NEWS IN BRIEF.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20644, 16 February 1929, Page 28

NEWS IN BRIEF.

Merriment seldom heard within the precincts of the Invercargill Court room bubbled forth during the hearing of a motor collision case the other morning (says the, Southland Times), A witness, who had been struck down by a car. was asked where he found his bicycle after the accident. His reply, “I found it a day or two later at the undertaker’s,” was followed by unrestrained mirth. Buy your Guiness’s English stout whoie sale at 12 s 6d per dozen pints at Hole! Cm .ton,. Box 100. Phone 11-716..: In view of the very limited-number of animals the_ Hawke’s Bay Acclimatisation Society decided to ask the Department of Internal Affairs that the coming season should be a closed one for opossums (says a northern exchange). Members were all agreed that, as a result of last season’s experience, an open season this year would not be advisable.

The reliability of Barton’s sugar-cured Hams and Bacon and Pork'‘Small Goods is universally acknowledged.—Manse street and all Branches...

X think I can best illustrate the functions of a town planner by likening him to the conductor of an orchestra,” said Mr J. W Mawson in a lecture on town planning at Wellington the other evening (reports the Dominion). "He may not be able to play a single one of the instruments himself, but he has such a knowledge and understanding of music and the tone values o[ the various instruments that, under his guidance, they can be made to produce the most exquisite harmony” Returning home in the small hours of V*? T mormng a resident Q f Boulcott’street (Wellington) had readied.the top of the flight of steps leading to his front door when suddenly a man rushed from the shadow of the porch (reports the Dominion). Darting along a high brick wall the intruder hurled himself over tho fence into the next section and vanished. The early caller must have been provided with sand shoes as. he moved silently, except when scrambling over the barrier \lthough the police were immediately communicated with, a thorough search revealed no sign of the man. He had evidently made the most of his 10 minutes start.

■ After a strenuous day, in ' the harvest field, teams, generally line up to the feed trough or nosebag. A farmer, in .the Rakaia. district; however, noticed oho of his draughts refuse the proffere.d, evening chaff meal, but ‘ nibbled at the green feed (says the’Ashburton Guardian).' 'lnvestigation revealed that a piece of-solid straw,, evidently picked up in, the harvest field, had become attached to the' throat at the rear of t]ie jaw. This removed, /Dobbin” accepted'his nosebag and once more crunched'his- hard' feed. . ■ •' ! ■

The,, constant/ demand " for .. the “ Bourbon " brand of coffet .and 'chicory shows, appreciation of a genuine article. “ Bourbon ” is produced- by coffee 'sp'ecialista, and is obtainable, from all (grocers:.-. ;- Some newspaper subscribershave strange ideas as to how a newspaper,-is. conducted (says the' Dominion).’. A/telephone call was received at the'Dominion office . the other morning from a man who’ said he required the shipping reporter- ■ Tile ship:. ping reporter was out. ■ The > then asked for the sub-editor. The sub-editor, was ; out. What ■ .was, it, the ’ gentleman wanted?.- He wanted to complain that his paper- had not been delivered that morning! /His message was duly (conveyed- to the publisher. / / ' . . - I£-you have; not already purchased Gold Leaf Tea/ write. ..now for . free sample: Box. 163, Dunedin...

An amusing happening occurred, during the 'recital at - St. • Paul’s' Hall", the other evening: (reports.the Wanganui Herald). The part, song' “’Evening”;Was;just.being concluded . and the words, “ enter - into rest ” were- being sung when' the peaceful atmosphere . Was disturbed' 1 by the .siren of . the fire engine. 1 Audience 'and 'singers realised the incongruity/'of entering .into rest with a fire engine tearing past. ..V The . Corselette is still. the most, important article of ladies’ underwear. Just opebed' from’ the maker" 12- dozen Pitik Corselettes, with four-'suspenders,.,sizes 32 to 38 ‘(bust measure) , ; 5s 6d arid : 9s 6d.—At T. Ross. .'l3O Princes, street.;. .:

Mason’s Bay, Stewart Island, is noted fpr the .amount and: hatwire .of flotsam CHst on its shores (reports the Southland Times). Recently visitors to the beach found a fish,' foreign to. these parts,' on. the beach. Its body was shaped -something like that.of a trevaUi. about 15in long, but it was more rounded in the head and had a very small mouth. An Atlantic salmon estimated, to weigh 151 b, was also noticed by the same party. / ■ Send films to Waters* Pharmacy,. 20 Princes street. : Beautiful prints return mail... ■':././, ;,

“ For, : two years I ; have been looking for some.- means of distinguishing NewZealand butter at Home,” said Mr ,E.. E. . Sharp, of London/at a. Rotary luncheon in-Wellington the other day (says ihe Dominion). “ Even now,”'he continued, “I. suppose I am buying that of some other country. What New Zealand should do is to place some, registered name on her produce, so that people in the''Old Country will know when they . are . buying her butter and when they are^npt.” “The number plates on cars are not. ar bit of use as a means of identification in the case of : fast .speeding,” said Cr W. E.' Carter at a meeting of file Elthain County Council (says the Argus). “ Some of the hogs race trains to the. crossings .and then pull up, while all the time the drivers and firemen have the wind up!” 'That the old style of numbers was best was Cr A. L. Campbell’s opinion. Cr. Carter considered there should be two or three letters which should be three times- as large, .as-.file present ones, “ Something like you see on. aeroplanes,” he concluded amid laughter. There -is only oneMishko Boot in'; the. World, and the trade'mark is. the little Red Ball. This boot will outlast. three pairs of ordinary working boots, light, durable, and. flexible. Price, 35s 6d.— Otago Farmers’, Crawford street... A striking example of tbe anomalies of railway charges was given to a-Timaru Post representative the bther morning by a well-known citizen. -He received a rase of goods' by rail, from Christchurch, which had been sent in error, at a charge of 6s lid. He decided to send the goods back to the .same'place,' in the same case, and was informed that the charge would he 10s ■ 7d.. On being given this quote, which was exorbitant, he decided to ■ send the-, goods to the Oamaru -branch/ Imagine/his-sur--prise when he was. charged 8s 6d to rail the same case ■to Oamaru, a distance of only 60 miles! / , The strongest and lightest draft Tractor Implements, are the Oliver. They are made of high carbon steel, and the Urices are right. . Inquire from -the : Mosgiel Motor and Engineering Company, MosOne has heard-of, all kinds- of household pets, almost every kind, of animal, bird, etc., but-the' latest one,, which is in the possession of a well-known Hawefa resident, is something of a.novelty (says.the Hawera Star). This unique pet is a small penguin, and although captured only a week ago at the Ahawti Beach, it is quite tame and easily handled; and already shows a penchant for being •indoors. The bird is a young one, but is fully groWU; and helongs to i epecies common inTthe MarlborpUgh Bounds'. - How the penguin came ashore,is a mystery, as the species are rarely seen alone’, and generally travel in-flocks of a ,dozcn or more. The plumage of this particular pengtiin'.is a pretty slate grey! on the back'and pure white/on the breast, the combined effect when, in the sunlight reflecting; many, beautiful hues. ■;

',= Grandism (638): Nothing in -the way of Wine goes’so far,, tastes so good, and costs so little—Aragon Spanish .Wine, 4s. Grand Hotel...- - ' Ts’-the use of roller skates'on,our roads going to add 1 a new terror to . motoring? queries the Dominion. Only recently a roller skater caused-a; good deal, of comment as he glided’in and .out of " the traffic at Day’s Bay'on a busy Sunday afternoon. This habit comes from San Francisco and Los {Angeles, where the small boys ;are perinittted to shoot along - the roads and sometimes even on the sidewalk oh roller skates. '.lt. is.quite a common' sight to see a boy delivering papers on roller -skates, and 1 to. note how cleverly he overcomes all obstacles as he sails blithely, along.. Ladies- Vedonis ,vests, an extra:special value; short:or no.sleeves;.usually 6s 0d; post free anywhere for ,ss—From James Gray and Sons, Ltd.,. the Big Store, . . . Referring to the Waikato ’fat lamb trade the other day, a' prominent Hamilton dealer said there ..was apparently an unsatisfied demand among Waikato farmers for breeding ewes (reports the New Zealand Herald). An immense number of ewes had been brought into the. Waikato in . recent months to meet local’demands, but a special ewe fair held recently,' at which over. 10,000 sheep were sold under, the hammer in an hour many buyers went away unsatisfied. There appeared, to be great prospects ahead for the fat lamb trade in the Waikato. The opening of the East Coast railway as far as Taneatua had been of great benefit both to Gisborne and Waikato sheep breeders. Save your eyes.; Consult: Peter G. Dick, D.8.0.A., F. 1.0. .(London), optometrist. Peter Dick, jewellers and lopticians, 490 Moray place (opp.'City Hotel)’...' . While workmen were • clearing away earth at-the--top of Howick-Whinstone Quarry, in England, they discovered human remains,, including a skull, teeth,, a jaw bone, and leg bones. Before this find,'small bones, taken to be those of a sheep, had been 1 .- unearthed - and thrown aside. Obviously, however, these are also the bones'of some long-dead animal. What is considered to be the most reasonable hypothesis, is that a ; Roman soldier was killed perhaps on that very spot and later interred by , either comrades or foemen. In any case, there are traces of a Roman encampment nearby. While he was carry-, ing out ■ excavations at the. ramparts at Bainbridge, near Askrigg, recently. Professor Droof came upon traces of a Roman road running east to the North ;■ Gate. There was also a: ditch, the drain of which was paved with flags and covered with stones. In 1925 and 1926 excavations conducted by Dr Kirk and Professor Collingwood, within the old fort at-Bainbridge, revealed, coins and pottery of four, centuries, traces of armour, a spear bead, and ! a fragment of the pedestal of a statue.

Doctor Flannels, Navy- or Shetland; 6s lid. Twist Shirts, 5s 6d, Extra Heavyweight, 8s Cd; sizes 14J to 17 Posted anywhere for cash.—Kilroy and Sutherland. Ltd.. 192 Princes street, Dunedin... —Hunting microbes with . aircraft is the latest venture of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The object of the hunt is to combat iwheat- : rust; which attacks the great wheat fields of Western Canada. The. aix-men - are provided with sensitised plates which are exposed to the air. The ‘spores of wheat rust, floating at - high altitudes, are caught •on the plate and analysed. The spores have been detected at a height of 5000 ft, and the flyers have run into clouds of these invisible organisms, which have registered: as many as 5000’ to the centimetre. The spores float at an altitude, and: after a rainstorm they are precipitated, and thus the rust appears in. widely separated areas and without any visible means-of-contaot.-

,An old - lady—recently called at A northern power board office- (says an , exchange). to explain .that she Was a property holder on. the rivet below the power station, .and Wished to .know exactly what effect it had on the.water, .taking all that electricity- out' of • it, and if it was -likely to injure the ,cdWs;. .

“ Pillaged in' Transit ” was the message scribbled,.across the wrappings of- a;Small package containing a -gold! medal which arrived at.the -office of the National'Rifle Association at Trentham the other ,imorning -(says the -Dominion). 'The package had apparently been‘one of -those among the'' registered; mail matter that -Was broached on the Wahine oa Saturday night and Was’ from' .the -Kiwi Rifle Club, Dunedin, Jto be awarded to the winner of- the 'tyro- grade aggregate. -' Medals for rifle.. shooting ’. honours,; ’however, would hafdly'be .valued by those -responsible for the; mail - robbery, ' and - wrapping: ft -;up again they'evidently proceeded to the. next paicel ? : hoping to find : something . more negotiable. ‘ ’ ‘ Summer - nights—long • twilight—rand -tennis or cricket. ’ Certainly a pleasant relaxation; after a ’day; of toil. But highpriced materials! may prove a bar-to you. Laidlaw and .Gray’s, are now-catering for sporting -'enthusiasts by .'stocking a ■ comprehensive Rne of* all . sporting accessories —tennis-rackets—-nets—'balls-rcricket bjits —shoes—pads—wickets—every. conceivable need—and at increasingly popular prices.-r/At the -Rattray.'street .store.;.; . ■

- A holiday trip of 18 ■ days, which; included ’an excursion into the Urewera Country,.was made recently by a party of Auckland motorists. 1 They- camped. in thf bush' hot far from Ruq’s stronghold, Where .the road.'front Matahi merges into a ■ bridle, track.. AWake at daybreak; the party.'heard the'true, rich notes of hundred's of bellbirds. “It is at the hour of daybreak that' the bel.lbh’d is heard at its best,” "stated ; Dr Chatfield, one of the party... “ The ensemble: was. magnificent. The- birds were all found us, and the only description' I can'-.give is that they were like. 1000 silver bells chiming. When_ the. day has comeV the note changes/and it is not truly bell-like” . ' Radiant and l beautiful .complexions produced by ;"yi-Oatta,” 2s 6d posted.— Waters’ Pharmacy...

■ The.largest land ballot since tbe time of the discharged soldiers’ ballots in -1921 took placV in', Napier recently- for six sections at Waimarama, ranging from 450 acres- to 860 acres : (saya ; the Daily Tele- • graph);. -The applicants in the ballot totalled 200, and they all had to be examined by the Hawke’s -Bay Land Board prior- to that body proceeding'.with the holding of the. ballot. ' The ballot is open to- married men with. one or more dependents, and to discharged soldiers who have competed unsuccessfully in ballots during the last two years. . Conn’s Footrot Cure., a cure for. footrot in sheep and' cattle; price, 5s 6d. 10s 6d, and 25s per bottle*—From Conn’s Pharmacy, Ltd., High street, Dunedin.. . ■ . / A mild protest against the holding, of the. picnics of the staffs of the.local.bodies in the Hutt' Valley on different days was raised at the meeting ■ of the.- Petone and Lower Hutt Gas Lighting Board recently by Mr V. E. Jacobson (says the Evening ! Post). .The matter arose’when the-board-granted permission . fop -the holding of picnics bn different days to the gasworks staff and to the office staff. Mr Jacobson, said that although he did not, want to hinder the staffs’ enjoyment of their-pic-nics, he did' not see why' there should be a diversity of effort when one good picnic would' do. Another member suggested that the' different - staffs might hold their picnics on the same day but. in different places. It would be. more convenient for the public if the picnics could be held on the. same day. The secretary was instructed to request' the picnic committees to try in future to fix the picnics for one day. • ■ , iHousc Whisky, 10s 6d; Pints, 5s 6d; Wines, from. 3s;, Martin Jehne Brandy, 9s 6d.—At Prince of Wales Hotel... -: ; In olden* times, according to one l authority, it. was^theVcustOm-for -knightsto Hit at windmills. An . innovation, . however, was made at a small spbrtefixturd held at the Invercargill .Fire Station, the other evening when “knights ” mounted /on human "steeds" tilted at a sheet of:tin suspended- from a rod resting oh, two wooden supports (says the* Southland Times) . At first; sight there appeared to be nothing difficult; in the operation, but the laws ‘of the' contest decreed. that the lance had to pass through a small hole in the tin. The element of skill, then entered into the contest which also.bad its amusing features, as a bucket, full to the brim, with water, was seiurely attached tO; the top of the sheet, of tin. . On every occasion the tin was struck by the lance the bucket invariably tipped over to send a cascade of water on to the luckless competitors,, who retired. With .dripping garments amidst the laughter of the spectators.' • , •■/....■/

Pigs,>Figsj Pigs.—tTSfe.are.‘cash, buyers of both -Pork and- Bacon Pigs,' ahy quantity. Highest ruling' price given.—Bartons, Manse street. .. 1 A Wanganui resident noticed in his garden the other day a bird with a green back and . bars on - 'the neck. ■ ■ It was a young one and two very much smaller birds were actively engaged in feeding it (reports the Herald). This process of feeding goes; on daily from daylight till'dark; the "bird seems to have an appetite appar-ently-unsatisfied, and-is continually calling out for more.' This’bird is known as the pip.iwharauroa,-and is by no means un- - common in Wanganui, and may be seen at Virginia; Lake - and tiie City .Nursery, In the winter, time it disappears and goes back to the ranges, tb.appear again in the early 'spring. - A. well-known local Maori states that when the pipiwharauroa arrives it is - timfr to . start the: cultivating and planting of the- kumera. The parent bird lays the egg in the nest of other little birds, who hatch it out and then lead an active life; as foster parents. It has been, stated that the bird migrates to other landj. hut. the-local Maori- authority says that -tuis is' not correct. S.S.S. Drill' Overalls have been reduced . in price. Combinations now 18s 6d, Bib Overalls. 11s. 9d, ;Plain Overalls 10s, Jackets IQs 6d;- posted anywhere; cash with order.—Procurable only -at “Ascot," PriiSces and Rattray street corner... - There was one rather noticeable lack at the Otago-Southland cricket match the other afternoon, and that was a good score board (reports the Southland Times) . It is true that there'was one, - but it. served a dUal purpose and required turning every few minutes. The same board was the cause of a thrill of fear, which turned into mirth, at a certain stage of the" afternoon. As there was no stand to rest it on the board bad., been leant 1 against the picket fence. Two youngsters .were showing each other cigarette cards in the shelter of.tiie board, when suddenly came a gust of wind and, to the horrer of the crowd, the board slowly toppled over,'and before the cries of bvstanders could - warn them, the two boysmad been-overwhelmed by it. Someone dashed forward • and lifted- up the board; two bewildered-boyslifted their beads: "Gee,” said one, as he rubbed his head; but the grins on their faces soon set the whole grand stand laughing. -■ Ladieg- and Girls coats, dresses, and hats at half-.price ind leas this week. Watch'windows.. Bargains for all. Fortyseventh annual summer sale, in full swing. A. F.’ Gheyne and Co., the Mosgiel warehouse... , .

A good 'story is told by a. Wanganui resident who, with his wife, spent the week-end at New Plymouth—the guesjts of a’well-known citizen who is a borough councillor and-also the enthusiastic chairman of the Pukekura Park Board (states the Herald) . They- had just started Sunday dinner, when a phone call came to say that some people had - inadvertently beep locked:in the park fernery, and the caretaker had gone off home to dinner with the key. The councillor very cheerfully left his dinner and set - off in his car to the park, -where he found a very. embarrassed but ‘ thankful honeymoon couple from Auckland waiting , patiently -behind the bars of the portal to the fernery. They were at once released and. welcomed to the city, and told of other beauty spots that should be seen by .all visitors. .The councillor had no sooner returned to his dinner when ■ a phone message came from still another visitor asking for direct'.;'s to the -Huatoki Domain. The cpunc., took,time to explain-the route with h s, characteristic cheerfulness, after .which ; was permitted to finish his dinner inpe.. \ Hitchon’s bacon on, the land ' Or on' .the stormy' sea. . ■' Hitchon’s ham is in demand Wherever you may he...-