Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1936. LOCAL AND GENERAL

Manawatu Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 4599, 21 January 1936, Page 2

Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1936. LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wellington will celebrate its 96th anniversary to-morrow. 'The occasion will be observed as a holiday throughout the Province. The body of Peter Martin, a child aged three" years, who was missing from his home at Karioi, near Ohakune, on January 15, was found on thje following day after dragging operations in the Rangiwaea River. < Damage estimated at £I,OOO was caused by fire in the Church of the Holy Angels, Darfield, South Island, late on Saturday night. The church was more, than 50 years old and was completely destroyed. The cause of the outbrealki is a mystery. There is to be great rejoicing at Ratana Pa next Saturday when coincident with Ratana’s birthday a niece of his from Hawera is to be married to a [Hawke’s Bay resident. A big gathering is expected. Decorated lavishly in Ratana colours of blue and gold the wedding cake is on view in a city window. Made in tiers the cake stands about three feet high.

The phenomenal change that has taken place in Japan during the past 60 years has been made possible only by the desire and ability of the Japanese people themselves to learn and follow the methods of Western civilisation. One of the essentials to learning is a (knowledge of the various languages of the world. English being the principal spoken language, it has become the ambition of most Japanese to acquire at least a superficial knowledge of it. Last week two Japanese vessels, the Sydney Maru and the Manju Mara, arrived at Auckland and the crews of both showed their pleasure when given the opportunity of conversing in English. Many have Japanese-English dictionaries and are constantly in search of new English words to add to their vocabulary.

Suspicion has been aroused in the district that illnesses among Maoris are being suppressed from the health authorities, and that patients are being secluded in their homes or removed elsewhere, says the Levin Chronicle. The. outbreak of typhoid at Poroutawhao is believed to have some connection with an outbreak at Otakeho, 15 miles from Hawera, but owing to the stolid reticence of the Maoris it is not known definitely whether carriers have passed from Otakeho settlement to Poroutawhao. A further, case of typhoid among Maoris at Otakeho was admitted to hospital last night. This makes the tenth patient since December 27, and four have died. The reason for this greater proportion of deaths to patients in the Otakeho outbreak compared with the original epidemic in September last, when one ward at the hospital had to be set aside for treatment and observation, is attributed to suppression by the Maoris,

A lost umbrella is advertised for.

The Amaska Company, of Osaka, intends to spend about £IO,OOO in an attempt to salvage the Maheno, stranded on Fraser Island.

Ronald Furness Sinclair, aged 21, a single labourer, of Greymouth, was killed instantly on Saturday night when lie was crushed under a heavily laden lorry when it capsized over a bank on the main highway between Totara Flat and Ranpo. Duncan McLean, a sawmill engineer employed at Perry and . Co.’s mill at Kakapotahi, South Westland, was found dead underneath his burning motor cycle on the main road on Sunday. There was no witness to the tragedy. 'To-morrow evening Mr Leo Sim. of Hiinatangi, who recently returned from twelve months’ sojourn in* Soviet Russia, will deliver a lecture on his experiences abroad in the Town Hall supper-room. The lecture will commence at 8 o’clock and all' are invited to attend. There will be a collection to defray expenses. The Unemployment Board has decided to assume responsibility under the Workers’ Compensation Act in cases where men are engaged in eradicating ragwort and other noxious weeds. This, however, does not apply in cases where the relief labour is being used by State Departments on Crown lands which carry the risk themselves.

A! particularly fortunate escape was experienced by Mr James Pryor, the driver of a Highways Transport lorry, last Thursday night when his vehicle left the road and plunged down a bank to overturn by the Waikawa river, following a failure of the lights. The lorry was heavily laden, but despite the drop of some 20 feet, the driver escaped with only his clothing torn.; Attracted by a squealing noise in their garden recently, some Levin residents, upon investigating, found a stoat in the grip of the family cat, in direct opposition to the theory that cats as. a rule are more than respectful to these vicious animals. Puss, in this case, soon made short work of her victim. By a coincidence a local cat made a similar capture at the regr of the Herald Office yesterday morning.

I There is a strong possibility, following inquiries from the South Australian Government, of a visit by the Duke and Duchess of Kent for the Melbourne Centenary celebrations of that State this year, later touring the Commonwealth and possibly New Zealand. _No dates have been mentioned, but the celebrations open this month. The council of the New Zealand Surf and Life Saving Association has decided to make application to become an incorporated society. The New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association has advised that it will co-operate with the Council in rendering medical assistance. When such assistance is required a yellow flag is to be flown from the club buildings. •

A temporary blockage of the railway line through the Manawatu Gorge was caused on 'Sunday morning when a railway crane being used in the repairing of a small bridge in the gorge about a mile from the Woodville end slipped back into a hole left through the taking up of several sleepers. A relief crane was sent from Wellington and by working throughout the afternoon, the men were able to place the crane, which weighed 35 tons, back on the line. No traffic was held up.

Recently in different parts of the North Island remarkable coincidences in family dates were brought before the notice of the. public. Feilding is equally notable for such incidents, one recently having come to light in the town. The mother's birthday is on April 23, as is also a son’s, who was married on April 23. He had a son who was born on April 23, and 14 years later another son was born on the same date. 'The number of his residence is also 23.

Mr. D. Christie, who owns the property on the comer of Johnston Street and Avenue Road, the scene of last Saturday’s accident and numerous previous accidents, has offered to cut his fence back on the corner to give a clearer view of the intersection. If this work is undertaken it will greatly improve the corner. A tally taken over a short period on Sunday showed that out of thirty cars' approaching the intersection from a southerly direction along Johnston Street only three sounded their horns on nearing the cross-roads.

‘ After having been kept at Milson aerodrome practically ever since its arrival after competing in the Melbourne Centenary air race, the Miles Hawk ’plane has been sold to the Wellington Aero ’Club for £750. The machine was flown in the air race by Squadron Leader M. C. McGregor and Mr H. C. Walker and established a light aircraft record for flying betwen England and Australia. 'The machine belonged to Palmerston N. guarantors of the entry and financial circumstances forced the sale of the machine. It was flown to Wellington by Squadron Leader G. h. Stedman yesterday.

Questioned as to the probable length of the first session of Parliament, the Prime Minister, Hon. Savage, said that personally, he would prefer that there should be no adjournment after the meeting in February. It seemed to him that members themselyes probably would favour remaining in session until the whole of Parliament’s business was disposed of. The Prime Minister indicated the probability of some appointments being made to the Legislative Council before Parliament meets, but he explained that he was not at the moment in a position to say just to what mark the strength of the council would be brought up. The present numerical strength of the council is only 26 members —the least for many years.

Wirths 1 Circus will appear in Otaki on 28th inst., Levin' on the 29th, Palmerston N. on the 30tli, and Feilding on the 31st.

The last two or three days have seen tons of raspberries despatched from Grey town to the markets. Growers report that the crops are exceptionally heavy this year, and all that is required is favourable weather to enable picking operations to be continued.

The Rev. A. Fotheringhain will conduct his final services as minister’ in charge of the Manawatu South Presbyterian charge, on Sunday next. The local congregation will tender the departing minister a valedictory social on Thursday evening.

Despite the fact that Foxton possesses a very efficient drainage system, there are several residences in the borough not connected with the scheme. In one case where the cottage is occupied by several adults and children, the back yard is honey-combed Avith nightsoil deposits. The local authority would be acting in the best interests of the health of the community to make an investigation Avith the object of enforcing the by-law dealing Avith the nuisance.

A conference of the honorary beach inspectors supervising the beaches from Ngamotu to Waiwakaiho, NeAV Plymouth, Avas unanimously of the opinion that the use of canoes by children in the open sea was highly dangerous. Numerous instances Avere cited where naiTOAV escapes had occurred and it Avas the opinion of the meeting that parents Avould be Avell advised to, prohibit the use' of this type of craft. The use of surfboards in bathing areas was also condemned as extremely dangerous to other bathers.