Waitara Without Water.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 276, 20 October 1938, Page 10

Waitara Without Water.

Waitara was in a serious position foi more than 24 hours when, as a result of heavy rain, the borough water supply was cut off. It was not until Tuesday, after the borough staff had worked all through the night, that an obstruction to the intake in the river was cleared and the supply restored. Gift to Band Leader. When Captain R. H, Nimmo, of Wellington, was in Honolulu recently in connection with the New Zealand Centennial Exposition for 1940, he presented the leader of the Royal Hawaiian Band with' an engraved baton, similar to those used by band leaders of the various Guards bands in England. Comment by Judge. ~ “Is there no regulation or law by which a man can be prevented from driving a taxi 'for seventeen hours on end?' 1 inquired His Honour, Sir John Reed, in the Supreme Court at Palmerston North yesterday afternoon, during the hearing of a charge against a taxi-driver of alleged negligent driving, thereby causing-bodily injury to three persons in consequence of a collision with a train. “Not for taxi-men. They have no -unionj”- replied accused. “It is a shameful thing. You cannot expect a man who has been seventeen hours in a taxi to drive with all his wits about him,” commented His Honour. “However, that does not affect this case.”

“Half Dumb Pianos.”

“Most of the pianos on which I have played in ships and hotels have about ten strings. Some are half dumb and others won’t speak,” said Dr Edgar Ford, examiner for the Trinity College of Music, London, during the course of a lecture-recital to Palmerston North music teachers last evening. Food For Trout.

A grant of £6 to enable a scientist to study the habits of water-snails was made last night by the council of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society. A letter had been received from Mr WJ. Phillipps, of the Dominion Museum, stating that he wished to investigate the ways of water-snails, as a possible source of food for trout. School Terms.

At the monthly, meeting of the Wanganui Education Board, yesterday, school terms for 1939 were fixed as follow:—First term: Wednesday, February 1, to Friday, May 5. Second term: Monday, May 22, to Friday, August 18. Third term: Monday, September 4, to Friday, December 15. Four days were allowed for local purposes as fixed by the school committees.

Cabinet Discussions. Routine matters that, had accumulated during the general election campaign were dealt with by Cabinet at its meeting yesterday. The Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) said later that no questions of Government policy had been discussed, and were not likely to be until the caucus of Government members that would be held immediately the final election returns were made known. Intermediate School. Plans for the new intermediate school to be erected in Palmerston North, on the site now being prepared in Ferguson Street, were on view at yesterday’s meeting of the Wanganui Education Board. Provision is made for about 700 pupils, and the plans reveal that the structure will provide every modern facility. Tenders for the construction work are to be called in the near future. Cabaret at Exhibition. Because no cabaret was included in the designs of the Centennial Exhibition a certain amount of criticism was raised on grounds that Wellington lacked sufficient night life to provide entertainment for visitors from all parts of New Zealand and from all over the world visiting Wellington during the centennial on pleasure bent. Steps, however, have now been taken to remedy the deficiency. Big Boar Killed.

In an exciting battle during which the party were treed for an hour, five well-known pig-hunters of New Plymouth finally managed to kill a big lamb-eating boar in the back country of Uruti during last week-end. Not until 15 shots were fired into the pig did it give up its grim struggle, and a section of its almost bullet-proof hide gave a clear indication of the formidable opposition that tho hunters encountered. Black Swan Withheld.

Proposals to introduce black swan from New Zealand into the United States have failed to eventuate at present because of the difficulty of shipipng the birds. A letter was received by the council of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society, last night, from Mr D. H. Rich, of San Gabriel, California, thanking the society for its offer to obtain the birds for him, but stating that it had been impossible to arrange for transportation. Much-Travelled Musician.

]>r Edgar Ford, examiner for the Trinity College of Music, London, who is visiting Palmerston North, has been round the world four times, and on 31 occasions he has crossed the Equator. He has travelled throughout the European countries, South Africa, and India. Dr Ford has heard the Berlin Symphony Orchestra in London and the Paris Symphony Orchestra in Brussels. He has listened to grand opera in Paris, Boulogne, Berlin, Dresden, Prague, Budapest, and Vienna.

Sensible Use of the Sun. A warning to bathers and other sunworshipers that prolonged exposure to direct sunlight may be dangerous was issued by a Wellington doctor yesterday. The danger was particularly great, he said, for people suffering from arrested tuberculosis. The effect of the sun’s rays on the tissue-thin covering of the lips was causing considerable concern to the medical authorities in Australia, the doctor added. It was considered to be the cause of cancerous sores on the lips and face. Keenness to Vote.

The percentage of voters in the Patea electorate who recorded their votes on Saturday last is believed to be a record. The official count has not yet been completed, but from the preliminary figures it appears that only 417 of the total effective roll of 10,689 failed to vote. The percentage of those who exercised their franchise is 96.1, w'hich is well ahead of the Dominion average of 89.5 per cent. At the previous election the Patea electorate recorded a percentage of 92.3. Hawke’s Bay was the only electorate in the Dominion to beat that figure. Pheasants Breed Early. The pheasant breeding season, in preparation for next year’s shooting, has begun earlier than usual this year, both in the wild state and at the Wellington Acclimatisation Society’s game farm at Paraparaumu. Hen pheasants are already laying and brooding and it is expected that the season will be a prolific one. At last night’s council meeting of the society, the game committee chairman, Mr C. E. Aldridge, reported that breeding operations had already begun. Four incubators full of eggs were in process of hatching, and the chickens were expected to emerge early next month. This was very much earlier than had ever before been the case. Dwellings First.

Difficulties in the way of the early completion of Parliament Buildings were pointed out by the Prime Minister (lit. Hon. M. J. Savage), when asked last evening if the Government contemplated proceeding with this work in the near future. There were, he said, other more urgent building requirements demanding attention before a start could be made with the construction of the south wing of Parliament House. “We are anxious to see Parliament Buildings completed, but there is so much other important work to do first. Building houses for the community is the big thing today,” he said.

Honoured by America. There was a large gathering at • a luncheon given by the . Wellington branch of the English-Speaking Union yesterday, wdien the occasion was taken bv the United States Consul-General (Mr L. C. Pinkerton) to present medals recently conferred by the Congress of the United States of America to several members of Admiral Byrd’s second expedition to the Antarctic. Those honoured were Mr TAJ. Gardener, agent at Wellington for the expedition; Mr Fleming, of the scientific department of Little America ; and Mrs Potaka, who, received the medal conferred upon her son, Dr. Louis H. Potaka, who died after the expedition had returned.