NEWS IN BRIEF

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22102, 4 November 1933, Page 22

NEWS IN BRIEF

“I intend to fight my trouble and get the best o£ it in the end” said a defendant in the Wanganui. Magistrates Court on a charge of having broken the provisions of a prohibition order by procuring and consuming liquor. Mr J. 11Salmon, S.M.: I hope you do succeed in the end. So far, every round seems to have ended in favour of drink. •' An innovation at the Wanganui Horticultural Society’s summer show wil be a competition for the best decorated basket of vegetables. Baskets of flowers have been prominent, as decorations before, but the use of vegetables as decorations is something new to Wanganui. At the large English flower shows wonderful effects have been produced in this way. How much is your time worth/ If you are a busy man' you count every minute worth money. Consult Peter Dick, jewellers and opticians, 490 Moray place, Dunedin. Phone 13-308... “ The best way to see as much as possible of Fiji in a limited time is to fly round it,” said Mr C. A. Fletcher, of Sydney, who arrived at Auckland by the Aorangi after spending a holiday in the. Islands. .He said he chartered an aeroplane and flew right round the island, calling at Lautoka, Ba and Levuka, and thus .gaining an illuminating impression of the geographical and geological aspects of Fiji. A special feature at the Lorneville stock sale this week was the auctioning of a silky , bantam hen (says the Southland Times). Several bird fanciers interested themselves in the “ lot,” and after some spirited bidding the bird was knocked down to Mr Richard Harris, the wellknown Wallacetown fancier. The price was £6 6s, reported to be a_ record for Southland for this class of bird. The Government Gardens at Rotorua are particularly attractive at present (states the New Zealand Herald’s correspondent), the beds of spring and early flowers making a blaze of colour. A feature is the large number of well-grown azalea bushes, which are a great attraction in the spring with their masses of bloom of various hues. The arches at the main entrance to the ground are covered with mauve wisteria, which is now in full bloom.

Most people enjoy good _ coffee, and once its taste is acquired it holds the consumer. The favourite “ Bourbon ’ brand appeals for its strength and flavour. Instructions for making in each tin... Australian manufacturers were now “going for their lives,” declared Mr G. F. Cotter, a Christchurch business man, who returned recently from a visit to England, Ireland, Germany, and Australia (says the Times). The protection policy of the Commonwealth Government had given them practically freedom from outside competition, and he found the people busy and confident. It appeared to him that Australia had recovered from the depression more rapidly than New' Zealand, The trouble in New Zealand appeared to be the attitude of the_ people towards their difficulties. Australians and Englishmen had a more optimistic outlook and they, tackled their problems in a thorough manner.

Country storekeepers supplied on worth-while terms.—Barton's, Manse st... The impressions of a recent Napier resident, Mr F. H. Finlayson, who is, at present working on a railway 460 miles north-west of Sydney, are that conditions generally in Sydney are far better than in New Zealand. Writing to a friend in Namier he stated: “ I think conditions are improving all the* time. Everyone in Sydney told me' that there is all the difference in the world between conditions at present and a year ago, when Lang was in power. The price of wool is about 50 per rent, higher than it was this time last year.” Bankers are familiar with “ bulls ” on the stock exchange, but a real bull became much too familiar with an Invercargill banker last Saturday. The manager of the financial institution, an ardent fisherman, had walked through a padclock to the river and had noticed chained to a pep a large and ugly bull. But deeming the chain plus a hedge sufficient protection from any bovine villainy the angler dismissed the animal from his thoughts and bent all his attention to catching trout. Fifteen minutes passed. Then by some chance the banker glanced over his shoulder. Ten yards behind him, with head lowered and tail raised, the bull was in full gallop. Many times had the banker made. charges to other people’s accounts; ; ever had he seen a charge so likely to account for him. He cast the fly, the rod, and himself into the river and began to flounder across, the bull snorting in mortification and rage on the bank. Here the story should end, but the angler’s friends assert that he caps the tale by relating how as he made that desperate plunge a hungry fish snapped, at the fly. became hooked, and was safely landed on the opposite shore. But these self-same friends state that although the manager has often given them credit, they cannot credit all he says. One of the strangest churches in the world is built entirely of wine casks. It stands in a vineyard at Asti, in California. Originally it was erected as a wine store, but when prohibition was enacted windows were added and it ’as converted into a church.

Maori farmers on the East Coast have decided this year to have all their export stock killed at the Tokomaru Bay works. This decision was reached at a recent meeting, when it was agreed that before selling the farmer should stipulate to the buyer that the stock should be killed at Tokomaru Bay. This attitude was taken as a means of increasing outlets for employment at Tokomaru Bay and to facilitate a reduction of freezing charges there. A Greymouth tradesman had adopted a novel scheme to stop his employees wasting their time on morning and aftei> noon tea. In his. workshop he has put up the following printed notice, headed, “The staff and visitors”: “This is a workshop, not a restaurant. In future eat sufficient at home, and work while you are here. I pay you wages for your v(ork, so that you can go home aud eat; not pay you to eat, and then go home and sleep. Failure to observe this request means instant dismissal.”

Have you seen our seed-bed watering cans? Just the thing you require. All gardening tools set and sharpened; satisfaction guaranteed.—Dickinson's Limited, Princes street...

Mr R. B. S. Watson, who came down to Fiji to explore local waters at the suggestion of the Government in search ot swordfish fishing grounds, has returned to New Zealand (writes the Auckland Star’s Suva correspondent). Before going he announced that he had purchased the beautiful island of Wakaya, situated to the north-east of Levuka. The purchasers are known as “ Wakaya. Ltd.” Mr Watson is lucky that no American millionaire had heard of the island being for sale. !t is a paradise for sportsmen, for its wooded valleys and mountain ridges swarm with deer and wild fowl, and its reefs are ideal fishing grounds, almost untouched by fishermen. The island also has large areas under coconuts, and can produce a large quantity of copra yearly. Some years ago Mr de Mouncey bought it from the Government for some £14,000, and then it was acquired by Morris Hedstrom, Ltd., who have sold it to Mr Watson.

Spring Cleaning bargains in all departments. Latest model Electrolux for hire. Curtains, Linos., Runners, Mats, etc., in abundance. Call early.—-A. F. Cheyne and C 0...

Timely aid from a party of relief workers returning from work at Onetangi, Waiheke, was responsible for saving a valuable draught horse, the property of the Ostend Road Board, which was caught in a swamp (says the New - Zealand Herald). The animal, which had been trapped for some time, had one leg caught up to the shoulder, and had it not been seen by the men it would probably have died during the night. After being extricated the horse walked away, aparently little the worse for its experience. Wcrrk has been commenced on the construction of a new concrete bridge over the north branch of the Waimakariri River between Kaiapqi and Waddington (-says the Press). _ The new structure will replace the old girder bridge, but it will be considerably shorter. Heavy flood waters used to run beneath the old bridge, but with the diversion -of the Eyre River the flow of water in the . north branch of the Waimakariri is not so great, and the new bridge will not need to be so long. It will be 40 feet, with a single span, and built in reinforced concrete in a design similar to that of the Waimakariri bridge. The contractor is Mr W. A. Smart. All things fit to survive do survive. The popularity of Crossan’s “ Waterloo ” is a ease in point...

Illustrations of a novel method of skating, tried out with success in Berlin, have been received by the Napier Thirty Thousand Club (states the Daily Telegraph). The. skates used have the appearance of ice-skates,, but they are.used on the bitumen surface of the roads by the insertion of tiny rows of wheels in the blades. The Napier Thirty Thousand Club is making further inquiries in reKara to the skates with a- possible view of introducing this form of sport on the Marine Parade, Napier. ■ , With the passing away of so many of the early pioneers of New Zealand, Mrs Paterson, Dominion president of women’s institutes, *’ stated at Turakina last week that valuable sources of information as to the early history of the land had been lost. An endeavour was at present being made, to collect and preiserve as much history as possible by the institutes. . Mrs Paterson pointed out that it Was only fitting _ that the courageous deeds of pioneering men should be collected by womep, and presented from their point of view.’

Men are well catered for at Gray’s Big Store, Milton. One may procure the wants of man at this source of supply to suit the needs and purses of most men in the district...

An excellent prospect of freeing the Hawera show grounds from debt within a few years was revealed at a recent meeting of the General Committee of the Egmont A. and P. Association. The mortgagee,' Mr W. J. Arundell, has made the terms on which he will give the association £SOOO of the £IO,OOO mortgage even more generous, and already the association has promises of approximately £2OOO of the £3OOO it will have to raise by public subscription. Mr Arundell’s first offer was to give the association £1 for £1 for any amount between £2OOO and £SOOO it raised by public subscription. Now- he is w-illing to give £SOOO if the association can raise £3OOO by public subscription. Preliminary steps have resulted iu less than 20 residents of South Taranaki offering varying from several suras of £250 and less which nave now aggregated over £I9OO.

Grandism (2099): There is one right way to take out all the'bite and harshness, and fnake whisky mild and mellow — Grand House aged-in-the-wood. '125... The grave danger of cyclists being run down by motor cars in the Hataitai traffic tunnel was stressed by several speakers at the annual meeting of the Wellington Automobile Club (says the Evening Post). It was suggested that either cyclists should not be allowed to use the roadway in the tunnel or that flood-lighting should be employed and the tunnel walls covered with white enamel. Mr E. A. Batt, chairman of the Executive Committee, said that everything possible had beenldone to make the tunnel safe, including the provision of notice boards advising motorists to dim their lights and the whitewashing of the walls. Cyclists should be compelled to have reflectors on their cycles. No opportunity .was being lost of having conditions in the tunnel made safer. The risk of accident at the approaches had also been pointed out to the authorities, but apparently a fatal accident Would have to take place before anything was done. “So far as this Dominion is concerned, the prospects for the coming season are more encouraging than they have been at any time during the past three years,” remarked Mr C. J. Broad, chairman of directors of the Permanent Investment and Loan Association of Southland, in the course of his remarks at the annual meeting. “ Recent sales of wool in different countries record a considerable advance on last j r ear’s. prices, and it is confidently expected that the advanced prices will be maintained throughout the season; , and possibly reach higher figures, while it is also confidently anticipated that prices for lamb and dairy produce will rise higher than they have for some time past, and more commensurate with the presentday cost of production, giving hope that the Dominion will again soon be on the road to prosperity.” Highest grade sugar-cured bacon from 7Jd by rasher. —Barton’s, Manse street... An incident which might easily < have turned into a minor panic involving a number of small children had it not been fror the presence of mind of Miss G. Riley occurred in the New Plymouth Opera House the other .night (says the Herald). The incident occurred at the interval in the performance, when some heavy staging used as scenery in the vocal and ballet number,, “Le Beau Danube. Bleu,” was being shifted from the stage to make room for further scenery for.the second part. The sharp edge of the piece of scenery ran over and severed an. electric wire used in the lighting of the stage. The wire immediately began to splutter and the burning rubber insulation to give offa fair amount of smoke. The smaller children became very frightened, and, clutching at their handbags, began to scatter. 1 One small girl stood on a box and began screaming, which added to the confusion. Miss Gwen. Riley took in the situation immediately and quietened the girls until the switch operator had cut off the current.; . I’ve walked so far I sometimes feel Tired, hungry, and forsaken; Oh, for a rest and one good meal Of Hitchon’s ham or bacon,..