A RECORD VISITATION

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 2726, 24 May 1907, Page 2

A RECORD VISITATION

THE LOCUST PLAGUE

SOME INCIDENTS. Recently Johannesburg awoke to discover with some surprise that the locust pest not only still remained, but that it existed in a much more repulsive form, far the streets were littered with dead insects. Unprecedented swarms of locusts are by no means welcome to a community already worried, but when their dead bodies form a veritable carpet everywhere what was formerly distracting becomes an absolute nuisance, if not altogether a menace to the public health. In no part of the town and the immediate neighbourhood was the smallest space free from the pest, and as the hot rays of tho sun played on the locust-covered thoroughfares, the stench became sometimes .almost unbearable.

In the commercial part of tho town there were many remarkable occurrences. Pedestrians were slipping and falling on the insect-strew pavements, ladies occasionally screamed with terror, whilst numerous juveniles derived endless amusement and recreation in chasing and capturing partially disabled insects. Vehicular traffic was even interfered with. In a few instances horses and mules were seen to slip and fall. Fortunately there were no accidents of a serious nature. Brooms were in great demand. Almost at every turn natives and others were busily engaged in sweeping away masses of the dead pests from shop entrances, and the doors of offices and private houses. As a result the gutterways were thick with dead and dying insects, and as the day progressed the stench, though not extremely noxious, was distinctly unhealthy, and there was a general inquiry as to why the Town Council was so lethargic in dealing with the scourge. As already intimated, the commercial houses suffered in common with the whole community. Armies of locusts invaded every place of business. and were discovered in the most unexpected places, the restaurant soup tureen not excluded. In one of the hoot stores a lady found one of the purple species in a boot she was about to try on. With a scream she dropped the footwear and momentarily swooned. On recovering the fair customer said something about spiders and locusts, and bravely purchased the article which had formed the retreat of tho unwelcome insect. Towards sunset there was a noticeable decrease of the pests, which appeared to take a north-westerly course, and by dusk only a small proportion remained alive. This diminution was more apparent yesterday, when the town proper vas almost free of the winged intruders, although a very dense swarm passed over Belgravia and Kensington.