Local and General

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 25 July 1935, Page 4

Local and General

Tlie air mail which left New Zealand on July 2 arrived in England on July 21. says a Wellington Press Association message.

Bank staffs in Christchurch held a wheelbarrow race in the centre of the city yesterday to raise funds for a queen carnival to relieve distress. All the passengers in the barrows were Christchurch bank managers. A crowd of thousands thronged Short Street, where the race was held, and members of bank staffs, most of whom were in fancy dress, collected £llO.

The weekly flag 503 was held at the Soldiers’ Club on Tuesday night, when there was another good attendance. First prizes were won by Messrs. Campbell, Fletcher, Brett and Bouse. Mrs. E. Muir won the special prize for ladies and Air. K. Milne that for men. Consolation prizes were awarded to Mrs. Fink, Messrs. Fink, Lawson and Arthur-Worsop. A special prize for securing all ton tricks was won by Mr. A. Bouse.

‘‘l always think that fresh meat js better for young children than anything that comes out of a tin can,” said the Governor-General when speak ing at a civic luncheon in Palmerston North. His Excellency expressed the hope that there would he an increased consumption of fresh moat in England and a reduction in the amount of tinned meats received rom America and the Argentine.

The adverse weather conditions affected the attendance to some extent at St. Mary’s Church parish social last night, but in spite of that, those present spent a most enjoyable, evening in competitions and dancing. Community singing was led by Mr I'. Walker, who was master of ceremonies lor the evening. Recitations were given bv Mrs J. O. Robb, while two songs were rendered by Margaret- Duffill the accompaniments for which were played by her mother, Mrs J. A. Duifill. Supper was served by the ladies of the parish.

“It is useless toiling people of the value of research, but the introduction of wool substitutes will do more than anything else to make New” Zealand farmers realise the value of science in improving the natural product,” said ,r. H. N. Parton, in an address, “The Frustration of Science*” which he guve in Christchurch. The value of science would not be realised by the force of rational argument, he said, but by the direct coercion of the force of circumstances.

An incident of the disastrous Quetta earthquake has now come to light with the news of death and injury suffered by the famous “Kim” family. Mr. F. M. A. Beatty of whom Rudyard Kipling based his famous character of “Kim,” and his wife were both injured in the ’quake, while our members of his family were killed. They were :—Mr George Beatty, son ; Miss B. Beatty, daughter; two granddaughters Betty and Phyllis. Mr. Beatty, on whom Mr Kipling based the character of “Kim,” was sports secretary of the Quetta Club. He was formerly in the Baluchistan police, in which force his son was serving. One of the most picturesque personalities in Quetta, he was a superb athlete in vounger days. His career has been one round of adventure.

There is apparently no end to the variety of the approaches of thb “gentle grafter” to the man from wdiom he proposes to profit, and a new idea has been introduced to Wellington during the last few days, but •with what success has not been reported. The telephone is used in this graft. A business man is called to the telephone by “one of his clients,” or agents, Mr. So and So, and told that So and So has arrived from up country at a hotel in the city, and for one reason or another (a tale of a car accident and garage bills was used on two occasions) is short of money leading up to “Can you leave me £5 at the hotel, where I will pick it up this evening?” The manager of a large city business—£ls in his case—played safe, having no wish either to be disobliging to a client nor to lose his money too easily—and made a personal appointment to hand the money' over and have a talk. His client did not turn up.

Like the Maori, the Fijian is a lover of athletic sports, which he pursues with vigour. It is recorded by Mr F. Ryan, formerly of Auckland, who is now resident in Fiji, that in Suva Rugby football has a big hold among the young natives, who give some splendid exhibitions. “The Fijian appears to have the maximum muscular strength with the minimum weight, and Rugby football is a game for which he appears to have been made,” writes Mr Ryan. “With his large bare feet he kicks astonishing distances, and can place-kick goals from half-way. Cricket and Association football are also games that interest the Fijians, and boxing is getting a hold amongst them. In the country district of Sigatoka recently somebody introduced a set of boxing gloves. Boxing at once spread like wildfire throughout the district, so much so that the supervisors of a Fijian agricultural settlement in that district had to forbid it among the young men. Not that they objected to the boxing, but they discovered that the young men were boxing all night and sleeping in the day time. Work was indeed being sadly neglected for the new boxing game.” “You will hear a lot of people say that there are too many members of Parliament (and too many local bodies in Xe'.v Zealand. That being so, why not start on ourselves?” said Mr W. Morrison, when outlining the reorganisation of the Farmers’ Union (as decided upon at the recent Dominion Conference) at yesterday’s meeting of the Wanganui Provincial Executive. Mr Morrison contended that less men did more work, avoided a great deal of unnecessary talk and saved a lot of expense. A reduction -of delegates to the Dominion Conference was one of the measures and the advisory committee was to be dispensed with in future. “It is a step in the right direction,” Mr Morrison added, ‘'and will not interfere -with provincial executive meetings. It is also proposed to hold provincial conferences as usual.”

“The eradication of the rabbit pest has cost untold thousands of pounds, but you probably do not know the history of the introduction of rabbits to Canterbury,” said Air A. Sehvyn Bruce, in an address to the Canterbury Advertising Club. “We have to thank Sir George Grey for the millions of these voracious animals with which this island is cursed. In one of the papers of the early ’sixties we read that Sir George Grey, who was an early Governor of New Zealand, presented the Canterbury Province with some silvergrey rabbits, nssuring the people that in the future they would prove a most valuable asset. The occasion of the presentation of these rabbits was declared a public holiday, and a gala day was held at the run df Air W. D. Wood, at Swincoinbe, where they were liberated.”

HUNTINGTON’S. ’Phone 2118. Having completed our annual stocktaking, we are now concentrating on cleaning up the balanco of left-overs and oddments from all departments, and customers arc advised to watch our windows for real bargains. Blouses, skirts, coats, dress materials, stockings, gloves, ladies’ pyjamas and nighties—all needed garments of the moment, and every item a tip-top bargain.— Advt.