LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 2307, 27 November 1925, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The annual report of the Sydney Harbour Trust slates that the total tonnage of the shipping which entered Sydney in the past year was only 3.2 per cent, below 191$, which was the record year.

A competition for the best platoon was held by the Palmerston North Technical School Cadets yesterday and was won by No. 4 (Sergeant H. Walker) with 68 points. No. 5 (Corporal F. Craven) with 63 points was second.

An offering of 18000 bales will be made at the wool sale which is to open in Christchurch on December 2. This number is the maximum allocated by the wool committee for this sale.

To overcome the accommodation difflculiy (reports the "North Otago Times' 1 ), a number of residents in Caraaru intend endeavouring to exchange residences with Dunedin citizens for a week or two during the Exhibition period.

A good deal of comment upon the unsuitability of some of the boy immigrants for farm life is being published Nearly all those brought out and partly trained at Flock House are, on the other hand, reported to be highly satisfactory as prospective settlers.

A communication has reached the Palmerston North Lunch Club to the effect that owing to the disorganisation to shipping caused by the strike. Mr. Zane Grey Is not now expected to arrive in New Zealand until about January 15. The famous novelist hopes to visit the Club. Representatives of various war veterans’ organisations in Canada voted for unification into a national body. The selection of name, the adoption of a constitution and the election of officers will be proceeded with. The unification is on the plan urged by Earl Haig, states a Winnipeg message.

Apiarists report that the present is one of the most backward seasons they have experienced, and they have had to feed their hives to an extraordinary extent. One bee-keeper said that last year half-a-ton of sugar sufficed to meet requirements, but this year ho has had to feed out a ton and a-half.

The Palmerston North Technical School Cadets fired for the McNab Shield yesterday, when the highest scorer was a first year Levin boy, Cadet B. Stallard, with a total of 130. The next best were Cadet A. Dutneid 121, Cadetg J. Mason and M. Stewart 119, Cadet L. Makey 109, and Corporal F. Craven 105.

The annual exhibition of work of the Palmerston North Technical School students, always' a most interesting educational event, will be opened to-day from 2.30 to 4 and 7 to 9 this evening. It will also bo open to-morrow afternoon from 2.80 to 4, and all interested will be welcome.

Bargains for men at The C. M. Ross Co. Ltd’s. Moving-out Footwear Sale, includes Men’s "Pleetfoot” Tennis shoes 6/11, 7/11 pair net cash. Also men’s Cricket Boots with good, canvas uppers. Sizes 6. 8.. and 9 only—-usu-ally 18/6. Movlnff-Ghit Sole Price 18/9 nisi cask.

Venuus and Jupiter, the two brightest objects In the' western sky aftci sunset, were in conjunction last evens' at sh. 4m. o’clock. They were then separated by only 2.5 degrees. The installation o£ the W.M. and irvctUiture of the officers of the Lodge Tararuu, Pahlatua, was held last evening. Several of the Palmerston North brethren wore In attendance. » A Hamilton syndicate of half-a-dozen “investors” received cable advice yesterday of being among the successful ticket holders in a sweep In the Manchester Cup. The amount Is understood to be in the vicinity of £3500. The newspaper x-unner, the milkman,and the commercial traveller will vie each with the others In being first caller on the Palmerston North householder to-morrow morning. The last-named will deliver buns demanding in return a modest contribution towards the funds of the Charity Appeal which is being made by the Commercial Travellers’ Association to-morrow.

A little boy at a Wanganui school was kept homo for the day, and the fol.owing morning - he was requested by the lady teacher as to why he was absent. The lad replied that there was sickness in the home, and the teacher, always being suspicious of anything in the way of infectious diseases, instructed the lad to bring a note, the context of which was: "Twins in the house, not catching.’

It is not very often that one. sees a bird hang itself, but this occurred at Fanthorpe’s corner, says the Ttium-ai-unui '“Press.” A bird was busily building its neat and it continually flew from the oaves lo the ground collecting straw and other nomebuildlng material. On one trip the bird took up a piece of string about a yard long. During the flight the string twisted round Its neck and as it loft its nest, one end caught in the caves, and the other end hanged the bird, which died in about three minutes.

“It Is a tribute to the healthiness of the climate,” remarked Mr. W. Hayward. when it was stated at a meeting hold in Christchurch to make arrangements for the procession in connection with the coming Anniversary Day celebrations that there were between lorty and fifty people still alive who came out in. the first four snips. “It is also a tribute to the constitution of the pioneers,” said Mr. J. A. Plesher. “And to the carefulness or our motor drivers,” remarked another member of the committee, amidst laughter.

As far as the eye can reach the hills and valleys around Tanpo and Walrakoi are a bAze of gold (says the “Auckland Herald"), The broom Is spreading faster than blackberry. A pastoralist. and a man of wide land experience, speaking of it, said: —“It would prove a boon and not a curse to waste land. Under Its shelter, the self-sown pinus inslgnis would establish forest, -while the broom with its rapid growth and constant decay would bank up humus in the barren soil. Broom can be easily cultivated out when settlement arrives.”