Local and General

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XV, Issue 215, 10 December 1925, Page 4

Local and General

Thn New Zealand Shipping Company’s s.s. Ruapehu, from Souihhampton, sailed from Panama on December 5. and is due in Wellington on January 1. 1926. An anonymous donor who some nth s ago gave £750 to the Canter' bury patriotic fund. lias made another donation of £250. The patriotic committee has allocated it to the soldiers in hospital and sanatoriums.—. (Press Association). Mr. W. J. Tierney, woo] auctioneer in Sydney for the Australian .Mercantile Land and Finance Co.. Ltd., who a few weeks ago established a record of 430 lots in an hour, last week broke that record by offering 460 lots for sale in the same time. How may this compare with our Napier salesmen’s best record?

The annual shooting match between the Napier and Gisborne High Schools has been shot off and resulted in a wi.n lor Napier by the large inarin of 121 points. The match consists of teams of ton mon. who fire two ton-round, rapid and application, practices. The possible is 800 a,nd Napier did exceedingly well in scoring 766 against Gisborne’s 612.

The Horticultural Department has boon busy inspecting and condemning fruit from Australia on account of fruit fly. grey scab and sooty mould (states a Wellington telegram). The Department cabled shippers and an alteration will be made. It appears tb.at at one time fruit was shipped under a. certificate with the name of the orchard. This was a I tored. but the Department warned shippers that if fly was found it would moan condemnation, and this is what has now happened.

The Hastings Convent School annual entertainment will ho held at the .Municipal Theatre next Tuesday evening, commencing at 8 o’clock. The programme is exceedingly interesting, as the children, individually and in groups, have boon admirably trained under the direction of their teachers, so that the public may look forward to a really enjoyable evening, which will he rendered additionally delightful by the pretty operetta which will be presented. There was a five-minute sensation at Eltham last night when the fire station caught fire (states a Press Association telegram). A cigarette butt, it is said, was thrown on a bedroom floor, and this ignited a curtain over a box cupboard in the corner. The boll was rung by private citizens, and the door of the room, which was locked, had to bo forced open. Buckets of water extinguished the blaze, and no serious damage was done. The incident created much amusement. Prominent sawmill owners of Southland state that there is a severe slump in the sawmill industry. The demand for white pine for use in fruit and cheese crates is still fairly good, but the demand for ot her classes of timber is not sufficient to keep the mills going, as is apparent from the fact that a few have closed down, while others have' been working four and five days a- week. Those circumstances have induced owners to close down for an extra week during tlie Christmas holidays. It is some years since the trade lias boon so slack as at present. The conditions are said to be largely flue to the importing of foreign timber. At a meeting of the Mairarapa Automobile Association last .night, during a discussion on the level crossing accident at Featherston, resulting in the death of Kilvert L. .Matthews, it was stated that the crossing had been the scene of seven accidents and two deaths, also that when a northwest wind was blowing it was difficult to hear the warning bells, it was decided to approach the district engineer to discuss an improvement to the safety devices. John McLennan McDonald, of Christchurch, aged 27. labourer, was lined £lO bv Mr. H. A. Young. SA!., for assault. The said his only doubt was as to ■whether ho should send McDonald to gaol without the option of a fine. The offence occurred in a picture theatre. McDonald was occupying a seat reserved bv another man. When an usher asked McDonald to give up the seat McDonald became violent and struck the man who had engaged the seat a heavy blow with his fist.

Selby Kobsqn, charged with using his residence in Hamilton as a common gaming house, was fined £lOO.

The new sleeping car which is on view in the Railway Department’s court at the Dunedin Exhibition was, at th« invitation of the Prime Minister, examined by Mr. C. R. Bruce, a prominent officer of the Canadian Pacific Railway, telegraphs Th© Post’s Dunedin correspondent. “That car is equal to Ihe best J have seen in any part of the world,” said Mr. Bruce. “Nothing can beat it for beauty and comfort. Your Prime Minister told me that several cars of this type are to be put on the lines. Well, he is to be congratulated.”

We would remind our readers again that when thinking of those to whom they might send ’Xmas gifts, not to forget that there are many patients in Pukeora Sanatorium, Waipukurau. who have a claim on their purse, and who, by unfortunate circumstances, will not be well enough to join thenrelatives and friends on ’Xmas Day. A “shop” will be opened at the Hastings Y..M.C.A. on Saturday next at 9.30 a.m. in an effort to raise funds io purchase gifts for the patients, and all those who may have suitable supplies for the shop are asked to send them along to-morrow afternoon. Mcsdames T. IT. Lowry and ‘Wilfred Stead are the joint hon secretaries, and anyone wishing to help in any wav is asked to telephone 912 or 913."