GENERAL NEWS

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 3492, 30 October 1926, Page 8

GENERAL NEWS

The Palmerston North Horticultural Society has fixed Saturday, November 20, as the date for its Summer Flower Show.

The monthly After Church Social Hour will be held In St. Andrew's Memorial Hall after the evening- service to-morrow evening. This gives a unique opportunity for strangers and visitors to become acquainted with the regular members of the congregation.

"You know that ever since I have been married to you, you have been nagging at me and cannot leave me alone,” said Bouis Noel Stock, aged 34, to his wife in the Auckland Police Court on Wednesday, when charged with assaulting his wife, his brother, and Arthur Leonard Higgins.

‘T don’t like that word ‘control,’ " commenced one of the audience at the public meeting on Tuesday evening to hoar views in favour of estaulishing a Fire Hoard in To Awamutu when Mr. J. McKinnon had been referring to better supervision of the lire brigade and equipment under « Fire Board. The humorous reference to dairy affairs caused a good ripple of laughter.

At the Stratford Technical High School on Thursday ,the Hon. K. A. Wright, Minister of Education, in his address to the scholars, expressed the belief .that farming in New Zealand would be completely changed in the future. There would be more science and less drudgery. Farming would be better then than it is to-day, though at present it is a great improvement on wha It was formerly.

The poll of ratepayers on the proposal to raise a loan of £170,001) acquisition by the Takapuna Borough of the Takapuna Tramway Company’s tramline and ferry fleet, and the electrification of the tramline, is to be taken on November 20. or as soon after as practicable. A resolution to this effect was adopted by the Borough Council on Wednesday evening, subject to the town clerk being able to arrange the data.

The special rally services, under the auspices of the Council Of Christian Congregations, will be brought to a conclusion by the service held in all the churches to-morrow. A special United Rally Thanksgiving Service will be held in All Saints’ Church on Wednesday evening, when the chairman of the Council, Rev. Canon Fancourt, will preside, and Rev. John Paterson, M.A., of St. Paul’s, Wanganui, will give the address. “Traffic inspectors at Home are extraordinarily courteous to motorists,” said Mr C. Ogilivie, when interviewed on his return to Christchurch. “It is surprising how few they pull up. Even in busy London there are plenty of places where cars can bo loft.” American street traffic is faster than ours, while that on the continent, particularly in Vienna, travels at an alarming speed. There is no control or traffic in Paris, but motor transport was surprisingly cheap there, whereas in London it is expensive, although motorbuses run even cheaper than the. trains.

The Rev. Dr. Law now touring New Zealand in support of an appeal for £SOOO to complete the total of £45,000 necessary to establish a theological college for training Methodist ministers, was in Eltham on Thursday night when he addressed a large number of members on the proposal. As a result of his visit £195 is already in hand or promised, and the congregation fully expects to Increase this amount to £2OO, A similar satisfactory response was obtained as a result of Dr. Law’s visit to Stratford some few weeks ago,, but the contribution lists are not yet closed.

A consignment of 50 waxeyes, the small insectivorous birds common to New Zealand and Australia, is to be despatched by the Hinemoa next month to the Cook Islands. The order comes from the Cook Islands Administration and will be fulfilled by the Auckland Acclimatisation Society. Tlie waxeye Is a bird of dull greenish plumage and feeds largely upon tree brights, which is the reason it is being introduced to the Cook Islands. It is a New Zealand bird only by adoption, having come from Australia about 1556. It first made its appearance near Stephen Island, where the Maoris named it the tauhou (stranger), and it was first noticed in the Auckland Province in 1855.

A daylight display of the Aurora Australis was witnessed-by the Rev. 13. Dudley, F.R.AS., of Lyttelton, on Monday afternoon between 3 and 4 o’clock, states the "Press." Sir Dudley was walking' on the hills above Diamond Harbour when he first noticed the display, which occurred in bright sunlight. Mr. Dudley stated that there was a distinct blue aren, which would have the Polo as centre, with pearly white streamers radiating, in some instances, as far as the zenith. Had it been at night, the display would have been a most brilliant one. Mr_ Dudley says that such displays are to be expected at present, as a result of the large sunspots which are now visible.

Farmers are now looking round for a means of catching up their cultivating work which is so far behind owing to the continued wet. Th 6 day of the light tractor is fast waning. Farmers are demanding a superior and heavier typo. Have you investigated the "Twin City” at BoothMacdonald it Co. Ltd. It ?s the premier tractor of Australia, and is fast making a name for itself in New Zealand.

Voiles, and still more voiles! They are the most popular material for frocks this season, is it any wonder wiicn they are su beautifully patterned and coloured! The C. ,M. floss Co;, Ltd.’S selection is worthy of a special visit of inspection. Every fortnight fresh additions are made —the latest being lovely colour effects in bordered voiles. 52-incu and only 4/1.1 yd. net cash. Sue Him"'

Herbert Owen Barnett, hotelkeeper of Palmerston Uorth, and late of Woodvillc, has filed a petition in bankruptcy.

"I was commanding the Canterbury battalion at the time .and we were camped in a small village on our way down to the Somme,” said Major-General Young at the returned soldier’s gathering in the Gisborne City Hall the other evening, when recalling war-time incidents. "Someone got away with our tea, and I consented to been being issued instead. The boys all Hied past and Idled their dixies. One man walked on a few steps, lifted his dixie, and smelt the contents. He lasted it, and then burst out, "My God, beer, and 1 nearly didn't come to the war." (.Laughter.)

Work on scaffolds is not always of the safest nature and those who arc inclined to walk under the scaffolding are perhaps taking undue risks says the "Herald”. After an experience on Thursday there is one person in Napier, who will probably not take the risk again. It happened where building operations in brick are in progress. Workmen were busy several feet above the ground level laying bricks, when an employee of the firm happened along. It was just at that moment that a brick got loose ,anu descended like a bolt irom the Dun, as it were, and came Info contact mth the employee. Luckily it missed his head, although his hat showed how perilously close it had come to causing serious injury, and landed square on his shoulder. Keep clear or "bricks” on scaffolds would be gooa advice fo.r the future

Major Mercer, owner of White Island, Bay of Plenty .states that for about a month this summer the sea between Tauranga and White Island had a churned-up appearance and a vast amount of floating kelp had been thrown up from the bottom This submarine disturbance caused a groat scarcity of lish for fully three weeks, and during this time it was noticed that the gannets, instead of fishing, as is their wont, a tew hundred yards from the island, and returning every two or three hours with food for their young, disappeared in the early morning and returned late in the afternoon, orten with no food. Every female gannet arriving at the rookery was surrounded by a horde of starving youngsters, many of which fougnt each other until one or the other was seriously injured. There is no doubt that a great loss of young birds toon place during that month. Moat of them had reached the stage when they were nearly flt to fly.

"The Japanese are the cleanest people in the world,” declared Mr. a. K Batt, in the course of a Heaitn Week address at Wellington. The Japanese, he said, . had a national "clean up” mouth in the spring or every year, when .according to law, the whole nation underwent a clean up. Under the direction of tiro police and Government officials the city is taken street by street, and everything in the houses is turned out on to the streets. The flooring is taken up, the floors disinfected, coverings and chattels are cleaned, and even the pcopie are subjected to medical inspection. Inspectors supervise the rc-installa-iion of chattels In the houses ana persuade the owners to give up anything useless. This obtains througnout the whole of Japan and its outlying possessions, even Korea, and not a house is missed. It is the national custom, from those of the highest rank to the poorest coolie, to have a hot bath every night, and it Is really a religion with them