreme Court at Invercargill without his wig was noticed last Friday morning, but this breach of court etiquette went unrebuked. It transpired that Mr Gordon Reed, whose head was injured by a fall of plaster in the courtroom, had obtained His Honor’s permission, owing to the nature of his injury, to dispense with his wig.

The popularity of the aeroplane for week-end trips to summer resorts about the coast of England was a feature of British life which impressed Mr E. C. Cutten, formerly senior stipendiary magistrate at Auckland, who returned by the Aorangi yesterday after spending two years at Home. Mr Cutten mentioned that he had gone to Jersey, in the Channel Islands, from London on a week-end trip. The journey by air, which took only an hour and a quarter, was very popular, and on the Monday morning /,3 ’planes, each carrying nine passengers, were required to take the trippers back to London. At Jersey’ the ’planes used the beach for landing and taking off, seaplanes not being employed in the service. A humorous story against New Zealanders was told by Air-Marslial Sir Robert Clark-Hall at an F.inpire I>ay conversazione which was held at Christchurch on Friday night, bir Robert explained that he was a newcomer to the Dominion, and before leaving England he had made many inquiries concerning the country and its people. Speaking to an admiral, who had spent several years in New Zealand, he asked if the people of this country were friendly towards England. The reply was: “My dear man, if there is any criticism I would make of the people out there, it is that they are too damned loyal and patriotic!” “Japan is the sole stabilising powei in the Far East. Sometimes we art said to be mischief-makers and militaristic invaders, but we think we are the sole peace makers in the Far East. No other country can open up the markets in the East; and if you will co-operate with Japan to keep the peace and develop trade there, that sphere of the world promises good markets, not only to Australia and New Zealand, hut also to the other British Empire countries,” said Dr Ken-Iclii Abe, assistant editor-in-chid of the Tokio Nichi-Nichi, and leader of the Japanese trade delegation to New Zealand in Wellington on Thursday.

One of the best stories heard recently is of the little girl of six who asked why she must do as she was told. Her mother, rather bewildered what reply to give, said, “When I was a little girl I had to do what mother told me, and when grandmother was a little girl she had to do what her mother told her,” to which the child replied, “H’m, I wonder who started that silly game.” Among tiie reasons Professor B. E. Murphy advanced for the rather sudden introduction of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, when speaking recently at Napier, was the following: • It could relieve the* Government ol embarrassment ,by taking over the problem created by exchange control —a sort of Plunket nurse for the high exchange baby.” With a loud explosion, pieces of coal flew from an open fireplace in the luggage room at the Ashburton railway station the other day, and further pieces were thrown far out into the room as a series of minor explosions took place over the next few minutes. I'wo railwaymen who were near the fire were struck on the face by pieces of coal, and, fearing that some explosive had found its way into the fire among the coal, they beat a hasty retreat behind a pile of luggage. Investigation showed that a piece of rock in the fire hod blown to pieces.

Statesmen’s names are. popular for ii.se in christening thoroughfares. London has 18 named after Beaconsfield, 16 after Palmerston, 15 after Gladstone and 13 after Rosebery.

A first-class variety entertainment is being staged at the Kaponga Town Hall to-morrow (Thursday) oveirng in support of Princess Sadie, Kaponga’s Queen Carnival jandidate. Messrs Nairn and Simpson’s Haleru concert party are providing a really first-class entertainment which will contain something to suit all tastes. One of the features of the programme will be Scotch and" Irish dances by champion dancers, and those fond of humour will be well catered 1 :>i. The plans are at Brewer’s and admission prices are the same as for the talkies.