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Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 140, 13 May 1930, Page 6

It was reported to the Horowhenua County Council on Saturday that the ranger (Air G'eo. Watson) had dealt with 51 head of wandering stock during the month. The Manawatu-Oroua Power Board yesterday decided to grant salary increases totalling £137 10s to members of its staff. Mr P. G. Guy (Feilding) voted against the proposal. An intimation that he was sitting at night in order that poor litigants to-day should be put to the minimum expense and delay in waiting until the finalising of other cases was given by the Chief Justice, Sir Michael. Alyers, during proceedings in the Supreme Court last evening. The Palmerston North Choir unfortunately had to forego their weekly rehearsal last evening owing to the non-arriv.al of the music of “Hiawatha,” which is being kindly lent ly the Nelson Society. A full muster is honed foi next week when the music will be on hand.

If you realise that you t m ra not adequately insured against fire loss the Mercantile and General Insurance Co., Ltd., is a New Zealand Company with all its capital invested in New Zealand and thus can asaure you prompt settlement. R. W. Priest, Time* Buildings, Broadway, district agent. —Advt.

The Maunganui arrived at Sydney this morning from Wellington. The Makura arrived at the same port from Auckland. In the course of his report to the College Street School Committee last night the headmaster, Mr W. A. Swin'bourn, stated that a letter of commendation for attempts to improve . the school environment had been received from the Wanganui Education Board. The pianoforte players were complimented by Mr J. Crossley Clitlieroe, adjudicator in the vocal section, at (he competitions festival last evening. Mr Clitheroe declared that he had never before judged classes of such high merit, and he felt that the teachers and Palmerston, North itself were to be congratulated in this respect. Novel methods of book-keeping were revealed in the Supreme Court last evening when a witness stated that he checked delivery of loads of metal by cutting notches in a stick, which he carried home in the evening. He counted the notches at night in his tent and entered the total in liis tally-book. “Don’t you think it would be a little less expensive if we obtained a vehicle capable of doing thirty or forty gallons to the mile?” asked Mr P. G. Guy at the meeting of the Manawatu Oroua Electric Power Board yesterday afternoon when transport costs were being discussed. He hastily corrected his suggestion when ho was informed that ho had probably made a mistake. Through a remarkable coincidence in the names of two men, the 'Wellington Police Court was reduced to a state of almost hopeless perplexity yesterday. The confusion was made worse by the attitude of one of the men whose appearance was a surprise to tiro police, and it was only after ho had been fined for the other’s offence that an amusing tangle was straightened out. Appearing in a judgment summons in the Magistrate’s Court to-day a defendant stated that shortly after a judgment had been obtained against him last year, he had given his wife a bill of sale for £96 over his stock in consideration of money which he owed her. “Then you will pay this amount forthwith. We will have no nonsense,” commented the Magistrate in making an order and fixing 21 days’ imprisonment as the penalty for default. In connection with the project to have an old English coach in Christchurch, Mr H. G. Ell, the originator of the scheme, states that it is proposed to have the coach, which is now being built, on the streets of Christchurch, with people representing the characters of Dickens’s book “David Copperfield.” The coach, which should be ready in about two months’ time, is an exact copy of the old English coaches which were used in the heyday of coaching in England.

Exports of apples and pears from the Dominion this year will establish a new record, eclipsing the “million case” season of 1928 by nearly a quarter of a million cases. The total for this season will approximate 1,237,000 cases, of which 160,000 cases will bo absorbed by the South American market and about 150,000 by Hamburg and Rotterdam. Unlike last year, there has been no delay in the shipment of the fruit, which has been taken as fast as it has reached Wellington. Reporting to the Horowhenua County Council, the clerk (Mr Hudson) stated that the first three miles of highway construction on the LevinFoxton Road had cost so far £10,625 2s 7d as against an estimate cf £12,8.5. There were one or two small accounts still to be taken into consideration, but it could be said that the cost of the section would be £2200 under the estimate. “Very satisfactory,” commented Cr. Gimblett, “and probably the best piece of sealed road we have.” ' “There was once a time when a teacher with a class of a hundred could do wonders with chalk and a blackboard, but in those days there was not such a number of agencies claiming the attention of the children,” said Mrs J. G. Park (Wellington) at yesterday’s meeting at Wellington of the New Zealand Educational institute. To-day justice could not be done to children with large classes, sho said, and the institute should urgently press for the great reform, which was of first importance. An example of how the workers in the East are treated bv their employers was cited at the Rotary Club luncheon yesterday by Mr J. A. Brailsford, 8.A., who quoted from the work of an eminent authority of the East the case of a Shanghai firm whose payroll was £3OOO weekly, the wages being relatively high and augmented by a bonus from time to time. A pension system, savings bank, evening school, Y.M.C.A. disnensary and hospital were run by the firm. Mothers were given a month’s leave of absence before, and another month after, childbirth, and two special bonuses of £5.

That the South island farmers are not looking forward to the coming winter with any greater hopes than those of their fellow farmers in the North was the opinion expressed to a “Standard” reporter by Mr J. W. Deem, of the Fields Division of the Department of Agriculture. Mr Deem, who returned from a visit to the South Island on Saturday, stated that there had. been no rain to speak of in Canterbury for weeks, and that in some parts water was being carted to stock. “Even,” added Mr Deem, “if they do get rain now, it will do no good; it is too late —better far for the dry weather to continue.”

A gallant rescue was effected at Stanley Bay, Auckland, on Monday, when Jack Cruikshank, aged six, of Wellington, was saved from drowning bv the prompt action of Miss Edna Thorpe, who resides at Ponsoiiby Road. The boy, whose family are on holiday in Auckland, was fishing off the end of Stanley Bay jetty with his elder brother, when he suddenly slipped and fell into the water. There was no one at hand on the wharf to save him, and the boy would have perished but for the plucky action of Miss Thorpe, who was on board a yacht which happened to bo passing close by. Diving in fully clothed, Miss Thorpe swam to the rescue, bringing the boy to land at the launch steps running down from the jetty, and the child was restored to his parents —frightened, but little the worse for his misadventure.

The recent announcement by the Minister of Transport, Hon. \V. A. Yeitch, of his intention to call a conference to discuss possible ways and means of reducing the present number of motor accidents, was followed up yesterday by a statement from the Minister of the personnel of the proposed conference. It is the intention of the Minister to invite to the conference one representative each from the Health Department, the Police Department, the Education Department, the Department of Census and Statistics, and the State Accident and Insurance Department, one town clerk representing the borough councils of the Dominion, one county council clerk representing the county councils, a representative of the North Island Motor Union, a representative of the South Island Motor Ijnion, a representative of the insurance “pool” formed to undertake third-party insurance risks, and representatives of the Transport Department.

During the quarter-hour following 5.30 p.m. yesterday, a five-seater touring car was removed without authority from the Square. The new brick wall in front of the College Street infant school is being constructed, and it is expected that the work will be completed before die termination of the present term holidays. Speaking to the W.E.A. class last evening, Mr J. A. Brailsford, 8.A., stated that, in oases of the marriage of white men and Chinese women, .t was the Chinese themselves who looked down on the white husband, who was practically regarded as a social inferior. “Purchase a British car if possible, stated Mr P. G. Guy at the meeting of the Manawatu-Oroua Electric Powet Board yesterday when the matter was under discussion. Mr J. H. Perrett indicated his support for that statement and it met with general approval. A proposal that a certain sum be set aside from the Taranaki scholarship fund income for the provision ct hyrsaries tenable at Massey Agricultural College is to be placed before the University Senate by a deputation representing the Taranaki secondary schools. Following representations which have been made to him, Mr J. A. Nash, M.P., has forwarded to Hon. G. W. Forbes (Minister of Lands and Agriculture) a telegram urging that the minister support the claims for a stabilisation fund being put forward by the flax industry. The Port of Nelson is rapidly approaching the stage when the Harbaur Board will have to consider making extensive improvements to copo with the growing trade. ■ The last two months have been the busiest in the history of the port, and yesterday the wharves were badly congested. “There are about four hundred more carpenters now in Palmerston North than there were at this time last year,” stated a judgment debtor who was being examined in the Magistrate’s Court to-day, when lie attributed his inability to pay to lack of regular employment. Another judgment debtor stated that he was never really out of work. “Lucky man,” commented Mr McLeavey. “Not lucky,” replied defendant, “I look for it.”

That the building of new structures lends opportunity tor installing many novel devices is demonstrated at the new infant school at College Street. Large compound windows comprising six separate sections are opened by the operation of a single lever, children’s drinking fountains of the “bubbly” type automatically operate wlren the mouthpiece swivels into position; patent conc ave plates are fitted into all floor corners so that dust is easily removed, while there are also many other labour saving devices in this .-.lew building.

An announcement that the report of the commission which has been touring the country, taking evidence in regard to education reorganisation, is now almost ready was made by Mr A. Bell, Assistant Director of Education, in an address yesterday to the annual meeting of the New Zealand Educational Association, at Wellington. Mr Bell said that the report was in draft and only required to be revised before it was completed. When the scheme was once established the cost would not be much greater than the present cost. Many and varied are the conjectures by Palmerstonians and others as to the reasons for a certain point of the Foxton main road being called “The Half-Crown Bend.” this bend is situated between Karere and Rangitane, where the road leads off to tiie suspension bridge across the Mana-. watu River. A visitor to Palmerston North traversed this particular piece of the road by car one day last week, bo being quite sure that the bend was so named because of the half-crown that one is obliged to pay when using the suspension bridge. His contention, however, was overheard by a farmer, who lives in the vicinity, ’the latter gentleman pointing out that in the early days this was a bad part of the road, where vehicles frequently became bogged. Half a crown was the fee charged to extricate them from their difficulties. Hence the name, “Half-Crown Bend.”