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Manawatu Standard, Volume LI, Issue 26, 31 December 1930, Page 6

The “Standard” will not be published to-morrow, New Year’s Day.

It is stated in South Taranaki that wells which have been in constant use for more than 40 years have gone dry during the past year. Two men who were caught in the treacherous currents at Taylor’s Mistake, Sumner, were rescued on Sunday at different times, fine work being done by members of the Taylor’s Mistake Surf Club, who have constituted themselves as a volunteer patrol. A motor-lorry, owned by Mr F. E. Ashley, wae destroyed by fire as the result of the engine back-firing while the vehicle was on the road near Putaruru. The lorry, which was used for carting cream for the New Zealand Cooperative Dairy Company, was insured for £2OO.

Stifling heat was experienced at Lyttelton on Saturday last. In one place on the western side of the town the thermometer registered 90 degrees in the shade at 100 ft. above sea level. So great was the heat that an automatic fire alarm in one of the wool sheds on the waterfront was set in operation. When a swimmer at Castlecliff beach, Wanganui, was noticed to be in difficulties yesterday, a member of the lifesaving club on the beach ran to the apparatus, only to find that someone had been tampering with the reel. The life-saver had to go fully 100 yards to reach another one, but fortunately was in time to help the bather ashore.

As a measure of protection against the spread of grass fires, the Ashburton County Council is ploughing fire breaks along the east and west sides of the railway line on the railway reserves fronting county plantations between the Ashburton racecourse corner and Chertsey for a distance of about ten miles.

When Mr James Barnes, of Palmerston North, was motoring from Patea southwards in the early hours of Christmas morning he saw a peculiar object on the road at the top of the Waitotara Hill. It was found to be a red deer, with long antlers. It stood staring at the lights of the car, then jumped a fence and ran away. The deputy-mayor of New Plymouth, Mr F. Amoore, was the victim of a brutal assaut the other evening. Hearing a woman’s cries for help outside fiis house, Mr Amoorp went out to investigate and saw a woman and a man. He told the man to leave and invited the woman inside for a few minutes. The man thereupon savagely assaulted Mr Amoore. The assailant was young and vigorous, and as Mr Amoore is elderly he was rather severely treated. After taking a risk by swimming beyond the breakers when the.tide was going out, a girl, Molly Femmell, of Stratford, was saved from drowning by good rescue work on Fitzroy Beach, New Plymouth. Three bathers. including the girl Femell, entered the water when the beach was deserted. The girl became exhausted and after a time was in difficulties. ' Her companions did their best to help her and the situation was becoming critical when the alarm was given. The beach patrol then brought her in, after 15 minutes’ swimming against the sea. She revived after a few minutes of resuscitation efforts.

Yoaston Tablets purify intestinal tract and correct common, skin disorders. — Leary’s Pharmacies, Ltd.—Advt.

The Ulimaroa arrived in Sydney this morning from Wellington. Unemployed men in Auckland City are being given work at clearing the railway lines of blackberry and other weeds in the Auckland district.

A peculiar accident occurred to Sydney Williams, aged 18, while he wa6 swimming off the wharf at Portland, North Auckland. When striking out after coming to the surface from diving, the lad found his shoulder had been dislocated. The injured limb was attended to in hospital.

The continued dry spell is having a disastrous effect upon pastures, and conditions are approaching a drought, says a Whangarei message. At this stage some farmers are using bran to supplement their feed supplies, a shortage of which is checking production. Bv an increase in production farmers hoped to compensate themselves for the depression in butter values.

An unusual procedure was recorded at a sitting of the Hastings Police Court on Boxing Day, states an exchange. A man pleaded guilty to a charge of assault, and after hearing tho facts the Bench, instead of entering a conviction and merely discharging the defendant, as anticipated, adopted the unusual course of dismissing the information.

Many attractions have been arranged for New Year’s Day which will be observed as a general holiday. The usual race meetings will be held, while at Palmerston North a start will be made with the pairs tournament conducted by the Manawatu Bowling Centre. Members of other clubs will bo welcomed at the Northern Bowling Club’s green to-morrow. A golf tournament will be held on the Hokowhitu links by the Manawatu Golf Club. The Salvation Army will hold a picnic at Ashhurst and the friendly societies will have a similar gathering at the Ballance Bridge. In the evening there will be another series of exciting speedway contests at the Showgrounds dirt track.