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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 12 May 1939, Page 4

At a dance to be held in the Velma Hall on Saturday next, several prizes are offered. The music will be supplied by the Rhythm Aces of 8 players .

The social committee of the Loyal Howard Lodge will hold its fortnightly dance in the Oddfellows’ Hall on Saturday night at 8 o’clock. The programme will consist of mostly old time dances Eight prizes are offered for the Early Bird and Monte Carlo competitions. The ladies have charge of the supper arrangements Mr H. Williams’s Dance Band will supply the music and the duties of M.C. will be carried out by Bro. G. L. Housiaux.

Small Profit. To make one penny profit the Central Hawke’s Bay Power Board have to sell 500 units of electricity and the actual profit per consumer for the year was a traction over sd, according to a report released by the secretary-mana-ger. Mr C. E. Fowler, at yesterday’s meeting.

Maori Chiefs Kidnapped. In 1793 Lieutenant-Governor King, of Norfolk Island, had set his convicts to work to manufacture the island's plentitul supply of phormium tenax into “a very indifferent and coarse kind of canvas,” “but 1 do not think it will arrive at a desirable perfection before a New Zealander can be brought here. A visitor in quest of timber, promised a hundred pounds for two New Zealanders obtained “by fair means.” sim-

ply kidnapped two Maoris. They were chiefs and knew little of the Maori manner of treating flax, because they had always left such work to women. King was so anxious to see that his guests were returned to their homes without mishap that he travelled with them to New Zealand on the Britannia, earning a reprimand for deserting his post. King appears to have been genuinely interested in Tookce and Woodoo, as he called them, and during their six months on Norfolk Island had lodged them in his own house.

Building Returns. During the month of April eighteen building permits were issued by the City Engineer (Mr J. G. Littlejohn) foxwork valued af £6724. The licenses were as follows: four new dwellings, (£3865); ten alterations to dwellings (£1099); three alterations ta business premises (£1482.)

Newspaper Advertisements in 1860. It is not always in the news columns of old newspapers that we learn most about bygone times and manners. The advertisement columns of such a paper as the ‘New Zealand Spectator” are full of interesting sidelights. The issue of 11th July, 1860 gives us the information that totara timber was selling for

14s per hundred feet, that a dentist’s hours were 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and that desirable building sites were for sale in the town cf Beaver, the old name for Blenheim. “It possesses a newspaper and a Customs House” are mentioned as attractions. Old Dr Jacob Townsend’s Sai-saparilla. “to purify the blood.” vies with Holloway’s onitment, “The Cure for the Million.” for the privilege of keping the public healthy. Importing firms specially advertised the miscellaneous stocks, including furniture, just arrived by the last boat. The “Spectator” itself was in business sell-

ing booKs and charts. Carlyle.’s “French Revolution” and the latest by Thackeray, Tennyson and Dickens could be bought by readers who wished to be right up to the minute. The Wellington Grammar School was shortly to open under the headmastership of H Beechy to teach Latin, Greek. Mathematics, French, German, Pianoforte “with the usual branches of a •lound commercial education” as well. There is a reminder that the Maori War was in progress in th» advertisement of Captain Jerningham Wakefield (son of the great Edward Gibbon) calling for volunteers for the Wellington Yoemanry Cavalry, to provide their own mounts and accoutrements. But an insurance company had a cold douche to apply to all but this moder-

ate martial ardour, rather underlining that the volunteers were only for home defence. It extended its ordinary life cover to men in the volunteers but any policy holder enlisted in the militia, at grips with the Maoris, would have to pay an extra two and a half per cent, on their premiums.

Daventry. The Public Relations Division of the British Broadcasting Corporation, London, through the Director of “Overseas Intelligence” has written to Mr W. Lock. The following is an extract from the letter: “Thank you very much for your letter of the 23rd of Pebruary and the interesting enclosure. We were glad to hear from you again, after such a long interval, and appreciate your kindness in sending us a report about reception of Daventry in New Zealand. As we welcome constructive criticism, and suggestions, we would like to be kept in touch with your views. Your good wishes which we would like to reciprocate are very much appreciated by us all.” The director also supplies a fund of information in regard to the activities of the 8.8. C. and also reliable and interesting information in connection with the progress the station has made in regard to “television.”

Eighty Year Old Whaleboat. The gift to the Devonport Naval Base by the family of the late Mr John McIntosh. of Pukenui, of a whaleboat at least eighty years old may serve as a reminder to members of the public that the centennial offers a unique occasion for similar generosity. An appeal has already been made for ships’ figureheads for the collection at the Naval Base, but without much result. Members of the public can be of the greatest help in making a success of the centennial if they can bring themselves to give to the New Zealand people ary old costumes or ships’ figureheads they may possess. A parallel appeal for original manuscript material to be lout or given to the National Historical Committee in furtherance of its work of completing, so far as is humanly posible, the historical records of New Zealand, has already met with a gratifying response and undoubtedly will meet with more. .