LOCAL & GENERAL

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVIII, Issue 233, 14 September 1928, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL

Tho Hastings Citizens’ Band’s long night, old-time dance will be held in tho band-room this evening. Dancing begins at 8 o'clock.

In our report of the civil business at the Hastings Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday the name of "W. J. Johnson” erroneously appeared as W. P. Johnson.

Mr Fred Hill, a wool buyer for a large Bradford firm, who arrived in Auckland by the Aorangi, sid he anticipated a reduction of 2d in fine merino wool this coming season as a result of women’s changing fashions.

The entries in the sheep, cattle, and horse sections of the Hawke’s Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society’s Spring Show will close on Saturday, September 29. Schedules are now available.

The ’bus for third grade players in the eutrain-raiser to the representative match in Napier to-morrow will leave the Hastings Post Office at 12.45 o’clock.

Th Palmerston North Hospital Board at their meeting yesterday afternoon accepted a tender of £17,781 for the erection of a twostory block at the hospital. This will give accommodation for 50 additional patients.

The generous gift of £5O towards the funds of the Christchurch Returned Soldiers’ Association was made by Squadron-Leader Kingsford Smith and Flight-Lieutnant Him, eo-eoin-manders of the Southern Cross, at the smoke concert tendered them by the Returned Soldiers’ Association.

The Industries and Commerce Cominitteo reported to the House of Representatives yesterday on a number of petitions asking lor the abolition of the cash-on-delivery system, and recommended that they should bo referred to the Government for favourable consideration.

A meeting of the Local Government Loans Board was held on Tuesday at Wellington. Forty-seven applications for loans totalling £1,117,525 were dealt with. Loans for £909,247 were sanctioned, the balance, £208,278, being either declined or referred back to the local authority concerned for further consideration.

A special Court fixture was made by Mr A. M. Mowlem lor the hearing of two defended actions to-day. When the cases were called one wus struck out. while in the other the plaintiff was non-suited on the grounds that a contract had not been made, i This referred to the case in which M. A, Venables (Otabuhu) claimed £4O 16s from N. V. Lovell and W. A. Painter (Hastings) for breach of contract.

Last night the premises of Gordon Hughan Ltd., garage proprietors at Ijjiterton, was broken into, entrance being made by boring a hole through the back door into the garage. Then the door into the office, which was heavily padlocked, was forced by means of a steel lever, the till opened and the sum of £3 3/1 taken. The intruder was evidently disturbed, for an odd sum of 11/- also in the till was overlooked. The police have the matter m hand.—Press Assn.

A bird with a particularly shrill whistle has been heard in Ashburton by several residents lately, and a good deal of interest is being taaen in the stranger (says the Press). Its piping is heard only late at night, and has been in evidence only during the present moon. One observer considers that the bird is a canary, while another claims that it is a nightingale, a number of which were released at Auckland some months ago. The probabilities are that it is a shining cuckoo, an early arrival.

The attention of all farmers interested in the destruction of rooks is drawn to an advertisement on the front page stating that a meeting will be held in the Public Hall at Fcrnhill on Monday next at 7.30 p.m. to organise shooting parties tn enter rookeries for the purpose of shooting these birds and destroying their nests. Ammunition will be supplied by tho H.B. County Council, and those desiring poisoned grain can obtain same from the Council on application, on the usual terras. This meeting is being convened by the Farmers’ Union, but it is understood that al] interested, whether members of the Union or not, arc invited and urged to attend.

Replying to Mr J. t>. Elliott (Orau) in the House of Representatives yesterday, tho Hon. A. D, McLeod said it was not a fact that the whole of the ballot papers for the’ forthcoming general election had been printed. As provided by the law a number of absent voters' ballot papers had been printed, but he could not say how many issues hud been printed on the licensing ballot paper. He did not know that until ho received the departmental i to his enquiries. Further, in reply to the Leader of the Opposition, the Minister said no orders had been given to private firms to print ballot papers It was intended to have the work done by tho Government printer but if sufficient time was given it might ultimately be necessary to ask private firms to do some of the work.

A manifestation of Nature in one of her freakish moods occuried on Sunday on the farm of Mr T. Grey, or Amberley, when a iamb was burn alive with one head, four ears, one mouth, two tails, and eight legs. The curiosity was skinned, and is now in the possession of Mr B. Blackler, of Christchurch, who intends to have it mounted.

"I have received a number of complaints from readers who frequent Hie Library on Sundays, regarding the behaviour of certain youths," stated the librarian in the report presented to the Hastings Borough Council last evening. A request that the police on duty include the buildings in tho beat was referred to the Town Clerk to deal with.

Miss O’Rourke (Eagle Owl) is holding a camp for Guiders at Te Awanga, commencing to-day and continuing until Monday. It is requested that all parents of Guides and association members meet at the eamp on Sunday afternoon. Tea will lie provided, but niembers must bring their own eatables. Miss O'Rourke will give a short address. It is hoped that »s many as possible will attend.

"This has been the busiest month on record, and at times our rooms have been veiy crowded,” commented the matron of the Women's Rest in her report for August presented at z the meeting of the Hastings Borough Council last evening. There had been 3953 patrons, 32 visitors, and 1120 patients to the Plunket room, making a total of 5105. Cash receipts and donations totalled £2l 0s 3d for the month.

The Gazette last night publishes the following vital statistics :—The total live births registered for urban areas amounted to 1078, as against 1073 in July, an increase of 5. Deaths in August were 7G2, an increase of 31. as compared with the previous month. Of the total deaths, males contributed 358, fesmales 344, and 65 of the deaths were of children under five years of age, being 9.26 per cent, of tho whole number. Fifty-two of these were under one year of age.

The County Borough of Hustings (England) has advised that the senior flag, presented bv tho Borough of Hastings, New Zealand, has again been won for the current quarter by Hastings Boys’ Central School with a percentage of average attendance of 96.4 for the three months ended 31st March, 1928. and the Junior Flag by Christ Church Junior Mixed School, with a percentage nf 95.72, the next order being Halton Junnior with 95,71 per .cent.

When tho crowd crushed about tho crew of the Southern Cross after the landing nt Wigram Aerodrome, Squad-ron-Leader Kingsford Smith’s helmet went missing. He did out mind the loss of the helmet, but pinned on it was a little black and silver “Felix” cat, which had been bis mascot for seven years. “Smithy” offered a reward of £lO for the return of Felix. The same evening, though, a young woman appeared bringing with her the helmet complete with the Mascot. She had found it, and kept it as a souvenir, but as soon as she realised that the flyer valued it she returned it, asking no reward. “Smithy” was so pleased, that he promised to use the helmet when flying back to Sydney, and then to autograph it and post it back.

The assembling of the main portion of the new reclamation dredge .of the Napier Harbour Board has been completed but there are several day s work yet to be done in finishing minor details. The machinery lias been worked for a short period and everything worked satisfactorily Tho dredge should be ready for continuous working about the middle of next week. Messrs Holmes and Son, in a report to the board yesterday, suggested that a trial of the dredge be made where it is at present as tho material is very suitable for pumping and the area where the material is discharged is easily measured up lor obtaining the output. Also is is essential that several weeks’ pumping with the dredge lacing up stream should be undertaken in order to allow the crew to become familiar with tho handling of the dredge and the floating pipeline before an attempt is made to manoeuvre the dredge down stream or to make a cut at an angle to the main river.