Local and General.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 19, 5 January 1923, Page 4

Local and General.

The Napier-Wairoa-Gisborne road is reported to be in exceptionally good condition at the present time for motorists.

When the Paparoa coal mines closed down for the holidays (says the Greymouth “Star”) most of the miners left for Christchurch. “Financial difficulties,” the “Star” comments,” “do not trouble them at present, some miners drawing £35 fof three weeks’ work.

The heavens plentifully showered their blessings on Hastings yesterday afternoon in the form of a heavy downpour of rain, stopping all outdoor activities much to the chagrin of tournament tennis players, but at the village of Havelock North barely a spot fell and the roads were left dry and dusty.

A new Maori ‘ ‘ healer ’’ is said to be making good headway as a rival to Ratana. His name is Wi Keepa Hakiaha, and ho was farjner/y a resident of Whakatane, but has latterly been residing at Wanganui. During the holidays he came on tour of coastal towns to Whakatape with about fifty-followers. A great gathering of Maoris was held at Poroporo to -welcome Hakiaha, who claims to have, the power to healing the sick and suffering, and the Maoris appeared to have great faith in him. He is described as a stoutly-built native with a quiet manner, find claims to be a believer in the religion of To Kooti, the Church of England, and the Church of Romo.

Hotel thieves are apparently active in Auckland (states the New Zealand “Herald”). In one hotel on Friday night the rooms of three visitors were entered and about £6O was stolen. One man was deprived of £43 m banknotes, another of £l4, and a third lost about £3. In each| instance the bedroom door had been left unlocked, and when the guests awoke in the morning the money, which had been placed in the pockets of suits, had disappeared. Lake Waikaremoana has proved to be an exceptionally popular holiday resort this Christmas (says the “Gisborne Times”), and something or a record has been established in the way of camping parties and trippers. The hotel accommodation ihas proved quite inadequate to cope with the demand, and in many cases guests have been supplied with tents in which to sleep, taking their meals in the hotel. A great number of the visitors are from Napier and Hawke’s Bay, the fact that there is a metalled road for the greater part of the distance being no doubt accountable for that fact.

An. anecdote relating to the early history of the Presbyterian Church in Aiickland was "related by the Prime Minister, when laying the foundation stone of St. John’s Presbyterian Church at Papatoetoe. He said that before St. Andrew’s Church, the first Presbyterian church in Auckland, was built, the Presbyterians had great difficulty in finding_ji x place for worship, but _they obtained—perhaps by political influence, which was not unknown in those days—the use of the Supreme Court for services. It was not the present building, but the old one in Queen street. It was customary in the Presbyterian churches for the elders to have a new to themselves. The accommodation in the Court was limitecl. but the elders had their pew in this case' in the dock. Naturally they were the targets of many jokes and gibes. It is now considered , probable that the short session will commence on February 14 or 15 (says a Wellington paper). The Reform Party is to meet in Wellington next week, probably on Wednesday. Matters of considerable importance will be discussed, but it is unlikely that much of what transpires will reach the public. Though the business of the session may be formal it will be extremely interesting. The subject of debate will be the usual Ad-dress-in-Replv to the GovernorGeneral’s speech, which will probably be very brief. It is expected that the debate will last for about ten Parliamentary days before a decisive test of parties is taken. It is as too soon to discuss with anything like certainty the appointment of a new Speaker of the House and Chairman of Committees to replace the Reform members who fell in the election battle last month. The nominations will very likely represent political diplomacy, and there may be a distinct party score in the selection of the Speaker; but the position at the moment is really a matter of conjecture.

The Hawke’s Bay A. and P. Society’s ram fair will be held on the Hastings Show Grounds on January 25 and 26 Entries close with the various brokers on January 13.

A startds to be made with the work of erecting the Bridge of Remembrance at Christchurch immediately the Dominion Industrial Exhibition closes and the exhibits and the annexe ,havo been removed. The material for the Bridge of Remembrance is all to hand and ready for conveyance to the site. “I left Vancouver on November 24 last, and it is a significant fact,” said Dr. Oliver, of America, when interviewed at Hamilton, ‘‘that a week before I left, a cable was received reporting thAt the Sanhedrim had been called 1o meet in solemn assembly in .Jerusalem for the first time for nearly 2000 years.

The swift current in the Hutt river has been responsible for many bathing fatalities. The story of how Edna le Beau Withington, aged 21, lost her life there on Tuesday afternoon, was related to the coroner. Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., when he held an inquest at the Lower Hutt Courthouse on Wednesday.

Confirmation has been received by the manager of the New Zealand Ship ping Company of the previous message that the seven brace of grouse sent, out by Mr. T H. Lowry hy the Otarama. had died before the ship reached Panama. Most elaborate arrangements had been made for the care and feeding of the birds, which were to have been liberated in Tongariro National Park. Two Union Company vessels the Ngatoro and the Kiwi, will run in the South Island-Napier service in future. Previously, the service has been maintained by the Kiwi lilone, but w:<i two vessels running the delay in the arrival at Napier of general/ produce and. cargo should be obviated. The loading ports in the South Island will be Bluff. Dunedin. Oamaru, Timaru, and, Lyttelton. Wellington and Gisborne will also be included in the service.

A determined campaign has been launched by the leaders of the Labour Party, both Federal and State, to reorganise the Labour movement and purge it of its extremist and reactionary influences. A meeting was held in Sydney at which the whole of the leaders of the party were represented, and plans were made whereby it is hoped to alter the constitution of the party and thereby carrjy into effect important reforms.

A lady was thrown from her horse in Railway road South yesterday afternoon. A. ‘‘Tribune” runner boy named W. Merton, who was on his way from Longlands to the office ’at the time, pluekily caught the horse, and the lady, who had sustained no injury again remounted the animal, which, however, then bolted as far as Mr Livingstone’s residence in the road leading from Longlands to the Maraekakaho road, where Mr Livingstone and Mr Brink came to the assistance of the lady, and brought the horse to a standstill.

Five ex-se/vice men who had emigrated to Australia were charged at Hull with stowing away among the vegetables aboard the-Opawa. The men who revealed their hiuing place during the voyage from Fremantle said they went to Australia, believing they would be assisted. They were sent to the bush, where they had to work Jheir hardest. One said he received only £7'for a year’s work. Another said he received £2l for 18 months’ work. The magistrate said he was satisfied the men had gone through a rough time, and discharged them. • Reports from the country districts indicate that animals had a premonition of an earthquake on Christmas Day (says the ‘‘Lyttelton Times”). One farmer states that nearly half a minute before the shock occurred, he noticed two cows rushing abtffit the paddocks in a frantic condition, bellowing loudly. Another saw his horse careering across the fields. Even smaller animals, such as cats, appeared to apprehend danger, for one resident’s domestic feline was seen clutching the earth some seconds before the oscillation commenced.

A party of twenty local citizens have left Invercargill in the auxiliary ketch Water Lily for the West Coast Sounds. Th© boat (states au exchange) is in charge of Captain Cross and included in the party is a Government photographer who will takr* moving pictures of the whole of the Sounds from Preservation Inlet to Milford Sound. These wil be the nrst cinema views taken of the Sounds and they will be exhibited at the British Empire Exhibition in 1924, and later throughout the whole of the English speaking countries. The party is due back about January 5 if weather and circumstances permit. The New South Wales branch of the British Medical Association has lodged an appeal against the verdict in favour of Dr.. Thompson, who claimed ■. £5OOO for defamation from the Association, and obtained ,a verdict for £2OOO. 'rhe’ verdict was a majority one on the whole of the five counts. On the first count, expelling him from the association, he was £iso; on the second, inducing other doctors not to consult him or professionally recognise him, £750; qp the other three counts, involving publishing alleged false and malicious statements regarding plaintiff, £350 on each of two, and £3OO on the 'third.