Local and General

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 22 July 1935, Page 4

Local and General

On view in Messrs Bennett and Sutton’s High Street window is the Collins silver challenge cup for home nursing, won for the first time in 1933 by the Hawera Red Cross team and retained last year. The cup was presented in 1926 by Colonel W. E. Collins. For this year’s competition; which will take place at Hawera next Saturday, seven team have entered. Stanley Mockford, the young Tuakau farmer who began a 100-mile circuit ol Alt. Egmout on skates on Wednesday, completed his trip at 5 o’clock on Saturday afternoon. He covered the 70 miles from Stratford to New Plymouth, via Opunake, between lunch time on Friday and Saturday afternoon. Generally the road surfaces were found to be excellent for skating, especially the older tar-isealed portions. Unusual public interest was taken in the venture. News of his coming seemed to precede him, he said, presumably by telephone, and he found the population of settlements en route waiting for him. At Kaponga a man accompanied him on skates for some distance, and at many villages children on bicycles rode with him along the highway. For some time past the health authorities have agitated that all buildings in the area fronting Ngamotu beach at New Plymouth and occupied by Maoris should be demolished on account of unsanitary conditions. Without exception the buildings are within a few yards of damp swamp ground and- drainage and ordinary household amenities for waste water are not apparent. Of seven Maoris against whom orders for possession were made in May last, on© has left the site and removed the bpildings. A second has vacated his whare, and has commenced interior dismantling. A third family has intimated that it has arrangements under way ior the building of a new home elsewhere in New Plymouth, and will move as soon as possible. lhe remaining four Maoris stoutly refuse to give any indication of when they would leave the area, and it ' rG ™ ai ! l ® to be seen whether the sheriff Will be ordered to take possession. While fishing off Otago Heads in deep water recently, Mr. E. Moore, of Harrington Point* hooked an unusual shark which was sent to Mr. David H. Graham’ for identification. Mr Graham states it is very rare and is known as the seven-gilled or Perlon shark, and is seldom seen in Otago waters. The large mouth is crescent shaped, the dentition being unequal in the jaws. In the upper are one or two pairs of awl-shaped teeth, the following six being broader and provided with cusps. The lower jaw has six large comb-like teeth on each side beside the small posterior teeth. The structure of the skull affords evidence that seven-gilled sharks are the most primitive group of selacions. Some calendars give the date of Labour Day as Monday, October 21, while in others it is Monday, October 28. This lack of uniformity has caused some confusion. Several hotels have accepted bookings on the understanding that Labour Day was October 21. Actually it is one week later, having been fixed by Act of Parliament in 1910 as the fourth Monday in October. Labour organisations publicly celebrate Labour Day in every industrial country in the world, the most usual date being May 1. In Britain the celebration takes jilr.ee on thr first Sunday after May Day, and in the United States and Canada Labour Day is observed in September. Parishioners of St. Mary’s, Hawera, are reminded of the social evening on Wednesday next. The programme will be bright and interesting. No icharge is being made for admission, but. the ladies are asked to bring a basket.

Entries for the musical, elocutionary and dancing competitions to be held at Hawera. from August 27 to August 30, close on Wednesday next with the secretary (Mr T. F. McKenzie).