NEWS IN BRIEF

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22503, 22 February 1935, Page 16

NEWS IN BRIEF

"You will remember Egypt and the training you got there," said Sir Alexander Godley at New Plymouth the other night. "I know very well what you said about me then," he added smiling, " and also that no matter how hard the 'day in the desert, there was always an odd New Zealander or two who found his way into Cairo in the evening." Come and see our show to-uigut.- We are open till 9 o'clock Friday nights.— Scoullar and Chisholm, Limited... Eels are reported to be numerous - .n the Mataura River at present (says the Southland Times), and fishermen are concerned over the havoc they will be making among the trout. It is reported that a member of the local angling society has during the last week or so ridded the river of nearly 100 eels by means of an eel. trap set among the rocks in the river, adjacent to the.town bridge. Men living near the Big Store, Milton, should inspect the special offer of highgrade suits which are being cleared at Gray's. These suits should be all cleared within a few days at such low prices... A witness in the Inglewood Magistrate's Court recently was. enumerating the rooms in a. house in which an electric' meter- board may not be placed. The house is question was a very small one (says the Taranaki Herald), and the Magistrate was. so puzzled that he was constrained to ask: Well, where do you put the meter when there is nowhei c to put it?" The emergence of women into public affairs in recent years was touched on by Mr George Lawn, who was in the chair at a recent lecture delivered by Miss Margaret Macpherson in Christchurch. "A significant fact in_ the world to-day is the increasing part being played by women in the reconstruction of broken-down economic and social structures." he said. ''There is a new spirit of co-operatioa .between men and women in the world." Back to School Week. All School Clothes at Special Prices. See Window Displays.—A. F. Cheyne and Co. "It would seem that they had all just dropped the hose before the inspector appeared,!" remarked Mr J. L. Stout,' BM., at.the Palmerston North Magis-i trate's Court during the hearing of cases alleging breaches of the water hosing regulations. One defendant had written explaining that. she, had-run in to answer a telephone ring, and had left the hose on the ground. The Magistrate commented that it was to prove a dear 'call. ' The bed of a creek at Mangere rose 20 feet during the last high flood (says 5 the Taranaki Herald), and a settler whose residence is on the bank has been causedsome concern. The creek flows into the Wanganui River, and during a deputation to the last meeting of the Whangamomona County Council a ratepayer stated that when he went to bed at night ae never knew whether he would wake up in Wanganui. * '. It is the bored man that is often so wooden, but he wouldn't be so bored if he visited Crossan'» "Waterloo." All is sociability there... - "The farmldnder* in this borough have had a big win to-day in securing a 25 per cent, reduction in their rating assessments," said Mr J.' Macdonald at a meeting of the Birkenhead Borough Council last week. "The position is going.to be all the harder for the 6ther ratepayers, among whom are several relief workers." Steps were also necessary to help the rest of the community, Mr Macdonald said, and to that ead he moved that a telegram b<s sent to the Prime Minister urging the restoration of the 10 per cent. cut. This was carried, and it was also decided to ask the suburban local bodies to support, the movement. V Flies briDg disease. Keep your windows and house clear of these troublesome pests by using our fly baths.' Quality meat' safes stocked ins all sizes.— Dickinson's, Limited, Sheetmetal Workers, 245{Princes street.;. - ;• Some, amusing information regarding war medal ribbons was gleaned by a-Sun reporter from officials of the, Christchurch Returned Soldiers' Association recently. At the close of the Great War, the British Government found that, it had on its hands about 1,000,000 yards of such ribbon, 6f various patterns. This was sold to an enterprising firm of wholesale haberdashers for a few pence a yard (it had originally cost the Government in the vicinity of 2s 6d a yard, being of highgrade silk), and these astute business men made it un into men's braces, which sold readily all over the British Isles—at an excellent profit—and doubtless continued, even in their new capacity, to uphold the dignity of its wearers. Grandism (2502): When a connoisseur points to the Grand Hotel label on the bottle, he very-naturally assumes he need say no more... ■.'"•'.'„

"I- enjoyed my little snooze here today better than for a long time," said Cr A. E. Bisset, at the last meeting of the Bay of Islands County-Council, in congratulating the council on the acquisition of new . leather chairs, which, incidentally, are very comfortable. Cr Bisset said that the others were too uncomfortable for easy sleep. , "It reminded one of the early days, when the bush made advances to settlers in the shape of nikau," said one of the pioneers, sheltering in the nikau whare which (says the Northern Advocate) was a feature of the outbuildings at the Towai Show recently. "Many of us started our lives in nothing better," he commented. " The majority made good, and are' alive to-day to be taxed under modern conditions." Although the whare at Towai had only been roughly constructed as a cover for Maori carvings, it stood the test of the inclement weather experiehef d at the show, and afforded shelter for many of the visitors. Everything of the best at the Prince of Wales Hotel, Princes street, Dunedin.— Chas. Hinchcliff. proprietor... The drought has not confiried itself to the destruction of-vegetation, but has had a considerable effect on the surface of unpaved roads in Canterbury. Long stretches along some of the main highways have suffered considerably. Deep ruts have been worn (says the Christchurch Press), and some already bad patches have become dangerous. This is particularly noticeable along the West Coast highway and roads branching from it.

" I move that it be placed in the waste-paper basket," said the Mayor of Auckland (Mr G. W. Hutchison) at a meeting of the Metropolitan Milk Council (reports the Herald), when the secretary reported that an anonymous letter had been received. "If I took any notice of the anonymous letters I have received in the last four years, or even read them, I should not have much time for other things," he added. "They are simply written by people of peculiar mentality." Ex Tainui, we have just landed one ton of the favourite Kenya coffee (Kinenguy Estate). Only obtainable from A. Durie and Co., coffee specialists, 32 Octagon, Dunedin... . , , ' As a souvenir of a visit to the West Coast the Christchurch town clerk (Mr J. S. Neville) has a fine piece of dark greenstone which he recently had polished by a Christchurch monumental mason. A high polish has revealed the smooth beauty of this interesting stone. Thisi piece was dredged up in the buckets of the Eimu gold dredge near Hokitika. There are said to be fairly extensive deposits of greenstone—the pounamu tor' which the Maoris fought—in the mountains* behind Hokitika, and the Maoris at the pa at Arahura have an intriguing legend about a sacred mountain of greenstone up the Arahura Kiver. In view of the interest at' present being . taken ,in the formation of air services throughout the Dominion (and presumably the promoters would hope for mail contracts also) the experience of the Plymouth-Liverpool air-mail rout 1 , throws an interesting sidelight on the uses to which air carriage is put. According to Gibbons's Stamp Monthly this service terminated after being operative for a period of approximately six weeks, and is is astounding to note that over.W per cent, of the mail handled was carried on the first day. This was brought about by the keenness of stamp collectors to secure "first-day covers," but thereafter the business dwindled to such an extent that continuation was not warranted. The question arises whether a trans-Tasman service would suffer a similar fate. . 'lis nice to tack and cruise about When watch or wheel you're takin', And hear once more the bo'sun shout Lay off for Hitchon'a Bacon...