LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 20 April 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Hon. J. G. Coates left Hawera last evening by motor car for Waverley, where he was to receive deputations from the Patea County Council and the Waverley Town Board. A pleasing custom adopted by the children of the Onehunga school, of attending Jo graves of soldiers buried at the Waikaraka cemetery, was re-1 ferred to in grateful terms by the ex-' ecutive of the Auckland Returned Soldiers' Association at its last meeting (states an Auckland contemporary). It was stated that once a week the chil-i dren made a pilgrimage to the cemetery with wheelbarrows and baskets' laden with flowers, looking upon it as' an honour and a privilege to attend the' graves of the fallen soldiers. It was! decided to forward a letter of thanks! to the headmaster, teaching staff and ! children, expressing appreciation of the! interest taken by the school in the! graves of the association's • deceased' comrades* : On Good Friday eve the train from Culverden to Christchurch had a narrow escape from a serious accident (reports the Lyttelton Times). The train, consisting of about ten carriages and well filled with passengers, was rounding a curve a few chains north of Southbrook station, at a speed of about thirty miles an hour, when the front wheels of the engine jumped off the metals- at a road crossing. The driver pulled up smartly, but not before the derailed wheels had bumped over the sleepers of two small culverts. Fortunately the train came to a standstill without any serious damage being done, but the passengers had a tedious wait of about an hour and a half before resuming the journey. Testimony to tine nigh reputation which New Zealand butter has gained \ in other countries, through the rtvpid extension of its overseas markets (says the Auckland correspondent of the Otago Daily Times) is contained in a letter recently written by a lady resident of St. Johns (Newfoundland) to a' friend in Auckland. "Just imagine," she writes, "we have been using New Zealand butter at our table all the winter. It is delicious, and we all enjoy it very much. It is sold here at 43 cents a pound. This is the first time we have ever had it here, and everyone speaks very highly of it." The price quoted is equivalent to about 2s 4d per pound at the present rate of exchange. A remarkable experiment inroadmaking is now being made in America, according to Mr A. Campbell, of Wellington, who has returned from a world tour. He stated that, in one city half a mile of roadway has been laid down, the process and the material differing each 30 yards. Underneath this small stretch is a wide tunnel, and the weight passing over each point of the road is tested, as well as the compact forces. Huge motor lorries

run over the road during the whole of 24 hours each day, and the observations which were being taken were extremely comprehensive. America expected to learn much from this costly experiment, and probably other parts of the world would learn as well. Compare mcwrern me-onanical wonders and scientific advancement with the crude efturts of Watt in 17fi9, which nevertheless culminated in bis famous invention of the steam engine. The times and conditions of commerce require new devices,- new methods. The man with ideas should consult us. We can tender advice and secure full patent rights. Henry Hughes, Ltd., Patent Attorneys, 157 Featherston Street, Wt»Jlington.—Advt.

Before Mr C. O. Ekdahl, J..P., on Tuesday, a first offender ror drunken- 1 ness was convicted and fined 10s, the amount of his bail. The Hawera Male Choir's musical competitions will be held in the Opera House to-morrow. The proceedings will be opened b$ the Mayor at 10 o'clock, and the day should be very interesting. In the evening a large attendance is ex- i pected, and keen competition is expected among the children Avho will take part. The local Returned Soldiers' Association has been presented with an Anzac Flag by Mr G. C Sage. The flag, which is a fine piece of work, has been made and designed by Mr Sag*>, who has worked on it two cloves flying between the Southern Cross and Anzac, carrying New Zealand ferns in their | "beaks. The designer's purpose hi representing messages from New Zealand to the soldiers who, died on Anzae has | been weil brought out. The flag wfll be ; used at the •service to be held in Ha- ! wera on Aaizsc Bay, and jsriill be housed in the Soldiers' Club. The Kasiieri power plant, which lights Hokitika, also works the Eimu dredge (explains a West Coast contemporary). Dredge and terwn plant draw upon the power plant in the ratio of about three to one. On rar« occasions at Hokitika the electric lights waver. Then the exclamation is heajpd on all sides i "Hello i the dredge has struck a big .boulder." The surmise is quite correct. When for a minute the strain on the dredge becomes tremendous it draws on more than its share of the power, with the result, that for a s?rjall space, the town (which. . by the way, saves between £20,000. and £30,000 "hi capital expenditure by this arrangement) must go short. Another instance of a complaint which ; the police are in duty bound to take up and investigate only to find it to be without foundation, occurred in Gis- ; borne last week, says the Poverty Bay : Herald. A man reported to a constable that two £20 notes had been, stolen from him. The complaint was duly in- j i vestigated and it was discovered that i the man had given the money to a barman for safe keeping, and that it was I still in the barman's possession waiting tr» be claimed. Several cases of this nature have come under police notice ■ lately. Some time ago a man presented himself at the police station and complained that he had been knocked off the Tuatea and robbed of his pocket book , and wallet. The police went into his complaint, and shortly afterwards it was 1 discovered that the man's story was i quite unfounded, and that the loss of I his money was accounted for by circumstances for which his own acts" were rei sponsible.