NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 11737, 26 January 1924, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Wool continues to pour- into the Wanganui local stores for the next sale to be held on February lltli. With the recent rain, it should now be possible to freight the up-river clip to town. It is estimated that at least 2000 bales are awaiting shipment fcv the river steamers (states an exchange) ,

A pile of dead and dying lambs in a yard at the Hawera station caused some curiosity. A consignment of about half a dozen trucks of poor- conditioned shorn lambs arrived during the day from Fordell. After the long journey in teeming rain the lambs were in a wretched condition, and when unloaded "well over a hundred were dead or dying and many more were in such a bad condition that it appeared unlikely they would recover.

Of the 21,893 hales of wool sold at the Wanganui wool sale m January 10,691 are destined for Hull. Goolo and options, 403 for London, 4548 for London and Continent options, 4i79 for tho Continent, 639 for Australia and Australian transhipments, 419 for United States and 1014 for Manchester. .Hull and Goole are the pons serving Bradford. Australian transhipments will probably be forwarded on to Japan.

A resident of Hawera, Mr Skjellerup, had a remarkable experience recently. He was driving a car towards town, when he heard a train approaching. He drew his car practically parallel with the railway track to wait the passing of the train. As the engine passed, several large pieoee of coal fell from the tender. One of these struck the roadway, and, hounding up, struck the oar with such force that a large dent was made in the door at the driver’s right hand. Had the missle struck Mr Skjellerup, he without doubt would have been seriously injured, so great was the force with which it travelled.

Criticism of the Tourist Department was made by an Auckland resident, who recently made a tour of the South. He complained that in same instances the information . given to tourists was inaccurate. At present all the information obtained is from typed time-tables, supplied in many cases by people who knew very little about the places or routes to which they are directing travellers. He was convinced that it would pay the department to send its officials and staff, or a great number cf them at any rate, over the various tourist routes, so that first-hand information might be supplied to those desiring it.

Numerous thefts from the bathing sheds at the Hamilton Lake have been reported recently. The matter is receiving police attention. Some person or persons unknown have apparently made a practice of picking the pockets of bathers and appropriating anything of value (says an. exchange). Articles of clothing and shoes have also been claiming the attention of these petty thieves, while, too. sums of money have been disappearing. Bathers themselves are in some cases to blame. Aji instance is reported of one bather leaving the sum of £6O in a hoot in the dressing-shed. Thefts of a similar nature have been taking place at bathing resorts in Wellington.

Altogether too dean a 1 sweep has been made of many of the native forests north of Auckland, said Mr E. O. Armytage, of Melbourne, speaking of his observations during an extended motor tour. It has been found! in Australia that when the trees went the rainfall was reduced 1 enormously, and, when it did oome, with nothing to hold it, it caused washaways and floods. Not only that, but bad silt from the hills was carried down on to the flats, spoiling good dairying land. Forest reservations should be made at the headwaters of every stream. Mr Armytage said he was pleased to learn that the Forestry-Department bad made a beginning invut direction. ‘‘Where a returned soldier works on his own capital, and gets into difficulties it is a fair thing that he should recoil c assistance from the Government which has not assisted him in a financial manner in any way.” This was the opinion of a speaker at the executive meeting of the Wanganui Far-mei-s’ Union. Eventually it .was decided that Messrs Smith, Reid, and Alexander be a committee and go into the facte of the soldier-farmers’ and report to a later meeting. The details of the case, it .was said, would provide a sounder ground for any action that might he necessary. In the meantime the president of the Wanganui provincial district of the Farmers’ Union, Mr E. Parsons, would ascertain the Government's attitude in such eases at the Dominion executive meeting.

A severe earthquake was experienced at Opotiki on Tuesday The shork was also felt at Whakatane, where a few windows were broken. At a meeting of the Eastbourno Borough Council last evening, Wednesday was decided upon as the statutory half-holiday for the ensuing year. “I don’t want to bring village pump politics into the council here.” said Councillor Dawson when speaking on a proposal to supply temporary shelter in the .Recreation Ground at Eastbourne. Eastbourne Borough Council has received an intimation from the Secretary of the General Post Office that extended hours for telephone sendee had now been commenced, including from 9 to 10 a.m. and from 5 to 6 p.m. on Sundays. The job of street numbering is being proceeded with by the Eastbourne Borough Council’s staff, but at present sufficient enamelled figures are unprocurable, and it is proposed to complete with aluminium figures, stated the report of the general manager. ‘‘Assistance has been given to the police in the matter of excessive motor speeding, and we are informed that prosecutions are pending,” said a report made to the Eastbourne Borough Council last evening.—The DeputyMayor: I am glad to see steps are being taken in this direction. Reference to the delay in opening the new railway station at Waliaroa, Waikato, which was completed nine months ago, was made at the official opening of the Wabaroa Post Office. It was stated that a porter waei now in charge, and that the official opening would take place shortly. At the last meeting of the Taihape Borough Council all the officers, excepting the office assistant and foreman of works, got a ‘‘stir up” from the councillors. The Mayor’s action in regard to issuing of building permits was also questioned. /The, meeting became lively at times, but no drastic resolutions were passed. A remarkable escape from serious injury by the occupants was a feature of a motor-lorry accident, which occurred at Hawera. A lorry, loaded with cheese, was negotiating a sharp corner on a hill when it left the road and plunged over a steep bank. There were two women and several children in the lorry, and though somewhat cut about and shaken none suffered very severe injury. “Unemployment in Wanganui is practically nil,” stated Mr Gohna, of the Labour Department. “There is a shortage of labour for Mangahao, and locally carpenters and bricklayers are very hard to get—more especially the latter. There is an erroneous impression abroad that bricklayers are not wanted in Wanganui, but such is not the case. There is a decided shortage here of men in that trade.” In connection with the brave conduct of the lad Geoffrey Heal on the occasion of the recent launch fatality, the executive of the Island Bay LifeSaving and S*urf Club in recognition of same, passed the following resolution: “That Mr Geoff, Heal be made a- life member of the club in recognition of his bravery on Tuesday, January 15th, 1924, in saving the life of Mr Charles Collin® during the wreck of the launch Melva, at Island Bay.” The New Zealand Shipping Company’s liners Rimutaka and Ruahine are having an impromptu race from New Zealand with passengers, mails and cargo for London and Southampton. TCie Rimutaka, which sailed/ from Lyttelton on December 21st, cleared the Panama Canal on January ISth. The Ruahine was despatched from Wellington eight days after the Rimutaka, and made a good run in the Pacific, reaching Colon on January 19th. Sho resumed her voyage to Southampton the following day, only three- days behind the Rimutaka.