LOCAL AND GENERAL

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4606, 6 October 1934, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

"Show butter is, in my opinion, like a show! rooster—it's not utility," remarked Mr. D. Rutledge at the annual meeting of the Diary Farmers' Federation last week (says the Southland Times V when the question was raised whether the federation should exhibit in the Winter Show. The matter was left in the directors' hands.

When the preacher appointed to take the service at the Methodist Church at Prebbleton, Christchurch, recently was ready to begin it was discovered that the large reading Bible was not in its usual place. The service proceeded, and the Bible was returned by the post the following night with a Christchurch postmark, but no note about its removal. The pulpit cushion which usually accompanies the Bible, is, however, still missing. )

A Melbourne departmental store advertised last week for 250 additional sales assistants who could be offered 14 days' employment. When the doors of the store opened a crowd of 3000 young men and women blocked the footpath and adjacent lanes. In the eagerness of the crowd a youth was forced through a plate-glass window, several women and girls fainted, and a police constable collapsed under the strain of keeping order.

"Dead? Do I look as if I were dead?" remarked the well-konwn Southland boxer, Ray Nicol, when a reporter called at his -place of residence in Alice Street, Invercargill, to inquire if there was any truth in the rumour gaining currency that New Zealand's champion heavyweight had been killed in an accident. "I've heard of a man having once read his own obituary notice, but this seems more than that—knocking a man up to know if he's dead," Ray said. "I heard from Tuatapere on Saturday that I had joined the angels, so please deny it, and publish it in your paper that I'm feeling very fit." And the strong .hearty grip of the reporter's hand left no doubt as to Nicol's vitality.

Arrangements are now well in hand for the 22nd anniversary celebrations of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Sunday School which will take place on Sunday, November 4th. There will be three special services—at 11 a.m., 3 p.m., and 7 p.m., and special music by an augmented children's choir assisted by instrumentalists will be rendered at each service. The morning' service will be conducted by the Rev. A. P. Sutherland, 8.A., and the afternoon and evening- by the Rev. W. G. Carpenter, of Auckland. Until his transfer to Auckland some months ago Mr. Carpenter conducted the broadcast children's services from 2YA Wellington, and is more familiarly known as "Uncle George." He is an outstanding young people's speaker and his messages will no doubt prove inspiring.

With the object of discussing with district settlers the prospects of power supply to the Ma'ngatutu and Panetapu setlements, and neighbourhood, the Waitomo Power Board has decided to hold a meeting at Wharepuhunga next Monday afternoon (states the Waipa Post). It will be recalled that some months ago inquiry was made on behalf of the Panetapu settlers for electric power, but that area being in the Waitomo Board's territory (outer area) the Te Awamutu Board could not supply. Later the Waitomo Board was approached, and it decided to investigate the position, particularly the cost of extending the present line from the Maihiihi district, and the probable demand in the area served, there being some suggestion that if the cost is likely to be prohibitive the Waitomo Board would consent to Te Awamutu Board reticulating the area from its line at Korakonui —which, incidentally, is nearer the area to be served. Monday's meeting should be well attended by all settlers likely to need supply now or in the future.

Probably one of the rarest newspapers in the w>orld is in the possession of Mr. James Cowan, the wellknown writer on Maori history. It is a copy of a Maori newspaper of four pages, measuring about 12 inches by 18 inches. It is entitled Te Hokio'i E Rere atu na, and it was printed at Ngaruawahia on January 13, 18G3. The literal translation of the name is "The Birds FlyingAbove." The news is printed in the Maori language and contains a reference to a surprise visit of Sir George Grey to Ngaruawahia. One article deal's with the crops in the Te Awamutu district and another reports collections for a native church. It is said that the press on which the paper was printed was given by the Emperor of Austria to two Maoris who visited Austria in 1858. It is believed that Mr. Cowan's copy is the only one in existence.

The Ladies' Classes of St. John Ambulance start on Tuesday next, 9th October.

The possibility of exchanging two or three New Zealand police officers with Scotland Yard is under consideration, according to a statement made by the Hon. J. G. Cobbe, Minister of Justice, in the House of Representatives. The Minister said the proposal was that two or three smart men from Scotland Yard should come to New Zealand and a corresponding number of local men should go to Scotland Yard.

Despite the activities of large numbers of men during" last growing season, the ragwort plant is again putting forth prolific growth throughout the Otorohanga district, constituting a grave menace to successful dairying operations. Numbers of men from Auckland are working under the auspices of the Otorohanga County Council in an effort to check the seeding of the plant, says an exchange.

Fish stories not without some reason are looked at askance, but this one is supported by ocular evidence. There is at present on view in a Dunedin shop window a cannibal trout in the act of trying to swallow a smaller fish. The cannibal fish is about 14in. long, and out of its mouth is projecting the tail of another fish, which apparently proved too large a meal, and became firmly wedged in the throat of the other. Both fish were dead when taken out of the water at Sullivan's Dam.

Naturally the first instinct of Wairarapa readers when they received their morning" papers following their severe gale was to turn to the official weather report made during the week-end. Now many of them who read it while the hurricane was raging are still joking about it. The report stated: "A mild anti-cyclone is, approachnig from the north."

Attention to the large sum for travelling expenses by the Agriculture and Lands Departments was drawn by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. M. J. Savage, in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mr. Savage said the amount for both departments was £41,000, that for the Agi-iculture Department alone being £27,575. The Hon. C. E. Macmillan, Minister of Agriculture, said there were about 500 officers in the department. They had to travel all over New Zealand. He did not think the vote for this item was too much.

The other day, after observing that a Blenheim resident had been prosecuted for failing to register a pistol which was possibly carried by Dick Turpin on his famous ride to York, a guilty conscience smote a Marlborough settler, wiho recollected uneasily that his youthful son had a pea-rifle which might cr might not contravent the Act. He was not very clear as to its antecedents, but it certainly was not registered, and the question arose as to what could be done with it, for it would be venturing into the lion's den to make inquiries from the police. In these circumstances the son and heir was instructed to take the weapon to an adjacent plot of. land and secrete it there. Accordingly, Well after dark, the rifle was well wrapped up in paper and after the somewhat apprehensive father had carefully peeped up and down the street to see that no owe was about the boy set out on his surreptitious errand. In 20 minutes he returned; the deed was done and the family breathed freely once more but the following afternoon a small boy from next door arrived triumphantly bearing the rifle with the news that he had found it "over the bank," and had been able to identify it, having often seen it before. With a somewhat sickly imitation of a grin, the settler succeeded in rustling up a shilling as a reward, and the lad went gaily away, while gloom once more descended on the house.