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Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 157, 4 June 1929, Page 6

Entries for the National Dairy Show are reported to be coming in freely, and an increase is anticipated in the figures this year.

Thirteen members of the Manawatu Tramping Club spent the week-end traversing the Tararuas. Starting from Levin in two parties, they travelled up the Waipaehu ridge and reached the hut, completing the last stages of the journey by torchlight. On Sunday morning a visit was made to the top of the Waipaehu, and some hours’ work was subsequently undertaken on a track which had previously been partially completed. The trampers returned yesterday in three separate parties. The Terrace End School team which won the seven-aside primary schools Rugby tourney yesterday put up a remarkable performance, scoring 96 points with three against, College Street A. being the only team to cross the Terrace End line. Of five matches played, Terrace End won 25-nil, 21-nil, 20-nil, 19-nil, 11-3. Seventeen school teams competed in the tourney and the final match, between College Street A. and Terrace End, was well contested, but the latter proved the better side. Richardson, Mutch and Lang were the scorers. Ward converting one try. Rossiter scored for College Street.

The men employed at the Waikokopu end of the Gisborne-Wairoa railway section now under construction have had an experience similar to that suffered by their mates at Kopua during the wet weather. Most of the men (says an exchange) and on co-operative contracts, and the state of the weather during the past few weeks has permitted of only slow progress with their contracts, while in some cases the Kaikokopu end of the line, and the major efforts at present are being concentrated on the construction of the access road to the Kopuwhara Valley. Last week the formation work got into such a state through the continued wet weather that transport was held up altogether. Two machines for grading metal have been landed at Waikokopu, for use in connection with the quarrying of rock for the railway and road, but owing to the condition of the road these machine have had to remain at port, awaiting an improvement before they’ are shifted. This circumstance is holding up much work which will have to be done before any substantial progress can bo made with the railway construction.

The Ulimaroa arrived at Sydney this morning at 6ix o’clock from Wellington.

A man was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment at Auckland for stealing a tie-pin while kissing another man in an hotel.

Twelve and a-half degrees of frost were registered in Hamilton last Friday morning. It was tho coldest morning experienced this year and a white frost covered the ground. Mr H. W. Dalton, for many years head gardener at the Government tourist domain at Te Aroha, has been appointed to take charge of the Upper Hutt Domain, out of 160 applicants.

It is estimated the attendance at the Winter Show at Dunedin yesterday was 16,000, probably a record for one day (states a Press Association telegram). The takings for the day totalled £602 los 6d, as against £525 2s for the second day last year.

Speaking at Okato, Taranaki, the other day, regarding the vicissitudes through which tho early settlers passed, Mr T. P. Hughson referred to the davs when farmers received only 4d per lb. for their butter. Indeed, he could remember one occasion when thev sent butter away and then had to send fd per lb. to pay tho balance of the expenses incurred on it. Settlers in those days needed ' the hearts of lions to enable them to pull through. The month of May at Nelson was the driest on record since 1883. The rainfall was .54in., as against an average over the last 46 years of about 3in. For tho year to date the fall has been 16.28 in., of which April accounted for 9.11 in. There were only four days without bright sunshine in May. There were eight days with nine hours or more of sunshine and eight days with eight hours or more. The total bright sunshine for tho month amounted to 193 hours 15 minutes.

A Wanganui sportsman states that eels are a nuisance on some of the lakes in the district this season. The other day he lost several ducks which he had shot and had fallen into the water, the birds being grasped by the legs by eels and dragged under the water. One big eel rose to the surface to get a duck that had been shot and got a bullet through its head. The same sportsman said he saw eels trying to pull a decop duck under the water, believing it to be a real bird.

Excitement was caused in Alexandra street, Te Awamutu, the other afternoon when a two-year-old heifer broke away from a mob and raced into the main thoroughfare, pursued by two dogs. The animal sought sanctuary in a Chinese fruit shop, but soon returned to the street. It then made a rush into Mr C. S. Davis’s confectionery and refreshment rooms, much to the consternation of patrons and the staff. After a minute or two it was secured and ushered back to its companions. Two men working at a height of 100 ft. on the Patea water tower had the supporting plank suddenly withdrawn from under them, and a fatal accident almost resulted. The drum of tho winch broke, and the plank fell 100 ft. to the ground. Fortunately one end went first, enabling Mr G. Webster to grasp tho stay rods and eventually descend the spiral ladder, badly shaken, but only slightly bruised. His companion, however, fell forty feet before managing to grasp the reds and was considerably bruised when he reached the ground. Next January, according to Mr R. W. F. Donaidson, a well-known Auckland deep-sea fisherman who is in Christchurch, 'there will be a big fishing expedition, lasting about a month, in the Hauraki Gulf. Mr Donaldson intends to charter a steamer, which will carry its own launches and cruise to White Island, Mayor Island, Russell, the Great Barrier, Whangnrei. Doubtless Bay, and Cape Maria Van Diemen. The trip will be confined to New Zealanders, and it is expected to cost about £2500. The individual expense to members of the expedition will be about £SO.

When asked to give his views on the present jury system a Dunedin lawyer said: “lou would probably find that the Judges would not welcome any alteration to 'the present system. in tho legal prolession there is a variance ol opinion as to the merits of the present jury system, but in most cases it is the most satisfactory method. One alteration, however, is urgently nesded. Why should the Crown have the unlimited right to ‘stand down’ jurors, while the defence is confined to a num. ber of challenges? It is not fair.” The lawyer did not favour the adoption of a majority verdict . “This is the first official intimation received by the police of the opening of the back-country football season,’ said Sergeant Howell to Mr F. W. Platts, S.M., in tho Coromandel Police Court, in introducing a charge against it. J. Lidgard, labourer, of disorderly conduct while drunk at a dance in the Tairua Hall. Tho police evidence was that on the evening of a Rugby football match at Tairua, Lidgard, after celebrating the winning team’s victory, had entered the Tairua Hall in a drunken state when the floor was crowded with dancers. He stopped the proceedings by offering to fight any man in the room, and generally behaved in an offensive manner before he was forcibly ejected. A fine of £3 and costs was imposed. Co isiderable trouble was taken by a burglar to enter the premises of Whitcombe and Tombs, Limited, in Queen Street. Auckland, tho other night, but two packets of cigarettes comprised tne sole reward of his efforts. He gained access to the building by climbing up a drain pipe in Durham Street on to a fire escape balcony, and entered the premises by a door which had not been securely fastened. The burglar had to confine his activities to the job printing department and offices on the first floor, as heavy iron doors prevented him from entering the shop beneath. Several drawers in rooms on the upper storey of the building were ransacked, but the thief could only find the two packets of cigarettes which had been left by one of the workers.

“New Zealand has interested the world in several matters (writes Sir James Barrett in the Melbourne Argus). She has the lowest general infantile death-rate in the world. She exhibits the use of pure English speech, and everywhere geniality and courtesy. Her greatest contribution to civilisation is the fact that she has shown that half-castes can be just as efficient in ability and character as a pure race, and that the result depends on the quality of the mixing races and on the just and 1 " proper treatment of the offspring. Her people may, indeed, feel proud. There is nothing inherently objectionable in mixture in itself. The result depends on circumstances. The New Zealand experiment offers some hope to a world containing some 60 nationalities. It is early to speak of the final result, or to assuxne that the mixture is without fault, but so far as can be judged at present New Zealand is absorbing a Polynesian civilisation and is not desti-oying the members of that alien race.”