NEWS IN BRIEF

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23703, 10 January 1939, Page 16

NEWS IN BRIEF

The total freight hauled through the Otira tunnel Irom west to east the week before last amounted to only 2264 tons, owing to the intervention of. the holiday -period. In the corresponding week last year, the total was 2795 tons, and in the previous year it" was 2537 tons. - . “ It would be quite wrong for me to impose a term of imprisonment in this case. No doubt defendant did this in a state of deprersion arising from his illness,” said Mr J. H. Luxford, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court,- Wellington, when William Ewbank, hotel worker, aged 45, was charged with committing mischief by wilfully damaging two plate-glass windows valued at £SO, the property of Lysons, Ltd. Ewbank, who pleaded guilty, was admitted to probation for tv/o years. Police evidence showed that Ewbank called at the Taranaki Street Police Station early one morning and asked to be locked up. He was advised to go home, and later returned and said he had broken two windows so that he would be imprisoned. ■ .; . Quality Coffee! The world’s best— Blue Mountain Jamaica freshly roasted'and ground daily, is only obtainable from A. Durie and Co., coffee specialists. 32 Octagon. Dunedin... Writing to the New Zealand Herald, a correspondent gravely informs its readers that a huge planet'which is now visible in the eastern heavens between 2 and 3 a.m. is nearly as great in diameter as a full moon. Early risers—or late bed-seekers —in other parts of New Zealand, including Palmerston North, have marvelled also at the brilliance and beauty of the planet, and it is no very great exaggeration to compare it with a full moon. The celestial visitor is Venus. It was at its most .brilliant stage on December 26, and will attain its greatest' elongation from the sun on January 30. The planet is easily discernible in full daylight if one knows where to look for it. ’ A disappointment to motorists who traversed the East Coast scenic road between Gisborne and Napier this summer was the almost complete absence of pohutukawa flowers, 'an experience that is without precedent in the memory of local residents. Normally, the pohutukawas are at their best just before Christmas, and . when the trees had not blossomed at the usual time, it wafc at first thought that it was merely due to the, later, ess of the season. As the days passed with only an odd patch of colour, however, it was realised that most of the trees, were not going to flower at all. Evidence of the poorness of the display was the fact that between Waihau Bay and Orauiti Beach, which .is generally a mass of bloom on roadside and hillside, there were only about a dozen trees which showed any sign of colour. Make your work lighter—have your, blunt tools sharpened by our experts. Saws, scissors, mowers our speciality. Satisfaction assured.—Dickinsons Ltd., 441 Princes street, Dunedin... A new type of vessel to operate from Napier, the 30-foot keel yacht, Spray, owned by Mr. A. Alexander, Hastings, has made her first trials. Spray has nofe yet completed her fitting-out, but it was expected that, she would be finished by the end of last. week. An extraordinarily large eel was caught in the Te Henui River at New” Plymouth recently. The boys who speared the eel with garden forks car-, ried the fish up; to the East End pavilion and exhibited their catch. One of the boys had speared the eel with a garden fork and he and another held it to the bed of the.river while a third ran to. his home to obtain another fork, with the aid of which they lifted the eel from the stream. Another very large eel was caught at Uruti, in the upper reaches of the Waitara River. This fish was caught with a “bob” on a manuka pole. It weighed 191 b and gave great difficulty to the plan who made the catch. The manuka pole was about two inches in circumference, but was snapped before the eel was landed. There is no fuss about the hospitality tendered at Crossan’s “ Waterloo.” The best of drinks are always obtainable there, and many appreciate this fact... As a result of the recent increase in rail freight charges, the Hastings and Havelock North Wood and Coal Merchants’ Association has decided to increase the prices of wpod and The new charges were to operate from January 1. ■ . . The winner of the. premier reserve at the New Zealand Chess Congress at Wanganui. R. G. Wade (Wellington), is only 17 years of age, but has been a chess ’player for eight years. He was taught the game by bis father in Dunedin, and on going to_ Wellington to continue his studies joined up with the Wellington Chess Club, where he holds No. 2 position on the ladder. He is a keen student of chess and plays a sound game, whether, on the attack or in defending. Wade lost one game and drew another out ox the nine gapies he played in the premier reserve. ■ - Grandism (3696): It is acclaimed by those who know that Grand House Whisky is the best that money can buy; bottles, 2s, 3s, 5s 6d, 6s 6d, 125... Mr and Mrs L. Capper, of Huntly, with their family of five children, were camped at Ohope Beach, near Whakatane, when,a spirit, lamp' .was accidentally capsized and ignited the tent. Fortunately the car and some of the camp effects were rescued from the fire. Before his departure for home Mr Capper’s fellow campers collected and handed him a substantial sum with which to replace his lost property. The long spell of dry weather in the Ruatoria district resulted m a shortage of water arid feed, and dairy production declined. Shearing was in full swing, and, with the continuance of fine weather, it was _ hoped to cut out most of the sheds by the end of last week.

Holiday makers when in the vicinity of Milton will find Gray’s Big Store a good place to replenish stocks. Well bought grocery, hardware, _ drapery, and boots are available at this shop.-.. When she was dragged round by a merry-go-round at Petone on a recent night, Miss B. Hamon, Lower Hutt, received an injury to , her left thigh and shock. She was taken to the Public Hospital. It is understood that Miss Hamon was holding a child on to the merry-go-round and slipped when it started off. In endeavouring to right herself she slipped still further and was dragged round several times_ before the machine could be stopped. -': Unusual ingenuity is shown in the names given seaside cottages in Hawke’s Bay this summer. ‘ LingerLonger” has appealed to several holi-day-makers, and “ Kamp-Kuddle has been seen more than once. Dearsden ” carries a faint suggestion of a honeymoon cottage. “ Homewood is a name known to most, and Dewdrop Inn” is a name computing both an invitation and a touch of the artistic.

1939 Bargains Bigger and Better. Its frock week. See special window displays. Ladies’ frocks from 3s lid up. Every frock reduced. Call early while the selection is good.—Mosgiel’s Drapers. A. F. Cheyne and C 0... According to an Auckland resident, whose information comes from the Swiss Office for the Development of Trade, the guaranteed price system is operative in Switzerland in the milk industry. The Milk Producers’ Association guarantees the price to the peasants irrespective of the price of dairy products abroad, with a view-to relieving the confederation (or governing body) of subsidies which have been necessary during the depression years. Recently the association reduced by one centime (approximately an eighth of a penny) per litre the price paid to suppliers and increased by the same amount the price asked for from consumers, thus increasing by. approximately a farthing per pint its reserve pool from which subsidies will be paid to the peasant.

The roast beef of old England Has kept the old flag flying, But it’s Hitchon’s wonder bacon That tops the pole for frying..;