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Manawatu Standard, Volume LI, Issue 28, 3 January 1931, Page 6

During 1930, 15,536 people landed at Auckland and 12,406 sailed from there, according to the records of the Customs Department of the arrivals and departure through the port of Auckland. Tire excess of arrivals over departures was 3130, as compared with 2108 last year, when 15,842 arrived and 13,734 departed. A striking feature of the returns of the Registrar for Dunedin and district for the year ending yesterday is that the number of marriages is nearly 100 below those recorded during last year, the large decrease probably being a reflex of the economic depression, states a Press Association message,. The largest number of marriages in recent years was in 1920, just after the war, when 915 were recorded, as compared with slightly over 700 during each year until 1929, when the number increased to 800. This year, however, the number went down to 709. “We haven’t had Christmas weather as good as this for 36 years,” remarked a well-known northern yachtsman. “I’ve kept a record of the holiday conditions 6ince then, and 1 remember well how, in 1884, there was not enough breeze to carry our yacht along when we were on a trip to Drunken (now Islington) Bay. We had to paddle with •anything we could cet hold of to get to our destination. When we wanted to come back, in a day or two, it was just as bad, and the sun simply poured down on the placid waters. Those were simpler days than now,” added the veteran, “and what I remember is that every person on board had his food packed in a big Maori kit, made out of flax, so common in those days, and they carried it down to the yacht over their shoulder. one would do that nowadays. Many of the old free and easy habits have departed for ever, and we" are not any the happier for it.” Men are entitled to a share of comfort during the hot days of summer. An excellent line of double-breasted style flannel suits is now obtainable at Collinson and Cunninghame’s. They are smartly cut and well finished and are ideal for this season of the year. Broad cut shoulders and slightly waisted effects make this a useful city suit, as well as a good holiday suit. Great values at 52s 6d. —Collinson and Cunninghame, Ltd. —Advt.

Owing to the rain the golf competition arranged for the Hokowhitu links did not take place this morning.

A mob of over 2000 store sheep have reached Taurnnga from the Gisborne district by road, travelling by way of the/Naimai route to the Waikato.

The year just closed has been the driest in Whangarei since 1912. The rainfall for that drought year was 32.84 inches, whereas last year it was 47.42 inches.

Heavy return holiday traffic and unfavourable weather conditions in the north were responsible for the Auck-land-Wellington express arriving half an hour late this morning.

Two complete moa skeletons were discovered by. Mr H. E. Tonge, of Thames, on the Waihi beach during the holidays. The prevailing westerly winds swept the sand away, uncovering the bones. According to Mr E. Hitchcock, general manager of the Christchurch municipal electricity department,, the level of Lake Coleridge is still over ten feet below normal, thus emphasising the need for economy in the use of electricity. A grocery store owned by Mr G. Knights, Onehunga, was broken into on a recent night and about £3 worth of tobacco was stolen. Mr Knights left the shop at 11 o’clock and returned early next morning to find that the front door had been forced.

There were 81 bankruptcies in the Hamilton district in the past twelve months, an increase of 27 compared with the previous year. Most of these failures did not occur in Hamilton, but were distributed over other centres in the district, which extends from Mercer to Taumarunui.

A month-old baby was projected violently out of the side of a motorcar ana fell with a heavy thud on to the bitumen when a spectacular motor smash occurred at the Eliot StreetCourtenay Street intersection, New Plymouth. It has not yet been ascertained what is the full extent of the injuries to the infant. Devonport is at present without a mayor. The resignation of Mr E. Aldridge took effect on New Year’s Day, and a special meeting of the Borough Council had been called for Wednesday evening, in order to elect his successor. There was, however, no quorum, so another meeting will be after the holidays. Nineteen hours after he had left the Epsom trotting track in Auckland, the well known Canterbury trotting trainer, Mr C. S. Donald, drove a winner in Christchurch. In order to accomplish this feat he left the Limited express at Feilding early on Thursday morning, and flew to Sockburn in an aeroplane, which was waiting there for him.

When racing in the Whangarei Regatta Association’s fixture at Onerahi the outboard motor-boat Buzzard capsized. Another competing boat, the Redskin, went to the assistance of the capsized craft, but in doing so rammed a hole in it and caused the Buzzard to sink. The owner of the Buzzard, Mr Wilkinson, was rescued unhurt. At six o’clock on Thursday morning a fire broke out in a seven-roomed house in Queen Street, Levin, owned by Mr W. N. McDougall, a poultry farmer. It is surmised that the cause of the outbreak was the overheating of the rubber tubing of a gas ring. The Fire Brigade confined the fire to two back rooms, which were gutted. The building was insured. When attempting to sail out from her berth at Queen’s Wharf, Wellington, yesterday afternoon, the auxi-liary-screw scow Echo collided with the Wellington Harbour Board’s tug Toia, inside the northern outer tee of Queen’6 Whifcrf. The scow escaped damage, but her jibboom tore a fairly large hole in the side of the Toia, and partially wrecked two cabins. The residence of Mr N. AVebley, in Dannevirke, was burglariously entered on Thursday night when every cupboard and drawer in the house was ransacked, the contents being strewn about the floors. The indications are that the unauthorised individuals were after money or jewellery which could be turned to account. Until the return of Mr AA’ebley, who is away on holiday, it will not be known whether anything has been taken.

A young man who was travelling to Christchurch from Dunedin in his car recently, ran into a ditch near Pal? merston South and capsized the vehicle. He was assisted out of the car by passing motorists, and while they were engaged in attending to the injured man, someone took advantage of the confusion to rifle his suitcase and make off with a quantity of clothing, a camera and some gifts for friends in Christchurch.

A story of how two young ladies were providentially picked up when in a state of exhaustion and_ saved from drifting out to sea in an open boat, comes from the Whangarei Heads. The launch Alwyn, upon rounding the home point, came upon a small dinghy containing two girls, evidently in distress. They had been rowing for some time against the tide and wind without gaining any distance. Just as one of the men aboard the Alwyn inquired whether they would like a tow, one of their oars broke. When the girls were taken aboard the launch they collapsed. In connection with the aeroplane mishap at Waipiro Bay, on Thursday., as a result of which Flying-Offi-cer Buckeridge was slightly hurt, it is stated that the pilot after descending low, decided not to take the risk of landing on the beach until the scattered spectators were clear of the strip he proposed to use and his care for the safety of the public led to the crash. The ! plane was coming down slowly against the wind. Then the Eilot apparently changed his mind and egan to lift the machine again. The speed was too slow to enable a clearance of a Maori building and with a startling report from the splintered timber, the ’plane buried its nose in the kitchen of the building.