NEWS IN BRIEF.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20006, 25 January 1927, Page 16

NEWS IN BRIEF.

Agriculturists are busily engaged cutting their crops of oats round about Masterton. They -are the best for many years past (says the Wairarapa Times). On the Opaki roaa are to be seen some particularly heavy crops, which perhaps have never been equalled since the days of virgin soil. A laughable sight seen at the Marton show recently was the arrival of a donkey on a loaded motor truck. The animal was lying placidly on a tarpaulin covering the load. When the lorry stopped it raised its head, gazed round mildly, and then sank into peaceful repose. Girls’, Maids', and Ladies’ Summer Frocks, from 4s lid up. See windows.— A. F. Cheyne and C 0... An appeal was made recently by Mr F. Norris at a meeting of the Masterton Chamber of Commerce for photographs of the district’s industries and beauty spots, etc., for printing on the Masterton publicity envelopes, of which 250,000 will shortly arrive. To bo able to walk 35 miles at the age of 79 years is a rare accomplishment, yet this is an excursion made frequently by Frederick Taylor, farmer, of Port Charles. At a meeting of creditors he stated that every time he went to Auckland he walked the 35 miles from his farm to Coromandel. Ho also added that he was still fit for a bard day’s work. _ , _ Stay at the Prince of Wales Hotel. Good accommodation; best brands of liquors. ’Phone 721.—C. Hinchcliff, proprietor... A very simple contrivance, known as the walking chair, and used instead of crutches until a patient can get his balance, was one of the wonders of hospital equipment seen by Mr F. B. Logan, of the Hawke’s Bay Hospital Board, during his recent visit to America. What is claimed to be a record average weight for any large line of lambs killed in the Auckland province is reported from Westfield freezing works, to which Mr G. L. Laird, of Waihou, near Te Aroha last week sent 2582 lambs, all of which were straight off the ewes The first batch of 2182 made an average of 38.71 b. Anticrin effectively removes superfluous hair; 2s 4d, posted, from Waters’ Pharmacy.. . . , An attempt to play a joke on their landlord resulted in unexpected consequences for the lodgers at a suburban establishment (says the Wanganui Chronicle). The owner of the premises was the proud possessor of a rare and cherished pot-plant. In an excess of good spirits some of his boarders hid the valued vegetable in a corner of the garden. They are now looking for new lodgings. Another shipment of “Busy Bee drophead treadle Sowing Machines has reached as, and the samples are now on view'. These machines r.ro up to date in every respect, and are being sold at the extremely low cash price of £9 17s fid each, or easy terms of payment may be arranged at a small extra. We also have good stocks of the famous “New England Machine, •' beautiful machine. and_ uses standard needles, shuttles, etc. —Laidlaw and Grav (Ltd.). Rattray street... Furniture at less than town prices.— A. F. Cheyne and Co.. Mosgiel... “To see English scenery one must travel by motor and not bv train,” said Mr Hubert Carter, the well-known tenor, who recently returned from an extended trip abroad. “The trains travel very fast at Honir, and in addition they travel for hours without a stop. There is no such thing as native bush in England like there 1_ New Zealand, and English people who have ‘_ieen to the Dominion are all hitrh in their praises of the country.” “—A regular, healthy life, avoiding excesses of all kinds, and taking as much outdoor exercise as possible, is recommended by Sir George Newman, the Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health, Great Britain, as the best guard against influenza.

When walking along Ocean boaoh, at the foot of Karon Hills at Raglan, a party of visitors discovered the skeleton of a man which had been exposed by the drifting sand. The party buried the skeleton. During storms human skeletons are frequently uncovered at this spot. The skeletons are regarded as those of Natives who died or were buried there many years ago. Greenstone meres and other Maori curios have also been found among the skeletons. The Ready-to-wear Suit is now a triumph of sartorial art, and Lynx is unquestionably the best. To popularise this suit, Watkins and Neilson (Ltd.) opp. City Hotel, offer free to each Lynx purchaser in January a genuine 25s English felt hat.... Pot lambs nearing maturity are nortonously difficult animals for a drover or a shepherd to handle. They entertain no respect for either the man or his dogs, and the scant courtesy with which they treat mere humans was illustrated after the Marton Show a few days ago. A pen of pet lambs had been opened, and the animals were being driven away when one of them turned and charged its astonished shepherd. Too surprised to dodge the sheep, the man went down ignomimously before its onset. The new season’s two-prong and threeprong pitch forks are on sale at James Gray and Sons, Milton... The practice of harnessing well-grown dogs to children’s carts is fairly common, 1 and the use of docile goats has also been explored by the irrepressible juvenile, but something of an innovation was seen the other day in Stratford vyhen a woolly pet lamb was observed trotting proudly along Regan street drawing a light-running cart filled with paresis. The lamb had a rather elaborate set of harness and seemed to take as much delight in the outings a* did the small boy who guided it. Why be without an overcoat? Another shipment of good-enough-to-loose-or-!end gent’s fawn waterproof coats, doublebreasted. with belt: sizes 36in to 44in chest; 25s each. —Kilroy and Sutherland (Ltd.). 192 °rinces street, Dunedin... “Unless some drastic regulation is introduced I fail to see how the motor cycle nuisance is to be pul a stop to,” remarked a. Napier motorist to a Telegraph representative- “Recently,” he continued, ‘T gave chase in my car to a motor cyclist who was roaring along at a great speed. I took his number and reported the matter to the police, but my effort on behalf of the public proved abortive, as the cyclist came forward with about half-a-dozen witnesses to prove that he had never left his home on the evening in question.” Coffee lovers will find the •‘Bourbon’ brand of coffee and chicory reliable and satisfactory right throughout the yearv— Manufactured by A. Durie and Co., coffee specialists. Octagon, Dunedin.. _ The area planted in ■ potatoes in New Zealand in 1925-1926 was 23,484 acres, compared with 23,092 acres in 1924-25. _ The yield was, however, approximately threequarters of a ton per acre more in 1925-25 than in the previous year, and consequenUy 1 the total yield far exceeded the 1924-25 1 yield. This placed New Zealand in a favourable position, and we were able to export large quantities. For the 11 months ended November last, 21,242 tons were exported. Obanism: We will deliver your requirements in town or suburbs. Nothing in the hotel trade Oban Hotel cannot supply and deliver with pleasure.—Oban Hotel, ’phone 920... . According to a Napier resident, is greatly interested in nature studies, wildfowl possess an uncanny sixth sense which informs them as to when they can regard themselves as being in perfect safety. He cited as an argument the seemingly tame demeanour of wildfowl on Lake Tatars, where, he held, one could approach almost within reach of the birds without the latter taking fright. “They know as well as humans/ he said, “that the place is &n absolute haven of refuge as far as they are concerned.” _ _. . , . Waters’ Pharmacy, 20 Princes street, has the best Developing Service in Otago; try it... . It is reported that recently a well-known family in the South Canterbury district discovered a treasure in an old picture which had hung by the courtesy of family tradition, on the wall, for years. The 1 paint was blurred, and no particular scene • was pictured. At the_ time of the last spring cleaning the picture, too, underwent a process of renovation, and from beneath the blur emerged the form of & girl, evidently the work of the old masters. The picture was forthwith despatched to London, and was declared a genuine Rembrandt. It was sold for £3400. Direct from the English factories: Aluminium ware. Sets of 5 stewpans, 17s fid; jam pans, 12in 12s fid, 14in Iss fid; kettles, 4-pint 6s 3d, 6-pint 7s fid. Teapots, 8-cup 5s fid. Frypans, 5s fid, 6s fid. Otago Farmers, Crawtord street... “While admitting that very often the blarfio fo r an accident or a possible acci- ; dent is attributable to the careless ! motorist,** remarked a Napier car driver i to a reporter, “I must say that there are i occasions when the public does not taka i reasonable precautions.” Ho went on to say that while driving into Napier recently some children playing on the Marine Parade deliberately shot across his path with a home-made trolley and it was, he alleged, only the excellence of his brakes that prevented a serious accident. We have the finest range of silk stockings in the city from 2s lid, 3a lid, 4a lid, 0s lid, up to 17s fid pair, in black white and 45 different new shades.—T Roes, 130 Princes street. Dunedin... Much amusement has been caused in a certain Main Trunk town by the etlorts of an amateur detective. As the shades of night were falling, he noticed a car glide into the scrub on the side' of the road, and be skilfully hidden from sight by a barricade of manuka. Scenting a stolen car, and perhaps an escaped prisoner from the nearby prison camps, the embryo Sherlock Holmes drove hastily some seven miles into Tokaanu and informed the police. A posse was formed, which threw out a screen, and surrounded the “stolen” car, calling on the inmates to surrender and come along quietly. Before the annoyed honeymoon couple had finished their remarks the “detectives” had faded into the night. Hams and Bacon.—Barton and i’rengrove’s famous sugar cured are the best on the market. We solicit a trial to prove this assertion. Manse street... As an example of how far and wide the peregrinations of the sundowner will take him, a party of campers on the NapierWairoa road were regaled recently with interesting accounts of his travels by a typical swagger of the old school (says the Napier Daily Telegraph). Amongst other things he told them that it was two years and a-half since he had traversed that particular road, and during that time he had wandered all over the South Island, visiting every centre of importance there. “Howdo you manage the ferry trip without paving?” he was asked. A subtle ghn creased the sunburnt features of the swagger. “Oh, well, you know,” he said, “there are tricks in every trade.” The finest Pork Small-goods obtainable this side of the “Line” are retailed at Barton and Trengrove's, Manse street... Mr J. P. Northey, phvsioal instructor at the Otago Boys’ High School, passed through Rotorua recently (says the Chronicle). He is on a bicycle tour of the North Island, having already done the South IslandMaking a start from Wanganui, he went via New Plymouth to Te Kuiti, to Wairakei, Atiamuri, Whakarewarewa, and Ohinemutu. He left with' the intention of riding through Hamilton to Auckland on to Whangarei, and returning via Thames, Waihi, Tauranga, Gisborne, and Napier, where he ends his tour. The only bit of bad luck be had was being benighted about seven miles from Tokaanu when it rained in torrents, accompanied by thunder and lightning. He had to walk and wheel his machine for seven miles. There’s a saving on every purchase made with us. —A. F Cheyne and C 0... A unique experience was the lot of a party of motorists returning to Napier recently from Wairoa (says the Daily Telegraph). When traversing the real oordering the Tangoio lagoon the vehicle ran into a swarm of frogs busily engaged fa hopping across the thoroughfare from the landward side. To a reporter one of the party confided the intelligence that •» numerous were the reptiles and so energetic in their athletics that it seemed as if the whole road itself was alive and engaged in a hopping competition. 4 In the glare of the car’s headlights the jumping creatures presented an almost uncanny sight. “Talk about the plague of frogs iin Egvpt,” said the motorist. ‘Tm open to gamble that Pharaoh had nothing «& our little experience.” If wrecked on a desert isle, What food would be sublinpat i There’s only one answer to this—i Hitchon’s bacon every time...